Xbox exclusives Pentiment and Grounded confirmed for Nintendo Switch

thesixthaxis.com:

Microsoft has confirmed the first two games in their new push for more cross-platform gaming, with Pentiment and Grounded both set to release for Nintendo Switch.

Pentiment will be coming out first, releasing tomorrow, 22nd February. Grounded is then launching in a couple months on 16th April.

This isn’t the first time that Microsoft has published Xbox exclusives on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld, with Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps both ported across in 2019 and 2020, respectively. However, these are the first two games of four that Microsoft has stated are being ported to consoles other than Xbox.

These were both rumoured and expected games to receive this treatment, as well. Microsoft said that two of the four games were smaller titles that had maybe not been originally conceived as exclusives, and then two would be live service games. Pentiment would fall into the first category and Grounded into the second.

The other two are expected to be Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves, though the latter of these two could be quite a bit of work to squish down to run on the Nintendo Switch.

Pentiment is a narrative mystery set in Medieval Bavaria, where you play as a young artist who’s wrapped up in a murder mystery that has ramifications for the town through the decades. It also has a fascinating art style akin to a medieval manuscript.

In our Pentiment review, Steve said, “While an interest in the historical setting would obviously add to the experience, the writing alone is good enough to draw any fans of adventure games in and there are so many superb details that really show the depth of the developer’s engagement with their influences. If the past is a foreign country, then grab your passports and get ready to be illuminated.”

Meanwhile, Grounded is a bit like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but a co-op survival game where you build a base, explore the surrounding oversized garden, and defend yourselves from angry bugs, all while trying to find out how and why