Plan your attack in Wargroove, a new turn-based strategy game for up to 4 people!
Command an army, customize battlefields, and challenge your friends in this richly detailed return to retro turn-based combat. Easy to pick up but difficult to master, Wargroove offers intense turn-based strategy action for up to four players.
Features:
Choose from one of 12+ commanders from four warring factions, each with their own distinct personalities and motivations. Commanders can use unique special moves called “grooves” which changes up the battlefield in entirely different ways.
Battle your way through the Campaign Mode as you follow the story of a young Queen facing unworldly forces. The game contains over 50+ hours of single player content.
Send your units to victory in both local and online multiplayer skirmish battles (with complete rule customization).
Local and online competitive and co-op play.
Easily create your own maps, campaigns and stories and then share them with others!
Inti Creates has made quite a name for itself on the Switch with quality titles like Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Blaster Master Zero, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, and Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack all offering up some excellent retro run ‘n’ gun action. Going back further, however, the company put itself on the map with the excellent Mega Man Zero series on GBA, which blended some hard difficulty with a more melee-oriented combat system. Dragon: Marked for Death – the latest release from Inti Creates – acts as a sort of spiritual successor to the Mega Man Zero games (with a hearty dose of RPG action thrown in), although it notably fails to hit the same lofty standards set by the developer’s previous efforts.
The story follows the Dragonblood Clan, a group of people aligned with a dead dragon known as the Atruum, as they tussle with the Medius Empire and its self-righteous ideals. When the empire burns down your character’s village, they form a pact with the dragon Atruum and acquire his powers – which manifest in different ways, depending on which character class you’re playing – and embark on a quest to get revenge on the Divine Family that runs the Empire. It’s a cliché but serviceable plot, and though we would’ve liked for there to have been more memorable characters (Ciel, anyone?) and interactions along the way, the plot isn’t very much of a focus in a mission-based game such as this.
How the gameplay unfolds depends entirely upon which character you’ve chosen to run with, of which there are four. For example, the Empress acts as the ‘basic’ unit, focusing on melee attacks and flamethrowers, while the Warrior is a heavy, axe-wielding tank that can also put out a small healing shield every now and then. As you’d expect, there are some noticeable differences in playstyle here, but it all ultimately boils down to the same process of punching everything that moves and watching the sparks fly. Stages are technically ‘different’ between characters due to the varied traversal techniques, but you ultimately end up in the same place at the end; whether you have to move a cart as the Warrior or wall-jump as the Shinobi, you’re still going to arrive at the same boss fight. Another thing that bears mentioning is that not all characters come with the base game; you pick between getting the Empress and Warrior or the Shinobi and Witch, with the other duo having to be bought as DLC.
You start out in a castle town that acts as a sort of hub for your characters, allowing you to buy new consumables and equipment to give you the edge in battle, or to talk to NPCs and potentially trigger new quests to be picked up in the bar. There’s no ‘open’ world to speak of here; the main loop consists of leaving on a mission from the bar, returning with gold and a slightly more levelled character, picking up better equipment, and starting over on a harder mission. A typical stage sees you running, jumping, and slashing your way through hordes of enemies, picking up treasure chests on the way as you fight towards a boss encounter.
Combat revolves around building up a meter below your health bar by landing basic attacks on enemies and then spending portions of that bar on your character’s unique ability to even the odds in battle. It’s the sort of thing that’s straightforward and easy to master, but Dragon: Marked for Death unfortunately becomes stale much too quickly as a result. The lack of a dodge button or varied combo chains inevitably leads to relatively monotonous and static fights in which you spam the same buttons to watch the same attacks before moving on to the next enemy to do the exact same thing again. In a word, the combat is uninteresting, and the speed at which it goes from being tolerable to tedious is disappointing, to say the least.
The issue seems to rest in how the game is clearly skewed towards co-op play, which considerably limits the single-player experience. Even basic enemies feel unnecessarily ‘spongy’ and offer up laughable rewards for bothering to finish them off; it’s bad enough that we ended up spending most missions running by as many enemies as possible to just get to the boss. Bosses are even worse with the damage sponging; in the early stages of our run as the Empress, some fights took a little over ten minutes as we chipped away at the otherwise easily defeated boss at an almost hilariously slow pace. When the combat system isn’t terribly deep or skill-based to begin with, having obnoxiously drawn-out fights greatly takes the wind out of a game’s sails, and this is unfortunately an issue that Dragon: Marked for Death struggles with.
It doesn’t help, either, that Dragon: Marked for Death feels old-school in some of wrong ways, too, such as how there are no checkpoints in any of the missions. We encountered a few situations where roughly fifteen minutes would go up in smoke because we lost a boss encounter, meaning that we had to slog through the entire mission again for another crack at it. And, to add insult to injury, all the health items and other consumables that we used on those failed runs weren’t refunded to our inventory, necessitating costly trips to the shop to resupply. Annoyances like this, combined with the ho-hum gameplay, could conceivably be balanced out if other areas of the game made up for it, but Dragon: Marked for Death never quite figures out a way to incentivize you to keep pushing on. It’s archaic and difficult in the worst way possible, and the rewards for overcoming its challenges are mostly just more challenges.
Of course, this is a game that’s primarily meant to be played in co-op, and there’s fortunately an online mode that features both regional and worldwide matchmaking so you can always have someone else to run missions with. What’s a bit more puzzling, however, is how Dragon: Marked for Death chooses to handle local co-op. A game such as this would seem to be an ideal fit for brief spurts of split Joy-Con play with a buddy, but this game doesn’t allow local multiplayer in split-screen; if you happen to have a friend nearby, they need to have both their own Switch system and a copy of the game to play with you. Perhaps this is a holdover from the game’s origins as a PSP ad-hoc game, but it puts unnecessary limitations on something that doesn’t have to be complicated.
Mercifully, Inti Creates’ signature pixel art style is here in full force, going for a lovely 32-bit look that’s packed with detail and fluid animation. Multi-layered backgrounds smoothly scroll behind your characters as they run through the stages and even if the environmental designs are rather uninspired, they’re nonetheless as well-realized as they can be; things like turning windmills and scattering fireflies help to make places feel more alive. You may not be totally blown away by this pixel art, but it’s a cut above what you’d expect from a typical indie title.
Conclusion
Given the high standard of gameplay that Inti Creates has shown in many other titles it’s released over the last several years, it’s hard not to be disappointed by Dragon: Marked for Death. Although the art direction is a definite plus, this is merely an inoffensive and unimaginative co-op side-scrolling RPG at best. But looking at the bigger picture, particularly the archaic design elements and baffling exclusion of split-screen play, makes this a release that’s admittedly hard to recommend to anyone that’s not a die-hard fan of the company. If you liked the Mega Man Zero series, this is a passable attempt at recreating that series’ gameplay style and it might resonate with some of you, but we’d otherwise recommend you take a pass on this one.
As expected thanks to its recent western classification, it has now been confirmed that Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is coming to Nintendo 3DS in North America and Europe later this year.
The game acts as a sequel to 2014’s Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, with a story which focuses on characters from Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. Featuring the first-person dungeon-crawling and map-drawing gameplay seen in Etrian Odyssey, Persona Q2 features movie-themed dungeons which are all themed around their own genre and feature parodies of classic films.
Publisher Atlus will also release a special Showtime Premium Edition. Priced at $69.99, this special release will include the following (note – anyone who purchases the standard game at launch will also receive the four buttons):
5” Koromaru plush toy
Art book
Four buttons (one for each protagonist)
Playing cards featuring characters from each game
The standard release is scheduled to be available for $39.99 and will launch on 4th June 2019, with the game remaining exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. If you want to get ready for Joker’s upcoming arrival in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this could be a perfect way to do it.
Are you excited to enjoy some Persona action on your 3DS? Rest those dancing jazz hands for a moment and let us know in the comments.
Imagine for a moment that you’re taking a stroll in the countryside and you happen upon an old well – what do you do? At the very least, you wander up and take a peek; you might drop a pebble down there, or even a cheeky loogie if nobody’s around. Why? It’s tough to say exactly, but Downwell taps into that human fascination with the dark, unknown depths. First released back in 2015, we’ve waited months for this low-fi platformer/shooter hybrid to arrive on Switch. Creator Ojiro ‘Moppin’ Fumoto recently left Nintendo following a brief twelve-month tenure with the company and this version of his debut game feels like something of a parting gift; it’s arguably the finest way to play this acclaimed indie title.
Coming courtesy of UK developer Red Phantom Games and US publisher Devolver Digital, Downwell is a roguelike. We use the term begrudgingly, knowing that it’s likely to turn off some people, but that’s what it is. Falling down a monochromatic well with style is the order of the day, and most of that style comes from the pair of ‘gunboots’ strapped to your feet to deal with enemies below. They’re fired by tapping the jump button in mid-air, which also enables you to ‘hover’ for a short while, but your ammo is limited and only recharges when you land on something solid. Expanding your clip size beyond the measly eight bullets you start with makes things easier – the game becomes more of a shooter the deeper you go. While you start with a basic shot, you can pick up other weapons such as a laser, shotgun and a triple-shot, some of which come with caveats, such as using up two pieces of ammo in a single shot rather than the usual one.
Projectiles aren’t your only offensive option, though. Many enemies can be safely stomped on without firing and doing so not only reloads your clip, but also initiates a combo chain that’s broken only when you land again. Gems can be found and spent on health and ammo items in shops that pop up either side of the procedurally generated stages (there’s another reason to collect these – bagging 100 gems in a short period triggers ‘Gem High’, which makes your weapon more powerful). Time ‘freezes’ around the entrance to shops and other caverns, enabling you to drop in and take a breather without breaking your combo. Free upgrades are available between stages (in standard mode) including health balloons which give you a free hit every stage, drones that duplicate your boots’ firing pattern and various other perks.
While your objective is very simple, Downwell is a punishing game in all the right ways. You’ll start off careening around the screen and you’ll likely have trouble parsing the elements as they zip past. Your brain is constantly playing catch-up, registering collisions just that split second too late, and it might turn off players who are used to 1-1 being a cake walk. Regardless of your skill, it’s extremely easy to lose concentration for a second and end up knocking a couple of bars off your health, even in the initial stages. Add in the fact that some enemies cannot be shot while others are impervious to head stomps, and things become complicated reasonably quickly.
After a while, though, you acclimatise to the flow. Like riding a bike, the trick is to keep your eyes on what’s ahead and trust your mind to log that info and act on it without focusing on what’s directly in your face. It’s tempting to freefall as quickly as possible to the exit, but slow and steady invariably wins the race. If you find the standard gameplay too fast, unlockable alternative ‘styles’ make things a little easier: Levitate, for example, slows down your descent with floatier physics, while Boulder gives you more HP out of the gate. Some of these styles come with drawbacks, however, such as the removal of upgrades in-between levels or fewer shops appearing on the way down.
The default white/black/red colour scheme looks fantastic but you’ll unlock a host of options that replicate iconic palettes from retro consoles – we were particularly partial to the Virtual Boy-inspired one. The animation looks great on Switch’s screen and performance is generally very smooth. Multiple enemy hits create a little slowdown but nothing that feels out of place; it’s tough to be sure it’s not there by design. The game weighs in at a mercifully tiny 58.7MB, too, so this might actually fit in your console’s internal storage.
Despite its portrait orientation suggesting a mobile origin, this game cries out for a D-pad, and it did launch simultaneously on PC, arriving on Sony consoles shortly thereafter. Of course, Switch owners have their own D-pad woes but Downwell controls very well on the Joy-Con, and a certain third-party peripheral helps this gem shine even brighter.
The featured TATE mode flips the screen 90° and the increased size helps make everything more readable. In docked mode, you’ll have to lie on the sofa (unless you want to balance your telly on its side), but the very best way to play Downwell is with Fangamer’s superb Flip Grip, an inexpensive little peripheral that provides a portable vertical experience. It’s a bit of shame that Hori’s D-pad Joy-Con won’t work due to the pad’s lack of wireless connectivity, but we can hardly blame the game for that. Downwell shoots right to the top of the list of reasons to pick up a Flip Grip.
For those with aversions to filling the house with yet more plastic doohickeys, you’re in luck – switching to TATE mode also changes the orientation of any attached Joy-Con, so you need only rotate the Switch in your hands to play vertically with no need for extra attachments. A tad top heavy and not ideal for long play sessions, it’s still an excellent little bonus and illustrative of the care and attention behind this port. You can even use the Joy-Con attached to the top of the console if the fancy takes you, or use your Switch Online-exclusive NES pads if you can’t survive without a D-pad. A single Joy-Con in either hand is another option; only touchscreen input is absent, but we’re happy to lose that.
Conclusion
This is an excellent port of a game that feels like it’s found a natural home on Switch thanks to a plethora of control options and the console’s natural facility with vertical orientation. Short of popping your 4K TV on its side, Switch offers the very best way to play Downwell. Its roguelike structure and twitch platforming might not be for everyone, but you should really give it a chance. For our money, it’s a modern classic that should be in everyone’s collection.
Despite only being on the market for just under two years, the Nintendo Switch has already produced some must-have titles. Even top games originally brought to life on Wii U have been given a glorious second chance on Switch and, for the most part, they’ve taken that chance with open arms and impressive sales. But just how popular are the Switch’s biggest games?
Earlier today, we shared an updated list of the console’s top ten best-selling games. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comfortably leads the way with an impressive 15.02 million sales, and the latest financial information provided by Nintendo has revealed that the console has now shifted a grand total of 32.27 units. With all of this data, it’s now possible to track attach rates for these top games, and that’s exactly what Niko Partners analyst, Daniel Ahmad, has done below.
In this graphic, we can see the Switch’s six best-selling titles alongside percentages which show how many copies have been purchased in relation to the total number of Switch hardware sales. This should give us a rough look at each game’s attach rate (apart from any occurrences where collectors may own more than one copy, for example).
The figures are pretty impressive all round, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is surprisingly close to reaching 50% of – or one-in-two – Switch owners. Many are quick to share their negative thoughts towards Nintendo’s porting endeavours at the moment, but it’s clear to see why so many Wii U games are coming to Switch – and it’s clear that an awful lot of players want them, too.
Are you surprised by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s popularity? Do you own many of the games listed above? Tell us below.
The latest Nintendo Download update for Europe has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region.As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch Retail – New Releases
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy(THQ Nordic, €29.99 / £26.99) – Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy is an original 3rd person action-adventure inspired by the mythology of ancient Egypt. Travelling the world via magical portals to foil the evil plans of Set. Sphinx’s Journey will require all his wits, agility, and special powers. He will also rely on his reluctant hero friend, The Mummy, to help when being inconspicuous is the only solution. By finding the stolen magical crowns of Egypt, Sphinx can stop Set and save the world. – Read our Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy review
DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders(Outright Games, €39.99 / £34.99) – A new heroic dragon and rider are taking to the skies and only you can help them defeat the evil villains who destroyed a dragon sanctuary created by Hiccup, Toothless, and his dragon riders. When the island of Havenholme is found in ruins, mysterious survivors emerge as unlikely future heroes. Scribbler is a scholar who cannot remember his past while Patch is a unique breed of dragon, a “chimeragon,” with new, unexpected powers they discover along the way. Together they must explore new islands, battle fierce enemies and recover the memories that reveal Patch’s true origin in this fun and fiery new action adventure.
Switch eShop – New Releases
Wargroove(Chucklefish, €16.99 / £15.99) – Take to the battlefield with Wargroove, a turn-based strategy game for up to 4 players! Choose your Commander and wage war on battling factions, using your ‘groove’ to strategically sway the fight in your favour! When war breaks out in the Kingdom of Cherrystone, the young Queen Mercia must flee her home. Pursued by her foes, the only way to save her kingdom is travel to new lands in search of allies. But who will she meet along the way, and what sinister challenges will she face? – Read our Wargroove review
Dragon Marked for Death: Frontline Fighters / Dragon Marked for Death: Advanced Attackers(Inti Creates, €14.99 / £13.49) – Choose from four playable characters (Empress, Warrior, Shinobi, or Witch) and defeat your enemies to gain experience and level up. You’ll receive points as you level up that can increase your attack power, defence, agility, and other parameters. Customize your character in a way that best suits your individual playstyle!
Downwell(Devolver Digital, €2.99 / £2.69) – Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots for protection. Make your way further and further down into the darkness filled with nasty creatures and mysterious secrets to collect the spectacular red gems scattered about the rocks. Step into precariously placed shops and buy some helpful items or level up between levels to battle well-dwelling monsters and uncover hidden caves filled with riches and relics. No two trips down the well are ever the same!
Mages of Mystralia(Borealys Games, €17.99 / £16.19) – In the kingdom of Mystralia, it takes more brains than brawn to succeed. You will face down giant, powerful creatures and navigate treacherous terrain. You will encounter puzzles that confound even the wisest of the old sages. And you must overcome obstacles put in place by people who do not want you to succeed. – Read our Mages of Mystralia review
Drowning(Sometimes You, €2.99 / £2.69) – Walk through a variety of beautiful low-poly environments as a story unfolds about how he learns to live with his inner demon. You will play in the eyes of a young boy starting out high school in year 7, and play through his following years, where he learns that living with depression is like living with someone trying to put you down all the time. Walk through all the beautiful environments with a lovely soundtrack that suits the current mood of the game, and find all the hidden endings.
Fishing Star World Tour(WFS, €24.99 / £22.49) – Over 180 kinds of fish! More than 70 types of fishing gear! 40 fishing locations! Explore various locations and see a lot of fish! Catch a big one by changing your equipment to match the fish and setting! Fish that are caught are recorded in the “Fish Book”. Become an angling master!
Hyperide(Kool2Play, €1.99 / £1.79) – This game puts a modern spin on obstacle-course style vertically scrolling arcade games, and is inspired by the all-time classics. The player controls an ultra-fast spaceship on a rescue mission and needs be mindful of the oncoming space debris, as well as the power level of the ship, which is resupplied by picking up special crystals.
Onigiri(CyberStep, Free) – In a Japan filled with spirits and monsters, ages ago, the land itself was rocked by chaos. From the depths rose the terrible Kamikui who carved a path of destruction through all. Play alongside famous figures from history and myth like Shizuka Gozen, Miyamoto Musashi, and many others to battle the mysterious Kamikui!
AGARTHA-S(mebius, €7.90 / £7.19) – You will become an explorer and aim for the utopia “Agartha” deep in the ground. Cellular automaton reproduces natural phenomena in the underground world, which is the same physical law as the real world. Water flows, rocks pile up and collapse, The steam condenses into water by coldness and when the temperature falls further, it turns into ice.
Airheart – Tales of broken Wings(Blindflug Studios, €14.99 / £11.99) – Airheart is a dieselpunk airplane action game, where every colourful level is built on top of the previous one, all the way up to the stratosphere. Welcome to Granaria, a flying city in the clouds. Meet Amelia – a young pilot and fisherwoman wishing to reach the abundant world’s edge. Sky fishing became a really dangerous job, with pirates roaming around everywhere. So start your engines, arm your airplane and get ready to make the catch of a lifetime!
Arcade Archives MOON CRESTA(HAMSTER, €6.99 / £6.29) – “MOON CRESTA” is a shooting game produced and released by Nichibutsu in 1980. Players control Unit1 and Unit 2 and Unit3 of the airplane, and coalescing these airplanes, will defeat the enemies.
Bleep Bloop(Zerouno Games, €3.99 / £3.99) – A light-hearted and playful puzzle game about working together. Play alone controlling both characters or share the experience with a friend. Bleep Bloop is extremely easy to learn, but that doesn’t mean the puzzles will be a piece of cake.
BOMBFEST(Whitethorn Digital, €17.49 / £15.79) – BOMBFEST is an award-winning party game for you and up to three friends! Battle in wooden forts, on folding chairs, and inside the kitchen sink as you attempt to be the last player standing. Use bombs to eliminate your foes, but don’t get caught in a chain reaction of explosions!
Eggggg – The Platform Puker(Hyper Games, €14.99 / £12.99) – Gilbert has an extreme allergy to eggs. Eating them will literally make him vomit like a fountain. He escapes from his mean aunt Doris in order to get to a birthday party, and needs to use his vomiting superpower to survive a world of angry cyborg chickens… of course.
FREECELL BATTLE KING(Making, €6.99 / £6.29) – Battle play is exciting! Clear speed is the key! Sharing one unit, two Switches or online, enjoy the fun of competition with freecell! The tasks are 3000 questions! There is the ordinary “KING Mode” and easy “MAY Mode”. Collect the “collection” by clears to colour the game screen.
Gabbuchi(h.a.n.d, €6.99 / £6.29) – “Gabbuchi” is a curious creature that loves gobbling blocks and stuff. His favourite food is the heart cookie. In order to get it, you have to think about which blocks he can and can’t gobble. He can gobble blocks the same colour as himself. You can change his colour, too, so he can gobble different coloured blocks.
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander(Smiling Buddha Games, LLC, €16.99 / £14.99) – On the edge of Terran space lies Halcyon 6, a derelict starbase left behind by a mysterious precursor race. Your mission is to reclaim the derelict station and rebuild it. A mysterious alien force is making a beeline towards Earth and this starbase is the best chance for the New Terran Federation to establish new alliances, research new technologies and otherwise figure out a way to stop the impending invasion.
Merchants of Kaidan(Forever Entertainment, €9.99 / £8.99) – Merchants of Kaidan is a challenging trading game fused with RPG elements. You start very humbly, one cart, a purse of gold, and silver coins are all you have. Your task is to roam the world and search for opportunities to score some profit. Buy low, sell high – a merchant’s motto is easy to grasp. And yet the job is harder than it seems!
Planetarian(PROTOTYPE, €9.99 / £8.99) – Sarcophogus City, a city where the rain never ceases, sets the stage for the emotional tale of a Junker and a Robot, Yumemi, shaped like a young woman. Planetarian is a sci-fi visual novel, brought to life with beautiful art and a stirring soundtrack.
Piczle Colors(Rainy Frog, €12.00 / £10.00) – Use the numbers around the side of the puzzle to work out how many blocks of which colour should be painted in each row and column. Since the order of the numbers doesn’t determine the order you need to paint the colours you’ll need to stretch your brain to figure it out.
Robothorium(GoblinzStudio, €14.99 / £13.99) – 2052. Planet Earth. BreakTech, an enterprise specialised in robotic construction, is flourishing thanks to thorium, an unlimited and innovative power source. After many years of exploitation, robots are finally protesting for their rights. But the peaceful movement is quickly escalating to riots and the human repression is near. Now seen as a first-degree threat, robots are hunted down and culled throughout the planet.
New Star Manager(FiveAcesPublishing, €16.99 / £14.99) – This is soccer management like you’ve never experienced it – Be more than just a player, be the head, the heart, and backbone of New Star FC. Be the Manager. – Read our New Star Manager review
Necrosphere Deluxe(UNTIES, €7.99 / £6.49) – Necrosphere is where you go when you die, regardless of being good or bad. You don’t see other people around there. You don’t have anything to do, except waiting for eternity As soon as Agent Terry Cooper hits the Necrosphere, he learns about the portals that can take him back to the world of the living (also called Normalsphere), and his quest to escape the afterlife is set.
Stray Cat Doors(PULSMO, €2.27 / £2.04) -It is an escape game that solves a mystery together with a cute character. It is a game that even beginners can enjoy. Go around various stages, use items or solve problems and escape. Healing music. Turn on BGM and play around.
Tangledeep(Impact Gameworks, €17.00 / £15.79) – Tangledeep combines the 16-bit graphics and polish of classic SNES-era RPGs with elements from roguelikes and dungeon crawlers to create a magical experience for players of all skill levels. Trapped in underground villages with no memory of the world at the surface, you must survive an ever-changing labyrinth to discover what lies above.
TORIDAMA: Brave Challenge(G-mode, €3.56 / £3.21) – TORIDAMA: Brave Challenge is a mini-game collection based on the courage test. Test your weak feeling inside of you as we say “Chicken Level” based on timing of pressing a button, level, and pitch in various kind of critical situations.
Zombie Night Terror(Plug In Digital, €14.99 / £13.49) – Prepare yourself for the most thrilling night of your life! Something strange has happened and people everywhere are turning into bloodthirsty walking corpses. But guess who’s the brains behind this hungry undead army? YOU! So spread this pandemic to wipe humanity of this planet. Because the only way to survive the zombie apocalypse, is to BE the apocalypse!
Farm Together(Milkstone Studios, €19.99 / £17.99) – The ultimate farming experience! From the creators of Avatar Farm comes Farm Together, the ultimate farming experience! Start from scratch, with a small plot, and end with a huge farm that extends further than the eye can see!
Shanky: The Vegan’s Nightmare(Artvision Games, €5.99 / £5.39) – Shanky is a joyful meat grinder and mince is its movement force. Swallow up everything you can and collect Meat-Cola to stay on the move. Participate in a stunning story of love and self-sacrificing. Depending on the level, Shanky would change its movement force accessories to legs, wheels, wings and boat. During the boss battles, you would learn how to use its mince launcher. Collect Meat-Cola to expand Shanky’s stomach and success is guaranteed. And remember – there is never enough mince, so keep grinding!
Spoiler Alert(Megafuzz, €4.99 / £4.99) – The platformer you play… In reverse! You know how it ends… But how did it begin? Forget the classic tropes – they will be used against you!
Thea: The Awakening(Monster Couch, €16.19 / £14.39) – Thea: The Awakening is a turn-based strategic survival game steeped in Slavic myth and monstrosity set after an apocalyptic force known only as The Darkness has engulfed the world. There are Strigas and Baba Yagas aplenty, but there are no heroes, no monster slayers, and no great armies capable of banishing them. You have only a few hopeless and starving survivors who are desperately trying to stay alive. You are their last and only true hope!
Switch eShop – Demos
Bad North Demo(Raw Fury, Free) – Your home is under attack. The king is dead at the hands of Viking invaders. Hope is a distant glimmer in the fog, fading fast with every passing moment. As you rise to take your father’s place as ruler, it will fall to you to stage your defences. But make no mistake – this is no fight for victory, but a desperate grasp for survival. – Read our Bad North review
Switch eShop – Pre-Orders
Away: Journey To The Unexpected(Plug In Digital, €16.99 / £14.99, pre-order from 29/01/2019) – Welcome to a feel-good FPS! A colourful adventure combining action, negotiation and rogue-lite elements. You play as a kid that is neither a hero nor a warrior. Yet with the power of friendship, you will overcome every obstacle in your way! Choose your path through the levels, uncover the light-hearted story, and above all, recruit allies. All the wacky and powerful characters you meet can be played in first-person, and it’s up to you to find the right answers to get them to join your team!
Hell Warders(Pqube, €14.99 / £10.99, pre-order from 29/01/2019) – Hell is at our gates! Rise up as one of the mighty Hell Warders, an ancient order of heroes with unique powers and abilities, to resist the demon hordes head-on. Push back wave after wave of Hell-spawn with an arsenal of weapons, rip apart their fearsome commanders with powerful hero skills, and deploy your army of knights, archers, and mages to bring the fight back to Hell!
The Stillness of the Wind(Fellow Traveller, €9.76 / £8.49, pre-order from 29/01/2019) – One by one, everyone left the once bustling village for the city. Everyone, except Talma. Now approaching the end of her days, she maintains a simple, solitary way of life, surviving, subsisting, tending to her homestead and her goats.
Iron Crypticle(Tikipod, €8.09 / £6.74, pre-order from 30/01/2019) – The glorious Royal Treasures of Cryptonia have been stolen! Now the King’s washed-up knights must suit up and descend into the ancient palace crypts to return those GOLDEN GOODIES!
Ape Out(Devolver Digital, €14.99 / £13.49, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – Ape Out is a wildly intense and colourfully stylized smash ‘em up about primal escape, rhythmic violence, and frenetic jazz. Build up nearly unstoppable momentum and use your captors as both weapons and shields to crush everyone on your procedurally generated path to freedom.
Mercury Race(Herrero, €7.99 / £7.99, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – Mercury Race is a shooting & racing game set in a retrofuturistic world. Finish each circuit in time to obtain the badge and achieve ranking number one. The game will challenge not only your driving skills but also your shooting accuracy.
NEKOPARA Vol.2(CFK, €10.99 / £9.89, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – The sequel to NEKOPARA, a touching adventure game that’s become a worldwide sensation, is coming to Nintendo Switch! This newest edition will feature a new opening movie and theme song, all-new hand-drawn art from NEKO WORKs, and new fully voiced story scenes. The game’s gorgeous graphics are all in high definition for a truly complete experience.
Pocket Academy(Kairosoft, €10.00 / £8.99, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – School got you down? Wish you could change a few things? Well, now’s your chance to create the ultimate dream school in this simulation smash-hit! Tailor your personal academy as you see fit, erecting classrooms, making clubs–even deciding this week’s hot couple!
Sky Gamblers – Afterburner(Atypical Games, €16.99 / £15.29, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – This is the latest and greatest jet dogfight game, coming from the creators of Sky Gamblers, Battle Supremacy and Radiation series! Get into the cockpit and prepare to take-off. Unlock, upgrade and customize the weapons and defences of more than 100 planes. Paint your favourite jet fighter, customize patterns and badges for the ultimate looks. Become the master of the skies!
The King’s Bird(Graffiti Games, €19.99 / £17.99, pre-order from 31/01/2019) – Escape into a world kept secret by a tyrant, and discover the truth about your freedom. The King’s Bird is an artistic, momentum-based game that seamlessly combines precision-platforming with physics-based gliding.
As part of its Q3 2019 financial update, Nintendo has provided up-to-date lists for its best-selling games across current consoles. We’ve already shared the current top ten best-selling Switch games, but what about the 3DS?
Well, as it happens, the top ten 3DS games are exactly the same now as they were three months ago, albeit with more sales under their belts. All sales totals below are lifetime sales which are accurate as of 31st December 2018 and include both physical and digital sales as well as bundled units.
Of course, with a general lack of major new releases and dwindling interest in the console from its core audience, it’s not all that surprising that Nintendo’s best sellers on the handheld have remained unchanged. Sadly, the total sales for Wii and Wii U games have not been updated this time around despite being included in the last quarter’s updates.
Do you own many of these best-selling 3DS games? Let us know your favourites in the comments.
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region.As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch eShop
Wargroove(Chucklefish, Fri 1st February, $19.99) Take to the battlefield with Wargroove, a turn-based strategy game for up to 4 players! Choose your Commander and wage war on battling factions, using your ‘groove’ to strategically sway the fight in your favour! When war breaks out in the Kingdom of Cherrystone, the young Queen Mercia must flee her home. Read our Wargroove review.
Dragon Marked For Death(Inti Creates, Today, $14.99, Wed 30th January) Play as the survivors of the Dragonblood Clan who set out to take revenge on the Kingdom of Medius. To obtain the power they need to enact their revenge, they forge a pact with the Astral Dragon Atruum. Choose from four playable characters, and defeat your enemies to gain experience and level up. Customize your character in a way that best suits your individual play style.
Downwell(Devolver Digital, Today, $2.99) Downwell is a curious game about a young person venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots for protection. Make your way further and further down into the darkness filled with nasty creatures and mysterious secrets to collect the spectacular red gems scattered about the rocks.
Agartha-s(mebius., Today, $7.99) You will become an explorer and aim for the utopia “Agartha” deep in the ground. Cellular automaton reproduces natural phenomena in the underground world, which is the same physical law as the real world. Water flows, rocks pile up and collapse, The steam condenses into water by coldness and when the temperature falls further, it turns into ice.
Airheart – Tales of broken Wings(Blindflug Studios, Today, $17.99) Airheart is a dieselpunk airplane action game, where every colorful level is built on top of the previous one, all the way up to the stratosphere. Welcome to Granaria, a flying city in the clouds. Meet Amelia – a young pilot and fisherwoman wishing to reach the abundant world’s edge. Sky fishing became a really dangerous job, with pirates roaming around everywhere. So start your engines, arm your airplane and get ready to make the catch of a lifetime!
Arcade Archives BOMB JACK(HAMSTER, Thu 24th January, $7.99) ‘BOMB JACK’ is an action game that was released by Tehkan (Koei Tecmo Games) in 1984. Players control ‘Jack’, a superhero who can leap and glide, to collect all bombs in game stages. By retrieving the ignited bombs first, you can earn bonus points and fill up your Power gauge.
Avenger Bird(Ultimate Games, Tue 5th February, $2.30) Oh No! Someone has kidnapped your little birds! You must go on an epic adventure to rescue them! Avenger Bird is a platform side-scroller game with pixel-art graphics, but your hero isn’t just a regular hero. You are playing a bird that can flap its tiny wings to fly and glide for limited distances. It’s a retro-inspired 16-bit era game with innovative and challenging fly/glide mechanic.
Balance Blox(EntwicklerX, Thu 24th January, $2.99) In this game you have to drop blocks on the balance. Blocks affect the balance according to their distance from the bottom triangle. Match three blocks of the same color vertically or horizontally to remove them from the playfield. Every block has its own weight, so let them fall wisely. If the balance hit the ground, the game is over. Use Special Items like columnCleaner, rowCleaner and the colorCleaner for a faster playfield cleaning.
Bleep Bloop(Zerouno Games, Today, $3.99) Meet Bleep and Bloop as they help each other overcome all the challenges that stand in their way. A light-hearted and playful puzzle game about working together. Play alone controlling both characters or share the experience with a friend. Bleep Bloop is extremely easy to learn, but that doesn’t mean the puzzles will be a piece of cake.
Bombfest(Whitethorn Digital, Today, $19.99) BOMBFEST is an award-winning party game for you and up to three friends! Battle in wooden forts, on folding chairs, and inside the kitchen sink as you attempt to be the last player standing. Use bombs to eliminate your foes, but don’t get caught in a chain reaction of explosions!
CHRONO CLASH: Fantasy Tactics(Tyler Projects, Mon 28th January, $0.99) Chrono Clash is a blend of classic tactical roleplaying enhanced with enhanced with dynamic action sequences. Battle across over 50 maps and missions. Customize your heroes’ weapons, armor and skills with over 100 skills, 20 job classes and 200 different items.
Eggggg – The platform puker(Hyper Games, Today, $14.99) Gilbert has an extreme allergy to eggs. Eating them will literally make him vomit like a fountain. He escapes from his mean aunt Doris in order to get to a birthday party, and needs to use his vomiting superpower to survive a world of angry cyborg chickens… of course. A fun and playful game for all ages! 36 crazy levels of vomiting action! Awesome and unique visual style by Brosmind!
Farm Together(Milkstone Studios, Fri 1st February, $19.99) The ultimate farming experience! From the creators of Avatar Farm comes Farm Together, the ultimate farming experience! Start from scratch, with a small plot, and end with a huge farm that extends further than the eye can see!
Fishing Star: World Tour(GREE, Wed 30th January, $29.99) Over 180 kinds of fish! More than 70 types of fishing gear! 40 fishing locations! Explore various locations and see a lot of fish! Catch a big one by changing your equipment to match the fish and setting! Fish that are caught are recorded in the “Fish Book”. Become an angling master! Choose a play-style that suits you! Move the Joy-Con to reel in fish like a real angler or simply use the stick on the Joy-Con to catch fish! Play a trolling mini-game using the Toy-Con Fishing Rod! Aim for big fish while aboard a speeding vessel!
Forgotten Tales – Day of the Dead(Joindots, Thu 24th January, $14.99) There is an old legend in Mexico that on “Dia de los Muertos” the Day of the Dead, the gates of heaven will open and the souls of our loved ones can visit the land of the living. That’s where the story of Manuel and Maria begins. An evil soul has kidnapped Maria.
Gabbuchi(h.a.n.d., Today, $7.99) “Gabbuchi” is a curious creature that loves gobbling blocks and stuff. His favorite food is the heart cookie. In order to get it, you have to think about which blocks he can and can’t gobble. He can gobble blocks the same color as himself. You can change his color, too, so he can gobble different colored blocks. Blocks that are a different color from Gabbuchi can also serve as supports to reach high places!
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander(Smiling Buddha Games, LLC, Today, $19.99) On the edge of Terran space lies Halcyon 6, a derelict starbase left behind by a mysterious precursor race. Your mission is to reclaim the derelict station and rebuild it. A mysterious alien force is making a beeline towards Earth and this starbase is the best chance for the New Terran Federation to establish new alliances, research new technologies and otherwise figure out a way to stop the impending invasion.
Magic Nations(PrimeBit Games, Mon 4th February, $3.00) Jump into the fantasy world of the Magic Nations card battle game. Grab your card deck and fight your opponents from all over the world. This is a strategy card game where you constantly must adapt to battlefield conditions. Collect new, powerful units, expand your deck with unique characters, buy and sell your cards! Magic Nations is a card game with features the deployment of its troops in two rows and subsequent moves with its units until the opponent has no moves available or cards left!
Merchants of Kaidan(Forever Entertainment, Today, $9.99) Merchants of Kaidan is a challenging trading game fused with RPG elements. You start very humbly, one cart, a purse of gold, and silver coins is all you have. Your task is to roam the world and search for opportunities to score some profit. Buy low, sell high – a merchant’s motto is easy to grasp. And yet the job is harder than it seems! A good merchant needs to know everything about the market, he is always on the lookout for a deal, always listening. He knows what forces influence the prices, and which events affect them. The conditions are constantly changing, as well as supply and demand for different goods.
Monkey Wall(Cosen, Thu 24th January, $4.99) In this martial arts action/puzzle game, select a character as your avatar and start the rigorous training regime. The player selects from four characters, each with four different costumes to choose from, and proceeds down the training path. Break through the walls as they approach by quickly determining the pose that matches the space to continue. Move in rhythm to the music and continue your training. This fight is with yourself. Aim for the high score and keep up the pace as game gets faster. The game won the highest award for game art at the Xiamen International Anime & Manga Festival’s “Mirai Sozo” Game Contest, receiving high praise for its pop and comical character design and fluid movement.
Necrosphere Deluxe(Unties, Today, $7.99) Necrosphere is a (really difficult) bite-sized Metroidvania game you control WITH ONLY TWO BUTTONS! Necrosphere is where you go when you die, regardless of being good or bad.
New Star Manager(FiveAcesPublishing, Today, $19.99) Welcome to New Star Manager: The critically acclaimed game from Simon Read, creator of the BAFTA Award-winning New Star Soccer series. Take control of New Star FC – a beleaguered soccer club which needs your management skills and instincts to unlock the team’s potential and make it to the top of the game. Read our New Star Manager review.
Onigiri(Cyberstep, Wed 30th January) In a Japan filled with spirits and monsters, ages ago, the land itself was rocked by chaos. From the depths rose the terrible Kamikui who carved a path of destruction through all. Play alongside famous figures from history and myth like Shizuka Gozen, Miyamoto Musashi, and many others to battle the mysterious Kamikui! Travel through Japan using your skills and weapons to conquer your foes! Utilize the MMORPG features to play alongside other party members!
Paladin(Pumpkin Games, Tue 29th January, $9.99) Protect the cities, destroy the aliens and upgrade your fighter. Drive back the vile invading scum and save mankind in this frantic twin-stick shooter! You pilot a highly manoeuvrable space fighter across a 2d landscape, charged with saving the last remaining human cities from destruction.
Perry Pig Jump(EntwicklerX, Thu 24th January, $2.99) Meet Perry Pig – a friendly little piggy. Help him to jump into the sky and play a fantastic adventure with him. Jump high and higher, collect stars and diamonds for Special Items and upgrades. For a happy jump, you can add clothes and accessories to dress up Perry pig as you like. Combine clothes for your unique style.
Piczle Colors(Rainy Frog, Today, $12.00) From Score Studios, the makers of Piczle Lines DX, comes Piczle Colors! Use the numbers around the side of the puzzle to work out how many blocks of which color should be painted in each row and column. Since the order of the numbers doesn’t determine the order you need to paint the colors you’ll need to stretch your brain to figure it out. Luckily there are two types of numbers that indicate if the colors should be painted together or separately.
Planetarian(PROTOTYPE, Today, $9.99) Sarcophogus City, a city where the rain never ceases, sets the stage for the emotional tale of a Junker and a Robot, Yumemi, shaped like a young woman. Planetarian is a sci-fi visual novel, brought to life with beautiful art and a stirring soundtrack.
Robothorium(Goblinz Studio, Today, $14.99) – Lead your own robotic revolution Your uprising will be unique! Each of your choices will impact random generation and the next missions! They will also change your relations with the 5 different factions present in the game.
SmuggleCraft(Happy Badger Studio, Thu 24th January, $9.99) You’ve got a fast hovercraft and a heavy debt. Also, the world is falling apart. As a smuggler in a society in which travel, trade, and technology are highly regulated and virtually inaccessible for most, your deliveries could decide the fate of your world.
Stray Cat Doors(PULSMO, Today, $2.59) It is an escape game that solves a mystery together with a cute character. It is a game that even beginners can enjoy. Go around various stages, use items or solve problems and escape. Clear rooms will become lively. Healing music. Turn on BGM and play around.
Tangledeep(Impact Gameworks, Today, $19.99) Tangledeep combines the 16-bit graphics and polish of classic RPGs with elements from roguelikes and dungeon crawlers to create a magical experience for players of all skill levels. Trapped in underground villages with no memory of the world at the surface, you must survive an ever-changing labyrinth to discover what lies above.
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2(THQ Nordic, Tue 5th February, $29.99) Legend foretold it. Prophecies predicted it. Chosen ones chose to believe in it. Now the fantasy spoof adventure saga continues. Join Wilbur, Ivo, Nate and Critter in another classic point-and-click adventure in the wicked world of Aventasia.
The Path of Motus(Michael Hicks, Tue 5th February, $14.99) Will you let other people stop you from pursuing your dreams? For generations, a village of goblins has been trapped inside a mysterious forest; anyone who attempts to leave returns hopeless and defeated. Determined to break new ground, a young goblin named Motus plans to build a series of bridges through the forest. However, his perseverance will soon be tested, as he meets bullies that use their own words to stop him. Will you find a way through life’s forest, or like others be lost in its depths with no will to continue?
Thea: The Awakening(Monster Couch, Fri 1st February, $17.99) Thea: The Awakening is a turn-based strategic survival game steeped in Slavic myth and monstrosity set after an apocalyptic force known only as The Darkness has engulfed the world. There are Strigas and Baba Yagas aplenty, but there are no heroes, no monster slayers, and no great armies capable of banishing them. You have only a few hopeless and starving survivors who are desperately trying to stay alive. You are their last and only true hope! The game combines turn-based strategic gameplay with the tension and grit of a rogue-like, a captivating story you can uncover through a series of in-game events, and a unique combat system based on a complex card battle game.
Zombie Night Terror(Plug In Digital, Today, $14.99) Prepare yourself for the most thrilling night of your life! Something strange has happened and people everywhere are turning into bloodthirsty walking corpses. But guess who’s the brains behind this hungry undead army? YOU! So spread this pandemic to wipe humanity of this planet. Because the only way to survive the zombie apocalypse is to BE the apocalypse! But the brainless undead are quite dumb… even dumber than you might expect given their lack of grey matter.
Zombie Panic in Wonderland DX(Akaoni Studio, Fri 25th January, $8.99) Free Wonderland from the loving zombies plague! The world of fairy tales has been overrun by a plague of bizarre zombies that wander along surrounded by a lovely yet pungent smell.
Nintendo 3DS
Etrian Odyssey Nexus(Atlus, Tue 5th February, $39.99) With more classes, characters, gameplay systems, and labyrinths than any other game in the series, Etrian Odyssey Nexus is the ultimate dungeon-crawling adventure. Create and customize characters from 19 playable classes, then take on the dangerous creatures of Lemuria’s labyrinths with your perfect party! With the ability to swap between four difficulty settings, auto-mapping settings, and a grand standalone story, series newcomers and experienced veterans alike are welcome.
Activities
My Nintendo: Celebrating Friendship and Love with Kirby – February is all about sharing the love, and we’re doing just that starting today with fun new rewards featuring everyone’s favorite pink puff. Get ready for the Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn game, launching on March 8 for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, with Kirby themed rewards.
Nintendo eShop sales
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
So that’s your lot for this week’s North American Nintendo Download. Go on, be a sport and drop a vote in the poll above, and comment below with your hot picks!
Already available on PC and other consoles, the game will launch on Switch on 2nd April both digitally on the Nintendo eShop and also physically at retail. The recommended price for both versions will be set at £25.99 / €29.99 / $ 29.99.
Here’s a little more information courtesy of today’s press release:
Deceived by the forces of evil into prematurely bringing about the end of the world, War – the first Horseman of the Apocalypse – stands accused of breaking the sacred law by inciting a war between Heaven and Hell. In the slaughter that ensued, the demonic forces defeated the heavenly hosts and laid claim to the Earth.
FEATURES:
– Apocalyptic Power – Unleash the wrath of War, combining brutal attacks and supernatural abilities to decimate all who stand in your way – Extreme Arsenal – Wield a devastating arsenal of angelic, demonic and Earthly weapons; and blaze a trail of destruction atop Ruin, War’s fiery phantom steed – Epic Quest – Battle across the wastelands and demon-infested dungeons of the decimated Earth in your quest for vengeance and redemption – Character Progression – Uncover powerful ancient relics, upgrade your weapons, unlock new abilities, and customize your gameplay style – Battle Heaven And Hell – Battle against all who stand in your way – from war-weary angelic forces to Hell’s hideous demon hordes
So, not only was the announcement real, but we don’t have too long to wait until we can get our hands on it either. Lovely stuff.
Are you excited for this one? Do you think we’ll see Darksiders II or even the much newer Darksiders III on the console any time soon? Let us know in the comments.
Serenity Forge and publisher Graffiti Games have announced that the award-winning platformer The King’s Bird will be soaring onto Nintendo Switch next month.
The King’s Bird is described as a momentum-driven, precision-platforming game in which players must use aerial movements to dash, glide, and flow through a mysterious world with precision and grace. The official blurb for the game states that “to discover the truth about their freedom, players must use their skills to escape into a world kept secret by a mysterious tyrant”.
You can see the game in action in the trailer above; it certainly does look like it could be a winner to us, and players on Steam seem to agree, giving the game a “very positive” rating since its release on the platform last summer.
Features:
– Fluid gameplay that provides a seamless experience both on the ground and in the air – A strong focus on the beauty of movement and nature – A world populated by mystical birds and other creatures – A strong female protagonist – Incredible soaring mechanics and a beautiful, mystical soundtrack create a zen-like experience
The game comes to consoles on 12th February and will be priced at $19.99.
Are you ready to take flight on Switch? Does this look like your sort of game? Let us know in the comments.
