Originally published on Switch Weekly

Issue #342

July 23, 2023

Pikmin 4 is blooming marvellous

Hi , another week, another round-up of Nintendo updates for you. It’s Chris here with issue 342 of Switch Weekly. Hope you are doing well.

Despite telling myself I was going to wait until I finished Tears of the Kingdom, I did pick up Pikmin 4 on Friday….and then proceeded to play another few hours of Zelda. 🙃 So, I haven’t tried Pikmin yet, but I’ve seen so many positive reviews, tweets, and comments about this entry that I’m really looking forward to giving it a go, once the gloom releases me from its clutches. I picked up the original Pikmin game for GameCube on launch back in 2002, so feels right to do the same all over again 21 years later. If you grabbed it, hit reply on this email and let me know what you think of it so far — the reviews are glowing.

There’s around 30 games hitting the Nintendo eShop next week — full list below as ever.

Thanks for reading. Catch you next time.

Cheers ,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing : Zelda: TotK

Ask the Developer: Pikmin 4 — This multi-part Q&A series with the team behind the Pikmin series is really interesting. You’ll learn about the series early origins, initial character designs, inspirations, and more.

Nintendo

REVIEW Pikmin 4 – a gardener’s fever dream — ” The most memorable games are always the ones that inject a little magic into your every day life. “. Want more? Here’s the Metacritic — the game is sitting at an 87/100 at time of writing.

Keza MacDonald // The Guardian

Nine things to know before starting Pikmin 4

Julia Lee // Polygon

▶ Pikmin 1+2 Switch HD vs GameCube originals – Is it enough of an upgrade?

Digital Foundry // YouTube

SPOILERS Tears of the Kingdom’s ending is its own kind of tragedy

Jay Castello // Polygon

Tears of the Kingdom shows that without change, accessibility in Nintendo games will remain accidental

Geoffrey Bunting // Eurogamer

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated.
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores .

⭐️ = Ones to Watch · 📦 = Physical release · 🎮 = Demo available

Mon

Heist Force — Third-person shooter theif action. (Jul 25 in U.S.)

Tue

Magic Exposure: Yuri Visual Novel — As described. M for mature.
Mr Run and Jump — Neon-soaked electric 2D platformer.
Skeljump — 2D puzzle platformer.
This Way Madness Lies — A ‘fast-paced’ comedy JRPG about Shakespeare.

Wed

Super Intern Story — Adventure game about being an intern at a gaming company.
Venice 2089 — You play a teenager with a hoverboard in a future, flooding Venice.
Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone — Tactical RPG for the GBA from 2006 comes to Switch.
Zoo Park Story — Create your own 2D zoo sim.

Thu

Alien War 2 Dogfight — Arcade, aerial shooter.
📦 Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons — A ‘roguelite addition’ to this beat ’em up franchise. ( Physical release )
Eden’s Last Sunrise — A turn-based isometric tactical RPG.
⭐️ Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara — Looks like quite a lovely, child-friendly, traditional 3D platformer tbh.
Luna and Monsters Tower Defense: The deprived magical kingdom — A traditional tower defense game with a fantasy setting.
Operate Now: Hospital — Remember that Trauma Center game on DS? This has bits like that.
⭐️ Patrick’s Parabox — This 2D puzzle game looks really inventive. Watch this trailer to get the idea .
Pixel Game Maker Series: Angel’s Gear — A moody looking 2D action adventure game.
⭐️ PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe — A party game about cleaning, with online play, from Q-Games — the devs behind the awesome PixelJunk series, Star Fox Command, and others.
Psychic 5: Eternal — Arcade action game that is as old as me.
Radiant Tale — Otome visual novel. ( Physical release )
📦 Sword and Fairy Inn 2 — Chibi casual restaurant sim meets RPG. ( Physical release )
Watch — A platformer with a visual puzzle mechanic at its core.
Working Hard Collection — Construction-themed puzzle platformer bundle.
Zombie Hunter D-Day — Arcade zombie shooter.

Fri

Demonic Supremacy — A 3D FPS with a ‘certain doomish’ flavour. M for mature.
⭐️📦 Disney Illusion Island — Lovely looking 2D platformer featuring Mickey and pals, with four player co-op.
Raccoon Adventure — Yes, a 3D trash panda sim.
⭐️ The Master’s Pupil — A hand-painted puzzle adventure game set inside Monet’s eye.

Sat

Last Mage Survivors — Vampire Survivors-like.
Mega Ramp Moto — Dirt bike stunts sim.

⚡️ Quick Links

📲 YEAH! YOU WANT “THOSE GAMES,” RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET’S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM! — Is the name of a real game released on Switch last week . It makes all those weird mobile game ads you’ve ever seen a reality. I dig this. Yay for minigames.
🎙️ I was on the Crossed Wires podcast talking all about the Switch, and Switch Weekly too of course.
🤯 A modder has got the Switch to run all sorts of things , including PC games, and 2018’s PS4 hit God of War.
💯 Team Nintendo Noise attempt to rank the top 100 Nintendo games of all time.
🐬 No surprise, but plans to release the GameCube and Wii ‘Dolphin’ emulator on Steam have been abandoned .
🧗 Combine ‘Getting Over It’ and the first Mario game and you get this …
🍆 A Japanese Super Mario World strategy guide seems to have Luigi making a rather NSFW comment…

💌 Switch Weekly remains both accessible and sustainable thanks to the ongoing support of my amazing patrons, including:

PC, CapnGoat, SB, FrozenTrout, JR, MindFad, Greg, Michael Fairley, Chris D, Andrew E, Pobble, TomNinetyTwo, and others — why not join them ?

Pikmin 4 is blooming marvellous

🎮 Upcoming Releases

⚡️ Quick Links

Nintendo’s financial results reveal Switch 2 hits 10 million units sold

Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES in America

The NESBOOK is a Nintendo Entertainment System Companion Coffee Book