If you’re looking for something to tide you over until Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Sonic Superstars arrive next week, you’re in luck – this week’s assortment of eShop titles includes a handful of promising indies and retro re-releases.
We can also expect Sabre’s 7v7 arcade-style US football game Wild Card Football, the bespoke Company of Heroes Collection which includes the cult PC RTS and its two expansions, and a couple of licensed games. Specifically, the action platformer The Grinch: Christmas Adventures, and the Bumblebee starring TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK – Expedition – which appears heavily geared towards younger gamers.
RPG fans have a couple to consider. Long Gone Days is an anti-war JRPG centred around real-world complexities, in which sniper Rourke must make smart decisions. Terra Alia: The Language Discovery RPG, meanwhile, is true to its name – it promises to expand vocabularies and turn players into master linguists by spell casting with words.
Retro enthusiasts are well catered for too. There’s Atari’s isometric stealthy revamp of Haunted House, the 2D vertical shoot’em up RedRaptor – which garnered a 6/10 from ourselves due to some odd design choices – a re-release of the 3DS’ 2016 River City Ransom revival River City: Rival Showdown, the faux Game Boy adventure Traumatarium, and a surprise release of the DS cult classic first-person horror Dementium: The Ward.
Nintendo Life put Dementium: The Ward through its paces. “It’s a short game that does suffer from repetitive environments and dull enemy encounters, but the overarching atmosphere makes up for this in spades,” they said before settling on a 7/10.
Join us next Thursday for quite possibly the biggest week of the year for new releases.
New Switch eShop releases
River City: Rival Showdown – £19.99
The 1989 retro classic River City Ransom has muscled up and doubled down on modern innovation!
Tightened controls, improved backgrounds, and even online play — this version has it all and more!
Throw in a 2D fighting game mode to the mix, and River City has never been more action-packed!
Wild Card Football is a fun pick-up-and-play arcade-style football game featuring 7v7 team-focused gameplay with the unique Wild Card system that lets you change the course of the action in an instant with special power-ups and rule-breaking abilities.
With optimized rule sets, customizable teams and outfits, authentic pro players, and bombastic moves, players can show off their skills across single-player and competitive multiplayer modes, while using ‘Wild Cards’ that redefine the football genre and unleash over-the-top action.
Company of Heroes Collection – £19.99
The game that redefined real-time strategy makes its Nintendo Switch™ debut in the Company of Heroes Collection — combining the World War II RTS classic and its two epic expansions into one explosive package. Master the challenging blend of fast-moving combat and squad-based tactics, and lead the charge with an all-new control scheme, custom-built for console commanders.
Fight on either side — leading American, British, Panzer Elite and Wehrmacht forces through their historic campaigns in the Battle of Normandy, or create custom battles and pit them against one another in the highly replayable Skirmish mode.
Chills and stealthy thrills abound In Haunted House, a reimagining of the classic Atari adventure! Players take control of Lyn Graves, the precocious niece of legendary treasure hunter Zachary Graves. Lyn visits her uncle’s mansion with her closest compatriots, only to find the house overrun with ghouls and monsters who quickly grab and spirit away her friends. In order to free her uncle and her friends, and capture all the supernatural foes, Lyn must find the shattered pieces of a magical urn and put them back together.
Through procedurally generated room layouts, shifting walls, unpredictable enemy placements, and unique ghostly encounters, Lyn must creep, sneak, and dash her way through hordes of ghouls and eerie ectoplasms in order to locate her friends and uncle. Each urn shard is fiercely guarded by a bone-chilling boss — with 3D isometric stealth gameplay, Lyn must think on her feet to conquer each challenge. When she gets knocked out by a shadowy specter, she winds up back at the Haunted House’s entrance and must face an entirely new floor layout and enemy placement, ensuring each run is unique.
The Grinch: Christmas Adventures – £34.99
Have a great Grinchy time trying to steal Christmas in this festive platformer – and help the Grinch’s small heart grow a few sizes bigger along the way!
Every Who down in Who-ville loves to sing, gift and feast, which are all of the things Grinch can’t stand in the least. So, help the Grinch and his dog Max set out to steal all the presents in Who-ville. You’ll have to be sneaky to avoid the bothersome babble of carol singers, the ever-eager Whos, and all of the tinsel, trimmings and trappings of the Christmas season. Thankfully, the Grinch has some wonderful, awful ideas – like a Santa costume for stealthy sneaking, a Candy Cane Lasso to swing around, a speedy snowboard that can reach special race areas, and more. And Grinch can throw snowballs to freeze any pesky creatures that get in his way.
With colorful visuals inspired by Dr. Seuss’s original illustrations, local multiplayer fun with up to two players controlling the Grinch and Max, and controls and puzzles designed for younger players, The Grinch: Christmas Adventures is a fun new way to enjoy the classic Christmas tale.
TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK – Expedition – £34.99
Bumblebee is facing his greatest mission – reclaim the ancient Cybertronian technology scattered across the globe before Mandroid and his henchbots can use them to destroy Earth’s cities. With Optimus Prime’s guidance and you at the controls, Bumblebee will grow strong enough to take on an army of robotic enemies in bare-metal combat, find the lost technology, and unlock powerful new attack combos and abilities along the way!
There’s a wide world of Transformers action to discover. Gear up for boss battles with some of the series’ greatest villains, hunt down secrets, and build your relics collection as you explore three expansive locations. With gameplay modes designed for new and experienced players, there’s a challenge for every Transformers generation.
Saltsea Chronicles is a new story-driven adventure game from the award-winning indie studio Die Gute Fabrik (Mutazione, Sportsfriends).
Captain Maja’s misfit crew must heist their impounded ship and mount a rescue. Guide the crew across islands of a post-flood world known as ‘Saltsea’. Explore strange and wonderful communities, uncover a deep conspiracy, choose where to go and which crew members to investigate with, and chart a journey through twists and turns, difficulties and delights.
Blast off for a retro arcade experience in RedRaptor, a vertical shoot’em up inspired by genre classics of the ’90s! Assume the role of an ace pilot on a mission to intercept an unknown threat that’s already eliminated nearly all allied forces. If you hope to survive and bring down the enemy, you’ll need to upgrade your ship along the way and push your skills to the limit!
Terra Alia: The Language Discovery RPG – £12.59
Welcome to a world where magic and technology go hand in hand. In Terra Alia, every nation has its own rules for using magic, as it is a common part of this world. To avoid conflicts, these nations have come together to oversee magic use in their lands. The first rule they created is learning the local language before you can start developing your magical abilities.
Your adventure begins in your homeland, just after completing your studies at one of Terra Alia’s most renowned magic academies. Professor Esperanto, your esteemed mentor, has invited you to continue studies abroad in her exclusive technomancy program. Upon your arrival, you’ve found that the professor has gone missing! What mischievous force could be behind her disappearance? To solve this riddle, you’ll need to unlock your magical abilities, but you’ve got to learn the local language first.
Choose you target language, and expand your vocabulary while confronting mythical creatures, rogue androids, and many other challenges as you journey through the magical realm of Terra Alia!
Jessie Sullivan – a paranormal detective who worked for Re.Surs Anomaly Enforcement Administration (RAEA) in Modern-City.
On a cold evening, Detective Sullivan receives a message from the Superintendent, a longtime colleague.
The message says that there has been a terrifying incident that occurred in Social District of Modern-City.
This incident disrupted the work of a vital processing building of the Re.Surs (the perfect source of energy).
This peculiar event will entail the discovery of an extremely dangerous criminal who wants to encroach, in the truest sense of the word, the precarious peace in Modern-City and throughout the Continent.
Takagi Haru is a normal university student, with a somewhat abnormal passion for the stars. That is, until one fateful night, when a strange girl in a bodysuit falls from the sky and lands on top of him!
This girl claims to be an alien princess called Ena, a fugitive on the run from her home planet, Corval. Ena is determined to make Haru fall in love with her so she can marry him and live out the rest of her days on Earth. Haru’s life will never be the same again!
What will Haru do, now he has two pretty girls vying for his attention, and a fugitive alien princess living in his apartment? He doesn’t know, but one thing is certain: his life will never be the same again!
Astebros is a roguelite game about the beginnings of the kingdom of Asteborg!
Choose your hero among three different characters and go through procedural dungeons to eliminate your formidable opponents!
Dino Ranch – Ride to the Rescue – £32.99
Join the exciting world of Dino Ranch, the animated series that has stolen the hearts of million children, and get ready for an experience jam-packed with dino-tastic fun! Immerse yourself in this epic adventure where you’ll encounter thrilling mini-games and have a roaring good time with your favorite dino-mites!
Delve into each procedurally generated level, consisting of a series of tables filled with balls you must pocket within a set number of shots. Escape into the fantastically vibrant world, while strategizing the best plan to pocket your balls. Watch your plan inevitably combust as you must adapt your next move to skilfully take home the win.
Progress in the game and create your course choosing cards from a deck to tailor the challenges to your desired game experience and playstyle. Want to feel stressed to the max? Take part in the Fast Run, which limits the time you have to aim. Want a level with portals? Or how about one with conveyor belts? Subpar Pool has you covered. Or want to see what happens when you play Subpar Pool with glass balls as they roll and collide? There are thousands of ways to combine the dynamic cards to create a unique playthrough experience, every time.
Enter the melancholic life of an ordinary Japanese high school male as you become entwined in the dispute between two neighboring female students.
Learn more about their past together as you piece together their relationship and mend their bond, all whilst forming new bonds of your own. You’ll be presented with both conventional and unconventional choices which shape the relationship formed with the girls.
You could choose to help restart the Science club, or to increase your athletic capabilities… all the while growing closer to the girl who holds the key to your heart.
Award winning survival horror experience returns from the dead. Built from the ground up for Nintendo Switch™, Dementium: The Ward combines smooth first-person shooter gameplay with a demented tale of mystery and terror.
Eventide 3: Legacy of Legends – £13.99
Step into the shoes of Mary Gilbert – world renowned botanist and guardian of Fern Flower – to once again explore the mythical realm of Slavic fables. Travel to forgotten flying islands among the clouds to stop an evil sorcerer and gain the favor of a thunder god. Save your kidnapped brother and prevent a catastrophic flood caused by the conflict between humans and the ancient Clouders.
Ironsmith Medieval Simulator – £8.99
Ironsmith Medieval Simulator is a “realistic” blacksmith simulator based on technology from the Middle Ages where certain ludicrous hijinks might occur.
Trapped in The Tricky Prison – £8.09
This game is an escape-the-room game (mystery-adventure game).
*Point the screen with a cursor to solve riddles, and story goes on.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! – £12.99
Manage your restaurant as you balance out your menu with thirty foods and hundreds of recipes, compete in cooking television shows and mysterious tournaments, and upgrade your equipment while battling robbers, impatient customers, and lots more!
You can also play local co-op as one person cooks and the other expedites the orders! Or have up to four players locally with the included “Battle Kitchen” expansion, featuring dozens of challenges and unlockable characters.
Good luck Chef!
Embark on this serene adventure, embrace the tranquillity of the overgrown world, and uncover the truth that awaits you. Can you find the source of power and unlock the mysteries within Lost Dream: Overgrown?
Airship Defender is a game of air defense, we try to grow our airship and protect it from enemies. Well of course the enemies are experienced, they come at us in waves and attack us, and worse, the bosses! bosses are very powerful and you really need to use your wits to defeat them. But don’t be scared, you will see some gift packs in the sky, don’t miss them! They offer you upgrades and ask you to choose one of the 3 upgrades!
Block Buster Billy is a puzzle game where you move blocks with digits and basic math operations to form numbers and equations. When you complete an equation, it turns into a big block you can move out of the way to open the treasure chest.
Combining these simple rules with carefully placed blocks leads to some very challenging puzzles.
Long Gone Days is an RPG set in the real world about human connection during war, focusing on civilians, language barriers, and borders.
Follow Rourke, young man trained from birth to be a sniper for The Core— a subterranean paramilitary state. born and raised in the undergrounds of a private military company called The Core.
On his first mission, he is sent to the surface under orders of great significance. Motivated to finally be able to show the fruits of his training, he carries out his first orders to perfection only to find out that The Core was far from being the noble organization he thought he knew.
A Nuanced Look at War: Experience the clash of modern conflict against civilian life through the contrast of intense RPG combat and slower, slice-of-life gameplay.
Submersible Simulator – Discover the Titanic into Ocean – £11.99
Dive into the captivating world of underwater exploration! Get ready for an exciting journey into the depths of the ocean, where thrilling adventures and the mysteries of the legendary Titanic await you.
Only Way Up! Parkour Jump Simulator – £4.99
Embark on a thrilling parkour journey through urban landscapes! Feel the adrenaline rush as you jump, hop, and roll through various cityscapes, each filled with exciting challenges.
Traumatarium is a randomly generated dungeon crawler for the classic handheld console. Fight your way through unlocking the great evil plaguing the lands by defeating the four denizens of the forbidden dungeons. Each trip down will be different. So pack your supplies, grab your favorite implement of destruction, and defeat the evils casting a shadow a plague of sorrow over the land before it’s too late.
Next week: Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, Skull Island: Rise of Kong, Hellboy Web of Wyrd, Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue, HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED 2 – Turbocharged, A Boy and His Blob: Retro Collection, WORLD OF HORROR, Gargoyles Remastered, Vlad Circus: Descend into Madness, Hidden Cats in London, Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express, Witchy Life Story, The Jackbox Party Pack 10, Warm Snow, Kingdom Eighties, Silent Paws: Winter Quest, Ball laB II, Kona II: Brume, and Bish Bash Bots.