The Switch misses out on the current talk of the town Death’s Door, but worry not, as it’s a busy week regardless with several anticipated, and somewhat offbeat, titles due.
The free-to-start Pokémon Unite has stealth launched, offering strategic 5-on-5 battles. Teamwork plays a large part, cooperating with others to catch wild Pokémon. The mobile version (with cross-platform play) isn’t due until September, giving Switch owners a head start.
Time travelling fairy-tale adventure Cris Tales is gaining glowing reviews, praised for its addictive battle system, memorable characters and stylish visuals. As of now, the Switch version is yet to receive a score lower than 8/10.
The same goes for Cotton Reboot! – yet another great side-scroller package for the Switch, providing both a modern take and the Sharp X6800 original.
AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed follows suit, also being a remaster. The original launched on PSP and ended up being a Japan-exclusive. While showing its age, we still found it to be a pleasing tribute to the otaku culture. It garnered a 7/10 from ourselves earlier this week.
All aboard Last Stop, a story-driven supernatural thriller set in modern-day London. Scores for this interactive narrative adventure are mixed thus far, varying from Slant Magazine’s 2/5 to GameSpew’s 10/10. The Metacritic currently stands at 70%.
Other new releases including the open-world noir shooter/platformer Timothy vs the Aliens – which sold over 120k copies on PS4 – squishy rope physics simulator Freddy Spaghetti 2.0, visual novel FATAL TWELVE, and Arcade Archives VENDETTA – a long lost Konami beat’em up from 1991.
New Switch eShop releases
Cris Tales – £34.99
Discover a unique combination of branching stories, innovative combat, and classic RPG gameplay in Cris Tales’ exciting and unforgettable exploration of how our actions echo through time. Join the newly awakened Time Mage, Crisbell, and her fantastical companions in a fantasy world facing a grim future. The powerful Time Empress and her forces threaten to bring about a cataclysm tearing apart Crystallis and the other four Kingdoms of the region.
To stop the Time Empress and rewrite the future of the land, you will embark on a harrowing journey across the kingdoms, meeting and recruiting powerful allies to aid in the fight. Master their abilities and Crisbell’s unique Time Magic to overcome mighty foes: send them into the past to face their weaker, younger selves; to the future where they’ve succumbed to all the damage of a poison applied in the present; or create your own strategies in this one-of-a-kind combat system. Your choices in this world will have far-reaching consequences for everyone you meet. Peer into the past, act in the present, and watch as your choices dynamically change the future — all on one screen as you play!
AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed – £34.99
Supernatural creatures are stalking the pop culture mecca of Akihabara—and you know that because they’ve turned you into one of them. Their only weakness, and yours, is sunlight, which means there’s only one way to stop them: call them out on the streets, knock their clothes off, and expose their skin before they can do it to you.
Arm yourself with a rolled-up poster, a guitar, a laptop, a magical girl wand, or (if you insist) an actual weapon, then hit Akihabara’s colourful streets. Browse recreations of real-life shops circa 2011, mingle with Akiba’s residents and tourists, and discover the town’s many secrets.
Will you work with the secret paranormal-hunting agency, give the creatures a fair shake (hey, some of them seem all right), or just look out for your otaku friends? Choose your side, choose your missions, and enjoy a freewheeling adventure with AKIBA’S TRIP: Hellbound & Debriefed.
Arcade Archives VENDETTA – £6.29
VENDETTA is a beat-em-up released by KONAMI in 1991.
Players fight to save a friend’s younger sister, who was kidnapped by the Dead End Gang.
Select one of four colourful characters to play.
This title also supports simultaneous play with up to four players.
Rubix Roller – £3.59
This puzzle strategy colour game requires thinking and planning ahead.
Procedural level generation gives you an endless and unique gameplay experience every single time.
Features 5 different modes including 2 player split screen duel.
Player customization, upgrades, and powers.
Pokémon UNITE – £0.00
Pounce into battle and take down the opposition with Pikachu, Charizard, Gengar and more in Pokémon’s first 5-on-5 strategic team battle game – Pokémon UNITE!
FATAL TWELVE – £35.99
FATAL TWELVE, the highly acclaimed suspense adventure game, is making the move from PC to Nintendo Switchâ„¢!
Watch the thrilling story unfold as twelve unique characters, gathered by the Goddess of Destiny, compete against each other for a chance to undo their untimely demise.
MouseBot: Escape From CatLab – £4.49
Guide MouseBot through mazes of fantastical mechanical mouse traps created by the cat scientists of CatLab. Dodge giant metal Kitty Krushers, leap over mouse-grinding Roller Graters, evade scary Mines and Lasers, and platform your way across pools of bot-melting Acid on an epic quest for cheese and freedom.
Conquer 88 challenging platform-style levels as you delve deeper into the mysterious laboratories of CatLab and uncover the cats’ nefarious plans. Collect epic piles of cheese, and transmogrify that cheese into new skins and accessories for your robotic mouse.
MouseBot: Escape from CatLab is a zany and exciting platforming game that will test your reflexes, skills, timing, and love of cheese!
Mind Maze – £4.49
Place walls, build a maze, and capture tiles. Don’t let any dead ends appear, or your opponent will capture them.
Plan your moves in advance, develop a strategy, and set logic traps for your opponent. Get sneaky – force your opponent to make a mistake and cover the board with an unstoppable landslide that will carry you to victory.
Play the solo campaign or compete with other players in hotseat mode.
Cotton Reboot! – £34.99
Japan’s favorite shooter mascot finds her way into a beautiful HD game with stunning graphics and remixed soundtracks. This is the original “Cute ‘em upâ€, and will test your skills as well as tug on the heartstrings as Cotton and her friends are finally back in the ultimate celebration of one of Japan’s most beloved gaming mascots. Choose between the HD Reboot mode or go legit with the X68000 original mode with pixel perfect graphics from the iconic Japanese home computer.
Steam: Rails to Riches Complete Edition – £17.99
Take control of a railway company, issue shares, build railroads, deliver goods along an ever changing network of tracks and stations and make profit to expand.
* Can you finance both the most extensive track network and the most powerful locomotives?
* Which routes will give You the best returns on their costs?
* Can you beat the opponents to the most profitable shipments?
* Will you make enough money to pay your investors?
You build the tracks, upgrade towns, improve your train, and grab the right goods to make the longest, most profitable deliveries. Score your deliveries and add to your income or victory points, balancing your need to invest against your quest to win the game.
Henosis – £4.70
HENOSISâ„¢ is a mysterious 2D Platform Puzzler where players are propelled into weird and visceral worlds as they take control of a small, droplet of water while overcoming obstacles and enemies throughout each level.
The Player must venture through each world as it collects precious water tokens in order open the exit portal and restore vitality to its drought-ridden home world.
Super Hoops – £0.99
Become the hoop throwing master!
Go for perfect by not missing a shot!
or try for infinite hoops by landing the golden pole!
Over 100 levels with boss stages
Awesome relaxing atmosphere
Prepare to be addicted!
#pinocchio, Super Puzzles Dream – £5.39
Puzzles move onto the next level with ‘Super Puzzle Dream’, a mix between classic jigsaw puzzle and a ‘Tetromino’-style dynamic mechanic.
Timothy vs the Aliens – £13.49
Timothy vs the Aliens is an open-world platformer, and adventure video game where a gangster will defend his black & white city from an invasion of full-colored aliens.
The game takes place in Little Fish City, an open and large city that can be freely explored and hides many secrets and missions. This is a city full of platforms, and going through it won’t be just walking from one point to another. In addition, you will be able to explore the whole city by car, using any of the vehicles that appear in the game.
In Timothy vs the Aliens you will also find many moments of action in ambushes by aliens, as well as lots of puzzles to find items, help other characters, and access blocked or hidden places.
Of course, you will always be well-equipped to fight against the aliens, and you will be able to increase your inventory buying items from the Gunrunner.
All this and much more in a game full of stories, adventures and secrets.
Racing Xtreme 2 – £5.99
Get into your Monster Truck, fasten your seat belt and be ready for a rough ride.
Let the fire blaze merrily, race the fastest 4×4 offroad monster vehicles, and feast your eyes with the fast jump-filled racing on the beautiful, hills & valleys packed American countryside!
Are you able to tame this beast?
Wood Block Escape Puzzles 3 – £5.39
Wood block escape puzzles a fun and simple way to relax and challenge your logical reasining and concentration.
Bishoujo Battle Mahjong Solitaire – £5.49
Let the mobile military girls of “Rikku☆Jiasu†be your companions as classic tile-matching gets more exhilarating than ever! Find pairs of mahjong tiles to remove them from the board. Plan your moves strategically and stay ahead of the clock to claim victory. Every 3 rounds of play, you’ll unlock a new costume for the girls, and more will be revealed as you progress.
Of course, the important part of any solitaire game is replayability. With more than 100 tile layouts and randomized patterns, Bishoujo Battle Mahjong Solitaire offers endless incentive to keep coming back for more, just in case the anime-style fan service isn’t reason enough. You can also view unlocked characters and costumes in the Dressing Room!
Bunny Bounce – £4.99
The titular Beach Bounce resort filled with beautiful girls is full of distractions. This however is made even worse when our protagonist Tomo has an accident which leads him to start hallucinating whilst on the job… Are those Bunny Ears? And what are the girls now wearing to work?
Help navigate Tomo through the pitfalls of work and maintain his sanity in this Beach Bounce sequel.
Aery – Calm Mind – £7.99
Aery – Calm Mind is an interactive game experience that is designed to relax your mind and soul. You jump into the role of a little bird, explore beautiful landscapes and collect the missing feathers of your little bird friend.
Because there are no enemies or any danger of any kind you will be able to lean back and enjoy the scenery and the sensation of flying. It is a great game for relaxing and calming down after an exhausting day full of hassle.
Every level has two parts. A first introduction into the overall theme and a second one that gives a little more time to play around and to enjoy the beauty of the area. Of course, you can always select the level that you feel helps most to relax yourself. Most levels can be finished quite quickly so that you can freely choose spend time exploring the environment but you don’t have to stay for too long if you are just looking for a short moment of peace and enjoyment.
Nyakamon Adventures – £4.49
– 30 levels of normal mode + 30 levels of hadrcore mode
– Match the runes in the normal mode
– 2 biomes – light and dark
– Cute graphics
– Relaxing music
Terra Bomber – £8.99
Terra Bomber is presented as a two dimensional sideways scroller based upon the classic arcade shooters of the 1980s.
Pilot your craft across ten increasingly difficult terrains while avoiding the various gun positions, rockets and baddies with only one objective; to destroy the base and the end of the level.
To help in both the offensive and defence the player has both guns and bombs which can be increased in power by collecting power ups.
The player must also watch their fuel levels and keep them topped up by destroying the fuel dumps.
Terra Lander – £8.99
Navigate the player to the landing pad through twenty increasingly difficult levels within the time limit and with enough fuel. Movement or firing uses up fuel though levels can be replenished by shooting the fuel dumps. Running out of fuel means you loose control and can’t fire. If all fuel dumps are destroyed on any given level the player’s fuel tank capacity is doubled for the next level (this does not apply to starting from the highest level reached).
Avoid the moving doors and increasingly fiendish enemies, find the switches for the doors that block your way.
When a life is lost the player is temporarily shielded against enemy fire, this is represented by an electrical circular field around the lander just after it is respawned.
Don’t touch anything – that would be fatal!
Be careful though, loosing a life resets the current level and loosing the last life ends the game.
Terra Lander II – Rockslide Rescue – £8.99
Navigate the player to the landing pad through increasingly difficult levels within the time limit and with enough fuel. Movement or firing uses up fuel, though levels can be replenished by shooting the fuel dumps. Running out of fuel means you loose control and can’t fire. If all fuel dumps are destroyed on any given level the player’s fuel tank capacity is doubled for the next level (this does not apply to starting from the highest level reached).
Avoid obstacles or lift them out of the way with the tractor beam. Avoid the obstacles and enemy fire while navigating the terrain. Don’t land too fast…make sure it’s a soft landing.
When all the humanoids are collected, fly high above the planet to escape, making sure you have enough fuel. Keep an eye on fuel levels and destroy fuel dumps to replenish.
When all levels are complete, they repeat with a slightly higher difficulty setting.
When a life is lost the player is temporarily shielded against enemy fire, this is represented by an electrical circular field around the lander just after it is respawned.
In Terra Lander II your ship has been upgraded with a force field. Therefore, you have a limited amount on health, but not much so be carfefull!
Last Stop – £19.49
Written and developed by Variable State, creators of the award-winning Virginia, Last Stop tells three interconnected tales featuring three playable main characters.
– Donna, a spaced-out high-schooler who feels trapped by her stifling home life and her overprotective big sister. Away from home, Donna seeks teenage thrills with her friends Becky and Vivek, but gets more than she bargained for when the trio become unexpected kidnappers in a game of amateur detective gone wrong.
– John, an overworked middle-aged single dad. Burdened with debt and the pressures of being an only parent, John jealously pines after the free and easy life of his twenty-something bachelor neighbour, Jack. When the pair unwittingly fall foul of a vengeful stranger, a cursed artefact threatens to transform their lives forever.
– Meena, a ruthlessly ambitious professional who struggles to find the same satisfaction with her family that she does in the thrill of her work. As Meena vies with an upstart colleague for a crucial promotion, something ancient stirs in the basement beneath her workplace.
Last Stop is fully voice acted, featuring hours of dialogue and a voice cast of dozens, with performances from some of the brightest talent in the UK today, including rising stars Lulu Simpson as Molly Smith and Kassian Akhtar as Dylan Hughes.
Hunter Shooting Camp – £7.99
Train you shooting and hunting skills in this ultimate shooter game. Hunt in Forest or train in the numerous skills levels, challenge AI opponents in Shooting Battles.
– Three game modes. Bullets, Hunting, Battle.
– Multiple game goals. Round Target, Fruit, Bowl, Iron Ball, Ballons…
– Different ways of moving. Curves, straight lines, etc.
– Including Booster Shop (no extra cost required, you play to win!), Arsenal
– Multiple Guns
– Includes near 150 Game Levels
Let’s go hunting!
Freddy Spaghetti 2 – £4.99
Freddy 2.0 is here! Freddy is spaghetti. Oh, and conscious.
Freddy 2.0 has got a job! The story starts as you plunge headfirst into the workplace.
Overcome the environment, master your spaghetti and run to the coffee machine!
Don’t be late on your first day!
Freddy Spaghetti uses rope physics to simulate a squishy, stretchy, ropey character.
Dininho Space Adventure – £8.99
In one of his daily observations, Dininho sees an imminent threat on a planet within his system.
Taken by a mixture of euphoria and concern, Dininho jumps into his ship and without thinking twice,
Takes off towards what may be the most dangerous and heroic adventure of your life.
Sports Pinball Bundle – £8.09
Enjoy 3 games in one with the perfect reproduction of real pinball machines, with all kinds of graphic details and sounds.
If you prefer, you can also purchase them separately in the Nintendo eShop.
US Navy Sea Conflict – £4.99
Join the elite pilots of the US NAVY and attack the ships threatening your fleet. From your aircraft carrier, hunt down enemy battleships and win the naval battle.
You will play with modern warships and jet fighter in combats that enhance the player experience for better maneuvers against the best naval machines.
Next week: NEO: The World Ends with You, Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+, SAMURAI WARRIORS 5, Trigger Witch, SkyDrift Infinity, Night Book, Clone Drone in the Danger Zone, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, Ayo the Clown, Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition, Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality, The Long Gate, Xenogunner, HORROR TALES: The Wine, Super Squidlit, Papa’s Quiz, Alone With You, Apple Slash, 10 Second Ninja X, Dungeon of Crawl, Cuccchi, BUSTAFELLOWS, Eldest Souls, Blaster Master Zero 3, Paint the Town Red, Christmas Tina, and Piczle Puzzle & Watch Collection.