Welcome to the SwitchArcade May 24th! Busy day for new releases, with some really solid new titles and some weird ones as well. I haven’t filled my 128 GB microSD card yet…but I’m terrified I’m going to fill it soon. I don’t want to start deleting Switch games. Or to have to buy another big microSD card. I have a massive card in my Android phone, and also don’t want to switch out cards like I had to do on the Vita!
News
Mario Tennis Aces Online Tournament Demo available for download
Nintendo and Camelot Software Planning’s newest Mario Tennis game will have an online tournament happen pre-launch starting on June 1st. You can download this now from the eShop, but the service is currently unavailable, so you’ll have to wait until next Friday to actually play the game. It will focus on online play, but a singleplayer mode against the CPU will also be available for practice purposes.
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido demo now available
There is another Nintendo game that has a demo available today…and this one’s actually playable! This action-puzzle hybrid releases on Switch and 3DS on June 8th, but if you want to find out what the heck is going on here, you can download the demo. Unlike the Mario Tennis Aces demo, which has prime featuring on the new releases page, you have to go to the Sushi Striker game page in the coming soon titles, and download the demo from there. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Sale Ending Today: Torquel -Physics Modified Edition- ($7.49 from $9.99 until May 25)
This 2D physics platformer is on the Switch, where you roll around, and can extend the faces of each side of your rolling cube by using the face buttons. The game was originally released on Steam, before it eventually saw a console release, and now you can play it with modified physics after a game engine update required some reworking. This one goes off sale sometime on Friday, so last call on getting it at a discount!
New Releases
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon ($9.99)
The retro game stretch goal for the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter is here. Developed by Inti Creates, this platformer takes heavy inspiration from Castlevania III, with four different characters to play with and swap between. I’ve picked this one up and am really curious to see how it pans out, as while Inti Creates isn’t actively developing Ritual of the Night after early work on the project, but they have tons of experience in making 2D action-platformers, so expect some good quality from this one.
Interestingly, this one is releasing on a ton of platforms at once, with only the 3DS in Europe and Xbox One seeing any kind of delay. This led to an interesting situation where backers couldn’t get codes for the game, but they’re offering temporary Steam keys to console backers. I mean, I think it’s silly that backers have to wait for the game, but hey: I think Steam’s laissez-faire attitude toward code distribution is the way to go, and other platforms should be more accommodating to developers distributing codes. Glad I didn’t back the game, even as a slacker backer, I suppose.
Zen Bound 2 ($14.99)
You probably played this game at some point in the history of mobile gaming, because the first two titles were rather popular, and showed off how touch controls could help make for a cool puzzler on your phone. But honestly, I’m kind of worried that this will get seen as a Switch port, and not as a huge deal, because this should be. You can play with a single Joy-Con, and rotate the controller around in six degrees of movement to wrap your rope around the different figures. Does it feel as precise as the touch controls do, for example? Not necessarily, but it feels so much cooler to play with just a single Joy-Con, rotating freely in space, to the point that I think this should have been a launch game for the Switch. It would have shown off the power of the Joy-Cons, and how the Switch can adapt to any preferred playing style, in such a succinct way.
Even now, Zen Bound 2 is still well worth playing. The single Joy-Con control is great, and the game concept, where you wrap ropes around figures, trying to cover them in paint, is rarely-imitated because it’s so hard to do well. The game has such a fascinating visual style and soundtrack to it, and you should revisit this game if you haven’t played it in years. Even if you’re only doing so to check out the Joy-Con controls, but they’re fun enough that you should give them a shot.
N++ ($14.99)
Metanet Software delivers the second major sequel to its popular ninja platforming game N. If you never played N in the browser, you might have played N+ on Xbox 360, or in the DS or PSP incarnations, all of which are great. N++ released first on PS4, before Steam, and now it’s on Switch. You have to command your ninja through levels full of dangerous hazards, relying on the game’s unique floaty physics and your acrobatic abilities to survive without dying. This promises nearly endless gameplay with 4,340 levels, all made by hand. There is also a level editor with a the ability to share levels, competitive and co-op play for four players, and 119 color palettes as well. Seriously, over 4000 levels, it’s crazy. I’m sure to die plenty of times while playing this one, and so can you!
Punch Club ($14.99)
tinyBuild’s popular boxing simulation game makes it way to Switch today. Your objective: become the best boxer on earth, and discover who murdered your father. There are branching paths for the game’s story, though if you want to play this in a more straightforward, “become the best boxer in the world" route, you can do that. But maybe a more ludicrous style is more your flavor. Take your pick! Just know that you won’t do any real fighting as this is a simulation. There is a lot of strategy, and a bevy of tough decisions to be made.
6180 The Moon ($3.99)
Turtle Cream, which released this game on 3DS and Wii U, along with mobile, brings their unique platformer to the Switch. There aren’t any bottomless pits, but the bottom of the screen loops back around to the top of the screen, so you have to master the art of trying not to fall upwards. Good luck with that!
Arcade Archives Ikki ($7.99)
Sunsoft’s game of farmers rising up in revolution against their feudal overlord should serve as an inspiration to us all. Even if only two of you can toss sickles to fight off your oppressors, you can sink in more coins to try and continue the revolution! Right?
ACA NEOGEO TOP PLAYER’S GOLF ($7.99)
A lot of HAMSTER’s NeoGeo releases on Switch were released months and years earlier on the PS4 and Xbox One. Not this one, as Nassau Game’s 1990 golf title gets its modern re-release on Switch, PS4, and XB1 simultaneously today. I enjoy some of the flavoring of classic golf games, as they try to replicate perhaps the most three-dimensional of all sports in a two dimensional way. Do note that the more famous NeoGeo golf game, Neo Turf Masters, was released on the eShop last year, and this is actually an older title for the system. At least these games are getting preserved for modern audiences to explore in a legal way.
Discovery ($7.99)
Minecraft is already on Switch (and getting a Bedrock Engine update on June 21st), but I guess there’s still an audience for Minecraft-alikes? I know Minecraft has really gotten crazy with all the third-party add-ons and modes that exist, so maybe if you want something more like vanilla Minecraft, this is the way to go. It also supports splitscreen multiplayer, and is only $7.99…so yeah, there you go. Minecraft for the broke! At least the game looks nicer than Minecraft does.
Dead Fun Pack: Penguins and Aliens Strike Again ($6.99)
Two games, Run Run and Die, and Mutant Alien Moles of the Dead, are in this one game, both providing reflex-based challenges. The production values look rather good despite the relative simplicity of the titles.
Escape Game: Aloha ($5.99)
Many “escape the room" games take place in dark, mysterious places. This one takes place in a Hawaiian seaside villa in the middle of the day. And when you beat the game you can play hide-and-seek with animals. That’s different, and I dig what the developer was going for here, though the game is apparently really short.
Babobabs Mausoleum Ep. 1: Ovnifagos Don’t Eat Flamingos ($5.99)
Now that is a game title! This is a point-and-click adventure mixed with a JRPG (and you can spit in battle), and starring Watracio Walpurgis, a vampire eggplant that works for the FBI. I hate to see good eggplant work for the feds, SMH. Episode 2 is out on Steam, so hopefully that will release not too long after this weird little game is out.
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!
