Rewinding back to last week, the almighty Blizzard stealth launched Blizzard Arcade Collection over the weekend. The £16.99 compilation includes The Lost Vikings, Rock ‘n Roll Racing, and Blackthorn along with new museum features and some helpful new additions such as on-screen maps. True to its name, Rock ‘n Roll Racing has had its original heavy metal soundtrack resorted too. Rock on!
A mini arcade revival is upon us this week, no less. Taxi Chaos is a Crazy Taxi clone that reportedly fails to go that extra mile, resulting in middling reviews. Thunderflash is a love letter to Ikari Warriors and other early SNK-style shooters. Castle Kong comes from diehard fans of the original Donkey Kong, mimicking the feel and tough difficulty level – there’s even a contest with cash prizes underway for top players. Dungeons & Bombs, meanwhile, combines Bomberman and Sokoban for explosive block shoving fun. Look out for a review soon.
We aren’t free of the arcade scene yet – Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is one of the bigger releases of the week, being a Switch exclusive. It gained Eurogamer’s recommendation. EGM and IGN enjoyed it too, both awarding it an 8/10. “If Capcom had added further flexibility to Arthur’s movement and attacks – and maybe had some fun with the story – this would have been a truly sensational second coming, but regardless Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is still a supremely spirited comeback,†said IGN.
Other big releases for this week are the very well received Persona 5 Strikers – which puts a new spin on the combat system, courtesy of Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force – and Square-Enix’s Switch exclusive JRPG Bravely Default II, which entails a quest spread cross five kingdoms. One of BDII’s more unique features is the ability to go ‘all in’ during battle, risking everything in hope of reward.
Focus Interactive’s Curse of the Dead Gods flies the flag for western RPGs, being a rogue-lite set in a curse riddled dungeon. That’s joined by a belated conversion of last year’s hellish sci-fi action RPG Hellpoint, and Team17’s 1-4 player dungeon crawler Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos.
Visual novel fans are well catered for too with Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ and Steam Prison due. Combine the above with logical puzzler Active Neutrons 3, inexpensive time-twisting adventure Clocker, and the intergalactic meditative adventure AnShi – which garnered a 7/10 from ourselves – and we’re looking at yet another busy week for the Switch. Â
New Switch eShop releases
Persona 5 Strikers – £54.99
Join the Phantom Thieves and strike back against the corruption overtaking cities across Japan. A summer vacation with close friends takes a sudden turn as a distorted reality emerges; reveal the truth and redeem the hearts of those imprisoned at the center of the crisis!
BRAVELY DEFAULT II – £49.99
Lead your party on a journey through five kingdoms as you seek to return the Crystals to their rightful home. Use Asterisks to unlock jobs and abilities that will allow you to take on all manner of monsters, and be sure to use the Brave and Default commands to manage the delicate balance of risk and reward!
Demon’s Rise – Lords of Chaos – £7.19
Demon’s Rise – Lords of Chaos is a turn-based, tactical RPG set in a brutal and unforgiving fantasy world. Taking place amidst a horrific war in the cold north, the campaign will see your party fight innumerable enemies, huge monsters and powerful sorcerers. Victory will require the tactical use of terrain, morale, formations and magic.
Build an increasingly powerful war band, command demonic allies, and crush those that stand against you.
Forward To The Sky -£35.99
This fun action adventure adventure game is full of puzzles.
To defeat the legendary witch and become a hero, the princess must ride a hot air balloon into the sky tower. The tower’s lore states that collecting the crystals will uncover the tower’s history and reveal the witch’s lair. The princess, a tomboy despised as a nuisance, fights through the tower and the monsters that fill it with her huge sword to get back at those around her.
Aery – A Journey Beyond Time – £9.99
In Aery – A Journey Beyond Time you are in the role of a flying god-like creature which observes the world and their inhabitants while they grow and evolve.
You can quite literally fly through history and the different stages of human development, follow an interesting story through time, and enjoy the speed of flying at the same time.
This story-driven game is non-violent so that you can enjoy the intuitive and relaxing gameplay in 12 different stages of the development of our earth.
Codebreaker Puzzle 1000! ENG & JAN – £6.99
Fill in specified characters to same number blanks to complete all words in puzzle.
Content 2000 questions in 4 level difficulty.
(each 1000 questions for both English and Japanese)
Lawnmower Game: Racing – £4.49
Lanwmover Game: Racing is the newest addition to lawnmower game series. Now you can select your favorite lawnmower, 4 different options, and drive against other ai opponents. 25 tracks with different themes, like racetracks, cities, snow, forest and lot of other themed tracks. Every level has starting point and finish line and you can cheat and take shortcuts, because you need go for every sparkling checkpoints.
Can you be the king and world fastest lawnmower driver?
The Lost Cube – £8.99
The Lost Cube is a challenging platformer that takes inspiration from classic titles. The story unfolds in a small town nestled somewhere in northern Europe. Each day, a special tune is about a prosperity on earth through a Magic guitar.
Mike Dies – £7.49
Everything is out to get poor Mike. Portals that slice him to bits. Demons with giant swords. Scary eyeballs. Killer statues. And other, horrible things, that we can’t mention in this family-friendly description.
Only your platforming skills can keep Mike alive!
Radon Blast – £3.59
Get items like bonus, speed and multiple balls to make the game more challenging. If you hit the force wall multiple times it will be destroyed so you can reach the next stage. If you miss a ball you go back to the previous stage. But hurry up, you only have seconds before the ball explodes.
Radon Blast is full packed with randomly sorted stages. An increasing ball speed makes it even more challenging. Jump between stages, collect bonus multipliers to get higher scores.
Hellpoint – £31.49
Hellpoint is a dark and challenging action RPG set in a heavily atmospheric sci-fi universe where the line between science and occult is blurred.
Once a glorious pinnacle of human achievement, the Irid Novo station is now devastated, completely overrun by evil interdimensional entities and dominated by the will of malevolent Cosmic Gods.
You are a creation of the cryptic Author, crafted and sent to investigate Irid Novo in an attempt to figure out the unholy series of events that led to the strange incident known as The Merge.
Horned Knight – £5.99
Horned Knight reintroduces the Golden Age of arcade gaming in a hardcore, retro-styled 2D action platformer that pulls no punches. Play as the hero knight, and use your sword to rid the castle of ghouls and undead lurking in the dark. Fitted with multiple levels, responsive controls, and puzzle-like combat, Horned Knight emboldens the player to conquer unique pixel art obstacles with the support of generous checkpoints and an invigorating soundtrack.
Monster Truck XT Airport Derby – £10.79
Welcome to the high stakes, high-octane driving competition for the fiercest drivers! The biggest monster trucks need only apply!
Containment – £1.39
Containment is a small, minimalist strategy/simulation game where you try to maintain the growth of bacteria. The core gameplay is easy to pick up but very challenging to master. The game can be completed in one sitting, but has leaderboards and challenging goals to accomplish that might take longer!
Baobabs Mausoleum Grindhouse Edition – £15.29
Follow Watracio Walpurgis, our fresh eggplant FBI agent, in this arc of three chapters that unifies the universe of Celery Emblem’s Jacob Jazz on the ultimate Baobabs Masoleum Grindhouse Edition.
Go crazy in this 8-bit retro adventure set in Flamingo’s Creek, a ghost town that only appears every 25 years on the Albatro’s Road and immerse yourself in the most out-of-touch, alienated neighborhood community you will ever know.
Steal, fight, negotiate, solve puzzles… Anything goes to find Daphne and get out of that cursed town that will be kept, forever, inside your brain as one of the selected nightmares ever created.
Dungeons & Bombs – £4.49
This is dynamic fusion of classic puzzles with boxes and bombs. When enemies drag people into their dark lair and do their vile deeds there, the hero and his faithful sword always come to the rescue. But what if the hero does not have a sword, but only a lot of enthusiasm and an endless supply of explosives? Well, bad for them. Go through dark labyrinths of dungeons and try not to blast yourself up!
Thunderflash – £4.99
Inspired by nostalgic retro games you know and love, Thunderflash will drop you into the combat zone top-down, and the intensity will never let up. Play a solo mission or with a partner, and choose from bad boy commandos Rock or Stan, and go up against an army of mercenaries, military weapons and more!
The Kashmir is being occupied by a criminal organization known as Bloody Wolf, and your job is to make your country proud by taking them all down. Fight your way through waves of soldiers, explosives, vehicles and drones, and bosses, and collect more powerful weapons.
Dat Gaem – £7.19
Dat Gaem is a crazy take on a classic JRPG genre. Play as a group of special agents and defeat the evil that has robbed people of a peaceful life. You also need to recover… soy milk.
Features:
In the game, you do not level up by killing enemies scattered on the map. You gain strength by collecting soy milk and equipment upgrades scattered around the map.
The game is filled with crazy humour and lots of jokes. You fight enemies is in the classic JRPG style – many bosses await you!
Are you ready for an unforgettable experience?
Katana Kata – £13.49
“Kata – a way or form to memorize and improve combat moves”
Katana Kata – is a souls-like game, where not only your timing matters, but also directions of strikes.
You will fight your way through a bunch of enemies on different locations to kill the former apprentices of your master and fix his mistakes of the past.
You will die a lot, but as any apprentice learn their way through the kata with mistakes, you will learn your way through every enemy on your path.
You will try different weapons until you find what better suits your fighting style.
Your fighting skills will grow, but true mastery is in your head in knowing your enemies and nuances of fight.
The core of the fight in Katana Kata is in combination of strikes, blocks, parry and dodge – pretty easy to learn, but with a lot of nuances to master, so even after a lot of deaths and repetition every fight can feel different.
Tanuki Justice – £12.99
Tanuki Justice is a continuous intensive action run’n gun in which you incarnate a tanuki brother and sister. You’ll face hundreds of enemies in feudal Japan. Varied environments with landscapes of all kinds, retro and fast rhythmic music, numerous and difficult situations reminiscent of good old arcade games. A gameplay both simple and rich allowing spectacular actions. Possibility to play with 2 people for even more fun. And challenges that will challenge even the most skilled players. Time will be your worst enemy.
1912: Titanic Mystery – £8.99
A bomb is aboard the Titanic II, a replica of the famous cruise ship! You are the sole person who can find where the bomb is concealed. Save the ship, and all aboard, during its maiden journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Search for Hidden Objects among original locations around the majestic ship to discover hidden diary entries and other clues to uncover the bomb`s location. Solve a century old mystery in 1912- Titanic Mystery!
Blastful – £3.59
Blastful is a fast-paced arcade shoot-em-up.
*Enjoy crazy shooting action in procedurally generated visuals with retro style.
*Cyberpunk flavoured techno-beats.
*Blast your way through 10 different types of enemies with 5 different weapons.
DOTORI – £8.99
Rico the Squirrel was living a peaceful life collecting acorns.
It was another peaceful day doing his work with his sister Lottie
…until an owl came out of nowhere and kidnapped his sister!
Now Rico must embark on a dangerous journey to save Lottie….
Steam Prison – £49.99
Specifications on Nintendo Switch
Newly added Opening Theme “Brilliance”, with new video sequence, performed by the 6 dateable characters!
New Character Songs for Best Ends, with newly added closing credits.
Short story “Wedding Eve” added in Novel Mode for immersive experience!
Switchable display languages between Japanese, English and Chinese (Traditional & Simplified)!!
This game is a romance visual novel adventure game.
Code: Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ – £35.99
Discover a new yuletide tale as the Steel City is covered in a blanket of white.
Cardia encounters more dashing literary characters – new friends and foes.
Strengthen one relationship or choose to court multiple gentlemen at the same time to let chaos reign!
Uncover fresh intrigue as Cardia delves into the mysteries of her own family and the dashing suitors.
Castle Kong – £5.99
Castle Kong is Drowning Monkeys homage to what we consider the best game ever made.
What makes the golden age of arcade gaming so fun is a simple concept: 1 coin (Meaning no restarts or additional lives. there are no actual or virtual coins for the Nintendo Switchâ„¢ version of the game), 3 lives. play till you die or hit the kill screen, and set a high score.
And that’s what Castle Kong is all about. Just like the game it’s based on, CK will be a ruthless, 4 stage, 22 level romp! You play PauperBoy, a young kid who sets out to save PrincessGirl from the evil clutches of BaronMan.
Unlike it’s predecessors, we leverage the power of connectivity to host tournaments (with a championship!), verify high scores, and have a global leaderboard.
And As Always,
if anyone’s interested, a kill screen is coming up.
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection – £24.99
Watch as this nostalgic yet completely reimagined storybook world unravels before your very eyes.
Taking cues from both Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and giving birth to something entirely new, Resurrection is a title worthy of its name.
Don’t be fooled—this picturesque storybook world, while gorgeous, is a love-letter to the original titles and maintains the same punishing gameplay that fans have come to expect. So go on and test your mettle, for the gauntlet has been thrown!
Clocker – £3.59
Clocker is a time themed puzzle game. The game narrates the story by using dual protagonists.
Players can advance the story in the perspectives of both the Father and the Daughter and the mystery will be unfolded step by step.
Unique time-based puzzle solving mechanics, fancy hand drawn art style and innumerable interesting puzzles with a gripping story. All these elements are waiting for you in Clocker.
Legal Dungeon – £8.99
Legal Dungeon is a game about organizing Police Investigation Documents.
The player must review and provide an Investigation Verdict on reports ranging from petty theft to murder, in eight different criminal cases. Legal Dungeon will teach players that apprehending and punishing criminals is the very essence of Public Safety. Players will quickly become experts in revealing true criminals.
Under Leaves – £11.69
Visit the entire world
On your journey you’ll find yourself in the land of ice, stop in the sultry jungle, or dive under the water. 9 locations scattered around the world are waiting for you.
Meet its animal inhabitants
All nature lovers will be charmed by 29 animated animals from all over the world. A polar bear, a big-eyed owl, a turtle or a parrot—they need a bit of your help.
Active Neurons 3 – Wonders Of The World – £4.49
Active Neurons – Wonders of the World is the third and final installment in the Active Neurons series.
In the game, you have to follow 3 simple steps:
1) Collect energy
2) Charge your brain
3) Explore Wonders of the World
But are these steps that easy? Try it yourself and you will find out everything!
Look for the right way to energy.
Avoid dangerous obstacles.
Teleport from one space to another to get closer to your goal.
Solve tasks on memory, logic and orientation in space to get to the blocked areas.
Destroy, move and combine objects on the levels to get to energy sources.
iota – £7.19
iota is a hardcore, precision platformer with one important difference: there is no jump button. instead, you will bounce up and down, left and right as you struggle over and over again to reach the next trial. do you have what it takes? can you beat iota?
There are no powerups. no special abilities. no boss fights. Just you. Your will. Your determination.
Retrace: Memories of Death – £6.99
When a ghost tour goes horribly wrong, Freya and her friends find themselves in a strange and unforgiving alternate world, one that desires their death. Take the role of Freya as she seeks a way out and discovers the ability to rewind time, giving her a chance to test new paths and make different decisions in a bid for their survival.
Explore an atmospheric realm of mystery that blends pixel art gameplay with hand-painted character portraits. Solve logic-based puzzles and overcome pulse-pounding action sequences, uncover secrets about the sinister parallel dimension and explore deep relationships with Freya’s companions. Will the terror of this experience bring the survivors closer together or tear them apart forever?
Curse of the Dead Gods – £17.99
You seek untold riches, eternal life, divine powers – it leads to this accursed temple, a seemingly-infinite labyrinth of bottomless pits, deadly traps, and monsters.
Your greed will lead you to death, but that is not an escape. Rise to fight again. Delve deeper again. Defy the malignant deities that linger in this place. Battle through hordes of enemies in dark, cavernous passages filled with traps and secrets of all sorts – fire-spewing statues, explosives, hidden spikes, and worse.
Collect mystical Relics and an arsenal of weapons to make yourself unstoppable. Corruption builds in you with every step – encourage or ignore it, but each powerful curse can be a double-edged sword.
Johnny Bonasera Full Season – £14.99
** INCLUDES THE FOUR EPISODES **
This is the story of Johnny Bonasera, a kid that was beaten and humiliated by a punk gang.
Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, Johnny Bonasera promises revenge against each of the punks who bullied him. One by one. Unscrupulous. Mercilessly.
But the story gets messy, his mother is kidnapped and Johnny will have to face aliens who abduct humans while the government is trying to hide everything.
Bakery Master – £4.49
Bakery Master is a game where you prepare delicious food for customers all over the country. If you’re looking to design and sell some of the finest cakes in the region, then this is an amazing game for you to try out right away. You can add fruit pieces, sprinkles, hearts and all kinds of unique toppings to really make your amazing cakes.
The great thing is that you always get to come up with your unique recipes and there are all kinds of ideas to make your cakes exciting and different. If you are a fan of baking and cakes, try out this game!
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos – £15.99
Rogue Heroes is a 1-4 player classic adventure game with modern rogue-lite elements.
A dark evil stirs beneath the once peaceful land of Tasos… Deep within the four Great Dungeons, the ancient seals that hold the Titans at bay are gravely weakened and their minions have unleashed terror upon the world.
The Goddesses who forged the seals long ago have made a desperate plea for a band of heroes to come forth and save the people from a terrible fate…
Taxi Chaos – £31.49
Get behind the wheel and get ready for a brand-new taxi experience! Drive around the city as the seasoned cab driver Vinny or the self-proclaimed ‘influencer’ Cleo, and pick up the craziest of customers!
Power through midtown in a strong muscle car, race past the parks in an exotic supercar or drift around the business area in a Japanes tuner taxi. Whatever you choose – your challenge is to deliver your passengers on time! At least, if you want to make any money.
Navigate through crowded streets, dodge pedestrians across sidewalks or even defy the laws of gravity by jumping over rooftops! Nothing is too extreme when it comes to delivering your passengers on time! Discover the best shortcuts and get to know New Yellow City (NYC), as well as your passengers, like the back of your hand.
AnShi – £13.49
Grab your hoverboard and explore the ancient, mysterious world of AnShi as you glide across caves, large deserts and old temple ruins to discover its secrets.
With the company of an energy being you explore this vast world together. Discover what happened to the planet and its being. Featuring stunning visuals and
an original soundtrack, AnShi delivers a relaxing, unique, breathtaking experience.
Blizzard Arcade Collection – £16.99
INCLUDED GAMES:
Blackthorne®: As mercenary captain Kyle Blackthorne, traverse an alien planet, liberate the Androthi people, and claim your destiny.
The Lost Vikings®: Help three Vikings—Erik, Baleog, and Olaf—overcome challenging platforms and puzzles to find their way back home.
Rock N Roll Racing®: Rock out in the raddest vehicular destruction derby this side of 1993. RNRR is back with original rock and metal soundtrack hits plus a few new surprises.
Next week: Kill It With Fire, Harvest Moon: One World, Monster Jam Steel Titans 2, Tunche, GraviFire, Ruinverse, 3 out of 10: Season One, Wind Peaks, Sir Lovelot, Everhood, Mail Mole, Estranged: The Departure, Give It Up! Bouncy, Task Force Delta – Afghanistan, A Glider’s Journey, Gunslugs 2, and PAKO Caravan.