Nintendo systems, try as they might, have never been renowned for racing games, lacking a major franchise to compete with Forza and Gran Turismo. This may soon change, with the Switch 2’s extra horsepower able to do the genre justice. We’ve already seen GRID: Legends on Nintendo’s latest, and this week sees two other established racers go head-to-head.
Asphalt Legends launches as a free-to-play release, focusing on online modes – as well as offering local split screen – and boasts over 700 vehicles. Having established itself on other systems, it likely has years’ worth of content and updates too. Gear.Club Unlimited 3 meanwhile is a full price release (£44.99), with tracks set in Japan and some 40 licensed vehicles to customise and take to the tarmac.
Dozens of other noteworthy games are due, including NiS America’s latest RPG revival Ys X: Proud Nordics for Switch 2, now with quality of life improvements and a time-trial dungeon. The £62.99 price tag did raise our eyebrows, although it’s worth bearing in mind that additional work has gone into this version, originally a Japan-only release on the vanilla Switch.
Another RPG revival on the cards is WiZmans World Re;Try – a HD remaster of a 2010 DS game, handled back then by Jaleco. The combat system is said to be simple yet deep, and the UI has been altered to suit modern consoles. New music tracks have been added, too. Square-Enix are also back, not with an RPG but rather a visual novel sequel. PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse involves solving a mystery on an isle, starring a cast of peculiar characters. Then there’s Calamity Angels: Special Delivery, a cartoony RPG adventure starring a rag-tag bunch of couriers, published by Idea Factory.
Sci-fi fans may want to investigate Lost In Space – The First Adventure – a point ‘n clicker based on the 1960’s TV show – and Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown, a strategic affair with a story to follow and roguelike elements. The ‘What if?’ storytelling should please fans of the show, and generally, it looks more authentic than past Star Trek games.
We can also expect the SNES-style top down adventure UNDER THE ISLAND – which currently has an 85% Metacritic – cartoony choose your own adventure Baladins, and the BAFTA nominated, highly acclaimed, visual novel Vampire Therapist. Turns out after centuries of self-loathing, ol’ toothy chops has quite a bit of emotional baggage.
Also new to the Switch are the acclaimed pen ‘n paper style roguelike Caves of Qud, colourful 2.5D skateboarding platformer Seafrog, surreal first-person horror Backrooms Level X, the 25+ hour long card-based battler Death Howl, the Minecraft inspired Outpath, pixel art horror platformer Love Eternal, and eastasiasoft’s Book of Korvald – which looks like it may compare favourably to last week’s God of War 2D spin-off.
Retro fans are well catered for too. The 1990 Japanese RPG MUGEN NO SHINZOU III gains an EGGCONSOLE release, Tatio’s Adventure Canoe is this week’s Arcade Archive’s re-release, and there’s a new surprise Console Archive’s re-release as well – the Famicom shoot’em up construction kit Dezaemon, which went on to gain 3D sequels.
Limited Run is about to launch their Ren & Stimpy retro collection too, which includes seven versions of five different games from the ‘90s, originally released by THQ on the NES, SNES and Game Boy. This means the two games based on the controversial cartoon released by SEGA are missing. So, it doesn’t seem we’ll be able to hunt shaven yaks anytime soon.
New Switch eShop releases
Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown – £32.49 (Switch 2)
Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown is a story-driven survival strategy game in which the fate of the iconic starship is in your hands. Take the helm, manage the ship and resources, and make difficult decisions. Will you be able to bring home the ship and its crew?
Gear.Club Unlimited 3 – £44.99 (Switch 2)
Having attracted millions of players for nearly 10 years, the Gear.Club series finally returns with Gear.Club Unlimited 3! For the first time in the series, you can now explore the asphalt roads of Japan as well as the French Mediterranean coast. Drive over 40 prestigious cars from the biggest automotive brands and customize every detail: paint, bodywork, rims, mechanical performance… Create a car that reflects your individuality and show off your style on a wide range of spectacular race tracks.
Ys X: Proud Nordics – £62.99 (Switch 2)
Stand Proud for a new adventure in Ys X: Proud Nordics! Experience Adol and Karja’s unforgettable journey across Obelia Gulf with new quality of life improvements, then discover the new story centering around Öland Island, and the mysterious newcomers Canute and Astrid. And once you’re ready, challenge yourself in the devious, time-trial dungeon of Muspelheim, where every second counts. Your new adventure awaits!
Asphalt Legends – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – £0.00 (Switch 2)
Speed through intense arcade races, perform jaw-dropping stunts, and charge to victory in the coolest hypercars! Join global multiplayer races, challenge up to 7 opponents across platforms, or dominate in local split-screen. Connect with friends, create private lobbies, and join racing Clubs for exclusive rewards. Choose from over 300 hypercars such as Ferrari and Porsche, conquer iconic tracks worldwide, and enjoy high-speed racing with detailed vehicles and stunning effects. Customize your ride with unique paint, rims, and parts to showcase your style on the road to racing greatness!
Calamity Angels: Special Delivery – £26.99
Lead a rag-tag group of kooky carriers in this delivery service RPG as they protect and trek packages through treacherous terrain, unruly monsters, and meet other sneaky delivery service teams ready to stake their claim as the best delivery service in the Orkotris Region!
Rain or shine—a new adventure awaits with every package!
Guide vampires through centuries of emotional baggage, decades of delusions and the odd bout of self-loathing with real cognitive behavioral therapy concepts and become a Vampire Therapist! Even vampires need a shoulder to cry on when a neck to bite just won’t do.
PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse – £19.99
A brand new PARANORMASIGHT tale begins in Ise-Shima, Japan – a region rich in mermaid legends.
Join a cast of fascinating characters investigating the mysteries of the Mermaids of Ise. Unravel their different perspectives on the case and guide the story to its thrilling conclusion.
Lost In Space – The First Adventure – £8.99
Ready for a brand new Lost in Space adventure? Explore treacherous environments, solve puzzles and mysteries as you investigate the disappearance of the other members of the Jupiter 2!
After being trapped in a cave on a late-night rock hunting excursion, Will returns to the spaceship only to find that it’s been raided during the night! Team up with the mercurial Dr. Smith and the always-faithful Robot, to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of Will’s parents, his sisters as well as Major Don West.
Lost in Space – the First Adventure will return you to the imaginative world of the beloved 60’s television series. The game is designed to be the spiritual “fourth season” that fans have always craved. Recreated with loving detail to perfectly capture the personalities of all the members of the Jupiter 2.
With his family slain and village destroyed, Korvald is branded a heretic and seemingly condemned to death, but the truth of his torment is part of a bigger and more sinister agenda! Join forces with beautiful warrior nuns, alluring mythical figures and interdimensional creatures to prevent our world from being devoured. Can you contain your primal urges and fight to survive?
Book of Korvald is a side-scrolling 2D action-adventure where each chapter takes place across an entire country, spanning more than 30 areas of Scandinavia and beyond. Control Korvald as he makes key decisions, encounters dozens of memorable characters and wields a huge variety of weapons against his foes, from axes and swords to whips and maces! Use runes to unleash powerful elemental spells or summon creatures to assist you. Customize your skills to match your playstyle and face off against 30 unique bosses!
Welcome to WiZmans World Re;Try! This is a thrilling RPG adventure with a fantastic story that changes based on your choices, and a deep yet simple battle system. Make full use of the timeline above the screen to develop your strategy: read the enemy’s HP, the attack order, everyone’s status, and aim for the most effective way to win. Water is stronger than Fire, Fire is stronger than Wind, Wind is stronger than Earth, and Earth is stronger than Water. Keep this in mind and use the best attacks to counter the enemy. Don’t forget to chain attacks to defeat enemies quickly!
Run, jump, and reverse the flow of gravity itself to escape the mind of a selfish god in this challenging precision platformer. Play as Maya, a child stolen from her family on the whim of a lonely, forsaken deity, and make your way through over 100 screens filled with spikes, lasers, switches, and traps as you unravel the horrifying secret of your new prison.
Taking Satisfactory, Forager and the gratifying gameplay loop of clicker/idle games as references, Outpath would be just that. Exploit your environment, craft, build and automate your base in this 3D first-person platformer!
Gather. Craft. Build. Explore. Relax. No time limits, no pressure, play at your own pace and style.
Gather, collect and manage resources.
Step into the myth-shrouded lands where the hunter Ro begins her journey to bring her son back from the dead. Immerse yourself in the depths of the Spirit World, fractured into 4 realms and scarred with 13 distinct regions. Confront over 30 enemy types and harness the potential of more than 160 cards, forging unique archetypes and a multitude of powerful combinations. A dark journey awaits you, spanning 25+ hours of gameplay, with numerous enthralling side quests and grim boss battles.
Horror Tale 2: Remaster – £9.99
Start a scary adventure and be the first to solve all the mysteries of this horror game! You’ll have to immerse yourself in a thrilling and exciting adventure together with the main characters! Children have been missing for a long time in Lakewitch, and you are destined to solve this creepy mystery. Who is the kidnapper, and why is he doing it?
EGGCONSOLE MUGEN NO SHINZOU III PC-8801mkIISR – £5.39
Originally released by Crystal Soft in 1990, this classic RPG follows the series’ tradition of seamless storytelling. Just as “II” picked up right after the conclusion of the first game, this title begins the moment “II” ends. The story starts with a veteran warrior, who has survived countless adventures in the Dream World (Mugen-kai), finally returning to the nostalgic sights of their home world.
This game introduces a four-zone rhythm system that divides the screen into distinct areas.
Notes travel from the edges toward the center—time your inputs perfectly to stay on beat.
Play with controller inputs or touchscreen controls and enjoy the game your way.
The mechanics are simple, using only single notes and simultaneous inputs, but achieving perfect accuracy takes skill.
Stillborn Slayer is a dark fantasy action roguelike built around fast, punishing combat and replayable procedural runs.
Battle through a grim, hostile world filled with monstrous enemies, relying on skill, timing, and adaptability to survive. Death is expected — and progression comes from understanding the systems and improving with each attempt.
In a place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, a strange accident occurred on October 27, 1986. Everything was recorded on a VHS tape.
Enter the eerie world of Backrooms Level X, a first-person horror game that immerses you in an endless labyrinth of desolate and surreal spaces. After a freak accident, you find yourself trapped in the Backrooms, a place where logic and reality vanish. Explore endless corridors of yellow carpet, empty rooms and areas of flickering light as you try to find a way out. But beware: you are not alone. Mysterious entities lurk in the shadows, and every sound may be the last you hear.
Seafrog is an action-platformer mashed with the movement of lite-skateboarding. Grind, kick-flip and find the flow with a rocket-powered wrench that moves smoother than a buttered beluga!
Embark on your quest as one of the Baladins: the imaginative Cook, the crafty Luxomancer, the strapping Dancer, the expressive Pyro, or the ever-charismatic Bard. United by their passion for happiness, each Baladin brings their own unique skills to the table and can hone their talents further throughout the adventure by making choices and collecting items.
True Fear: Forsaken Souls – Part 3 – £8.99
True Fear: Forsaken Souls – Part 3 concludes the acclaimed thriller trilogy with gripping point-and-click mechanics, challenging puzzles, and a haunting atmosphere. Uncover answers, confront the Stonehouse family’s demon, and experience an unforgettable horror finale.
Decide: is it a dying earth, or is it on the verge of rebirth?
Do anything and everything. Caves of Qud is a deeply simulated, biologically diverse, richly cultured world.
Play the role of a mutant indigenous to the salt-spangled dunes and jungles of Qud, or play a true kin descendant from one of the few remaining eco-domes — the toxic arboreta of Ekuemekiyye, the ice-sheathed arcology of Ibul, or the crustal mortars of Yawningmoon.
Jump into an epic journey from total newbie to legendary skater! Navigate through hostile turf in quick, intense sessions, taking down the Skate Bums one by one. But beware – they don’t play fair! To rise to the top, you’ll need to master your environment, outsmart your rivals, and shred through gnarly multi-layered levels with undeniable style.
Blaze of Storm is a vertical-scrolling shmup featuring cyber-inspired pixel art, exhilarating fast-scrolling, and a variety of sub-weapons.
As a cyberdiver, you’ll delve into cyberspace and battle a diverse range of enemies. Each of the five selectable sub-weapons has its own unique characteristics, making it fun to use them appropriately depending on the situation.
Welcome Proxima, we are Counter Horror, an organisation of scientists and occultists who have combined forces to take on the evil threatening our universe. You have been in stasis for some time, you have been awoken to aid in our fight.
Your psyche level is stable for now, but it won’t be for long, the closer to the outer gods, the less stable humanity becomes, use your military training to end them. Failure is not an option Commander.
Your mission is simple, defend Earth and destroy the Outer Gods.
Play as one of many Proxima’s used to help defend humanity in this turn-based, roguelike, intergalactic deck builder!
Dr. Cavor is trapped inside the moon! Held captive by the mysterious Selenites, Dr. Cavor endeavors to escape to the surface and from there to Earth! But first he must match wits with the dwellers of the lunar underworld, whose catacombs are complex and deadly! Dr. Cavor has but two tools at his disposal: his unique genius and his prize invention, the anti-gravity spray ‘Cavorite’.
He must match wits with the Selenites. He must avoid perils. He must battle monsters. And above all, he must escape the moon!
Soulkin is a tactical, Roguelite game that blends strategic monster-collecting with turn-based combat. As the summoned heroine, Nadia, you’ll harness the power of Souls to bond with magical creatures and lead them against the encroaching corruption threatening Ankiril.
Uncover a sinking mystery and step into the role of Nia, a newcomer to Seashell Island – and join forces with local girl Avocado to investigate an ominous fate – the island’s destined to sink beneath the ocean! Explore colorful regions, battle strange creatures, and uncover the ancient mysteries that could threaten your new home.
Next week: Resident Evil Requiem, Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition, The Disney Afternoon Collection, Resident Evil 7 biohazard Gold Edition, Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, Tales of Berseria Remastered, FUR Squadron Phoenix, Tiny Garden, NemoSphere, Trials Of Randoom, Aquamarine: Explorer’s Edition, Path of Mystery: A Brush with Death, Golfing Over It with Alva Majo, Sands of Aura, Maid Cafe on Electric Street, Afterplace, Peaceful Fishing Story, and Hunt the Night.