Just like in the cinematic marvel Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Disney and Looney Tunes characters come together for this week’s Switch eShop round-up.
THQ Nordic are behind Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, which sees the 2010 Wii platformer overhauled with improved visuals, modern controls, and other enhancements. Reviews have been positive so far, being a mixture 7s, 8s, and 9s. Incidentally, the eShop has seen some horrible looking bootleg Disney games this week too, including a Winnie the Pooh storybook adventure with shoddy AI art. It’s about time Nintendo clamped down on this nonsense.
Then from GameMill comes Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports, which sees the likes of Bugs, Daffy, and Taz partaking in four arcade-style sports games (tennis, golf, soccer, and basketball) with power-ups such as cream pies to throw into the faces of other players. It appears to have had more effort put into it than some of GameMill’s more recent titles, with the screenshot showing paintbrush-style texture work.
While the fate of these two games is yet undecided, two we can foresee doing the business are The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and EA SPORTS FC 25.
Echoes of Wisdom has been created by Grezzo, who after bringing various classic Zelda games to new systems have been trusted to make their own entry in the franchise. Although it shares the same art direction as their Link’s Awakening remake, it’s a departure for the franchise, putting Zelda centre stage. Puzzles and traversal are non-linear here, thanks to Zelda carrying a wand that can duplicate items, allowing for a variety of ways to overcome obstacles and get around Hyrule. The Metacritic sits at 86% currently with the majority of scores being 8/10s.
EA SPORTS FC 25, meanwhile, isn’t a Legacy Edition this year – it’s set to offer a new 5v5 rush mode, improved player AI, and more tactical elements present in each match.
If a new Zelda wasn’t enough to be getting on with, there’s also REYNATIS – the latest JRPG from NiS America, involving wizards and law enforcers clashing in modern day Tokyo – and Bloomtown: A Different Story, which is set in 1960’s America and features turn-based combat, monster taming, and social aspects. They’re joined by EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2 – with co-op and online play, sporting voxel-style graphics – and Ubisoft’s latest iteration of Monopoly. Looks like it’s a case of back-to-basics this year.
Then there’s ZombFarm – a life sim with an undead twist, featuring pixel art visuals – the cartoony point ‘n clicker 3 Minutes to Midnight, and the time travelling heaven-saving adventure The Holy Gosh Darn. Plus, Go Mecha Ball gains a belated Switch release. We reviewed this hyperactive twin-stick Roguelike shooter, set in an isometric world filled with ramps and bumpers, back when it hit the Xbox One. Imagine Sonic 3D Blast with guns, and you’re partway there.
Another we’ve reviewed is Iron Meat, a gory take on Contra with a long list of unlockable characters. The controls are responsive, and it puts on a good show for the 45 minutes or so it lasts, with bosses including helicopters, tanks, and subway trains coated in flesh. Hence the title. There’s quite a bit of replay value here too thanks to the XP system.
Retro enthusiasts may also want to check out the pixel arcade-style platformer Cash Cow DX – from the developers behind the excellent Donut Dodo – Forever Entertainment’s remake of Data East’s cult scrolling brawler Night Slashers, the surprise re-release of Jaleco’s Famicom adventure Bio Warrior DAN The Increaser War (now with an English translation,) and Team 17/Digital Eclipse’s Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition – which features 1999’s fan favourite entry in the series, a digital museum, and the Game Boy Color version.
There’s a new Breakout/Arkanoid brick breaker due too, titled Firebat – Revolution and influenced by the Amiga demo scene. It has something in common with Worms in that respect.
New Switch eShop releases
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed – £49.99
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed brings the magic of Disney to life in a vibrant 3D platformer. This beautiful remake sends Mickey Mouse on an epic journey through Wasteland, a realm of forgotten Disney characters. As Mickey, you will dive into a fantastical world and, armed with paint and thinner, shape your adventure and the fate of this alternate world.
Originally envisioned by Warren Spector, reimagined by Purple Lamp, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed employs state-of-the-art visuals and improved controls to breathe new life into a beloved classic. Experience new movement skills for Mickey, such as dash, ground pound and sprinting. The game’s compelling story makes it an unforgettable adventure for long-time fans and newcomers alike. Join Mickey Mouse and unravel the mysteries of Wasteland in this homage to Disney’s legacy.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – £49.99
Harness the wisdom of Princess Zelda to save Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for Nintendo Switch. Use new powers to explore her vast kingdom, battle monsters, conquer dungeons, and solve the riddle of the rifts.
Zelda’s adventure will take her to all corners of Hyrule – from the arid plains of the Gerudo Desert to the lush Faron Wetlands – bringing her into contact with all manner of folks who need her help.
Team up with friends in your favourite modes with the new 5v5 Rush, and manage your club to victory with more tactical control in every 11v11 match across every mode with FC IQ.
Worlds collide when the rogue wizard Marin and M.E.A. officer Sari meet on the bustling streets of Shibuya. Under the brilliant night lights, the pair fight for what they believe in on the cusp of fantasy and reality, freedom and order.
In a world where magic is feared, you must choose when to hide your powers or unleash them to wreak havoc on your enemies. Should these gifted individuals be regulated, or be free to use their powers as they choose? Witness the clash between wizards and the law unfold in REYNATIS!
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports – £39.99
Play against your friends featuring 4 classic sports: Basketball, Soccer, Golf and Tennis. Avoid the wacky obstacles and gain power-ups to incite chaos against your friends and family as you control your favorite Looney Tunes character. Play your way in this 4-player local co-op sports arcade game and choose the character that best suits your play style.
Iron Meat is a fast-paced, run-and-gun shooter that immerses players in a world overrun by The Meat–an all-consuming interdimensional biomass. With a mix of classic arcade and console mechanics, players will battle against mutated victims and machines, dodge bullet barrages, and crush bosses in nine levels of gore-ific brutality. As Vadim, fight back against The Meat and stop the terrors spawned from scientist Yuri Markov’s experiments on the Moon.
EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS 2 – £35.99
The square Earth is under attack by giant enemies. Giant ants, giant spiders, giant bees, giant scorpions, giant UFOs, giant robots, giant monsters…. And if that weren’t enough, there are also giant aliens, and even giant EDF soldiers. The situation seems hopeless! Still…there’s nothing more satisfying than taking down these invading foes.
Up to 4-player online co-op supported. Also, as an exclusive feature for the Nintendo Switch™ version, local network play is supported, allowing you to defend the Earth with your friends and family.
Holy cow, it’s all about the moooney!
Embark on an udderly moo-velous adventure where you run, jump and slide to rescue Cash
Cow’s riches from the grasp of those sneaky Pig Pockets and reclaim what’s rightfully hers!
Make no mistake – this game is tough as nails!
MONOPOLY® is back with a fresh look and an improved game experience. Buy, sell, trade properties, and grow your empire in this faithful adaptation of the game we all grew up with! Roll the dice, start the game, and dive in to explore an exciting, fully animated 3D city.
Escape flooded passages, evade toxic pollen, and confront gigantic bosses who have made mazes their home.
Do you prefer playing defensively with spear and energy shield, or diving into battle with a boomerang and grappling hook? Are you one to scour each level for potions and runes, or do you plunge headfirst into chaos?
Explore dangerous worlds where you’ll need to creatively use your skills and leverage the environment to your advantage. Explore, run, hook, fight, and charm your way through ever-changing deadly mazes, overcoming powerful guardians!
Bloomtown: A Different Story – £22.49
Bloomtown: A Different Story is a narrative JRPG mixing turn-based combat, monster taming and social RPG set in a seemingly pleasant 1960s Americana world.
Play as Emily and her younger brother Chester sent on their summer holiday to their grandpa’s cozy and quiet town. May be too quiet… Children starting to disappear, nightmares getting more real… Something’s not right, especially for a 12-year-old girl with an adventurous mind!
It is up to you to solve this mystery and free Bloomtown and its inhabitants from a glooming fate!
Congratulations, you’ve been hired to work on a farm! Bright days filled with honest and rewarding work lie ahead. As you grind your way through the week, you’ll feed and water the livestock, clean the dog and horses, pick ticks off the sheep, plant new crops, milk the cows, go fishing and much more! Each activity features a mini-game to keep your farmwork varied and engaging… But something is amiss.
Collecting valuable resources in the nearby forest comes with its own unique dangers as zombies roam the woods and will take any opportunity to make you their next meal! ZombFarm is a life sim with an undead twist, presented in top-down pixel art style. Can you turn the farm around and turn it into a flourishing success while braving the zombie threat of the dark forest?
Embark on an adrenaline-fueled journey through the neon-lit realms of Go Mecha Ball, where chaos meets strategy in a futuristic showdown! Engage in dynamic twin-stick shooter combat, execute acrobatic maneuvers across vibrant 3D platforms, all accompanied by a dynamically generated and interactive soundtrack.
Unleash the power of four distinct gun-wielding mechs, each with its own unique arsenal of weapons, abilities, and upgrades. Dive into the mayhem as you discover synergies, hone your playstyle, and navigate through an ever-evolving landscape of rampaging robots, colossal bosses, and arcade-like obstacles.
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles – £20.99
Long ago – when ancient ruins were once flourishing civilizations and their populace lived in idyllic bliss – a mystical star governed all. Loyal disciples, called Six-Sided Oracles, were blessed by their star, granting them the strength to seal away the gift of heavenly bodies within mystic relics.
All was perfect and harmonious, until that one fateful day – The Crimson Dawn Cataclysm. A ferocious inferno sundered down from the sky, engulfing the entirety of the star system, crumbling the foundations of their society and corrupting the souls of the weak-willed. The disciples of the star were lost to the chaos – their creations scattered across a vast world of ruin. Could there still exist those who were capable of wielding their power?
Eons later, descendants of the Six-Sided Oracles embark on a journey to finish the failed battle that their predecessors started and save their star system.
Night Slashers: Remake – £8.99
Prepare to step into the shoes of the unlikely heroes, as they battle hordes of supernatural foes and terrifying monsters.
In Night Slashers, you’re not just fighting for survival: you’re battling to save the world from a supernatural apocalypse. Join the fight, experience the adrenaline, and embrace the horror. Your darkest nightmares await…
Night Slashers is a classic arcade game that originated in 1993 and still stands as one of the best titles in the beat ’em up genre to this day! Gameplay consists of seven distinct stages, each subdivided into multiple sections. You can advance by navigating from left to right within each stage, combating waves of enemies to progress.
Attempting to proceed further without eliminating foes halts the screen’s scroll until all the threats are dealt with. Upon reaching the end of each level, a climactic showdown with a formidable boss awaits. Achieve victory over the boss to advance.
Shortly after an unprecedented disaster strikes Tokyo, Mizuki is forced to struggle for her life as she emerges from the underground to the surface, only to be confronted by deformed creatures.
The sudden attack leaves the protagonist, Mizuki, confused and bewildered, but she decides to resist and fight.
Although she was hesitant to slay the human-shaped creatures, Mizuki’s sword swing, which she had trained in swordsmanship, was powerful enough to bury the deformed creatures.
____ And this was also the moment when Mizuki’s destiny was set in motion.
3 Minutes to Midnight – £20.99
Somewhere, in the middle of nowhere, an explosion shatters the night. Everyone wakes up with a jolt. Where are they? Who are they? It turns out that whatever blew up in the desert seems to have done more than just wipe their memories clean.
Embark on an adventure with Betty as she delves into a town where danger lurks at every turn, and characters are as deceiving and bizarre as they come. Featuring a power-hungry mayor, a potbelly pig with a vendetta, a sheriff obsessed with the supernatural, and believe it or not, a kraken who doesn’t read fine print.
“Ahro is an experience about anxiety, working through your past, and coming to terms with it all. The game was born out of my personal struggle with panic disorder. I wanted to place the focus on an ordinary character dealing with his own issues and then place the wars and world changing events in the background (like it is for most of us). Ahro is not a warrior or a superhero, he’s not saving the world. He’s an average person who’s experienced personal trauma and loss. Ahro is me and you.” – Joel Vile, founder of Oeh Interactive
Your grandma has taught you everything about farming and foraging – from taking care of crops to knowing which berries and mushrooms are edible. Your time has come to become her successor!
DESTRUCTURE: Among Debris – £11.49
In DESTRUCTURE: Among Debris you use the power of (very totally realistic) physics to destroy the world around you. Following a devastating, apocalyptic event, the world is filled with garbage, abandoned structures and angry robot turrets and it is your mission to clean it from this dusty mess.
The gameplay revolves around the player-controlled Round Thingy of Destruction that you have a full 360-degree control over, making smashing the iron ball so much more satisfying. But you must remember not to lose your ball. Behind you there’s a metal grinder in each level ready to consume all of the balls (stop giggling, Gregg) you are too slow to repel.
JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Bio Warrior DAN The Increaser War – £7.19
To save the Earth, which is on the brink of extinction, DAN embarks on a time-travel journey back to 1999. His mission is to destroy the God Increaser, the progenitor of all Increasers.
To do this, he must defeat the five Mother Increasers that await in each area. The Increasers spawned by the Mothers grow stronger as time passes. The time left is running out.
However, the complex, maze-like colonies of the Increasers and the ferocious enemy lifeforms stand in his way.
In such moments, the surviving inhabitants will aid DAN. Gain weapons and information to prepare for battle.
During his adventure, DAN will uncover his own secret. With that power, he will face the Increasers.
Murder Is Game Over: Deal Killer – £4.99
Join Detective Guy and his trusty sidekick Cleo the clue-sniffing dog as they investigate the sudden and shocking death of a powerful video game publishing executive.
Holed up inside an isolated Alpine hotel during a treacherous blizzard, our detective must search for clues, interview suspects, solve the mystery, and bring the guilty party to justice.
Can Guy and Cleo crack this chilling case and then still find time to enjoy their vacation?
BallZ Deluxe: The Ultimate Brick Breaker Experience!
Get ready to break bricks like never before! Your mission is simple: smash as many bricks as you can before they reach the bottom. Collect extra balls along the way to boost your firepower, and earn bonus coins and gems to unlock even more powerful balls!
Help giant Luna and Jonah the boy to rescue the planet’s Creatures together in a synchronized action game!
The Great Tsunami prophesied by GE III is coming, and only seven days remain to save the world! Rescue as many Creatures you can before it’s too late!
For too long Gelatoni’s had the run of this town. With his monopoly over ice cream delivery enforced by thugs in souped-up trucks, and generous bribes making sure the law turns a blind eye, he’s been able to force the innocent hard-working people of Rippleton to pay over the odds for their gelato fix for decades.
Well no more, it’s high time someone stood up to this injustice! Your buddy has borrowed money from an unsavoury character and bought a battered old van, and the pair of you are going to take the fight to the streets and show these punks there are new kids in town and you’re hungry for success.
And look, if you happen to make yourselves a load of lovely cash in the process, well that’s just win/win isn’t it?
Time to show some scumbags it’s your way or the sorbet!
1980’s Paperboy meets 2020’s Food Delivery Service! Inspired by the classic Paperboy, Food Boy gets players to deliver pizzas in urban environments in an exciting arcade format.
Make perfect deliveries and knock out furious customers to get the highest scores and unlock new cities and challenges!
Inspired by classic sci-fi movies, Beyond Galaxyland is an intergalactic, 2.5D adventure-RPG set among the stars. Step into the sneakers of high-schooler Doug, as he’s whisked away to ‘Galaxyland’ – a zoo-like solar system of planets – on an epic quest to save Earth itself.
An all-new take on the beloved RPG adventures of old, prepare for a journey like no other, skyrocketing through teeming jungles, neon-lit cities, and cybernetic casinos, with each new planet brimming with intriguing characters, fiendish adversaries, and many other surprises.
Accompanied by Doug’s pet guinea pig – the pistol-wielding Boom Boom – and a sentient robot called MartyBot, together you must defend the world against an all-powerful entity known only as ‘The End’, before it conquers the Universe itself…
Anarkade is a multiplayer arena shooter with pixel art graphics and intense platforming action.
Run, jump, and frag your opponents with explosive weaponry that causes hilarious hijinks. With intuitive controls that are easy to learn but hard to master, players can gain an edge over rivals by performing moves like wall jumps and corner hangs to strike from anywhere.
Use your beard to attack, smack and knock back anyone who dares oppose you in Beardbarians! Pick from a colourful cast of characters and stages to duke it out with friends, locally or online, or work together to protect your gem from goblins by upgrading your abilities in the tower defence mode!
Randomized course layout for each time you play. Golfing In Aether accomplishes this through having each of the holes being its own independent floating island. There are currently 80 holes excluding variations in the game. The game will choose these at random from a pool at the start of a session and procedurally create the overall course layout.
Paint by Pixel is a relaxing puzzle game where you create beautiful works of art one pixel at a time.
Choose between brush or fill mode, recolor your drawings to personalize them, and use zoom and the magnifying glass to focus on details.
Monument – Ultimate Edition – £6.29
Hardcore classic gameplay. Huge hordes of monsters. Send evil chickens, aliens and other evil spirits to the grave, like the good old days. Play with your best friends: shotgun, machine gun, plasma gun and a homemade rifle.
Once a block is ignited, fire spreads quickly, burning and destroying the surrounding blocks.
Blocks and sushi will then fall into the burnt-out space from above.
Your mission is to make the most of this basic rule, making the sushi fall to the bottom to rescue them.
Along the way, you’ll also need to make use of meticulous strategies, such as detonating bombs to destroy walls in one fell swoop or creating and using items to control your firepower.
Rescue the sushi in succession to form combos and get a large number of points!
Live Action-BIT THEATER “ROUTE YONROKU” – £1.77
Suzunone Miu and Rinto will perform a live show in “Live Action-BIT THEATER”! Topping off the live show with energetic voices and sounds assigned to the buttons will make the live show even more fun!
There are 10 types of voices, 2 types of loop sounds and 2 types of one-shot sounds available for topping. Enjoy a free live show without set timing or musical scores!!
Exographer is an exploration game based in science. Become an explorer, stranded in an alien planetoid, and discover the secrets of an extinct civilization. Gain new powers to avoid dangers and obstacles in your journey, and use your camera to reveal particles and hidden clues.
Silver Axe – The Honest Elf – £15.79
Specially enhanced for Nintendo Switch™, this version brings a brand-new combat feel and superior ability system.
-Complete a fairy-tale epic adventure with the animals of the forest.
After the goddess fell asleep, the forest gradually began to collapse. Generation after generation, the Elves chose brave warriors who took up the goddess’s Silver Axe and returned to the forest, trying to save the goddess and the forest, but all failed. Now, you are the last chosen Elf Warrior, and it is your turn to complete this great adventure.
Rewind time and save the future in this hilarious time-travelling adventure game.
In six hours, Heaven will be destroyed. Unless you can save it. Use your powers of time travel to jump freely between the past and present across Heaven, Hell, Earth and Helheim.
Uncover information in one timeline to alter things in another in a bid to stop heaven from going bang. Again.
Games Advent Calendar 2024 – £12.99
In Games Advent Calendar 2024 you travel by train through a magical winter wonderland. Your journey is 25 magical days from the first of December till Christmas. Stop at each station for a new exciting gift. Get your game and just start playing.
Play alone or with friends and family and set the highest scores on the leaderboard to see who will become the winter champion. Enjoy the fun together as you can play with up to 8 people using only one controller – just pass on the controller to the next player. Challenge your friends to beat the highest score!
Creepy Tale: Some Other Place – £8.99
Creepy Tale is a mysterious adventure rich in riddles and eerie atmosphere. An autumn morning promised a quiet fishing trip, but events took Martin to “some other place.” Find the way home, uncover loads of secrets, and save everyone that you can.
Creepy Tale: Some Other Place tells a completely new story that takes place in our fairytale world. A dynamic quest awaits you, packed with vivid events and characters.
We pay great attention to detail and make our games with love. Share our passion for scary stories and dive into a dark tale filled with wonderful music and stop-frame animation. Awaiting you are a load of interesting puzzles that will bring pleasure to players of any age.
In this electrifying game you will collect cards, evolve your characters to become powerful enough to eliminate entire hordes of zombies
Ricky wakes up all alone in a robot apocalypse.
Little did they know that this was exactly what he had been waiting for!
– Try to achieve the highest score while staying alive as long as possible!
– Synchronise your gun polarity with the robots to score maximum points!
– Keep recharging your gun, and use your hard earned coins to upgrade your abilities!
Insectum – Epic Battles of Bugs – £8.99
Face off against your rivals on the battlefield by strategically using cards.
Defend your nests and conquer your opponent’s to achieve victory.
Refine your strategy and train your army through 60 challenging levels.
Confront the dangers of diverse battlefields, from carnivorous plants to ice storms and blazing volcanoes.
Collect enough venom to unlock new attacks and gather elixir to evolve your insects.
Don’t forget, you can also challenge your friends in multiplayer mode and prove who the true master strategist is!
Insectum awaits you. Are you ready for the challenge?
Building your castle and becoming a lord on an island is what you are going to do in Let’s Castle. The Queen orders you to sit on this small plot of land and develop a castle.
The main focus of this game is building. You will build a small castle from a large pool of objects. You can also build specific blueprints called Queen’s orders and organise a protection system for your mansion.
Firebat – Revolution is a brick-breaker game with retro graphics and music reminiscent of the demo-scene era. Follow the game’s story, upgrade the ball and the pad, progress on the islands step by step, break down obstacles brick by brick.
Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition – £24.99
It’s been twenty five years since the intrepid invertebrates flung themselves onto our screens. To celebrate this we have brought the much loved title back with Worms™ Armageddon Anniversary edition.
Re-live 1999 with this faithful rendition of Worms™ Armageddon. With all the hilarious fun and madness you know and love.
New Display features to suit modern hardware. An interactive documentary about Worms Armageddon alongside a museum timeline charting the history of the series. Also included is a fully playable version of the game for the world’s most popular retro handheld.
Next week: SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patrick Star Game, I*CHU: Chibi Edition, Circus of TimTim, Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, Meiji Tokyo Renka Full Moon, Dawngrown, Skautfold: Into The Fray, Planetiles, Damikira, Soul Stalker, KILL KNIGHT, Tower Hoverl Korean Drone Flying Tour Jeju Island-2, and Urban Skater – Skateboard Delivery City Challenge.