PS5, Xbox Series and PC owners are currently getting lost in the colossal RPG duo Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Turns out the Switch isn’t without a smattering of RPGs this week either, if last week’s Lunar Remastered Collection wasn’t enough to be getting on with.
Maliki: Poison of the Past is out now, based on a comic book series that combines French and Japanese sensibilities. It sees a family battling together to stop an alien plant creature, and features a turn-based battle system in which enemies can be propelled into the past and future.
The Metacritic currently sits at 76%. “This lighthearted adventure blends ridiculous humor with genuinely serious themes, creating a distinctive atmosphere. While the action elements might not deliver pulse-pounding excitement, the game engages players through numerous other compelling aspects,” said GameSpace.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy meanwhile is out today, coming from the minds behind Danganronpa and Zero Escape. In this tactical battler, student Takumi and 13 others must protect a school from invaders for the next 100 days, with each having unique skills.
Nintendo World Report awarded it a 9.5 while praising the characters, plot and tactical elements.
Another tactical battler due is the fantasy creature controlling Sunderfolk, intended to be a couch co-op experience similar to a tabletop game – with each player using not a controller but rather a phone app to control the action. Ex-Blizzard staff have worked on the project, and early impressions appear positive.
We can also expect the top-down dungeon crawler 9th Dawn Remake, with 45 dungeons to beat and online/local co-op. The PC version has ‘very positive’ user reviews on Steam.
Then there’s Old Skies, a time travelling point ‘n click adventure that has been reviewing well, currently boasting an 82% Metacritic. “ It may not deviate heavily from the genre’s formula, but the way the game bakes the time-travel aspects into some of the puzzle-solving provides a number of highs, and Fia’s touching story and the twists along the way are worth experiencing,” was Digital Spy’s verdict.
On the retro side of things, there’s the clunkily named Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics. Available for just under £23, it includes a mixture of brawlers, dodgeball sims, puzzle games, and a couple of oddities. The focus appears to be on the fact that these are rather deep cuts of Technos history that many won’t have played before.
On the same subject, there’s JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Magic John & Totally RAD, which combines two Famicom/NES platformers, with Magic John being the Japanese release and Totally RAD being the surfer lingo-laden localised version. It should be interesting to see the differences between the two, featuring ‘totally’ different plots and characters.
Other releases for this week include the hex-based puzzler Hegzis, the Japanese village set psychic adventure Atama, top down shooter Deep Deep Deep Nightmare, and the cosy farming/exploration game Sunseed Island. There’s a bunch of spot the difference/hidden object games, and not one but two clothing shop management sims too, but the less said about these the better. Hopefully, the Switch 2 can keep shovelware to a minimum.
New Switch eShop releases
Each player picks one of six classes (Arcanist, Bard, Berserker, Pyromancer, Ranger, or Rogue). Together, players venture out into the Sunderlands and engage in turn-based tactical combat. During combat, there is no set player turn order, so your strategy can adapt at a moment’s notice to react to evolving battlefield conditions. With new enemies appearing at every turn, it’s up to your party to co-operatively find the best path to success.
The game follows Maliki and her endearing found-family as they battle a sprawling, invasive plant entity known as Poison — a threat spreading through time itself. With real-world backdrops (hello, Paris!), heartfelt stakes, and a magical twist, this journey explores humanity’s place in nature with nuance and empathy.
Super Technos World: River City & Technos Arcade Classics – £22.74
This exciting collection brings you 12 games in one, from developer Technos Japan known for creating the legendary River City and Double Dragon series. This variety pack of titles includes some gems that haven’t been widely ported before! From arcade classics to region-exclusive titles, you’ll have plenty to explore in this collection! Get your hands on these highly exclusive games of legend!
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- – £49.99
When Takumi Sumino wakes up in a strange school surrounded by otherworldly fire, all he wants is to go home. But his self-appointed “Commanding Officer,” Sirei, has other ideas.
Takumi and the other students are tasked with defending the school from grotesque monsters known as School Invaders for the next 100 days, with the fate of humanity itself on the line.
What is Last Defense Academy? Who are the School Invaders? And what is the truth behind this war?
Fia Quinn is a time traveler, accompanying clients of the ChronoZen Time Travel Agency on jumps to other eras to make sure they don’t rewrite important aspects of history. Some of these people are merely curious. Others have unresolved business. As long as they can pay for the trip, their motivations don’t matter to Fia… until they do.
Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club TOKIMEKI Roadmap to Future – £33.50
As you interact with the different members, your memories will change…?
Accumulate precious memories and strengthen the bond between you and the members!
Put your brain to the test across dozens of unique challenges in Hegzis, a chill hex-grid puzzle game presented in colourful 2D style! Select a stage from Serene Beach, Whispering Forest and more, then progress through multiple levels in each world, placing pieces of connected hexes to form lines in any direction.
Cave of Illusions surrounds a series of events in Looninville, New Hampshire, where an eight-year-old girl vanishes abruptly. Her name was Addie Baker, and strangely enough, she is not the first to disappear in Looninville. For Lesley Jacobson, now a private phenomenon investigator, Addie Baker was her best friend and neighbor growing up. Twenty-eight-years later, Lesley is still haunted by the night Addie disappeared, as she was the only one to witness it, or was she?
In a world of mysterious mazes, every move could mean the difference between glory and defeat. With limited moves, you must carefully plan each step to reach the jewel before time runs out. But beware! The path is filled with deadly dangers—sharp spikes, tricky arrows, and strategic teleporters that can either be your salvation or your downfall.
Use psychic powers in Atama to see through the eyes of your pursuers to avoid detection as you investigate a cursed rural Japanese village. You can’t fight back; you must rely only on your abilities and your wits to avoid your enemies.
9th Dawn Remake is a massive open world RPG bursting with dungeon-crawling adventure. The game has been lovingly re-created based on the original 9th Dawn game released in 2012 … which spawned the 9th Dawn series you know and love! Play in single-player mode, or with a friend with Online or Local co-op modes! Experience a vast world filled with huge new dungeons, hordes of monsters, and ridiculous amounts of loot!
Deep Deep Deep Nightmare – £8.99
Deep Deep Deep Nightmare is a 2D Top Down Shooter. A little boy didn’t listen to his mother’s warnings that eating too much at night would cause nightmares. Now, he must face hordes of monsters and defeat the nightmare bosses to escape.
Welcome to Sunseed Island, the perfect escape for cozy gamers who love to farm, explore, and collect! Rebuild a lost village, befriend magical creatures, grow crops, fish in tranquil waters, and upgrade your tools. Discover the secrets of a mystical tree and reconnect the scattered islands!
Two years have passed since the events of The Fairy’s Song, and Marnie has been happily living together with her adorable girlfriend, Lisbeth. Marnie is worried about her grandmother, Iris, who lives in the small, scenic village of Fenchapel.
JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Magic John & Totally RAD – £7.19
You can play the original Magic John in English.
Enjoy the different characters and nuances of the story compared to Totally RAD.
Next week: MotoGP 25, Spellcaster University, CybeRage, Cooking Companions, Ogu and the Secret Forest, Preserve, Witching Stone, Blazing Trail, Seedsow Lullaby, 2weistein in Rongerland, and Beyond Memories – Tales From the Heart.