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SwitchArcade Roundup: ‘Crashlands’, ‘ARK: Survival Evolved’, ‘Perception’, and More

Posted on by Carter Dotson

Welcome to the latest SwitchArcade Roundup, where we’re covering the latest news, releases, and sales for the Nintendo Switch. It’s a slow day for releases and sales, but there’s still a few of those to talk about. However, there’s a ton of news happening in the world of the Switch today, with more ports and releases coming, along with some hot new Rocket League content inbound. Let’s get right into it:

Rocket League to get Tournament Update in April

Psyonix is updating Rocket League with the new Tournament mode. Naturally, this will let users make their own tournaments inside of Rocket League, with the ability to set custom game modes, team size, bracket sizes, separate standard and finals match formats, and even custom tiebreakers. You can create public tournaments, so you can take on the world in your custom tournament, or set up a private online competition.

I’m curious to see if this gets used with any of the competition sites out there, if they ever add Rocket League, or if Psyonix has any interest in paid competitions for Rocket League. A recurring issue I saw in my time at PvP Live after its transition to a tournament platform was the prevalence of fake proof for wins. Having in-game systems to ensure match results get reported properly helps out a lot. Like, the experience of playing a Call of Duty match on Activision/MLG’s GameBattles with its built-in integration trumps using a third-party site because of the automatic reporting. Built-in tournament functionality in Rocket League would go a long way toward making that easier. Also, this could open up competitive gaming to a larger degree on the Switch.

Speaking of Rocket League on the Switch specifically, Psyonix has some performance improvements and new graphics settings coming in this update, along with the ability to restrict chat to Team Quick Chat Only, new inventory options, applying specific vehicles to orange and blue teams, and in-game connection quality indicators. The update should hit on or around April 3rd, pending first-party certification.

Shadow Bug coming to the Switch

Muro Studios’ fun speedrun platformer, Shadow Bug, is getting a release on the Switch soon. You dash and constantly attack to attack enemies across the game’s 36 levels. This was a fun mobile title, though will it find a Switch audience at its $8.99 price?

Nintendo to improve game visibility on the eShop

While many developers are seeing great sales on the Switch, there’s still room for greater visibility for games. Nintendo’s Damon Baker says that Nintendo will try to improve discoverability for games on and off of the eShop in the coming year. Of course, this has always been a problem for any platform. The “issue" is that there are too many games now because game development has become so democratized. It’s never going to be easy to find new titles. Interestingly, of the top indie games on Switch, not all of them are ports or multiplatform titles: Kamiko and Celeste are doing rather well.

Crashlands announced for Switch

This one seemed obvious when GameMaker was announced for the Switch. Butterscotch Shenanigans’ amazing crafting survival game will come to the Switch later this year. We’ll have to wait for GameMaker to release its Switch export functionality, but with the game supporting touch controls and physical controls in other versions, this should be wonderful on the Switch.

Nidhogg 2 to get eaten by a worm on the Switch

Oh yeah, this is gonna be awesome. Messhof’s game of fencing and getting eaten by a giant worm is coming to the Switch. You goal is to fight another player, trying to kill them so you can get past them, and start running to their end of the screen, eventually getting eaten by the giant worm Nidhogg. I haven’t played the sequel, but the original was full of some incredible multiplayer gaming moments. I once had a half-hour match where both my opponent and I were almost entirely off-screen, a pixel away from victory, only dying due to having a thrown sword hit us just in time.

The back and forth of Nidhogg matches can get intense. And with the game now hitting the Switch with the potential for multiplayer anywhere with two Joy-Cons, this is a perfect Switch game. Sure, every game is a great fit on the Switch, but this really is perfect for the Switch.

Hyper Light Drifter announced for Switch

Thanks to GameMaker coming to the Switch, this gorgeous pixel-art action game is going to get a Switch release, courtesy of Abylight Games. Mysterious, with a story told entirely without dialogue, this indie darling should see a new audience on the Switch. The Wii U was supposed to get this game, but the lack of GameMaker support held it back. Now that GameMaker is on the Switch, this and a bunch of other titles should see Switch ports. I’m also holding out for Samurai Gunn on Switch. I’m feeling emboldened now.

ARK: Survival Evolved on Switch

This massive survival game that lets you ride pterodactyls is coming to the Switch courtesy of Abstraction Games. Unlike the mobile version, which has been tweaked to fit better on mobile devices and touchscreens, this is a pure port of the console version, by Abstraction Games. All the content from the console and PC versions will be in ARK on the Switch, while the mobile version will just have the base game’s content, at least at launch. I’ve got an interview with the studio doing ARK: Survival Evolved for mobile, keep an eye out for that soon, but if you want the pure, uncut experience while also being able to play on the toilet, you have an option. My what an age we live in!

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana gets physical release on Switch

The long-running action-RPG series Ys gets its first Switch release with a physical release of the eighth game in the franchise coming on June 26th to North America. While the game will also have a digital release, the physical version will come with a double-sided map, three cards, and a reversible cover for the game. Don’t worry, or do worry as appropriate, there’s no bump system here, it’s more traditional Ys combat.

Kirby Star Allies off to great start in Japan

Looks like Kirby Star Allies is off to a solid start in Japan, selling over 220,000 copies at launch. This is the best debut of a Kirby game in a decade! This might not include digital sales, and we don’t know how the game’s doing in the US, but it’s possible that the Kirby franchise has another hit on its hands. Kirby is really an underrated franchise to begin with, devouring enemies to absorb their powers has never not been fun in some way, even if some of the games are better than others.

EAT BEAT DEADSPIKE-san out now on Switch

A rare Wednesday release on the Switch! This game, starring Dead Spike from BlazBlue, combines rhythm gameplay with eating a lot of food. Tap buttons to the beat, and eat until can’t eat any more. Check out the demo for this one, perhaps?

Dimension Drive on sale ($9.74 from $12.99 until April 4th)

Fill my eyes with that double vision! You’ll have to survive two screens full of shoot ’em up action, with the ability to swap between screens instantly. You can also partner up with a friend in local co-op, either going ham on enemies on one side of the screen, or each taking care of their own business on their own sides of the screen.

Perception on sale ($9.99 from $19.99, until April 10th)

This intriguing horror game has you playing as a blind woman, Cassie, who is trying to uncover the mystery of a strange abandoned mansion in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She can only explore by way of echolocation, but this haunted mansion keeps transforming as she discovers new things about the mansion and its inhabitants. Perhaps the lesson here is to avoid mansions, and being rich enough to afford one. To paraphrase a great philosopher: the acquisition of more money only brings more problems. Also, I love it when you refer to me as the large father.

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!