Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 15th, 2019. Yesterday I mentioned that I might not be able to get an article out today. Well, I was able to squeeze it into some free time, and that means you won’t have to go without. That said, I had to prepare this earlier and quicker than usual, so I really just go into the meat of the sandwich: new releases and sales. Things should be back to normal next week, and I apologize for the brevity seen in the last few days’ articles. Anyway, let’s get to business!
New Releases
The Golf ($9.99)
Ah, D3 Publishing. Ah, the Simple Series. Ah, the ‘The‘. Something about this is oddly nostalgic. Going all the way back to the PlayStation 1 days in Japan, D3 Publishing’s Simple Series was one of the first true budget lines on consoles. Few of them got localized back then, and when they did, they often had their names changed. But they often had titles like The Taxi Chase or The Zombie Shooter or The Tax Accountant. The Golf continues that tradition, bringing a certain familiar style of golf to a console that has yet to see its inevitable Mario Golf title. It’s less of a novelty in the modern world of low-cost games, but if you want a simple, casual, decent game of golf, here you go.
Mindball Play ($16.00)
Imagine if Samus Aran and three of her dark/evil/X clones got together and decided to have a little Morph Ball race. That’s more or less what Mindball Play is. You control a little rolly ball, and you need to roll it faster and around corners better than your opponents. You can play against the AI in the campaign mode but this one is clearly aimed more for multiplayer sessions. Power-ups and unlockable skins help spice things up, but it’s really the core gameplay that carries Mindball. And it’s not too bad at all, actually. A little tricky, but definitely enjoyable to master. On top of that, it’s more or less the same price on Switch that it is on Steam. Rare and pleasant, that.
Arcade Archives Front Line ($7.99)
Some vintage games are historically significant. Some are fun. A small amount are both. Most of them are neither. Front Line, originally released by Taito in 1982, is certainly historically significant. It kicked off a trend of vertically-scrolling military-themed shooters, which companies like Capcom and SNK rode to great success. It had an interesting control set-up that allowed you to move and shoot in different directions. But is it still fun? Ehn. I’d say that both of the major titles it inspired, Commando and Ikari Warriors, are better. So if you decide to grab this one, know that it falls more into the category of curio than something you’d probably want to fire up today. If you have nostalgia for it, however, you’ll probably be happy with the top-shelf job Hamster has done here.
Alchemic Dungeons DX ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The enjoyable, chill roguelike/craft-em-up Alchemic Dungeons has made its way to Switch, and it brings a bunch of new stuff with it. Like new characters! Including none other than the Rogue Ninja from this game’s mobile predecessor. That is pretty awesome. Anyway, I really like this game because the crafting system gives you a lot of flexibility in how you want to play. It’s a strong unique element that helps Alchemic Dungeons stand out from other Japanese-style roguelikes. I’ll be putting together a proper review of this one in a few days, but if you like this sub-genre and haven’t played the game before, it’s an easy recommendation.
Space Lift Danger Panic! ($4.99)
Here’s another game migrating over from the mobile and Nintendo 3DS shops. It’s a very simple concept: people are falling and you need to catch them with a portal to send them to safety. It’s a little more involved than an idle tapper, but really, not much more taxing. As you save people, the story will progress, and it goes to some moderately interesting places. I don’t know. I enjoyed the narrative to an extent, but the gameplay just never goes anywhere interesting so I was really only in it to see what was going to happen. This Switch version has improved graphics and a new gameplay mode, effectively doubling up the content. Probably the one to buy if you’re going to buy it at all.
DreamWorks Dragons: Dawn of New Riders ($39.99)
This is kind of a kid-friendly take on something like Diablo or the top-down Zelda games. Somewhere in between those very different things. I’ll let you sort it out in your head. It carries the license, but the story is actually set between the second and third movies, giving it room to do its own thing. Which is just what it does! It doesn’t do too bad of a job of it, either, though I can’t imagine reaching for this over something less, and I deeply apologize for this, toothless unless you’re a big fan of the brand. But as licensed fare go? This is better than you would expect. Certainly one of those games that, ten years down the line, people will make HoloTube ‘grams where they proclaim it to be hidden treasure from the retro archives.
Sales
Well, that’s quite the list of new sales we’ve got today. You’ve got 2K running some pretty good sales on what I think is its entire lineup, and a bunch of recent releases jumping head-first into the deep discounts. If I were to pick just one game to call attention to in this list, it would probably be Rival Megagun. It’s quite good and I think at its sale price it’s a very safe game to recommend, especially if you have someone to play it with.
New Games on Sale
Odium to the Core ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/6)
Super Hero Fight Club: Reloaded ($0.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Koloro ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Mana Spark ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Wondershot ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Blue Rider ($6.99 from $9.99 until 3/7)
Conduct Together! ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/1)
Chalk Dash Carnival ($2.12 from $7.09 until 3/7)
Iro Hero ($3.89 from $12.99 until 3/7)
Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Strikey Sisters ($8.99 from $9.99 until 3/6)
My Memory of Us ($13.49 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Stellar Interface ($11.69 from $12.99 until 2/24)
Neko Navy ($11.69 from $12.99 until 2/28)
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/28)
Uncanny Valley ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Digerati Indie Bundle ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Omega Strike ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Pipe Push Paradise ($5.49 from $10.99 until 2/28)
Hunter’s Legacy: Purrfect Edition ($5.59 from $6.99 until 3/4)
Rival Megagun ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Nidhogg 2 ($11.24 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($44.99 from $59.99 until 2/21)
Destruction ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/27)
Tinboy ($1.39 from $1.99 until 2/28)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($17.49 from $34.99 until 2/20)
Carnival Games ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/21)
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply ($4.19 from $5.99 until 2/28)
Nickelodeon Kart Racers ($25.99 from $39.99 until 3/6)
Syberia 3 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 2/20)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/21)
Chasm ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/20)
Jettomero: Hero of the Universe ($9.10 from $13.00 until 2/21)
Danger Mouse: The Danger Games ($3.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
NBA 2K19 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 2/21)
NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition ($32.99 from $99.99 until 2/21)
Gone Home ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Behind the Screen ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/27)
Semblance ($5.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Pato Box ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/19)
The Wardrobe ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/4)
Waking Violet ($3.49 from $6.99 until 3/4)
Yesterday Origins ($9.99 from $29.99 until 2/20)
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs ($18.74 from $24.99 until 2/21)
Neonwall ($0.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Mulaka ($11.98 from $19.98 until 3/4)
Wanderjahr ($6.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
ATOMIK: RunGunJumpGun ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/21)
AeternoBlade ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Tachyon Project ($3.99 from $9.99 until 3/4)
Gorogoa ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/21)
WWE 2K18 ($14.99 from $59.99 until 2/21)
Putty Pals ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/20)
Butcher ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Troll and I ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/21)
Bulb Boy ($2.24 from $8.99 until 2/28)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Saturday, February 16th
Beholder: Complete Edition ($9.99 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Cars 3: Driven to Win ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/16)
Operation Pig ($8.24 from $10.99 until 2/16)
Scribblenauts Megapack ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/16)
Scribblenauts: Showdown ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/16)
And that’s all we’ve got time for today, friends! Some interesting new releases, and a ton of sales. What are you playing this weekend? Are you picking up anything or just settling in with something you already have? Let me know in the comments. I always like to see what you all are up to. Anyway, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week with some reviews and other goodies!
