Welcome to the SwitchArcade Roundup for April 11th, where we’re covering the latest news, releases, and sales for Nintendo Switch! Two new games today, with a bunch hitting this week. And then, Shovel Knight‘s on sale, y’know, if you needed an excuse to spend more money. We also talk about Bleed 2 and why you should consider picking it up before it goes off of sale. And there’s always more announcements. Make it stop! Actually, don’t make it stop, what am I saying, literally drown me in cool Switch games, please.
News
Super Chariot demo out now in Europe, coming to North America April 18th
If you scroll down the “Coming Soon" list, one title has been down there at the bottom, next to Crash Bandicoot: N-Sane Trilogy: Super Chariot. This is an enhanced version of the platformer Chariot, where you push a chariot around dangerous levels, utilizing challenging physics to try and make your way through the world. Curious about how it plays? There is a demo on the European eShop right now, so if you have an account there, you can play the demo now! Can’t wait? Don’t worry, the demo hits the North American eShop on April 18th, ahead of the game’s May 10th release.
Rival Megagun announced for Switch
If you have a game that has a local multiplayer function, you should probably release it for the Switch, what with its portability and two controllers included! Rival Megagun publisher Degica is smart, and is doing just that with Rival Megagun, though there is online multiplayer as well. You and another player face off in shoot ’em up battles, where each player blasts enemies, powering up to become a giant boss that attacks their opponent on their side of the screen. I played this at PAX South, and it’s quite chaotic, and I dig the concept. Glad this is coming to Switch, officially!
ARMS 5.3.0 update now available
Did you pick up ARMS after the recent Testpunch? If so, there’s a new patch for the game adding in the Dashboard, showing the current rankings, along with videos containing tips and top tournament performances. There are also balance changes, so check out the full patch notes.
New Releases
Deep Ones ($4.99)
You know, it’s interesting seeing games that claim a ZX Spectrum influence, since it never saw release in America. So you have developers that are influenced by a system that to a North American gamer feels like it comes from a parallel universe. I like that! This underwater platformer, developed by BURP! Games, boasts gameplay that shifts to different genres over time, and that unique set of colors that comprise the ZX Spectrum palette. A demo is available if you want to try before you buy.
Bombslinger ($11.99)
Bomberman meets a roguelike here in Bombslinger. There is a four-player mode, but the hook here is the singleplayer campaign with roguelike elements. While you can go and buy an actual Bomberman game on the Switch, I like that a game clearly inspired by Bomberman is doing its own thing! Kudos.
Games on Sale
Bleed 2 ($8.99 from $11.99 until April 12th)
This is the last day that you can pick up Bleed 2 on sale, and it’s an exceptional action title.
Bleed 2 excels in providing dynamic, acrobatic combat. You can triple jump and kind of glide through the air on each jump, allowing you do do some sweet mid-air dodges in combination with your ability to slow down time. Your gun/katana combo allows you to parry the enemy’s pink shots while also firing a steady stream of bullets. You unlock more weapons once you beat the game for the first time, but you have to acclimate to this default set of weapons in order to unlock anything!
You’ll likely want a full-size controller for the game. While it’s definitely beatable on normal difficulty with the Joy-Cons, doing well is a lot easier with a more traditional controller. You get more aiming range with a full-size joystick, and it’s easier to use jumping and alt-firing with the default controls on a bigger controller. Of course, you can always customize all the controls to your heart’s content, so find something that works for you!
Bleed 2 is all about replay value for completionists and those who like to excel at the games they play. There is the whole ranking system to play with, along with harder difficulties, other characters, and the Arcade mode with generated levels and sets of bosses. Plus, there’s co-op play so you can blast through the game with a friend. If you just like beating a game once and never playing it again, Bleed 2 is a bit short for that. But if you like squeezing every drop of value out of a game, that’s what this provides!
And really, it’s just a ton of fun to fight bosses and feel like a badass doing everything in the game. Plus, I love the irreverent sense of humor, with the game not taking itself too seriously at any given point. If you want some bang for your buck, check this out.
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove ($19.99 from $24.99 until April 18th)
Shovel Knight is one of the finest retro-inspired platformers thanks both to its authenticity to 8-bit stylings and themes while not being faithful to the level of difficulty its inspirations in Castlevania and Mega Man had. This is a game that anyone with enough platforming skill can play, enjoy, and beat with enough persistence. Then there are more difficult modes for those who enjoy a greater challenge. If you never played Shovel Knight, this sale’s a great starting point. Oh and it comes with two entirely new campaigns: Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment. That’s three brilliant platformers for $20, and it’s hard to beat that.
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment ($7.99 from $9.99 until April 18th)
What’s the difference between this and the Treasure Trove? Well, this just comes with the Specter Knight campaign for the game. Yacht Club Games was cool and decided to let people who just wanted to play the latest Shovel Knight expansion on their brand-new Switch the ability to just buy it outright, instead of re-buying the entire game. Although, considering that owners of what is now Treasure Trove got three games for the price of one, re-buying the whole thing ain’t a bad deal. Regardless, if you just want to check out this campaign, you can do that. Though, you’ll likely have to pay for the final Shovel Knight campaign, King of Cards, as well. I’m just mad that the coolest of the Order of No Quarter, Propeller Knight, isn’t getting his own campaign! #JusticeForPropellerKnight
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