There’s a distinct theme to this week’s assortment of new Switch releases – the vast majority originate from Japan. We’re in for a heady mixture of anime tie-ins, RPGs, visual novels, beat’em ups, and even a drifting-focused racer set on Japanese mountain roads.
There’s Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition too; something clearly tailored to the Western market, notching up 5m sales on PS4/Xbox et al. This aerial shooter, which boasts an additional 2-8 player multiplayer mode, is a full price (£54.99) release and includes three extra aircraft and three new missions, along with a music player and skins from past titles.
Princess Maker 2 Regeneration is one of those rare titles that’s hard to categorise, being an enhanced version of a cult classic found on Japanese computers. It also reached the 3DO, Dreamcast and Saturn in that region. This marks one of the few times the series has come to the West – although fan translations exist. It’s your job to guide a girl through her teenage years, choosing which subjects to learn, where she works, and who she mingles with – all while going on basic RPG-style adventures. Every action alters her stats, impacting the ending and her legacy – with several to try and unlock. Depth lies in trying to discover them all.
Then there’s OGRE TALE, a side-scrolling pixel art RPG first released on PC in 2020, pitting a group of girls against fairytale villains in modern day Japan. Reviews of the original appear to be mixed. It may better suit handheld play, though. The same can be said for visual novel trio Muv-Luv, Muv-Luv Alternative, and Sunlight Scream. Based on an anime, you may recall the Muv-Luv games from the days of the PS Vita. It seems they’re quite expensive these days.
Another anime tie-in is Bleach: Brave Souls, a free-to-play 3v3 online battler. The product description claims it’s ideal for “anyone wanting to recap the BLEACH story before the long-awaited anime release of the climatic Thousand Year Blood War story arc.”
For retro fans, there’s Taito’s single screen platformer Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III – big in Europe upon release thanks to the popularity of Bubble Bobble on home systems – and an EGGCONSOLE release of Popful Mail. The latter is one of the more interesting EGGCONSOLE titles as Popful Mail made it to the Mega CD/SEGA CD in the West and is well regarded. This is the PC version, though it won’t set you back much if you’re curious about its roots.
That aforementioned drift racer, meanwhile, is Project Drift Japan Challenge – due out on Saturday for £7.99. The features list mentions six vehicles, five mountain tracks, realistic suspension, and manga-style presentation.
Of course, there are some Western-developed games out too. We can expect the Dungeon Keeper-style minion lair builder Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master, the above average Vampire Survivors alike Primal Survivors, turn-based pixel art adventure Prune & Milo, retro-style action platformer Deathchron, and Moonshine Inc – a management sim based around distilling and producing moonshine, brandy, whisky, and vodka without being caught. Make mine a Buckfast.
New Switch eShop releases
Naheulbeuk’s Dungeon Master – £25.99
Your mission, should you choose to accept it!
Embody Reivax, the servile (or not) steward of the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk. Years before the first incursion of fearless adventurers, you are tasked to build, develop, and populate the wobbly tower. Above all, try not to upset your master, the evil sorcerer Zangdar. Are you up to the task?
ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Deluxe Edition
Become an ace pilot and soar through photorealistic skies with full 360˚ movement in ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Deluxe Edition. Chase down enemy aircraft and experience the thrill of engaging in realistic sorties, all while battling weather and the environment. Epic dogfights await!
Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III – £8.99
The legendary bubble dragons Bub and Bob are back… in human form!?
In this critically acclaimed TAITO classic, available on modern consoles for the first time, the now-transformed Bubby and Bobby embark on a mission to save their neighboring planets. But this time, instead of blowing bubbles, our favorite duo swings colorful parasols filled with magical powers. Use parasols as a shield against enemy projectiles or stun, and pick up and throw foes as projectiles themselves!
Parasol Stars released in 1991 as the sequel to Rainbow Islands, marks the third installment in TAITO’s massively successful Bubble Bobble series of action platformers and has lost none of its colorful charm throughout the years.
Princess Maker 2 Regeneration – £34.99
The “Princess Maker” series pioneered the social simulation genre, allowing the player to act as a father who raises a young girl, and it continues to be popular to this day.
Among the many titles in the series, “Princess Maker 2” is the most popular. This year marks 30 years since the original release of “Princess Maker 2” (PC-9801 ed.) in 1993. In this title, the graphics were newly redrawn by Takami Akai, who directed production and worked on character design for the original “Princess Maker” series at Gainax.
“Ogre Tale” is an arcade-like swordplay action game,
A fusion of hack and slash games with training elements
It is a mission clear action role-playing game.
Set in modern Japan, you will fight against yokai as the “Three Ogre Sisters” who are descendants of the ogre tribe.
There are more than 50 missions, and you will be exterminating yokai in various regions of Japan.
EGGCONSOLE POPFUL MAIL PC-8801mkIISR – £5.39
This game, released by Nihon Falcom in 1991 in Japan, is a side-view action RPG. Players take on the role of the bounty hunter female swordsman Mail, embarking on an adventure to track down the great wizard, Muttonhead, who has become a wanted criminal.
Tite Kubo’s hit manga and TV anime series BLEACH comes to life in this 3D hack-and-slash action game! The game faithfully reproduces the story of the BLEACH anime, Shonen Jump manga, and novels in loving detail with fantastic graphics and all-action gameplay.
HoneyLand, is a charming puzzle with a turn-based strategy.
Help Mr. Fluff to drink all the honey from HoneyLand!
Discover HoneyLand, a wonderful and alive island.
Brawl Arena: Arcade Shooter – £4.99
Choose one of three unique heroes and go to exciting levels filled with a variety of enemies – from ordinary ordinary soldiers to huge and difficult bosses! To defeat enemies, the player is given a wide arsenal of weapons, which can be unlocked and upgraded as the game progresses. Defeat enemies, earn gold and upgrade your guns!
• Friendship, romance, betrayal, secrets, intrigue – it’s all about Sunlight City! Moving from Los Angeles to a small town, Max immediately finds himself in a whirlwind of events that will not let you breathe easy.
• The visual novel is presented with more than 80 colorful, hand-drawn backgrounds, characters and illustrations that will let you enjoy a picture that complements the main story.
Gluck is a short adventure game that takes place in a mining company. Convert ore into cash and survive life underground as you unravel the mystery of the mine’s depths.
One of the most influential visual novels of all time, and a school love story like no other. This remastered release comes with a brand new, easy-to-use interface. The game contains the first two arcs: Extra, and Unlimited.
Don’t fall for Extra’s cutesy exterior. This series ventures into some of the darkest thematic territory you’ll ever see, and when the final curtain closes, you’ll need a forklift to pick your jaw up off the floor. Make no mistake: this is a story that will challenge you in ways few works of fiction dare attempt, and an emotional tour de force unlike any other.
Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered – £34.99
Muv-Luv Alternative is a direct sequel to Muv-Luv Unlimited, and is the grand finale of the Muv-Luv saga.
Step back into the cockpit and prepare for deployment in Muv-Luv Alternative, the most critically acclaimed visual novel of all time.
This isn’t a cutesy high school rom-com anymore; it’s an epic tale of conspiracies, an alien menace, quantum causality, and much, much more. It’ll test your limits, challenge your worldview, and by the time it’s all over, you’ll be so emotionally spent that it’ll be weeks before you can fully process the implications of what you’ve just witnessed.
This definitive remastered release comes with a brand-new interface, so if you think you’re ready to take the dive, there’s never been a better time to strap in and see for yourself why so many readers consider this the greatest story ever told.
Let’s Aim Shooting Gallery – £2.49
Let’s enjoy playing a shooting gallery on the Nintendo Switch™!
Share Joy-Con™ and play with up to 4 players!
Aim for a new high score!
Fix your aim and win all sorts of prizes!
Busway Islands – Puzzle – £4.49
Busway Islands is a puzzle game about organizing roads and rails across a large archipelago. Your goal is to create a safe and efficient route between bus stations, ensuring that all passengers are picked up along the way.
Challenge your logical skills with 35 unique and captivating challenges, while enjoying relaxing sound effects and having fun with challenging puzzles in a minimalist and relaxing experience.
Discover the exciting world of Primal Survivors!
Are you prepared for the craziest adventure of all time? Meet Primal Survivors, a survival game filled with unique and bizarre creatures!
Embark on a dreamlike journey with Prune & Milo, armed with a stylish sword and a bow, as they try to unravel the mysteries of a cave. Explore 78 turn-based puzzle levels, each containing various mechanics. Traverse different environments, encounter eccentric characters, and prevent the end of the world in this captivating adventure.
In our game, you take on the role of a young moonshiner. You will progress through main missions, you’ll be performing side quests, and running into road events during deliveries – the life of a moonshiner is ever-exciting and full of surprises…
If you’ll be prospering, you’ll get the chance to create and manage bases in five different regions, each with its own, more and more challenging missions. From your hometown mountains, through the thicket of a forest and mud of a swamp, all the way to civilization to conquer the big city.
How the story will end depends purely on you – there’ll be a pesky agent who’ll want to work with you, and there’ll be a corrupt governor that you can join. But you can also ignore them. You’re a free man, after all.
That’s how Moonshine Inc. came to be. Made for moonshiners, amateurs, dreamers, and newbies. Sit down, launch the game, enjoy crafting and running your business, and relax… after all, ain’t nothin’ illegal ‘til you get caught!
Swipe your finger to throw balls and break the bricks. Try to break as many bricks as possible before they reach the bottom. Collect items to get more balls and create an endless chain! Submit your high scores to the global leaderboard and compete with the best players!
Test your skill on retro games with Retro Battle !
Will you be able to win all your duels and become the best Retro Player ? Test your skills now !
Let’s Journey – £8.99
Let’s Journey – idle clicker rpg in amazing fantasy world. Choose your hero, roll dice and embark on an epic adventure! During the journey you will defeat hundreds of monsters, find rare equipment and meet legendary dragons.
Luck and your skills will determine the fate of the dragon hunter!
Traverse a beautifully crafted 3D environment as you guide the fox through a heartfelt narrative. Experience the emotional highs and lows of a fox’s quest to bring its family back together.
Gasp! Every painting in the museums has vanished, they’ve all gone blank and no one knows why! Luckily the Kubits are taking things over control and with their help you will be able to remake all the works. Solve nonogram grids to unveil the great canvases of the history of painting around the world remade by the Kubits, these little chameleon squares who glue themselves to grids to make new images.
True Colours – A Date With Deception – £12.49
True Colours – A Date With Deception starts as a cute visual novel about day-to-day life and the pursuit of happiness beyond a boring work routine, but as interpersonal trust is called into question, a darker side begins to emerge. Be forewarned that you could be seen as the villain of this tangled web, but it’s up to you whether you embrace the role or seek ultimate redemption. Dare to explore multiple story routes and romantic interests leading to 12 possible endings, some good… and some very bad!
Night Reverie is a Puzzle/Adventure game in which a child must solve the mystery behind the distortion of his house. Enjoy a variety of dream-like environments and discover the truth behind this bizarre place. There must be an answer to all of this and a way to return things back to normal.
Regardless of age or musical knowledge WEJAM allows you to create beautiful melodies and connect with people around the globe for a multiplayer jam session. WEJAM is built with smart algorithms that will make your jam sessions always sound great and in tune.
DROS is a dark fantasy adventure where you’ll swap between a small gooey creature and her human bounty hunter shell. Explore freely through 40 unique diorama-like levels filled with strange characters, intricate puzzles, hidden rooms, and ancient collectibles.
Shy Dogs Hidden Orchestra – £4.49
Another Hidden Orchestra will be on tour! The puppies are clumsy, but they are musical!
The Shy Dogs Hidden Orchestra is a hidden object game with musical elements. It’s a sequel to the game Shy Cats Hidden Orchestra, where each hidden character found unlocks a new musical instrument inside each game’s level. Thus, you’ll be able to create your own songs as you find cute little dogs hidden by beautiful 2D cartoon backgrounds.
Anomalies will spawn randomly on your path, just in front of you…
The moment you see an anomaly, turn back and run away from it, as far as you can.
If you manage to notice and run away from 11 anomalies, you’ll escape this nightmare.
Play with your pet to earn coins and customize your home to reflect your style. Don’t forget to care for your pet by giving it food, baths, and plenty of restful moments.
Project Drift Japan Challenge – £7.99
Drift on the famous mountain roads in Japan! Driving various Japanese cars! Challenge local fleets! Drift on the famous mountain roads in Japan! Driving various Japanese cars! Challenge local fleets! In the graphic with Japanese manga style! Project Drift is a racing game, let you drive the legendary JDM cars and drift down the mountain roads in Japan. Defeat the opponent with superb drift skill, break the record and unlock the new car! Passionate Eurobeat music makes you step on the accelerator!
Deathchron is a retro style arcade game full of intense platform action, powerful attacks, and menacing enemies.
In the recent past, an ordinary kid receives an urgent television transmission. Shortly afterwards, an incredible battle mech known as the Deathchron arrives at his suburban home.
Our young hero is then transported to an alternate reality where robots have taken over everything, and he has one chance to stop this dystopian vision from coming true.
Next week: Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, SCHiM, Darkest Dungeon II, Let’s School, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, Satryn DX, Over Horizon X Steel Empire, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA, Deliver Us The Moon, Hot Lap Racing, Stories from the Outbreak, RPM – Road Punk Mayhem, The Gravity Trickster, Bum Simulator, Zombie Derby 2, Frogurai, Backroom Escape: Labyrinth Horror, Fueled Up, A Lost Note, Rivalia: Dungeon Raiders, and Traffic Race 3D 2.