I can’t believe it’s already May! They do say that time flies when you’re having fun, and I sure have been enjoying the games I’ve played in my leisure time. Aiming to speed up the year for us some more, the following games are coming out on Switch this month:

Little Kitty, Big City

• Price: $24.99 USD (currently on sale for $22.49 until May 17th)
• Developer/Publisher: Double Dagger Studio
• Release Date: May 9, 2024

Little Kitty, Big City caught my attention with an adorable kitty character, and they get bonus points for going with a black cat! (Poor babies aren’t adopted as much in real life. 😢) Anyways, in the game your main goal is to get the kitty home, but you may as well explore while you have the chance! Befriend animals around the open-world city, complete quests, and “purrhaps” even cause some mischief. 😈 Be a fashionable feline and collect a variety of hats to wear while on the prowl.

Athenian Rhapsody

• Price: $14.99
• Developer: Nico Papalia
• Publisher: Top Hat Studios
• Release Date: May 14, 2024

Athenian Rhapsody is a colorful comedic RPG with a clear source of inspiration. Fight quirky opponents in turn-based combat that involves “intense and fast paced real-time dodging.” Or you can choose to befriend them instead – it’s your decision.

And the world of Athens is apparently full of choice, as the game is said to “hold so much variability that no two adventures will ever be the same.” Once you’ve completed the game, you’ll obtain a Rhapsody, which is a tangible representation of your playthrough. You can then use it to socialize or access special in-game events. Sounds pretty neat!

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER

• Price: $14.99 (digital) or $39.99-44.99 (physical, price varies by retailer)
• Developer: MidBoss
• Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games
• Release Date: May 16, 2024

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER is the latest game set in Neo-San Francisco (first seen in 2064: Read Only Memories INTEGRAL, 2018). Enjoy a sci-fi story starring ES88, an esper who works for an organization focused on information science, neurotechnology, and extrasensory issues. Investigate a psychic who has been (mis)using their abilities to tamper with people’s memories. Although NEURODIVER’s brand new cast may be in charge, players may still get some help with the case from returning characters.

Paper Trail

• Price: $19.99
• Developer/Publisher: Newfangled Games
• Release Date: May 21, 2024

Paper Trail is a…page-turning top-down puzzle adventure game in which you control Paige, who leaves her home to further her academic career. As you move along, you’ll manipulate, fold, and merge parts of the world to unlock new areas and learn their secrets. I think this looks lovely from what I’ve seen so far!

C.A.R.D.S. RPG: The Misty Battlefield

• Price: $39.99
• Developer/Publisher: ACQUIRE
• Release Date: May 22, 2024

C.A.R.D.S. RPG is a roguelike deckbuilding strategy RPG with 3 difficulty levels, English and Japanese voice acting, and partially animated cutscenes. The demo is a nice length, including 4 stages. Move around the grid on the map and attack the enemy in turn-based card battles. I thought there were a decent amount of enemies on each map. It seems like there’s some sort of weapon triangle, as attacking an enemy with a weapon they’re weak against “Breaks” them and prevents them from making a move.

I don’t think the mechanics are fully explained. (Does “status up” mean “level up”? What is “voltage” for?) They also could have done a better job of introducing the cast, and the text is too small. However, I really liked the chibi character and card designs, as well as the soundtrack. I also enjoyed the card-based gameplay.

Duck Detective – The Secret Salami

• Price: $9.99
• Developer/Publisher: Happy Broccoli Games
• Release Date: May 23, 2024

We’ve previously reviewed Kraken Academy!! from Happy Broccoli Games, so it’s no surprise that their next game looks just as zany and fun. I played the demo for Duck Detective – The Secret Salami, which is meant to last for 10-15 minutes. Despite my brief time with the demo, I still got a good idea of how things will work in the main game. The gameplay seems fairly straightforward; you have to talk to people and investigate the environment around you to find clues.

The clues are then entered into a word bank, and you must make solve “deDUCKtion” puzzles by choosing clue words to go in the blank spaces. I really appreciate how they put icons on the objects you can investigate so that we won’t spend time trying to click everything in the room. It’s also nice that they show how the current number of mistakes in your Deducktion. I love the puns and voice acting, and they included an achievements system.

Cupid Parasite: Sweet and Spicy Darling

• Price: $49.99 (digital & physical)
• Developer/Publisher: Idea Factory (International)
• Release Date: May 28, 2024

Cupid Parasite might just be my favorite otome to date. So when I found out we were getting the fan disc, I was ecstatic. Hang out with the original love interests and Merenice Levin, a brand new character, in 3 different game modes.

“After Drama” mode allows you to see what happens next with the Parasite 6 from the first game. Get to know Merenice after the events of the main game in “New Parasite” Mode. Then you can also check out the “Bonus Episode” mode with additional CGs. See how your sweet and spicy choices affect the endings you get. I am especially excited to experience Raul and Shelby’s new content!

Capes

• Price: $39.99 (currently on sale for $35.99 until May 29th)
• Developer: Spitfire Interactive
• Publisher: Daedalic Entertainment
• Release Date: May 29, 2024

Capes has been on my radar for a while now. Set in a universe where the supervillains won, you must recruit a team of superheroes to fight the supervillains for control of a dystopian city in which developing superpowers is currently a crime. Learn how to use each heroes’ play style in turn-based combat, and upgrade or unlock their abilities to use in campaign and patrol battles. Deepen your relationships with each hero by completing optional missions as well!

That’s it for this month’s Switch highlights – which one(s) do you find the most appealing? 🤔