Last year Nintendo poised the ghost sucking Luigi’s Mansion 3 for a Halloween release. This year, Switch owners receive Pikmin 3 Deluxe – a critical part of Nintendo’s winter line-up, and one that’s far less spooky. Well, that’s excusing that the white Pikmin have always sent a chill down our spine.
As we’ve mentioned already, it’s highly doubtful the Switch’s winter line-up is as Nintendo originally planned – COVID-19 has drastically impacted the way they operate, resulting in titles made by smaller teams. Pikmin 3 was a much-requested Wii U conversion, this much is true, but nobody expected it to be a key part of the winter line-up.
General consensus is that while it remains a wonderful game, it’s hard to justify ‘double-dipping’ if you already own the Wii U original due to improvements being mostly minor. If you haven’t played it before, though, then by all means jump in. The Metacritic currently stands at 84%, with most reviews clocking in at 8/10.
The Zelda-inspired Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm also sets sail on Switch. Reviews are mixed so far – for every 8/10 there’s a 6/10 lurking behind. “Oceanhorn 2 is a decent game, albeit one that doesn’t do enough to stick out from the crowd. Excellent presentation and a clear understanding of the mechanics underlying the Zelda franchise make for a game that is satisfying and ultimately worth the price of admission,†said Nintendo Life.
Mad Rat Dead (also out now on PS4) is far more unique, being a rhythm-based platformer. You play as a dying rat given the chance to relive their last day on earth. Despite little build-up to release, reviews are surprisingly bountiful. Positive, too – it gained a lofty 90% from Gaming Trend and an 8/10 from Noisy Pixel.
“Mad Rat Dead is a quality rhythm-based platformer that you may not have been expecting. If you can get past the problematic jump attack, you get to experience a blissful and upbeat soundtrack across an addictive gameplay loop and surprisingly unique story,†said NP.
Noisy Pixel also gave the belated release of Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty the review treatment. “Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is a great adventure platformer that is now accessible on Switch. It’s definitely showing its age in terms of controls and design, but it still holds up all these years later. Nothing has changed in this release, so it might not be worth playing through again if you already have, but if you haven’t, this is the best time to join Abe and make your escape,†was their verdict.
Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Mini also dished up a few surprises, making a busy week even busier. Acclaimed shooter Control Ultimate Edition is out now as a cloud release. It’s possible to try it out for free to see how it fares via your internet connection before coughing up £34.99. Conversions of the Wii’s No More Heroes 1 and 2 are with us too, while Part Time UFO comes from HAL Laboratory, being a stack ‘em up centred around JoyCon control.
Other releases for this week include the pixel art shooters Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe, yet another iteration of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, world-altering puzzle adventure Carto, and a remake of the Amiga semi-classic The Bluecoats North & South.
New Switch eShop releases
Control Ultimate Edition – Cloud Version – £34.99
Control Ultimate Edition contains the main game and all Expansions (“The Foundation” and “AWE”) in one great value package.
A corruptive presence has invaded the Federal Bureau of Control… Only you have the power to stop it. The world is now your weapon in an epic fight to annihilate an ominous enemy through deep and unpredictable environments. Containment has failed, humanity is at stake. Will you regain control?
Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Blending open-ended environments with the signature world-building and storytelling of renowned developer, Remedy Entertainment, Control presents an expansive and intensely gratifying gameplay experience.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe – £49.99
Touch down on a world of rich adventure with Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch!
Command a capable crop of tiny creatures and explore a hostile planet in this exciting blend of action and strategy. Seek out valuable items, solve puzzles and overcome powerful creatures in a richly detailed world full of surprises!
Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition – £14.99
Join Brian Pasternack, a young man with no future in a dystopian 90s society, on his first day at one of the world’s largest companies, Sintracorp. Uncertain, unprepared, and massively unqualified, will Pasternack have what it takes to shine in Sintracorp’s hierarchy? It all depends on how he performs on his first assignment… and whether he survives it.
#Halloween, Super Puzzles Dream – £5.39
#Halloween! is the hashtag for the most terrifying topic!
Puzzles move onto the next level with ‘Super Puzzle Dream’, a mix between classic jigsaw puzzle and a ‘Tetromino’-style dynamic mechanic.
Two levels of play, ‘senior’ (for adults) and ‘junior’ (for children aged 3+), guarantee hours of entertainment for all.
Become an expert and finish the puzzles in the shortest possible time and you will find yourself amongst the best in the world on the online leaderboard.
Barbearian – £8.99
Hijacked to a to strange world. Forced to fight for your life. Discover the secrets of the Arbitrators and find your way back home!
Barbearian is a fast-paced hack’n’slash with massive battles in a colorful, hand-drawn world.
Crimzon Clover – World Explosion – £17.99
From Japanese indie developers YOTSUBANE and AdventurePlanningService, this unique top-down shooter is a wild ride you won’t want to miss out on.
Your first step in Crimzon Clover: World EXplosion is choosing how you want to play, as well as which powerful ship will be yours to command. Choose your version from ARCADE (true to the original arcade game), NOVICE (better if this is your first step into the world of hardcore shmuppage), or ARRANGED (a whole new can of worms with unique mechanics and novel challenges never seen before in the Crimzon Clover saga), then choose your mode from Boost, Original, Unlimited, and Time Attack.
De: Yabatanien – £11.69
Try to rescue the girls trapped inside the mansion by solving puzzles and uncovering secrets. But remember, one wrong step, and it might cost their lives. It won’t be easy to rescue them all.
De: Yabatanien contains two chapters, with over 100 rooms to explore, and multiple endings waiting for you to discover the truth behind all these horrifying traps.
Haunted: Poppy’s Nightmare – £2.69
…my parents and I moved into our new home a few weeks ago. Now I can finally celebrate my first Halloween here. I’m so excited! Mommy has already got me a new witch costume. Hahahaha
Mum says I should take care. As a true witch, many things could happen. Mommy told me about her first Halloween and how she was followed by ghosts. But I do not believe it….
I hope I get many great things with which I can decorate the garden.
I am Poppy – and this is my first Halloween.
Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe – £13.49
The Angry Video Game Nerd has been sucked into Game Land! It’s up to you to guide him through three terrible and treacherous retro game worlds!
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures and Angry Video Game Nerd II: Assimilation come together for the ultimate Nerd experience! This is the definitive way to play the series… and more!
This deluxe collection brings you every stage from both of famously tough action platform games, remixed & re-balanced plus an all-new, never-before-seen final chapter to bring the experience together for the ultimate experience in nerd rage.
Family Mysteries 2: Echoes of Tomorrow – £13.49
Framed scientist travels through time to save his beloved wife and reveal kidnapper’s identity. Find hidden objects in the post-apocalyptic world, solve cyberpunk puzzles and embrace the future full of adventures!
Get ready for thrilling sci-fi adventure in the big city, which offers riveting and refreshing approach to the hidden object puzzle adventure genre. “Family Mysteries 2: Echoes of Tomorrow” is an emotional cyberpunkish ride with a hint of romance that takes you straight into not-too-distant future.
When the cybernetically-enhanced time traveler kidnaps your wife, and someone tries to frame you for the crime you didn’t commit, the world suddenly turns upside down. It’s time to take things into your own hands and prove your mettle. As a resourceful scientist you still have a few aces up your sleeve!
Mad Rat Dead – £35.99
A rat’s dream has been left unfulfilled before his death… that is, until he gets a second chance at life! Granted the opportunity to redo his last day on Earth, you must utilize the rat’s newfound power to pump his heart in time with the music, lest his own time runs out.
You’ve got one day to live and a huge score to settle.
Time to put the “beat” in beatdown! Jump, dash and smash to the rhythm in this music-based action platformer!
Clea – £13.49
Mum and Dad have been experimenting on Chaos Servants, but now, the monsters have been let loose. Clea, with her brother in tow, must escape from the Whitlock Mansion.
Watch your back, Clea. Those closest to you may be the real terror.
CASE 2: Animatronics Survival – £26.99
Two years before the attack on the police station, there was a terrible tragedy in the city, which led to the closure of the amusement park.
Some believe it was an accident – others, that it was a well-planned act of intimidation.
Leaflets about missing people filled the city streets.
You play as Jack. He is a man who has lost everything. Soon he’ll have to pay for his crime.
The past has finally caught up with him… Try to save him.
Slither Loop – £2.69
Slither Loop – draw lines between the dots to form a single loop without crossings or branches. The numbers indicate how many lines surround it.
The Language Of Love – £9.99
Mitsuki moves from the country to Tokyo to attend a rigorous cram school, with the hopes of passing his university entrance exams next spring. He soon finds, however, that his other classmates treat him like a social outcast, being the oldest at his school by far. It proves impossible to make friends, and Mitsuki consigns himself to an isolated, lonely existence…
That is, until he meets the single mother, Himuro Kyouko, who just-so-happens to live in the same apartment complex as him. Mitsuki offers to help Kyouko babysit her daughter, Tama. Kyouko, in turn, helps Mitsuki study for his upcoming exams. Over the course of a year, the two bond — first, as friends, and then as something more.
Legends of Ethernal – £17.99
On a day like any other, a young boy returns home to find it in ruins and his parents, gone. Armed with courage and driven by the pain of his loss, he sets out on a journey to uncover the truth behind his family’s disappearance… But what he discovers will forever change the World of Arkanys…
Legends of Ethernal is a 2D single-player action adventure game where you need to explore beautiful hand-crafted environments, solve clever puzzles and battle challenging creatures to uncover the truth about your parents’ disappearance.
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator – £6.29
What starts out as a simple pizza tossing fun turns into something much, much more. Push through the glitchy arcade game to reveal that you are at your own Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria!
Browse our catalogs and purchase your first attractions and animatronics, customize your decorations, and above all make sure that all the equipment is working properly before opening the doors of your brand new Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria!
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – £35.99
Gather all your knowledge and get the jackpot while avoiding all the trick questions facing you!
With 15 questions to answer, it will become harder and harder to increase the prize fund: over 3,000 themed questions waiting to be answered (geographic, science, history, but also entertainment or arts), a growing difficulty and the pressure from the audience and the host…
All the ingredients are here to put the player under pressure!
Detective Puz – £4.49
Detective Puz started a long journey to find the truth. In the way of finding clues, he found a strange book and after opening it, he entered the past, and now he should find his way in the middle of enemies that captured in. Detective Puz should found special diamonds to come back to the present and by that open the time portal.
Now you should use your intelligence to help him to reach his goal.
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind + – £11.99
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind is an arduous challenge, a cathartic ritual that only the most valiant players will be able to carry out, be they fearless lonely travellers or couples with a strong elective affinity.
Explore the Labyrinth, get acquainted with its bizarre inhabitants, its secrets and its rules. Face enemies, traps, puzzles and ferocious bosses. To escape the Labyrinth you will have but one weapon: the rope that binds you together.
Super Puzzle Pack – £24.99
Super Puzzle Pack brings together hundreds of unique puzzles played across 4 different puzzle types. Play with up to 4 players for hours of Jigsaw Fun. Enjoy two stunning hand-drawn match-3 games in a solo adventure. Challenge friends to a 1-vs-1 battle in the 2048 challenge, or in a unique match-5 game with a twist.
No More Heroes – £17.99
After being ranked #11 in the United Assassins Association, Travis Touchdown puts his trusty beam katana to the test as he faces off against the world’s top 10 assassins in deadly battle.
It’s a long way to the top, but this all-American otaku won’t stop until he’s the #1 assassin, baby!
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle – £17.99
Three years after Travis Touchdown was ranked #1 by the United Assassins Association, he finds himself falling down the ranks to #51. To make things worse, another assassin—Skelter Helter—swears revenge against Travis for the death of his brother.
Fueled by his own desires and a thirst for vengeance, the ultimate otaku assassin unsheathes his beam katana once again and plunges headfirst into an all-new battle!
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm – £29.99
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm, set a thousand years before the events of the first chapter, takes you on a magical journey across the vast world of Gaia, brimming with mythology and lore. A young Knight faces an impossible challenge, as Warlock Mesmeroth has returned with a formidable Dark Army. Will our hero be able to unite the Owrus, Gillfolk, and men in a fight for the fate of the world?
Gibbous – A Cthulhu Adventure – £17.99
Crazy cultists. Cthulhu. A talking cat. Gibbous takes you on an expansive, traditionally animated, hand-painted adventure. Play as three protagonists and explore a lushly rendered Lovecraft-inspired world, unraveling ancient conspiracies. A comedy cosmic horror adventure made in Transylvania!
Star99 – £8.09
Arcade-style battle-royale shoot ’em up. Perform chain kills on enemies, send special and boss attacks to wreak havoc on your opponents. Compete with up to 99 players, dominating matches until a single winner remains!
Party Games: 15 in 1 – £17.99
Party games features 15 fun-packed party games for up to 4 players! It’s the ultimate MUST-HAVE game for family and friends of all ages.
Part Time UFO – £8.09
In Part Time UFO, fly Jobski the UFO around and complete odd jobs. Help out at a farm, support cheerleaders, cook up the ultimate dessert at a restaurant, build castles, and much more! Wherever Jobski goes, there are sure to be plenty of jobs waiting. At the centre of all this is Jobski’s super special awesome claw. Use the claw crane to grab, move, and stack objects to complete jobs.
Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty – £26.99
A mudokon chosen by the fickle finger of fate, Abe was a first class Floor-Waxer for RuptureFarms who was catapulted into a life of adventure. Late one night he overheard plans from his boss, Molluck the Glukkon, to turn Abe and his fellow Mudokons into Tasty Treats as a final effort to rescue Molluck’s failing meatpacking empire! Can Abe change the fate of thousands and rescue the Mudokons? Can he escape the dark recesses of RuptureFarms and the desolate, uninviting, and downright terrifying surrounding environment?
Carto – £17.99
Use this power to explore mysterious lands, help a quirky cast of characters, and guide Carto on her journey back to her family.
Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. As she discovers new “pieces†of the game map, players can rearrange them to shape the levels themselves – unlocking new paths, puzzles, and story moments.
Carto will traverse strange new lands, learn their cultures, and enlist the help of new friends along the way in this hand-crafted adventure.
The Bluecoats North & South – £26.99
Reunite with Sergeant Cornelius M. Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch in this remastered game that combines turn-based strategy and real-time action. Initially released on the Amiga at the end of the 1980s, this version will delight fans of the original game!
Master the turn-based strategy to achieve victory. Take control of new states, secure forts and railways to increase your resources, and lead reinforcements sent over from Europe. Discover or relive the experience of the original game “”The Bluecoats North and South””, in single or two-player mode, with this updated version featuring redesigned gameplay!
Reunite with Sergeant Cornelius M. Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch in this remastered game that combines turn-based strategy and real-time action. Initially released on the Amiga at the end of the 1980s, this version will delight fans of the original game!
Master the turn-based strategy to achieve victory. Take control of new states, secure forts and railways to increase your resources, and lead reinforcements sent over from Europe. Discover or relive the experience of the original game “”The Bluecoats North and South””, in single or two-player mode, with this updated version featuring redesigned gameplay!
Gnome More War – £2.29
Experience the classic arcade shooter game play with loads of twists in Gnome More War. Deal with incoming gnomes in waves, protect yourself from attacks, and prevent your barn resources from being depleted. Unlock offensive power-ups like Magic Missile, Power Burst, and Wind Boomerang and combine them with defensive power-ups like Barrier, Shell, and Slow Time to aid you in your quest. As you go through each map, you will need to employ a deeper strategy and make use of the unlockable upgrades that can increase your armor, gain more power-up charges over time, or even enlist your goblin friends to assist you. To top it all off, you can also invite a buddy to play as Freija, Nih, or Scarlet in co-op mode.
Dungreed – £13.49
In Dungreed, the player assumes the role of an adventurer who must explore a continuously evolving dungeon to prevent an entire town from being destroyed. The game features procedurally generated levels with a variety of environments such as prisons, jungles and lava zones.
Players can advance through the living dungeon by defeating enemies with powerful magic items and an arsenal of weapons, ranging from rusty swords to cutting-edge sniper rifles. To prepare for the journey ahead, adventurers can train to become stronger and better equipped prior to exploring deeper and encountering the sinister denizens that lurk in the unpredictable dungeon.
Banana Treasures Island – £7.90
Welcome to the Banana Treasures Island, and begin your journey of funs.
Run, jump, swim, and fly all the way through Banana Islands and fight the angry baboon and his minions. Help the baby monkeys and companion in the jungle quest! Dash through the jungle, smash the enemies and complete the level to unlock more! Collect as many bananas gold coins as possible to unlock more items, get specials, upgrades, and power-ups… find the super golden banana to break the evil spells that possess islands!
Next week: Tropico 6 РNintendo Switch Edition, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia, INSTANT Chef Party, Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition, TAURONOS, My Little Dog Adventure, Caf̩ Enchant̩, Fantasy Tavern Sextet -Vol.1 New World Days-, Outbreak The Nightmare Chronicles, and What The Fork.