There are a lot of great-looking games coming to the Switch this week. A handful of the ones that made our list are a little on the scary side, just in time for spooky season. I’m going to apologize in advance: This is going to be a wallet-busting week. Let’s get to it.
Here’s our list of can’t-miss new Switch games for the week of October 31.
Nintendo 64 — Nintendo Switch Online
The highly anticipated — and, frankly, highly controversial — Nintendo 64 will make its appearance on Nintendo Switch Online on Monday. Nintendo announced its N64 plans during its September Direct.
Nintendo’s initial slate of N64 games is filled with heavy hitters, but if you were around in the mid ’90s, the list might be a little underwhelming.
The N64 is debuting on the Switch with:
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Dr. Mario 64
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Mario Kart 64
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Mario Tennis
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Sin & Punishment
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Star Fox 64
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Super Mario 64
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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WIN BACK: COVERT OPERATIONS
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Yoshi’s Story
You’ll have to purchase Nintendo Switch Online and the extra Expansion Pack to have access to this small N64 catalog. For an annual individual subscription, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will cost you $49.99. The annual family subscription with the Expansion Pack, which can include up to eight Nintendo Account holders, will cost you $79.99.
The Expansion Pack (that includes these N64 games) will be available on October 25.
SEGA Genesis — Nintendo Switch Online
It’s fair to say that many of us were shocked when Nintendo announced that in addition to some Nintendo 64 games coming to Switch’s online service, a few SEGA Genesis — or SEGA Mega Drive — games would also be available.
SEGA was Nintendo’s biggest competitor during the console wars of the early ‘90s, but obviously the relationship has gotten much chummier since then. Still, it’s a little surreal that Genesis games will be part of Nintendo’s online subscription service, especially considering that most — if not all — of these Genesis games have been available in the Switch’s eShop for a while now.
Anyway, if you haven’t purchased the fantastic (and reasonably priced) SEGA Genesis Classics Collection on the Switch, the Expansion Pack gives you access to some really great SEGA games.
Here’s what’s included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
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Castlevania: Bloodlines
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Contra: Hard Corps
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Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
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Ecco the Dolphin
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Golden Axe
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Gunstar Heroes
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M.U.S.H.A.
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Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium
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Ristar
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Shining Force
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Shinobi 3
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2
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Streets of Rage 2
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Strider
The Expansion Pack (that includes these Genesis games) will be available on October 25.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version
If you’re a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, you’ve had this one on your radar for a while now. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to the Switch… sort of. More on that later.
Earlier this year, we got news that Square Enix is working with Marvel on Guardians of the Galaxy, a single-player action-adventure game that takes place after an interstellar war. You play as Star-Lord — whose character model thankfully doesn’t look like Chris Pratt — and your decisions throughout the game will have consequences on the story and how the rest of the team interacts with you.
Sounds cool, right?
So here’s the bad news.
The Switch version of Guardians of the Galaxy is a cloud version, meaning you’ll have to have a strong, reliable internet connection to stream the game.
Cloud versions aren’t anything new to the Switch. We’ve seen other graphically intense third-party games come to the Switch via the cloud — Hitman 3 and Dying Light 2 — and more recently less demanding titles — like the early Kingdom Hearts games.
(This is a discussion for another day, but being tethered to a Wi-Fi connection seems to undermine the whole point of the Switch’s portability.)
So while it’s possible to play Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on the Switch, if you have a more powerful console, I recommend picking it up for PlayStation or XBOX and skipping the Switch version.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version will release for the Nintendo Switch on October 26 for $59.99.
DUSK
Let me start by saying that I’m not super into modern first-person shooters. But I’ve been looking forward to DUSK coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Part Minecraft, part 1993 DOOM, this high-octane FPS has you battling cultists, demon-possessed militants, and more as you make your way below the Earth’s crust. DUSK features three campaign episodes as well as an Endless Survival Mode that pits you against wave after wave of enemies.
With its retro polygonal art style, DUSK wears its ‘90s influences on its sleeve, and that’s not a bad thing. If you love Quake and DOOM, DUSK is a great — if derivative — pickup.
DUSK will be released on the Switch on October 28 for $19.99.
FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water
You’re not afraid of ghosts, right? Right? Right…?
The fifth game in the FATAL FRAME series, FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water was originally released on the Wii U back in 2014. This survival horror game has you explore Mt. Hikami — fittingly known as the “mountain of death” — to investigate the disappearance of people who have vanished while visiting the mountain.
Armed with just your Camera Obscura, you have to attempt to photograph what you find and somehow survive the mountain of death.
In this new remastered version of the game, developers have added new costumes for Yuri, Miu, and Ren and a photo mode. And in the post-game, you can play as Ayane from the Ninja Gaiden series. Unfortunately, the Zero Suit Samus and Princess Zelda costumes from the original release aren’t available this time around.
FATAL FRAME: Maiden of Black Water will be available on the Switch on October 28 for $39.99.
hexceed
Originally released on PC nearly a year ago, hexceed is coming to the Nintendo Switch. If you’re a fan of puzzle games, you can’t miss this one.
A welcome new twist on the timeless Minesweeper, hexceed is a stylish and relaxing puzzle game that has you flip over hexagons to identify all dangerous spaces before clearing levels.
There’s no guesswork here — just logic.
hexceed comes from Newcastle-based ToastieLabs, an indie dev team of two, and I want to thank Rob and Lee from ToastieLabs for sending us an early review copy of the game.
hexceed is a free-to-play game — with additional DLC levels available — and will be available on October 28.
Mario Party Superstars
Ready to ruin your friendships, file for divorce, and give your kids trust issues?
Good. Because Mario’s back with Mario Party Superstars!
When I first heard about yet another Mario Party game on the Switch, I was a little surprised. Super Mario Party was fun, but there were only a handful of boards, and it didn’t take long to get bored with them. Why did we need a new title? Why couldn’t we just get DLC for Super Mario Party?
And, for the record, I still feel that way, but Mario Party Superstars looks fun, too.
Rather than coming up with something totally new and different, Superstars is more of a greatest hits collection, pulling mini games and boards from other installments in the franchise. The game plays just like other Mario Party games — you roll the dice, move around the board, compete in mini games, and try to win the most Power Stars before the end of the game.
Mario Party Superstars includes online multiplayer, so you can play with your friends online… or play with randos after your friends disown you for stealing their Stars.
Mario Party Superstars will be available on October 29 for $59.99.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster
The last game on our list is a little unusual because it’s releasing on a Sunday. That Sunday just so happens to be Halloween, and by the looks of it, The Suicide of Rachel Foster is going to be a spine-tingling walking simulator that deserves an All-Hallows’-Eve playthrough on the Switch.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster tells the story of Nicole, a young adult who wants to fulfill her mother’s last will to sell the family hotel. But a storm strands her at the dilapidated hotel, and she must come face-to-face with the skeletons in her family’s closet.
As the narrative unfolds, you come to understand that Nicole and her mother left the hotel after discovering that Rachel’s father had an affair with a girl named Rachel, a girl around Nicole’s age who eventually committed suicide.
The developers promise a “story of love and death, where melancholy and nostalgia melt into a thrilling ghost tale.”
Definitely not the type of game I’d recommend to everyone, but if you’re looking for a mysterious mature thriller, don’t miss The Suicide of Rachel Foster.
The Suicide of Rachel Foster will be available on October 31 for $19.99.
