Hello, gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 16th, 2019. Today, we’ve got news of a bunch of upcoming releases, a couple of new games to look at, and a meager and not-so-mighty list of sales. Hey, I won’t lie to you, there isn’t a whole lot going on today, but let’s try to make the best of it, yeah? Let’s draw blood from a stone!
News
The Next ‘Smash’ Spirit Board Event is Another Fire Emblem Fest
Fire Emblem has long been well-represented in the Smash Bros. games, to say the least. That continues with the latest installment in more ways than one. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has already dedicated one of its Spirit Board Events to the long-running tactical RPG series, but it only included a selection of the spirits drawn from the game. This weekend, a second Fire Emblem Fest event kicks off, giving you increased odds at earning the ones that weren’t featured last time, like that jerk Takumi. It starts on January 18th and runs through the weekend, so get while the getting is good.
‘Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut’ Gets Much-Needed Patch
I don’t know if I’ve ever gone so quickly from “I’ve got to have it" to “thanks, I’ll pass" as I did with Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut on the Switch. Having a game like that in the palms of your hands is like a dream come true, but when Wasteland 2 launched, it ran like hot garbage. Like, that’s the most generous way to put it. Anyway, a new patch was issued today that promises to address Switch performance issues and resolve crashing problems. No word yet on just what was fixed and to what extent, but it may be that with the physical version looming, the developers wanted to get the game whipped into a more salable condition.
The Remaining Characters for ‘Team Sonic Racing’ Have Been Revealed
The reception to Team Sonic Racing has been mixed, and you know, I totally get that. I’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster with the game myself. Am I disappointed that the game focuses on Sonic and cuts out the amazing SEGA fanservice of the last couple of SEGA kart racers? Yep! That said, this is a new racing game from the lovely folks at Sumo Digital, and I’m sure the gameplay will be great. So with a breath of optimism sucked into our cheeks, let’s look at the last set of playable characters. It’s Team Eggman, and it consists of Eggman (Dr. Robotnik), Metal Sonic, and… Zavok. Some of you are probably wondering who the heck Zavok is, and I don’t blame you. He’s the leader of the Deadly Six, the primary antagonists of Sonic Lost World. Well, what can you do? Chaos apparently isn’t returning anyone’s calls, and no one else will work with these two. Anyway, that brings the full roster to 15, with Zavok being the only real curve ball in the bunch.
A New Update Adds BACON Storyline to ‘Smoke and Sacrifice’
Smoke and Sacrifice has been out on Switch for a little while now, but the game just released on the other consoles. Perhaps in an effort to not to make Switch owners feel unloved, a new update hit the Switch version today that adds a whole new quest line to the game. Dubbed BACON, it gives Sachi a new possession wand that packs a powerful punch. Naturally, the update is free, so just go ahead and update to get into the BACON.
‘City of Brass’ Hits the Switch Early Next Month
Roguelites are so popular these days, it was just a matter of time before someone tried to fuse the genre with first-person action. Who better for the job than some people who worked on the Bioshock series? City of Brass brings that combination all wrapped up in an Arabian Nights-style setting, and it’s coming to Switch on February 8th. The game kind of got so-so reviews when it released on PC, but this Switch version has been improved and has had content added based on some of the feedback received. There are new characters, new relics, new weapons, added enemies, and a lot of adjustments and quality-of-life improvements. Sounds neat, and it sure looks nice in motion. Guess we’ll see!
The Awesome ‘Cursed Castilla’ Arrives on Switch Next Week
If you like Ghosts ‘n Goblins and you haven’t played Cursed Castilla, you’d best buckle up, friend. The game will be coming to the Switch on January 24th for a price of $13.99, with a 10% discount if you pre-order it. This is an incredible game, albeit quite a difficult one. It hews pretty closely to its inspiration in terms of how it plays, but the stage designs and enemies make the game come off differently enough that it doesn’t feel like a shameless copy. I ran through this one on the 3DS not too long ago and friends, it’s sheer hot fire. I’m definitely looking forward to this Switch version.
A Sweet-Looking ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 2’ Artbook is Coming in Japan
Japan gets a lot of cool stuff. It’s a thing. Some of it comes to the West, some of it doesn’t. You’ll want to keep your fingers crossed for this one, though. It’s a magnificent 352-page official artbook for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and it includes tons of art of just about everything in the game along with transcriptions of some of the dialogue. The artbook releases in Japan on February 2nd, and I’d imagine you could order it from Amazon Japan if you’re willing to pay the price that comes from international shipping on huge books. Otherwise, hang in there and hope that Dark Horse or someone picks it up for Western release.
New Releases
Planet RIX-13 ($4.99)
This is a bite-sized adventure game with relatively simple puzzles and a decent retro aesthetic. I think the price is decent for what you get, but be aware that the game isn’t too much longer than an hour or so, and there really aren’t many reasons to replay it. The plot is engaging enough and there are worse ways to spend an evening, so if you think it looks cool, don’t let me stop you.
Bash the Bear ($4.99)
Making its way over from the Google Play store is Bash the Bear. I’m assuming if you’re reading Switch news on an iOS gaming site, you probably have a good idea of what a generic mobile physics game looks like. Yes, it looks just like this. There appears to be a good variety of gimmicks to keep things interesting, but yeah, you’re really just flinging critters around, trying to hit the bear in each stage. Even the screenshots break from Switch tradition by splattering marketing lines on top of bordered gameplay shots. Very odd.
Sales
Following the general theme, there’s not a lot going on today. There are a few pre-order sales that have started, and a bunch of launch sales ending. You might want to grab Caveblazers, HoPiKo, and/or Quest of Dungeons before they go back up to full price, but I won’t call an emergency meeting of the Avengers to point and laugh at you if you just decide to save your money today.
New Games on Sale
Left-Right: The Mansion ($3.59 from $3.99 until 1/17)
Mages of Mystralia ($17.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
Deployment ($6.99 from $9.99 until 1/26)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, January 17th
Dying: Reborn Nintendo Switch Edition ($7.99 from $9.99 until 1/17)
Left-Right: The Mansion ($3.59 from $3.99 until 1/17)
Apocalipsis Wormwood Edition ($7.99 from $9.99 until 1/17)
Caveblazers ($11.99 from $14.99 until 1/17)
Crimson Keep ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/17)
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/17)
HoPiKo ($6.99 from $9.99 until 1/17)
Mummy Pinball ($1.49 from $1.99 until 1/17)
Quest of Dungeons ($5.39 from $8.99 until 1/17)
Roarr! Jurassic Edition ($4.79 from $7.99 until 1/17)
Shadow Bug ($3.59 from $8.99 until 1/17)
Soap Dodgem ($3.44 from $6.89 until 1/17)
That’s about all there is to talk about today. Yeah, it was a quiet day, but tomorrow sees the faucet open on this week’s new releases, so don’t think we can relax for long around here. I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest news, new releases, and sales, so make sure to swing back around. Thanks as always for reading!
