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SwitchArcade Roundup: ‘Arena of Valor’ Switch Beta Codes!

Posted on by Carter Dotson

Welcome to the SwitchArcade Roundup for July 3rd, talking about the Arena of Valor Switch beta and giving away some codes! The best thing I can say about Arena of Valor on Switch is that it’s Arena of Valor on Switch. Tencent’s MOBA that takes a lot of inspiration from League of Legends (legally, thanks to Tencent owning Riot) is already pretty fantastic on mobile, but it’s great on Switch too. The game runs at 60 frames per second in handheld mode, which is always welcome in a world where many games have to downscale to run properly in handheld mode.

The controls use the A button for your primary attack, automatically targeting enemies, though you can use taps and holds to either switch or continue your attacks. Your three character abilities are set to the shoulder buttons, and you upgrade them or buy items from the shop by holding down S or Y and using the various bumpers and triggers to purchase the items. Callouts are done with the d-pad, requiring two presses, and quick chat is available by click the right stick. If you don’t like a button mapping, good news: you can remap any button. It’s a solid experience for going from mobile to controller, and not worrying about mis-hitting a button feels nice. Also, ergonomically, it’s easier to ‘relax’ playing with a controller than with touch controls, in my opinion. Your taste may vary, of course!

The downside seems to be that there are fewer heroes than there are available in the other versions of the game. However, that’s an issue even between different regions, where it seems like no version has feature parity with the other. For example, European versions played with DC heroes for months before NA players got their hands on them. They aren’t in the Switch version, which only has 34 heroes at present. I could see this being a separate game in many extents, just because it’s tough to keep parity between platforms. You can’t use your account from the mobile version, unfortunately.

Hopefully the Switch version attains feature parity with the mobile version whenever it releases. The beta runs through July 5th, and here are a bunch of codes. I’ve encoded them in ROT13 so make sure you decode them before redeeming. You can either do so from the eShop on your device or from Nintendo’s code redemption site

O12U07L34ZODTZW5
O12U07L4592CU5Z1
O12U07L52DA45WWS
O12U07L649SXZ31Z
O12U07L717OYEGDO
O12U07L8090YU95O
O12U07L93EIPDWX8
O12U07LI56FKG40P
O12U07LO2F6UI35L
O12U07LP1GCTJJ4E
O12U07LQ4ZCQJXKO
O12U07LJ4OI5CZAD
O12U07LS5CSD9XTQ
O12U07LT29GQG9Q2
O12U07LU4838LG27
O12U07LK0L9L3P68
O12U07LW3U5OILWX
O12U07LX3GS03DE5
O12U07LY32KXA5QU

If you miss out on these codes, keep an eye on our Twitter and Twitch channels today!

Splatoon 2’s next Splatfest is Squid vs. Octopus

The next Splatfest is a big one, celebrating the game’s first anniversary. And it pits Squids vs. Octopi. Now, previous to Splatoon 2, I might have voted for squids. Giant squids sound cooler than giant octopi. Laser death squid, and such. Squids have an air of mystery, while I still respect the octopus being “I have eight legs" in its freaking name. However, after the Octo Expansion showing just how badass the Octolings are, I’ve decided that Octopus is the winning team here. The Splatfest tee period runs for two weeks, starting on July 6th, so level up that shirt, and get it scrubbed for cheap to customize your favorite equipment! Note that you will play as an Octoling or Inkling depending on your team choice, regardless of whether you have Octolings unlocked.

New Releases

Runbow ($14.99)

Headup Games brings this multiplayer platform-action game to Switch, with both a singleplayer campaign and online play. The background constantly changes colors, shifting the landscape, so it’s possible your platform might just disappear. Now keep this up, while bumping and interfering with other players to make sure you’re the last one standing. Honestly, I’m curious about this one just because Satura’s character design is really cool. She’s got that whole femme fatale thing going on. Also, I like online multiplayer games on Switch! Plus, there’s a ton of cameos here: Shovel Knight, Hyper Light Drifter, Gunvolt, Shantae, and Unity-Chan, the Unity mascot?!!?!?!?

Burnstar ($19.99)

Published by Gearbox Publishing, and developed by ex-id-Software developer Todd Hollenshead, this game looks a lot like Bomberman, to be fair.But you use a limited number of bombs that have combustible effects, along with special character abilities, to blow up and burn everything in your path. Also, co-op play seems to be more the star of the game than the multiplayer madness of Super Bomberman R.

Pixeljunk Monsters 2 Bundle ($21.99)

If you haven’t picked up the tower defense game PixelJunk Monsters 2, then you get a nice bundle here: the Encore Pack with three new stages, a new tower, and new customizations, along with the Danganronpa Pack, run $4.99 each. This bundle saves you three dollars over buying everything separately.

Sales

These sales end by tomorrow or Thursday, July 5th:

  • World Soccer Pinball ($1.79 from $1.99 until July 4)


  • 10 Second Run Returns ($4.99 from $6.54 until July 5)


  • 10 Second Run RETURNS ($4.99 from $6.54 until July 5)


  • 3D MiniGolf ($17.99 from $19.99 until July 5)


  • 88 Heroes – 98 Heroes Edition ($14.97 from $29.95 until July 5)


  • A Robot Named Fight ($8.49 from $12.99 until July 5)

  • Ambition of the Slimes ($3.5 from $5 until July 5)


  • Animal Super Squad ($6.99 from $9.99 until July 5)


  • Battle Chef Brigade ($11.99 from $19.99 until July 5)


  • BINGO for Nintendo Switch ($2.99 from $4.99 until July 5)


  • Conga Master Party! ($5.97 from $9.95 until July 5)


  • Danmaku Unlimited 3 ($6.99 from $9.99 until July 5)

  • Dark Witch Music Episode: Rudymical ($5.5 from $7.99 until July 5)


  • DEEMO ($23.99 from $29.99 until July 5)


  • Guns, Gore, and Cannoli ($6.69 from $9.99 until July 5)


  • Hyper Sentinel ($9.74 from $12.99 until July 5)

  • Island Flight Simulator ($17.99 from $19.99 until July 5)


  • Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf ($9.74 from $14.99 until July 5)


  • Jotun: Valhalla Edition ($9.99 from $14.99 until July 5)


  • KAMIKO ($2.99 from $4.99 until July 5)


  • Ninja Shodown ($8.97 from $14.95 until July 5)


  • Owlboy ($17.49 from $24.99 until July 5)

  • Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($7.49 from $14.99 until July 5)


  • Sparkle Unleashed ($5.99 from $7.99 until July 5)


  • Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($2.99 from $4.99 until July 5)


  • The Adventures of Elena Temple ($3.99 from $4.99 until July 5)

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!