Nintendo’s first major Switch release of 2021 is here, and reviews are predictably glowing. Teaming the Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World with a new co-op, Odyssey influenced, Bowser’s Fury add-on has resulted in a content-heavy package with lots to offer,
It gained top marks from several gaming sites, including Destructoid, God is a Geek, VG247, Nintendo Life, Digitally Downloaded and Vooks. IGN came under fire for their review, however, claiming that Bowser’s Fury “doesn’t feel that essential†before dishing out a 7.0. As quickly spotted by social media, the same outlet gave Knack II a 7.2.
Along with Little Nightmares II, it’s a moderately busy week. Reviews of Bandai Namco’s Burton-esque gothic horror adventure – set in a twisted world with an ominous tower – are positive too, although a few critics complained of glitches and some unforgiving moments.
Switch Player praised the “amazing art design, spine-chilling music, and smooth gameplay†while Nintendo Enthusiast’s reviewer claimed it’s an experience they’ll never forget. Currently, the Metacritic score stands at 82%.
Reviews of UnderMine – a sleeper hit on Xbox One – are starting to roll out, being likewise positive so far. It gained an impressive 4.5/5 from Hey Poor Player while Nintendo World Report stated that “it’s a worthy addition to the Switch’s stable of rogue-ish titles†before dropping an 8.5.
Aground offers similar fare, being a crafting/mining RPG with pixel art visuals. It went down well on PC last April, garnering ‘very positive’ user reviews on Steam.
Light-gun style shooter/dating hybrid Gal*Gun Returns has, somewhat predictably, split opinions. Digitally Downloaded enjoyed its risqué take on voyeurism; Destructoid couldn’t muster much enthusiasm. If you know, you know.
Other new releases include minimalist real-time strategy game Death Crown, another entry in the text-based Choices That Matter series, and Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing – a budget-priced Valentine’s spin-off of the pastel-hued dating sim. Pucker up!
New Switch eShop releases
Little Nightmares II – £24.99
Return to a world of charming horror in Little Nightmares II, a suspense adventure game in which you play as Mono, a young boy trapped in a world that has been distorted by the humming transmission of a distant tower.
With Six, the girl in the yellow raincoat, as his guide, Mono sets out to discover the dark secrets of The Signal Tower. Their journey won’t be easy; Mono and Six will face a host of new threats from the terrible residents of this world.
Will you dare to face this collection of new, little nightmares?
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – £49.99
Join Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad on a quest to save the Sprixie Kingdom in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury on Nintendo Switch! Rescue the Sprixie Princess and her followers by yourself or with three other players in this enhanced version of Super Mario 3D World.
Then, either alone or with a friend, help Bowser Jr. turn his papa back to normal in all-new bonus adventure, Bowser’s Fury.
Death Crown – £TBA
Death Crown is a minimalist real time strategy game in a 1bit style, where you will be play Death herself, commanding her legions of death, and punishing humanity’s Kingdom for its overconfidence.
Arcade Archives: Thunder Cross – £TBA
Konami put Thunder Cross into arcades in 1988. It’s a shoot ’em up with a total of 7 stages
The Flower Collectors – £17.99
Barcelona, 1977. An ex-cop in a wheelchair witnesses a murder, and teams up with a young ambitious journalist to bring the truth to light. With camera, binoculars and transmitter in hand, uncover the town’s secrets from your balcony in this soul-searching detective mystery.
One stormy night, you witness a murder. Determined to uncover the truth, you form an unlikely alliance with young ambitious journalist Melinda and start your investigation.
Together, you’ll solve a complex mystery by unravelling the secrets of unsuspecting neighbours.
Inspired by classic crime noir films and games like Campo Santo’s Firewatch, The Flower Collectors is a detective story with a whole lot of heart.
Pretty Princess Party – £35.99
Become a princess of a magical castle!
Pretty Princess Party on Nintendo Switch transports you to a magical land to explore a long-abandoned enchanted castle. Learn to be a princess and decorate the castle any way you wish.
Begin by creating a princess character with endless choices of dresses, shoes, accessories, and hairstyles. Then train to be a princess by playing six different fun mini-games, including cake decorating, horse racing, and dancing. Restore the castle to its former glory and win the prize!
Successfully completing the games will unlock new outfit choices and allow you to access hundreds of unique items to decorate your castle’s 20 rooms – over 1,300 items total!
Once the rooms are decorated, you can take commemorative photos to show off your royal style! Even after completing the entire magical story, you can take on new challenge objectives to update rooms and photographs.
Aground – £10.99
As one of the last human survivors, you find yourself stranded on an uninhabited island. With a few other victims of the crash, can you craft, mine, and build your way to survival?
Aground is a Mining/Crafting RPG, where there is an overarching goal, story and reason to craft and build. As you progress, you will meet new NPCs, unlock new technology, and maybe magic too. Will you be able to raise dragons? Launch into space? The sky is literally not the limit. Beneath its simple exterior, Aground hides a lot of depth and surprises that will keep you wondering “what’s next?â€
Survival is only the beginning. The only way for humanity to have a future is to return to the stars and confront them. But, it will require a lot of ingenuity and help to recover everything that was lost, and even that might not be enough…
UnderMine – £15.49
Delve deep into the UnderMine and discover its secrets, one peasant at a time! UnderMine is an action-adventure roguelike that blends combat and dungeon crawling with rpg-like progression. Mine gold, die, upgrade yourself, and try again! Discover hundreds of items including relics, potions, blessings, and curses that all combo and stack for a new experience every run. Challenge dangerous bosses and rescue helpful characters that provide new upgrades for your adventure. Decipher the cryptic messages of the Undermine’s residents and unfold the mystery at the heart of the dungeon.
Choices That Matter: And Their Heroes Were Lost – £4.99
And Their Heroes Were Lost
You wake up in a dirty prison cell with no memory of who you are. And, you’re not alone. Who are the other prisoners? What are they to you? Are they your allies… or enemies?
Will you escape? Try to find out who you are? Why did the people who captured you steal your memories—instead of just killing you? Travel the world as you uncover the details of a past that holds many secrets, and a future that is in peril.
CHOICES THAT MATTER is a collection of epic text adventure games Our interactive stories are some of the most complex in the this category. No one player can discover the entire story in a single play through!
#SinucaAttack – £4.49
Cleverly crafted indie platform puzzler #SinucaAttack arrives on console, bringing its unique blend of pool ball physics and 2D platforming to new players worldwide. Choose your character, customize your cue stick and leap into a series of fast-paced room escape puzzles where pool balls are your greatest weapons.
With each room you enter, challenges get increasingly complex, introducing new stage gimmicks to manipulate and obstacles to overcome. Ricochet your shots off the floor, ceiling and walls to activate switches and open doors. Even use jet packs to reach new heights as stages go vertical! But watch out for pitfalls, and be careful not to trap yourself inside!
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption – £17.99
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is an epic – and humorous – fantasy adventure and role-playing game in which you take on the role of Shawn O’Conner, a young man striving to become a hero as well as a rogue.
During the day, Shawn attends classes at the University, practices his skills, and tries to make friends with other students. At night, it’s time to pull out weapons, armor, and traps to explore the abandoned wine cellars, stunning sea caves, creepy catacombs, and deadly dungeon beneath Hero-U. Most combat is optional for those who prefer a pure adventure game, but there are ample rewards for those who choose to valorously fight the creatures that threaten the school and all of Sardonia.
Shawn can become the Rogue of the Year while exploring a mysterious castle, making friends and enemies, fighting deadly foes, and uncovering the secrets of his own hidden past. Meanwhile players will enjoy the rich and humorous dialogue and descriptions as they guide Shawn through his adventures.
Hexagon Defense – £2.99
Hexagon Defense is an arcade-style defense shooter game where you protect your hexagon from enemies.
Tri6: Infinite – £7.00
Dive into the Tri6 cyberspace, avoid procedurally distributed obstacles and beat the evil Virus enemies as long as possible to reach the top of the global leaderboards! Play locally in up to 4-player multiplayer and make life difficult for your friends using different powerups from missiles and mines to boosts and jumps.
Summer Catchers – £8.99
Embark on an epic road trip adventure of a lifetime in Summer Catchers. With your trusty wooden car you must travel to distant lands full of mystery, strange creatures and exciting races in your quest to finally experience summer.
However the journey won’t be easy. Driving through shadowy forests, dark swamps, vast valleys and underground cities you will encounter obstacles and larger than life situations. With your trusty travel bag in hand, you can work your way through these uncharted lands and just like in real life, find a few friends and secrets along the way.
Negative: The Way of Shinobi – £4.49
Become a ninja prodigy, whose clan village was attacked by a mysterious sorcerer alongside the samurai army.
Uncover ninja skills, use stealth or head-on approach. Reveal your father’s secret intentions and stop the invasion.
Healer’s Quest – £13.49
When evil forces awaken in the darkness, the world needs a team of heroes… But when these heroes are a ragtag bunch of unskilled jerks, only the healer can save the day.
Healer’s Quest is a lighthearted Comedy RPG where you take on the role of the most underappreciated party member in any fantasy realm: the Healer. Joining a band of inept misfits – a bossy tank, a handsome archer, a depraved mage, and a raging barbarian – you must keep your party’s health topped up whilst simultaneously managing dwindling mana reserves.
Not only can your party be taken down when their health ebbs away, they can also be hit with a range of debilitating status effects. It’s like juggling with magic, and the crowd hates you. If you let party members die, they may well go into a sulk in subsequent encounters. Manage moods with magical curatives, death prevention, and witty dialogue choices.
Steamroll – £8.99
In this steampunk setting, you will play as a young engineer on his first day of work. A young man finding a job? As you can see, everything is possible in video games! The problem is that the mine you work on is about to collapse. Luckily, this budding engineer has the Scarabeus, a steam-powered, rolling vehicle that is loaded with qualities. And he will need all of them because just before starting his escape he realizes that there are other people trapped in that mining hell.
At the controls of his incredible machine, the protagonist will be able to explore the environment and solve the puzzles that block his way. As it happens with mini-golf, that involves aiming and measuring your trajectory with precision. You will also have to use different steam balls to solve many challenging puzzles. Thanks to these balls you can cause explosions to destroy obstacles or create ramps and walls in order to have an easier time down there. There is no doubt that the Scarabeus will be a vital ally in escaping alive from the depths of the mine. Can you handle the pressure?
Halloween Forever – £7.99
When an evil sorcerer plunges the world into a never ending Halloween, you must embark on an adventure to discover your destiny and answer the ultimate question; Why is everything so creepy? Help Pumpkin Man and friends fight their way through haunted graveyards, spooky mansions, and so much more across five bonkers worlds!
UltraGoodness 2 – £4.99
UltraGoodness 2 is a bloody mess of dynamic and fun action, about the struggle between Good and Evil in the world. Dark Forces are ready to be torn to pieces in this bloody action game, but now it’s blended with the time manipulation, and availability of permanent companion cat.
Kill enemies and maneuver through a hurricane of fireballs! Can you take on gruesome enemy hordes, deadly traps and challenging bosses?
UltraGoodness is about having fun, so turn off your brain and show ‘em your rage!
Stealth – £5.19
Stealth is the game in which you need to think here and now. Each delay can cost you a level of failure. Only meaningful actions, quick and sharp movements will help you to get to the end of the level. Hide or eliminate enemies using sound bombs, rescue hostages, this and much more interesting await you in the minimalist Stealth world.
Half Past Fate: Romantic Distancing – £4.49
When a pandemic puts the lockdown on a blooming relationship, will the new couple keep the romance alive, or will distance pull them apart?
Cozy up with their quarantine story and see if they’ll find a way to stay connected in the weirdest of times in this new episode of the Half Past Fate story.
Next week: Thomas Was Alone, Azur Lane: Crosswave, Fallen Legion Revenant, Doom & Destiny Advanced, PUSS!, Speed Limit, Crazy Oce, Anodyne 2: Return to Dust, BRUTAL RAGE, #DRIVE, Void Gore, King of Seas, and Astrologaster.
