If you’ve been keeping credit in your eShop wallet since Christmas, there’s a good chance you’ll want to splurge this week – there’s a slew of notable new releases.
From Nintendo themselves, there’s Fire Emblem Engage, a strategic turn-based battler with summons and varied terrane. Reviews are now live, with scores being a mixture of 7s, 8s, and 9s.
“Despite faltering in its plot delivery and the absence of meaningful decision-making, Fire Emblem Engage once again allows Intelligent Systems to demonstrate its unparalleled strategic brilliance and unquestionable dominance in the genre. It isn’t a game that is lacking in heroic ambition, in many ways evolving its own formula triumphantly beyond what was achieved with Fire Emblem: Three Houses but otherwise disappointingly falling short in others,” said Nintendo Insider.
Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable – available for a very reasonable £17.99 each – are garnering positive reviews too. Not much of a surprise, considering Golden is often revered as being one the genre’s finest. It even managed to gain a few 10/10s, despite its age.
“Persona 4 Golden on Switch is the best possible version of Atlus’s finest blend of dungeon crawling role player action dark murder mystery,” said God is a Geek.
Whereas Golden has been receiving a steady flow of 9s and 10s, Portable is mostly mustering up 7s and 8s. “A game about depression, starring depressed characters, is an acquired taste compared to other titles in the series. At the same time, Persona 3 Portable has more bite than either of its successors. All in all, I would recommend Persona 3 Portable to anyone interested in an old and troubled classic. But Atlus, please add the animated cutscenes back for the next remake,” was COGconnected’s verdict.
Then there’s A Space For The Unbound, a 2D pixel art adventure with puzzle solving, time manipulation, and more. The story takes place in rural ‘90s Indonesia, with all the sights and sounds of the era – including an arcade with a playable Street Fighter II inspired mini-game. We gave it an 8/10 earlier this week, and it seems we aren’t alone in being left smitten – the Metacritic score currently sits at 86%.
RE: CALL has a similar premise, involving mind-bending puzzles. Quite literally – it’s based around altering memories and flashbacks to change the present. The first review score out the door is a respectable 7/10 from GAMINGbible.
Colossal Cave should be out this week too – as mentioned in our multiformat round-up, it’s slow to surface on the UK digital storefronts. This is a 3D remake of the cult 1976 text adventure. God is a Geek found it true to the original but dated in quite a few areas.
Shoot’em up fans are well catered for this week too, with the allegedly middling story-driven horizontal shooter Wings of Bluestar, nightmarish twin-stick shooter NeverAwake, and the bullet hell style Graze Counter GM all due.
Also look out for the wobbly, chaotic, four-player party game Rubber Bandits – which we quite enjoyed on Xbox One – the Port Royale spiritual successor Tortuga: A Pirate’s Tale, and the WWI psychological horror Trenches. Muddy hell!
New Switch eShop releases
The world-renowned Persona 4 Golden promises unforgettable adventures, meaningful bonds, and heartwarming experiences shared together with friends.
They say your soulmate will appear if you stare into a television set on a rainy night…
This strange rumor slowly spreads through the rural town of Inaba, the protagonist’s new home, just as a chain of mysterious murders begin. As the protagonist and his teammates chase after the truth, they find themselves opening the door to another world.
Experience the iconic, critically acclaimed RPG that reinvented the Persona series, Persona 3 Portable, now newly remastered for modern platforms.
Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, the protagonist encounters the “”Dark Hour.”” Unfamiliar stillness swallows the city, people turn into eerie coffins, and otherworldly monsters called Shadows swarm. When they are attacked by one of these Shadows and all hope seemed lost, the power of the heart, their Persona is awakened.
With this newfound power, they pursue the truth of the Dark Hour and face the destiny that awaits them.
Command the army of the Divine Dragon through many strategic turn-based battles across the
continent of Elyos. Plan your attacks carefully, commanding each hero with their own moves and weapons, to lead them to victory.
Blast off for a story-driven shoot’em up experience unlike any other! As mankind faces the remnants of a mysterious artificial intelligence, it’s up to trainee pilot Aya and veteran ace Zarak to investigate the resurgent threat against free space. Along the way, these defenders of peace will need to confront their past and learn more about themselves before they can uncover the truth of their enemies.
Combining elements of traditional side-scrolling arcade shoot’em ups with HD presentation, Wings of Bluestar is both familiar and modernized, accessible yet challenging. In addition to multiple ships, weapon upgrades and intense bullet hell gameplay, a deep narrative experience awaits with dialogue choices and multiple endings for both playable characters. To extend the experience even further, Wings of Bluestar features boss rush mode, training and a shop to unlock in-game rewards.
Memories are malleable and changing them will modify the present. Tackle mind-bending puzzles that rely on altering your own recollections to shape the future.
Mrs.Cat Between Worlds – £4.99
Mrs.Cat Between Worlds is set in cute and deadly fantasy versions of the planets Mars and Neptune.
In this 2D precision platformer series, you have to master the skill of jumping with different amounts of gravity, as well as other special space cat movement techniques.
You’ll need to avoid dangers, collect shiny energy gems, and ultimately make it to the exit to warp to the next level.
Void Prison is a fast-paced, endless arcade twin-stick shooter that puts you inside an ever-shrinking ring. Survive by fighting emerging enemies around you and don’t get consumed by the void. It’s not as easy as you think!
Void Prison game is inspired by old-school bullet hell game formula that is easy to pick up and hard to master. The players will be able to earn multiple achievements, unlock new skins and powerups, and try to get their name on top of the worldwide leaderboards.
“NeverAwake” is a nightmarish twin-stick shooter with a unique worldview and original game rules.
The girl fights against vegetables, dogs, school friends, and other things she hates. What does the girl see at the end of the battle? And will she be able to wake up?
A Space for the Unbound – £17.99
A Space For The Unbound is a slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixel art set in the late 90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers.
Follow two high school sweethearts, Atma and Raya, on a journey of self-discovery at the end of their high school years. When a mysteriously supernatural power is suddenly unleashed threatening their existence, they must explore and investigate their town to uncover hidden secrets, face the end of the world, and perhaps learn more about each other.
Set in a small town inspired by 90s era rural Indonesia, A Space for The Unbound presents an endearing story-driven experience with a vibrant environment waiting to be explored.
A refreshing and highly re-playable bullet hell style shooter that WANTS you to play dangerously!
“Graze” past enemy bullets to charge your “Graze Counter”, then unleash it upon your enemies as a highly deadly attack!
Ride the razor’s edge of life and death in this high-risk high-reward danger oriented arcade-style shooting game.
Control our smiley emoticon protagonist, Smilemo,
and help him save this computer world, battered by the virus.
Your adventure starts when two space investigators, Ido and Kaiten, land in a wonder cubic world, where they attempt to discover the truth about the planet…Engage your brain, cooperate with each other, solve the puzzle and think in 3d!
Rubber Bandits throws 1-4 players into a wild party brawler to steal, smash, and scavenge as much cash as you can! Prepare for hilarious physics-based combat with wacky weapons and a huge lineup of criminal characters. Dodge deadly traps, bash rival bandits, and race from the cops to commit the perfect heist – but don’t forget to bag the loot!
Here is an interactive comics novel about one of the most high-profile events of the 20th century. There are many theories about what exactly happened on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo. A deliberate attempt? A tragic accident? Masonic conspiracy?
The Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip killed the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand, which became a formal reason to start the first world war of its kind … But who was Princip and what led him to this act? Who was Franz Ferdinand and how did he meet that fateful day? What do they have in common and could war have been avoided?
Inside the game you will find answers to these questions, as well as the majestic interiors of Austria-Hungary and the nature of the Balkan Peninsula from the pen of Askold Akishin, one of the greatest comics artists.
Peachy Boy,
This cute looking puzzle game is as hard as it looks cute.
Can you beat the challenging 30 levels?
Each level is specially designed.
You have to collect the key and pass the level, but be careful!
Stones and thorns are not very safe.
But don’t be afraid of algae. you can hold on to them
OmegaBot is a tight action side-scroller with challenging robotic bosses. As the OmegaBot, dodge metallic dangers, acquire powerful weapons and blast your way through a ravaged world full of deadly machines. In OmegaBot, running out of energy means death.
Avoid various traps and deadly obstacles by using your weapons and abilities. Make your way through metallic forests, ruins of futuristic cities and other environments. And step away from the beaten path in order to find hidden secrets and maybe even new friends who will help you vanquish the curse that has stricken the land.
A storm rages over the ocean… Turtle, Dolphin, Clownfish & friends are lifted high into the sky and stranded deep inland. Following the river, they must swim downstream and journey home to the ocean.
Swim with Turtle, Dolphin, Clownfish, Penguin, Manta, Blue Tang. Control them as the jump in and out of the water, passing through many levels.
Avoid or destroy many creatures with a head-butt: squid, beavers, fish, eagles, and more!
Set in a beautiful night time city, take to the streets and try to pass all the missions. Drifting around the courses is a satisfying experience, especially when you hook up all the turns and make a perfect run to score the best rewards for your achievement.
Taking the massive motorhome and long caravan around the same tight corners presents a totally different challenge, but if you can handle all the situations thrown at you, you will be proved as the ultimate driver!
Share the roads with other vehicles, but don’t crash into them!
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 – £17.99
Become the head of a motorcycle mechanic empire in a realistic simulation game. Start with a small garage, upgrade and buy bigger ones with new possibilities. Take orders from customers, find old bikes and breathe new life into it.
Demolish & Build Classic – £13.49
Take control of a construction and demolition company. Destroy various structures. Invest the money you earn on your own construction projects and then earn rental profits.
Enter a World War 1 first-person horror survival game where you have to survive and escape the harsh war-torn environment of the year 1917. Experience the war from the eyes of a soldier caught behind enemy lines.
Explore the real chilling story as you navigate the horrors of battle, equipped with only your senses and a trench whistle. Find clues to better understand the enemy trenches without being caught and return to safety and your family.
The game relies on sounds and hearings, as you are equipped with a ‘Trench Whistle’ which you can use. When it’s used, it will play a sound and you need to follow the sound, however – you have to be careful as the enemy can hear the whistle too and it can give out your position easily. Enemies will also be able to hear if you run, if you break anything, or even if you walk on wood as it will make a creaking noise.
A HARDCORE objective-finding type first-person psychological horror survival game experience about finding and collecting clues to escape the Trenches, with gut-wrecking moments and randomized locations for clues on each take.
Next week: The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, Startup Company Console Edition, Oddballers, Mars Base, Onion Assault, Uphill Rush Water Park Racing, Zodiacats, ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree, Clunky Hero, Sissa’s Path, Grammarian Ltd, VELONE, and pixelBOT EXTREME!