Former Xbox-exclusive Pentiment out on Switch tomorrow, Grounded due in April
Microsoft's first multiplatform titles arrive.
Following last week's long-rumoured announcement Microsoft is bringing four of its previously Xbox-exclusive first-party games to Switch and PlayStation 5, we've finally got official confirmation of the first two games making that multiplatform leap: Obsidian's historical narrative adventure Pentiment comes to Switch tomorrow, 22nd February, while inch-high garden adventure Grounded arrives 16th April on Nintendo's platform.
Starting with Pentiment, it cast players as Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself embroiled in murders, scandals, and intrigue over a period of five years in 16th century Bavaria. It's fantastic stuff - Eurogamer's Christian Donlan called it a "brilliant narrative adventure that is filled with intelligence and heart" in his Recommended review back in November 2022 - and the choice-driven adventure is paired with a striking art style, inspired by the great manuscripts and the earliest printed books of the time.
As for Grounded, Microsoft's second Switch-bound Xbox title, it's a wonderful co-op-imbued survival and crafting adventure with a distinctly 80s twist, taking a leaf out of cinema favourite Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. As in that movie, Grounded's four protagonists are miniaturised and left to fend for themselves in a sprawling backyard garden, building bases and crafting armour to forge ahead against deadly bugs, fish, and other wildlife.
"A delightful mix of harsh survival and warm-hearted design" is what Eurogamer contributor Vikki Blake called Grounded on its original release, so that's two top-tier former Xbox-exclusives now inbound tomorrow and April this year.