July is usually the month when the game industry properly slows down after June’s showcase fever and final glut of second-quarter releases. Indeed, most publishers are taking a breather this month. But not Nintendo, which has four releases of note this month: two very exciting new games, and Switch 2 Editions of a massive role-playing game and a sports fitness title.
Outside of that, there is the usual deluge of unheralded eShop releases to sort through, although not many of them stand out this month. One really cool indie game, delayed from June at the last minute, is on the books, along with the flat-screen debut of an adorable VR hero.
1
Rhythm Heaven Groove
Release date: July 2
After 10 years away — and 14 years since an all-new installment — the delightfully unhinged rhythm game series has its long-awaited return as the final OG Switch game from Nintendo’s in-house studios. (Of course, it’s playable on Switch 2, too.) Weird ideas, cheery bops, challenging rhythms, and irreverent art from Ko Takeuchi (WarioWare) abound. Joy!
2
Denshattack!
Release date: July 15
We highlighted Denshattack! in our June roundup, but the game was delayed into July at the last moment. A few extra weeks’ wait has not dented our feverish anticipation of this game about controlling a stunt-flipping, Tony Hawk’s-ass high-speed train in a candy-colored Japanese post-apocalypse.
3
Moss: The Forgotten Relic
Release date: July 16
The Moss games are storybook platform adventures featuring an adorable mouse hero, Quill. Until now, they were exclusive to VR devices, but The Forgotten Relic collects Moss and Moss: Book 2 in a new edition, remade for flat-screen devices like the Switch 2. These are some of the best-reviewed VR games ever; developer Polyarc bringing them to a whole new audience of flat gamers is a very enticing prospect.
4
Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Release date: July 16
Fitness Boxing 3 is perhaps the Switch’s most fearsome exercise workout: a single-minded exercise regimen that is best complemented with other routines (and, ideally, in-person classes) but that will still give your full body a stern test. The Switch 2 Edition corrects one of its biggest omissions with camera-assisted form correction, GameShare multiplayer, advanced feedback on timing and speed, and more.
5
Splatoon Raiders
Release date: July 23
Splatoon Raiders is the single-player game that fans of Nintendo’s gloriously messy paintball shooter have been crying out for for years. Based on previews, a fairly simple level-based shooter augmented by impressively deep customization and RPG-style progression. It’s basically a very Nintendo take on a looter shooter like Borderlands, with four-player co-op, too.
After 1 hour, Splatoon Raiders feels like Nintendo’s Borderlands
Splatoon’s Switch 2 debut is the game solo players have been dreaming of
6
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Release date: July 30
Monolith Soft’s 2017 Switch RPG — actually the third Xenoblade Chronicles game, after the Wii original and the Wii U’s Xenoblade Chronicles X — is the next in the series to get a Switch 2 upgrade. Nintendo promises much higher resolutions at 60 frames per second, as well as a new rare Blade, a new Blade quest, and an action battle mode. The Switch 2 Edition of X had some mixed reviews for the quality of the upgrade, but players seem happy with the recently released Switch 2 version of the original game.