I love playing video games (can you tell?). One thing I like even more though, is buying them at a discounted price. My wishlists on my consoles read more like a small novella than a scrawny to-do list frantically scratched onto a napkin. I figured since I was in the middle of multiple titles right now, I would share some of the games that I'm excited to hopefully play in the future when the price is right. These games in particular are a look into my Nintendo Switch Eshop wishlist, since chances are, I'll be getting to them much sooner. Now, this isn't every single title on my list, but they are the ones that I'm most excited for. That and the fact that this would take me much longer to write if I wrote about everything on there. Let's get into it!
Note: All screenshots in the article are obtained from the game's developer sites and/or press kits, except Trials of Mana.
Trials of Mana
I won't go into too much detail about Trials of Mana, as I already wrote my initial thoughts about the remake when I played through the demo (see bookmarked link below!). The ~5 hours of game time I got out of the demo hooked me real hard and I've been itching to get back to it since. The full price tag was a bit much for me at the time, but titles like this are known to drop pretty nicely if you are patient enough. I'm hoping for one of two moments to happen so I can buy it: I'm in a real lull for games I actively want to play (which realistically... is not likely) to justify the full price, or there is a pretty significant discount. Regardless as to which happens first, I can't wait to get my hands back on this game.
Seeley M.
Tangle Tower
This title oddly enough comes from the same studio who also did Snipperclips (which is a really fun Switch exclusive co-op game if you haven't heard of it, but is a very different type of game than Tangled Tower). Following the murder of Freya Follow, you explore and investigate the odd estate that is the Tangle Tower. A breath-taking art style, accompanied by a full set of voice acting, seems like it makes for a wonderful, enticing experience, entangled with thought-provoking puzzles along the way. As someone who is a sucker for unique visuals and a good puzzle or two, Tangle Tower has had my eye since its initial release.
Although it is not a defining factor usually, I am someone who values the amount of time I can get out of a game, compared to the price I purchase it at. From what it looks like, this title even after 100% completion is on the smaller end at less than 10 hours. The Canadian price point is $24.99 which for the quality I know this title will have, is definitely worth it. However, as that person who takes game-time into factor, it just feels a tiny bit too high. It's a small nitpick that I'm honestly not proud of but it's enough that my brain is like "NOT YET" in terms of buying it. I'm so, so intrigued by this title though that at this point — I'll probably grab it the next time the price drops at all, even if it's just by a few bucks.
The Touryst
Although the premise for this game seems a bit on the secretive side, The Touryst looks like a solid adventure game with some puzzles intertwined. You arrive on vacation at the Monument Islands where there seems to be a wide variety of things to do. I'll be honest, I am a sucker for voxel art of any kind so just seeing this game caught my attention in a heartbeat. It was only after I researched it a bit more that I knew I actually wanted to buy and play it.
This one falls into the same category as Tangle Tower, where the playtime is on the slightly lower end. My interest is still heavily piqued for this game so I'm hoping I'm in a good enough place financially that next time it drops in price, even if it's not as low as I would like, I can pick it up. Game-time shouldn't have a 1:1 ratio with price, because it's important to support developers like these who put so much effort into all aspects of the game, not just the gameplay loop and how long they can make it. That being said, I’m excited regardless of how much time I do end up putting into The Touryst, because it seems like a game where I’ll want to get into the nooks and crannies!
Fishing Star World Tour
Back in the day, the 3DS ecosystem had a variety of StreetPass games you could purchase. If you aren't familiar with StreetPass, it was a system where you would leave your 2/3DS in sleep mode while you walked around and it would connect to other people's systems who were doing the same. For every person you connected with, they could help you out in a variety of ways in these games. One of those in particular was Ultimate Angler which I loved.
This feels like a spiritual successor to that StreetPass title with a broader range. I love fishing mechanics in any game, but am not a huge fan of the super realistic ones that tend to show up now and then. Fishing Star World Tour seems to strike a balance between the two with the arcade feel and cartoonish graphics, while still having an actual straightforward fishing system. All that being said, the price for this title feels a little bit too high, coming in at just under ~$40 CDN. The moment this title drops though, I'm going to reel it in.
Hotel Sowls
While it's probably the newest edition to my wishlist, this game will probably be the one I cave on the soonest. The plot for this game is so random that it goes beyond ridiculous to just genuinely intriguing. You are a pharmacologist who finds a mysterious stone that will allow you to conduct successful research... and then you lose it...... and you only have 5 days to find it because that's how long you're allowed to stay at the hotel......... That's as much as I know. The oddly <asinine> yet specific plot, accompanied by the enticing art style makes me think that this is one hell of an adventure to unfold.
The scope of this game seems on the smaller end, but the fact that you only have 5 days at the hotel leads me to believe that this is a play, beat, repeat type of title. With hints of "choose your own adventure" tucked in, my curiosity is through the roof as to what the Hotel Sowls holds!
CrossCode
From every possible angle, I have heard nothing but outstanding things about this game. The visuals are exactly up my alley and the concept is enthralling to say the least. A really well-executed concept of playing a game within a game. Your adventure follows Lea, a girl who is logged into a futuristic MMO. She has no memory as to how she arrived there or her past in general, but she is informed that she needs to progress in this MMO to figure things out.
I won't go too into detail as to why this game is so fantastic, but if you do want to know more - about the gameplay, the different genre influences, and the overall feel - check out my friend Mint's blog post after you're done here!
Mint
Riverbond
While it is another voxel beauty on the list, this game takes a bit of a different path than The Touryst. Riverbond is a hack-n-slash title filled with action, adventure, and very satisfying animations when you destroy things. With various goals along the way, you fight to banish the evil within Riverbond and save the citizens from chaos and monsters.
As much as I love a good hack-n-slash title, I tend to pick these kinds of games up quickly, and then set them down shortly after. They don't provide me with enough longevity to warrant a full price tag, so in the case of Riverbond — half price for a game I'll half-play seems about fair.
A big win for this is that it is completely playable solo, with a wide variety of weapons to choose from and enemies to fight. However, you can also take on the adventure with a partner via couch co-op, which is a nice feature that seems to be slowly fading away. A lot of big AAA titles over the last few years have shed their couch co-op capabilities in favor of... an innumerable amount of things. I've noticed though that indie developers like Cococumber (the studio behind Riverbond) are trying hard to keep the experience of couch co-op alive with fun tales like this!
Super Crush KO
A super fast-paced beat 'em up, all about fighting your way through dangerous robot hordes to rescue your feline friend... oh yeah, and save the world too I guess. From the gorgeous colour palette combining two very distinct art styles, to the endearing narrative, Super Crush KO had me in love right off the bat. Classic side-scrolling beat 'em ups have never been my favorite genre of games, but the way Super Crush KO combat system seems quick and seamless has me particularly intrigued. Something that keeps you satisfied and moving forward, keeps me entertained to say the least.
My reason for waiting on this title is that yes, there is a story, but it seems like it's incredibly short. There is also an online leaderboard system implemented which means that beyond that initial story, any future gameplay is driven by the competitive nature of trying to achieve higher scores and rising up through the ranks. I'm not really a person with a particularly large competitive side, so I don't think I'll get much playtime out of it beyond the narrative. I love everything about this game though so I'm hoping for a slightly lower price at some point so I can experience it, even if that experience is deliciously bite-sized.
while True: learn()
Another game with an extremely abstract, yet oddly specific story (I'm sensing a trend here...). You are a programmer who has a cat that, turns out, is really good at programming?? But because... well... cats can't speak, you hit the books learning what you can to create a "cat-to-human speech recognition system". This part-puzzle, part-simulation game caught my eye as a past programmer myself, especially since it seems like it bears resemblance to other visual programming games like Human Resource Machine. I love to flex my logical thinking in a programming environment, but am long out of practice in coding itself so while True: learn() is a title that I am very excited to get my hands on.
To be honest, I'm not sure why I've waited on this title. For the type of gameplay and the estimated time of completion, compared to the price, this seems like a shoe-in purchase for me. I think, however, at the time of discovering this game, I was still in deep with a few other games and wanted to give it the time and patience it deserves. So I figured, hey may as well wait for a price dip if I can!
Best Friends Forever
One part pet-care, one part dating sim; Best Friends Forever combines the adventure of finding love with the adventure of having a canine companion. Since its announcement during a past Nintendo Direct, I've been waiting for this game. A combination dog care simulator and a dating sim is a genre match made in heaven in my humble opinion. With Nintendo seeming to have left the Nintendogs I.P. in the dust, I welcome any alternative that has the same kind of special touch as that series did. If you've read some of my other posts, you'll already know I'm not normally a pure visual-novel person, unless the plot is extremely intriguing or it's paired with another genre like Murder By Numbers for example. The addition in this case of the dog-care mechanic sold me instantly. The key factor that separates Best Friends Forever from the rest of the items on this list, is that… it’s not actually out yet. The title originally had a Valentines Day 2020 release date, until it was pushed to, drum roll please, August 27th! And I 100% am buying it day one.
And that's it! All my Nintendo Switch wishlist games I wanted to highlight! Thanks for taking the time to read what I'm hoping to play in the future. And who knows... maybe I'll write about these as they eventually cross my path!
Also special shoutout to any and every picross title on the Switch. I will buy all of you and play all of you at some point or another.
