Even though the Switch 2 misses out on a bunch of this week’s big new releases – including CONTROL Resonant, Silent Hill: Townfall, Dune: Awakening, and Samson – there’s still plenty to get stuck into, even if you only have access to the original Switch.
EA Sports FC 27 comes to both formats, although the Switch version is missing the new urban social playground The Grounds. Reviews of either version are slow to surface, with the first seemingly available coming from Nintendo Life, resulting in an 8/10. “As long as you can get over the fact it runs at 30fps and isn’t wildly different from last year’s game (The Grounds aside), this is the best football option on Switch 2 at the moment,” they said. The PS5 version meanwhile currently has a 77% Metacritic score, suggesting there’s still room for improvement.
There’s the new dark fantasy Metroidvania Well Dweller too, which has very positive reviews, including top marks from a handful of sites. “Really, there was nothing that could have held Well Dweller back from the perfect score I’m proud to award it. This isn’t just a great Metroidvania, it’s the best one yet from a very talented developer. It’s full of neat style, challenging and competent platforming, and nightmarish fairytale monstrosities,” was Hey Poor Player’s verdict.
We reviewed Microid’s new 3D platformer Garfield – Escape From Monday earlier this week and found it to be very enjoyable. It’s obviously aimed at a younger audience, but regardless, it’s competently put together. In fact, we enjoyed it more than Bubsy 4D. We found time to review Boardwalk Builders too – a management sim entailing establishing a thriving beachside business empire with shops and rides, presented using pixel art. It’s easy to get into and has a fun mechanic of combining attractions to make new ones.
Another management sim out is Graveyard Keeper 2, in which you must automate a factory to lead an undead army to battle. The PC version managed to garner a 73% Metacritic. On the lighter side of things, there’s Farming Camp – a cosy, single-player farming sim involving a youngster looking to become the best farmer around. The pixel art appears accomplished.
Also look out for the native Switch 2 versions of DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition and SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, which should be out now and offer performance boosts over their Switch counterparts.
Despite Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection going AWOL on Switch, quite a few retro and modern retro games are planned. These include a re-release of the cult first-person shooter SiN: Reloaded – which Play Day One rather enjoyed – eastasiasoft’s new vertical shooter BIRDCAGE, a re-release of the desirable NES action platformer Shatterhand, a Console Archives release of Data East’s KARATE CHAMP, and an Arcade Archives 2 release of XEVIOUS 3D/G. That last one is to celebrate three milestones: 5 years of Namco AA re-releases, 100 Namco re-releases so far, and 500 consecutive weeks of AA.
New Switch and Switch 2 eShop releases
DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition – £34.99 (Switch 2)
What does it mean to be a hero? A young lad from a country village sets out to find the answer to this question, embarking on an epic adventure that will lead him to uncover the secrets that lie at the heart of his world.
EA SPORTS FC 27 – £59.99 (Switch 2)
Feel greater control in every game mode with more fluid, true-to-life gameplay, featuring dynamic corners, enhanced attacking awareness, player-focused defending tailored for competitive play, and more community-driven innovations.
Sign your next star in Manager Career through a rebuilt Transfer Market with realistic player values and active club bidding. Master new negotiation tactics, including performance and buy-back clauses, as Dynamic OVRs reflect player form, morale, and fitness across every club.
Immortalise your dream club in Football Ultimate Team™ with the brand-new FUT Gallery. Curate your favourite Player Items to grow your Gallery Level, earn rewards, and build your Club’s identity throughout the new football season.
Garfield – Escape From Monday – £24.99
When you’re a lazy cat spending most of his time sleeping, having a nightmare can happen. But a nightmare full of vegetables and sugar-free candies, no way!
After Jon fed him spinach lasagnas inspired by Chef Monday’s recipe, Garfield falls into a deep sleep…
To wake up and reactivate his taste buds, the laziest cat in the world will have to explore worlds filled with enemies and eat a gigantic deal of lasagnas!
Fortunately Garfield can rely on Jon and his friends Odie, Arlene and Pookie. But also on his turkey, surfer and cowboy suits that will give him amazing skills!
PUPU’s Adventure Park – £13.49
Build all kinds of facilities, such as weapon shops, general stores, and tailor shops, then assign the right Pupus to run them. The harder the heroes “adventure” in your park, the more resources you earn, allowing you to keep expanding your very own adventure park.
Graveyard Keeper 2 – £22.49 (Switch 2)
You are the Grand Inquisitor now! Restore the town and lead your undead army into battle to save the realm from a zombie apocalypse. Welcome to Graveyard Keeper 2 – the sequel to the original, unhinged classic!
Play as Glimmer – a tiny bird armed with a matchstick- who must burn the wicked queen to save his family. Explore a dark fairy-tale landscape and befriend the charming characters who reside in the kingdom’s underbelly. Battle terrifying beasts and gain new abilities to expand your map. Solve puzzles, discover secrets, and unravel the mysteries that lie in this rotted kingdom.
SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance – £24.99 (Switch 2)
The iconic SHINOBI returns in an all-new 2D action platformer with a unique hand-drawn look created by the team behind the hit brawler Streets of Rage 4.
Play as the legendary Shinobi Joe Musashi, master of the ninja arts. After finding your village burned to the ground and your clan turned into stone, you must set off on a quest for vengeance, ready to face an unparalleled evil and avenge your clan.
Farming Camp is a cozy, single-player farm management game that follows the journey of an ambitious teenager competing to become the best farmer in the camp. Manage your farm alongside your companions, complete chores for points, and deal with the dynamics of a colorful cast in their teenage years.
BIRDCAGE is an arcade-style vertical scrolling shoot’em up inspired by genre classics, blending gritty pixel art sprites with 2.5D backdrops and a pumping retro soundtrack! Blast through 6 unique stages of bullet hell mayhem, facing off against enemy swarms using multiple shot types and rechargeable specials.
Chase high scores by maintaining chains and kill rate. Strategically activate Hyperblade mode in tense situations, and take down screen-filling bosses! Can you break free of your cage and redeem humanity?
Create the ultimate beachfront destination!
A game all about building a beautiful boardwalk. Start with small stands and grow into a sprawling seaside paradise full of rides, high-end shops and fancy restaurants.
Your beloved human has vanished into the night. As a pair of courageous cats, you’ll follow their scent to an abandoned mansion shrouded in fog and mystery. But this is no ordinary house — it’s alive with whispers, shadows, and secrets from the past.
Ghostly Whiskers is a short but unforgettable co-op (or solo) adventure that blends light horror with heartwarming moments. Solve puzzles, explore eerie rooms, and use your feline instincts — like squeezing through tight spaces, climbing ledges, and sniffing out hidden clues — to
SENTO SURVIVOR : Slip, Grab, and Bathe in Glory! – £9.09
Master the slippery bathhouse floors, blast your rivals with water guns, and fight your way to the ultimate honor: being first into the bath!
Enjoy a full single-player campaign packed with unique stages, or gather up to four players for chaotic local multiplayer battles.
JALECOlle Famicom Ver. SHATTERHAND – £7.99
Smash Bullets with Your Fists!
Crush a Machine Army with Eight Buddies in This Cybernetic Punching Action Game
Every Soldier Has Their Specialty: Draft your forces among a wide variety of unique units, who each have a unique set of skills to exercise on the battlefield. Bully enemies by pushing and pulling them with the hearty Champion, strike and fade with the swift Cavalier, lay devastating traps with the talented Mage, and steal your opponent’s life essence and donate it to your companions as a Vampire healer.
COORDINATE OR CRUMBLE! To survive this mission, you’ll need to grab a Joy-Con™ and get ready to swing into action. Take control of the inseparable duo, Ten and Tango, as they embark on a high-stakes platforming journey to topple the villainous Chef Murgó.
Don’t let the cute art style fool you—this is a relentless test of skill where one slip-up sends both octos tumbling. Whether you’re tackling the challenge Solo (mastering the “brain-melting” art of controlling both characters at once) or syncing up in Local or Online Co-op, your coordination will be pushed to the absolute limit.
Nocturne for Cyl-Hestia – £16.75
Welcome to Cyl-Hestia, a city-state built around Cerulyn, a mysterious blue flame with exceptional properties.
As the authorities are prepared to do anything to maintain their power, you play as Silas, a memorialist working for the independent newspaper The Voice.
Your mission: to gather fragments of memories to reconstruct the events obscured by the regime… and rekindle the flame of truth.
Craft barricades and turrets with whatever you can find. But beware: relentless waves of enemies are coming to tear down everything you build.
Conrad wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of who he is or how he got there. What he does know: a deadly virus is tearing through cyberspace, Ankh Industries is behind it, and the clock is already ticking.
Navigate the cyberpunk streets of the City as Conrad, a rogue Courier piecing together the truth. Take on jobs from shady employers, pickpocket and loot to earn credits, and spend them on better guns, stronger armor, and high-tech upgrades. Hack your way through security systems using an intricate beam puzzle minigame, and dig deeper into the conspiracy threatening to bring the whole city down.
Rollick N’ Roll combines fun physics with intuitive controls to deliver a joyful puzzle experience for all ages. Expand your collection by unlocking fun vehicles and playsets, but be prepared for a bit of chaos.
Heroes of Magic & Cards – £11.69
Heroes of Magic & Cards is an inventive deckbuilding poker roguelike that rewards both careful buildcrafting and poker skills. Choose your class and chart your path across the world, from encounter to encounter, upgrading your deck, collecting relics, and refining your tactics to take down powerful bosses, earning powerful rewards!
Bibi & Tina – Ready, Set, Ride! – £26.99
No sooner has Bibi returned to Martin’s Farm than the next big adventure awaits: the Summer Cup is starting at Falkenstein Castle. Together with Tina and Alex, you compete in exciting riding disciplines – and show what friendship, fairness and a little bit of witchcraft can make possible.
I Hear Them is a first-person horror game where you team up with the family cat and try to clear the infestation of rats in your new home. Set in early 2008, explore an atmospheric house while unveiling supernatural secrets about the creatures running around in the walls.
The Room Three continues the time-spanning journey of its predecessors by significantly expanding its unique puzzle exploration gameplay. Lured to a remote island, you must draw upon all your puzzle-solving ability to navigate a series of trials devised by a mysterious figure known only as “The Craftsman”.
The Room 4: Old Sins features a fantastical, multi-room dollhouse to explore and continues the engaging puzzle gameplay of its predecessors set against the background of a tragic story. Explore unsettling locations, follow obscure clues and manipulate bizarre contraptions as you uncover the mysteries within Waldegrave Manor…
London: Echoes of the Past – £9.89
London: Echoes of The Past is a short yuri mystery visual novel.
A mysterious woman returns back from the dead, and the dusty past surfaces. Between a gloomy school girl and a glamorous ex-girlfriend, every clue interwines. Who is the mastermind behind the scene? Play as a detective heroine in 1935 London, embark on a journey of love and growth.
A world inspired by Madagascar’s folklore. Once a paradise, it now suffers under the witch Raneny’s ruthless rule. Having grown tired of exploiting its people, she decided to host a huge concert with the island’s most famous band. You’re sent on a mission to fight back by rallying legendary musicians to your cause!
Next week: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered, Minecraft Dungeons II, DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered, Moros Protocol, The Merlies, King’s Blade, Tales from The Dancing Moon, Monster Nursery, Down Pit, and PAW Patrol: Dino World.