The anticipated Kirby and the Forgotten Land is just a week away. If you’re looking for something to keep your digits occupied until then, you’re in luck – the Switch gains several noteworthy releases this week.
In typical Switch fashion, a handful are belated conversions. From Atlus, there’s Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – a re-release of the 2013 Persona beat’em up spin-off. It reportedly holds up well, despite looking a little rough when docked, garnering a 7/10 from Nintendo Life and an 8/10 from Mako Reactor. The lack of rollback code seems to be the biggest concern.
It’s up against Phantom Breaker: Omnia – another 2D anime brawler, harking back to 2011. This is a new and improved version that’s also hitting Xbox One et al. Nintendo Everything gave it a thumbs up while Destructoid found it deserving of a 7.5.
“It’s a hearty package that gives plenty to do and is accessible in a lot of ways to make it easy for casual fans and newcomers to enjoy as well. Also, thanks to its unlockables, unique stories per character, and fluidity, Phantom Breaker: Omnia feels engaging throughout and provides many layers of depth to its system that will even appease hardcore fans of the genre,†said Nintendo Everything.
Then there’s the risqué on-rails shooter Gal*Gun: Double Peace, first released on PS Vita and PS4 in 2016. While not a game for all and sundry, rest assured that it’s a decent enough shooter; one with more depth than you may expect. Look out for a review soon.
WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship also parks up as a full-price release. The first review off the grid was an 8/10 from French publication Jeux Video, who praised the deep career mode.
On the newer side of things, there’s Wales Interactive’s FMV whodunnit Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? – out Friday – and WayFoward’s monster brawler Dawn of the Monsters, which has positive reviews on Steam. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gains new DLC too – the Booster Course Pack is set to deliver 48 new courses in waves, with the first eight due this week. Â
Others to consider include the intriguing narrative-driven Adios – entailing a pig farmer who no longer wants to carry out a mob’s dirty work – 2D retro platformer Wife Quest (which Nintendo Life enjoyed), humble RPG Dark Deity, pixel art strategy game Royal Frontier, and an Arcade Archives re-release of Rolling Thunder.
New Switch eShop releases
WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship – £44.99
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the championship, WRC 10 is offering a brand-new Anniversary edition, packed with new content and sensations. Relive the most intense moments from 1973 to today! WRC 10 History Mode puts your driving talents to the test through 19 historical events that require you to adapt to racing conditions of each time period.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – £24.99
The stakes are Ultimate, the tension is Maximum, the fight is… the ULTIMAX! Experience the latest entry into the beloved Persona 4 series with a thrilling fighting twist. Join the heroes as they combat an army of Shadows in the P-1 CLIMAX!
Key Features include:
– Ultimax Version – Includes all previously released Persona 4 Arena Ultimax content, including the original Persona 4 Arena story
– A Deep Roster of Playable Characters – Persona 3 fan-favorites and “Shadow†versions offer a range of fighting styles to choose from
– Dual audio – Choose between Japanese and English VO
Gal-Gun: Double Peace – £34.99
Notorious rail-shooter, Gal-Gun: Double Peace, is finally on Nintendo Switch! When unsuspecting student, Houdai, is shot by cupid’s arrows, he becomes the most irresistible guy in school. Only by using his trusty pheromone shot can he fend off the advancing hordes of girls and find his true love! Outrageously colourful and hilariously lewd, Gal*Gun: Double Peace is one of Japan’s best-loved and critically acclaimed shooters.
Adios – £13.99
Adios is a cinematic first-person game about sticking to a complicated decision.
You’re a pig farmer in Kansas. It’s October. Cold, crisp mornings are the norm, and you have decided that you’re no longer okay with letting the mob use your pigs to dispose of bodies. When your old friend – a hitman – arrives with his assistant to deliver another body, you finally screw up the courage to tell them that you’re done.
Your friend doesn’t want you to stop. He knows that there’s no such thing as quitting, so he’ll try to convince you that you’re making a mistake. You spend the day together, doing chores and exploring the nooks and crannies of an authentic environment in the American Midwest alongside the man who will be forced to kill you, if he can’t convince you to stay.
How you respond will determine the rest of your life.
Adios means goodbye.
The Wake – £6.29
The Wake is the last of game developer Somi’s “Guilt Trilogy,†consisting of Replica and Legal Dungeon.
“Perhaps it means my life simply boils down to this: ‘Everything I say is a lie.’â€
The Wake is a record of past wounds opened at a three-day funeral—a record of the roots of guilt, and the memories and emotions that chain together three generations of a family.
The journal is encoded with a simple substitution cipher that the player must break in order to reveal the writer’s psyche and discover the contradictions that define him.
Boxing Gym Story – £11.69
Introducing a sim with real punch!
Are you the manager this down-on-its-luck boxing gym needs to get back on its feet? Get the town excited about boxing, and more people will start signing up.
Stand by the ringside to cheer on your boxers. You never know how a match will go until the very end!
And don’t forget about marketing – fans are the lifeblood of competitive sports!
Rack up more wins, and you’ll be able to upgrade your facilities with spa baths, high-class cafeterias, and more. Before you know it, athletes will be lining up to join you!
Clutter 1000 – £8.99
Clutter 1000 is the most exciting Un-Hidden Object game you will ever play.
The object of the game is as simple as can be.
Just find and match on two matching objects to remove them from the playing field.
Watch your pairs pop out and merge into one, then swoop down to the treadmill.
All your old favorites are here along with twice as many new ones to keep you playing for days and days.
LOST EGG 2: Be together – £2.29
That fragile but brave egg has come back with new powers.
Aim for the frying pan at the end of rolling through various stages with sad and touching melody.
Dark Deity – £19.79
Fight back in turn-based battles, manage character relationships, collect dangerous artefacts, and hopefully restore a world torn apart by oathbreakers, warmongers, and wielders of forbidden arcane secrets.
A world on its last strand of hope brought to its knees by a Calamity centuries ago that tore down its mighty civilizations. Petty kings rule in place of grand emperors of old that wage fruitless, ill-advised wars picking over ancient ruins like glorified scavengers.
Lead a team of four students in the Brookstead Military Academy, who are shut down on the mysterious orders of King Varic. The ruler of the Kingdom of Delia is preparing to break a millennium-old treaty and Brookstead students make for fine cannon fodder… However, these four soldiers are destined for more than just acting as unwilling meat for another grinder.
Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? – £9.99
The family quiz is a long-held tradition but this year, Abby receives some shocking news: someone has poisoned Uncle Marcus! Make decisions throughout the story to uncover the truth and try to save him before it is too late.
Jumping Bricks Ball – £3.99
Play this exciting game with the ball bouncing against bricks scrolling down the screen, renewing the famous breakout game.
Jumping Bricks Ball is an easy to learn but tough to master game with rich visual effects and addictive gameplay mechanics.
Royal Frontier – £6.99
The wagons are packed and an eager group of settlers are ready to head out.
But the journey is full of dangers. Treacherous terrain, savage bandits and ancient monsters have been the end of many settlers. So they turn to you to protect them.
Choose your party, move across the map like a board game, and battle monsters.
The combat is a nuanced mix of turn-based and time-based approach, with attacks, specials and items make each encounter unique.
Inukari – Chase of Deception – £6.99
Inukari: Chase of Deception offers a classic retro platforming experience. Jump and run through levels, elusive like a wind, collect goodies and fight enemies & bosses. Action is smooth and dynamic. Be faster and faster!
The adventure comes to life in a stylish way thanks to detailed pixel art visuals and original 8-bit music including classic sounds with a little, modern touch. Immerse yourself in the world that will delight you with its artistic vision.
You know what to do. Act before it’s too late!
Sea Battle Minimal – £4.49
Sea Battle Minimal contains all essential parts of good sea battle game:
Fingun – £4.99
In a horrible tragedy, the world has been invaded by giant anime girls and their henchmen, causing mayhem everywhere.
Fortunately, you’ve got the world’s most powerful weapon, “Fingun†ready to take care of the situation. Defeat these bountiful bosses by shooting at their weaknesses!
Shoot through 14 levels, in this hilarious new touch on an arcade classic favorite.
Jumpy Mia – £7.99
Meet the always smiling girl and help her jump over enemies. Collect coins on differently constructed levels, discover a beautiful world and defeat a wide range of opponents. Join Jumpy Mia’s adventure now! – 100 levels! – Beautiful graphics! – Smooth gameplay! – Jumping, jumping, jumping!
Meet the always smiling girl and help her jump over enemies. Collect coins on differently constructed levels, discover a beautiful world and defeat a wide range of opponents. Join Jumpy Mia’s adventure now!
Handball Pelota – £4.99
Discover the famous hand ball pelota game. If you know pelota, you’ll enjoy a realistic still very playable simulation of this sport. If not, you’ll very quickly get grasp of this game where you hit ball with hand towards a fronton and try to keep it away for your opponent.
Full 3D environment and animations in 4 venues and 6 different players, each with their own characteristics.
You can choose to play against the sophisticated device IA with 3 levels (easy, medium, tough)
Controls are very intuitive and game is easy to play but difficult to master!
Wife Quest – £6.99
In humorous and often naughty action platformer Wife Quest, you’ll take the role of charismatic former warrior Mia as she sets off to battle the monster girls who keep kidnapping her beloved husband Fernando! Explore the lands surrounding your marital home in vibrant side-scrolling pixel art style, slashing through enemies and fearlessly navigating a wide variety of hazardous environments.
With each enemy boss she takes down, Mia gains new abilities to help her overcome the trials ahead. From goblins and witches to slimes and more, Mia will have plenty of monster girls to punish along the way, each with unique animations! There’s also an equipment shop, mini-games, gallery images to unlock and additional modes to discover that reward you with new skins for Mia. Will you help Mia defeat the dark elf Morganna and reunite her with Fernando?
ZOMBIE Beyond Terror: FPS Survival – £6.29
Jump into the epicenter of a battle between dead and undead. Take the side of a still-living civilization and fight various mutations of the Z virus.
The world is on the brink of extinction. A group of survivors is trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world engulfed in chaos and plague. In this world, weapons are essential, and food ends first. Zombies know no fear. They seek fresh blood everywhere.
Dawn of the Monsters – £23.59
The cataclysmic battle between giant monsters has begun in this manga-inspired, side-scrolling, kaiju beat-’em-up! Titanic creatures known as Nephilim have invaded Earth, and the only hope of stopping them is DAWN (Defense Alliance Worldwide Network), which unleashes its own colossal combatants to defend against the enemy hordes! Take control of four hulking behemoths – Megadon, Aegis Prime, Tempest Galahad, and Ganira – each with distinct abilities and play styles, and smash your way through destructible real-world environments spanning more than 35 missions! Power up with DNA augments, crush foes with devastating Rage Attacks and brutal Executions, and team up with a friend for 2-player co-op action! You are the planet’s last line of defense…but will that be enough for mankind to survive the Dawn of the Monsters!?
MacGuffin’s Curse – £8.99
Help Lucas MacGuffin (magician turned thief turned werewolf) sneak and smash his way through this fiendishly addictive comedy-puzzle-adventure. Winner of the Freeplay Award for Best Game Writing! With hilarious dialogue, charming hand-drawn art and huge replay value, it’s perfect for seasoned adventurers and casual gamers alike.
Drag Clash Pro: Hot Rod Racing – £5.40
Experience amazing ¼ mile races, take part in legal Hot Rod tournaments, earn points and money for your places in completed events.
Become the HOT ROD racing champion!
Tuning, customization, cars (old, classic, modern, rebuilt, or modified), the sound of high engine revs, the smell of burnt tires, a reliable Drag ‘nd Drive system, real physics, and amazing emotions on the tracks!
Challenge the best drivers in the world!
Phantom Breaker: Omnia – £30.59
Phantom Breaker Omnia is a fast-paced 2D anime fighting game that features 20 unique characters, pitted against one another to make their greatest wishes come true. The ability to choose between 3 fighting styles will appeal to seasoned gamers while making the game accessible to newcomers.
Cyber Fight – £6.29
Cyber Fight it’s a 3D cyberpunk style side scroll beat’em up game.
Play one of the undercover agents to track down and stop the terrorist called Dex.
But first you need to take back control of the cities, defeat and clear the city
streets from Dex’s followers. Prepare your fists and let the fight begin !!!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass £22.49
Race on 48 remastered courses from across the Mario Kart series with the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass! Six waves will be released, each including eight courses that can be played locally and online. All six waves will be released by the end of 2023.
Wave 1 – Available March 18th, 2022
Golden Dash Cup
- Paris Promenade (Mario Kart Tour)
- Toad Circuit (Mario Kart 7)
- Choco Mountain (Mario Kart 64)
- Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii)
Lucky Cat Cup
- Tokyo Blur (Mario Kart Tour)
- Shroom Ridge (Mario Kart DS)
- Sky Garden (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)
- Ninja Hideaway (Mario Kart Tour)
Next week: Kirby and the Forgotten Land, BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land, Taqoban, Niko and the Cubic Curse, Rune Factory 5, Devastator, Tempest 4000, Andro Dunos 2, SUPER NANARU, Broken Pipe, A Place for the Unwilling, Bunny Memory, Chippy, Thunder Kid: Hunt for the Robot Emperor, Aery – Calm Mind 2, and Kraken Academy!!