Barely a week goes by currently without Square-Enix dropping a new release. This week it’s the turn of SaGa Frontier Remastered – an update of a 1998 PSone cult classic JRPG that eluded Europe. In addition to enhanced visuals, it reintroduces Fuse – an 8th playable character cut from the original.
Siliconera and COG Connected both gave the remaster their recommendation, with the former claiming that it sets a new standard for Square-Enix and the latter praising the fast pace and fun combat. Gaming Trend wasn’t impressed, however, feeling put off by the amount of grinding.
Slapstick comedy Rain on Your Parade has gained positive reviews too, putting you in charge of a rain cloud out to ruin people’s day. The Metacritic currently sits at a sunny and warm 78%.
“Rain on Your Parade more or less delivers on what it promises. It’s a clever and charming game that’s bound to put a big, dumb smile on your face each time you ruin some unsuspecting person’s day,†said Destructoid.
The genre-blending Poison Control is likewise hard to pigeonhole, mixing tropes from shoot’em ups, visual novels, and RPGs. Here, the main characters are out to purify an abstract iteration of Hell.
“It’s an interesting idea, but some elements are executed better than others,†warned Siliconera before dishing out a 6/10. The reception from PlayStation sites seems to be a tad more positive, including PlayStation Country’s 8/10.
Indie darling FEZ also makes a surprise appearance on Switch. It isn’t far off from celebrating its 10th anniversary – the Xbox 360 version launched in 2012. Old but gold, it sees Gomez – a 2D character – discover a mysterious third dimension, rendering his universe in new-found 3D.
Then there’s the short ‘n cheap plasticine crafted horror puzzler Isolomus, which will set you back less than £2.
“It’s worth avoiding too many screenshots and videos: discovering the hand-crafted scenes on the first playthrough is the best way to experience what Isolomus has to offer. And some of it really is hugely imaginative and quite brilliantly disgusting,†we said during our scoreless review.
That’s joined by educational party game package Pocoyo Party, shmup Godstrike (which Nintendo Life panned), and Arcade Archives: Frisky Tom – an ‘80s sleep hit which managed to gain a re-release on Game Boy and PSone, along with an LCD game spin-off. Take look at the full list of new releases below.
New Switch eShop releases
Poison Control – £35.99
Spirits are being trapped in poisonous manifestations of their despair, and only Poisonette and her Soul Mate can purify them! Venture through the different Belles’ Hells to defeat enemies, learn the stories of fallen souls and other Poisonettes, and fight your way to Heaven in this stylishly twisted action shooter!
Archery Blast – £3.99
Archery Blast offers an ultra-realistic archery experience with stunning 3D graphics, amazing animations and simple intuitive controls. Shoot arrows at targets usually placed at different distances to complete levels.
Emily Archer and the Curse of Tutankhamun – £8.99
Lady Archer is invited to Egypt to see the priceless treasure of King Tutankhamun by her friend Lord Carnarvon.
She arrives to find her dear friend murdered and the mask of Tutankhamun stolen.
She’s on a mission to solve the murder and find the missing mask! Collect evidence, examine clues, and solve intricate riddles as you move closer to the truth.
Can you help Lady Archer to solve this case?
Throw it! Animal Park – £3.39
Throw it! Animal Park is an animal dropping game that anyone can enjoy.
Fly the animals and drop them into the receptacle, and the animals will come to the park!
When you hit the same animal, it gets bigger and bigger and you get a high score!
The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark – £10.39
Picking up after the events of The Darkside Detective, McQueen has to save his usually-present (in body, if not mind) sidekick Officer Dooley from the Darkside, so the two can get back to what they do best – investigating the city’s many strange, often paranormal, always paradoxical goings-on.
Join them in this frighteningly funny point-and-click adventure as they investigate six more standalone cases bringing them to a carnival, the local retirement home, an amateur wrestling circuit and even as far away as Ireland as they do what they can to keep the Darkside at bay.
Heal: Console Edition – £5.99
Heal is an experimental adventure game from the creator of DISTRAINT series, exploring the themes of aging and dementia.
The narrative is driven by a strong and obscure atmosphere, with instructions and dialog used only sparingly.
Wake up from a dreamless sleep, explore the mysteries of your surroundings and solve puzzles.
Godstrike – £11.29
In Godstrike you embody Talaal, the last of God’s seven masks. Talaal finds her bearer just in time to fight against its siblings, that hunt her to absorb the power within the mask. The bearer is now trapped in a war that does not belong to her, a cycle that seems impossible to break.
Team Troopers – £14.90
Play Team Troopers a team-based low poly art first-person shooter! Play with your friends and fight in epic matches in a great low poly stylized world.
Play epic matches in team death match, capture the flag or free for all. Be the frag leader, Sneak into the enemies base and steal their flag, or win as a team and earn coins to make customize your soldier or weapons!
Level up to upgrade your default loadout and buy attachments for your weapons to get your weapon your way.
Rain on Your Parade – £11.99
Rain on Your Parade is a slapstick comedy game where you play as a mischievous cloud. Play across a wide range of levels while unlocking new abilities and mechanics that get progressively more ridiculous. Make new friends and help them too – it’s an adorable schadenfreude game!
Tribal Pass – £4.99
Tribal Pass is a tactical hardcore runner comprised of resource management and environment interactions – all on the run.
Tribesmen make their way through the unfriendly wilds encountering a quick river, a herb, a human and a beast of various danger. You play around encounters, splitting and uniting the tribe, arming it properly, making sure your people are alive and your food is in stock.
Please mind the fact that this really is a RUNNER (of no sort you’ve ever seen, though) – there’s no stopping till the sun drops and the run ends.
The runs are procedurally built and ruthless to new players, but eventually it all depends on the player’s skill.
SaGa Frontier Remastered – £19.99
The beloved 1998 RPG Classic, SaGa Frontier, is reborn with improved graphics, additional features, and a new main character!
Experience this role-playing adventure as one of the eight heroes, each with their own storyline and goals. With the Free Scenario system, unfold your own unique journey.
Engage in dramatic battles, using the Hirameki system to gain new skills and carry out combined attacks with your allies!
Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition – £17.99
Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a relaxing farming adventure where you will have to take care of your tiny planet. Farm, craft and fight monsters to make your home a special place and help others with their quest.
Discover the story of Arco in this single-player experience, a tale about growing up, helping others and revealing the secrets that lie on the heart of your planet. We’ve crafted a relaxing game, with a strong narrative and a cast of diverse characters for you to meet.
Ravensword: Shadowlands – £6.99
After the fall of Ravengard, the world descended into chaos. The Kingdom of Tyreas stood alone against a sea of dark elven invaders. The Ravensword was lost, and the dark times began. As a descendant of an ancient line of kings, you alone have the power to wield the Ravensword again and restore that which was lost.
Explore a vast and richly detailed world, gather powerful weapons and items, increase your skills, and follow a deep storyline to solve the mysteries of the Kingdom of Tyreas.
Seamlessly switch between First and Third Person view while mastering different skills, making quest-altering and reputation-altering decisions!
Cannon Brawl – £8.99
Pilot an airship, command powerful weapon emplacements like cannons, giant flamethrowers, and high-powered lasers. Destroy the very earth from under your enemies’ feet!
Cannon Brawl is an exciting mix of real time strategy and artillery gameplay. Your ability to manage combat priorities and focus through the madness of battle will be put to the test.
Advance across the kingdom in single player to unlock and discover new units, then experiment with each one to find your favorite combination in online multiplayer.
ReactorX – £4.49
– Easy to play, exactly what you need to rest from the dynamics of big games;
– Level-design with no dead ends, so you don’t have to restart any level except if you really want to start anew;
– Short animated cutscenes with story elements.
Space Marshals – £13.49
Space Marshals is a Sci-fi Wild West adventure taking place in outer space! This tactical top-down shooter puts you in the shoes of specialist Burton in his hunt for dangerous fugitives after a disastrous prison break.
Park Inc – £2.49
Unpark your cars from jammed parking spaces!
Guide your cars out of the parking, avoiding to hit other cars and moving obstacles.
A wide variety of crowded and troubled parking lots are waiting for your skills on over 150 unique levels, in a never ending game increasingly difficult!
Can you unpark them all?
Kingdom of Arcadia – £5.49
Sam is just a normal kid who likes video games. Likewise, his father has a passion for old games, but when Sam tries out his dad’s arcade machine, he’s suddenly pulled inside, where he finds himself starring in his own pixelated adventure. But can he get back home? Help Sam remove the spell cast on Arcadia and return safely before it’s too late!
Kingdom of Arcadia is a metroidvania spanning five levels, each with multiple missions to undertake. Sam will encounter a wide variety of enemies, huge bosses and other obstacles in pixelated retro presentation. Fortunately, he can level up and buy new gear from shops to aid in the daunting adventure that lies ahead!
Isolomus – £1.79
Make your own way through the madness!
I swear, they forced me to make this game! Help me!
(distant mumbling and the sounds of struggle)
…
Play time is about 10–20 minutes. I hope you will remember this experience for a long time.
Two endings. The question is which of them is the worst.
All the graphics and animations are handmade from plasticine.
The Longing -£13.49
Play as a lonely Shade, the last servant of a king who once ruled an underground kingdom. The king’s powers have faded and he falls asleep for 400 days to regain his might. It is your duty to stay in the earthen palace until he awakens.
As soon as you start, the game inevitably counts down the 400 days – even when you stop playing and exit the game.
It is now up to you to decide what to do with your solitary existence beneath the soil. Don’t stress yourself, you have plenty of time.
There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension – £11.69
“There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension” is a point-and-click comedy adventure (and point-and-click only!) that will take you on a journey you never asked to go on, through silly and unexpected video game universes.
Will you be able to play along with the “Game” to find your way home? We sincerely think NOT.
FEZ – £12.59
Gomez is a 2D creature living in a 2D world. Or is he? When the existence of a mysterious 3rd dimension is revealed to him, Gomez is sent out on a journey that will take him to the very end of time and space. Use your ability to navigate 3D structures from 4 distinct classic 2D perspectives. Explore a serene and beautiful open-ended world full of secrets, puzzles and hidden treasures. Unearth the mysteries of the past and discover the truth about reality and perception. Change your perspective and look at the world in a different way.
ZombieVital DG – £10.59
The Heroes are coming to raid your Dungeon and its up to you to make sure they find it challenging. Design your own dungeon and fill it with Monsters, Traps and Treasure!
Pocoyo Party – £26.99
Come play with Pocoyo and friends in these 6 great educational mini-games where you will learn letters, numbers, colours and much more! Win rewards by completing levels: puzzles, pictures and exclusives episodes of Pocoyo that you can watch any time. Play with all the main characters in the series in multiplayer mode for up to 4 players. Pocoyo, Nina, Pato and Elly await you!
Dragon Audit – £8.99
Story rich gameplay inspired by point & click comedy classics, told with an anime inspired 3D visual style and modern controller-friendly input.
Stitchy in Tooki Trouble – £11.69
Save your corn and defeat troublesome thieving Tooki! As Stitchy, a dedicated scarecrow, you are on a mission to recover every stolen piece of corn and reclaim your fields from the evil wooden Tooki!
Pursue your corn across several distinctive worlds. On your legendary quest you’ll have to dodge wooden piranhas in lush jungles, tackle Tooki in dark temples and try not to lose control on a snowy mine cart ride – and much more! Each world has 9 levels, a boss battle, and a secret level for the curious.
Stitchy is easy to pick up and play on the go, and the charming fairy-tale art along with inventive enemies and intuitive controls make this an all ages platforming delight! Trust us – you’ll be a-maized!
Next week: MotoGP 21, Battle Axe, Shantae, Bamerang, Buildings Have Feelings Too!, Smelter, World-Splitter, Wanna Survive, Palindrome Syndrome: Escape Room, Touhou Hyouibana　～ Antinomy of Common Flowers, Infinite Adventures, Dungholes, Driving World: Nordic Challenge, BraveMatch, Dungeon and Gravestone, Asdivine Cross, Sakura Succubus, and Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion.