For a second week running, we’re being treated to a new first-party release from Nintendo. While this may seem peculiarly timed, Rhythm Paradise Groove (Rhythm Heaven Groove in the US) is for the original Switch, and aimed at a different demographic than last week’s Star Fox. A slightly different demographic, at least.
This is the long time coming follow-up to 2015’s Rhythm Heaven Megamix, and once again, it’s an offbeat mini-game collection with music from Tsunku. Reviews are mostly clocking in at 8/10, with a few critics claiming that it’s the perfect send off for the Switch. “Rhythm Heaven Groove is a superb sequel that expertly capitalizes on the captivating energy of its excellent music across a series of joyfully animated minigames. The solo campaign is well-balanced and stuffed with genre-shifting earworms you won’t forget fast,” said IGN.
GamesRadar echoed this. “Infectiously charming, Rhythm Heaven Groove’s simple musical mini-games are buoyed by smart game design that becomes more than the sum of its parts, inviting you onto the stage to master its odd-ball antics. Loaded with side-modes, Beatspell is a surprise RPG triumph that deserves more investment, but is a great first step.”
Ubisoft’s Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villains comes to both Switch systems. The Metacritic for the PS5 version sits at 70% currently. “Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs Villains offers up a showy, simplified version of the classic board game, for better or for worse. It’s entertaining enough for an hour or so, but it’s let down by its basic, luck-based minigames and the fact that you need at least four players (AI or human),” was GameSpew’s verdict.
We reviewed Clarity: The Seven Demons of Vanguardia yesterday. This is a cartoony action platformer from eastasiasoft, in which the red haired protag gains items to help them overcome the seven titular bosses. “It feels like it should be a Metroidvania in terms of the design, but for whatever reason the developer chose the easy option of a standard platformer instead,” we said before handing out a 6/10.
We’re still waiting on reviews for High On Life 2 on Switch 2. The consensus for the PS5/Xbox Series version was that this warped sci-fi shooter sequel is a marked improvement on the original, resulting in a mixture of 7s and 8s. It has quite a few retro games to play, too, including Radical Rex, B.O.B, and, uh, Bible Adventures.
On the subject of retro, this week’s Arcade Archives release is the early maze game Lady Bug, while the latest Console Archives re-release is Sunsoft’s anime style PS1 action game T.R.A.G.: Tactical Rescue Assault Group – Mission of Mercy, from 1998. You may know it as Hard Edge.
There’s the rock band-themed RPG Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands, too. This boasts a 15-20 hour play time, and no random encounters. “A refreshingly bold, brash, and unique take on turn-based RPGs that has enough personality and flair to justify a look if you’re seeking a deviation from the more polished norm,” was Nindie Sportlight’s verdict.
Other releases for this week include the emotional room decorating tale Momento, 2D pixel art roguelike shooter HYPERWIRED, the 90s-style point ‘n clicker Scholar Adventure, and a conversion of the mobile clicker The Legend Of Fireball.
New Switch and Switch 2 eShop releases
High On Life 2 – £30.49 – Switch 2
You’ve done it. You’ve taken down an intergalactic cartel, brought humanity back from the brink of extinction, and hunted dangerous bounties to the far corners of the galaxy. Bounty hunting has brought you fortune, fame and love; but when a mysterious figure from your past reappears and puts a price on your sister’s head, your cushy life gets thrown into chaos.
Do you have what it takes to risk it all and bring down an intergalactic conspiracy that once again threatens your favorite species (humans)?
High On Life RETURNS as you and your beloved rag-tag team of alien misfits shoot, stab, and skate your way through gorgeous, dangerous worlds all across the galaxy to blow up the EVIL pharmaceutical conglomerate hell-bent on putting price tags on HUMAN LIFE!
Rhythm Paradise Groove – £33.99
Let the music be your guide in Rhythm Paradise Groove for Nintendo Switch! Discover a colourful collection of funny little rhythm games solo or with friends.
No matter how strange the situation, the rules are always the same: just press buttons in time with the beat! Hop through hoops, catch flying vegetables, swing sledgehammers, and much more.
Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands – £14.99
Upon signing up to a perfectly normal battle of the bands contest for a bit of fun, Faye, Ian and Briff are cursed with an unusual power and find themselves sealed to a horrible fate. Surely there’s a way to get out of it, there has to be! Even if it means… *shudder* working together.
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains – £24.99
Monopoly: Star Wars Heroes vs. Villains – £24.99 – Switch 2
Assemble your team, build your roster of iconic Star Wars™ characters, and battle with your friends and family for control of the galaxy as you move across storied planets and locations.
Choose from a wide array of Star Wars heroes and villains, each with their own unique abilities. Whether you’re teaming up with Luke Skywalker or unleashing Darth Vader, every match is packed with team strategy, surprises, and classic Star Wars moments. No two battles unfold the same way, the fate of your team is yours to shape!
Decorate your room, choose which items are important to you, and discover how these choices play out over the course of a lifetime.
Begin in childhood, picking out toys that represent your dreams for the future. Follow those dreams into adulthood, exploring wildly different settings and themes. Uncover stories of heartbreak, wonder and love, and learn the significance behind the sentimental treasures that follow you throughout. Pay close attention – some objects may be more than they seem at first glance.
Grids of Thermometers delivers the relaxed fun of a pen-and-paper logic game right to your fingertips. In each level, you fill a grid of thermometers with mercury. Numbers on the grid edges tell you how many cells must be filled in each row and column.
Lunadra: Luna Awakens the Legendary Dragon – £3.99
Grow into a giant to unleash overwhelming power and devastating wide-area attacks that crush hordes of enemies.
Shrink to a tiny size to gain incredible speed and weave through deadly enemy assaults.
Adapt your size to the situation and experience a unique style of action combat.
Get ready for an action-packed adventure in Noodlebound, a 2D pixel art platformer that combines precise movement with direct and dynamic combat. Take on the role of a ramen samurai on a journey to recover ingredients that have come to life due to a mage’s magic, facing enemies, traps, and bosses across 30 stages full of personality.
Bacterium is an artificial life simulation where you design microscopic organisms and watch them evolve, fight, eat, and reproduce in a petri dish. Each creature has a neural network brain that mutates across generations, learning to hunt, flee, and mate on its own.
Build your organism from components – spikes for attack, flagella for speed, receptors for awareness, membranes for defense. Choose your look, drop them into the dish, and see if your lineage can outlast the competition.
Tanky Tanks – Reloaded – £4.99
Deafest the enemy tanks while dodging their deadly bullets.
Improve your aim and maneuver skill while war itself is trying to end your adventure.
Level by level the enemy’s tanks get faster, smarter, and deadlier.
Can you make it to the end and defeat their leader?
Join Kitsune, a curious fox spirit, and the powerful deity Nyaneko on a serene quest across enchanted realms. From the rhythmic rails of the Water Train Station to the neon glow of the Mushroom Council, every map is a living illustration teeming with secrets. Solve gentle puzzles, meet quirky Yokai, and uncover the stories hidden in the details.
Edmund’s life changes when he meets a smiley young man called Abel with a mischievous streak. He soon learns that there’s more to Abel than meets the eye, and he begins to see in his new companion in a new light.
Scholar Adventure: Mystery of Silence – £8.09
Scholar Adventure: Mystery of Silence is a classic 90s-style point & click adventure featuring dark, detailed pixel art, environmental puzzles, and a deep narrative with touches of black humor.
Explore the abbey, solve mysteries using the items you find along the way, and uncover the secrets hidden within its silent walls.
The Legend Of Fireball – £0.00
Aim your shot, release the flame, and blast through anything that stands in your path! In The Legend Of Fireball, you begin as a young fireball fighter training in an ordinary room, breaking simple objects to build your strength. Home appliances, computers, motorcycles, cars, massive buildings – every target brings you closer to true fireball mastery.
Clarity: The Seven Demons of Vanguardia – £8.99
Clarity: The Seven Demons of Vanguardia is an action platforming adventure with a focus on thoughtful reward, all presented in hand-drawn HD style. Customize the experience with multiple difficulty settings. Choose whichever stage you want to tackle first but be mindful to collect demon swords from defeated bosses in an order that grants a strategic advantage against the next. Each demon has an elemental weakness to exploit! Use melee slashes from your swords or execute spells with your staff by consuming the Clarity you’ve claimed from fallen foes. Will you be prepared for the final showdown?
A 2D pixel art roguelike space shooter with plugged resource management, procedural levels and challenging bosses! Hold the controls tight and do not get stranded in the void!
Next week: Digimon Story Time Stranger, Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok, Moonlight Peaks, Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 1+2 Dual Collection, Quest Arrest, Mythmatch, The Fissure, My Cozy Workspace, and Dead Estate.