It seems strange to call this week a quiet one for the Switch when there’s a potential million seller in the midst, but then again, the Just Dance series is laser-focused on a certain demographic. This series always does the numbers for Ubisoft, even though new entries are barely talked about on social media.
This year’s iteration appears to be a code-in-box release at retail. This seems to be the cheapest way to purchase it, though – it’s £34.99 on Amazon, whereas the standard edition on the eShop is £49.99. Perhaps Ubisoft are testing the water with pricing this year.
Speaking of water (a tenuous link, I know) Team17’s Ship of Fools is out this week. It’s a co-op nautical adventure with cartoony visuals and a quirky cast of characters. Early impressions are positive.
That’s joined by New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja – a revival of Data East’s popular ‘90s arcade game. This comes with Mr. Nutz Studio, creators of Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! and the Toki remake, featuring a similar visual style to these two. Slap Them All! felt like a 2 hour game dragged out for 5+ hours, seemingly just to justify its price tag. Hopefully, this isn’t the case again here.
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute is another arcade game comeback, this time based on a Taito puzzler from 1996. This is the SEGA Saturn version, which featured additional modes. It runs on City Connection’s bespoke Saturn emulator which also supports save states and rewinds. Look out for Elevator Action Returns next week.
Two similar looking 3D platformers – Aliisha: The Oblivion of the Twin Goddesses and Swoon! Earth Escape – are also out, although at £30 each you might want to see if any reviews surface first.
Then there’s Floating Cloud God: Anniversary Edition – a re-release of a PSN hit – with updated enemies and tougher boss battles. We can also expect rogue-lite RPG Monmusu Gladiator, 16-bit style action platformer Primal Light, party package Kids Vs Parents, and a remastered of the visual novel How to Fool a Liar King.
Failing that, there’s Furry Hentai Tangram. Now there’s three words we never expected to see together.
New Switch eShop releases
New Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja – £TBA
Originally released in the early 90’s on Japanese soil as an arcade game, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is an arcade/platformer, playable solo or in cooperation. This new iteration of the game, developed by Mr. Nutz Studio (Toki, Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All!), will invite players to go back to the Prehistoric Age and embody Prehistoric Men, ready to do anything to save the women of their tribe.
More than a remake of the arcade version, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja will include a handful of new features such as an original adventure mode containing brand new levels
Just Dance® 2023 Edition – £49.99
Welcome to a new era of dance with Just Dance® 2023 Edition! For the first time ever, dance to BTS with “Dynamite” and other top chart hits! Now with new online multiplayer, personalization, 3D immersive worlds, and new songs and modes year-round,* you can experience a never-ending dance party all year long!
In a nutshell, Ship of Fools is a game about blasting away your seaborne foes with mighty cannons as you defend your ship. Inspired by modern classic roguelites and built for co-op, you’ll want to bring your first mate on deck and enjoy oarsome combat as you unlock new trinkets and artifacts to help you save the world from catastrophe.
Super Lone Survivor is a remake of the original game with extra content and features, rebuilt in a new engine. There’s improved lighting and shaders and additional layers of parallax scrolling. The game contains a new 4:3 presentation option and the original art has been extended in height to support this taller aspect ratio.
There is new content exclusive to the game, a number of hidden areas, two new sidequests, new foods to craft, secret endings, new enemy types and new combat tools. There are also now difficulty settings. The game includes remastered audio in higher quality, and many new songs.
For new players, or those who want to delve deeper into the world of Lone Survivor.
Dead Station is a new hit by Hoodoo Bear, the developers of Oliver’s Adventures in the Fairyland. It’s an old school platforming experience set on the space station «Soyuz-1» overrun by some hostile monsters. Your task is to arm yourself with melee weapons and firearms, find any answers on what the hell happened there and survive no matter what!
It’s a new twist on the survival-action genre — you’ll have to use your wits and surroundings in order to progress through this station. Actually it’s not «dead», but more like «deadly»! Do you think you have what it takes to venture through these dangerous halls and corridors?
Cleopatra Fortune™ S-Tribute – £13.49
Cleopatra Fortune was originally released as an arcade puzzle game by Taito in 1996. This game is a reproduction of the home console version released in 1997.
In Arcade Mode, players wipe out falling stones, treasures, coffins, and mummies by arranging closures or line clears to score high points. Two players can also play against each other.
In Mystery Mode, players can enjoy the story as they clear 50 problems posed by the Sphinx.
What secrets lurk in the sleepy, little Hungarian town, Hidegpuszta?
That’s for you to find out!
Remorse: The List is a survival horror in the classic sense, with open gameplay, an inventory, and combat.
Explore the creepy, dark suburbs of Hidegpuszta and find out what secrets lie within.
Santa has been kidnapped and Holidays are at stake.
Watch Over Christmas is a unique Christmassy game that tells the story of a 12-year-old boy, Cisco, who is called upon to save everyone’s most beloved holiday. On the night just before Christmas, an unexpected visitor will inform him that Santa has been kidnapped and that he is the only hope of saving Christmas as we know it. Through numerous fun and challenging puzzles, Cisco will find himself on a quest to rescue Santa and the magic of Holidays.
Watch Over Christmas is a game designed with all the elements of classic point-and-click adventure games with a modern twist. Story-driven, no moon logic puzzles and beautiful exploration are the key elements that unfold the magic of playing and offer a Christmas experience suitable for all ages. More than 60 stunning hand-drawn backgrounds, an original score, and a special companion are just a few features that complement the game’s atmosphere.
A Building Full of Cats – £2.49
A Building Full of Cats is a hidden object game where you need to pet all the cats in the building.
Don’t leave any cats behind!
Stella opens her eyes to find she has been imprisoned in a small basement room in an abandoned wing of an old hospital. Stella decides to step out into that dark, ominous hallway in order to find out where she is and what’s happening here.
Stella must explore each wing of the hospital, surviving the life-threatening trials that await her. As she does, she will learn why she was brought here and all the secrets this facility is hiding…
Freud’s Bones – The Game – £11.69
Freud’s Bones is a surreal and obscure adventure on the study of psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud. Immerse yourself in Freud’s mind and discover the mystery behind his crisis. Investigate ominous Egyptian artifacts, existential crises and become a petulant inner voice.
Psychoanalyse Freud’s patients and explore their unconscious to discover their hidden dreams, their obsessions and the causes of their deepest sexual disturbances.
Thanks to your help they could finally heal… though if not careful, your mistakes could lead them into a whirlwind of pain.
Monmusu Gladiator is a rogue-lite RPG where you can raise creatures called Monmusus. Play as a monster breeder and, along with your partner, overcome hardships and raise the strongest Monmusus to conquer all the tournaments! Build your deck by winning battles and earning Nurture Cards.
Arctictopia is a puzzle-solving game in the Arctic Ocean. Figure out routes and plan your moves to help mama polar bear find her cub on the melting ice.
As the ice sheets melt away, the polar bears’ route home becomes even more treacherous…
Several years passed after the previous season. You wake up in a strange room with your friends and try to open the doors, but you see nothing but similar rooms. “What a sinister complex?” you ask yourself. “It seems that this is someone’s joke!” But with every minute you understand that everything is serious here. And you shouldn’t stay in one place. You definitely need to survive. So do it. Help yourself and your friends find a way out. The show begins!
The planet is flooded with a mysterious green acid. Help Swoon and the rest of the crew escape the Earth. Collect all the mechanical parts of your spaceship and face the most daring bosses in this epic retro-style journey!
Floating Cloud God: Anniversary Edition – £6.99
In this new version of ‘Floating Cloud God’, all-new gameplay features meet with updated enemies and tougher boss battles to provide a fresh celebration of The Power of Love!
Playing as Floating Cloud God, protect your followers to earn their love, then use that love to fly faster, shoot stronger, split your shots, or boost the power of your demon-seeking Cloud Burst! You can even turn love into Cloud Cover, to shield your worshippers when they are in danger!
Get as many followers as you can through seven treacherous (but beautiful) stages, take down the deadly bosses guarding each goal, and help the Pilgrims reach their stolen statue!
RETRO GOAL is a fast and exciting mix of arcade Soccer action and simple team management, from the developers of hit sports games NEW STAR MANAGER and RETRO BOWL.
Choose a team from the world’s favourite leagues and recruit the superstars, professionals and hotheads who will lead you to victory – then take full control on the pitch and make every touch count!
Experience the bizarre and unwelcoming primal world that Krog calls home. In his blue skin travel through beautiful 16-bit pixel art environments, avoid death from animate (monsters) and inanimate (traps, pitfalls) threats alike, and slay gargantuan, grotesque bosses. Collect charms that help you in battle and unlock new, exciting abilities. Let the soundtrack hypnotize you and guide your way to victory!
Your village has met a tragic end. A horrible phantom burned it to the ground and left you alone in the cold, unforgiving world filled with danger. But you must not rest nor wallow in self-pity. It is up to you to collect 12 legendary artifacts and, with their power, undo the tragedy, save your people and get your old life back. You. Are. Krog.
Kids Vs Parents is a family game with a cartoon design that will spice up your daily life at home! The dishes to do, the dog to walk, the rooms to tidy up… Always chores, but no one to do them… Kids VS Parents is THE game that will decide for you who will do them! Compete as a family: Parents against children and may the best one win! You win? You choose!
Parents scared of losing against their skilled children? Don’t worry! The game controls are very simple and often use motion-control: shake, aim, turn the Joy-Con™ of your Nintendo Switch™ to win the game! Everyone has the same chance to win!
The plan is simple: aim a cue ball, hit other balls and put them in a pocket. Here’s the tricky part: the pool is a banana! Or a watermelon, or a castle, a pirate ship… you name it, we got it.
Enjoy this bonkers game, alone or with your frienemies.
How to Fool a Liar King Remastered – £14.99
The story begins after the ending of “How to Take Off Your Mask.”
Regina, our heroine, magically appears in the kingdom of Eroolia.
She has no idea how she ended up in Eroolia, and here, she meets Juli and his companions, whom she ends up joining on their journey to Laarz, a country of cat people.
Will she find out how to get back home? Or will she fall in love before that happens?
Is Regina’s presence in Eroolia an accident or is there a purpose behind it?
Can she trust Juli who seems to be full of secrets?
In Furry Hentai Tangram, you’ll solve tangram puzzles while enjoying beautiful art.
To clear a level you need to place all the available pieces on the given pattern. But they can’t overlap!
Explore a 3D hallway full of cute paintings, and build your gallery with images from the tangram puzzles you’ve completed.
Experience the timeless joy of 65 different tangram puzzles.
KnifeBoy is a unique looking action adventure game set in a semi-open world with a twisted story and tight gameplay. Explore this wicked world while defeating huge bosses, improving your movements with steam-punk power-ups, complete side quests and learn about Knife Boy’s past by collecting comic books scattered around the world.
Shortly after the great rebel leader, KnifeBoy, destroyed The New World Order, he was killed by someone he thought he could trust. With The New World Order no longer in power, a new regime; Anonymous, stepped out of the shadows to rule the world in its stead. The rebel army quickly broke up after its leader’s death and left the world in uncertainty.
But not for long, Dr. J managed to bring KnifeBoy back from the dead to oppose the newly established regime once more and save his partner Blue from her imprisonment!
Aliisha: The Oblivion of the Twin Goddesses – £30.00
Lisha and Aisha are twin sisters. They are born with certain characters that set them different from ordinary people. Lisha, a few seconds older than Aisha, is gifted with a highly rational mind but nearly incapable of perceiving emotions or affection. On the other hand, Aisha is very sensitive and susceptible. She loves to go on advanturous trips and often gets injured, but she cannot feel any pain.
During one trip, Aisha discovered an abandoned temple that exists in a folklore told by local people. The legend has it that all the priests served in the past at the temple are all twins. Furthermore, Aisha learns that a certain mysterious appliance in the temple can integrate the souls of twins. Eager to solve the mystery, Aisha urges Lisha to go exploring the temple together. Though not convinced, Lisha send her AI robot “AMBU” to go on the advanture with Aisha as her urge persists.
Next week: Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered, The Knight Witch, FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake, MEGALAN 11, Donut Dodo, Warp Drive, Lover Pretend, JellyCar Worlds, Super Planet Life, Railbound, Papetura, Sword of the Vagrant, Work from Home, Inscryption, TOMOMI, Intrepid Izzy, The Cube, Super Kiwi 64, Cyborg Invasion Shooter 3: Savior Of The World, Goonya Monster, Soccer Story, and Until the Last Plane.