Recently I looked back at a Switch eShop round-up from early in the system’s life. Fifteen games hit the console that week – an amount considered remarkable at the time. Skip forward to this week, and you’ll find almost triple that amount due. While there is some obvious garbage, there are at least a dozen games worth mulling over. To say the Switch has gone from strength to strength would be an understatement.
Indeed, it’s finding time to play all these games that’s the problem. This week we can expect the brutal Souls-like action RPG Morbid: The Lords of Ire, an enhanced anniversary edition of the time-rewinding puzzler Braid, surreal non-linear mystery Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and the colourful ‘n comedic adventure Athenian Rhapsody.
THQ Nordic’s kung fu fable Biomutant comes to Switch too. Reviews haven’t been exactly glowing, with Nintendo Life noting scrappy visuals while Pocket Tactics couldn’t muster more than a 3/10. “You might have a better time on another console or PC, especially if you’re proficient at fighting games and ranged combat, but frankly I think other games have tackled this topic in a much more nuanced way,” they said.
Retro FPS fans have two to consider. Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer is a parody of edgy late ’90s shooters. It’s also a spin-off from Hypnospace Outlaw. Nightdive’s PO’ed: Definitive Edition – announced on April Fool’s Day – sees the cult 3DO FPS gain a new lease of life. This was one of the better 3DO exclusives, although by the time it made it to the PlayStation things had moved on. It’s more appreciated these days.
Then there’s Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER, a sequel to 2064: Read Only Memories. In this point ‘n click style adventure, you play as a young psychic out to locate an evil-doer lurking in people’s memories. That’s joined by Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution; not a game maker, but rather an action RPG in which you’re in control of a gaming company. Reviews are wildly mixed so far – everything from 8/10s to 4/10s.
Other releases include Sometimes You’s retro-style platformer Awesome Pea 3, Mindscape’s sports themed ballin’ battler Pool Party, the doubtlessly family friendly My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery, rogue-lite action dungeon crawler The Land Beneath Us, and Musashi vs Cthulhu – an arcade style score chaser that looks set to offer similar reaction-based gameplay as Kung Fu Master, et al.
New Switch eShop releases
Morbid: The Lords of Ire – £24.99
Risk insanity in the gruesome slash-em-up Morbid: The Lords of Ire, with brutal combat and souls-like elements. Defeat the five Lords of Ire as you fight for your life across tortured landscapes, rending the evil Gahars of their flesh-bound forms.
Even in defeat, the Gahars never truly die. They retreat into darkness and bide their time, until the opportunity to arise again is upon them…
Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a continuation and reinvention of the critically acclaimed isometric Souls-like ARPG “Morbid: The Seven Acolytes” with the heroic Striver returning once more to do battle with horrific creatures in a dark and twisted world of pain and suffering.
BIOMUTANT® is an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG, with a unique martial arts styled combat system allowing you to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action.
A plague is ruining the land and the Tree-of-Life is bleeding death from its roots. The Tribes stand divided. Explore a world in turmoil and define its fate – will you be its saviour or lead it to an even darker destiny?
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes – £19.99
A woman, summoned by an eccentric man to participate in a project in an old hotel somewhere in central Europe, becomes embroiled in a game of illusions, increasingly dangerous and surreal.
Now you are invited to fall into the same rabbit hole, in a non-linear mystery with an immense amount of handcrafted puzzles, constantly presenting you with new riddles to solve, each leading you closer to deciphering the enigma of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes.
PO’ed: Definitive Edition – £17.99
Originally released in 1995, PO’ed is an adrenaline-pumping first-person space shooter that features gameplay elements inspired by generational powerhouses DOOM and QUAKE. PO’ed: Definitive Edition spices up the classic 1995 shooter with updated visuals, antialiasing, increased framerate and redefined controls, and up to 60 FPS performance.
Dive into a wave of fun at the Pool Party resort! Play solo or with up to four players in tons of sports & brawl games and fight to become king of the party. Customize your pool ball – choose your favorite color and design – and go head-to-head with your friends. Have a splashing good time!
These pool balls are not just adorable, but also surprisingly athletic. They reach ridiculous speeds as they roll and bounce around the arena in no-time! Plus, these balls can kick each other around because they’re balls after all! You’ll be amazed by the sheer power of a perfectly aimed kick, propelling a rival ball all over the stage. Grab a cue and join the party!
Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER – £12.79
Take on the role of ES88, a young esper employed by MINERVA, a powerful organization specializing in information science, neurotechnology, and extrasensory phenomena. She has been tasked with tracking down Golden Butterfly, a mysterious psychic entity hiding in and fragmenting the memories of Neo-San Francisco’s citizens. Who are they? Why are they doing this? And how will you stop them?
The Neurodiver is a bioengineered psychic creature made to assist in boosting an esper’s natural abilities. With its help, you’ll be able to collect clues and thoughts in your subject’s memories in an effort to piece together distorted fragments inside them, pushing Golden Butterfly out!
Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER is a return to the vibrant sci-fi world of Neo-San Francisco from 2064: Read Only Memories with a whole new story, and a whole new cast of characters. It’s an adventure that newcomers can easily dive into, but those familiar with the original game might notice a lot of familiar faces making a comeback!
Braid, Anniversary Edition – £17.99
Bend time to solve subtle platform puzzles in this update of the indie classic “Braid,” featuring refreshed artwork and seriously in-depth creator commentary. Travel from a city house through a series of interconnected worlds where time behaves strangely, searching for an elusive Princess. Along the way you’ll explore memories and regrets that still haunt you. This Anniversary Edition remaster of the award-winning platformer contains fully repainted high-resolution graphics, new sound effects and extensive audio commentary.
Musashi vs Cthulhu (or MxC) is a fast paced action game where you take control of Musashi – the most famous warrior from feudal Japan -,as he’s fighting for his life.
The ronin is a victim of a terrible curse that makes him a target for unspeakable monsters. In each match, hordes of monsters spawns endlessly and attack until there’s no one standing.
The enemies comes from both sides of the screen and must be attacked with precise blows to bulging weak spots shown in their bodies. Challenge your friends to see who is the coldest and most precise warrior, even when facing impossible odds.
Athenian Rhapsody is a super-fresh, one-of-a-kind comedy RPG in which you’ll explore the World of Athens! Your goal is to build your very own Rhapsody – the story of you (the player) and your epic tale in this world. You’ll be faced with many challenges, and you’ll have to fight (or hug) your way through the world by either battling, or awkwardly trying to make friends with your opponents through esoteric knowledge, abstract jokes, memory games, and other strange and funny interactions.
Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution – £44.99
Game Studio of The Year – Play as the main protag, Older Nep, and grow a previously defunct gaming studio to success. Building a game studio requires strong developers, cutting-edge video games, and the expansion of your market. Choose wisely and become the biggest game studio of the year!
Build Games & Boost Your Party – Boost your party stats with the help of creating games through disc development and choose creators to work on your next hit game!
Vroom, Vroom in Style – Ride through dungeons in Gamindustri and sell your games on your trusty purple motorcycle. Older Nep can also challenge pesky enemies for pinks (aka special rewards) or test your racing skills through time trials!
Party Management 101 – Supervise a party of four to lead your company to the top! But there may be other game studios ready to take you down. With a revamped battle system, chained attacks, and transformative specials, Older Nep and friends are ready for victory!
My Little Pony: A Zephyr Heights Mystery – £34.99
Take the magic of friendship to new heights in a mystery adventure for one or two ponies.
Playing as Sunny, Hitch, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, or Misty, use your special abilities to stop the unstable magic that’s sending Zephyr Heights out of control! And have tons of fun with hilarious minigames and countless pony customizations.
Robin Hawkins is down on his luck. His relationship with his wife, Sally, is stagnating, and his daughter, Melody, no longer speaks to him.
Stuck in an unsatisfying and draining job, Robin’s life is one long, monotonous slog…
Until he meets the mysterious girl of his dreams in the middle of the night, Bell.
However, there is far more to Bell than meets the eye – and Robin’s ‘dreams’ are fast in danger of becoming ‘nightmares’.
Foxy is a little fox who loves to eat cherries. One day, when he fell asleep, his supplies were stolen!
Now he has to go through many levels and collect all the cherries to get his supplies back. Embark on an exciting journey through dense jungles, air clouds, and lava caves!
To complete all the levels and get your berries back, Foxy will have to show his dexterity, speed, and ability to solve puzzles.
Run, jump, slide on walls, cling to ropes, and dodge various traps and enemies!
You left the planet 200 years ago in search of a new life on the colonies, now you’ve returned against your will and must fight to survive in the post-apocalyptic world you once called home.
Purchase, unlock, and upgrade powerful new weapons to fight enemies. Keep your favorite weapons and upgrade them throughout the game with mastery points.
Shunichi Kazama, an ordinary high school sophomore, lives life like a walking corpse due to past misfortunes. He holds no hope for life.
However, on that day, her appearance shone like a ray of light into his gloomy heart.
A long time ago, all the animals lived in peace in their vast city, the Citadel. But then, evil Cats took over the power! They exiled dogs beyond the city walls and sent other animals to work in factories and mines.
Years passed. The Cats’ power has taken hold, but the spirit of freedom remains. All dissenters have united to form the “Resistance”. And now, the time has come! It’s time to overthrow the tyranny of Cats!
You can reach your goal by any means. Use the environment and your smarts!
Hide in bushes, crates, and trash containers – ambush your enemies. Taking them by surprise is the best!
This is an action game where the player becomes a new member of the Metaverse and defeats enemies who are garbage information on the internet. Experience interesting things in chaotic servers and use your gamepad to carry out your “justice”.
Learn various skills by clearing stages, and use a variety of combo attacks with over 20 unique skill combinations to annihilate your enemies and clear the stage!
This detective game allows anyone to feel like a sleuth with its simple gameplay.
It’s you who will find the hidden clues within the illustrations and lead tough cases to resolution. The mysteries awaiting you are not as straightforward as they seem, with every enigma contained in a single illustration…
The game is packed with hint features for beginners in puzzle-solving and deduction! Enjoyable for players of any level.
A cult began to dominate a city!
Go on a mysterious adventure with the ghost ‘Luna’.
Various levels that stimulate your sense of challenge are waiting for you.
Monster Outbreak is a pixel top-down survival game. Take control of Yulia, the last surviving member of the Royal Guard, and confront the endless monster hordes spawned by the out-of-control Dimensional Orb. Gear up, prepare defenses, lay down traps, cook a possible last meal, and try to stay alive.
Lysfanga : The Time Shift Warrior – £20.99
After half a millennium of peace, a new danger hangs over Antala. Its fate depends on you, Imë, Lysfanga of the New Kingdom, protector of the realm. The ancient cities, previously locked in time, are now free again, and an old evil has escaped, threatening the peace.
But you won’t be alone. Gifted with temporal powers from the Goddess of Time herself, something no other Lysfanga has had before, you have the ability to rewind time in combat to summon clones of your past-selves to help you. Master your power to become legion, and crush hordes of the escaped demons, known as the Raxes.
With your army of past-selves, progress through the ancient cities to extend your arsenal of weapons and learn new spells, preparing for the much greater threat ahead…
High School Detective: Romance Visual Novel – £4.49
Discover the exciting story of Alex and his friends at Horizon Innovative Academy, an institute in the heart of New York! While investigating a series of acts of vandalism, they find themselves involved in a whirlwind of mysteries and dangers that will test their friendship and bravery.
Will they be able to overcome the challenges that threaten their safety?
Immerse yourself in a plot full of intrigue, action and romance, where the bonds between these young people strengthen in the fight for truth and justice!
Use powerful skill combos and stylish weaponry to battle your way through the Underworld known as Annwn. Enjoy challenging dynamic encounters and discover the mysteries of this mythological world.
Forged by The Creator, the Ultimate Soul Harvester (U.S.H) is crafted to gather Souls. Now armed with Soul-Technology, its mission is one of redemption. Explore The Underworld, engage, barter, or confront characters. Learn from their tales to shape your unique path.
Awesome Pea 3 – final chapter now in shape of fast precision platformer where you must run&jump through a series of challenging stages.
The People of the Earth are under attack!
Mechanical Puppets in the shape of birds wreak devastation without remorse, destroying the peaceful Colony of Arcadia and endangering all who live there. The nefarious Nair of the Sky will stop at nothing to secure the secrets that lie leagues beneath the city… Now it’s your turn to save the world!
Airi, Enji and Tazpo are the last front fighting against the invasion of the Sky People – use their unique abilities to explore, reach new areas, and solve environmental puzzles!
You’ll need to think outside more than just the box. In “Trust No One,” a point-and-click detective adventure, you play as a journalist who tries to unravel a web of secrets about a mysterious AI-company. Explore the nooks and alleyways of Kyiv to discover the identity of your informant. “Trust No One” beckons you to embrace curiosity. The game’s narrative unfolds beyond the ordinary, urging you to think outside conventional boundaries. “Trust No One” is the latest from the Ukrainian game studio Triomatica, following the success of “Boxville,” the winner of DevGamm’s Best Mobile Game award in 2022 and GDWC Best Mobile Game award in 2023.
Join our plucky protagonist, the lovable Purple Explorer girl, as she embarks on a heartwarming 3D platforming journey through vibrant worlds filled with stars, coins, hearts, and charming surprises.
Classic yet challenging platformer game with 4 areas with different styles: city, dance hall, forest and desert.
53 levels, each with completely different mechanics and difficulty.
Each level has a limited time, and the count of orders delivered on time will lead to 2 different endings.
Will your best friend Kiki turn into a fox?
Sling Puzzle: Golf Master – £13.29
Defy gravity! Sling your character through mind-bending puzzles in a wacky golf-like adventure. Master precision and wit to conquer challenging courses and unlock secrets!
Slide Puzzle World History – £2.24
This educational puzzle game involves sorting montage-style panels that feature events and figures from world history taught in schools into the correct order.
The roads are broken again. And so are paths. Sidewalks. Lakes(???)
Oh dear. And now it’s your job to fix them all!
Each level gives you a limited set of tools that will help you get all the cars, boats, trains or animals from point A to point B. The mentioned animals include, of course, kittens, dogs and… cute ‘ol pink llamas.
Your tools of mass destruction (and repair) will let you destroy, rotate, copy, swap, raise, lower, push or move different segments of roads. And lakes. And paths. And more!
Your road repair doesn’t have to be beautiful, it just needs to get the job done! So please… Fix the road and have fun!
DUNGEON ARSENAL is a fast-paced roguelike card game. Go through series of random-generated floors filled with cards for you to reveal. The weapons and items you need for your journey will be among those cards, however, terrible monsters are also waiting to be revealed… Choose your Hero and good luck!
Overmorrow has a gameplay focus on unguided exploration and big-picture puzzle solving. With a distinctive visual style and a peculiar, mysterious metanarrative, this game is sure to give you a unique indie experience.
Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer – £14.29
back in 1998 me and my friend Chase were making this game… and guess what… Chase found it again. he burnt it onto a CD-ROM and now we’re going to finish it and put it on-line. i got out of computers in the mean time because I had to get a real job at a Dollar$aver (I even have a kid… how did htat happen BWL!!!?) so i forgot how to program but Chase is going to do it, he went to college for it. i still have my notebook with all of the designs and guess what…. its still flipping incredable. get ready for the greatest game in the world……
Next week: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, World of Goo 2, Paper Trail, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2 SISTERS GENERATION, Doug’s Nightmare, Blade Jumper, Pine Hearts, Ultra Foodmess 2, Duck Detective – The Secret Salami, One More Gate: A Wakfu Legend Complete Edition, BEASTWATCH: Meat & Mayhem, NecroBouncer, Tales From The Under-Realm: After Midnight, Scarlet Tower, and TP Bullet.