Konami continues its redemption arc this week with Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. Like the recent Silent Hill: Townfall, it was developed by a Western studio – in this case, Evil Empire, which worked on the Dead Cells expansion Return to Castlevania.
The story sees Trevor and Rose Belmont travel across Paris to face Death, Medusa and Joan of Arc. It’s coming to every format except Switch 2 both digitally and physically. Given that it’s a 2D game, Evil Empire may feel that the original Switch can do their vision justice.
Paris also provides the setting for The Witch’s Bakery, a cosy adventure RPG, as well as the anticipated Valor Mortis, at least to some extent. It’s a first-person Souls-like from the creators of Ghostrunner, in which you play as one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s fallen soldiers returned from the grave and blessed with supernatural powers. It’ll be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch.
The Witch’s Bakery meanwhile is one of a dozen physical releases hitting Switch and Switch 2 this week alongside Hollow Knight, Silksong, and new release Bluey’s Happy Snaps.
Two toe-tapping rhythm-action games are also due. Ratatan is a spiritual successor to the PSP’s Patapon, helmed by some members of the original team. The delay it received appears to have paid off, as it’s looking very polished. Alpha Nomos, on the other hand, is a roguelike in which the puppet Cello fights off nasties using musical instruments, with each attack delivered in time with the beat.
On the subject of the PSP, Bandai Namco’s Tales of Eternia is about to receive a multiformat remaster that adds destination markers, the option to disable enemy encounters and an auto-battle mode.
Other new releases include Frontier’s globe-spanning Planet Zoo 2, a PS5 and PC release of the survival action RPG Enshrouded – which also features farming and base-building elements – Ubisoft’s multiformat Just Dance: Decades of Hits, the open-world Viking RPG YAR: Forgotten Throne, and the bunker-blitzing FPS Wolfsschanze – Operation Götterdämmerung. Bless you.
The rollout for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 also begins, with early access to the campaign available later this week.
We’re also in for a waft of retro and retro-inspired games. This includes the fast-paced FPS sequel Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 – which has two playable characters and new weapons – the Argentinean pixel art horror Tenebris Somnia, eastasiasoft’s latest arcade-style shoot’em up Shockwave Triggers, and the low poly Deep Dish Dungeon.
There’s Toy Story: Retro Roundup! from Atari too, which includes 11 versions of 8 different Toy Story games, along with A Bug’s Life for good measure. Toy Story 3 Complete Edition launches the same day, being an enhanced version of the 2010 tie-in. They can be purchased in a package or individually digitally.
Then there’s the late addition of Moto X – a previously cancelled SNES racer from Software Creations that’s about to gain a digital release on all formats. Imagine a 16-bit Excitebike and you’ll get the gist.
New release trailers
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
Ratatan
Tales Of Eternia Remastered
Valor Mortis
Planet Zoo 2
Just Dance: Decades of Hits
Toy Story: Retro Roundup!/Toy Story 3 Complete Edition
Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2
Enshrouded
Wolfsschanze – Operation Götterdämmerung
The Witch’s Bakery
YAR: Forgotten Throne
Tenebris Somnia
Alpha Nomos
Shockwave Triggers
DESOLUS
Deep Dish Dungeon
Cubic Cosmos
New multiformat releases
- Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
- Ratatan
- Tales Of Eternia Remastered
- Valor Mortis
- Just Dance: Decades of Hits
- Toy Story: Retro Roundup!/Toy Story 3 Complete Edition
- Planet Zoo 2
- Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea
- Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2
- Bluey’s Happy Snaps
- The Jackbox Party Pack 12
- Wolfsschanze – Operation Götterdämmerung
- YAR: Forgotten Throne
- Tenebris Somnia
- Alpha Nomos
- Creepy Tale: Snow Child
- Shockwave Triggers
- The Witch’s Bakery
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Holiday Play Edition
- Moto X
- Prison Run and Gun
- Chained Beasts
- Desolus
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (Campaign Early Access)
New on PSN
- Enshrouded
- Animal Trainer Simulator
- Time To Wake Up
- Jimbaori: The Ōnin War
- Kitchen Wars
- Hippo Hop
- Island Market Simulator
New on Xbox Store
- Deep Dish Dungeon
- Beyond These Stars
- Colorbound
- Survivor Cells
- Cleaning Simulator
- Love Beyond Differences: Riku & Lily
- My Recycling Center 2
- 1×1 Street Football: mini soccer PvP
- Cubic Cosmos
- Floppy-Ear Chaos
- Swarm Me
- Tingus Goose
- Troll Slayer
- Weekend Solitaire: Voyage
- Sproutrex
- Supercar Collection Simulator
New Switch retail releases
eShop round-up coming Thursday
- Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse
- Ratatan (Switch 2)
- BLUEY’S HAPPY SNAPS – Deluxe Edition (Switch 2)
- Hollow Knight – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
- Toy Story: Retro Roundup! + Toy Story 3 Complete Edition Double Pack (Switch 2)
- Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader – Voidfarer Edition (Switch 2)
- Tormented Souls II (Switch 2)
- Tales Of Eternia Remastered (Switch 2)
- Tales Of Eternia Remastered
- Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea (Switch 2)
- Harvest Moon: Echoes of Teradea
- Just Dance: Decades of Hits
- Nightmare: The Lunatic
- The Witch’s Bakery
Next week: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, Stupid Never Dies, Final Fantasy Resonance, Shoresy: Legends of the North, Hail to the Rainbow, Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest, BeamNG.drive, Frankenstein: Awakening of Horror, We Were Here Tomorrow, FIRE AND ASHES, The Walking Trade, Darkenstein 3D Director’s Cut, and Back to the Dawn on PS5.