Big Bad Smash amiibo
Pretty Girls Breakers! PLUS (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Unlock outfits for cute anime ladies to wear while you swing a beam sword at a ball to break blocks in Pretty Girls Breakers! PLUS. Yeah it’s pretty much a BreakOut or Arkanoid clone. The PLUS adds new levels and game modes, but otherwise it’s more of the same from what I reviewed last year. It’s available on PlayStation systems and Switch, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Trophy (Switch, Xbox One, X/S, PC)
Originally a homebrew 8-bit NES game, you can now download Trophy on Switch, current Xbox consoles, and PC (reviewed on Switch here). In the game, two scientists travel to another planet and befriend sentient robots there. One of the scientists returns to Earth to report the findings, while the other one stays on the other planet and turns evil and takes it over. Now it’s up to the other scientist to return to the planet, fuse with his robot friend to become Trophy, and save the day! Trophy is a 2-D sidescrolling run and gun platformer clearly inspired by classic Mega Man titles.
Devolver Tumble Time (Mobile)
NEScape! (Switch, PC)
Escape Rooms have been a popular form of entertainment lately. From what I understand, you and a group are ‘trapped’ in a room and must figure out puzzles in the room in a limited time to get out. Some of my friends and family said I would like these, but I dunno. Depends on how much they cost, I guess. But what if Escape Rooms came out during the 8-bit NES days? You know they’d make a game about it on the Nintendo! And now they have with NEScape! It’s a new, unlicensed game running on NES hardware. Originally you could only buy it as a cartridge, but now you can also play it on the Switch and PCs as well (reviewed on Switch here).
nOS: New Operating System (Switch)
Super Mario Bros. Movie Toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals!
Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider (PS4, PS5, Switch, PC)
Battle oppression in a bleak dystopian future as a robotic samurai in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. The game is designed to look and play like a 16-bit 2-D action game, like what you might’ve seen on the SEGA Genesis or Super Nintendo. It’s available on PlayStation consoles, Switch, and PC, but reviewed on PS4 here.
Pocket Witch (PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, X/S)
Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (PS4, PS5, Switch)
Last year we got a collection of classic Wonder Boy games, but there was only one problem. Not all the games were on the collection! Well they’ve seemed to fix that this year with Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. It now has pretty much all the Wonder Boy games, plus all versions of those titles and cool new bonus features. It’s available to download on Switch and PlayStation consoles, but reviewed on PS4 here.