If you’re taking your Switch out and about this week, you’ll find a smattering of new releases on the eShop to make your trip more pleasurable. Â Â Â Â Â Â
Road 96 leads the (high)way, being a procedurally generated road trip set in 1996. You’ll get to meet a wide cast of characters, each with their own story to tell. Despite an appealing premise, it has gained a few middling reviews due to some lacking mini-games and technical hiccups. The vast majority of critics enjoyed it though, including The Metro who dished out an 8/10. “The illusion of generating your own road movie works perfectly, and whether you view it as simple escapism or something deeper it manages to entertain either way,†they said. Â
Space Invaders Invincible Collection is going down reasonably well too – despite the £54.99 price tag – currently with a Metacritic score of 78%. We really hope critics kept the price in mind when forming their verdicts. This collection includes 11 games in total, including the excellent Space Invaders Extreme, Super Space Invaders 91, and the underrated Arkanoid vs Space Invaders.
Team17 is back with Greak: Memories of Azur – a Metroidvania with hand-drawn animations, centred around three siblings. Critics are seemingly in agreement that although the development team clearly has talent, there are some glaring faults that stop it from being wholly enjoyable. Reviews have been wildly mixed so far.
Reviews of Mayhem Brawler are starting to surface. Hardcore Gamer reports that resembles Streets of Rage 4, but plays more like Final Fight, resulting in a 4/5 review score. Consider us intrigued.
HeyPoorPlayer enjoyed it too, settling on an 8/10. “Mayhem Brawler is hands down the most fun I’ve had with a beat-’em-up since Streets of Rage 4. With its gorgeous graphics, satisfying combat, and plenty of replayability, it’s a slugfest that will keep you coming back for more,†they said.
The Switch also gets the fast-paced “no filler†pixel art RPG Arietta of Spirits, the roguelike deckbuilder RPG Monster Train, family-friendly co-op adventure Pile Up! Box by Box, and Where’s Samantha? – the patchwork physics puzzle/platformer that we quite enjoyed on PC. Rush Rally Origins may be worth a look too.
American Switch owners additionally, and finally, get the Limbo alike Out of Line, which we reviewed last week.
New Switch eShop releases
Space Invaders Invincible Collection – £54.99
One of the most important arcade classics in video game history is back, and INVINCIBLE! 11 masterpieces from the arcade specialist TAITO in one great collection.
Rogue Explorer – £6.99
Rogue Explorer retains the challenge of classic roguelikes without the harsh restrictions or futile frustrations. Every “metroidvania†style dungeon in Rogue Explorer features multiple layers – upper levels do not change for a day, shifting in their layout only after the in-game day/night cycle has progressed, while deeper journeys take you into more dangerous dungeons that unpredictably change every time you enter them. But don’t worry too much! Even if you fail a quest, your dear character will survive and retain their gear, losing only the stat boosts and special skills unlocked on the last journey into the Abyss Tower.
Greak: Memories of Azur – £15.99
Greak: Memories of Azur is a side scrolling single-player game with hand-drawn animations. You will take the role of three siblings: Greak, Adara and Raydel to guide them through the lands of Azur. Alternate control between them and use their unique abilities to escape from the Urlag invasion.
Greak is the name of the main character, and the smallest brother of three. He belongs to a magical race called the Courines, which are currently under the attack of an enemy invasion from a faction called the Urlags.
This battle has been going on for a long time, and the Courines are starting to flee their own lands. Greak’s goal is to reunite with his brother (Raydel) and his sister (Adara) and then escape the lands of Azur by Building an Airship piece by piece.
Throughout the game, you will find each sibling in different scenarios, and once you do, they will join the adventure and help you progress through the game.
Pile Up! Box by Box – £13.49
Coordinate with your friends or rely on your own creativity to navigate cardboard worlds full of uniquely joyful levels. Unfold mysteries, solve puzzles and quests as a team and visit the friendly citizens of sun-baked islands, amber forests, and vibrant caves. Or maybe just kick-back and challenge your friends in action-packed rounds of Boxball, Pile of Dunk or Tic Pile Toe?
Play together, stick together, think together – and pile up!
Road 96 – £16.96
Road 96 is a crazy, beautiful road-trip.
The discovery of exciting places, and unusual people on your own personal journey to freedom.
Moments of action, exploration, contemplative melancholy, human encounters and wacky situations. Set against a backdrop of authoritarian rule and oppression.
A stunning visual style, a soundtrack filled with 90s hits, and thousands routes through the game combine so each player can create their own unique stories on Road 96.
Volleyball Challenge – £4.49
Activate SUPERPOWERS – in this sports game you can add fireballs, vanishing balls, superspeed, blocks, and many others to your arsenal – play now and discover them for yourself!
Develop your player’s SKILLS – raise your stats across categories such as serve power and strength, stamina, or attack!
You will have a bundle of additional outfits to choose from as well as bags with super contents to open – as long as you win matches! Make your opponents tremble at the sight of your player!
Volleyball will never be the same – play Volleyball Challenge and be part of the sports revolution!
Chess Gambit – £7.70
This game transports you to a low-poly environment where castles, tough soldiers, battle-hardened knights and loyal bishops are the true stars. Use your best strategies to open a path and conquer the castle of your opponent’s king!
SHAPE SUITABLE – £6.79
This is your free canvas.
Let’s draw freely and enjoy the puzzle!
For “Shapes” who carry various things
Draw a bridge, draw a wall, and sometimes protect yourself from bad guys!
“Shapes” are rich in individuality, and some are tall, powerful, flying in the sky like a UFO.
There is no right answer to clear, let’s help Shapes with your free ideas.
If the puzzle is difficult, you can worry with your family
If you still can’t clear it, you can look at the hints!
Mayhem Brawler – £17.99
With comic book style art and rocking soundtracks, it offers a unique experience that you can tackle solo or as co-op with friends while defining the next step in the story with your choices.
Zombo Buster Advance – £3.59
Key Features:
– Lead a team of 12+ anti zombie shooters into the operation.
– Craft and equip power up badges to your units, create your own super soldiers.
– Fight against 30+ kinds of zombies and engage in epic boss battles.
– Make good use of various supportive gadgets in the war zone, from dynamites to the Kill-with-snap gauntlets!
– Use your tactics to counter the in-game flow changer such as the escalator, travelators, passages and many others.
– Forge ahead a total of 50 fun and challenging stages worth of hours playing.
– Examine your units, enemies, gadgets and others with the in-game game journal.
– Complete a series of missions and claim the rewards.
– As always, a bunch of upgrades!
Sakura Succubus 4 – £8.99
Ogasawara Hiroki was once an ordinary man, until numerous beautiful succubi fell for him in droves, and soon he obtained quite the following! After narrowly escaping a lifetime of imprisonment in the succubus realm, Hiroki is ready to kick back and relax.
Idol succubus Ayu invites him on a vacation to her private beach house in Okinawa, and Hiroki is happy to oblige. The other succubi come along for the ride, and a week of summertime fun begins.
Join Hiroki as he breaks up vicious pillow fights, teaches social media queen Cosmos how to swim, and (begrudgingly) goes jogging with tennis athlete Hazel, all the while deepening his bonds with his adoring companions.
Monster Train First Class – £26.99
Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to roguelike deckbuilding, with a tactical twist: defend not one, but three vertical battlegrounds simultaneously as you fight to protect the final pyre against the forces of heaven. No playthrough is ever the same, it’s a fresh challenge every time. You’ll never play the same deck twice!
Hell has frozen over. Only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of heaven and restore the inferno.
To take back hell, you’ll need to power up. Choose your route carefully, different locations yield different benefits; upgrade your champion, gain Pact Shards and their benefits, recruit powerful units, upgrade cards, gain passive bonuses or duplicate any card in your deck.
Where’s Samantha? – £7.49
Help George as he searches for his lost love Samantha (wind is a heck of a thing when you’re a little piece of fabric)! Overcome puzzles and obstacles in this hand-drawn textile world and unfold George’s whimsically narrated tale.
Buissons – £6.99
Move when the night is dark and use the day as an opportunity to observe and flush out your opponents. Use the secrets of nature to your advantage and prepare for surprises: each game comes with a new forest of its own. Only one bush will survive… And do not forget to drop a fart from time to time, after all it’s a lethal weapon.
Thea 2: The Shattering – £17.99
Thea 2: The Shattering is a follow-up to the successful Thea: The Awakening, which brings the idea of innovative genre hybrid, with elements of turn-based, 4X strategy, survival, RPG and a card game, to entirely new and thoroughly polished level.
The player takes on the role of a deity from the Slavic mythology-inspired pantheon and as such, controls the fate of a small flock of believers struggling for survival. This goal can be achieved in many ways, from diplomacy to war, from exploring to conquering, but any playstyle will surely lead to completely unique adventures thanks to the procedurally generated environments. Rich options, from crafting to town-building system, as well as the co-op multiplayer gameplay, make Thea 2 an ideal choice for tactically minded players, who are up for a challenge.
Metal Commando – £4.49
This game will take you through series of classic levels, various enemies, and boss battles with amazing experience of side-scrolling platformer games. Use various weapons filled with slugs and power-ups to fight your way through multiple enemies, metal tanks, copters and put an end to the evil army leader’s and his world of terror.
Different enemies have different patterns of attack, which is great when you’re fighting them one on one, but once there’s more than a few on the screen you’re going to be jumping and running your way through storms of bullets from every angle.
Rush Rally Origins – £4.99
Rush Rally Origins combines the classic top down racing action from the original Rush Rally with the highly praised graphics and physics from Rush Rally 3. Take on 36 new and unique stages across the world, each with the ability to change the time of day and weather. Drive over many challenging surface types including snow, gravel, dirt, mud and tarmac!
Monster Harvest – £14.99
Develop your own farm, build, and customise your own house, craft your own furniture, make some delicious jams and mutate your crops to create loyal and fierce companions you can take into battle!
Discover and Battle Planimals
During your journey through Planimal Point you’ll discover strange Slimes which can mutate your crops in ways you would never have imagined! Depending on the season, the Slime or the crop you mutate, you’ll be able to create up to 72 different mutations!
Planimals are loyal mutated crops that stay by your side through thick and thin. They’ll be a key companion to you as you adventure across Planimal Point, taking part in thrilling turn-based battles and exploring dungeons as you try to bring down the evil SlimeCo.
Space Scavenger – £11.69
Action roguelike where you build and command your own spaceships. Battle enemies, explore planets and customize your ship on the fly. Make the best use of the quirky ship modules you find, ranging from slingshots to ion cannons, to try and avoid certain death.
Arietta of Spirits – £17.99
Arietta of Spirits is a charming adventure game with emotion-filled narrative, no-filler gameplay, and fast paced combat. The game tells the story of Arietta and her family, visiting their Grandmother’s cabin for the first time after her passing away a year prior. However, the family trip takes an unexpected turn when Arietta meets a mysterious new friend and gains the ability to see strange spirits that inhabit the island.
Ultimate Bumper Cars: Dodgems – £8.99
The Ultimate Dodgems – Bumper Car Simulator!
This brilliant attraction is fun for all ages. Dodgems or Bumper Cars will always be remembered as one of the longest running and most successful attractions in the amusement industry. No other ride can compete with Dodgems when it comes to family fun and entertainment.
Bumper-to-bumper traffic never been this fun – or bumpy!
Grab all your friends and family for fantastic fun on our classic Dodgems simulator game. Step into the dodgem arena, take control of your own dodgem car, and race around as you try to avoid the chaos! Jump into one of 16 cars, put your foot on the accelerator, and try to eliminate your rivals! But watch out for the guy behind you; he has a wild look in his eye!
City Driving Simulator 2 – £10.79
This isn’t one of those fantasy scenarios, where cars behave like children’s toys and all you have to do is drive as fast as you can. This is a game for true car enthusiasts.
Select one of many meticulously rendered vehicles and take it for a spin in a lifelike environment. Cruise in the suburbs, tear through the city streets and show you have what it takes to call yourself a real driver.
World Soccer Strikers ’91 – £4.79
WSS’91 is a physics-based, retro-style “soccer” game. No magnetic feet is what makes WSS91 different. You cannot depend on the game’s engine doing everything for you. You’ll have to aim, dribble and shoot all by yourself!
(We have included different difficulty levels in case you are just not good enough)
Wrestledunk Sports – £8.99
Wrestledunk your friends!
Spike, squish, stab, wrestle and dunk your way to victory in a pack of multiplayer sports games! Get into the super competitive local and online multiplayer action for up to 8 players. Try out the free demo!
Adventure Field 4 – £7.69
Several years after Atoa defeated his evil self, Eras, and Marok took their place as leaders of the Sarook Kingdom.
Atoa defeated the evil that was born from within him but a greater danger is now looming upon Sarook kingdom…
The direct sequel to Adventure Fieldâ„¢ 3…
Adventure Fieldâ„¢ 4 is a 20 hour, semi open-world, turn-based JRPG.
Battle monsters, complete quests and save Sarook Kingdom!
Next week: No More Heroes 3, King’s Bounty II, Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask, Murder Mystery Machine, Have a Blast, Instant Farmer, May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville, Hermitage: Strange Case Files, Wildbus, Off The Road Unleashed, Green Phoenix, and Night Flight.