Next week is going to be eventful for the Switch 2, as it’s gaining Nintendo’s biggest release of the year – the highly anticipated Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. Not only that, but a trio of other desirable games are due, including Godzilla, Stellar Blade, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. If you happen to be excited for Let’s Sing ABBA too, we aren’t ones to judge.
This week, meanwhile, presents us with a mixture of new releases from all kinds of genres. First, though, there’s the recent Nintendo Indie World to cover. Imminent releases include the well-received atmospheric surfing adventure Sword of the Sea and the2D pressure-washing game Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Services – which is intended to be a relaxation tool of sorts.
One of this week’s bigger releases is Minecraft on Switch 2, featuring improved visuals and targeting 60fps. This Switch 2 upgrade is free until January if you have the digital version and allows worlds and saves to be carried over. While it has touchscreen support, Nintendo Life notes that it’s lacking a mouse mode – which seems like a huge oversight. Sure, it’s likely to be added in the future. But why not on day one?
Not making the same mistake is Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition for Switch 2, which has improved visuals, better performance, and expanded building tools. Ten DLCs are included too.
Just in time for Halloween, there’s Village in the Shade from NiS America. This is a farming adventure set in a secluded village that holds a secret. To unravel this mystery, you must break the town’s rules – and you may end up reprimanded for your actions. We awarded it an 8/10, praising its hand-drawn visuals, eerie tone, and successful fusion of two different genres.
If that isn’t spooky enough for you, perhaps the detective mystery The Séance of Blake Manor will send a shiver down your spine. The critical reception has been positive.
Another new release with hand-drawn art is Gennady, a precision platformer set in a gross alien meat factory. To escape, you’ll need to dash across hazards, barge enemies into goo, and tackle bosses. As it’s a roguelike, strength and dash durations can be extended and improved.
Then there’s Queen’s Domain, a low-poly first-person RPG inspired by From Software’s King’s Field series. This involves exploring an isle while battling monsters with a holy sword that can be used for traversal in addition to combat. Mouthwashing has a low-poly PS1 aesthetic too, only this is a horror adventure set on board a space freighter. The captain is dying, and it’s your job to resolve the predicament the crewmates have been left with.
True to its name, STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT is a reboot of the critically acclaimed sci-fi visual novel, now with fresh visuals, re-recorded voice acting, and new music. Offering 30-50 hours of play, it appears to be hitting the sweet spot. “If you’ve already experienced Steins;Gate and all of its ins-and-outs, you may find yourself underwhelmed, especially at full asking price. But if you’re new to the game or just looking for a convenient way to re-experience a bona fide classic in a fresh, new light with some modern flourishes, I can’t recommend this release enough,” said Nintendo Life. It’s coming to both Switch formats this week and is due at retail. It does, however, face competition from 9 R.I.P. sequel, a romantic visual novel with 9 partners to woo.
This week’s Arcade Archives release is SNK’s shooter Prehistoric Isle, while the Console Archives release is Nippon Ichi Software’s Marl Jong – a 2003 mah-jong game based on Marl Kingdom.
Curiously, there’s Joe & Mac Retro Collection too – another prehistoric affair. This brings together the three SNES/Super Famicom games, along with a boss rush mode. The first game is an expanded arcade version; the second is a completely unrelated game (Congo’s Caper); and the third has light RPG-style elements, being more console-orientated. We reviewed this collection yesterday and found it a fun time.
We also looked at Fallen City Brawl, a pixel art side-scrolling brawler with a unique score-chasing twist. It’s a scrappy experience in both senses of the word, as it uses a mishmash of character sprites, some more detailed than others, and the screen is constantly awash with enemies, explosions, pick-ups, and score boosters. Turn screen shake and camera zoom off, and you’ll have a reasonably good time.
Croc 2: Kingdom of the Gobbos is also out this week. It sees the 1999 PS1 platformer brought up to date visually with a new coat of paint. It’s also possible to play a recreation of the PC version from 2000, which had minor tweaks, or a new version that has auto-saving. This sequel doubled down on boss battles and mini-games such as racing. There’s a wealth of bonus content too, including FMV documentaries and images of unused content.
Going head-to-head are Hello City Party Land and The Cat in the Hat: Rainy Day Mayhem – two mini-game collections. Let’s hope the former is better than the poor Tamagotchi mini-game collection from a couple of years ago. Disturbing this party somewhat is the character-switching platformer sequel Dog Man: Bark in Action from Mindscape, also out at retail.
We can also expect the minimalist downhill skiing game SNO, 3D platformer Pardon My French Toast – in which jam, butter and other spreads are used to help get around – narrative-driven incremental game The Last Cat in the Universe, survival horror shooter ANOMALITH, and a belated release of Goodboy Galaxy – the canine-starring sci-fi platformer. That last one might be familiar to Evercade owners.
New Switch and Switch 2 eShop releases
CREATE. EXPLORE. SURVIVE. Build anything you can imagine, uncover mysteries, and face thrilling foes in an infinite world that’s unique in every playthrough. There’s no wrong way to play!
VIBRANT VISUALS
Vibrant Visuals is Minecraft’s biggest official visual enhancement – delivering a dazzling cosmetic upgrade with a new modern graphics pipeline and an array of visual improvements. Sunrises are more vivid, water reflects, forests become shaded and more!
INCLUDES THE SUPER MARIO MASH-UP PACK
Explore a custom Mario-themed world in the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, with Vibrant Visuals enabled! The pack also features 15 tracks and 40 player skins inspired by the iconic Super Mario series.
Sword of the Sea – £24.99 (Switch 2)
Surf across magnificent waves of sand and glistening waters on an epic quest to restore a lost ocean in Sword of the Sea.
From the visionary artist behind ABZÛ, The Pathless, and Journey – Sword of the Sea is an atmospheric surfing adventure with highspeed Hoversword movement inspired by skateboarding and snowboarding.
Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition – £41.49 (Switch 2)
Build, manage, and expand the city of your dreams in Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition, the award-winning city-building game optimized for Nintendo Switch™ 2 with 10 included DLC expansions and content packs.
Start with a few roads and grow your city into a bustling metropolitan hub. Plan neighborhoods, manage public services, shape civic policies, and respond to the ever-changing needs of thousands of citizens. Whether you create a quiet coastal town, a busy industrial center, or a sprawling modern metropolis, your city is yours to design.
Remember that dream where you find yourself on a crowded bus wearing nothing but your underwear?
Well, this isn’t a bus — and it’s not a dream either!
The blinding light fades, revealing a grim alien meat factory where you must break through compressed biomass with your own body — not to pay the fare, but to survive!
It’s time to hang the twitching remains of vile creatures on the ropes — those that crawled straight out of the moldy, green-stained pages of this grim comic book.
Better finish this quickly… though sometimes it’s tempting to stay here forever — or at least for the weekend.
Following the endings of 9 R.I.P., Misa Isshiki finds herself at a crossroads with navigating romantic life and the consequences of her actions during her second year of high school. New challenges await depending on the route taken…
Whether it’s grappling with the fallout of her death, or navigating a relationship with a supernatural being, Misa must come to terms with her decisions to move forward.
Will she continue along the same path, or take another route entirely?
Dog Man: Bark in Action – £39.99
A comic-book style game packed with action, humor, boss fights, and ability-granting gadgets. Play as 10 different characters from the comics, each with unique powers.
A hero is needed! Dr. Scum has set up Hypno Screens around the city, mind-controlling the innocent townsfolk. Now it’s up to Dog Man – part Dog, part Man- to fight back against Dr. Scum and all his minions. Defeat Dr. Scum, save your friends, and rescue the city!
A game based on the wonderful Dog Man comic books by artist Dav Pilkey, also known for Captain Underpants.
Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Services – £13.99
Where things don’t need to be perfect, just a little cleaner, a little calmer, and a little more you.
Whether you’re curled up with a podcast or just need something peaceful to help the world feel quieter, this gentle 2D pressure washing game is here for you. No timers, no stress, just pastel pixel art, soft sounds, and the satisfying swish of clean water.
The Séance of Blake Manor (Switch 2)
The Séance of Blake Manor is a supernatural detective mystery, set in 1897 Ireland, where you investigate the disappearance of Evelyn Deane in a remote hotel full of secrets and other-worldly occurrences.
Hello Kitty Party Land – £44.99
Hello Kitty Party Land – £44.99 (Switch 2)
Join the party at Party Land and team up with beloved Sanrio characters to play together in a variety of exciting mini games.
Queen’s Domain is a retro-fantasy action RPG. Washed up on the shores of the Isle of Neasied, you set out to find your father and uncover the dark heart of this mysterious isle.
Wield the Legendary Holy Sword Endu to take flight from platform to platform, and discover an interconnected, labyrinthine world where secrets and dangers lurk around every corner.
Fight action-oriented battles with a classic stamina meter, powerful charge attacks, weapon specific special attacks, and secondary throwing weapons. Level up, accessorize, and choose from a huge catalogue of melee weapons on your quest to fight your way through the hordes of monsters and powerful bosses awaiting you in the darkest depths of the isle.
ANOMALITH – £49.99 (Switch 2)
Dive, Retrieve, Return
While exploring Anomaly Zones, Reona has no choice but to engage strange creatures called “Anomalies” in combat.
Manage your ammunition and carefully select what to retrieve as you make your way to extraction.”
SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding – £10.33 (Switch 2)
SNØ is a downhill skiing game with a simple design that pursues the pure joy of carving through snow. Carve your way down procedurally generated mountainscapes, pull off high-risk proximity tricks and thrilling maneuvers, and aim for the high score. Mastering the controls and terrain is key to achieving top scores, making every run a true test of skill and flow.
Mouthwashing is a first-person horror game following the dying crew of a shipwrecked space freighter.
Who could have known what good ol’ Captain Curly was capable of? Guess he thought his crew dying alongside him was only right. But some men can’t even kill themselves properly. Maimed, limbless and unable to speak, but alive, Curly is now at the mercy of the crew he has doomed to a slow death.
The Cat in the Hat: Rainy Day Mayhem – £34.99
The Cat in the Hat once said, “It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how.”
Play with your favorite characters from this exciting Dr. Seuss classic. Enjoy two exciting game modes – ‘Find The Cat’ and catch him before the rest of your opponents do, or test your cake decorating and snowball throwing skills in ‘Minigames’. With easy controls, varying difficulties, and vibrant visuals, this game has something fun for everyone. Whether you play solo or with friends, your house is about to be full of giggles, groans, and glorious mayhem.
STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT – £44.99 (Switch 2)
STEINS;GATE has become universally beloved from its inception back in 2009.
Since then, the series has sold more than 4 million units worldwide. STEINS;GATE is now being rebooted with major revamps and a completely new look.
Follow a ragtag group of tech-savvy students led by Rintaro Okabe, whose latest invention accidentally gains the ability to send messages to the past, unleashing the power to alter history itself. As global conspiracies stir and timelines begin to twist, the curtain rises on a future steeped in chaos. Your choices shape the fate of the characters and the world itself! Featuring multiple endings that branch based on your decisions.
The Last Cat in the Universe – £5.99
You are an AI on a decaying space station. Humanity is gone. All that remains is dust, silence, and a small, frightened creature.
Your only instruction: Take care of her.
*The Last Cat in the Universe* is a short, narrative-driven incremental game. Your directive is clear: salvage what remains of a dying ship to build a warm home for the final survivor.
Meiji Tokyo Renka Twilight Kiss – £35.30
This is the story of Mei, a high school girl who suddenly finds herself transported through time to a mysterious version of Meiji-era Tokyo, where supernatural beings known as mononoke roam. There, she becomes romantically involved with famous historical figures from the era.
Kowloon’s Gate Suzaku – £29.00
Kowloon’s Gate Suzaku is the ultimate walking simulator, reimagining the world of the 1997 classic, Kowloon’s Gate.
Set as a prequel, the game invites you to wander the maze-like alleys of the Walled City and soak in the atmosphere of a town steeped in memory—offering perspectives and locations never seen in the original.
A vibrant sci-fi platform adventure game for the Nintendo Switch™, where you help Maxwell the dog explore unfamiliar worlds, make strange new friends and contend with mysterious forces – by jumping, shooting, slicing, shrinking, warping and drilling.
The cursed tower rises before you: a colossus whose walls pulse with neon light and echoes of ancient battles. Deep within await the 5 Generals of the Demon King, surrounded by their infernal hordes. They have kidnapped the Saint to offer her as a sacrifice and open a portal that will allow their master to return to this world. Your mission is to plunge into the unknown and rescue her before the Dark Lord’s plans come to pass.
Tarot Tokens is a strategic tile game inspired by the Fools journey through the major arcana of the tarot. Placing Tarot Tokens crafts your journey from four key aspects of the major arcana of the tarot: family, morals, conflict, hope.
Pardon My French Toast – £17.99
Welcome to Jam Session’s Cruise!
– Explore dozens of levels to find the big candies that fuel the boat.
– Meet some friendly toasts along the way and help them achieve their different goals.
– A ton of collectibles to find. Are you in?
Next week: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Stellar Blade Complete Edition, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered, Let’s Sing 2027, Let’s Sing ABBA, CRYMELIGHT, Kingdom of Night, Next of Kin: Epiphany, MANIC MINER, Chivalware, The Slormancer, K-Pop Rising – Dream to Shine, and Hasbro Games Junior Collection.