This week in the Nintendo eShop: Trick-or-treating in January and a trio of Culture Brain martial arts classics roundhouse kick Virtual Consoles.

It’s an anemic week in the eShop discount aisle. Amazingly fun (not to mention cheap) puzzle platformers Toki Tori and Toki Tori 3D are both still on sale for 66% off through February 10th. Other than that, feel free to sift through the smattering of shovelware available on sale at your leisure.

WII U VIRTUAL CONSOLE

Flying Warriors (Culture Brain, $4.99) – Released back in 1991 on the NES and deeply inspired by its predecessor Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll, players assume control of Shorinji Kempo warrior Rick Stalker in a relatively similar tale of defying odds, overcoming evil and saving the day. Core components of the game are broken up into Journey, Battle and Command phases, providing a curious blend of traditional 2D side-scroller platforming, fighter mechanics and RPG-style combat. This jack of all trades, master of none approach does manage to provide some unique and interesting ideas from time to time, but ultimately falls short of producing anything truly memorable due to the shallow nature of their approach. Thankfully, many of the shortcomings plaguing the original have been attentively addressed, with much more tolerable controls, enhanced visuals and fluid animations making the cut. It may not be a true classic in every sense of the word, but Flying Warriors is still worth the price admission for anyone craving relatively realistic and exciting martial arts battles.

Kung-Fu Heroes (Culture Brain, $4.99) – Originally released in arcades back in 1984 and eventually ported to the NES in 1986, Kung-Fu Heroes is basically 8-bit one-punch man on steroids. Best played with a buddy in tow, two players take control of the delightfully cheery (and extremely deadly) Jacky and Lee on a quest to rescue Princess Min-Min from the Dragon Clan army and recover the ten stolen treasures. While a tad dull when played solo, teaming up with a friend greatly opens up gameplay options thanks to a bevvy of team-based tactics and fun new power-ups, items and movesets to master. If you can look beyond the repetitive stage designs and boring soundtrack, there’s plenty of challenging moments and good times to be had for martial arts fans and ‘80s arcade game enthusiasts.

Little Ninja Brothers (Culture Brain, $4.99) – Rounding out today’s smattering of martial arts themed retro classics is Little Ninja Brothers: the second, far superior game in the Super Chinese series following Kung-Fu Heroes. The plot is fairly barebones, following the adventures of two new upbeat protagonists, Jack and Ryu, as they set out to save Chinaland from the mischievous Yoma Clan. Fortunately the charm of the original Super Chinese title carries over beautifully and lovingly expanded upon, most notably through the mixture of the original’s classic beat ‘em up mechanics with elements of traditional roleplaying games. Replacing the linear pacing of its arcade predecessor is a much more grand adventure filled with robust overworlds, lively towns, customizable gear and friendly NPCs. Those looking for a more fully featured single or two player retro martial arts experience need look no further.

WII U SPECIAL OFFERS AND DEALS

Toki Tori ($0.67 | 66% off) until 2/10

Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available.

3DS DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE

Candy, Please! (Nostatic Software, $1.99) – From the brains behind Quiet, Please! comes another quirky and lighthearted puzzler that’s sure to put a smile on your inner child’s face. Despite being released in the depths of winter, Candy, Please! pits players as silent little girl as she and her little kid brother dress up in various costumes to swindle the neighborhood out of their hordes of candy on Hallow’s Eve. Much like its predecessors, endearing retro graphics, clever puzzles and simple controls perfectly complement its humorous concept, making this an easy recommendation for players of all skill levels with an hour to kill. Though it is perplexing why this fourth and final installment of the Quiet Collection series of games wasn’t included in the bundle of Nostatic Software games offered earlier in the month.

Word Search 10K (Lightwood Games, $7.99) – The kings of crosswords return today with yet another expedition in grammatically challenged word jumbles. Boasting the self-proclaimed title of “largest word search puzzle ever made,” this 840-somethingth installment in the never ending series proudly features over 10,000 words hidden in a grid of 90,000 letters, assuring players will die peacefully of boredom long before any ill effects of the current political climate can occur.

3DS SPECIAL OFFERS AND DEALS

Toki Tori 3D ($0.67 | 66% off) until 2/10
Soccer Up Online ($1.99 | 50% off) until 2/2

Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available.

What games will you be downloading this week? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

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