This week is a corker for the Switch – the kind we only see once every couple of months. To say there’s something to please everyone would be a little off the mark, with a few key genres left uncovered, but there’s still plenty to dive into.
If you’re of the RPG persuasion, you’re well catered for. More or less, anyway – the Kickstarter funded Suikoden spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is apparently in need of a patch on Switch, arriving to average review scores due to performance issues. The Metacritic currently sits at 56% compared to 76% on PS5. “I’d be surprised if Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes remains this way on Switch, and it’s really just a few major update patches away from being much more accessible and respectful of its players’ time,” claimed Screen Rant.
Square-Enix’s SaGa Emerald Beyond, meanwhile, reportedly feels right at home on Nintendo’s platform. “The gaps in presentation are less glaring when undocked, and there’s a pick-up-and-play rhythm to its disparate storylines and quick battles,” said Nintendo Life before handing out a 7/10. The Switch version is still gaining fewer positive reviews than its PS5 counterpart, with the Switch’s Metacritic at 63% and the PS5’s at 79%. Maybe things will balance out.
There’s PQube’s Class of Heroes 1&2: Digital Complete Edition – also available as two separate downloads – to consider too. Gaining comparisons to the Wizardry series, Digitally Downloaded rather enjoyed its dungeon crawls and old skool nature.
Also originated from Japan, there’s Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! – SEGA’s anime tie-in party game – and LEVEL-5’s mech brawler MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED Standard Edition, which sees Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Combattler V, and Voltes V duking it out via three player coop online battles. Then on Sunday (!) 2011’s cult artistic hack ‘n slasher El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON HD Remaster is due for release, featuring optimised loading screens and other performance boosts. We reviewed, and enjoyed, the recent PC port.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is another we’ve reviewed. It’s a conversion of a 2017 Raw Thrill’s arcade game, with a few extra bosses to pad out its runtime. While it doesn’t do anything fatally wrong, there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before. Stick with The Cowabunga Collection or Shredder’s Revenge.
The Epyx Collection: Handheld is another we’ve spent some time with, bringing together six early Atari Lynx games from the titular publisher. First impressions are positive, with the majority holding up well, and the package also includes digital manuals and 3D box recreations. On the subject of Atari, Lunar Lander Beyond fleshes out the 1979 arcade game into a modern day experience, with thirty missions, cut-scenes, and a storyline involving a mysterious portal. Reception is generally positive so far, with Nintendo Life dishing out a 7/10 and Hey Poor Player opting for a 4/5.
Then from EA comes Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, a 2.5D Metroidvania influenced by Bantu culture. “Lasting in the ballpark of 8-10 hours, Tales of Kenzera is a well-paced Metroidvania that is a blast to play, featuring novel unlockable abilities, a good challenge, and most of all, an incredible story,” said Nintendo World Report.
Another Crab’s Treasure scurries onto Switch this Thursday as well, offering a colourful and comical take on the Souls-like genre. IGN’s review went live earlier this week, resulting in an 8/10. “Another Crab’s Treasure is one of my favorite soulslikes in quite some time. It borrows a lot from the usual genre playbook, but adds a colorful, irresistibly charming, and wholly unique veneer that makes it all feel brand spanking new,” they said.
Other releases for this week include the dark fantasy resource management game S.O.L Search of Light, Roguelike mountaineering sim Insurmountable, cutesy fishing RPG Whisker Waters, side-scrolling 3D action platformer Teared, and the Japanese street racer Kanjozoku 2.
New Switch eShop releases
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU – £17.99
Embark on a poignant single-player story shaped by actor Abubakar Salim’s own experience with grief, discovering how love gives us the courage to press on after devastating loss. Wield powers from the Sun and the Moon to defeat restless spirits in rhythmic combat and become a worthy Nganga: a spiritual healer. Discover a rich universe with untold lore of chaos & order and journey through mystical 2.5D realms awash with colour and depth, emboldened by multi-award-winning composer Nainita Desai’s enchanting original score.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants – £24.99
Re-experience the 2017 arcade classic with 3 additional stages and 6 additional boss battles! Take control of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello or Raphael in this classic beat-em-up inspired by the cult favorite Turtles in Time. Play with your friends through local co-op and dominate the Foot Clan to foil the Shredder’s maniacal plan.
As a newly appointed captain of the Pegasus corporation, you must guide a roster of colorful pilots, eclectic advisors and state-of-the-art landers through a taxing series of missions. Deliver cargo, retrieve resources, and rescue stranded pilots as you navigate a mysterious universe of moons and planets.
It’s a thankless job, replete with tension and danger, and it takes a psychological toll on your crew. But someone has to keep this unseen lifeblood of the interplanetary economy moving.
When a mysterious portal appears, leading to a strange, unexplored planet, you will find you are on a collision course with some sinister truths that lie unseen behind the universe. Poor flying and fatigue will stress your pilots, and can lead to sensory illusions … the bane of long-haul solo pilots. They may start to see things that may not be real – is that a mine or a fish? And what’s with those celestial pink elephants?!
With multiple pilots, four ships and a dozen upgrades to collect, you can get the job done if you can manage it all … if not, the stakes are high, and not just for your career.
The latest standalone entry in the SaGa franchise, SaGa Emerald Beyond, brings together the very best elements of the beloved series to offer each player their own unique gameplay experience.
Make use of glimmers and combos in battle; meet a diverse cast of races, including monsters, mechs, and vampires; and experience your very own story, created through your choices and actions.
MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED Standard Edition – £39.99
Eliminate your enemies with invigorating attacks to clear missions! Win battles and obtain parts to upgrade your Rogue! Collect rare items including custom parts, weapons, and power-up materials! Find legendary items to assemble the ultimate mecha!
Up to three players can play cooperatively online or via local wireless play, or can participate in fiery versus battles against other teams of up to three online!
The classic super robots, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Combattler V, and Voltes V join Megaton Musashi in an epic collaboration! Both the mecha and their weapons are ready for battle! Collect all of the parts to assemble your own personalized battle machine!
Class of Heroes 1&2: Digital Complete Edition – £29.99
The Class of Heroes series returns for a new generation. Experience both the original Anniversary Edition and 2G, now remastered and ready for your enjoyment!
Live the life of a student twice as you crawl through endless dungeons, build your perfect cohort of students, take on hordes of enemies, in the Complete Edition which includes both games!
Build your perfect roster and handpick out your ideal party of 6 students to storm the labyrinths. Mix and match from 10 races and 18 classes, each with their own unique skill sets. Crawl through over 100 labyrinth maps facing over 250 potential enemies. Don’t forget to collect artefacts, explore inter-dimensional travel and conquer adversity. You determine the standard you thrive at, so be sure to take note of recipes for weapons, potions, and any upgrades necessary to level up your party.
Groups of excited students will walk through the doors of the academies to learn the tools of the trade and leave as the next Class of Heroes!
Do you have what It takes?
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! – £49.99
The anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba makes its board game debut! Enjoy events and minigames with up to four players!
Iconic locations from the anime, like Mt. Fujikasane and Asakusa, appear as boards in this game. Advance on the game board by rolling the dice! The game board switches between day and night. During the day, prepare for the night with events and minigames. At night, you will search for demons to defeat. Aim to become the strongest Demon-Slayer swordsman!
El Shaddai ASCENSION OF THE METATRON HD Remaster – £17.99
El Shaddai’s artistic setting aims to provide a canvas-like world that changes in an organic way as long as you progress your adventure. The world keeps changing constantly in the most creative and innovative ways, perhaps even nostalgic. You’ll only have four buttons: jump, attack, guard and weapon stealing. But this simple way of proceeding is deeper than one can expect. There is no need of manuals or walkthroughs to get into the game, but if anyone is ready to deepen into the mechanics, the game will offer a profound, precise and rewarding timing-based action experience. The motto of El Shaddai’s gameplay always was to be “easy but profound”. Many of the game’s mechanics such as the offense-defense systems were carefully created to provide the best possible game feel.
Another Crab’s Treasure – £26.99
As Kril the hermit crab, you’ll need to wear the trash around you as shells to withstand attacks from enemies many times your size. Embark on an epic treasure hunt to buy back your repossessed shell, and discover the dark secrets behind the polluted ocean.
In this undersea society, trash is not only a way of life, but a valuable resource, used for everything from fashion to firearms. But with the presence of trash comes a mysterious infection known as the Gunk, which could spell doom for the entire ocean.
As Kril explores the ocean, he’ll gain a variety of Umami Techniques—powerful attacks learned from the denizens of the seas. Punch your enemies with the overwhelming might of a Mantis Shrimp, ensnare them with the horrifying Bobbit Worm, and much more.
Designed to be an approachable experience for newer soulslike players as well as provide a challenge for hardcore fans, Another Crab’s Treasure offers something for any level of skill or time commitment. Assist options are provided for those seeking a less frustrating experience, but gluttons for punishment are sure to find the default game a challenge.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – £44.99
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes became the #1 funded Kickstarter video game of 2020 thanks to phenomenal support from the community. 505 Games is truly honored to publish Eiyuden Chronicle and work with Rabbit & Bear to help deliver a memorable gaming experience to fans. The goal of Rabbit & Bear and 505 Games is to make sure Eiyuden Chronicle reaches its true potential and delivers a worthwhile JRPG the community will enjoy.
The Epyx Collection: Handheld – £11.99
Witness the return of six awesome Epyx classics from the 1980s/90s, originally designed for cutting-edge handheld gaming.
This collection allows you to play these classic games with many modern features, including:
• Display filters, including retro LCD and CRT filters
• Save games – save and restore your game at any point
• Right- and left-handed control presets
Insurmountable is an adventure roguelike with permadeath, in which the player has to overcome huge mountains. Thanks to the procedurally created environment, no two climbs are the same. Make sure that your climber stays alive by always making sure that your vital values don’t get into the critical range. This task is made more difficult by a dynamic weather system, day/night changes and a multitude of randomly generated events, where you never know in advance how they will end. Your decisions matter….every single one. Because anyone could be your last.
Take the role of a nimble rodent separated from his family and lost in a frightening forest filled with fearsome foes! Ratyrinth is a side-scrolling precision platformer with brainteasing level design and retro presentation. Run, jump, cling to walls, swim and climb through mazelike stages presented in minimalistic 2-tone style with fluid pixel art animation.
If you fail, don’t worry too much, as you’ll instantly respawn at the start and can retry as many times as it takes. Challenge increases with each level you clear, gradually introducing new mechanics and enemies as you progress.
Romance MD: Always On Call – £29.99
Includes Main Stories from the app Love 365: Find Your Story up until “Season 2”
Our protagonist stumbles upon a mysterious library, only to find himself co-star of an ensemble act with the library director teetering between lives and a wish.
To overcome the colorful cast of guests (enemies) who visit the library, you’ll need to choose your Battle Pages carefully based on enemy data.
Between the in-depth story and increasingly challenging card-based battles, you’ll never run out of content to explore.
After his children are lured away by dubious pop-up advertising, Dadish sets out to find them in his craziest adventure yet. Explore an exciting world, face off with fast-food themed foes, and reunite Dadish with his missing children in this challenging 3D platforming adventure.
Builder Simulator is a game for those, whose biggest dream always was to construct your own house from scratch. Prepare your plan, buy needed materials, and build a perfect residence brick by brick. Will it be an easy task? At first, yes! After all, you’re just a rookie in this serious building industry. A specially made tutorial will guide you step by step through the twists and turns of construction work. However, the more experience you get, the more demanding the challenges become.
Home Office Simulator – Ayame Life Sim – £9.99
Embark on a delightful journey with Ayame, a remote worker, as she navigates the challenges of staying focused while working from the comfort of her home. Help Ayame create the perfect work environment, free from distractions, and keep her adorable feline companions happy!
Zombies, Aliens and Guns – £5.99
Aliens have attacked the planet, and they’re turning innocent people into mindless zombies.
It won’t be long before the invaders have destroyed the planet unless somebody with guns stands in their way. That’s where you come in! Lead a cadre of soldiers who are ready to take down every last enemy in their path.
You can fight alone or with a friend thanks to the local co-op mode! Try to beat the 33 levels and unlock all the 7 survival levels and the boss rush mode!
Cape’s Escape Game 8th Room – £8.29
Cape is feeling excited today.
Why, you ask? Because his friend Mummy Girl came over to play for the first time in a while.
When Mummy Girl the Master Hikikomori is concerned, something is bound to happen. Download the game and see what happens for yourself.
This escape game is suitable for beginners to intermediate players.
This time, it is Cape’s first 2-END game. Ready to check out both endings?
Time to play with cute (-ish?) Cape!
“Adventure Bar Story” is a bar management RPG, in which you aim to become the top restaurant in the kingdom.
The story progresses as your Bar’s rank goes up.
Your Bar’s rank will go up based on your performance at the Royal cooking contests and your accumulated sales.
Discover new cities and dungeons where you can find more materials and recipes!
Hidden Cats in New York – £2.69
Come and visit the famous Big Apple for a brand new cat-spotting adventure!
Relax and look around the city, and with enough patience, find over 700 feline friends!
The city only gets more vibrant the more cats you find! 🙂
Cats Hidden in Italy is a cute hidden object game set in Italy.
100 cats are waiting for you to be discovered within a hand-drawn background. Relax, thanks to the chill soundtrack.
Found a cat? Click on it!
Five Nights of Nightmare: Escape Horror Story – £4.99
This is an exciting and frightening horror film that will make your heart race. Your goal is to explore the house, unravel its secrets and find the way out.
You have to look for notes and clues that will help you uncover the truth about the house and its tragic past. But be careful, because the ghost of an old woman is constantly wandering around the house, looking for her next victim. Her footsteps creak on the wooden floors, her cries echo through empty rooms, and her chilling gaze can paralyze you with fear.
S.O.L Search of Light – £17.99
Search Of Light is a steampunk / dark fantasy setting adventure and the combination of resource management and narrative mechanics that we define as adventure management.
The player will get into the story from the perspective of The Foreigner, the enigmatic character who must ascend through the levels of the underground to reveal the mystery hidden on the surface. And must do it relying solely on his ingenuity and the help of domestic robots, that still work as assistants for the remaining inhabitants of the underground.
What sets Whisker Waters apart from other RPG games is its unique and creative focus on fishing. Players will use a variety of fishing tools and techniques to explore the semi-open world, complete quests, and catch a wide array of different fish. Each fish has its own unique behavior, making the fishing experience more challenging and rewarding than ever before.
Purple Slime Production Line – £1.79
Guide the slimes to their destiny, across 100 levels of gravity shifting puzzle action!
Minesweeper can be enjoyed on two types of boards: a huge field 1,000 x 1,000 and a casual field 16 x 16.
Also ranking board is supported.
Escape Game The Dr. Mouse’s Lab – £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.
Introducing Doctor Cat, the game that will immerse you in a society of cats! Step into the role of Doctor Cat, a renowned psychologist, and take care of adorable patient cats by discovering their stories and helping them overcome their traumas.
Read stories based on real traumas and reflect on your learnings. Enjoy the tales of a group of cats who, when confronted with life’s challenges, decide to seek out Doctor Cat. Solve charming puzzles while uncovering the story of your patients.
Our Field Trip Adventure – £7.59
The usual crew goes on a school trip adventure!
Share Joy-Con™ and play with up to 4 players!
Enjoy “Pillow Fight,” “Rickshaw Race,”
“Souvenir Battle,”and more for a total of
10 different missions!
As a once ordinary marble, you’re imbued with mystical abilities by a benevolent wizard, transforming your existence from mundane to magical. You now have to use your marvellous marble powers to save the marble kingdom and survive countless trials by dashing, jumping, dodging, smashing crystals, and defeating the powerful evil foe who is waiting for you.
Tell Me Your Story is a story-driven cozy puzzle game, which might remind you of the warm times spent with your grandparents or loved ones on getting to know the many, sometimes unexpected stories from their lives.
Cyberpoly RPG – Dark City – £9.99
Open-world, third person shooter, and RPG set in the Dark City — a dangerous city dominated by money, crimes, and illegal trades. You play as a mercenary which take missions, work in secondary jobs, build a prestige, and unlock upgrades.
Tales From The Under-Realm: Hazel – £11.99
A mysterious entity known as the Nameless God tells the unusual story about a witch named Hazel.
Captured, Hazel awakens to find herself confined in a cell. To her side lies Sasha, an assassin whose lethal skills are matched only by her captivating beauty. But can Hazel trust her just because they’re in a similar situation?
The alternative is putting her faith in Tori, the imposing paladin interrogating her. Do all of Hazel’s choices lead to certain death? Or does she have one final trick up her sleeve?
Have you ever looked at the pickture with many people to find one specific person and struggled to find them? Now, you can struggle more in a cozy story-driven clicking game where your goal is to find Drake, the pirate! At this time, you will have an HP bar and item to put on your character to see Drake or to uncover the horrors of the world around you.
In Where is Drake, your goal is to find Drake, the pirate among other imposters, and help him get rich and escape all his enemies!
Embark on an exciting journey to explore new planets, collect valuable resources, and rescue lost astronauts!
Your mission is to expand your life bubble across the planet and repair your ship to continue your adventure into the unknown!
Chop wood, mine colorful crystals or diamonds, and use them to rebuild machines and bridges that will help you expand your life bubble area! Every construction needs specific raw materials, so search for their deposits and get to work!
Kanjozoku 2 – Drift Car Games – £11.99
Kanjozoku 2 is the ultimate racing game where you can explore an amazing world of high-speed thrills and excitement! Become the real racer that everyone is afraid to compete against as you climb the ranks of the racing world and reach the top spot. Are you ready to take on the challenge?
Immerse yourself in the new world inspired by street racing and drive on Japanese autobahns while feeling like a character straight out of a racing world. Experience the thrill of the 90s Osaka Kanjo illegal street racing scene and get behind the wheel of true 90s and 2000s JDM cars to drive and tune. With engine tuning options like internals, turbochargers, ECU, fuel, intake, exhaust, and much more, you can create the ultimate racing machine.
Immerse yourself in the exciting world of Teared, a thrilling 3D arcade action platformer. Get ready to face hordes of adversaries, including 9 colossal bosses and a variety of fantastic creatures such as dragons, skeletons, bats, spiders and fearsome cyclops.
Teared is not just a game; it is an immersive journey where dynamic 3D landscapes are combined with intense gameplay in the purest retro style.
Experience the excitement of a classic side-shift adventure integrated into a three-dimensional world with current mechanics.
Next week: Endless Ocean Luminous, Sclash, MotoGP 24, Touhou Mystia’s Izakaya, Surmount, Adventure Field Remake, Ninja Shuriken Master, Before The Green Moon, Space Routine, The Fall of Elena Temple, Space Mercenary Defense Force, Full Metal Sergeant, TriggerHeart EXELICA, SOWON : The Toy Wonderland, Outbreak The Fedora Files What Lydia Knows, All Noobs must die – Craft, Survival, Mine, Exit Slum 11, Bomb Cat, and DungeonSmash – Medieval Dungeons.