Super stylish JRPG Persona 5 Royal, from SEGA and Atlus, is set to become one of the highest-rated Switch games of the year. The 94% Metacritic score puts it just behind Portal Companion Collection (96%) on the review aggregator’s best of 2022 list, well ahead of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (89%) at #3.
Persona 5 Royal’s review scores are mostly clocking in at either 9/10 or 10/10, with many critics calling it a masterpiece of the genre. And yet, its launch has been overshadowed somewhat by Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope; whereas Persona 5 Royal is a conversion, Sparks of Hope is fresh and new – and consequently more anticipated. Reviews went live earlier this week, being a mixture of 8s, 9s, and a handful of 10s.
“Sparks of Hope’s battles suffer from an imbalance between the vast array of options available and the difficulty – a stark contrast to Kingdom Battle’s challenging, curated fights. This doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable strategy game in its own right; the battles are less an evolution of what came before and more a shift toward freedom and creativity that can sometimes trivialise Cursa’s attempts to take over the galaxy,” said Nintendo Life.
Eurogamer’s review is also worth a read, noting that while it’s a better game than its predecessor, it’s slightly worse visually – the original had high poly count backdrops and richer textures, whereas this sequel is a bit more angular.
Plague Tale: Requiem – which reportedly has a few pacing issues within the story – also comes to Switch this week as a cloud version. This means it’ll only run as smoothy as your internet connection allows. A demo is available, and if you have less than 2 hours on the clock it’s also possible to ask for a refund within 14 days. A good job too seeing it’s £50.
Reviews of the cartoon brawler Them’s Fightin’ Herds are also live. Surprise! They’re mostly positive so far, with both Nintendo Life and Nintendo World Report handing out 8/10s. “If you want a game with heart, soul, and a unicorn that shoots a demon out of her magic book, you’ve come to the right place. if you want a fighting game that’s got the correct number of buttons for single Joy-Con play with a friend on the go, TFH ain’t a bad choice for that either,” said NWR.
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef also features cartoony visuals – something not usually associated with Warhammer. It’s a 2D run-and-gun action platformer from the studio behind Guns, Gore & Cannoli. Look out for our review.
Then there’s New Tales from the Borderlands, from Gearbox themselves – and not Telltale. It sees three nobodies – Anu, Octavio, and Fran – come together to save the world from a planetary invasion. This too is a full-price release, with a deluxe version also available.
On the retro side of things, look out for Arcade Archives TOUKI DENSHOU ANGEL EYES – a 1996 fighting game from Tecmo. It has a cult following and a bit of history, being born out of a cancelled Ninja Gaiden II project for NeoGeo.
Also look out for The Jackbox Party Pack 9 – which includes Fibbage 4 and four others – the intense bullet-hell action game Touhou Gouyoku Ibun – Sunken Fossil World, and the peculiarly timed Advent Calendar – where a new mini-games unlocks every day in the run-up to giftmas. Take that, Playdate.
New Switch eShop releases
Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!
Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – £49.99
Team up with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi, and their friends on a galactic journey to defeat a malevolent entity and save your Spark companions. Explore planets throughout the galaxy as you uncover mysterious secrets and compelling quests!
A Plague Tale: Requiem – Cloud Version – £49.99
Embark on a heartrending journey into a brutal, breathtaking world twisted by supernatural forces.
After escaping their devastated homeland, Amicia and Hugo travel far south, to new regions and vibrant cities. There, they attempt to start a new life and control Hugo’s curse.
But, when Hugo’s powers reawaken, death and destruction return in a flood of devouring rats. Forced to flee once more, the siblings place their hopes in a prophesized island that may hold the key to saving Hugo.
Discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival. Strike from the shadows or unleash hell, overcoming foes and challenges with a variety of weapons, tools and unearthly powers.
New Tales from the Borderlands – £34.99
Within the perpetually war-torn metropolis of Promethea, you’ll control Anu, Octavio, and Fran on the worst day of their lives. Help these three lovable losers as they endeavor to change the world (and maybe even save it)!
It’s time to fight back against exploitation and corporate greed. It’s time to make Mayhem your business.
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef – £16.49
The Orks, a savage race commonly known as the ‘Green Tide’, sweep across the stars with unrivalled violence in frenzied crusades known as a Waaagh! They are savage, brutal and crude, outnumbering all other races that lay in their path of destruction.
Become the spearhead of an Ork invasion as you bash, smash and shoot your way through the hive city of Luteus Prime on a mission to retrieve your hair squig and claim vengeance on your warlord! And just maybe become the warboss of a WAAAGH! along the way? Survival of the strongest has never been so violently fun!
Never enough Dakka! Destroy your foes using a great arsenal of weapons and rain destruction down upon them. No one can stand in your way! Massive explosions and flying body parts ain’t never been this fun!
WAAAGH! Feel the emotion and violence build up until it bursts out as a storm of bullets! Violence begets violence as the massive destruction you cause builds up into a full blown unstoppable WAAAGH! Because Orks are made for two things: fighting… and winning!
Orks together strong! Grab your friends and take on the forces of the Astra Militarum, the Genestealer Cults and the Space Marines together. Or you know, bash their head in instead and determine who is the fiercest Ork in the clan!
RUNOUT is a dynamic runner-platformer with logical riddles in the setting of the future.
Players always run, but when they collide with any obstacle, they turn in the opposite direction. The mechanics involve harnessing abilities to jump, shoot, speed up, and slow down time that will allow them to pass the level.
As a result of a hacker attack on the servers of the corporation ‘MFS’, which produces exoskeletons, most of the carriers of exoskeletons were killed. As the suspenseful story unfolds, find the culprit behind the sinister plot and ultimately save the world.
Walking Zombie 2 is good old FPS with story, tens of quests and a lot of shooting stuff with different weapons. Your main enemies are zombies who already control the world – they are everywhere, in many different kinds and – most importantly – in great numbers. You will be using guns with different ammo, grenades or melee weapons to dispose of them and you will be able to heal yourself with medkits and food. As you complete more and more quests, your character will become stronger with better equipment, enhanced skills and gained perks.
Help Max escape from his fate and survive this purrfect punishment.
She Wants Him Dead
Lula is just an average cat who happens to be a master engineer. Her traps are intricate and require your full focus. Expect no mercy and lots of surprises.
Unforgiving but rewarding
Sink into the world of She Wants Me Dead thanks to the incredible soundtrack. The rhytm is the key to Max’s survival. If you let it lead you, he might see the light of day. This 2D platformer-rhytm game will not make it easy on you.
Azura, the guardian goddess of the Emerald Grove is having a bad day. Her magical crystals have been stolen by the forces of evil! Help Azura get the crystals back and defeat the demon hordes!
Crystal Goddess is an action-adventure where you step into the boots of Azura, a guardian goddess with magical powers. Unlock 5 different crystals that each have unique attacks and special abilities such as levitation, protective shield and phase shifting. By helping the local girls, you can receive special items.
Journey through 5 worlds and battle 18 different types of enemies to restore peace to the world!
Play the world national teams soccer cup while it is played by your favourite national team.
With its fast action and intense gameplay, this soccer game will provide you long hours of fun especially if you are a soccer fan.
In the world of Sea Horizon, every step counts in a journey of survival and high adventure! Sea Horizon is a roguelike turn-based RPG presented in a 3D bird’s eye view of a hex grid map that’s different every time you set out to explore the shattered archipelago of Myrihyn.
Choose between a wide variety of characters with their own storied backgrounds and personal motivations. Chart a path across diverse landscapes and treacherous seas as you equip weapons, carefully manage your hunger and health, weigh risk against the potential reward of each side quest, activate blessings to help you along the way and make life-or-death choices in combat!
Will you give rise to new legends in this perilous realm, or will you be among the nameless fallen adventurers who came before?
Touhou Gouyoku Ibun ? Sunken Fossil World.
£21.59
In this game, you control a character venturing into the subterranean depths of Gensokyo to identify the source of the mysterious black water, shooting down every rival who stands in your way.
Different characters have different controls and unique playstyles!
Shutter Nyan! Enhanced Edition – £11.39
Our kitty protagonist wishes to return to its world and bring happiness back to its dear friend.
This cat’s story will reach a different ending depending on how you play.
Will the kitty be able to reunite with its friend and restore all those happy memories?
Apré Lapli [After the rain] – £8.29
In Apré Lapli, Maya and her grandpa share the story of her parents, riding a cart dragged by a giant dragon, on the road in a scarce and dry world. He tells her about how they met, grew together and also why the water is so rare.
In parallel, Maya dreams about water, and vegetation. She clearly sees scenes where water flows in abundance. Vegetation grows under her feet as she unveils one of the 10 poems of the adventure.
Apré Lapli is a short experience. Mostly narrative, the game offers four types of experiences, each intended to be more relaxing than the previous:
Seduced in the Sleepless City – £23.99
The Story:
Editor of a woman’s magazine, you’re assigned to cover the grand opening of a new hotel and casino. In the party’s VIP room, you get up close and personal with a famous actor, a best-selling novelist, a charismatic plastic surgeon, and an F1 racer…
One day, a young farmer. The other day, a hero…
But is he really able to save the town if he’s barely able to save himself?
As a local Hero, you will need to explore ancient ruins, defeat an army of evil minions and unravel the mystery of the sinking town, but in fact, it’s not the hardest task to fulfil. You will also need to prove the others that you are capable of being taken seriously and that may be the hardest thing to do.
DEAD SECRET CIRCLE is designed by hardcore fans of classic horror games. If you like exploring creepy places, discovering a complex story, solving weird puzzles, and running for your life from a straight-razor-wielding serial killer with a sinister laugh, DEAD SECRET CIRCLE is for you.
Gas Station Simulator – £17.99
Gas Station Simulator is all about renovating, expanding and running a gas station along a highway in the middle of a desert. Freedom of choice and multiple approaches to run your business and deal with pressure are key ingredients in this game.
Buy an abandoned gas station in the middle of nowhere and restore it to its former glory. Get rid of debris and broken furniture, fix up the walls, paint and decorate the place to your liking. Just don’t spend all your cash on the looks right away, you bought a gas station after all. Repair the equipment, buy what can’t be repaired and start serving your customers to earn money for further renovations and improvements.
Japanese Escape Games The Forbidden Garden – £7.49
The 10th Japanese Escape Games series!!
Game system
This game is an escape-the-room game (mystery-adventure game).
*Point the screen with a cursor to solve riddles, and this game goes on.
Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery – £13.49
Shortly before his coronation, the young prince Fern disappears with a mysterious girl. The royal protectress and teacher is tasked to track him down and bring home.
Using the knowledge of alchemical arcana, the protectress will do everything in her power to save prince Fern from the looming mortal threat. Will she succeeed? The future of the kingdom is in your hands!
Matchpoint – Tennis Championships – £45.99
Matchpoint – Tennis Championships is a modern take on tennis, featuring a true-to-life on-court experience supported by a deep career mode and unique rivalry system.
The game places a strong focus on tactical realism, positioning and aiming, allowing the player to move their superstar in exactly the right way to get the most out of their shots.
Matchpoint – Tennis Championships combines slick character animations, authentic ball physics and enhanced player control to replicate the realistic rhythm of the game – every swing and hit feeling unique and satisfying.
The Jackbox Party Pack 9 – £26.99
Introducing the ninth installment of the best-selling Party Pack Franchise you know and love! Whether you’re hanging out with friends, having a remote happy hour, trying to make the holidays less awkward, or looking for your next game to stream, The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is here to spice things up.
Let’s keep it simple. You don’t need extra controllers for extra players – everyone uses their phones or tablets to play! Games support up to 10 players and 10,000 audience members joining in the fun to impact the outcome of the game.
The Jackbox Party Pack 9 is in English only at launch but a patch is coming soon with French, Italian, German, and Spanish localization. This game does not support online matchmaking but can still be enjoyed remotely using livestreaming services or video conferencing tools.
Take on the role of Onigiri, a feline witch who lives in a cottage and delivers packages flying on a broomstick. Customize your cottage, explore new worlds, forage plants and fungi, and meet quirky villagers along the way, while enjoying music by Mark Sparling, the composer for A Short Hike.
Deliver packages on a flying broomstick which you can upgrade. Simple and forgiving controls let you enjoy flying without worrying about crashing or combat. Explore diverse worlds and forage wild plants along the way!
Return to your cottage to cook food, craft upgrades, and unlock new abilities. Express yourself by decorating the cottage with customizable furniture. Shop for new furniture while you’re out on deliveries!
Delivering packages to the same villager deepens your relationship with them. Become close friends to unlock rewards and open portals to new worlds!
The Queen of the Old World calls upon you! As Her Majesty’s domain expands, we require a capable administrator to guide Her latest colonies to prosperity. We will provide you with ships, colonists, and other tools necessary to tame these wild, virgin lands, and turn them into a prosperous colonial enterprise, all under the Queen’s watchful eye.
Naturally, the Crown will expect you to share the bounty of these new lands, pay your taxes on time, and continue expanding the boundaries of Her Majesty’s colonial possessions. Obedience may earn you rewards, but refusing to pay your dues or worse, declaring independence, will have dire consequences.
So, governor: Are you ready to colonise One More Island?
An evil sorcerer reads the ancient book and invites an evil god to earth. It is necessary to eliminate this evil threat. And the fate of the earth is in the hands of a barbarian.
Beholgar is a classically styled 2D Metroidvania adventure. Explore caverns, ancient woods, and deadly castles; battle creatures and solve ancient mysteries in the kingdom.
TEMPUS is an adventure full of puzzles of varying difficulty, you will see how the scenery changes over thousands and thousands of years. You will witness the impact of time on your island.
Throughout 6 levels, you will see how civilization changes over hundreds and hundreds of years.
Will you be able to make it to the end?
Doomed to Hell is an action-packed roguelike-like top-down shooter that is a hell of a lot of fun! You play as Rose, and though you’ve just died, your adventure is just getting started.
Battle your way out of hell through hordes of monsters, explore multiple biomes, fight bosses, collect as much loot as you can, and upgrade your weapons and buffs.
Your ticket out of hell is killing all of its inhabitants. Face off against many types of enemies and their various unique attacks through various waves. Pick buffs between waves and get ready for more challenges!
Backgammon: Board Game Puzzle – £8.99
Welcome to backgammon – the popular board game all over the world! The goal of the game is to bring all your pieces into the house and remove them from the board before the second player does.
The rules of the game are simple – the players alternately throw the dice and move the checkers in accordance with the points dropped out, pass the checkers a full circle around the board, into their home and throw them off the board. But the game is simple only at first glance – you need to correctly calculate your moves in order to come to victory first!
Pleasant music and colourful graphics will allow you to immerse yourself in the game, relax and unwind. Now the board game will always be with you on your device!
CubicBan is a minimalistic Sokoban-based puzzle game where you need to move the cubes to their respective places.
Use the triangle block to push the square blocks to the place with square sign in it. When you meet a round block you should push it to the place with round sign in it.
Crowalt: Traces of the Lost Colony – £8.99
CHASING A MYSTERY THAT IS UNEXPLAINED FOR 150 YEARS
A group of people who set out to establish the first settled colony in America in 1587, mysteriously disappears a short time after arriving. They leave only an island name carved on a tree: “Crowalt”.
Now, the year is 1737.
A young and ambitious adventurer Hugh Radcliff pursues the Lost Colony to make his first great discovery. Now, different people live in Crowalt, where he came to solve this mystery. He will hover around the island and definitely will get in a series of troubles to find what happened to the Lost Colony.
JoJo Siwa: Worldwide Party – £34.99
You’re invited to JoJo Siwa’s Worldwide Party! Lace up your “High Top Shoes” and run through JoJo’s worlds listening along to her biggest hits including D.R.E.AM, Bop and Nonstop! Complete levels as JoJo to perform special dance routines! Can you match the rhythm and make the crowd go wild?
Run, jump, and unlock awesome vehicles including Spaceships and even a Roller Coaster Cart to help get JoJo to the party. Collect all the items you need for an unforgettable party including glitter and of course, bows! Explore lands straight from JoJo’s imagination including Candyland, BowBowland, Superheroland and many more.
Set in a distant future where the world has been ravaged by war, Harmonia is a sci-fi visual novel about a robot boy and a human girl who come to form a special bond. A touching story that has been well-received the world over now comes to the Nintendo Switch system!
Imagine every morning waking up during the holiday season and you get to open a new fantastic surprise. A surprise which you can play all day, every day. Grow your stack of presents with 25 different games, which all give you that special joyful Christmas cheer.
You will hardly be able to sleep because tomorrow another surprise is waiting for you. In ADVENT CALENDAR, each day you wake up to another challenging & exciting game. Many of these games you can also play with family and friends.
“Pnevmo-Capsula” is a casual adventure game. You will travel to an alternate utopian atompunk world as a small trolley delivering mail.
Time seems to have stopped at the break of 1930-1960 years here. The city is connected by a single system of rails, tracks, and pipes. The smallest part of this bizarre system is the mechanical mail.
The mail here is delivered by carts on small rails, and you will play the role of one of these carts. On the way towards the target, you will find obstacles, barriers, various puzzles, dead ends and labyrinths.
As the player progresses, he will come across outlandish living spaces-puzzles: the “caretaker’s booth” on a power pole, made of sleepers; “Air platform” with houses at a height; “The artist’s hut”, fixed directly on the power line! With all the wildness of ideas, the player on an intuitive level will understand the purpose of the objects and their functionality.
Bring the ancients to the church.
Bring the ancients to their homes.
You can’t fight, but you can run.
Daardoa is constantly on a hunt to find you, keep moving, and fulfill your purpose.
The two protagonists Nox and Lux bring the night and day in an endless cycle, using the Azure Medal bring the light and darkness into this surreal realm, guarded by the entity Daardoa. Explore the world, find its secrets, learn more about its characters, find the ancients and bring them to the church.
In the near future, a paradigm-shifting scientific discovery looms over the world, promising radical financial system, wipe out entire countries or even gain access to immortality.
However, this discovery — called “The Sigma Theory” — can only be harnessed by a handful of scientists. You are placed at the head of your country’s Sigma division. Your objective is to ensure that it is your nation that reaps the benefits of Sigma Theory before anyone else.
To achieve this, you will have powerful resources at your disposal: a cadre of the world’s most elite covert agents, advanced tactical drones and, of course, your own skills in diplomacy and subterfuge.
It’s a cold war out there, one in which mankind must face up to its future.
Aery – Last Day of Earth – £9.99
“Aery – Last Day of Earth” is a story-driven 3D flight exploration game in which you control a little bird that is on its non-violent journey through time, space, and different dimensions to discover an alternative reality for our planet.
Make your journey through peaceful, exciting, and diverse dimensions and discover different futures that earth itself could experience in near future.
Enjoy the feeling of flying and feel the wind going through your feathers while searching for a better future for all of us.
The game leans heavily into string theory so be ready to explore many twisted, extreme, or a little bit abstract realties.
The game offers you quite a few levels to be solved. You can do so by popping mushrooms. There are different types of them and each has different and unique behaviour when tapped. Think ahead and tap with caution.
Tap different mushrooms for corresponding action. Goal of the game is simple. Clear all the mushrooms from the board in as few attempts as possible. More attempts you take, less stars you get for finishing the current level.
Them’s Fightin’ Herds – £16.74
Them’s Fightin’ Herds is a 2D fighting game featuring a cast of adorable animals designed by acclaimed cartoon producer Lauren Faust. Beneath the cute and cuddly surface, a serious fighter awaits!
Next week: Bayonetta 3, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Resident Evil Village Cloud, Yomawari: Lost in the Dark, Charon’s Staircase, Silenced: The House, Live by the Sword: Tactics, Factorio, Insomnis, SIGNALIS, ARKANOID – ETERNAL BATTLE, Saturnalia, Asterix & Obelix XXXL – The Ram From Hibernia, Paradigm Paradox, Temple of Horror, CoComelon: Play with JJ, Howloween Hero, A Winding Path, Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator, Horse Club Adventures 2: Hazelwood Stories, Hidden Paws Mystery, The Pinball Wizard, Pixel Artist, Buddy Simulator 1984, Escape String, Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx, Ducky Quacky, Super Mabus Mania, and Robotry!