Welcome to the first edition of the Upcoming Switch Games of 2023; a new year is upon us; what great games have we to look forward to this year?
Time to look at the upcoming new release games on our favourite handheld, the Nintendo Switch, for January 2023. Plus, don’t forget we now also feature Upcoming Steam games. For those of you who prefer gaming on Steam!
Not all games to be released are on the list here. Alternatively, you will see games that the other gaming sites don’t mention. We are taking notice of these games. You can expect reviews for many of them if given half a chance! It should be noted that unless we have some personal experience with the game, there’s a link to the descriptions on the Nintendo website.
Lost Snowman – January 5th
Explore an enemy planet and eliminate threats to the safety and well-being of your home world. A puzzle platformer starring three characters with different skill sets. Who will have to assist each other during their adventures?
Children of Silentown – January 11th
Lucy is afraid of the forest, just like any other child: every night, the echoing roars rob her of her sleep. Not even her dreams are a safe place where she could play. People disappearing is nothing uncommon in the village, but this time, Lucy is old enough to investigate on her own. Or so she thinks.
Children of Silentown is a point & click adventure game telling a mysterious and endearing story. Explore the town and its dangerous surroundings, meet its quirky inhabitants, solve puzzles and master minigames.
Serena reviewed Silentown and said this in her conclusion.
Children of Silentown is a beautiful, haunting game. It has a deeper meaning that is unveiled at the end. The ending can be interpreted differently depending on which of the four endings is unlocked. Even though it is a little creepy, it is not so scary that I couldn’t enjoy the game. While I wasn’t a fan of the difficult puzzles, I definitely enjoyed Lucy’s character and the story. If you enjoy point-and-click adventures with a touch of psychological horror, Children of Silentown is the game for you.
Lone Ruin – January 12th
Lone Ruin is a spell-based roguelike twin-stick shooter with a focus on replayability. Play as an explorer who seeks a mysterious ancient power and ventures into a ruined magical city built atop a source of magic used by olden mages to power and transform themselves. Dive deeper and deeper, battling through twisted creatures, utilising your magic abilities to ultimately reach the centre of the Lone Ruin.
An ancient city enveloped by magic. What once was a buzzy civilisation and people living in harmony with the magic surrounding them has long since been driven mad and twisted beyond recognition by the very magic that used to help sustain them. What could have corrupted this city? Having heard the legends, you, a gifted spellcasting explorer, arrive at these hostile ruins a millennia later intending to seek this ancient power and finally cleanse the city of the corruption it was consumed by all those years ago. The answer probably lies in the centre of Lone Ruin… if you can make it there.
James reviewed Lone Ruin and said this in his conclusion.
Lone Ruin is a decent arcade roguelike, but it did leave me wanting a bit more. With only three main boss fights and nothing to really unlock during the game, it feels a little light on content. What does save it, though, is its solid gameplay, which made me come back, repeatedly, to try out new spells and jump into some instantly satisfying action. If you’re new to the action roguelike, this is a good place to start. If you’re well versed in the genre, consider this a solid pick-up and play arcade title, just maybe not the best compared to the competition.
Memorrah – January 13th
Solve the mystery of sleeping machines and learn more about their creators. A diverse and open world full of thrilling puzzles and secrets awaits you.
Discover a stylized and lovingly designed environment and solve 100s of tricky logic and combination puzzles.
Interact with machines, and portable objects, and catalogue symbols and pictograms using your scanner. Finally, relax and listen to the epic soundtrack.
Lynne reviewed Memorrah and said this in her conclusion.
Memorrha is a game of two halves. A fantastic start, with a steady flow of puzzles (which can be solved with logic or trial and error). In addition, there are some amazing locations to travel through and enjoy. The second part, still featuring marvellous graphics and clever puzzles become a little too repetitive. That, combined with performance issues, didn’t make it enjoyable.
I wish Memorrha had ended at the hidden sanctum and left me wanting more. Instead, it continued and fell short of my expectation.
Persona 3 Portable – January 19th
Experience the iconic, critically acclaimed RPG that reinvented the Persona series, Persona 3 Portable, now newly remastered for modern platforms.
Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, the protagonist encounters the Dark Hour. Unfamiliar stillness swallows the city, people turn into eerie coffins, and otherworldly monsters called Shadows swarm. When they are attacked by one of these Shadows, and all hope seemed lost, the power of the heart, their Persona, is awakened. With this newfound power, they pursue the truth of the Dark Hour and face the destiny that awaits them.
Persona 4 Golden – January 19th
The world-renowned Persona 4 Golden promises unforgettable adventures, meaningful bonds, and heartwarming experiences shared together with friends. They say your soulmate will appear if you stare into a television set on a rainy night.
This strange rumour slowly spreads through the rural town of Inaba, the protagonist’s new home, just as a chain of mysterious murders begins. As the protagonist and his teammates chase after the truth, they find themselves opening the door to another world.
A Space for the Unbound – January 19th
A slice-of-life adventure game with beautiful pixel art set in the late 90s rural Indonesia that tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers.
Serena reviewed A Space for the Unbound and gave it our highest score of Two Thumbs Up.
A Space for the Unbound is a wonderful slice-of-life adventure that is sure to tug at your heartstrings and make you nostalgic for your high school days. It made me smile and cry, and any game that has the power to do that deserves nothing more than a two-thumbs up.
Never Awake – January 19th
NeverAwake is a nightmarish twin-stick shooter with a unique worldview and original game rules.
The girl fights against vegetables, dogs, school friends, and other things she hates. What does the girl see at the end of the battle? And will she be able to wake up?
NeverAwake has a unique worldview with its high-quality hand-drawn graphics and beautiful animations.
The enemies are not demons but vegetables and dentists that the girl hates.
Fire Emblem Engage – January 20th
Once every 1,000 years, legendary heroes called Emblems to grant incredible power to the one who holds the 12 Emblem Rings. As the ritual nears, Alear the Divine Dragon of prophecy, awakens to collect the rings and bring peace to the land.
Command the army of the Divine Dragon through many strategic turn-based battles across the continent of Elyos. Plan your attacks carefully, commanding each hero with their own moves and weapons to lead them to victory.
Grammarian Ltd – January 25th
Welcome to 2099, where all communication must use correct grammar. Anyone who uses incorrect grammar will accumulate bad credits that lead to getting fired, denied public service, or even jailed.
Play as a fresh graduate of theoretical mathematics who, because of some mix-up, now has to work as a grammar validator in the biggest grammar validation agency.
Use your grammar and management skills to work your way up from “Junior Passable Intern” to “Editor Extraordinaire.” Find and correct document mistakes, learn new grammar rules, and beat your colleagues in a grammar battle. If you are doing well, you can upgrade your crummy apartment, adopt a pet, or ride a helicopter to the office. Everything is possible at Grammarian Ltd. Our Grammarian Ltd review is here.
StartUp Company Console Edition – January 26th
Your company’s success depends on your ability to run and manage a website. You must develop and improve features while increasing hosting capacity and running marketing campaigns. The city offers you offices in all sizes and shapes. It’s up to you to select the most suitable one. It’s your job to organize and decorate the office while keeping your employees happy.
There’s no website without stable and reliable servers. As your website attracts more traffic, you’ll have to move from virtual servers to your own fully featured hosting centre. The goal is obvious: to become the biggest website in the industry. It’s up to you if you want to buy and merge your competitors or outrun them until they go out of business!
Mars Base – January 26th
Welcome to Mars, adventurer! You have been selected to join the latest Mars colonization mission, establishing a permanent human presence on the enigmatic Red Planet. Your assignment is at Mars Base, located in the scenic Erebus Montes region on the Amazonis Planitia.
Your job? Make sure that our nascent colony can sustain itself through agriculture. Achieve the impossible and convert the harsh Martian soil into arable land to grow everything the colonists need to survive. If successful, you’ll mark the beginning of Human-Martian history.