Tag: featured

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 28th, 2023. In today’s article, we’ve got a little bit of Pokemon-related news to catch up on. After that, we slide into a couple of reviews. Akka Arrh and Planet Cube: Edge are the games in question, and they’re both pretty decent. Then it’s new release time, and there are several games to look at today. We finish things up with the usual lists of new and outgoing sales for you to consider. Let’s get to the party!

News

‘Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’ Expansion ‘The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero’ Announced

Right, there was a Pokemon thing yesterday. I didn’t remember until I was back home for the evening, hence the lack of hype in yesterday’s article. There were a few different things shown, but the main point of interest for Switch owners was the announcement of the expansion to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, titled The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. As with the expansion to Sword and Shield it’s a two-part affair, with the first part dropping in the Fall and the other coming in the Winter 2022 window. I’m sure we’ll get more details as the release approaches, but you can already buy it and rock some new uniforms in the base game if you’re sold sight-unseen. It costs $34.99, and you will have to buy it separately for each version. Don’t grab the wrong one.

Reviews & Mini-Views

Akka Arrh ($19.99)

Akka Arrh is a game that is at its best as a concept. Take a long-lost Atari arcade game from the company’s peak years that never quite made it to release, hand it to Jeff Minter to do his thing that he did so well with Tempest 2000, and enjoy the results. Once you start playing it, things start to unravel a bit. Those who already played Atari 50 might be familiar with the original Akka Arrh as the prototype was included in that collection. It’s an odd game that was probably too complicated for its own good, as it never made it through its market test back in the day. Certainly a more challenging starting point than Tempest.

I think Jeff Minter has done what he could here to remain true to the spirit of the original game while trying to make it into something a bit more appealing. The visual and audio elements are likely little surprise to anyone who has played a Minter game before. Lots of flashing lights and psychedelic colors, random bits of text floating about, a farm animal or two, and trippy music that somehow seems precisely tuned to bop along with the gameplay. He can’t not do it at this point, folks. A cool trick even if we’ve seen it many times before by now.

In terms of gameplay, Minter’s Akka Arrh maintains the basic idea of protecting a tower in the middle of the field from incoming invaders. The areas around the tower have different sections, and you have to attack enemies in those sections separately. If anything gets too close, you have to go into the tower to stave them off in a last-ditch effort to avoid destruction. Minter’s take uses those elements and adds a few extras. Power-ups, of course. Enemies who stay above the play field that need to be taken out with a different weapon from the one you use on the “ground” forces. Best of all, there’s a combo system in play here that turns it into a very interesting score attack.

Here’s how it works. Throw a bomb on the field and it’ll blow up in particular shape that differs from stage to stage. Any enemies caught up in that blast will be destroyed and make their own blast radius which can catch even more enemies. A well-placed, well-timed bomb can keep a chain reaction going for ages. As it goes on, you’ll earn more points per enemy. The minute you drop another bomb, the points drop back down. Your standard gun can’t hurt ground-based enemies, but it’s necessary for taking out the aerial foes. You can fire it as you like without it affecting your score, but the amount of ammo you have is limited and can only be replenished by taking out the ground-based enemies. Bit of a push and pull between the two weapons and your score, it is.

There are fifty levels to play through, and each one presents a different shape and a different challenge to overcome. If you get into what it’s laying down, Akka Arrh will keep you busy for a while. Not just in beating the levels, but also in improving your scores. The tricky thing is whether or not you will get into it, as it’s a lot more demanding than the likes of Tempest 2000 without really being more fun. Atari and Minter fans will probably enjoy it well enough, and those who want to play a very unconventional shooter might dig it too. Others may find its complicated gameplay mechanics just a little too much for a little too little.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Planet Cube: Edge ($14.99)

There aren’t a whole lot of novel ideas in Planet Cube: Edge, but it does what it does very well. This is a precision platformer with a striking art style and excellent controls. You get eight levels to play through, but they’re very long levels. Probably best to think of them as a bunch of smaller challenges stitched together. You have a very small set of moves, and none of them are unique. The levels throw in a few gimmicks along the way to keep things fresh, but this ultimately is just a well-executed platformer that is as conventional as it gets outside of its visual presentation.

Despite the lack of any compelling, original features, I had a really good time making my way through Planet Cube: Edge. It has its fundamentals down pat and the level designs are pleasantly challenging without getting too ridiculous. Checkpoints are frequent and restarts are swift, so even when it turns up the heat it never feels too unfair. Definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of platformers where you die a few hundred times, but unlikely to change any minds on the matter.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

New Releases

void* tRrLM2(); //Void Terrarium 2 ($39.99)

NIS’s virtual pet-meets-Mystery Dungeon returns with this sequel. Toriko is in danger yet again, and it’s up to Robbie to find the answer to her illness by time traveling into the past. More or less the same idea as last time. You go into the procedurally generated dungeons, gather stuff, bring it back, and use it to take care of the girl in the terrarium. The first game wasn’t too shabby, and I’m looking forward to bringing a review of this one to you soon.

Afterthought ($15.99)

This game describes itself as an arthouse platformer. It has fifty six levels with eight boss battles, and it puts an emphasis on its story which it hopes will leave you thinking about it after. There are some fancy tricks in your arsenal that help keep things nice and spicy the whole way through. Once you master how the various moves work, you can pull off some absolutely bonkers speedruns. It’s fairly well-liked over on Steam and it isn’t too hard to see why.

Rytmos ($15.00)

An unusual puzzle game where you need to solve puzzles on each side of cubic planets to create music. Just eyeballing some videos, it looks like you have to make paths for the little balls to hit all of the points on each side? It’s not immediately obvious, the description doesn’t try to explain how the puzzles work, and I haven’t been able to play it yet to sort it out. But you also get some musical toys as extras, and I do love getting little toys as extras in games. I’ll have to try this one out and report back if it turns out to be something special.

Lucy Dreaming ($18.99)

This is a nifty looking point and click adventure game about a girl who is trying to get rid of her nightmares but uncovers a family secret in the process. It’s very British, and that gives it a bit of flavor to distinguish it from the many Lucasarts-inspired adventure games out there. You’ll spend a fair bit of time inside Lucy’s mind, and there are tons of interesting puzzles to solve. I’ll be doing a review of this one soon, so do look forward to that.

Choice of Life: Middle Ages 2 ($6.99)

Like the other games in this series, you’re just making a bunch of binary decisions that lead to one ending or another. It promises ninety-nine ways to die, and that isn’t a bad selling point at all. I suppose if you enjoyed the previous Choice of Life games, here’s one more for you.

Hentai: Japanese Goblins ($2.49)

Sigh. Alright. This is one of those puzzle games where you have to put the tiles in the right places to make the picture. A jigsaw puzzle without the jig. You get to see some risque pictures of goblin ladies as a reward, but they’re not really goblins so much as anime girls with pointy ears and a fang. I have to believe you can find better things to do with two and a half bucks than buying this, but you do what you have to.

Self gunsbase ($1.99)

This is a simply dreadful run-and-gun game. The visuals are trying to evoke a similar feel to Cuphead but the gameplay is just no good. The only thing it has going for it is that it’s cheap, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near cheap enough to make up for its issues.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Not a lot in the inbox today unless you’re interesting in picking up LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga at a new low price. The DLC is also at its deepest discount yet. In the outbox, that very rare sale on Portal Companion Collection is wrapping up. No telling when it will be on sale next, so grab it if you want it.

Select New Games on Sale

Vereda Escape Room Adventure ($2.24 from $8.99 until 3/6)
Irresistible Mistakes ($20.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Seduced in the Sleepless City ($20.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Kissed by the Baddest Bidder ($12.49 from $24.99 until 3/10)
BOT.vinnik Chess 2 ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/13)
Aeterna Noctis ($20.99 from $29.99 until 3/20)
Amazing Princess Sarah ($4.00 from $8.00 until 3/20)
Take Off The Flight Simulator ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/20)
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga ($17.99 from $59.99 until 3/20)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 1st

Biker Garage Mechanic Simulator ($11.24 from $24.99 until 3/1)
Children of Morta ($5.49 from $21.99 until 3/1)
Children of Morta Ancient Spirits DLC ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Children of Morta CE ($7.99 from $26.99 until 3/1)
Darker Skies ($7.19 from $17.99 until 3/1)
Demon’s Tilt ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/1)
Detective Di: Silk Rose Murders ($2.89 from $12.99 until 3/1)
DREAMO ($2.24 from $14.99 until 3/1)
Galacticon ($3.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Gem Wizards Tactics ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/1)
Gunpig Firepower for Hire ($3.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Legends of Amberland TFC ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/1)
Lord Winklebottom Investigates ($15.19 from $18.99 until 3/1)
Lost Snowmen ($4.24 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Moonlighter ($3.74 from $24.99 until 3/1)
Moonlighter CE ($4.34 from $28.99 until 3/1)
Portal Companion Collection ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/1)
ValiDate Struggling Singles ($4.64 from $14.99 until 3/1)

That’s all for today and this month, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and perhaps some news. No more reviews as I need to do more playing of what I have coming up before I write anything. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 27th, 2023. In today’s article, it’s a review bonanza as I offer up not one, not two, not three or four, but five reviews for you to digest. All of the Ninja JaJaMaru games! Grim Guardians: Demon Purge! Elderand! Which one is the best? Which one is the worst? I hope you are excited to find out, because otherwise all I have for you is a single new release and some lists of sales. Let’s see if it works!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Elderand ($19.99)

I’ve said a great many times that the Metroidvania genre is so saturated at this point that you can have a perfectly good game that doesn’t do anything wrong and it will still end up in the middle of the pack. You have to have a hook of some kind, and it had best not be a hook that is equally well-worn. Unfortunately, Elderand‘s main hook is in bringing in elements from the Dark Souls blueprint, and that’s pretty much the costume everyone shows up in these days. If you’re jonesing for a new Metroidvania and aren’t burnt out on the genre, Elderand is a fine enough choice.

You find yourself in a strange, dangerous land and need to survive while also sorting out what is going on. The plot is a bit thin at the start but eventually picks up to the point that I was paying attention, which is high praise for me with this genre. A lot of that comes down to the subtle world-building, which it accomplishes in most of the usual Souls-like ways. The presentation is solid, with great pixel art and some cool animations. As you might imagine given its hook, combat is a major part of this game and can be really tough and unforgiving. The regular enemies are often more dangerous than the bosses, and if you fall in battle you’re sent back to your last save point without even a booby prize in your hands.

One thing I appreciate about the game is its brevity. I feel that many Metroidvania-style games run way too long these days, pushing hours upon hours past the point where they run out of ideas. Elderand wraps up in about five or six hours, and it feels like it ends just about where it should. You don’t get a ton of new abilities along the way, but the ones that you do get are meaningful and fun to play with. I had a better time just moving around the game’s world than I did with its combat, and I wish things had been a bit more even in that regard overall.

In another time and place, Elderand would be a game I could easily recommend to anyone. But in a market where we’ve seen the same ideas pop up so often, it just doesn’t really bring anything novel to the table. If you’re okay with that, by all means proceed. It has a few technical issues and the boss battles are a bit limp, but otherwise it’s a very well-rounded take on the genre. On the other hand, those who have slaked their thirst for meandering around a map looking for abilities to help them meander more will probably want to give this one a pass. Decent, but decent only gets you so far these days.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle + Hell ($19.99)

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did, but it ended up pushing a lot of the right buttons for me. Given how all over the place the Ninja JaJaMaru series has been, I should probably specify that this is a modern take on, or perhaps sequel to, the original NES Ninja JaJaMaru game. Each stage tasks you with defeating all of the enemies that appear, and you’ll need to dispatch them with whatever weapon your character uses. You can also stun them by knocking the floor out from under them or by jumping on their heads. Smashing breakable floors can also reveal power-ups, including a very useful scroll that activates your super attack. There is a wide variety of enemies and several bosses to battle, and when they’re in mixed groups things can really get tricky.

After every stage you play, the coins and souls you earn from defeating enemies are converted into Jalecoins, which in turn unlock new things as you achieve certain amounts. These include new playable characters, new guest characters for the Jaleco power-up, and other extras like manual and box scans. The new characters help keep the game fresh and allow you to strategize a bit by picking the right one for the stage at hand, and the rest of it is good fun. It feels like a game designed and built by people who really love JaJaMaru and Jaleco at large, and that passion is infectious. Whenever a new unlockable was around the corner, I always found myself wanting to play just a little more.

The game can be played alone or with a friend, with more than twenty solo challenges to tackle and an assortment of stages for co-op gameplay. You can also take on a special ranking challenge and see where you stack up on an online leaderboard. The scoring element, extra badges on each stage, assortment of achievements, and bevy of unlockables will keep you playing for a while. In terms of presentation, it does the whole retro revival thing very well. It certainly looks like the original game in a lot of ways, but it runs a lot better and has lots of neat effects that will remind you it’s a lot more modern. You can use the music from the original game if you want, but there’s a slick arranged soundtrack that ended up being my preferred choice.

If you happen to be a Ninja JaJaMaru fan, you’ll love The Great Yokai Battle + Hell. It’s the best game in the series, and not by a little. It’s also packed to the gills with loving references to previous JaJaMaru games and the JalecoVerse in general. If you’re coming to the series for the first time, then this is the one to get. It’s a fun arcade-style action game with lots of hooks to keep you coming back again and again. Not exactly an all-timer, but it’s a very enjoyable game that punches well above this franchise’s historical weight class.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge ($24.99)

I’ll give this to Inti-Creates: they know what they’re good at and they tend to stick to it. Apart from the cheeky light gun-style shooting action of Gal*Gun, Inti-Creates pretty much just makes 2D action-platformers. They have always done so, through the troughs and peaks of the genre, and I suspect they always will. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Outside of one particularly high-profile miss, you know you’re going to get a decent game at the very worst when you pick up an Inti-Creates release. And Grim Guardians certainly isn’t bad as these things go.

It is, however, very predictable. It’s thematically inspired heavily by Castlevania, and I’m sure most will know it isn’t this developer’s first kick at that can. Don’t expect these to play too much like the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon titles, however. This isn’t really a Castlevania throwback in the gameplay sense despite how it looks, sounds, and it roughly structured. You’re swapping between two characters, one of whom has a gun and the other a sword. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and they can team up for a super attack that is honestly a bit too powerful. You can play alone or pull in a friend for some co-op gameplay, and the latter is certainly a more enjoyable way to digest the game.

There are eight decent-sized levels to play through, and you’ll be able to upgrade your characters as you go to power them up and give them new capabilities. It’s not a very difficult game at all, especially if you bring along a friend, and you’ll likely have it wrapped up in a reasonable five or six hours. There’s a little replay value baked in as you can find some alternate routes to explore, but there’s no great reason to do so beyond simply seeing more of what the game has to offer. The story will probably appeal more to Gal*Gun fans than anyone, with some cameos and such calling back to those games, but it’s mostly just a silly excuse to have the girls assault a gothic castle.

If you’re on the hunt for a well-built 2D action game, particularly one you can play with a friend, then Grim Guardians: Demon Purge will likely satisfy. It’s a highly experienced developer working in the genre it’s best known for, and the resulting level of quality is hardly a big surprise. I think it’s more for the fans of the developer than the fans of the property it draws its themes from, and I do wish it had a little more bite to its challenge. An enjoyable romp, but nothing all that special.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGS ($12.99)

I’m not going to spend too much time on these. You get a shameless, shoddy Dragon Quest clone and an okay action-adventure game in this set, both originally Japan-only NES/Famicom games. They’ve been properly translated, which is actually pretty cool. The games are running in the usual Ratalaika emulator wrapper, but for some reason any attempt to use the CRT filter causes the sound to stutter very badly. There are no instructions or anything included, which is a shame because some guidance would go a long way here. A very bare bones affair.

I can’t imagine many people will get much fun out of grinding their way through the RPG in this set, but the action-RPG is tolerable enough. I have to commend ININ for translating these games just on principle, and for the most part Ratalaika’s emulation does the job. That said, there are some bugs with some of the emulator options, and I can’t imagine this set being a good value for most people. Sometimes things that are lost are better off unfound.

SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5

Ninja JaJaMaru: Retro Collection ($14.99)

This collection focuses on a spread of JaJaMaru action games, with five in total included. Three are NES/Famicom games, one is a Super NES/Super Famicom game, and the last is a Game Boy game. Some of these are being made available outside of Japan for the first time, so that’s neat. Additionally, the Game Boy game has been given the full Game Boy Color treatment, which is an unexpected extra bit of effort. None of these games are anything beyond decent at best, though. The first game is a technical mess but amusing enough. The sequel is dull and poorly conceived. Operation Milky Way seems cool at first but turns into an absolute nightmare before long. The Super NES game is pretty fun but doesn’t do a whole lot to distinguish itself. The Game Boy game is okay.

As with the Lost RPGs set, these games have all been tossed unceremoniously into the Ratalaika emulation wrapper without many extras or instructions to speak of. They also share the sound emulation bug that set suffers from when CRT filters are enabled. But on the whole I think the games here have more appeal and you certainly get more bang for your buck in terms of included titles. I’d advise sticking with The Great Yokai Battle and skipping these sets, but if you want to dig a little deeper into JaJaMaru‘s history, this will help you do that.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

New Releases

Sentry Paragon ($5.99)

A pretty straightforward take on the top-down arena shooter. Defeat enemies and pick up the skulls they drop, then use those skulls to upgrade your character and build useful things to help you survive longer. How long can you hold out? That’s about all there is to it.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Seems like it’s time for another ININ Games sale. The Ninja Saviors, G-Darius HD, and Cotton Fantasy are all great and available at fine prices for the next couple of weeks. Oh, and do note that Onion Assault appears to be having its first post-launch sale, albeit a small one. The outbox has some titles from EA, plus popular indies like Golf Story and Gunman Clive HD Collection, so give it a good look as well.

Select New Games on Sale

A Sketchbook About Her Sun ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/4)
Will Die Alone ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/4)
Promesa ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/4)
Eldest Souls ($6.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Roki ($5.59 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Tails of Iron ($8.74 from $24.99 until 3/7)
Amnesia: Collection ($8.99 from $29.99 until 3/12)
Doodle God: Evolution ($6.74 from $14.99 until 3/12)
Doodle Mafia: Crime City ($4.49 from $9.99 until 3/12)
Doodle Devil: 3volution ($4.04 from $8.99 until 3/12)
Onion Assault ($7.19 from $7.99 until 3/13)
Taito Milestones ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Space Invaders Invincible Collection ($23.99 from $59.99 until 3/13)
The Ninja Saviors ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Spelunker HD Deluxe ($7.49 from $24.99 until 3/13)

Cotton 100% ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/13)
Panorama Cotton ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/13)
Cotton Fantasy ($17.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Umihara Kawase BaZooKa! ($5.99 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Clockwork Aquario ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Turrican Flashback ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade ($17.99 from $44.99 until 3/13)
Darius Cozmic Collection Console ($23.99 from $59.99 until 3/13)
G-Darius HD ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Dariusburst: AC EX+ ($11.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
WitchSpring3 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Ultracore ($3.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Brutal Chase Turbo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/13)
NeonLore ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/16)

BraveMatch ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/16)
War-Torn Dreams ($1.99 from $6.99 until 3/16)
Nerved ($1.99 from $8.99 until 3/16)
Frightence ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/16)
Blastful ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/16)
Dungeon Bricker ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/17)
My Universe: My Baby Dragon ($20.09 from $29.99 until 3/19)
My Universe: Doctors & Nurses ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/19)
Agatha Christie ABC Murders ($8.99 from $29.99 until 3/19)
Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness ($2.99 from $29.99 until 3/19)
The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf ($15.99 from $39.99 until 3/19)
Escape Game Fort Boyard 2022 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/19)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th

Adverse ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/28)
Ampersat ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Art Sqool ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Battle Brothers A TBT RPG ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/28)
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($9.89 from $29.99 until 2/28)
Crowalt: Traces of the Lost Colony ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Elemetals: DMDM ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Exertus Redux ($2.06 from $4.39 until 2/28)
Fantasy Blacksmith ($6.69 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Fe ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Golf Story ($6.99 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($2.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Hunting Simulator 2 ($11.99 from $39.99 until 2/28)
It Takes Two ($29.99 from $39.99 until 2/28)
Little Bug ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)

Lost in Random ($5.99 from $29.99 until 2/28)
Mechstermination Force ($7.19 from $11.99 until 2/28)
Monster Truck Championship RH Edition ($14.99 from $49.99 until 2/28)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($7.99 from $39.99 until 2/28)
Niche Genetics Survival Game ($5.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Overpass Deluxe ($6.49 from $64.99 until 2/28)
Plants vs Zombies BfN Complete ($5.99 from $39.99 until 2/28)
Pure Chase 80’s ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/28)
RiMS Racing ($14.99 from $49.99 until 2/28)
Super Punch Patrol ($2.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Super Soccer Blast ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/28)
Super Tennis Blast ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Super Toy Cars Offroad ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Super Volley Blast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
TT Isle of Man ($4.99 from $49.99 until 2/28)
Under Leaves ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Unravel Two ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
V-Rally 4 Ultimate Edition ($6.99 from $69.99 until 2/28)
WRC 9 Deluxe Edition ($4.99 from $49.99 until 2/28)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a handful of new releases, plus some sales, a couple of reviews, and whatever news rolls in. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 24th, 2023. In today’s article, we kick things off with a little news bit from our pal Mikhail. After that, it’s new release time, and there are a lot of them. The headliners are Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Octopath Traveler II, but there is plenty here to sift through. After that, it’s time for the sales lists. I suppose that will do for a Friday, so let’s get to work!

News

Cozy Grove Retail Edition Revealed with Pre-Orders Now Live

Cozy Grove is getting a physical release on Nintendo Switch (and PS5) through iam8bit and Skybound Entertainment. We’ve covered Cozy Grove ever since it hit Apple Arcade, and it eventually made its way to multiple platforms. The mysterious life simulation experience is getting two retail releases with pre-orders now live. As a fan of physical games on Switch, I’m glad that more indie games are hitting retail shelves without being limited to a small pre-order window on just one site worldwide. Cozy Grove‘s retail release will be available through iam8bit’s own store and GameStop in the US. The retail edition is priced at $29.99 while the iam8bit exclusive release is $34.99 with the latter including one of 28 enamel pins. The retail edition includes sticker sheets and the new NeighBEARS DLC on cartridge. It is going to be interesting to see if Cozy Grove makes it onto our best Switch physical games of the year feature in December. -Mikhail Madnani

New Releases

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe ($59.99)

Another Wii game gets a new lease on life with this remake of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. You get the same main game, which is a fine Kirby adventure, plus some new extras to play around with. There are new Copy Abilities, some new minigames, and a whole new mode where you play as Magolor as he tries to recover his lost powers. There’s a demo available on the eShop if you want to try it out before you buy it, but I imagine you likely already have the gist of how it plays. We should have a review of this one early next week in case you need more convincing.

Octopath Traveler II ($59.99)

Here’s the sequel to Octopath Traveler, the hit 2018 Square Enix RPG that introduced the HD-2D graphic style that has since been used in a number of titles. The situation is certainly different this time around. The HD-2D thing isn’t as novel anymore, the game isn’t a Switch exclusive, and Nintendo obviously isn’t publishing. Is that any reflection of the game’s quality? From what I’ve played so far, absolutely not. This is another banger of an RPG from the folks at Square Enix, and I sure hope to be able to write up a review of it for you all soon.

Clive ‘N’ Wrench ($29.99)

A game more than ten years in the making, Clive ‘N’ Wrench is another one of those indie 3D platformers born out of a love of the classics and a concern that the genre was fading out. Here in the current year we know that isn’t a serious problem anymore, but I’ll never say no to another good one. I suppose the big question is if this is, in fact, another good one. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but it sure looks promising. I’m a bit worried about how it performs on the Switch, though. I recommend holding off on this game pending some reviews, no matter how charming it looks.

Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II ($44.99)

If you thought the first Valis collection was a bit of a sketchy value at $39.99, things are somehow worse here. You do get four games instead of three here, but the quality on the whole is a big step lower. First, the PC Engine version of Valis IV which probably should have been in the first collection if the goal here wasn’t to milk the fans. It’s alright. Next, Syd of Valis and Valis: The Fantasm Soldier for the Genesis. Syd is rancid; Valis is fine but the version on the first collection is probably better. Finally, the MSX original Valis: The Phantasm Soldier, which is frankly a historical curio more than anything. Adding to the woes, there are some issues with the sound emulation on the Genesis games. You have to be a serious Valis fan for this to be worth your money, and even then… it’s really pushing it.

Roniu’s Tale ($7.99)

Oh hey, I played this one on the Evercade. This is a nifty little puzzle game designed for the NES. You have to grab all the necessary items and make it to the exit on each level using your wits, good timing, and a little bit of magic. The trick is that every step you take makes the path behind you crumble. Think before you move. There are forty-seven levels to play, and it doesn’t take too long to get through it. Still a very fun time and well-worth the asking price for puzzle fans.

Arcade Archives Don Doko Don ($7.99)

Taito’s Bubble Bobble may well be one of the most famous single-screen platformers ever made, but it wasn’t Taito’s only kick at the can by any means. Don Doko Don is one of its lesser-known efforts in that milieu, but that is certainly no reflection of its quality. You control a lumberjack and need to clear out all of the enemies on each stage by thwacking them with your hammer and tossing them at something hard. There are naturally plenty of opportunities to score extra points. If you enjoy games like Bubble Bobble, Rod Land, and the like, give this a shot. It’s fun.

Lootbox Lyfe+ ($9.99)

Lootboxes have destroyed the world, and it’s up to you to try to save it. This is a Metroidvania-style game with an emphasis on platforming. You get eleven different areas to explore, and a number of new abilities you can learn and items to collect. Those items, of course, come in lootboxes. Stain your soul and take what you must, I suppose. Your main character here is a bouncing ball type of creature, and you absolutely need to have some platformer chops to get through the game. It’s pretty good, though.

Pizza Tycoon ($14.99)

This game technically has some actual lineage to it. Over on PC, it is sold under the name Pizza Connection 3 and is a modern follow-up to some well-liked sims from the 1990s. That said, like a lot of modern follow-ups to cherished games of the past, this game just doesn’t seem to have the sizzle and spark of its predecessors. The goal is to create your own pizza empire, from the toppings of the pizzas all the way up to designing the floor plans of your restaurants and, er, dealing with your competition in unsavory ways. There’s a campaign mode to play through and a free mode you can enjoy after you’ve finished that. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Switch probably isn’t the best means of playing this game, but if you’ve got a business sim itch this could scratch it.

Grisaia Phantom Trigger 08 ($29.99)

Well, here it is: the finale of the Grisaia Phantom Trigger story. It’s been a long road, but the final battle with The Fatal Answer is upon the students of Mihama Academy. Haruto will have to go up against former members of the Phantom Trigger unit, and when the dust settles, what truths will come to light? If you’re coming to this series fresh, don’t start here. Head all the way back to the first chapter. If you’ve been following all along, I imagine you don’t need me to nudge you into picking up the ending of the series. I suppose that’s my work here done.

Tale of the Fallen Onmyoji ($19.90)

As ever, I’m going to note that any visual novel with screenshots showing broken word wrapping probably isn’t going to have a very good localization. With that in mind, this is a story about a world where humans and yokai co-exist. A member of a fallen onmyoji (“mystics”, as a rough translation) family has to put a stop to a curse that has started to spread. The cure for the curse? A smooch, naturally. Luckily for him all of the afflicted parties are sexy ladies. Well, you know how this nonsense will play out. No one is here expecting War and Peace.

Hentai World ($14.99)

I give up. I’ve done some dangerous searching all over the web, and I can’t find out what kind of puzzle game this is. But if we take the eShop description on its word, it is a puzzle game where you can unlock risque pictures of cartoon ladies. Not full-on naked stuff, mind you. But probably stuff you wouldn’t want your grandmother catching you looking at, at least. I suppose the game is being honest in a sense by not showing any of the puzzle gameplay at all in its screenshots. Not one person in the world is going to buy a game of this title for the puzzles, after all.

Road Stones ($4.99)

This is a very slight twist on the usual tower defense concept. Instead of building towers to defend against the waves of monsters, you have crystals that you can move around for such purposes. I’m not the biggest fan of this genre, but this game seems to have gone over well with those who are when it launched on other platforms. Might be worth the fiver if tower defense is your jam.

Remains ($9.99)

This is one of those survival games, with the setting being in orbit around a planet. Well, that’s a dire situation. Use the wreckage of ships to craft what you need and try to build a space station to keep you safe and supplied. You’ll also need to figure out what happened to you and how you got into this mess. This one seems to be very well-liked by those who enjoy these survival games, and I sure can’t argue against its cool premise. The main criticism is that it’s a bit thin on content, but for ten bucks I reckon that is to be somewhat expected.

Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 3 Collector’s Edition ($14.99)

Find the hidden objects in various scenes. I’m all out of novel things to say about these kinds of things unless they actually have a story, and this one doesn’t have one worth mentioning. Thirty scenes to find stuff in, plus some minigames to break up the proverbial action.

Ink & Paper: DoodleCut ($4.99)

This is just QIX, but with a sketch and doodle theme. Slice away portions of the field to reveal doodles while avoiding hazards. You can buy real QIX on Arcade Archives for a few dollars more than this.

Neodori Forever ($4.99)

A drift-heavy arcade-style driving game, Neodori Forever offers up five game modes, a bunch of cars, a dozen or so environments to race in, and procedurally-generated levels. The aesthetic is easy to love, but the gameplay is a bit more hit-or-miss. Keep in mind that it’s selling for a fiver and you may go in with the right idea to enjoy what it has to offer.

Dark Dungeon Warrior ($8.00)

SAT-BOX applies its usual engine to a slightly different theme. Instead of doing desktop sports battles or something, you and up to four players via local multiplayer are exploring simple dungeons and battling monsters to complete missions. Don’t expect anything too fancy here. It’s mainly a casual experience to enjoy with friends.

Hunahpu Quest. Mechanoid ($3.99)

This is a platformer with forty levels and a bit of puzzling along the way. It kind of reminds me of the kind of 16-bit game you’d find at the rental store on a Friday night if you came too late. And hey, it’s even priced like renting one of those. But will it give you the same feeling of mild regret? Only one way to find out.

Dino Puzzler World ($14.99)

This too is just QIX, but with dinosaur pictures to uncover. Slice away portions of the field to reveal the picture while avoiding hazards. Once again I must remind you that you can buy real QIX on Arcade Archives, and in this case for about half the price.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

The inbox has a lot of Star Wars games in it today, but there are also a number of Bandai Namco games, THQ Nordic games, and indies like the excellent Arcade Paradise in the mix. Not much in the weekend outbox apart from the fine works of Onion Games, but if you don’t have those in your collection yet you might want to consider them. Check those lists!

Select New Games on Sale

Namco Museum ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/6)
Bossgard ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/9)
Goat Simulator: The GOATY ($5.99 from $29.99 until 3/9)
Iron Lung ($5.09 from $5.99 until 3/9)
Sucker For Love: First Date ($8.49 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Star Wars Pinball ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars The Force Unleashed ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars Republic Commando ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars Jedi Academy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars Jedi Outcast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars KotOR ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Star Wars KotOR II: Sith Lords ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Wreckfest ($29.99 from $39.99 until 3/10)
Tribes of Midgard ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)

Operencia: The Stolen Sun ($10.19 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Catan ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Ghostbusters Remastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning ($23.99 from $39.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Paradise ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Bulletstorm Duke of Switch ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Torchlight II ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Torchlight III ($9.99 from $39.99 until 3/10)
Circus Electrique ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Redout 2 ($20.09 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Redout 2 Deluxe ($22.49 from $44.99 until 3/10)
Dragon Fury ($17.49 from $24.99 until 3/10)
KURSK ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? ($19.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)

Into the Dark ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Endling EiF ($19.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
InnerSpace ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
The Gardens Between ($3.59 from $19.99 until 3/13)
The Bass Fishing ($6.74 from $14.99 until 3/16)
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers ($23.99 from $39.99 until 3/16)
Samurai Maiden Deluxe ($59.99 from $74.99 until 3/16)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Boxer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/25)
Casino Golf ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/25)
Cook Serve Delicious 2 ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/25)
Cook Serve Delicious 2/3 Bundle ($2.99 from $24.99 until 2/25)
Cook Serve Delicious 3 ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/25)
Longhead ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/25)
Once Upon a Time on Halloween ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/25)
Black Bird ($13.29 from $18.99 until 2/26)
Capybara Madness ($3.84 from $6.99 until 2/26)
Dandy Dungeon: Brave Yamada ($13.29 from $18.99 until 2/26)
Melty Blood Type Lumina ($29.99 from $49.99 until 2/26)
Mon Amour ($6.29 from $8.99 until 2/26)
moon ($13.29 from $18.99 until 2/26)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. It sure feels like it was a long one for me, and I’d like to say I’m going to rest up now but in reality I have to hustle hard if I want to pay my bills this month and have enough left over for my web fluid. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!

Recently, we’ve been looking at the best games in Hamster’s Arcade Archives line of arcade game re-releases. With hundreds of games available in the line, it can be a little hard to find the cream of the crop. In our previous lists, we first took a look at the best shoot-em-ups and then the finest of the beat-em-ups. Another popular arcade genre is also quite well-represented in Arcade Archives: the puzzle game. There are tons of them, from the biggest names to the incredibly obscure. In no particular order, here are our ten favorite puzzle games in the catalog.

Tetris The Grand Master ($7.99)

We’ll start with the biggest name of the bunch and the grandfather of the falling block puzzler: Tetris. But this isn’t the normal Tetris. This is Tetris The Grand Master, and if you’ve ever entertained any notions about your level of talent at Tetris it will quickly disarm you of them. That said, if you’re interested in playing at the top level of the game with some very specific quirks, this is a great choice to sharpen your skills at.

Puzzle Bobble 2 ($7.99)

Often imitated but never properly duplicated, Puzzle Bobble is Taito’s flagship puzzle game. The adorable dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble switch from hopping and popping to a more sedentary lifestyle of using a special launcher to fire their bubbles. Match up three of the same color and they’ll drop off the screen. Plan your shots just right and you’ll knock off a whole bunch at once in an incredibly satisfying manner. Whether you’re playing through the standard stages or going up against another player, Puzzle Bobble is amazing fun.

Magical Drop III ($7.99)

It took me a little while to see the charms of Magical Drop, but once I did I was completely enthralled. Like in Puzzle Bobble, you’re working from the bottom of the screen and trying to stay ahead of the pieces encroaching from the top. You can pull down pieces and throw them back, but you can only carry one type of piece at a time. Group up four or more of the same pieces and they’ll disappear, with the remaining blocks shifting to fill in the gaps. With some careful planning you can create wild chains, racking up a huge score bonus as your reward. But there’s risk in it, because to make a truly large combo you’ll have to allow the play area to fill up to a large extent. A thrilling display of risk versus reward.

Flipull ($7.99)

Sometimes known as Plotting, Flipull is a very unique game that somehow hasn’t been cloned six ways to Sunday like most other puzzlers. In each stage, you have to remove a certain percentage of pieces by matching them up with other pieces of the same kind. Your means of interacting with those pieces is by lobbing the one you’re holding at them. When you do so, you’ll swap that piece with one from the pile and whatever you’ve matched will be removed. Careful planning is required or you’ll end up in a situation you can’t get out of.

Solomon’s Key ($7.99)

If you’ve heard of this game before, it’s probably via its port to the NES. That’s a great version, but if you’d like to play the arcade original for a slightly fancier and more difficult experience, here it is. Get the key on each stage and get to the exit. It sounds easy, but you’re a squishy wizard who can only make and destroy blocks and toss out the occasional ball of fire. Did I mention the stages are crawling with enemies, all of which can kill you at the slightest touch? Oh, and there’s a timer. Think well, think fast, and execute with precision. Only the best of the best will see the end of this version of the game.

Money Puzzle Exchanger ($7.99)

The idea of Money Puzzle Exchanger is that you need to stack coins to create larger denominations until you’re able to match two 500-coins, which will clear them from the play area. It’s quite similar to Magical Drop, but the way the coins collapse into larger coins gives it an extra twist of its own. As with many matching puzzle games from the 1990s, the real meat of the gameplay comes from setting up combos. Plan things properly and you’ll be able to watch as huge portions of the screen are swept away, much to the detriment of your opponent. I’ve sunk many hours into this game.

Block Hole ($7.99)

Most Western players who have seen this game before will likely know it as Quarth. It’s an odd intersection of shoot-em-up and falling block puzzler from Konami. Pieces of various shapes fall from the top of the screen, and you have to shoot blocks at them to make them into rectangles or squares, which will make them disappear. The bigger the block you make, the more points you’ll get. You have to be very careful with your shots, as one stray block can cause a panic as you try to level things out before you get crushed. Frantic and enjoyable, as you would expect from Konami in this era.

Soldam ($7.99)

Soldam is a game that is initially hard to understand, but its rewards for the patient are plenty. It’s a falling block puzzler where you’re trying to make lines of the same color, but with a Reversi/Othello twist. If you surround pieces of one color with pieces of another color, they’ll change to the same color. When you clear a line, it will become the color at the bottom of the well. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed if you’re not cautious about where you play your pieces, but that challenge and novelty makes it an exciting standout in a well-trodden part of the puzzle genre.

Twinkle Star Sprites ($7.99)

Another shooter/puzzler hybrid, this time with a heavy emphasis on versus-play akin to games like Puyo Puyo. It plays like a shooter, but there’s a method to how you take out the enemies. Do it the right way and you’ll send a lot of trouble your opponent’s way, but fail to take advantage of the more complex mechanics and you’ll soon be buried yourself. One of the key elements is to send back what your opponent sends to you, creating a pleasant ping-pong flow to the game that makes every match a heart-pounder.

Libble Rabble ($7.99)

From the creator of Pac-Man, Libble Rabble is a very unusual game. Your goal on each stage is to harvest all of the little mushrooms by surrounding them with your rope. The playfield is made up of pegs, and you control both ends of your rope using the two sticks. You have to wrap the rope around the pegs, and it’s a serious case of trying to pat your head while rubbing your stomach. There are extra treasures to find if you go looking, and enemies that you need to avoid or defeat by roping them in. The bigger the area you manage to clear, the more points you’ll earn. Like many games on this list, it takes some time to learn but is hard to put down once you do.

And that’s the lot, friends. I hope this list helps you find some new games to play, and if you have any Arcade Archives puzzle games you would like to recommend, please comment below. We’re all looking for more good stuff to add to our libraries, after all. Thanks again for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 23rd, 2023. It’s Thursday, and here in Japan it is a national holiday. Emperor’s birthday, you see. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a whole bunch of new releases to look at, and that is just what we are going to do. Probably the biggest game today is Grim Guardians, but there are a few other intriguing titles to check out. We also have the lists of new sales and expiring discounts, so that’s something. Let’s get to it!

New Releases

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge ($24.99)

Inti Creates takes a couple of characters from its Gal*Gun series and drops them into a 2D action game that draws inspiration from Castlevania and Bloodstained. In reality, though, it plays a lot more like the developer’s Gunvolt series of games. One cool feature is that you can play with a friend in local co-op. I’ll have a full review of this one soon, but if you’ve played any of Inti Creates’ 2D side-scrollers before you probably have a general idea of the quality here.

The Crimson Flower that Divides: Lunar Coupling ($46.89)

An otome visual novel set in a world where a disease has killed off a massive part of the female population. You follow a young woman named Naala who thought she had all her ducks lined up but ends up caught between a handful of dangerous hunks who all want to take her as a prize. Which, if any, of these men will she end up with? That depends on your choices. This one originally hails from around ten years ago, and I wouldn’t advise it if you’re looking for something light or fluffy because it is almost the opposite of that. There’s quite a lot of game here, but I don’t know if the quality is up to the price it’s asking.

Tyrant’s Blessing ($19.99)

Oh, this looks promising. While the fantasy theme may have you thinking it’s a turn-based strategy RPG, it’s actually not an RPG at all. Instead you have an assortment of characters, each with their own properties and abilities, to choose from. Your roster will expand as you play the game, with a total of twenty characters available in the end. You pick which ones you want to deploy for each mission, and if you lose them then you’ll have to work a bit to get them back. So yes, no experience points or leveling up as far as I can tell, but more of an emphasis on pure strategy with some roguelite elements thrown in for extra flavor. Reviews for the PC version have been positive if not overwhelmingly so, and I can’t help but be intrigued.

Remorse: The List ($19.99)

This is a first-person survival horror game that takes a somewhat open world approach to the genre. You have to explore a small Hungarian town, solving puzzles, battling enemies, and trying to stay alive. Be careful with how you use your ammo because it is seriously scarce. Your main source of guidance is a mysterious list, and it’s up to you the order in which you tackle its tasks. The Steam release has received its fair share of praise and I expect it will find an eager audience on the Switch as well.

Frog Hop ($4.99)

A cute little platformer featuring a frog. You can use your tongue to swing and launch yourself, which means this game has swinging. And games that have swinging are already up a couple of points on games that don’t. This is a genuinely enjoyable five-dollar Switch platformer, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of such things.

Pocket Academy ZERO ($3.99)

Okay, so this is obviously another Kairosoft simulation game. You may be wondering about the Zero in the title and the low price. Allow me to explain. The game we know as Pocket Academy in the West is actually Pocket Academy 2 in Japan. The first game went unlocalized until years later when Kairosoft translated it and dubbed it Pocket Academy ZERO. As the predecessor to the other game, it’s less full-featured. That is probably why it is priced lower. That said, it’s actually not that bad for four bucks. If you haven’t played a Kairosoft game before and have been curious, this is the most affordable way to do so on Switch.

Yonesawara Hospital ($18.00)

Another first-person horror game, this one set in an abandoned Japanese hospital. Explore the ruins and see if you can solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the hospital director ten years prior. Be careful though, as you may not like what you find. This one actually has an interesting gimmick. If you don’t like horror, there is an extra mode where you can just explore the game environment in broad daylight and take some pictures. Sort of a derelict building exploration mode. I like that.

Snake Core ($8.99)

This is Orange Pixel’s latest release on Switch, and it reminds me a bit of Nimble Quest. You all remember Nimble Quest, right? No? Anyway, imagine Snake. Nice. Good work. Now imagine the segments of your snake are all units with their own individual parameters. You can recruit new units and upgrade your existing ones as you go, making your “snake” that much stronger. Clear all of the levels and take down the Alien Overlord to win. A solid basis, a fun twist, and the usual Orange Pixel charm. Not bad at all.

Planet Cube: Edge ($14.99)

A stylish precision platformer with some devilish level designs and excellent controls. There are eight levels in the game with four bosses to battle, and while that may sound meager the levels are fairly lengthy affairs. You’ll die a lot, but you have near instant restarts and the checkpoints are very fairly placed. I’ll have a full review of this soon but I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve played so far.

Midnight is Lost ($3.99)

An affordable little puzzler from QUByte. You have to help a cat named Midnight get home, but instead of working from Midnight to the goal you have to plan your moves backwards. You get thirty levels to play, which I suppose isn’t terrible for the price. There are also some minigames you can find and play.

Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper ($9.99)

EpiXR continues its quest to find something other than Aery that will catch on. You play as a kid who is trying to hide from a kidnapper while also looking for the other captured kids. Oh, and it’s set in the 1990s. Not sure how well it actually represents that era, but there it is. And yes, that number in the title means this is just the first part of an intended series. You probably won’t get a resolution to the story in this chapter, in other words.

Dyadic ($6.99)

This is a game best enjoyed with another player. You’re trying to escape from some underground ruins, and you’ll only be able to do so with the power of teamwork. There’s just one catch, however. The final exit can only be used with the help of the Jade Statue, and it’s one of a kind. So in the end only one player can leave. Local multiplayer support only, so you’ll need a buddy at hand if you want to take advantage of it. You can play alone but I imagine most of the spice will be taken out of the dish if you do.

Rumble Sus ($4.99)

You know your game has made it when you’ve got people making riffs on it. In this game, up to eight players via local multiplayer battle it out. Some of the players are Innocents, while others are Traitors. The game will tell you which you are when the round starts by making your controller rumble, so keep it quiet. Traitors need to defeat Innocents, and Innocents need to defeat Traitors. You’ll have to use pick-ups to determine which is which, but since you’re all more or less dropped in an arena together you’ll probably sort things out in a hurry. Could be amusing.

Sakura Magical Girls ($9.99)

Well, here’s the latest Sakura visual novel. As usual, the… ahem, adult scenes have been removed from this version. Our protagonist is working a boring job at a resort when he meets a few magical girls who for whatever reason are completly taken with his Normal McNormalguy self. Make your choices and see which of the three girls, if any, you end up with. By now I’m sure most people have figured out how they feel about the Sakura games, so do what you will.

World War: Prologue ($14.99)

Another junk first-person shooter from the folks at TROOOZE. As usual, they’ve attached a somewhat ridiculous price tag to what is an incredibly low-rent experience. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it. But someone is buying TROOOZE’s games, and if they’re buying more than one then they must be enjoying them. If you are one of those people, here’s another serving.

Loot Box Simulator – Crimson Fire ($2.99)

More trash from EpiXR. Make choices to earn in-game money to buy in-game loot boxes that contain various pictures and such. Pretty much nothing to the game at all. At least it’s cheap?

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

An interesting assortment of sales to get going with so far. No Man’s Sky and Divinity Original Sin 2 are probably the big names, but there are some other decent games in the lot if you take a careful look. As for the outbox, Furi and the Saboteur games are probably the more notable ones in the lot, but again you should have a look at the list yourself.

Select New Games on Sale

Lord Winklebottom Investigates ($15.19 from $18.99 until 3/1)
Lost Snowmen ($4.24 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Space Raiders in Space ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/2)
Floogen ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/2)
Gum+ ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/2)
Broken Universe Tower Defense ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Space Tail: EJLH ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/2)
Fluffy Horde ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Sail Forth (416.79 from $19.99 until 3/2)
To Leave ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/2)
Freshly Frosted ($6.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Falling Out ($10.49 from $14.99 until 3/2)
Astronomical Club for Queers ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Oxide Room 104 ($8.99 from $24.99 until 3/6)
Get Ogre It ($2.03 from $11.99 until 3/6)

The Savior’s Gang ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/6)
Steamroll: Rustless Edition ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Super Korotama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/6)
No Man’s Sky ($44.99 from $59.99 until 3/7)
Divinity Original Sin 2 DE ($24.99 from $49.99 until 3/7)
The Last Campfire ($2.99 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Phoenotopia Awakening ($8.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
3000th Duel ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Rick Henderson ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Maggie the Magnet ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Kid Ball Adventure ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Horatio Goes Snowboarding ($4.19 from $6.99 until 3/10)
Spacewing War ($4.19 from $6.99 until 3/10)
Drunken Fist 2 Zombie Hangover ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Slap the Rocks ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/10)

Rage Among the Stars ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Pillars of Eternity CE ($12.49 from $49.99 until 3/15)
Cardpocalypse ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Cardpocalypse TW Edition ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/15)
Faeria: Premium Bundle ($14.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
Yaga ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Sockventure ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
The Hand of Merlin ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/15)
Wintermoor Tactics Club ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
UnMetal ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
Into The Dead 2 ($13.99 from $34.99 until 3/15)
Sherlock Holmes TDD ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/16)
Mystere Ruins of Deazniff ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Gas Station Simulator ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Truck Simulator USA ($11.24 from $14.99 until 3/16)

Bus Driving Simulator 22 ($20.99 from $27.99 until 3/16)
Remorse: The List ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Police Sim 22 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Flight Sim 2019 ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Ship Sim 2020 ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Driving School Sim ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Real Driving Sim ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, February 24th

Beholgar ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Bot Gaiden ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Bridge Builder Adventure ($2.84 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Build a Bridge! ($2.84 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Car Factory Driver ($9.74 from $12.99 until 2/24)
Crumble ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Devastator ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Dungeonoid ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Furi ($6.99 from $19.99 until 2/24)
Furi: Modore Edition ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/24)
Furi: Onnamusha DLC ($3.49 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Haven ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/24)

Kraken Smash: Volleyball ($2.50 from $5.00 until 2/24)
RE: CALL ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/24)
Saboteur II Avenging Angel ($4.80 from $8.00 until 2/24)
Saboteur SiO ($6.59 from $10.99 until 2/24)
Saboteur! ($4.80 from $8.00 until 2/24)
Sakura Cupid ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Squids Odyssey ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Super Gravity Ball ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Truck Simulator 3 ($7.79 from $12.99 until 2/24)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, which include Kirby’s Return to Dream Land and Octopath Traveler II, among others. We’ll have summaries of all of them, plus what I’m sure will be a healthy list of new sales. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 22nd, 2023. In today’s article, we’ve got a handful of new releases to check out. Digimon World: Next Order is probably the biggest of the bunch, but we’ve also got Piczle Lines 2: Into the Puzzleverse, Redemption Reapers, and a few others to go through. After that, it’s the usual lists of new and outgoing sales. Let’s get to business!

New Releases

Digimon World: Next Order ($59.99)

This is a port of a PlayStation 4 port of a PlayStation Vita game that originally released back in 2016. The reviews of previous versions were not particularly glowing, but they weren’t awful either. Kind of in that zone where if you like the license and the genre, you’ll probably have an okay time. It’s an RPG with real-time combat where you can pause to issue orders to your monsters. If you already bought this on PlayStation 4 there really isn’t much reason to double dip, but Digimon fans who missed it before should give it a closer look.

Piczle Lines 2: Into the Puzzleverse ($14.99)

First of all, I greatly approve of that title. Nice job. Anyway, this offers more Piczle Lines fun for those who are hungry for it. You get hundreds upon hundreds of puzzles to solve, a wacky story mode, some fun secrets, and more. A great pick-up for fans of logic puzzles, as we’ve come to expect from the folks at Score Studios.

Redemption Reapers ($49.99)

I really liked Ender Lilies a lot, so if you tell me you have a new game from the same developer, you’ve got my attention. When you go on to say it is in a completely different genre, I am slightly more hesitant but still interested. This is a turn-based strategy RPG, and it sure looks like one of those. Can it do anything to stand out in a fairly crowded genre? I’ll be doing a full review as soon s I can to let you know how I feel about it.

Twice Reborn: A Vampire Visual Novel ($14.99)

Here’s a visual novel from the folks at eastasiasoft where you play as a newly-turned vampire who has been given a serious responsibility in the community. Will you embrace your new life or try to find a way to recover your humanity? Depending on your choices, the characters will act differently and you’ll end up at one of twenty endings. Are vampires hot right now? Seems to come and go in waves.

Intruders: Hide and Seek ($19.99)

You’re a little kid and your family is staying at a big vacation house. Some intruders break in and take your parents hostage. Your little sister is hiding, and everything is riding on you to save the day. If you’re caught, it’s all over. You’ll have to hide and look around the house to see if you can find a way to save your parents. This came out a few years ago on PlayStation VR where it met a middling reception. I can’t imagine it’s better without the VR gimmick, but I suppose if you’re in love with the premise there isn’t much I can do to stop you.

Animal Lover ($9.99)

Five guys from various points in time have been cursed to turn into animals, and it’s up to Lucy to help them out in this visual novel. Perhaps there will be smooching on the way? Seems likely. But it depends on how you make your choices. The guys all have some issues beyond the obvious to deal with, and you can help them become better people throughout the course of the story. There are multiple endings based on what you do, with seven different outcomes to find. Reviews over on Steam generally seem positive, so that’s encouraging.

Seven Doors ($4.99)

A short and not-so-sweet first-person adventure game where you have to solve puzzles and do other things like stealth sequences to move through all seven doors and the rooms connected to them. Just a very mediocre game with some badly conceived puzzles and a generic look and feel.

Hike Isle ($4.99)

Another one of these. They understand the look but not the soul. But if you feel like taking a virtual hike in a less than convincing environment, here you go.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Wow, what a list. Where are all the sales at? Oh well. Cosmo Dreamer is a nice shooter. The Crysis ports are good. Who doesn’t like Death Road to Canada? Gem Wizards Tactics, pretty solid. The outbox is a lot bigger and has some decent games in it, but nothing that is really shouting out at me. Have a look at both lists and see if anything hits you better than it hit me.

Select New Games on Sale

Under Leaves ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Art Sqool ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Elemetals: DMDM ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Little Bug ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Gem Wizards Tactics ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/1)
Detective Di: Silk Rose Murders ($2.89 from $12.99 until 3/1)
Rubber Bandits ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Death Road to Canada ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Battle Brothers: Complete ($36.58 from $60.98 until 3/8)
Monmusu Gladiator ($4.79 from $5.99 until 3/13)
TOMOMI ($6.39 from $7.99 until 3/13)
Cosmo Dreamer ($6.56 from $8.20 until 3/13)

The Hundred Year Kingdom ($7.79 from $12.99 until 3/13)
Labyrinth of the Chaka King ($3.50 from $7.00 until 3/13)
Puzzle Battler Mirai ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/13)
Crysis 2 Remastered ($16.49 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Crysis 3 Remastered ($16.49 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Marooners ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Crash Drive 2 ($1.99 from $8.99 until 3/14)
Crash Drive 3 ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
RazerWire: Nanowars ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/15)
Crowdy Farm Rush ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/15)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, February 23rd

Alba: A Wildlife Adventure ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Ambition Record ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Animal Puzzle Cats ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Asdivine Cross ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Asdivine Saga ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Before I Forget ($5.59 from $7.99 until 2/23)
Cat Slide Tiles ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Chameneon ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Chess Brain: Dark Troops ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Doomed to Hell ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Double Kick Heroes ($12.09 from $21.99 until 2/23)
Dream ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Fantasy Strike Collector’s Pack ($49.99 from $99.99 until 2/23)
Fantasy Strike Core Pack ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Fashion Friends ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)

Foretales ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Gale of Windoria ($11.24 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Geometric Feel the Beats ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Guntech 2 ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Hidden Shapes: BS & OW ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Host 714 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Hover ($6.24 from $24.99 until 2/23)
In Extremis DX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Josh Journey Darkness Totems ($6.99 from $13.99 until 2/23)
Legendary Heroes ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Letters A Written Adventure ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Marchen Forest ($6.99 from $34.99 until 2/23)
Milk Inside a Bag… ($5.35 from $7.99 until 2/23)
NeuroVoider ($3.49 from $13.99 until 2/23)
Out of Space: Couch Edition ($4.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)

Pankapu ($2.39 from $11.99 until 2/23)
Pathfinder: WotR Cloud Version ($24.99 from $49.99 until 2/23)
PictoQuest ($4.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Piczle Cross Adventure ($4.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Pompom: The Great Space Rescue ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Right and Down ($6.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Ruggnar ($9.79 from $13.99 until 2/23)
Ruinverse ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Run: The World in Between ($7.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)
SAOMI ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
ScourgeBringer ($9.34 from $16.99 until 2/23)
Sherlock Holmes: C & P ($11.99 from $29.99 until 2/23)
Skul: The Hero Slayer ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)

Slime Rancher: Plortable ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/23)
Souldiers ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Space Lines Puzzle Arcade Game ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/23)
Stack Up! (Or Dive Trying) ($6.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Suicide Guy Collection ($2.74 from $10.99 until 2/23)
Super Rocket Shootout ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Swarmrider Omega ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Vasara Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Wing of Darkness ($5.99 from $29.99 until 2/23)

That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, which means we should have a whole bunch of new releases to look at. We’ll have summaries of all of them, great and not-so-great, plus whatever sales and big news items that come in between now and then. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 21st, 2023. My personal business today took a lot longer than expected, but everything went well with it so I’m okay with that. How that affects all of you is that I didn’t have time to do much more than the bare essentials for today’s article. There are a handful of new releases today, and I’ve got summaries for each of them. There are some sales, and those are here too. And that’s it. I could talk about that Call of Duty business but I’m not putting much stock in any of that until Microsoft’s purchase of Activision is approved. But I will vaguely refer to it. Anyway, on to today’s goodies!

New Releases

Akka Arrh ($19.99)

One of the many cool things about the Atari 50 collection was its inclusion of Akka Arrh, an Atari arcade game that went unreleased back in the day. It’s a little complicated and certainly challenging, but I think it’s enjoyable. Well, this release gives the game the Jeff Minter treatment: psychedelic colors, random words and phrases, livestock, trippy audio, and expanded gameplay mechanics. The result is something less broadly appealing than, say, Tempest 2000, but one that Atari fans will want to check out anyway.

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle +Hell ($19.99)

Okay, so a bunch of Ninja JaJaMaru games are coming out today, and this is the best of the lot. It’s a modern reimagining of the original JaJaMaru style of gameplay, and it’s a surprisingly solid bit of fun. It has a lot of mechanics that feel like they come from a free-to-play game, and there’s probably some kind of reason for that. But it doesn’t really matter much in the end; this is probably a better revival than JaJaMaru deserved. Buy it along or toss in another ten bucks for the Deluxe Edition which includes all of the games in the Retro Collection, which we’ll get into in just a second.

Ninja JaJaMaru: Retro Collection ($14.99)

This set includes five “classic” JaJaMaru games, all done up in that nice wrapper that Ratalaika made. You get NES Ninja JaJaMaru-Kun, NES Ninja JaJaMaru’s Big Adventure, NES Ninja JaJaMaru: Operation Milky Way, Super NES Super Ninja-Kid, and a colorized-for-the-first-time Game Boy Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great World Adventure, previously released in the West under the title Maru’s Mission. I’ll be frank: these games are not especially great. But they do have a vibe, I suppose. Considering the price, especially if you grab it with The Great Yokai Battle in the Deluxe Edition, this might be of interest.

Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs ($12.99)

This, on the other hand… this is a tougher call. I commend ININ Games for translating all of these games, and in this set’s case that was not a small job. There are two games in here. Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninja Skill Book is a shameless Dragon Quest wannabe, and it falls incredibly short of its source of inspiration despite coming out years later. Ninja JaJaMaru: The Legend of the Golden Castle is more of a Zelda-style action RPG. It is also not anywhere near as good as the game it resembles. There’s no way to get this set cheaper as it is not included in the Deluxe Edition. I’ll have a review of all of these JaJaMaru things fairly soon but you can probably guess where I’m landing on them.

Galaxy Revo 2 ($0.99)

Oh dear. No. Just no. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this template before. Save your buck.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Whole lot of junk in the new sales list today, but there are some treasures too. Katamari Damacy Reroll is the latest Game Trials selection for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but anyone can buy it for the bonkers price of $4.49. Seriously great value there. Some might want to grab the Asterix & Obelix beat-em-up Slap Them All at its low sale price. Just, you know. Be careful with the bottom part of that list. Check the outbox while you’re at it, as there are a few good games in there that may not be on sale again for a couple of months.

Select New Games on Sale

Katamari Damacy Reroll ($4.49 from $29.99 until 2/27)
Writhe ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/27)
Quest Hunter: Deluxe Edition ($11.39 from $37.99 until 3/6)
Harmony’s Odyssey ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Project Highrise: AE ($7.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Garfield Lasagna Party ($26.79 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Scrap Riders ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Asterix & Obelix XXXL: TRfH ($26.79 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Marsupilami Hoobadventure ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/13)
Paradise Lost ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/13)
Fort Triumph ($3.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
XIII ($23.99 from $39.99 until 3/13)
Moon Dancer ($13.29 from $18.99 until 3/13)
Eufloria HD ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/13)

Bunker Life ($11.54 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Haunted Zombie Slaughter ($11.54 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Car+Toon Race: RVC ($7.14 from $10.99 until 3/14)
World Class Champion Soccer ($7.14 from $10.99 until 3/14)
Animus: Harbinger ($2.23 from $7.99 until 3/14)
Animus: Revenant ($6.43 from $22.99 until 3/14)
Animus ($2.23 from $7.99 until 3/14)
Dead Rain: New Zombie Virus ($7.14 from $10.99 until 3/14)
Haunted Dawn: Zombie Apocalypse ($4.19 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Counter Recon: The First Mission ($4.19 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Counter Recon 2: The New War ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Counter Delta: The Bullet Rain ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Counter Crossline: Crime War ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Redden: 100denarii ($3.27 from $7.99 until 3/14)
Haunted Zombie School ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)

Space Genesis ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Bullet Battle Evolution ($4.19 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Girls Tank Battle ($3.07 from $10.99 until 3/14)
Space Stella: The Unknown Planet ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Dungeon Limbus ($4.19 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Dark Water: Slime Invader ($4.19 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Last 4 Alive: Escape From Zombies ($4.50 from $10.99 until 3/14)
World War: Tank Battle ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Modern War: Tank Battle ($6.14 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Zombie is Planting ($4.50 from $10.99 until 3/14)
Demong Hunter ($2.23 from $7.99 until 3/14)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 22nd

8-Bit Farm ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
Aquarist ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Back to Brother ($3.14 from $4.49 until 2/22)
Dadish ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Dadish 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Demolish & Build Classic ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Dream House Days DX ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
Extinction Eclipse ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Farm Manager 2022 ($4.79 from $15.99 until 2/22)
Grand Hike ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
HyperParasite ($2.69 from $17.99 until 2/22)
Lost Dream Stars ($3.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Lost Dream: Memories ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Mad Experiments: Escape Room ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Motocycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)

OlliOlli Switch Stance ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Pink Explorer ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Ravenous Devils ($3.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Sacred Valley ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Shiny Ski Resort ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
Super Fowlst ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Super Fowlst 2 ($2.00 from $10.00 until 2/22)
The Midnight Sanctuary ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Tiny Metal ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Tokyo Dark Remembrance ($5.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a surprisingly solid plate of Wednesday releases, plus some sales and maybe even that review I meant to do today. I’m pretty tired after this long day, so I’m going to head home and get some sleep. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!