Our weekly eShop round-up is running a little late, simply because we were waiting on The Magnificent Trufflepigs and Spleunky 1 & 2 to drop. Their releases dates were somewhat vague, but rest assured all three are now available.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a metal-detecting narrative-heavy adventure from the designer of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, with a plot entailing treasure hunting in the English countryside. Not everything is quite what it seems, however. The PC version, released in June, went down well, gaining praise for its story and voice acting.
Spleunky 1 & 2 shouldn’t need an introduction – both are indie classics, even if the original is knocking on a bit. The 2020 sequel – a former EDGE cover star – is a whole lot fresher and managed to fix the few faults present in its predecessor. Boasting a lofty 91% Metacritic, it ended up becoming one of last year’s highest-rated games. You can’t go wrong with either, though.
The Switch gets a big-name first-party title this week too – No More Heroes 3, reviews of which are under embargo until tomorrow. We’re expecting more of the same: outlandish boss battles, silly mini-games, and juvenile humour.
Hello Neighborspin-off Secret Neighbor, a social horror game of sorts, is currently review shy too. Looking at past reviews, it didn’t fare too well on Xbox One and PS4, being a case of a good idea poorly executed. It might be an idea to wait for the Nintendo sites to take it for a whirl.
Then there’s Kings Bounty II, the long time coming tactical RPG sequel. Digitally Downloaded called it “hugely expansive in scope“ while describing it as a “rough gem.â€
Nintendo World Report settled on a 6.5. “There is a good game deep beneath the surface, but it lacks a lot of polish that it would need to be truly great,†was their verdict. A few comparisons to The Witcher III on Switch have been made – it’s a miracle they managed to get it up and running on Switch at all. Â
Other releases for this week include Mays Mysteries The Secret Of Dragonville – which you may recall from the days of the Nintendo DS – the well-received platform puzzler Hoa, sketchbook puzzler Inked: A Tale of Love, and Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask – a game that looks like it could be based on a TV show or CGI movie but doesn’t actually appear to be linked to anything.
New Switch eShop releases
King’s Bounty II – £54.99
Darkness descends over the world of Nostria. Conspiracies, sabotage, and necromancy are overshadowing the country. But maybe a saviour – the kingdom’s last hope – is already here, to fight back and finally restore peace and order in Nostria!
King’s Bounty II is the long-awaited sequel to the legendary King’s Bounty video games franchise, one of the most iconic representatives of the turn-based RPG genre. Expanding on this legacy with an entirely new epic story, fractions, enemies, and new features to forge an open and breaking fantasy world Antara. With the kingdoms in disarray, counties demanding independence, bandits prowl the roads, all the overseas nations have denied the King’s authority over them, and blighted creatures lie in wait for the unwary, new accidental heroes emerge as last hope.
They determined to bring order to the chaos. Plays as one of them, recruiting, developing, and commanding your personal army on a non-linear adventure of betrayal, sacrifice, and survival. Fighting for your own future, outsmarting enemy in uniquely turn-based combat, making difficult decisions, and experience the intensity of one of the classic sagas in an exciting new way.
No More Heroes 3 – £49.99
Whip out your Beam Katana and get ready to face the galaxy’s most nefarious superheroes in No More Heroes 3 for Nintendo Switch! Become the legendary otaku assassin Travis Touchdown, as you slice and dice your way to victory in an over-the-top, action-packed mission to save the world from alien invaders.
The Magnificent Trufflepigs – £8.99
The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a first-person, metal-detecting narrative game designed to be played in a single evening. You play as Adam, a sharp-witted but compassionate man returning to his childhood village of Stanning. There he’ll help a woman named Beth on her mission to unearth a local treasure. As cracks begin to appear in Beth’s fairy tale plan for everything, you’ll delve into her history and discover all may not be as it seems. And you’ll have to choose how Adam responds to Beth as she faces her demons.
Gameplay combines laid-back metal detecting and exploration with a strong interpersonal narrative, all set in a beautiful English countryside. The Magnificent Trufflepigs is a game about trying to find something, and the tone it sets is like a typical English summer: mostly pleasant, but with stormy moments that threaten to ruin everything.
Spelunky – £8.99
Spelunky is a unique platformer with randomly-generated, fully-destructible levels that offer a challenging new experience each time you play. Journey deep underground and explore fantastic places filled with all manner of monsters, traps, and treasure. You’ll have complete freedom while you navigate the fully-destructible environments and master their many secrets. To stay or flee, to kill or rescue, to shop or steal… in Spelunky, the choice is yours and so are the consequences!
Spelunky 2 – £17.99
Meet the next generation of explorers as they find themselves on the Moon, searching for treasure and missing family. Spelunky 2 builds upon the unique, randomized challenges that made the original a classic, offering a huge adventure designed to satisfy players old and new. Explore the game alone, play locally with up to four players, or, for the first time, join up with friends online to unravel its mysteries together (or battle it out in competitive Arena modes).
Spelunky 2’s world is even denser than the one in the original game, offering more areas, characters, traps, and items, as well as new ways to interact with them (and for them to interact with each other). The world has expanded in other ways, too, with branching paths and multi-layered levels adding a third dimension to the classic 2d platforming gameplay.
Titans Black Ops – £6.99
Titans Black Ops is a 2D jump n gun about mercenaries trying to save the world and then go home and take a well-deserved nap.
Choose your gun, purchase an arsenal of more powerful guns and grenades then blow EVERYTHING up and save the world by the way.
Lock and load!
One-Eyed Lee and the Dinner Party – £4.99
Beracus and Lee finally have a lead to more information about a potential cure for Beracus’ suffering village.
Upon finding the entrance to an apparently abandoned bunker, the two become trapped inside and discover the place is inhabited by a family of hospitable cult members, who also happen to be skeletons. The family mistakes the two for fellow members, and invites them to “stay for the party” and wait for the “New World”. Unfortunately, Lee and Beracus don’t have that kind of time! They’ll similarly meet their deaths down there if they don’t escape, and they still have to find their all important cure!
Together they must explore and talk to the skeleton family to discover clues, collect items, and try to unravel the tragedies that turned this simple bunker into a tomb.
Moonshades – £14.39
Relive the fun of classic RPG games inspired by dungeons and dragons, realised in rich 3D environments, and with a deep, captivating story. Discover an enigmatic realm, saturated with ancient magic and myths – epic legends are forged as you venture into this offline role-playing game!
Your adventure will lead you beneath ruined towns, through grim, eerie dungeons… and towards monsters lurking in the ghostly half-light. Forces of darkness have invaded the realm, but some survivors from the kingdom of Harten still resist their fate, preserving the secrets of their ancestors’ magic. Join the mission to restore liberty and enlightenment to this fantasy land! The kingdom’s glory may be faded and its treasures buried, but hope for changing the course of history has not been completely lost in the darkness of the dungeons… and the rewards for your efforts will be great!
Hammer 2 Reloaded – £5.99
Enjoy intense action in this third-person shooter action game. Your job is to clean city of crime in mutiple missions, each one with its own goal.
The game features a fully Open World Environment. Improve your arsenal in the dedicated shop with cash you gained from previous missions.
Have a Blast – £13.49
Battle through the most ridiculously hazardous corners of the galaxy and use your surroundings to your advantage. Outmaneuver your frenemies and shatter them into colorful bits.
Instant Farmer – £2.69
A country life, growing a vegetable garden in your own ranch. In this tiny fantasy countryside experience, that is easy to do and very relaxing.
Just keep in mind: water brings life. Swap the blocks of earth, stone, water, and others, like water channels and lawn sprinklers, so that all the arable soil receives the necessary water. Solve the challenge and feel the pleasure of watching the plants instantly grow and bear fruit.
There is no time limit or resources to manage, so you can calmly just focus on the core mechanics while listening to a soothing soundtrack and animal sounds. Figuring out the patterns of blocks will make it easier to solve the puzzles.
As you progress solving the challenges, see your farm expand and evolve in the background with new types of vegetables.
With clean skies, fresh air, and crystal clear water, among birds and listening to the sounds of nature.
May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville – £13.49
May’s Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville is an exciting puzzle adventure game bringing a hand-drawn storyline with four worlds, 80 locations, 50 characters, 10 minutes of animated cut-scenes, and 270 brain-teaser puzzles that allow players over 25 hours of gameplay.
Follow May, an independent and charismatic girl, in her quest to find her missing brother. Advance through the cartoon-style drawn adventures by solving over 270 logic puzzles, tricky rhythmic games, and hand-drawn hidden object scenes. Search for clues about May’s brother, visit mysterious locations and meet interesting characters along the way, which will help you in your journey.
Hermitage: Strange Case Files – £17.99
This gripping paranormal horror adventure revolves around Hermitage, the sinister bookstore that attracts most unusual customers – all of whom seem to be involved in mysterious cases bordering on the paranormal. Investigate mysterious cases by taking on the role of a less than motivated bookshop owner, a former anthropology professor who for unknown reasons has never been seen outside of his bookstore.
With the help of a hacker genius on the run, a self-proclaimed detective and a short-tempered legal consultant, you must get to the bottom of a row of horrific incidents, bearing in mind the supernatural horrors that lurke within the pages of Hermitage’s Lovecraftian book collection.
Off The Road Unleashed – £14.99
Immerse yourself in realistic sandbox environments all filled with challenging tasks and collectables. Sand dunes, frozen plains, mountains to climb and conquer.
Explore 5 worlds with your favorite vehicle or just take a hike on foot!
Green Phoenix – £2.99
Green Phoenix is an on-rails 3D space shooter mixed with a deep narrative experience that focuses on the concept of ego and the meaning of freedom.
In Green Phoenix, we are transported to a single player story where society is fully technologized and authoritarian and take us on the role of the spaceship AI, Green Phoenix, as it remembers its dead pilot, Dana, and embarks on a journey of revenge.
Garden Paws – £18.89
In order to expand your home, and build up the nearby town, you’re going to need coins. What better way to earn those coins than by running a shop! Explore the islands and caves collecting everything from poop to flowers to sell to the local villagers. Once you have some seeds you can dive into Farming, or many of the other activities on the islands including, Crafting, Fishing, Mining and Questing.
Once you have some spare coin talk to Frank to commission new buildings in town, with each building bringing unique Upgrades, Shops, Quests and even New Areas to explore, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy!
Dark Thrones – £7.19
Dark Thrones is a 2D endless runner game. You play as ‘Dark’, an assassin on his last run to redeem himself and protect those he loves against legions of undead on top of an endless wall.
Jump over and slide under various obstacles. Have no mercy against every last unyielding enemy standing in your way to boost your score while collecting coins to upgrade power-ups strewn all across the wall.
Shop
The player collects coins which allows them to purchase upgrades from the in-game shop. These upgrades aid progression against the trophies.
Witch Hunter – £7.19
Witch Hunter is a 2D endless runner game. Play as ‘Wolf’, a famous monster slayer on his last adventure to redeem his name and become the most famous of his kind against hordes of creatures from dark forests.
Have no mercy against every last monster standing in your way to boost your score while collecting coins to upgrade power-ups hidden all across the dark forests.
Shop
The player collects coins which allows them to purchase upgrades from the in-game shop. These upgrades aid progression against the trophies.
Secret Neighbor – £17.99
Secret Neighbor is an evergrowing multiplayer Social Horror game set in the Hello Neighbor universe.
Your group has one goal – sneak around the house, collecting the keys in order to unlock the basement door. The only problem is – one of you is the Neighbor, a traitor in disguise!
PLAY AS THE INTRUDERS:
Cooperate with your teammates, stay together or tactically split up, use your perks and abilities, and drop those basement door locks one by one.
PLAY AS THE NEIGHBOR:
Stop the intruders! Use your disguise to gain their trust, set up traps, and dispose of those pesky intruders one by one. Convince your friends someone else is the Neighbor and let the witch hunt begin. Your secret must remain safe!
Eternal Hope – £7.19
“Perhaps you’d be willing to go to the end of the world for your beloved, but would you go beyond it?”
In Eternal Hope you’ll follow the story of Ti’bi, a lonely boy who has lost the love of his life. You’ll embark with him on a highly unusual journey – one that might bring the soul of his cherished girlfriend back from the Shadow World, a purgatory-like realm. But visiting this new world will not be easy. There will be dangers to overcome and many mysteries to unearth before you can continue your passage.
Granted the ability to shift between dimensions by the Keeper of Souls, this power will enable Ti’bi to travel, solve puzzles and meet otherworldly beings that live among the shadows. Travel with Ti’bi into the great beyond on this journey as you unravel ancient secrets not meant for the eyes of the living.
Orbibot – £4.99
Orbibot is a game in which you control a ball-shaped robot and solve physics- and logic-based puzzles.
Being a ball doesn’t limit you as much, you can control buttons, laser switches, and doors to reach the end of the level. Sometimes you will need to use barrels or metal balls to get to your destination.
Will you find the teleporter that will take you to the next level?
Wildbus – £10.79
Ever thinking about beating mutant monsters with a fully customizable fighting bus? It’s time to rev up the engine!
Wildbus is a classic beat em up game in a retro-style with tons of weapons ranging from giant punch glove, mega drill, megaphone cannon or even dragons.
Pretty Girls Panic! – £5.49
Socially conservative sea creatures have constructed a water-filled screen to hide the Pretty Girls from view. Don’t panic! Use your special tool to capture sections of the barrier and remove them, freeing the girl waiting for you on the other side. Girls have different outfits in each stage to reward your success. Just don’t get caught – if a sea creature crosses your path, your tool will be broken!
Meet 13 Pretty Girls across 50 stages! With each challenge you clear, commemorative photos will be added to your Gallery for casual viewing. Can you complete them all?
Inked: A Tale of Love – £8.09
Inked is a hand-drawn puzzle adventure set in a mythological world of beautiful ballpoint pen landscapes, inspired by Japanese folk tales. As the Nameless Hero, explore 10 different minimalistic worlds searching for your lost love Aiko, using your magical paintbrush to solve puzzles in a heartwarming story that will move and shake you to the core.
Space Wars – £2.99
Space Wars is an exciting endless level-base game in which you control spaceship through multiples levels, trying to shoot down the enemies and avoiding their attacks.
The goal is shoot down all the enemies in each level, collect coins to unlock new spaceships, upgrade spaceships for better power and collect power ups disseminated around maps.
Murder Mystery Machine – £17.99
Join the District Crime Agency in this isometric, modern noir deduction thriller. Explore crime scenes in complex dioramas, organize your evidence effectively, and blur the lines between right and wrong to present your case. Do you have what it takes to be a real detective?
On her first day at the DCA, fresh-faced rookie Cassandra Clarke, is teamed with a reluctant burnt-out detective, Nate Huston, to investigate the murder of a prominent politician. While all evidence points to a botched robbery, it soon entwines the two detectives into a complex, interconnected series of crimes that are anything but an open-and-shut case.
Mickey Storm and the Cursed Mask – £13.49
Welcome to the world’s greatest waterpark! In this resort full of wild adventures and thrilling waterslides only you, and your sister, can stop the evil Dr. Fisher! Using the powers of a mysterious mask this vicious villain has enchanted the entire park to finally trap your parents. Why? Because they are none other than the world famous Storm spies!
Jump, slide and rush through a series of challenging 2.5D water slides to take down Dr. Fisher and save your parents! But, don’t expect a walk in the park. Because of the curse, all slides are totally OUT OF CONTROL! Each area is filled with dangers, obstacles and enemies waiting for you in each corner, so brace yourself before you’re wiped out. Luckily you’re not in this alone as you’ll be accompanied by your special spy vlogging drone B.U.D.D.Y.
Hoa – £13.49
Hoa is a beautiful puzzle-platforming game that features breathtaking hand-painted art, lovely music, and a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere. Experience the magic of nature and imagination as you play the main character, Hoa, on her journey through breathtaking environments back to where it all began.
Night Flight – £4.49
When the last human worker leaves the factory unsupervised, toys wake up and live their lives. One night you find yourself boxed! You decide to take action and leave this place.
Collect stars on your way – they serve as fuel. Be agile, think on the fly, or plan your route through challenging levels. Open doors, use pipes to travel from one place to the other. Make use of speed boosts and dodge rockets doing barrel rolls!
Next week: Rustler, RICO London, Big Rumble Boxing: Creed Champions, Family Trainer, WRC 10, Demon Gaze EXTRA, Weapon of Choice DX, A Good Snowman Is Hard To Build, Farmers Co-op: Out of This World, CRASH: Autodrive, Ravva and the Cyclops Curse, Alveole, Kitaria Fables, WeKey, Lamentum, Monster Harvest, Guts ‘N Goals, and Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1.
