The anticipated Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is just a week away, being one of the few first-party Switch titles Nintendo has released so far this year. If you’re looking for something to play before becoming engrossed in its 60+ hour journey, this week’s assortment of eShop titles likely holds a standout or two.
We’ve reviewed two of this week’s new releases ourselves. Beyond the Ice Palace II is a long time coming sequel to a 1988 action platformer. The developers have intended to keep things faithful, as this isn’t yet another Metroidvania – it’s an arcade style side-scroller with a tough difficulty, and light RPG elements. We found the main character a bit sluggish compared to the nimble protagonists most modern games feature, and the difficulty is rather unfair in places, with long treks between save points. Some critics enjoyed it more than us though, with a few 7/10s being bandied about. If you’re up for a challenge, it’s a safe enough purchase.
3D Don’t Die Mr. Robot meanwhile is a case of a simple idea done well, avoiding enemies and grabbing explosive fruits to generate a chain reaction of explosions. The online leaderboard seems competitive, and there are a few other modes to dip in and out of. It features quite a few nods to Geometry Wars, should that fact sway a purchasing decision.
Many critics have also been left smitten by Expelled (aka Expelled an Overboard Game), a detective sim based around a school prefect being pushed out of a high window. It’s your job to explore the school and uncover what happened – without being expelled. If this sounds like your thing, you may enjoy Centum too. It’s an adventure where the truth is constantly twisted, and every action is recorded. It seems to be going down well with genre fans.
Also of note are the clunkily named side-scrolling RPG Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Fulland of Water and Light, and the polished looking casual 3v3 hero mecha shooter BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team – which appears to be a mobile conversion. The product description notes that there are no microtransactions. It has a story mode, too, detailing each of the animalistic heroes.
Other releases for this week include the enhanced dungeon crawler collection FATE: Reawakened – which has very positive reviews on Steam – the colourful cross platform online racer Moorhuhn Kart 4, platformer Be Brave, Barb (from the creator of Dadish), and an EGGCONSOLE release of the 1986 Japanese shooter Super Xenon Gamma-5.
New Switch eShop releases
Beyond the Ice Palace 2 – £16.99
Arise from the abyss of death to reclaim your rightful throne in a captivating action platformer. Assume the mantle of the ‘Cursed King,’ wielding the chains that once imprisoned you, now transformed into formidable weapons to vanquish your enemies and navigate the perilous terrain of your shattered kingdom. Discover hidden areas, solve puzzles, and uncover secret treasures to feed your power as you prepare for epic battles against gruelling, colossal bosses. Level up strategically to overcome all who stand in your way and take your seat as the rightful king once more!
You’re a prisoner in a cell. You have to escape. But is that really the goal? Centum appears to be a point-and-click adventure, but beneath the surface is something altogether different.
3D Don’t Die Mr. Robot – £8.99
Take the role of Mr. Robot who has been trapped in a highly dangerous and rather fruity dimension called the Neon Dunjun. The only way to survive is to collect fruits which explode on contact, destroying any enemies in their blast radius, helping Mr. Robot to cheat death for a few more moments. To assist him further, exploding fruits set off a chain reaction, causing other fruit to explode – filling the screen with destruction and more importantly, POINTS!
Experience everything you already love about the FATE series in higher definition. Enjoy higher poly counts, real-time directional lighting, ambient occlusion, additional languages with full localized VO, and much more! The upgrades provide a deeper level of immersion all while staying faithful to what makes FATE … FATE.
Experience everything you already love about the FATE series in higher definition. Enjoy higher poly counts, real-time directional lighting, ambient occlusion, additional languages with full localized VO, and much more! The upgrades provide a deeper level of immersion all while staying faithful to what makes FATE … FATE.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? ~Fullland of Water and Light~ – £41.99
One fateful day, without any warning, the labyrinthine city of Orario was transformed.
In the sunken Orario, Bell and his group follow the trail of the characters as dictated in the heroic tale.
What they find there are an abundance of thoughts and feelings not depicted in “Fullland of Water and Light”.
A story tracing the hero’s trials and truth now unfolds…
Control Bell Cranel or Ais Wallenstein in this side-scrolling RPG, defeating monsters and advancing through stages to complete the story!
Leap into your kart and jump into the fastest poultry race of all time. This ultimate championship title chase offers you a brand new racing experience, with improved driving physics, revised cartoon graphics and head-over-wheels loops, alongside crossplay and online multiplayer too.
BEAST: Bio Exo Arena Suit Team – £8.99
Discover the new hit game from the developers of FRAG Pro Shooter!
BEAST is a high-energy Hero Shooter delivering quick, action-packed battles. Switch seamlessly between your powerful MECHA and agile PET as you explore an epic story mode or dive into intense multiplayer matches. Choose from a wide variety of heroes and engage in explosive, strategic combat – perfect for players seeking a fast, accessible, and thrilling challenge!
Pioneers against aliens! JustAxe is an exciting 2D platformer with puzzles, interactive environments and unusual setting! Solve riddles, combine your moves, and set out to save your hometown and possibly all of humanity… And don’t forget to take your axe with you!
1922. Miss Mulligatawney’s School for Promising Girls is one of the best boarding schools in England. You are Verity Amersham, here on a scholarship – and today you’re going to be expelled for attempted murder.
From the creators of Overboard! and A Highland Song comes a highly replayable detective game with an wicked twist. Can you escape expulsion through fair means – or foul? Can you find the culprit – or someone else to take the blame?
Barb the cactus has lost her positive affirmations! How will she get through the day? How will she face her fears? How will she defeat King Cloudy and his evil henchmen? I have no idea, but she’ll need to be brave to make it through this this gravity-bending platforming adventure!
Dive into intense hack-and-slash action as you battle through hordes of enemies in this exciting platformer! Explore worlds filled with dungeons, get powerful loot, and unlock a vast arsenal of weapons and skins.
A new iteration of a long beloved cross-dressing series boasting 10+ years makes its Nintendo Switch™ debut!
Witness the most gorgeous cross-dressing girl’s love story ever made in thoroughly animated glory!
ESCAPE SITE 13 immerses players in a shadow-laden, side-scrolling adventure inspired by the enigmatic lore of SCP containment. Set in an original universe, it draws subtle inspiration from SCP-1730 while spinning its own uniquely dark and captivating narrative.
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty – £10.79
During Chongzhen’s Reign (A.D. 1628-1644), land annexation reached unmitigated extremes, the country faced domestic issues and foreign invasions, coinciding with the catastrophic Little Ice Age. After many years of horrid disasters in succession one after another, the Ming court continued to impose inhumane policies resulting in widespread starvation and leading to the rise of multiple rebellions against the court.
QUIZ 50 Ways to Read the KANJI 生 – £2.24
The Japanese kanji “生” has multiple readings depending on the word it appears in.
This four-choice quiz game lets you enjoy learning its various pronunciations!
Ringo’s Roundup is a cute pathfinding puzzle game where you plan the route of Pustbunny Ringo’s car by placing various Effect Tiles on the environment.
Welcome to the Mini Football Cup, the ultimate test of skill and strategy! Compete in 4 competitive leagues and take on 3 exciting tournaments to prove your dominance on the field. Customise your tactics, upgrade your team in the shop, and refine your formations to outplay your opponents. Every match brings new challenges—do you have what it takes to rise to the top and claim the championship? Step onto the pitch and show the world your football skills!
You pilot a ship that orbits the BOSS automatically. PRESS the button to change the ship’s direction. But the less you change directions, the faster the ship goes. The faster you go, the faster you shoot. The faster you shoot, the faster you WIN! Make sure to WIN before the BOSS gets too angry and wipes you out!
Witchroid Vania: A Magical Girl’s Fantastical Adventures – £9.99
An exploration-type action game depicting one young girl’s journey to become a mage!
Freely explore huge open worlds!
Outside heroine Lily’s hometown, you’ll find all sorts of expansive lands. Make the leap to venture through East Village, Oak Forest, Hidden Cave, Dragon Ridge, Zalam Kingdom, and more. The order in which you proceed is up to you! Travel the world in search of new discoveries!
Korean Drone Flying Tour Ganghwa-do – £3.59
This game is a drone simulation game that allows you to experience real drone flight based on footage shot by a real flying drone.
There is no up, down, left or right direction control, only the control to increase or decrease the drone speed.
K-pop Idols Dating: Anime Love for B.SeveT – £13.90
Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of K-pop and discover 12 talented boys who dream of fame.
Each one has their own personality, aspirations, and style, but they all share one goal: to shine on stage.
Can you make them fall for you before their big debut takes them away forever?
Featuring authentic retro low-poly visuals and haunting sound design, Dark Receipt plunges you into a psychological horror experience where every flickering light and distorted texture builds mounting dread. Solve minor yet mysterious puzzles, engage with enigmatic characters, and piece together the truth behind your abduction while evading the shadows that stalk you through this warped reality.
EGGCONSOLE SUPER ZENON GAMMA 5 PC-8801mkIISR – £5.39
The M3 alien, who was at a disadvantage, sent a planet bomb called “Devil’s Star.” The team chosen to destroy the antiproton bomb’s detonator located in Area 31 is the Earth military G Squadron, 5th Unit, commonly known as “Gamma-5.”
‘Super Xenon Gamma-5’ is an action shooting game released in 1986 in Japan by Kure Software Workshop for the PC-8801.
The player becomes a warrior and progresses through interconnected stages, destroying enemy characters encountered along the way using six types of weapons. The necessary weapons, energy, and shields are hidden in each stage, so you will need to search for them while progressing through the game.
Next week: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land, Assault Suit Leynos 2 Saturn Tribute, MLB The Show 25, Scrap Divers, S. Prysm Destroyer, Escape From Mystwood Mansion, Ludo Party, and Tales of Autumn.