If you’re able to tear yourself away from Metroid Prime Remastered – which could very well end up being one of the highest-rated games of the year – you’ll find another deluge of new releases on the Switch eShop this week.
There are not one but two JRPGs to mull over. Namco’s fan favourite entry Tales of Symphonia is back in HD, having roots on Nintendo hardware – the original was a late release for the GameCube.
Review scores for this £34.99 re-release are mostly clocking in at 7/10, with the consensus being that while a very good role-player, this remaster would have benefited from additional rework to bring it more in line with today’s standards.
Nippon Ichi Software’s Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society seems to be faring better with critics, gaining an 8/10 from Siliconera. “Labyrinth of Galleria is an engaging dungeon crawler RPG that lets you use its many systems to get to the bottom of its mystery,” they said.
If you’re a Final Fantasy fan, rhythm action sequel Theatrhythm Final Bar Line – also out now on PS4 – will likely be of note. The Metacritic was sitting at an impressive 91% when the embargo lifted but has since fallen to 87%. In addition to several outlets awarding it top marks, it also gained an 8.5 from Destructoid.
“Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a testament to the power of a soundtrack, and it’s well worth the attention of any fan of Final Fantasy, music, or Final Fantasy music,” was their verdict.
Wales Interactive’s Ten Dates arrived just in time for Valentine’s Day, and word has it it’s one of the better recent FMV games. “Ten Dates is a solid improvement over its predecessor, proving that more is indeed better in some cases. The addition of an extra protagonist, along with the five extra suitors that this naturally brings with it, makes for a more diverse cast of characters and a deeper overall experience for the player,” said Nintendo Life before dishing out 7/10.
The Gearbox published Blanc is also out this week – an intriguing co-op adventure starring a wolf cub and a fawn. The critics are divided, it seems. Pocket Tactics warned of “frustrating controls, stubborn camera angles, and restrictive puzzle solutions” while Well Played claimed that it’ll have players “cooing with delight.”
Then there’s Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart, a four-player racer for younger gamers from 3DClouds – which we imagine will look and play vastly similar to their previous kart racers. They’ve cranked out quite a few over the years, being a ‘go-to’ for publisher OG Games.
A couple of retro re-releases are upon us too, both flying under the radar somewhat. Spy Bros. is a remake of Toaplan’s little-known Snow Bros. spin-off Pipi&Bibi – also known as Whoopee – being a single-screen platformer with a comical tone. Montezuma’s Revenge 8-Bit Edition, meanwhile, includes a new level select along with the original’s map and manual.
Pixel Heart’s modern retro fighting game Verdict Guilty may also be worth a look.
Other new releases include the eccentric platform puzzler Hopping Girl Kohane EX, faux Japanese-style RPG Souls of Chronos – which reportedly suffers from a dodgy translation – and the flow-finding platformer Rooftop Renegade.
New Switch eShop releases
Tales of Symphonia Remastered – £35.99
Tales of Symphonia, an action RPG and one of the most critically-acclaimed titles in the series, returns with a full HD remastering.
The story takes place in Sylvarant, a world in danger of extinction due to the exploitation of mana by an evil group thought to be sealed away by the hero Mithos 4,000 years ago.
Colette, The Chosen One, receives an oracle from the heavenly institution Cruxis, and sets out on a World Regeneration journey with her childhood friend Lloyd.
This profound and magnificent adventure fantasy is spun by characters rich in personality and full of charm.
Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society – £44.99
Below the Galleria Manor there exists a mystifying maze overflowing with treasure. This dungeon-exploring adventure is filled with over 50 hours of labyrinth to traverse and a witch brigade custom made into your very own unstoppable monster-fighting force!
Two players take control of either the wolf cub or the fawn. Guide them through the environment, unforgiving weather, and obstacles that you must face together. Build a relationship together locally on the same screen or from far away with online play.
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE – £49.99
A rhythm action game packed with 385 carefully selected music tracks from across the whole FINAL FANTASY series.
Includes popular tracks from a total of 46 different games, featuring the latest music from FFI through to FFXV in the main series, as well as remakes, spin-offs and various different soundtrack CDs. Relive the thrilling battles and soaring emotions alongside beautiful music and video.
Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart – £34.99
Race around Cretacia in a prehistoric kart championship for up to 4 players of all ages, where you can play as your favorite dino friends and even bump into the mysterious Gigantosaurus himself!
This racing adventure is full of awesome obstacles and power-ups found only in the world of dinosaurs. Out-run dangers like hot lava eruptions from Mount Oblivion, or feel the power of the famous Gigantosaurus Roar. Charge through the pack by picking up special skills that give you a shortcut, or a jetpack-powered boost… or a way to knock out your rivals.
There’s a play style for every ability level, including auto-steering karts and on-screen text read aloud by Mazu, the ankylosaurus. With 15 tracks and 8 characters to choose from, there’s a whole world of dino racing to discover.
So, get the whole family together for a fast and fun party that’s almost as big as Gigantosaurus’ appetite!
Death is just the beginning in Dust & Neon, an action-packed twin-stick roguelite shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Wild West overrun by villainy.
Play as the mysterious gunslinger as he embarks upon an epic quest filled with twitch-trigger precision gunplay, armies of menacing robots, and incredible boss fights. If at first you don’t succeed, try again with dozens of unlockable abilities, thousands of unique weapons, and game-changing performance boosts, all of which transform your hero into an unstoppable force.
Be warned: Dust & Neon isn’t easy. But if you’re up for a robust challenge designed to test your skills, you’ve found your game.
ROOFTOP RENEGADE is an action platformer all about speed & flow. Evade capture through futuristic skyscrapers channeling powerful abilities from your hoverblades.
Boost through levels under constant bombardment, avoid dangerous hazards, and make split second decisions that mean the difference between a new personal best or total wipeout.
Begin your off-road adventure now! Put exciting vehicles through their paces in ultra-intense driving challenges. Featuring hardcore 4x4s, Rally Cars, Off-Road Trucks, Buggies, Pickups and Monster Trucks!
Armed with a sword and a shield, you will help our fox jump, fight and solve puzzles throughout 4 different chapters and 32 different levels.
Explore colorful and beautiful environments and find all the collectibles while battling tons of different enemies. And beware, by the end of each chapter, an epic boss fight awaits!
In Rise of Fox Hero, perspective is key — so make use of the rotatable camera and look in every angle to find your way through obstacles, or even hidden secrets.
Mosaic Chronicles Deluxe – £11.69
Match colored pieces of glass to reveal the next page of adventures in one of two stories: A Bit of Horoscoping and The Lucky Knot.
Dr Smart Space Adventure -£13.49
A SPACE ADVENTURE!
Learn about stars, moons and planets. Visit all the major planets or some less known locations such as the egg shaped dwarf planet Haumea.
BECOME A SPLENDID ASTRONOMER!
Enjoy rediscovering famous constellations, huge gas giants, our very own star or our home planet. Your story begins now!
Fly through 40 levels avoiding dangerous space debris and collect the gems before heading to the goal. There’s just one problem… once you’ve started you can’t stop!
The first few levels may seem easy, but pretty soon your fingers’ll be twitching on the controller at lightning speed to make the perfect dodge.
Fire Tama from cannon to cannon in search of treasure and blast your way to the golden Star Cannon in each level!
The game features 60 levels across 6 worlds, each with their own different challenges to face.
Can you help Tama find all the coins?
CyberHeroes Arena is a mecha-themed auto battle roguelite ready for major fun! Choose your robot, create your build and destroy all cyber monsters to survive.
Move around avoiding enemies while automatically shooting; Collect money to buy skills and items. Complete missions and unlock all the playable robots. And try to survive the 18 waves to win.
There are a total of 7 different robots, and each hero has unique attributes, making each run different and unique.
Face various enemies and survive by buying different skills and items with numerous special effects to obliterate your opposition!
Inspired by the old-style isometric arcade racing games, OverShoot Battle Race is an extremely fun racing game that brings back the emotion to play a battle racing game alone or with his friends.
Your Starship is thrown at endless parsec of distance from the solar system!
Can you use the wormholes to come back to Earth in time to save the planet from a mysterious foes attack?
Face inertia, acceleration and gravity in a challenge that requires pinpoint accuracy and cold blood.
Use each weapon and even the space hazards to your advantage and face the most difficult trials.
The destiny of space-time is on your shoulders.
The player’s task is to connect nodes which have various functions.
The original Prizma Puzzle web games were released from 2009 to 2011 and included 4 games. They have been played hundreds of millions of times online.
Prizma Puzzle Prime includes content from past games, new elements, enhanced graphics, visual and sound effects.
A familiar game system with field battles as the key element.
The game design allows the player to gain an advantage as he or she progresses through the stages.
The game is set in the “Lost Tower” with its own dungeons and unique characters.
First 3D action game by Infinite Game.
In Search of the Legendary Sword?
This innovative game pits you against a virtual opponent, the mysterious and alluring Maiden, who is as skilled at chess as she is beautiful.
One of the key features of Chess Maiden is its advanced AI opponent, which has been specifically designed to mimic the thought process and strategy of a human player. This means that you will be challenged every time you play, and will have to bring your best game in order to beat the Maiden.
Gwen had just arrived at the school of sorcery, she wanted to become the best Witch in the world, to her bad luck, she arrived at a bad time just when she arrived she couldn’t even have her welcome party because there was a surprise guest..”The evil !”
The evil did not hesitate twice and began to absorb everything he could from the school! Now who will teach Gwen about wizardry?! Will she be able to learn on her own, will she be able to overcome the obstacles of evil and recover the school? Help Gwen with this Challenge and defeat evil (if you can!).
Lucie’s Potager is a shop simulation game based around plants.
You play as Lucie, a young squirrel who has chosen to set up a shop to spread her love of plants. But in order to make her shop a success she’ll need to forage, grow, harvest, and craft the best produce she can!
Managing your time efficiently and taking advantage of the seasons is key to bringing in the most customers and biggest yields. Time is money after all and you only have so much of it!
Geometric Sniper – Blood in Paris – £2.49
As a sniper, you’ll have to pay attention to the details and find the perfect moment to shoot. Your targets know they are wanted and will try to hide in a variety of ways. Have the patience to establish a clear shot, memorizing the information for each mission.
Montezuma’s Revenge: 8-Bit Edition – £9.89
Explore the chambers of the mysterious Aztec pyramid in Montezuma’s Revenge: 8-Bit Edition! Climb the stairs and ropes, collect keys to open doors! Collect the jewels & swords, and the coveted torch! Beware of the snakes, skulls and spiders! And finally, find the treasure room at the end of the underground labyrinth!
The Montezuma’s Revenge: 8-Bit Edition includes features such as level selection, rumble, photos from the 80’s, a manual, and a map included to help you traverse the maze!
Through the darkness and madness, promised glory awaits. Heads will literally roll in this gruesome, retro-inspired action platformer, where only the strong will survive in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures.
Wield a variety of killing instruments and abilities to test your metal against towering, bone-chilling bosses. Explore a twisted Lovecraftian world shrouded in darkness and madness. RPG elements allow you to customize your battle experience to your liking, from your character’s appearance to skills, stats, and weapons.
Glory and riches await those who can spill the required blood and guts to collect it.
“Hopping Girl Kohane EX” is an action puzzle game and players control Pogo Stick and aim for the goal in this action puzzle game.
The game is easy to operate with a single thumb, yet offers a hard-hitting, authentic action experience. The key to the game is the mysterious stamps with various effects. Step on the stamps skillfully and aim for a high score!
A little witch has been locked away in a dungeon filled with traps and deadly roving enemies, and it’s up to you to help her escape! Pocket Witch is a precision platformer presented in retro pixel art style, where the little titular witch must overcome a series of brainteasing single-screen challenges to thwart the evil sorcerer who imprisoned her.
Together with her flappy bat friend, the little witch will have to jump and air dash over wooden thorns and pools of acid, dodge flying blades, avoid magic spells and find keys to open gates. This witch may be little, but with your help, she can take on the biggest obstacles and escape to freedom!
Spy Bros. (Pipi & Bibi’s DX) is a remake of TOAPLAN’s “Pipi&Bibi’s / Whoopee!”.
Spy Bros. is a single-screen action platformer game, reminiscent of Snow Bros. and others of that time where the players take on the role of Pipi and Bibi: two spies entering and bombing a series of six buildings protected by guards, scientists, divers, mob bosses, humanoid cats and other wacky individuals… and escaping the buildings just in time before they collapse from the explosions!
“Souls of Chronos” provides players with a classic JPRG gameplay experience. In addition to the action and dialogue options that may determine where the story heads, the vibrant overworld also has a wide variety of side quests for players to explore. Complete side quests in exchange for rewards to upgrade weapons or customize your characters. Maybe even some small, insignificant thing could influence the course of events…
The duo of course will also encounter dangerous foes – ready your favourite weapon, unleash the power of Chrono, and crush whoever is in your way until the end!
Ten Dates is the sequel to the interactive rom-com, Five Dates, taking place in the post-pandemic world.?
Misha, a millennial from London in search of that elusive in-person connection, tricks her best friend Ryan into going to a speed dating event with her. Each with their own five potential matches, Misha and Ryan must pluck up the courage and turn on the charm to date wildly different personalities.
Throughout the game, your choices and interactions will either strengthen or weaken your relationship with your date. Amidst a branching, multi-directional chain of conversation topics and deep-dive questions, Misha and Ryan are faced with ice-breaker games, awkward scenarios and unexpected truths. Will either find love?
From the publishing studio that brought you Five Dates, The Complex, The Bunker, Bloodshore, The Shapeshifting Detective, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus? And many more!
Little Red Riding Hood: Interactive Book – £3.59
A different way of reading stories. Immerse yourself in the books and interact with them, with this first installment you will be able to enjoy the adventure of Little Red Hood and the big bad wolf. Simple and attractive, with full color illustrations and available in several languages. Drink a potion and change the language, learn while enjoying one of the best classic tales in the world.
Neo Seoul has been hit with a wave of terrorist and crime attacks, only a few good officers remain willing to battle this new evil. Discover the dark secrets of Neo Seoul as you fight your way to uncover the truth. Choose your side cop or criminal, as you battle your way to unmask the evil syndicate crimelord himself.
Next week: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, OCTOPATH TRAVELER II, Digimon World: Next Order, Akka Arrh, Clive ‘N Wrench, Redemption Reapers, Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell, Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs, Ninja JaJaMaru: Retro Collection, Grim Guardians: Demon Purge, Hike Isle, Twice Reborn: A Vampire Visual Novel, Piczle Lines 2: Into the Puzzleverse, Tyrant’s Blessing, Loot Box Simulator – Crimson Fire, Dyadic, The Crimson Flower that Divides: Lunar Coupling, Horror Tale, Planet Cube: Edge, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator, YONESAWARA HOSPITAL, and Lootbox Lyfe+