The Switch may miss out on this week’s trio of big-name releases – The Callisto Protocol, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and Need for Speed Unbound – but rest assured that the Switch eShop is lively as ever.
From Forever Entertainment – best known for their recent The House of the Dead and Panzer Dragoon remakes – comes FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake, which marks the first time this tactical RPG from Square-Enix has gained a western release. Despite showing initial promise, Nintendo Life wasn’t too impressed, dishing out a middling 5/10 due to finding it “more frustrating than fun.” Destructoid enjoyed it a tad more, opting for a 7/10. “It’s not the best tactical strategy game to come out this year, but it’s welcome nonetheless,” they said.
Square-Enix also has a JRPG remaster of its own out this week. Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered sees the return of a PS2 era role-player, which unless we’re mistaken, was never released in Europe. Review scores are slightly mixed so far, with complex systems and a lack of guidance seemingly to blame. Hey Poor Player went with a 4/5, while Cubed3 could only muster a 5/10. The Metacritic score sits at 74%, should that help with a purchasing decision.
On the subject of re-releases there’s Tatio’s Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute. This is based on the excellent Saturn version which featured extra content over the arcade original. Developer City Connection has also made the original Elevator Action playable from the outset.
Retro fans should also check out Donut Dojo – a single screen arcade platformer true to 1983, launching for less than a fiver. Think along the lines of Donkey Kong and Popeye. We’ve had our eye on this one for a while, and it seems to have been worth the wait – reviews are positive so far, including an 8/10 from Pure Nintendo.
From Team17 comes The Knight Witch – a shoot’em up Metroidvania with hand drawn visuals. This appears to be going down well with critics too, gaining a thumbs up from Nintendo Life.
“The adventure feels perfectly paced, the action is snappy, and though there are missteps here and there, they shouldn’t disqualify The Knight Witch from your attention. If you’re looking for a Metroidvania that mixes things up a bit — and you haven’t been utterly burned out on the genre — we’d suggest giving this a look,” was their verdict.
Then there’s The Outbound Ghost – an adventure RPG about helping ghosts ascend to the afterlife, set in a literal ghost town. It seems to feature Japanese game design sensibilities, resembling the Paper Mario series in particular. The PC version was apparently glitchy, so here’s hoping this belated console release has squashed most of the bugs.
Soccer Story is also a western-developed adventure RPG. Set in a world where football is banned, it’s up to you to bring back the beautiful game, taking on quests, exploring an overworld, creating a team, and playing short arcade-like matches. We’ve spent some time with the Xbox One version and enjoyed what we played so far – although the matches themselves are rather basic.
Other new releases for this week include the 1-bit monochrome Metroidvania Astronite, eastasiasoft’s WWII shooter Until The Last Plane, the teleport-totting futuristic racer Warp Drive, squidgy platformer JellyCar Worlds, roguelite deck-building card battler Inscryption, and the HD 2D action platformer Intrepid Izzy – which began life as a Dreamcast homebrew.
New Switch eShop releases
Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered – £19.99
The original Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- included many of the SaGa series trademark elements, such as the Glimmer and Combo mechanics and was considered to be the epitome of the series when it first released.
The free scenario system that lets you create your own storyline remains at the core of the game, letting you select one of eight protagonists with completely different origins and backstories, then set off on a unique journey.
This remastered edition has evolved in all areas, featuring upgraded HD graphics and numerous enhancements to improve playability. This makes it highly recommended for both fans of the original and newcomers to the SaGa series.
FRONT MISSION 1st: Remake – £31.49
In the year 2090, the world’s conflicts are fought using giant war machines called Wanzers. Huffman Island, the only place where the Oceania Cooperative Union (O.C.U.) and the Unified Continental States (U.C.S.) share a land border is a hotbed of conflict.
An O.C.U. reconnaissance platoon led by Captain Royd Clive is assigned to investigate a U.C.S. munitions plant. They are ambushed by U.C.S. Wanzers, triggering a series of events that plunges the whole island into war. Royd’s fiancée, Lieutenant Karen Meure, goes missing in action.
Discharged from the military, Royd sets out to investigate what happened to Karen. His quest leads him closer and closer to the conspiracy behind the incident and the powers that orchestrated it.
With dozens of characters to meet, its mature story, and non-Manichean protagonists, Front Mission is the classic of a tactical Japanese RPG genre, finally available worldwide.
This is an exploration-puzzle game. Bad luck rescuers have only eleven days to get out of the trap on a planet long abandoned by all.
The ship of a scientific expedition catches a SOS signal, but as a result of an unsuccessful landing, the rescue operation turns out to be a complete failure. You will have to find shelter and adapt to the harsh conditions of the red planet, and even though there are five people in the crew, you have to rely only on yourself.
You have to explore the abandoned base and defend it, make raids in the desert and collect metal for equipment repair.
Elevator Action -Returns- S-Tribute – £13.49
Elevator Action Returns was originally released as a 2D side-scrolling shooter game by Taito in 1995. This game is a reproduction of the home console version released by Bing in 1997.
Select one of three special forces members—Kart Bradfield, Edie Burret, or Jad the Taff—then start the game. Grab data from all the red doors, then escape the stage.
When every stage has been cleared, players will also be able to play the first game in the series, Elevator Action (single player only).
This is the story of people who fought in the World War II, brave pilots who soared through the vast skies and the smart engineers who helped them by managing their planes. In Until the Last Plane, you’ve been assigned to the management of an airfield. Spend your military resources wisely, recruit pilots and create the right parts for your planes. When you’re ready, send a squadron out to accomplish the next critical mission!
Gameplay in Until the Last Plane is varied, challenging and customizable. From repairing planes and managing your workshop to dogfights and completing mini games to drop bombs on targets during missions and more, the full cycle of preparation and execution is represented with unique play mechanics. Master them all to keep the war machine running in your favor.
Take control of the brave explorer Astronite in this 1bit metroidvania and explore a huge map with different zones full of hidden secrets.
Fight many different enemies, explore platforming areas and defeat big bosses that will stand in your way. Your goal is clear: eliminate the invasive species from your home planet.
Shoot ‘Em Up Spellcasting Sorcery!
Encounter evil foes and choose whether you wield your magic or use your weapons and wits to take them down. With their flight capabilities, superior fighting strength and reality-bending magic, The Knight Witches absolutely control the battlefield!
It’s been a year since The Calamity™ tore apart the very foundations of soccer as we know it, and since then, Soccer Inc. has made dang well sure that not a soul has been allowed to even look at a soccer ball, let alone kick it.
Soccer may have been banned across the world… but now there is hope! A magical soccer ball has chosen you, our Savior of Soccer!
Soccer Story is a physics-driven adventure RPG, where every problem can be solved with your trusty magic ball. Along the way, you’ll need to best bad guys in 1v1s, compete in a range of different sports (with your soccer ball, of course), and sometimes use your brain just as much as your balls
In a world that has long forgotten The Beautiful Game, can you remind them why soccer is top of the table, and best the most formidable teams, including the local toddlers and a group of sharks?
Chiyuki is a college student with dreams: One, to become a scriptwriter like her late mother, and two, to find her father, whom she’s never met. In a stroke of luck, Chiyuki lands a job as an assistant for an upcoming film, but things take a surprising turn when she’s cast as the film’s female love interest! Will she be able to find her father and pretend to be in love, despite not knowing anything about love herself?
Jelly Car? The JELLY-EST Car!
The classic driving/platforming game is back! After over 10 years, finally a new modern JellyCar game is here!
Tactile Soft-Body Physics Gameplay
Your car is made of Jelly. So is the world! Utilise this and your various abilities (Grow, Balloon, Sticky Tires, Rocket, and more) to navigate the levels and find the exit!
Search the corners of the universe for new friends, who will help you on your quest to become a happy little place to live. Manage your resources, and upgrade tools to advance.
Fight your way down deep, deep dungeons leading to the core of.. yourself? And gain the respect of mysterious space gods.
A space adventure in three chapters with a nice story to play through, full of adventure and colorful characters.
Lots of varied gameplay like dungeons full of jerks, a ghastly stock exchange, deckbuilding battles, an evil quiz show, and more!
Play how you want with support for both game controllers and mouse/keyboard.
Extra super features like achievements to collect, more music, and new rewards for completing content.
Connect and sever railways across different landscapes and help everyone reach their homes. Solve over 150 clever puzzles ranging from gentle slopes to twisted passageways.
BEND RAILS TO MAKE THE TRAINS GO ‘CHOO-CHOO’
Place, remove and reroute connections so that carriages safely connect to the locomotive. But, be careful and don’t make them run into each other!
Journey into a gorgeous hand-painted fantasy world known as Mythrilia and discover the truth about your bloodline and its darkest secret. Play as Vivian the Vagrant, a traveling sellsword, who follows her lost father’s research in an effort to reunite with her family. Hack and slash a path from a quiet coastal village through mysterious forests, haunted castles, and wrecked battlegrounds. When the endless barrage of enemies have been vanquished, what solace will be left for our hero?
The Vagrant is a 2D action RPG. As Vivian, you will experience an exciting and challenging adventure focused on combat gameplay that utilizes combo chains, charge attacks, and special skills, all while improving your character’s build through new equipment and abilities. Play casually or become a master combatant.
“Work from Home” is a co-op party game for 1 to 4 players.
Players act as workers who slack off behind their boss and pretend to work when their boss is around.
Appropriate allocation of “slacking” and “pretending to work” is the workplace survival rule in “Work from Home”.
Use all the things you can reach in the workplace to slack off and have fun with colleagues.
Enjoy your time, with pay!
From the creator of Pony Island and The Hex comes the latest mind-melting, self-destructing love letter to video games.
Inscryption is an inky black card-based odyssey that blends the deckbuilding roguelike, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror into a blood-laced smoothie. Darker still are the secrets inscrybed upon the cards…
In Inscryption you will…
Acquire a deck of woodland creature cards by draft, surgery, and self-mutilation.
Unlock the secrets lurking behind the walls of Leshy’s cabin.
Embark on an unexpected and deeply disturbing odyssey.”
Metroidvania side-scrolling action:
The Animalia complex is vast, containing many unique areas. There are research facilities, an observatory, an industrial mill, and even a shop just to name a few. Naturally, there are hidden areas as well. Explore them all with Tomomi’s abilities in this Metroidvania-style game as you pummel any enemy that stands in your way. From simple jumps to transforming into an animal, to swinging from the ceiling like Tarzan, there’s no secret you can’t find!
Lend your hand to two little creatures, Pape and Tura, whose house is in danger of burning down. Explore the mysterious world shrouded in shadow and light, hand-crafted in its entirety out of paper. Marvel at the simple beauty of the unfamiliar, yet strangely inviting place you find yourself in as you point and click your way through your adventure. Muster the courage and face the dark, flaming monsters threatening your paper paradise.
Papetura is a labor of love and a love letter to both the craft of paper modeling and to old-school adventure games. Let the game transport you into a world of imagination and immerse yourself fully in the paper fantasy as the soft and fragile music of Floex sets the mood for your journey.
GRISAIA PHANTOM TRIGGER 07 – £22.49
Several years after Yuuji Kazami and his friends fought for their lives in a fierce battle, a new generation of heroines gather at Mihama Academy, which has been reinstated as a ‘specialist training school’.
Taking place in the same world as The Fruit of Grisaia, new characters bring an exciting fresh take in Volume 7 of this brand new series!
Before the conclusion of the series in the next episode, every motive and story will intertwine!
Japanese Escape Games The Room Without Doors – £7.49
The 14th 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.
Intrepid Izzy is a genre-defying 2D game with a unique HD art style.
Seamlessly blending platforming with beat-’em-up and adventure elements, the game features a striking art style inspired by retro game graphics, with crisp, detailed sprites with smooth animations.
You’ll explore huge levels, each with its own theme and mechanics. Get different costumes for Izzy and take advantage of the special powers they grant!
The massive selling hit Wii game returns, revamped for the Nintendo Switch™ console.
If you’re a fan of the TV show, you know that the aim of the game is to win seven consecutive challenges chosen by The Cube in order to walk away with the maximum prize of £250,000.
It’s the same on your Nintendo Switch™ console, although there are a couple of extra challenges and new ways to play. You can even challenge friends and family to see if anyone has what it takes, and because you’re playing for fun, and not real cash, you can play as many times as you like.
Use your Joy-Con™ for a fun, challenging and realistic experience of The Cube.
Go up against your kids, parents, friends etc in the 3 Multiplayer modes (Challenge, Head-to-Head, Sprint)!
Ogasawara Hiroki finds himself in Astoria: a small European country with a chilly climate, where it often snows.
Hiroki went to Astoria as Hifumi’s plus one, after the famous actress and reigning karuta queen was invited to stay in the royal palace at Princess Stephania’s behest. Stephania originally intended to challenge Hifumi to another karuta match, after previously losing to her – but, upon meeting Hiroki, Stephania soon falls for him.
Hiroki is already one of the most envied men in Japan (if not, the world), owing to the recently publicized news of his relationship with glamorous actress Yamamoto Hifumi, not to mention his ongoing affairs with the famous businesswoman Wakatsuki Marina, as well as the tennis star Hazel Williams. Now he finds himself presented with yet another incredible, adoring woman.
Will Hiroki’s relationship with princess Stephania of Astoria work out? It’s hard being so popular!
Super Kiwi 64 is a 3D-Platformer and Collect-a-Thon, in a low poly late 90s console look.
The Outbound Ghost is an adventure RPG about helping ghosts ascend to the afterlife. The town of Outbound is, quite literally, a ghost town – a home to troubled spooks with unresolved earthly issues, condemning them to an eternity haunting their old *ahem* haunts.
Battle the past, gain new abilities, solve puzzles, and uncover the mysteries of Outbound to help its unliving residents find peace, freeing them from the shackles of their ghostly limbo.
• 1200+ creatures to collect
• Fuse your creatures together – the offspring inherits its parents’ stats, traits, and even the way they look!
• Randomly generated dungeons spanning 30 unique tilesets
• Customize your castle with thousands of different decorations
• Engage in strategic 6v6 battles
• Craft Artifacts and Spell Gems for your creatures
• Choose from one of 40 specializations for your character and earn perks that change the way your creatures fight in battle
• Insane amount of post-story content that will keep you engaged for thousands of hours (yes, really!)
Cyborg Invasion Shooter 3: Savior Of The World – £8.99
On each map, the player’s mission is to find the teleportation portal that will take him to the next level. Arrows assist the player by telling him where to go. This game has a level release system, so the player needs to start from the first scenario. The levels are diversified in various themes such as mountains, subways, Antarctica, caves, etc. After finishing the last level the player is teleported to the game’s main menu. On the maps, we also find soldiers with shields, which are more powerful. In each level, we have 2 or 3 checkpoints, where you can respawn when you die.
?Players are divided into three “busters” and one “monster” to fight!
Busters work together with other players and
Monsters, must win by overwhelming force!
Ready to top the high score table?
Tough as nails and no continues, do you have what it takes?
Donut Dodo is a light-hearted arcade game, reminiscent of the beloved classics from the early 80’s that we still cherish to this very day. You play as Baker Billy Burns, who has to run, jump, and climb to outwit Donut Dodo and his bunch of clueless minions. Your goal is to collect all donuts in each level, in the best possible time!
Will you top the high score table today?
WARP DRIVE is fast-paced racing with a brand new way to drive: TELEPORT around the track to find shortcuts and hidden routes! Get behind the wheel of a powerful QUAD ROTOR to test your creative driving abilities. Race on the ceiling, jump huge canyons and drive up waterfalls in an epic inverted racing battle! UPGRADE your quad rotor in-between races, gradually improving its abilities, parts and appearance. Follow the advice of your outspoken manager, Lenny, or just ignore whatever he says… what do aliens know about racing, anyway?! Use deadly HOMING MISSILES to smash opponents, or lay traps with BOMB MINES. Drive smartly, battle rivals, boost fast and warp your way to victory!
Next week: The Rumble Fish 2, SAMURAI MAIDEN, DRAGON QUEST TREASURES, Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent, Jitsu Squad, Bot Gaiden, Swordship, Path of Ra, Kukoos: Lost Pets, Witch on the Holy Night, Togges, Coloring Pixels: Collection 2, Kardboard Kings, Simona’s Requiem, Mech Armada, Chained Echoes, and Petite Adventure.