Devolver Digital’s The Plucky Squire has been anticipated since its reveal, with its novel (ahem) premise of cartoony characters leaping from storybook pages into the real world rousing imaginations. Reviews went live earlier this week, and it seems to have been worth the wait, even gaining top marks from a handful of sites.
God is a Geek opted for a 9.0. “The Plucky Squire is a game oozing with charm and positivity, and the clever word and book based puzzles will keep you gripped from start to finish,” they said. GamesRadar went with a 4/5. “It’s the perfect game for Gen X parents (any parents, really) looking to introduce their younger kids to gaming, with heaps of ’80s music and movie references to keep them amused while watching their kids play before they’re inevitably called upon to tackle a puzzle or two when Minibeard’s on break,” was their verdict.
Another game that appears to have caught people’s eye is BZZZT, which made its debut during a Nintendo Direct. It’s a pixel art platformer inspired by the classics, while also featuring modern sensibilities. The artwork appears very sharp and detailed. One more modern retro game launching this week is Byte The Bullet, an action platformer set in a virus ridden computer with a few nods to retro games of yore.
A new release we’ve reviewed this week is A Night on the Farm, a horror adventure with PS1 style visuals. It’s oddly light on scares, and much to our disappointment, there are no farm animals either. The story though is reasonably captivating, and with the low price point in mind, it’s ideal for a dull afternoon. Not baaad at all. Even though there are no sheep.
Then there’s The Karate Kid: Street Rumble, a 2D side-scrolling beat’em up from GameMill with SNES style visuals. It features 12 stages from the original trilogy, along with mini-games to induce variety. Although online play doesn’t feature, four players can team up locally, with Daniel, Mr Miyagi, Ali Mills, and Kumiko all playable.
Eager footie fans can also dive into EA SPORTS FC 25 this week, with the £69.99 Ultimate Edition launching on Friday. It includes a few head starts including 3850 FC Points. A new 5v5 rush mode also features.
A couple of alternative RPGs are also due, with Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game being a hand-animated affair with a sideline of silliness based around friendship and teamwork. Get in the Car, Loser meanwhile is an inclusive road trip adventure with a focus on self-discovery. Then there’s Keylocker, a cyberpunk tale influenced by Chrono Trigger and Mario & Luigi. Reviews don’t appear to be live just yet.
Other new titles include the city saving Matchbox Driving Adventures – the first Matchbox game since the days of the GBA, we believe – cartoon-style adventure game/platformer hybrid The Last Shot, and an EGGCONSOLE release of the 1988 PC sci-fi RPG Star Cruiser – which features early 3D visuals. This is probably what Japanese gamers played while the rest of the world was wrapped up in Elite.
New Switch eShop releases
The Karate Kid: Street Rumble – £34.99
Sweeping across iconic locations of the first three classic The Karate Kid movies from the 1980s, you’ll step out of the dojo and into the streets of the West Valley and Okinawa as you battle waves of enemies in this pixel art, side-scrolling, beat ‘em up adventure. Play as Daniel LaRusso, Mr. Miyagi, Ali Mills, or Kumiko as you set out to defeat Johnny Lawrence, John Kreese, Terry Silver, and others intent on establishing dominance over Miyagi-Do Karate forever. This game features intense martial arts combat and frenetic action mixed with plenty of retro flair from the original movies.
The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends – storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book.
When the malevolent Humgrump realises he’s the villain of the book – destined to lose his battle against the forces of good for all eternity – he kicks the heroic Jot out of its pages and changes the story forever.
Jot must face challenges unlike anything he’s ever seen if he is to save his friends from Humgrump’s dark forces and restore the book’s happy ending.
Jump between 2D and 3D worlds in this charming action adventure – solving puzzles, boxing badgers, flying with a jetpack, and enjoying many more delightful and surprising mini challenges as you become the hero of a living storybook.
EA SPORTS FC 25 Ultimate Edition – £69.99
Pre-Orders* by 26 Sept of EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Ultimate Edition will include:
– Up to 7 Days Early Access, start playing on 20 Sept
– 3850 FC Points
– Football Ultimate Team™ Player Evolution Slot
Early Access Rush Rewards in Football Ultimate Team™ and Clubs:
– Doubled Bonus Points when playing Rush with Friends
– Head start on FC Hub Season 1
– Earn Special Rewards and Content
– Plus all Standard Edition pre-order content
EA SPORTS FC™ 25 gives you more ways to win for the club.
Team up with friends in your favourite modes with the new 5v5 Rush, and manage your club to victory as FC IQ delivers more tactical control than ever before.
BZZZT is a fast-paced “jump-dash-run” platformer game combining a nostalgic pixel-art look with a modern gameplay design. It was almost single-handedly made by one developer – Karel Matejka, known as Ko.dll, as a tribute to beloved classic games.
Inspired by the 80’s tech revolution, this insanely detailed, pixel-art precision platformer transports you back in time, where you’ll get to experience a thrilling adventure, cleverly designed levels, a whole plethora of skills to unlock, and intense boss fights!
Matchbox Driving Adventures – £34.99
Are you ready for the thrill of a lifetime? Gear up and join the Chief of the Matchbox Adventure Squad in Matchbox™ Driving Adventures.
Jump into an authentic Matchbox™ vehicle and drive through six dynamic locations. Race against the clock, chase runaway cars, and tackle exciting rescue missions.
Cruise in Adventure Mode or choose from 14 tracks in Competition Mode for a spot on the leaderboard playing solo or in local co-op. The choice is yours.
I Got Isekai’d into a Shmup – £11.69
Choose to be one of the four pilots and hold the fate of this world in your hands!
Get ready to dive into the action, dodge tons of bullets, and save this world teetering on the edge of chaos!
The protagonist is a young man named Hisora, who works several blue-collar part-time jobs. One day, he suddenly finds himself lost in a strange world.
This is an otherworldly boys-love fantasy in which Hisora will risk his life to find a way back to his world.
Get in the Car, Loser! – £22.49
A lesbian road trip RPG by the co-creator of Ladykiller in a Bind about fighting for love and justice in the face of indifference, and “discovering yourself,” whatever that means.
Following a sudden car crash, you’re stranded out in the country at night and all alone. A nearby farm might offer help or refuge, but there’s something very unsettling about the place, and exploration only leads to greater fears. A Night on the Farm is an atmospheric retro-inspired horror adventure with unpredictable plot twists and deep lore to discover.
Solve the mystery surrounding your car accident and the farm’s inescapable draw. Navigate in first-person perspective, investigate cryptic notes and audio logs to gain access to new mysterious environments and make decisions that alter the story’s outcome! Will you survive long enough to uncover the truth?
Keylocker | Turn Based Cyberpunk Action – £15.99
Keylocker is a Cyberpunk turn-based rhythm JRPG. Play as the singer and songwriter, B0B0. Fuel your moves with the electric power of music on this unforgiving planet by using real-time execution of moves in rhythm game style! Choose a unique class, battle the authorities, unlock the secrets of Saturn, play in your own bands’ concerts, and hack into the network to bring an end to this corrupt system, for better or worse.
Tamagoneko is a 2D platformer that is both charming and tough as nails, designed for the fans of “kaizo” games.
Play as a nimble white cat navigating through saws, pits, and spikes to rescue lost kitten eggs. In each new world, your cat will learn new moves to overcome even more difficult obstacles.
Get ready for an exciting and adrenaline-filled experience with Ziggy, the newest 2D platform game!
In the world of Ziggy, you’ll take control of a character full of energy and determination. Your mission? Overcome all obstacles by jumping with skill and agility. But that’s not all! Ziggy possesses a special ability that sets them apart from everyone else: the powerful Dash.
Imagine yourself as a lightning bolt, zooming through the scenery at an impressive speed! Use the Dash to swiftly overcome obstacles, leaving your enemies bewildered as you soar above them. Nothing can stop you!
Japanese Rail Sim: Hakone Town of Natural Beauty and Hot Springs – £44.99
The “Japanese Rail Sim” series is a train operating simulator game that uses real footage to give you the feeling of actually traveling in beautiful Japan, enhancing your gaming experience.
This time, we take you to Hakone, one of Japan’s top tourist destinations, where you’ll be operating a tourist train on the famous mountain railway, the Hakone Tozan Railway.
Get ready to embark on an exciting round trip and experience the mid-spring and autumn tourist seasons in Hakone!
Plow the field, plant seeds, water the soil, and watch your crops grow!
Enjoy the country life with other fun activities like fishing, feeding chickens or cooking yummy food, ensuring there’s never a dull moment on your farm!
Home Safety Hotline is an analog horror inspired telephone operator simulator where you answer incoming callers’ questions about what’s inside their home. Read through a vast catalog of common pests and household hazards, and do your best to become an expert in home safety. You will be held responsible for what happens.
Play as Sunny, an adorable tanuki with the power to walk back and forth through time, as she helps her friends prepare for each season’s final days. Going back in time is as easy as turning around and walking back to where you came from, and everything you do can be undone at any time.
Samurai Katana Rampage Stickman Saga – £7.99
Step into the sandals of a fearless warrior in Samurai Katana Rampage: Stickman Saga. Immerse yourself in a gripping tale of honor and revenge as you embark on a daring quest to avenge the attack on your village and restore your family’s honor. Master the art of combat, explore vibrant and perilous landscapes, and confront formidable adversaries on your path to becoming a legendary samurai.
Cleanse this earth. It is infected, you must save it.
LUMbA: REDUX is the enhanced version of LUMbA, a game you definitely haven’t played. Follow the orders of Pal, your leader. Together you will take back what was lost and save the world from its destined downfall.
Take a deep dive into the twisted minds of Lumba and Pal as they embark on their crusade, both with the shared goal of uprooting the evil that has plagued their world for too long.
An adventurous engineer, a diesel-punk world divided by endless conflict, and a whole lot of colossal guns. Sounds like a good time! With massive war machines threatening your home, will you be the one small cog that brings it all to a halt?
The Last Shot is a platforming adventure game set in a war-ravaged diesel-punk world. Militaristic cities fight endlessly with massive weaponry, all striving to be the last one standing. Rather than your typical hunky superhero, you take on the role of a humble mechanical engineer. You work tirelessly to produce the shells that are almost immediately blasted into a neighboring city’s exposed bits. Hey, it pays the bills.
Moonless Moon is a text-based adventure game following a girl as she travels through a variety of different worlds.
Night brings her to a desert on the moon, a coffee shop inside of a tunnel, an island in the sky, and many more worlds beyond the realm of reason.
Hunt and Fight: Action RPG – £13.49
After your ship was caught in a terrifyingly powerful storm and wrecked, you found yourself on the shore of an unknown island full of monsters, undead, and bandits. Explore the island, upgrade your weapons and armor, improve your fighting skills, and defeat the most dangerous monsters on this island. Don’t forget that your main goal is to find a way to get home.
Get into my infected computer and restore every virus-ridden system by recovering game attributes like color or save functions.
Collect trash, zap goop, and befriend adorable axolotl-like creatures in this cozy aquatic adventure.
Loddlenaut is an ocean cleanup adventure set on a vibrant alien planet. Play as an interstellar custodian who is tasked with cleaning up the pollution left behind by a spacefaring mega-corporation.
No Case Should Remain Unsolved – £8.99
No Case Should Remain Unsolved is a detective game where players uncover and piece together memory fragments to solve a long-forgotten case. Follow former police detective Jeon Gyeong as she acquires clues and testimony relating to the case of a missing girl.
February 5, 2012. A little girl named Seowon is reported missing from a playground. Police launch an investigation and question witnesses and suspects, but Seowon’s case is never solved. Twelve years after Senior Inspector Jeon Gyeong’s retirement, she is visited by a young police officer: a woman who pleads with her to reexamine Seowon’s case. But with each uncovered memory, only one thing becomes clear: everyone in Seowon’s vicinity was lying.
They Came From the Sky 2 – £9.99
Get ready for nostalgic arcade action inspired by 1980s vintage console classics, as terror from space throws world into panic once again!
They Came From the Sky 2 is a fast paced arcade game wherein you take the role of one of the giant alien robot. The game offers infinite replayability, over 20 types of enemies, and 50 hidden artifacts to discover.
You’ll finally have your chance to abduct all kinds of humans and make a juicy, delicious human smoothie!
Kidnapped and left to awaken in the heart of a desolate woods, you must navigate through the twisted corridors of a decrepit mansion. Solve puzzles, find keys, and unravel the sinister horrors you keep seeing.
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game – £20.99
Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game is a funny and heartwarming hand animated JRPG from Studio Kumiho.
After a devastating loss, Jae would do anything to fix the past. Blast off on that quest with your newfound friends on a journey to the gates of Yimmelia, a fabled land on the moon that’s rumored to grant any wish.
This JRPG draws on ideas from genre classics, but with varied new gameplay twists. You’ll explore forests, cities, rock concerts and more, with traversal that is always fun and dynamic; there are no random encounters, while you can dash and charge into objects (and people!) for unique results. How you interact with people will influence game events and combat.
Combat incorporates timed hits, with special combinations as you team up with amazing party members. Build the meter, attack and defend, while unleashing awesome combos for better rewards!
Between Horizons is a modern 2.5D pixel art adventure that brings a branching narrative into a semi-open world. The team at DigiTales has applied numerous lessons from their first game Lacuna and proven solutions to detective game design problems to maximize player agency in the investigation process – all the while maintaining the tight pacing of a meaningful story that will ask you to re-evaluate your moral compass and make increasingly tough decisions as the situation aboard the ship spirals out of control.
It’s dodgeball on your desk!
Share Joy-Con™ and enjoy the game with up to 4 players!
With simple controls, make quick decisions and strategic moves!
Create a unique player with style settings!
Build your own player with a wide variety of customization options!
Pixel Game Maker Series NYANxTECH – £4.49
Simple character control + stage gimmicks to be unlocked at the same time
This is a finger-tip confusing action puzzle.
Challenge yourself with numerous difficult puzzles!
There are more than 60 stages! Play slowly or compete for time.
It’s up to you how you enjoy it!
Take a little pleasant trip through a big and lovely illustration!
Start with a monochrome scenery and fill it with colour! Kick back, relax, and find all the cats to reveal the final, colourful landscape.
EGGCONSOLE STAR CRUISER PC-8801mkIISR – £5.39
“Star Cruiser” is an action RPG released by Arsys Software in 1988 in Japan. The game’s most notable feature is its use of polygons to represent everything from vast outer space to dungeons, the player’s ship, people, and trees. This use of polygons to depict the universe was a significant technical achievement that impressed users at a time when polygons were not yet widespread in the gaming industry.
Next week: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Iron Meat, Cash Cow DX, REYNATIS, Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports, Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition, Go Mecha Ball, Five Nights At Freddy’s: Into the Pit, ZombFarm, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2, Exographer, Dreamland Farm, Ahro, Silver Axe – The Honest Elf, The Holy Gosh Darn, Games Advent Calendar 2024, Creepy Tale: Some Other Place, 3 Minutes to Midnight, Beyond Galaxyland, Aura of Worlds, Bloomtown: A Different Story, Anarkade, Golfing in Aether, DanLab’s Golf, Ice Cream Wars, DESTRUCTURE: Among Debris, Zombie Survivors, Ricky Recharge, BallZ DX, and Luna-3X.