Things are relatively slow on PSN and the Xbox Store this week. It’s business as usual on Switch, however, with dozens of curious indies to ponder over.
Jupiter Corporation’s PICROSS S MEGA DRIVE & Master System edition has caught our collective eye. As the name suggests, it’s good old picross, only with classic SEGA pixel art. Picross, Mega Picross, Color Picross, and Clip Picross feature, leading to a total of 480 puzzles. Our only concern – other than the fact that it might waste away our entire weekend – is that the blurb mentions a lack of touch screen controls. Hmm.
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition is about as big as it gets for ‘big budget’ games this week. The original was an Xbox Series X/S launch title, so it’s little surprise to find that this aerial shooter is visually slick. This is a complete edition with additional DLC, plus the chance to control a dragon.
Like the above, Zengeon is due both at retail and on the eShop. It’s an anime-style RPG roguelike that you may have heard of already – it has been available via Steam Early Access since June 2019. Idea Factory’s Dragon Star Vanir – first released in 2018 – offers more traditional turn-based role-playing, arriving on the UK eShop for £26.99. Â
Spelunker HD Deluxe has caught us off guard somewhat. This remake of an Atari title from 1983 mixes things up the classic cave-digging formula with new visuals and online play for up to six players. This too is due a retail release, but only in strictly limited numbers – a mere 2,700 copies.
Orbals has sprung out of nowhere too, announced late last week. It’s a platform puzzler with bouncy spherical characters that looks quite challenging, spread across 100 stages.
Then there’s Doomsday Vault, inspired by Norway’s real-life seed bank. Here, you’re tasked with exploring desolated landscapes to find plant species and return them to the vault for nurturing. If you consider WALL E to be one of Pixar’s finest, you’ll probably enjoy this.
Haven Park is another on our radar, looking delightfully chilled. Inspired by A Short Hike and Animal Crossing, it plays like a combination of both – build a cosy campsite while taking on side-quests and exploring at your own pace. Even the screenshots make us feel relaxed. Look out for our review.
The full eShop line-up can be found below. Looks like we can expect a couple of new pixel art Metroidvanias in addition to the above. As we said, it’s business as usual.
New Switch eShop releases
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition – £24.99
Soar through the skies aboard a majestic warbird, explore a stunning oceanic world and engage in epic aerial dogfights, in this BAFTA nominated air combat game from solo developer, Tomas Sala.
You take on the role of Falconeer, a powerful airborne warrior traversing a vast oceanic world torn apart by generations of poisonous decisions and dissent. Throughout multiple campaigns, you will experience life from many different perspectives and loyalties as you embark on a journey of discovery, and solve the mystery of the Ursee, its people and history.
Progress through perilous missions and side quests, wielding your lightning caster to protect ships against pirates, kraken and other threats. Dive through the deep ocean depths, soar above the clouds to do battle with giant crab cities or engage in furious dogfights against the mysterious Mancer Order that controls and regulates technology.
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition includes the fully updated game, plus ‘The Hunter’ DLC, adding a new player class with a flyable Ormir dragon and a set of pyro pot guided rockets, and the new ‘Edge of the World’ DLC, containing 3 additional side quests and new boss encounters.
Orbals – £TBA
Orbals is a fast-paced, rolling adventure puzzle game with wonderful graphics and sound. Quickly solve puzzles to master the Mojometer, find new Orbals characters and unlock special abilities.
The player controls a spherical character called an Orbal through a series of traps in order to break all of the colored Mojo Crates in a level.
There are over 100 levels included in the game and all stages are timed. Players can only smash Mojo Crates of the same color, requiring the player to roll over special color infusers to change the Orbal into the correct color. To succeed, players must quickly plan each move in advance to efficiently navigate and clear the stage.
Dreamscaper – £18.99
Dreamscaper is a Roguelite blending elements from brawlers, top-down shooters, and dungeon crawlers. Every slumber is a different dungeon in an ever-changing world with a multitude of unique events and challenges. Play as Cassidy, dive into her subconscious and take on the surreal nightmares she wrestles with in order to save her from a dark fate.
Doomsday Vault – £17.99
Rescue Earth’s precious plant life. In your robotic suit navigate a flooded city, break into an underground lair and explore ancient pyramids. Collect seeds and return them to the safety of the Vault. Nurture seeds to grow new sustainable crops. Unlock additional tools and items to customise your suit.
Dodgeball Academia – £19.99
In a world where dodgeball is life, you join Otto at the academy and train to become the ultimate dodgeball champion. Across eight episodes, you’ll forge friendships and create rivals, all in the name of developing the best dodgeball team.
Level up Otto and develop a dynamic team across a vast and customizable party progression system. All the while, explore the vast Dodgeball Academia and uncover the long hidden truths that reside within the very walls you live, learn, and dominate in.
123 Dots – £8.99
The game includes more than 150 educational activities for your child to learn while having fun. 123 Dots also helps children develop important basic skills such as creativity, basic skills, attention span and memory.
123 Dots entertains toddlers while they learn numbers from 1 to 20 with itrs fun and friendly Dots.
In addition to teaching numbers and counting, your children can learn geometric shapes, basic skills, the alphabet and sequences. All in one!
The game is fully translated to 8 different languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian and Swedish. Preschoolers can also learn colors, geometric shapes and numbers, animals in other languages!
Star Hunter DX – £10.99
Betrayed by her cut-throat crew, Luna Starr – former Space Pirate Captain turned bounty hunter – has a score to settle. As Luna, travel to 5 exotic planets to track down your mutinous mates, and face them in Bullet Hell dogfights to the death!
Memory Lane 2 – £3.59
Your favorite memory training game is back!
Now with more card sets and with more music!
Select from 8 different card set
Listen to more than 30 relaxing and inspiring music tracks.
Unlock new factoids and learn about how human brain works and how our memory functions.
PICROSS S MEGA DRIVE & Master System edition – £8.99
A character editor has been added to the Nintendo Switchâ„¢ version of Picross S!
Select characters have been chosen to debut as Picross puzzles from Sega’s classic consoles, the Master System and Sega Genesis!
Enjoy drawing nostalgic pixel art characters while solving Picross puzzles!
In addition to the Picross S Series, you can play four other popular Picross modes: Picross, Mega Picross, Color Picross, and Clip Picross!
Includes 300 puzzles for Picross and Mega Picross, 150 puzzles for Clip Picross, and 30 puzzles for Color Picross, for a total of 480 puzzles!
Picross is a picture crossword puzzle game where you follow hint number to complete a picture.
With simple, easy-to-follow rules, it’s a game anyone can play!
I.F.O – £3.59
I.F.O is an old school LCD-style shoot’em up game. Shoot down UFOs using a classic style aircraft and save the abducted animals from the aliens. Save the Earth from the Aliens! You’re the world’s last hope.
Dating Life: Miley X Emily – £8.99
Play as Miley as she goes on her first date in years. However, her partner might not be who she expected after she inputted her own details incorrectly, and it leads to an unexpected date between two usually heterosexual women.
Despite the strange twist of fate and their own feelings, they decide to ‘just go with it’ and enjoy the night together. You control Miley and can make key decisions that will determine how the date progresses, what happens and most importantly what will happen at the nights end.
Haven Park – £6.99
“I’m getting older, my dear, and I’m not able to take care of the park any longer… Will you help me bring the life back into this place?”
Be Flint, who is doing his very best to keep his grandma’s park up and running and make it a place for the campers to enjoy. Learn the camper’s wishes and build whatever their hearts desire to attract even more quirky characters and look forward to whimsical conversations and quests.
Get to know the campers and and learn more about the old stories surrounding the forest. Did someone mention a lost treasure?
Haven Park is a place to relax, to enjoy and to make your own!
Zengeon – £16.99
Zengeon is an anime-infused action RPG rogue-lite with a selection of characters with unique playstyles. Slaughter your way through demonic hordes and colossal bosses with hundreds of combination and skill possibilities!
For centuries, the Celestial Academy has protected a seal within the Blessed Land, keeping the Dark Emptiness from entering this realm. But… everything must eventually come to an end.
During the Lunar Eclipse, a great power tore through the seal’s enchantments, unleashing the Dark Emptiness upon the world.
Now, the Demon God makes his return… Choose from six playable characters, each with their own attacks, skills, and items.
It is up to you, as one of the students of the Celestial Academy, to repel the Dark Emptiness and repair the seal in the Blessed Land!
Gems of Magic: Father’s Day – £8.99
Every time a cheerful father and son venture out together, they end up in problems. That doesn’t stop them to take a walk through the mountains! What can go wrong in a peaceful natural setting? Then father takes a tumble. Luckily, he’s fine but he ended up down the mountain while his son is still on top of the mountain!
Help this clumsy but caring dad to find his son as soon as possible. Work your way through numerous levels filled with coloured stones to climb up. Make as many combinations of three or more identical stones as possible to remove all obstacles on your path and conquer the mountain.
Can you meet all level goals and earn three stars in each level? Use various power-ups to complete levels with greater ease. Don’t keep the little boy waiting for too long because he’s pretty lonely on top of the mountain. Enjoy the pleasant atmosphere and reunite father and son as quickly as possible!
3D ADVANTIME – £9.99
Get to know this beautiful first person indie game, Where you must go on and back in time using your futuristic weapon, which can control time itself. You can solve any kind of puzzle with it.
Bone Marrow – £4.99
Bone Marrow is a game in the genre of role-playing board logic puzzles.
The game proposes to combine numbers in pairs, and these numbers have been paired with objects. Using their combination, you can create better weapons, shields, and potions, which will increase your attack and defense against dark monsters.
But a wrong move will have consequences!
If you enjoy puzzles, medieval aesthetics, and elegantly straightforward gameplay, then Bone Marrow will save the day!
Castle Of Pixel Skulls – £4.99
In Castle Of Pixel Skulls you play as an animated skeleton that wakes up in a haunted castle. In order to escape you need to overcome challenging levels full of enemies and traps while also racing against the clock to complete the levels as fast as possible. Spikes, fireballs, lava, timed platforms…everything in this castle is trying to kill you – will you have what it takes to survive?
Play through 40 intense and difficult levels in the perfect blend of fun and challenge that was a staple on the arcade classics. Calculated movement, well timed jumps and dexterity are your keys to success!
The game offers a lot of replayability as you can replay the levels in order to try to beat your previous time. So master your jumps, perfect your dodges and you try to speedrun the game in the least amount of time possible!
Spelunker HD Deluxe – £22.99
The legendary game “Spelunker” is back with a full remake! Overcome difficult obstacles in search of the legendary treasure! It’s time to embark on an unknown adventure!
The cave is full of dangers such as various creatures and nasty traps! The slightest mistake will result in a failure! Use items like bombs, flashes, fans and Spelunker’s signature jumping technique to overcome these obstacles!
Enjoy beautiful 3D graphics with a nostalgic 8-bit classic mode!
Play with your friends, online and offline!
Race Track Driver – £10.79
Join your personal Driving Tutor at the Race Track today! Follow his advice to earn your license and get promoted to the Race Team as a Test Driver! Take control of 16 High Performance Cars and complete various Tests of Driving Skills and Advanced Car Control to earn your Racing License.
The Last Survey – £13.49
You play the role of a specialist contracted by a big company. You discovered something very disturbing about the future of the entire planet. And it’s up to you to deliver the bad news.
The Last Survey is a game of choices. Make pivotal decisions in order to steer the conversation toward progressive action, encouraging your employer to reconsider the consequences of his actions.
Badland: Game of the Year Edition – £5.39
With BADLAND: Game of the Year Edition, you get to experience the multi-award-winning action adventure like never before. BADLAND: GOTY Edition builds on the stunningly atmospheric, hand-painted graphics of the original BADLAND with enhanced, above visuals, completely redesigned controls, over 15 hours of single player campaign and awesome multiplayer fun for up-to-four players with both local co-op & battle modes.
BADLAND is an atmospheric side-scrolling action adventure platformer set in a gorgeous forest full of various inhabitants, trees and flowers. Although the forest appears to be right out of a beautiful fairy tale, there’s something terribly wrong. The player controls one of the forest dwellers to find out what’s going on, and discovers an astonishing number of imaginative traps and obstacles on the way.
Pop Blocks – £3.99
Pop the blocks that match in colours and are next to each other.
Pop Blocks is the ultimate tap-match game on Nintendo Switchâ„¢.
-100 Levels
-Many Power Ups And Special Moves
-Bonus Spin and Daily Rewards
-Automatic save to cloud
Enjoy!
Enter Digiton: Heart of Corruption – £6.99
Nested in the hollow husk of a desolate world lies the kingdom of Digiton. Once a prosperous, technologically advanced society, the kingdom fell into ruin through greed and lust for power. This led to the rise of four demon lords who now hold dominion over the vast underground cityscapes, icy valleys, intricate mines and lush mushroom forests of Digiton.
Take the role of one of Digiton’s few survivors. Armed with only a shield and tasked with banishing the demon lords, it’s up to you to explore the dark mysteries of the corrupted kingdom and restore its former glory. Uncover long-hidden secrets, and discover the truth behind the enigma known as an AHAB unit.
Dragon Star Varnir – £26.99
In a world where the bones of an ancient beast tower over the land…
The Knight Zephy is part of an order whose role is to hunt down witches – people seen as cursed beings for giving birth to dragons.
He is brutally mauled by a dragon on one mission, but as he gasps his last breath, two witches save him by feeding him dragon blood – a death-defying magical substance that also grants him new witch powers.
Their fates now intertwined, Zephy reluctantly joins the witches against a slew of enemies: an Empire out to destroy his kind, ruthless dragon hunters, and a witch more powerful than any in existence.
Can they fight all this and save themselves, or will his new allies succumb to the dragon’s curse…?
Next week: Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle, Fort Triumph, Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four, Barry the Bunny, FORECLOSED, Love Esquire, Fire Tonight, Tetragon, Fhtagn! – Tales of the Creeping Madness, The Plane Effect, PAW Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls, WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] The Story of Eirudy, Magnus Failure, Button City, Black Book, and Super Hiking League DX.