We should have known a Nintendo Direct was planned for this week. A telling sign is that the Switch eShop line-up looks slimmer than usual, ready for shadow drops. It’s always the way.
Consequently, available now on Switch are Rise of the Tomb Raider and SnowRunner, courtesy of Aspyr and Sabre, respectively. Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration dates to 2015 and was the second release following the 2013 reboot. For a time, it was an Xbox exclusive. It includes all season pass content and DLC, plus a bunch of outfits and weapons. SnowRunner, meanwhile, was first released in 2020 and is the sequel to MudRunner, tasking you with using heavy vehicles to overcome harsh terrain. Both are welcome additions to the Switch 2.
The Switch 2 also gains to a T – the quirky adventure starring a 13-year-old trapped in a T-pose – the highly acclaimed RPG Sea of Stars, and the online train track construction sim Unrailed 2: Back on Track, which involves placing tracks across procedurally generated environments while the train is running. The PC version appears to have found an audience.
Staying on track, there’s also a belated release of Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor for the original Switch. It’s powered by Train Sim World and offers eight stories to play through.
There’s also the cosy, sky-high survival adventure Solarpunk, the crime-solving FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol, the dark Metroidvania Beholgar 2, the raucous side-scrolling platformer Love Chemistry – Sibella’s Formula, the handless deckbuilding roguelike Mori Carta, and the tactical, turn-based, ninja-starring puzzler Arashi Gaiden. Ubisoft’s Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains might be out too – it’s showing on the eShop for release this week, yet versions for other consoles aren’t due until the end of the month. So who knows.
Hamster meanwhile are lining up new Arcade Archives and Console Archives releases: Konami’s top down pool sim Rack’em Up from 1987, and Koei’s 8-bit hex based battler L’Empereur – based on Napoleon’s conquests.
New Switch eShop releases
SnowRunner puts you in the driver’s seat of powerful vehicles as you conquer extreme open environments with the most advanced terrain simulation ever. Drive 40 vehicles from brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Freightliner as you leave your mark on an untamed open world.
Overcome mud, torrential waters, snow, and frozen lakes while taking on perilous contracts and missions. Expand and customize your fleet with many upgrades and accessories including an exhaust snorkel for heavy waters or chain tires to battle the snow.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration – £26.99 – Switch 2
No turning back… Discover the secrets of Kitezh and survive the forces of Trinity on Lara’s first tomb raiding expedition!
Our fierce explorer is back to encounter the unknown. Embark on Lara’s most treacherous journey through Siberia to the lost city of Kitezh and unlock the mysteries of the past.
to a T is a narrative adventure game that portrays the extraordinary life of a 13-year-old teenager, whose body happens to be in the shape of the letter “T.” They live in a modest seaside town that they explore by foot, train, or even their favorite unicycle, and interact with a the charming cast of characters who live there.
From teenager’s loyal fluffy canine companion and their caring mother, to a gang of despicable bullies and a giraffe that makes the most scrumptious sandwiches. After a chance encounter, the teenager discovers a newfound ability, and a story begins to unravel around a mysterious object enveloped in light that falls from the sky.
Thomas & Friends: Wonders of Sodor – £29.99
Join Thomas and his friends on a special journey across Sodor! Hop into the cabs of North Western Railway’s classic steam team to enjoy nostalgic stories and all-new narratives right from the drivers’ seats. Explore the Wonders of Sodor – fun and magic await!
FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol – £10.99
Put on your gloves and enter the crime scene. In this investigation sim, you will have to solve 9 unique cases full of plot twists.
From dark alleys to quiet suburban streets, every location hides secrets. Use advanced forensic tools and evidence reconstruction to piece together what really happened. There are no shootouts, no action clichés, only logic, observation, and investigation. Here, you don’t hunt criminals with guns… you catch them with science.
Sea of Stars – £29.50 – Switch 2
Sea of Stars tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fighting off the monstrous creations of an evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
Solarpunk is a relaxed survival craft sandbox game, handcrafted by just two devs.
Alone or together with your friends, you can construct creative buildings, decorate your home with a huge selection of furniture and objects, grow and cook food, craft gadgets, and explore distant islands in your own airship.
Use sunlight and wind to create an energy system and automate your processes, like gathering resources and watering your plants.
Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker – £13.99
Once Upon A Time…
…you find yourself in a little, bleary portside town in the south-east of Phesoa. There, 36 years before the events of Tavern Talk, you dive into the role of the Tavernkeep, the owner of The Drowsy Dragon, a small quayside bar on the coast of Borkam.
You have a special ability, gifted by one of the Great Dragon Gods or acquired through wizardly hubris: Mixing magic drinks that can alter the fate of your guests—be it mean mercenaries, savvy sailors or ambitious adventurers. Every guest, no matter who they are, has a place in your warm tavern by the seaside.
Poetic Trio is a themed set of three games. A game about rain (Pluviophile), a game about snow (Chionophile), and a game about wind (Loverowind). All in one. The core aspect of each game is the atmosphere. It is recommended for those who mostly seek to experience the mood.
Pluviophile is a short experience about the mood of rain in the woods. It is a slow-paced pure walking simulator; you only walk, slowly, in the wilderness away from civilization. A beautiful poem from Julius Cawein accompanies your short journey; and the original music score that is composed by Pınar Karabaş.
Unrailed 2: Back on Track – £17.99
Unrailed 2: Back on Track – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition – £17.99
Unrailed 2: Back on Track brings chaotic local and online multiplayer track-building action to the next level – band together with friends to collaborate and build your track across new procedurally generated worlds – WHILST the train is running! So think fast, with more freedom than ever before, and conquer new obstacles in your way – before your trains becomes… a trainwreck!
Endless job search. Hunt for the best resume. Die in someone else’s dream. Frame HR for murders. And fail in the backrooms
Return once again to the brutal world of Beholgar in a dark Metroidvania adventure that blends medieval fantasy with the mysticism of the Arabian Nights.
Explore forgotten kingdoms, uncover hidden secrets, forge your own combat style, and fight against the inevitable doom threatening all existence.
A fast-paced Aerial Roguelite Hack and Slash where Insane Combos and pure aggression are all that stand between you and death. Step into the paws of a Raincoat Cat and face an infernal journey with nothing but your Umbrella as a Weapon!
Love Chemistry – Sibella’s Formula – £5.49
Take the role of an unhinged lady chemist in raucous side-scrolling platformer Love Chemistry – Sibella’s Formula! Shoot syringes of your special mind-control formula at weird enemies, from robots and carnivorous plants to roving bookworms, and make your way through tricky corridors in old-school pixel art style!
Avoid thorny spike traps, climb ladders to reach higher platforms, dodge projectiles and manipulate foes into falling for your flirty charms. Find and collect health items to keep this wild adventure on track as you battle through laboratories, cityscapes and more, zipping between stages on your high-tech hover bike!
Mori Carta is a handless deckbuilding roguelike. Choose left or right on every card to adventure through stories. Simple decisions lead to rich and rewarding gameplay. Four dramatically different characters with their own unique card sets, more than 1000 playable cards, over 185 unique enemies.
Under the fluttering cherry blossoms on the streets of Japan, your cross-cultural romance adventure begins now! The game authentically recreates famous Japanese landmarks, where four distinctively charming Japanese girls await to meet you. Amid sweet dates, a life-or-death chase suddenly erupts on Tokyo’s late-night streets, and you accidentally stumble upon the underworld’s dark dealings of power and lust – beneath the romantic surface, a surging undercurrent of life-and-death choices lies hidden. Scenes you never dared to imagine come at you one after another! Tear through the crisis with courage, lock onto true feelings with perfect chemistry.
Reel it! World Fishing – £11.00
Let’s go fishing on the Nintendo Switch™!
Travel to different world locations like North America, Europe, Africa, and the Amazon!
Each spot is home to lots of unique fish to discover!
Play solo, or compete with up to 4 players using one Joy-Con™ each!
Become the world’s greatest angler!
A peaceful picnic turns into a big adventure when Judy wakes up to find her house key gone!
Run, jump, slip, and explore through colorful forests, golden cities, metallic sewers, and secret filled areas in this charming retro platforming adventure.
Decorate the homes of your cute doll friends with carefully crafted furniture. From charming rabbit cafes to emotionally rich chick camping sites, new stories bloom wherever your touch reaches. But simple decoration isn’t everything. Explore regions with their own mysterious characteristics and bravely overcome the obstacles you encounter. The rare materials you discover after hard work will make your space even more special. Start your heartwarming deco journey right now!
Help Xi navigate a five-day time loop and figure out what happened to her memories in a vast hand-drawn world.
Together with her companion, Ouro, travel through a true metroidvania world where time changes the terrain in subtle ways. Escape the loop through exploration and battle. Change Xi’s fate and learn the truth of the Dragon Loop!
Urban Jungle is a charming and relaxing simulation game that invites you to transform ordinary apartments into a lush, green haven by placing delightful plants with savvy. But no worries, you won’t have to deal with watering or pest control – the plants just need a good spot, and that’s enough to create to comfiest and coziest home of them all. Oh, and don’t forget to pet your cat!
Astrid wakes up in Purgatory and she doesn’t remember anything.
Point and click your way through adventure-based gameplay mixed with visual novel storytelling. Solve the mystery of our heroine’s unexplained and unusual death.
Experience a heartfelt story where your choices matter, with five different interactive routes. Feel your way through a charming, funny, dramatic and moving narrative full of compelling characters, brought to life by partial voice acting.
Far from home and full of determination, a tiny frog sets off on the adventure of a lifetime. Explore a vibrant, storybook world brimming with secrets — from sun-dappled forests and cobblestone town squares to the towering halls of a grand castle, patrolled by a not-so-friendly giant guard.
Arashi Gaiden is a turn-based action game with fast-paced dash and slash combat. Use the dash mechanic to quickly traverse levels and slice your enemies in half in style, combining your blade with shurikens, teleports and chains that paralyze your opponents.
Next week: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, Junkster, Denshattack, R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos, #DRIVE Rally, Grand Vegas Casino, Soccer Kid Collection (QUByte Classics), Parking Garage Rally Circuit, The Last Salvage Squad, DUNGEON RAZE, Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked, Car Guys, P.I.S. File, Alien Cat 2 – Retro Collection, and Roger, Inversion: The Single Path, and Jurnal Risa: Dark Destiny.