If you’re able to ‘tear’ yourself away from Paper Mario, you’ll find yet another slew of new releases on the Switch eShop vying for your attention.
The Switch didn’t gain Marvel’s Midnight Suns, making Daedalic’s Capes all that more appealing. It’s a turn-based strategy game with upgradeable superheroes and an unfolding storyline. It seems to be going down well with critics, even garnering a few 8/10s. “Capes is a solid turn-based strategy title that has some great ideas in the fight, and more often than not keeps things exciting,” said God is a Geek.
eastasiasoft’s hack ‘n slash Xuan Yuan Sword 7 sees a belated Switch release, too. We played through the Xbox One version a few years ago – it’s pretty linear, essentially following a beaten path through forests, temples, and villages, but also curiously accessible which makes for an easy-going experience. Puzzles can even be skipped if they’re starting to flummox. Nine Nights – Martial Ci Lang Story also hits the eShop this week, looking set to offer similar hack ‘n slash thrills. It resembles a PS2 game which, worryingly, doesn’t appear to be intentional.
Another third-person adventure launching this week is Seed of Life. This sci-fi tale is set on a dying planet. All is not lost, however – the titular seed is an alien device able to restore life. Semi-open worlds, secret areas, and a bounty of puzzles are promised.
Flynn’s Arcade are also back with a new release. Goliath Depot should appeal to fans of Donut Dodo, offering a similar arcade-like experience and ’80 style pixel art. The focus on ‘door slamming’ makes us wonder if it’s inspired by Hotel Mario. Look out for our review soon.
Then there’s PICROSS S NAMCO LEGENDARY edition, with four modes (Picross, Mega Picross, Color Picross, and Clip Picross) and hundreds of Namco pixel-art characters to piece together. Screenshots suggest it’s presented stylishly.
A trio of 2D platformers are also upon us. Mezmeratu is an abstract infernal affair with warped imagery, while Ginger – The Tooth Fairy is aimed at inexperienced gamers. Umbraclaw, meanwhile, comes from Inti Creates and sees a house cat cast into a realm of the dead.
We can also expect the 80’s movie reference filled top-down adventure SKELER BOY, cozy canine puzzler Stick to the Plan, low-poly psychological horror Terminal 81, Game Boy-style wholesome adventure A Cat & His Boy, the niche sounding Construction Simulator 4, and Ruler Battle Online – based around knocking rulers off school desks, I kid you not.
New Switch eShop releases
Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is an action RPG with frenetic real-time combat, visceral 3D presentation and a rich cinematic narrative. It is a celebration of ancient China’s landscape, civilization and culture, infused with the mystique of its own legends in stark contrast to anachronistic technological designs. It is a world that is both familiar and mysterious, one of both science and spirituality, one that is waiting to be explored.
Twenty years ago, the supervillains won.
Since then, they’ve created a dystopian city where developing super powers is a crime. Nobody has managed to slow them down, until now. Capes is a turn based superhero strategy game where you build a team of heroes and fight to take back the city. Played across a series of campaign and patrol missions, choose to push forward with the story or take the time to explore the side missions and unlock more heroes, earn skill points and complete challenges, and learn more about your heroes lives.
PICROSS S NAMCO LEGENDARY edition – £9.89
A collaboration between Picross S and the Namco LEGENDARY Series!
A second character editor has been added to the Nintendo Switch™ version of Picross S!
Namco LEGENDARY Series characters are now available as Picross puzzles.
The Picross puzzles feature legendary characters that have been loved by many for generations.
You’re Cora, the last known survivor of Lumia, a dying planet. Your only hope to save your home world is to activate the Seed of Life and rekindle the sun once again.
Seed of Life is an action-adventure puzzle game that will take you to a beautiful yet toxic world where almost all life has disappeared. There’s only one way to survive: help Cora find The Seed, an alien device capable of generating the essence of life and save your planet from annihilation. Find your way through a labyrinth like world full of mysteries, dangers, and beauty. Search for capsules and learn special abilities. Face off against alien creatures and solve challenging puzzles.
Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling – £44.99
The sweet and spicy romance of a former goddess continues in the follow-up to the acclaimed otome visual novel, Cupid Parasite.
While working for Cupid Corporation, Cupid, the goddess of love, strived to become the top bridal advisor. In her most daunting assignment, the Parasite 5, Cupid (known as Lynette Mirror on Earth) was able to overcome unexpected obstacles, but not before falling in love with one of her clients!
Now, a new chapter commences. Can the newfound couple survive unforeseen challenges?
Construction Simulator 4 – £29.99
Explore three large areas within a map never before seen in the Construction Simulator series! Experience an extensive campaign unique to the individual locations, featuring special challenges you must overcome with your growing construction empire.
Expect the return of familiar brands and machines from our licensed partners Atlas, BELL, Bobcat, Bomag, CASE, Caterpillar, Kenworth, Liebherr, Mack Trucks, MAN, MEILLER Kipper, Palfinger, STILL, and the WIRTGEN GROUP. You can also look forward to expanding your business with machines and vehicles from newly added brands like CIFA, DAF, and Scania.
A Cat & His Boy is a short heartwarming narrative adventure about a cat that helps a young boy cope with his parents’ divorce.
Take on the role of Midnight, Leif’s mischievous cat, and help your human friend through a rough time in his life. Explore, find items and use all your feline intuition to bring joy and comfort back into Leif’s life!
Terminal 81 is an indie job simulation, mystery, and psychological horror game with retro visual aesthetics. The game takes place in 2008, in a fictitious neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, in Brazil.
As a result of the global financial crisis of 2008, Lorena made the decision to emigrate to the large and wealthy city of São Paulo in order to find work to help her family. Lorena easily managed to get a job in a supermarket, what she did not know is that the neighborhood where she would work was Terminal 81, an old industrial neighborhood plagued by poverty, crime, and filth.
Follow the clues, question a cast of quirky and intriguing witnesses, and solve a mysterious murder case in the rural American Northwest.
Uncover the secrets of the apparently sleepy little town of Greenhearth, where the deeper you dig, the more you risk awakening Eldritch horrors.
Will you crack the case with your sanity intact?
Stick to the Plan is a cozy and soothing puzzle game that takes you on a journey with Roberto, as he embarks on a quest to get the perfect stick along the way.
The game is simple: avoid obstacles and chart a path towards the goal. But beware, it’s not as easy as it appears. And don’t forget to grab your stick!
Umbraclaw tells the story of Kuon, a house cat who has died in the mortal world, after she awakens in the Soulplane, a realm of the dead. She must challenge the perilous underworld to return home to her owner in this 2D action adventure.
Supreme Mechanics is a first-person puzzle game combining elements of social fiction, detective and horror with deep philosophical insight. The players will have to crack some grim criminal cases by exploring the world around them, rediscover the mysterious identity of the protagonist, cross the borders of inherent dangers and formal logic and create their own vision of time and history.
Cat Warroir is an action-platformer of retro and cute style about a cat knight on his way to recapture his stolen treasure.
Deep into the exciting and dangerous fantasy world,defeat the challenging big boss with your slash, dash, jump, walljump and other skills to find the treasure back!
Cyberpunk Paradise Elysium: The Visual Novel – £4.39
In a dark dystopian future, brave journalist Alex embarks on a dangerous investigation into disappearances, uncovering an intricate network of corruption led by an imposing corporation. As she fights to unearth the truth, she finds herself in the middle of a fierce battle against powerful interests that seek to silence her at all costs.
With ingenuity and determination, Alex recruits a diverse team of allies willing to risk everything for justice. However, the corporation’s shadow extends even to the city president, endangering their lives and hopes of exposing the truth.
Welcome to the Neta-Vark where the Wamnis live and celebrate the beauty of the universe. And not even the invasion of the dangerous Trogoglux will stop the party. The Doldazan Gods will save the Wamnis so that nothing will stop the celebrations. Nothing? Or is there something which could actually ruin everything?
vridniX mixes frantic platformer gameplay and an original story that will continually surprise you!
NINJA KAMUI: SHINOBI ORIGINS – £14.99
Power up with special “TYPE 0” boost gear and annihilate the forces of evil in this captivating arcade-style ninja action game!
Delve into and experience the mysterious “beginning” untold in the original anime.
In the jelly world…. you get a jelly pet! A pet that needs to be fed, cleaned and taken care of.
Good news – you can also customize it, so it will look like you’d like it to!
Battle and earn cool stuff that you can use with your pet. Be careful, because battles aren’t as easy as you might initially think! Jellies are pretty smart beings, so prepare to play smart to win in the puzzles.
Cast powerful spells, battle against hordes of magical enemies to liberate the rulers of three kingdoms that have been overtaken by dark forces. With staff in hand, do you have what it takes to uphold the title of The Spellbearer?
An old rusty key found deep in a cave, what could it open?
Explore a dense world, fight ferocious enemies, and solve puzzles in search of answers.
Rich Gameplay Combinations: 19 heroes, 41 weapons, 31 types of bullets, 76 cards, 17 talents, 5 challenging maps, and 20 difficulty mechanisms.
Fast-paced gameplay, easy to learn. Each battle lasts about 10 minutes, offering both casual and fun experiences.
Ginger – The Tooth Fairy – £6.29
“Ginger – The Tooth Fairy” is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. It is specifically designed for kids and newcomers to gaming. The fun and intuitive gameplay will put a smile on everyone’s face. Ginger will explore various worlds filled with obstacles to overcome in order to find her magic teeth. The entire journey is educational and will teach important lessons about teeth to both children and adults alike – because healthy teeth are important and the subject should be fun, after all.
Step into the age of chivalry and forge your legacy in Medieval Lords, an immersive strategy and simulation game where you rule as a medieval lord. Govern a sprawling realm with villages, vast forests, and bustling marketplaces. Manage resources, construct monumental buildings, and expand your domain.
SKELER BOY is an adventure game with an atmosphere inspired by your favorite iconic films from the 1970s and 1980s.
Enter a dark and suspenseful world and embark on a journey of psychological horror. You’ll encounter hundreds of conversations, manipulate objects, solve puzzles, discover clues, and find many surprises.
Nine Nights – Martial Ci Lang Story – £9.99
You are not willing to fail, you are on the run in the crisis-ridden world of Nine Nights, constantly acquire new combat skills, fighting fiercely, Flexibility and ingenuity to cross the obstacles, and toughing it out against increasingly vicious and bizarre enemies.You have to find out the truth, survive, and slog your way to revenge.
O-VOID: Console Edition – £4.50
In this super minimal action runner, you’ll be jumping over obstacles with the tap of a button. But this is not a regular platformer! The entire level can change direction or flip upside down to throw you off. Are you skilled enough to survive every challenge?
Terror Mansion is an exciting first person Horror video game that catapults you into a frightening Mansion.
Your main objective is to escape the infested Mansion, finding objects and challenging riddles while exploring incredible scenarios.
Knock your opponents’ rulers off the desk!
Utilize the special “Swallow Reversal” technique to get back your footing in a pinch!
Climb the rankings all the way to the top!
The platformer game of the year 2024 is… MEZMERATU! A completely infernal 2D platform game with a rogue style! Each time you play the world changes! So forget about memorizing the levels! Each time it’s a completely different one! Mezmeratu is the platformer spin-off of the Baobabs Mausoleum saga created solo by Jacob Jazz. Full of surrealistic horror villages, stinky talking characters, impossible rogue platforms, and… and a giant fish kidnapped inside an owl’s beak. WELCOME TO PROSCIUTTO MISA!
Face mental challenges as you help the feline overcome rotating platforms in his search for the ball of wool. With hand-drawn graphics, giving the game a unique aesthetic and puzzles.
Get ready to jump, spin, and explore in search of the ultimate reward!
Embark on a dangerous investigation in Ultra Mission™, the latest arcade-inspired shooter from Gumbo Machine™. As an agent of the Stellar Exchange Commission, you must traverse the labyrinthine maze that is Otto Labs. Each of Ultra Mission’s 20 levels is littered with powerful automatons and questionable experiments.
One thing is certain: this is going to be a blast!
Mars Colonization Expedition: Survival Simulator – £12.99
Welcome to Mars Colonization Expedition: Survival Simulator! Prepare to embark on an unparalleled adventure as you become the pioneering astronaut leading humanity’s quest to conquer the Red Planet.
Close all doors, kick away the enemies and rack up your score in 4 worlds filled with single-screen levels inspired by tough-as-nail retro arcade platformers. Are you good enough to lift the curse of the Goliath Depot?
Next week: STAR WARS: Hunters, Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, Downward: Enhanced Edition, Democracy 4: Console Edition, Rider’s Spirits, Airhead, Ghost Teen Escape from Limbo, The Smurfs – Village Party, Let Me Sleep, MyRummy, Kittey 64, Korean Rail Driving Tour LRT Busan-Gimhae, WAKUSEI, and Delivery Drop.