Welcome to the latest SwitchArcade Roundup, where we are covering a massive release day for Nintendo’s system! 11 new games hit the store today on February 22nd, and there’s more expected on the 23rd. There’s some classic arcade titles, nuclear zombie survival, and two different games where animals shoot lasers. Plus, we’ve got a couple bits of Super Mario Odyssey news that are of interest. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
New Releases
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus
If you’ve never played a Championship Edition Pac-Man game, you absolutely need to play this. These games feature mazes that shift and change as you keep collecting pellets, along with the ability to eat massive chains of ghosts in one run. Namco keeps throwing new chaotic elements on top of the formula. Here, there’s 3D mazes that appear?!
Membrane
This looks like an intriguing action-puzzler. The game’s unique element is that it’s not so much based around finding the one perfect solution to the level, but using the tools at your disposal to come up with creative solutions, with wild experimentation with the things you can build to accomplish your goals. This one does support co-op play, and is making its debut on the Switch!
Ace of Seafood
The description says “You can now openly admit to the desire we all share to become seafood." Finally! This four player action game has you controlling various underwater creatures that shoot lasers, all in a ridiculously over-the-top underwater world . I don’t know who came up with this idea, but this game looks gloriously ridiculous.
Typoman
This seems like the perfect kind of game to get a Switch release to give it some new life. This is a puzzle platformer where arranging letters and words form a key role not just in solving puzzles, but also in navigating the world. This title went perhaps underappreciated when it released on other platforms, but with the Switch’s portable novelty and utility, plus the demand for new content, Typoman might just get a fresh life out of this Switch release. I’m definitely considering it!
Radiation Island
The open-world nuclear survival game hits Switch! I’m interested to see how the Switch audience takes to this one. I think the game itself isn’t lacking for quality, but will the mobile stigma affect it? If you’re looking for a meaty adventure where you face off against the undead, and scrounge for materials and weapons to help survive the deadly island, this is for you. The game features a massive map and some thrills as you try to sneak around or escape the game’s many zombies.
Dragon Sinker
Kemco’s starting to bring its prodigious lineup of published RPGs to the Nintendo Switch. This EXE-Create-developed title is very much a retro-inspired turn-based RPG, and of course you should read Shaun Musgrave’s review for more details. Interestingly, this one still has some in-app purchases despite the $12.99 price. Hmm.
Heroic Episode
HAMSTER is pretty smart, because the publisher is constantly putting out retro ports before Nintendo finally drops the Virtual Console on the Switch. Here, you can check out a 1986 IREM Shoot ’em up known as Youjyuden in Japan. This title is kind of obscure, but it does some interesting things with having on-the-ground sections with eight-way firing, and auto-scrolling shoot ’em up sections.
Magical Drop III
I feel like Magical Drop is one of those puzzle games that either is less popular than it should be, or game designers love it more than the public does. Pulling down bubbles and then launching them back up is fun, but I feel like there’s something about the concept that prevents it from having the stickiness of Tetris. I remember seeing a prototype of a Magical Drop-style puzzle game from a large publisher once, and one of the things I cautioned about was that there were previous examples on mobile that fell flat, like Linkoidz. It’s a solid game concept, it just doesn’t ‘work’. That game never came to fruition. At the very least, if you like the game idea, and that whole Japanese arcade puzzler aesthetic, this Neo-Geo port from HAMSTER is perfect for you.
Hollow
Prefer your horror in space, rather than on ground? Well, Forever Entertainment is premiering its sci-fi game Hollow on the Switch. You’ll be doing some first-person shooter action, with some possible time loop elements. It looks really creepy, and perfect if you just watched The Cloverfield Paradox and want some more sci-fi weirdness, hopefully without giant monsters getting involved somehow. I’m sure giant monsters will get involved somehow.
Spacecats with Lasers
Looking to rack up some high scores in a dual-stick shooter where you survive an endless number of waves? Spacecats with Lasers is your game. It has cats that fire lasers in space, along with countless waves of action to take on. Frankly, I don’t know what else you would want from a game?
Superola and the Lost Burgers
If you like auto-runners that are chock-full of retro gaming and meme references, this is the title for you! You play as a skateboarding llama trying to save the world’s hamburger supply. Seriously, one look at the game’s trailer reveals a ton of memes and references to an excessive degree. Some of the early reviews are mixed between it being good or outright terrible, and this looks kind of like a game that would have gone ignored on mobile, but hey…new Switch game!
Game News
Super Mario Odyssey has new post-game content in a new update. Luigi’s Balloon World is an asynchronous multiplayer mode where you can hide a balloon in the world, while trying to discover the balloons that other players have hidden. Hide balloons well, and find a ton of other balloons, and you can climb the online leaderboards. Plus, some new outfits and photo mode filters are in the game!
A Normal Lost Phone is coming to the Switch, and interestingly, it’s going to support both touchscreen, and HD rumble? I’d figure that if you were going to use the Switch like a tablet, you’d use it without the Joy-Cons attached. But it does make sense as a way to simulate phone vibrations. I’m pretty sure playing this on a smartphone is ideal, but if you would rather just start picking up games on the Switch instead of mobile, this is the way to go! You can preorder it now!
A Normal Lost Phone is releasing on Nintendo Switch March 1st! 🎮
Play in portrait mode with touch screen and HD Rumble thanks to @SeavenStudio
➡️ Pre order today: https://t.co/Ue6pOBst7d #TeamPlugInConsole pic.twitter.com/wovHs9pB4w
— A Normal Lost Phone (@normallostphone) February 22, 2018
Sales
Super Mario Encyclopedia
The Super Mario Encyclopedia is coming out in October, and Amazon’s got it on discount: $23.99 from $39.99 list price. If you’re interested in the book, preorder it now, as you’ll get the lowest price on Amazon that the item was during the preorder phase, and sometimes that can get really low. I saved a ton of money on the Sonic Mania collector’s edition that way, for example.
Slime-San
($8.03 from $11.99, until March 8th) Played the meat out of Super Meat Boy and need a new trial platforming experience? Slime-San is quite fun, and has a unique style to it. The game has a demo, and just got a big content update with the Blackbird’s Kraken campaign. This has dozens of new levels and challenges, bananas to collect, a customizable house, and some new features like leaderboards, button mapping, and the ability to change the color palette of the game. Plus, there’s an FPS minigame now, what?!
Keep an eye out every weekday for more SwitchArcade Roundups! We want to hear your feedback on Nintendo Switch coverage on TouchArcade. Comment below or tweet us with your thoughts!
