Thinking about it, the middle of the year is an ideal time to release an exhaustive 100+ hour RPG. Disposable income is thin on the ground during the start of a year, while winter sees a slew of big budget releases. This week’s Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is also destined for all formats, meaning it can be played on Switch while travelling or holidaying.
For the uninformed, Vengeance is an expanded version of the 2021 former Switch exclusive, offering the original story (Canon of Creation) and an entirely different route (Canon of Vengeance) with new characters, more demonic enemies, and quality-of-life improvements. Save data from the Switch original doesn’t carry over, but you can transfer three demons. Incidentally, the vanilla version is being yanked from the Switch eShop shortly, making Vengeance the only option unless seeking a retail copy.

The Xbox misses out on a couple of anticipated titles this week, with the sleeper hit open-world vampire survival RPG V-Rising hitting PS5, and the 16-bit Konami platformer revival Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked coming to PlayStation and Switch. Remasters of the 3DS’ Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel also come to PS4 and Switch, including content that originally never left Japan. The Xbox did however gain Octopath Traveler II last week, so there’s still some RPG action to be had there in addition to Shin Megami Tensei V.
The Xbox also gains the Munich-set CityDriver, laid back arcade racer Sunrise GP, pixel art Metroidvania Draconic Resurgence, and the modern NES-style action platformer Panzer Paladin.
Then for multiformat releases there’s the sci-fi crime caper Detective – Minerva Case, scrolling brawler movie tie-in Willy’s Wonderland – The Game, story-based pinball/mini-game collection Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic, Kemco’s magical fighting gal RPG Astrune Academy, and a belated PS4/Xbox One release of Magical Drop VI – the latest in a series that can be traced back to the NeoGeo.
New release trailers
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
V Rising
Detective – Minerva Case
Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked
Monster Hunter Stories
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
Willy’s Wonderland – The Game
Astrune Academy
Magical Drop VI
Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic
Panzer Paladin
New multiformat releases
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- Detective – Minerva Case
- Willy’s Wonderland – The Game
- Astrune Academy
- Froggy Bouncing Adventures
- Magical Drop VI
- Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic
- Dead Station 2
- Hidden Cats in Paris
New on PSN
- Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked
- V Rising
- Hood Story: Kaito Yamazaki
- Shinobi: The Warlord
- Monster Hunter Stories
- Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
- Sky Dunk
New on Xbox Store
- CityDriver
- Sunrise GP
- Backpack Hero
- Draconic Resurgence
- Lost Chiko 2
- Prison of Illusion
- Panzer Paladin
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
- My Life: Farm Vet
Next week: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Still Wakes the Deep, Times & Galaxy, The Ouroboros King, Horror Tales: The Beggar, #BLUD, Glyphs of Gitzan, Everafter Falls, and Rusted Moss.