by Jason Parker (Ragachak)
August is going to be a pretty solid month overall for the Nintendo Switch. One of the biggest games on the way this month is Okami HD, which is on the way on August 9th, 2018. I’ve never really explored Okami, but I’ve had ample opportunity to do so. You play as the wolf-like diety, Amaterasu, and are out to restore the world to its former glory and purge the evil stain upon the land. Plus you get to explore an awesome, ink-painted world and easy-to-use touch controls for all of the neat Okami gimmicks. It originally came out for the Playstation 2 and has had an incredible shelf life, being brought to life again and again. It’s a gorgeous game with a clever story, and one of Hideki Kamiya’s masterpieces. If you’ve missed out on it time and again, this is your chance.
Another upcoming title is Victor Vran: Overkill Edition. This is one that is definitely on my radar. It’s an isometric ARPG in the style of Diablo, where you play as Victor Vran, who is something of a badass. The best part of this to me is the “Through the Ages” DLC, which is focused on one of the coolest bands, Motorhead. Exploring the mythos of the most metal band alongside Victor Vran is just a really cool concept. I could pick it up on Steam whenever, but I kind of want it on my Switch a little more. The ability to play it away from my desk (without the need of my Steam Box) is a serious draw. I think it would work well on the portable Switch, and I’m very excited to see it come to life there. It’s currently scheduled out on August 28th, 2018.
Crush Your Enemies (August 2nd): I love strategy games, and I love them even more when they don’t take all day. I like my matches to not take an hour or two, and Crush Your Enemies definitely has that going for it. It’s raunchy, it’s tactically sound, and it’s a lot of fun. I originally reviewed it on Steam and loved it, Crush Your Enemies know what really matters: Violence, jokes, and beer. It’s got all of this and more. The PC version also had cross-play with the mobile versions, so I do hope that will carry over to the Switch. But it’s exciting, it’s fun, and more than a little crude, it’s a must-play tactics game in my book (8.00).
Iconoclasts (August 2nd): This is a game that is absolutely, 100% on my to-play list. It’s had an incredibly long development life, the dream of one man who wanted to make a 16-bit style platformer. What came to life is a beautiful Metroidvania (and you guys know how much I love those), and it tackles some pretty interesting issues in the story (such as the nature of free will). Use “Improvium” to grow, and tweak your character to your liking. It’s a gorgeous 16-bit world, and I need to play it. The characters are well designed, the world is beautiful and intricate, and it’s a game I’m very excited for. Bifrost Entertainment have gold here, I can feel it. I missed out on the Playstation 4, but I won’t for the Switch edition (19.99).
Not A Hero (August 2nd): Not a Hero: Super Snazzy Edition is … interesting. I love Roll7 though, they’ve put out some quality work. In this, an anthropomorphic bunny, BunnyLord comes from the future to get a professional assassin to clean up a town he wants to be the mayor of. That’s enough to get me on board right there. But Steve has to use a roster of “heroes” to do what must be done and use “reasonable” force in unreasonable ways to handle cover-based shootout gameplay. But, the political platform is based on ethics, accountability and gunfire. These all go together nicely, right? I’m not really sure what’s going on, but I do know I want it in my life (12.99).
