Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 3rd, 2019. In today’s edition, we’ve got summaries of the remaining new releases for this week. We also take a deeper look at Venture Kid with a full review, and of course have all the latest sales information you could want. Finally, we’ve got some news nuggets that include a little hands-on time with the newly-updated Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Plenty to see and do, so let’s get to it!
News
The Update for ‘Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid’ is Now Live
It took a little longer than it did for the other versions, but the big update for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is now live on Switch. It adds a new story mode, three new characters, and four new arenas. I’ve spent some time with the new version of the game, particularly the story mode, and I can say that this finally feels like a proper, finished game. Oh, the game could definitely still use some more characters, but the addition of three characters is quite significant when you’re starting with just nine. The story mode is pretty cool, finally adding some context to the whole affair. There are cut scenes that are nicely illustrated and the addition of voices from some real cast members makes the whole thing feel the way it probably should have at launch. Now, I don’t think this game will ever be in the upper echelon of fighters, but if you like the Rangers, I think I can give this a solid enough recommendation post-update.
‘Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’ Hits Switch on June 25th
It’s been a long, long time coming, but Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, former Castlevania producer Koga Igarashi’s return to the formula he helped popularize, finally has a real release date. The game will arrive on June 18th on most platforms, but Switch owners will have to wait one week longer for their chance at the game. The Switch version will arrive on June 25th. Note that both of those dates are for the digital versions of the game. The physical versions will ship a few days later in both cases. I suppose if you want to look on the bright side of things, the Switch delay means we’ll get a heads-up about the quality of the finished product before buying. Anyway, make sure to check out the associated YouTube video that publisher 505 Games has put up. It’s pretty amusing.
Reviews
Venture Kid ($10.00)
I think I’ve beat this particular drum many times in various places now, but it’s easy to forget that it was only a half-decade ago that it seemed like Mega Man was dead and buried for good. This resulted in a near-avalanche of Mega Man homages, clones, and copies on just about every piece of hardware you could imagine. The results were decidedly mixed, and sometimes in unexpected ways, such as when the efforts of long-time Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune resulted in the rather disappointing Mighty No. 9. Even in the mobile market, we saw a few publishers have a genuine go at the idea in spite of what an uphill climb it is to make a game like Mega Man work with touch controls.
One such effort was Venture Kid, which came to us by way of FDG Entertainment. It was clear right from the get-go that the game was trying to pay tribute to Capcom’s Blue Bomber, with a very similar art style and some similar core mechanics. It had some issues, but given that it was selling for the whopping price of one dollar, it was hard to complain too much. Mega Man it was not, but Capcom themselves would do a far worse job of bringing that particular experience to mobile not too long after.
So here we are, a few years down the road and on a different platform. Venture Kid is now available on Switch, and in some ways it’s a better experience and in other ways not so much. First and foremost, having actual physical controls really helps this game a lot. Venture Kid‘s touch controls weren’t bad at all on mobile, but the game is quite demanding in places and the tactile feedback absolutely does help at times. I think the game looks even better on the Switch’s screen, too. And we’ve got a couple of new modes to hopefully extend what was a rather short game in its original form. They’re decent additions, to be sure.
As for things that are worse, both are actually external to the game itself. The price is a lot higher here than it originally was on mobile. The mobile version’s price has since been raised, but this Switch version is double the price even when compared to the new cost of that version. I’ll grant that this is the same price as the Steam version of the game, and I’ll go one further and say that no decent game should ever sell for as low as a dollar, and whatever else I may say about Venture Kid, it is a decent game. But that new price tag is a problem simply because of how stiff the competition for this sort of game is on Switch when compared to mobile.
Simply put, there are much better ways to scratch a Mega Man itch on the Switch than by buying Venture Kid, and even the ones that cost more aren’t that much higher. Inti-Creates has a whole line of Mega Man-esque games for around ten bucks. Shovel Knight costs about double but gives you a whole bunch more game for that money. The authentic Mega Man sequel is available on this platform. And the Mega Man collections are here as well for only five to ten dollars more than Venture Kid. Frankly, if what you want is a Mega Man game, Venture Kid should be way, way down the list on Switch.
If it’s not going to make it as a Mega Man homage, what does Venture Kid have left to offer? Well, it’s not without its charms. The game controls really well, and it’s awfully fun to run and gun through its levels. The character designs aren’t particularly interesting, but the actual mechanics work nicely. It may be a little disappointing that the game doesn’t use a non-linear stage set-up, but that does mean that the designer knows exactly which items you have at various points and can design the levels around that information. Sniffing out the secrets in each stage is quite enjoyable as well. Oh, and the music is awesome.
When separated from its Mega Man link and taken on its own, there are only a few big complaints I have with the game. The first is that while the pixel art is technically fine, the visual design on the whole is quite bland. Main character Andy is just a kid in a blue shirt with white pants. Bosses are, like, construction guys and such. The levels don’t do much more than check off a list of side-scroller tropes, and the end result is that none of this is all that memorable. My other gripe is that the game is just too short. Even with the couple of return trips you’ll have to make to earlier stages to uncover all the secrets, Venture Kid takes barely more than an hour to see all the way through. It lacks a certain sense of satisfaction, and unless you feel like trying for a better time, I can’t see many reasons to replay it.
I think that Venture Kid does a pretty good job at nailing the fundamentals. The controls are good, the moment-to-moment gameplay is fun, and the level designs are mechanically interesting. The visual presentation lacks in personality but it’s technically well-done, and the soundtrack is great. On the other hand, it feels like it’s shorter than it should be, and I feel its attempts to evoke Mega Man do it more harm than good when it fails to stack up. If you like action-platformers, you may want to put Venture Kid on your Wish List. You can have a really good time with it. It’s just a shame that said good time is so brief and, ultimately, not very memorable.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Black Paradox ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hey, it’s another one of those roguelite/shoot-em-up combinations. And yes, this is also available on mobile at a cheaper price if that’s your flavor. Anyway, you pilot a weird space DeLorean-looking thing and try to survive as long as you can. Enemy arrangements and weapon pick-ups are randomized with each run, and you can pull in a friend for some co-op action if you want. When you die, you lose everything but some currency that you can save up and use to buy permanent upgrade. Not the most innovative formula, but it works well here and I rather like the game’s style.
Worldend Syndrome ($39.99)
The latest visual novel to hit the eShop, Worldend Syndrome offers up a tale of mystery and romance. In a small seaside town, a high school girl goes missing and her body is found in a river. What happened? You’ll have to find out by searching around town and following up on clues. But hey, it’s not all sadness and death. You’ll also meet five different girls that you can romance, with each one leading to their own ending. I’m not sure how good the story is on this one as I haven’t played all the way through it, but the art really is quite nice if nothing else. The developers really captured the setting nicely. Probably worth looking into if you like visual novels.
Hellmut: The Badass from Hell ($29.99)
If you like Enter the Gungeon or Nuclear Throne and are looking for something similar to those, you might be interested in Hellmut. This is a twin-stick shoot-em-up roguelite whose chief gimmick is the ability to mutate and transform into different forms. It seems to have decent reviews on Steam, even if its critical scores land somewhere in the average zone. The consensus seems to be that it’s pretty fun but not quite as good as the aforementioned pair of games it resembles. My only major concern here is the price. It’s literally twice the price of the Steam version and there doesn’t seem to be any reason for that whatsoever. Naughty, naughty.
Shadows of Adam ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is a rather nice homage to classic JRPGs. It’s a bit light-hearted and it’s definitely a bit of a brisk adventure, but there’s nothing wrong with any of that. So yeah, while it really only lasts a little over ten hours, you’ll probably have a pretty good time the whole way through. My only real knock on it is that like most homages, it has a lot of trouble standing out as its own thing. But if you enjoyed games like Dragon Fantasy, Ash, or Doom & Destiny, you’ll probably want to give Shadows of Adam a look.
Preventive Strike ($1.99)
This is a vertically-scrolling shoot-em-up that angles the perspective a little, resulting in something like the overhead segments of SEGA’s Thunder Blade. Except, you know, that game is good and this one really isn’t. The visuals look okay in screenshots but in practice it’s really hard to parse important information thanks to how busy it all is. Your chopper is kind of big and it’s easy to take hits, which doesn’t help matters. Even though this game is very cheap, I’d still encourage you to save your two bucks and put it towards one of the many excellent shoot-em-ups on the Switch instead.
Xtreme Club Racing ($9.89)
Well, this looks like a serviceable arcade racer of sorts. I can’t find much of anyone talking about it, which may be a bad sign or no sign at all. Anyway, take your weird-looking vehicle out for races across a variety of locales and try to earn the money you need to upgrade your racer. You can also unlock new vehicles by winning races. Seems pretty standard but it all comes down to the handling in games like this one and I really can’t speak to that as I haven’t played it. If nothing else, it at least captures the look of an arcade racer from around the turn of the millennium. One big downer is that it’s single-player only, so you won’t be able to test your skills against your friends or anything. Probably something to pick up in a nice sale if at all, but I leave it up to you.
Gyro Boss DX ($4.99)
This was a cute, simple game on mobile, and it basically continues that on the Switch. The idea is that you circle your ship around a boss that sits in the center of the screen. The boss lobs out various attacks, and you need to circle around to avoid them. Survive as long as you can. That’s the game. But what about that DX? Well, there’s a new multiplayer mode where you compete/cooperate against the boss while the game cycles through various conditions and minigames. The other part of the DX is that there are 50 achievements to try to pick up while playing the classic mode. And that’s about it. It’s not bad. It’s not great. For the price, you could do worse.
Bird Game+ ($4.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Well, this is another game where you play as a bird just kind of flying around. This one has a couple of extra things going for it. First, it has a very stylish black and white presentation. Next, while it does feature an endless flight mode that you can enjoy at your leisure, there are also three levels that feature challenges, obstacles, and bosses. It’s a game that is somehow quite difficult and yet relaxing at the same time. Add in a reasonable price tag and you’ve got a pretty easy pick-up for anyone looking for something a little different.
Sales
Well, it’s a little more impressive than what we saw yesterday, at least. All of today’s games are pretty regular members of the “on sale" club, but there are some good discounts in here for titles like Overcooked, When Ski Lifts Go Wrong, and Viviette. As for the outbox, there aren’t that many interesting sales ending over the weekend. You’ll probably want to grab Sky Force if you haven’t already, though. For that price it really is a must-have shoot-em-up.
New Games on Sale
Away: Journey to the Unexpected ($13.99 from $16.99 until 5/16)
UNI ($5.59 from $7.99 until 5/16)
Farm Together ($17.99 from $19.99 until 5/9)
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/23)
Leopoldo Manquiseil ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/9)
Awe ($3.49 from $4.99 until 5/9)
Viviette ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/22)
Sheltered ($10.04 from $14.99 until 5/13)
Animal Hunter Z ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/16)
Mars: Chaos Menace ($5.49 from $9.99 until 5/9)
Demon’s Crystals ($8.24 from $14.99 until 5/9)
Freaky Awesome ($7.14 from $12.99 until 5/9)
Madorica Real Estate ($12.99 from $14.99 until 5/17)
Anima: Gate of Memories ($11.99 from $19.99 until 5/9)
Anima: Gate of Memories Arcane Edition ($26.99 from $29.99 until 5/9)
Anima: The Nameless Chronicles ($11.99 from $19.99 until 5/9)
Raging Justice ($5.09 from $14.99 until 5/13)
Bingo For Nintendo Switch ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/16)
Nightmare Boy ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/9)
Black the Fall ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/16)
Star Ghost ($4.49 from $8.99 until 5/16)
Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today ($5.99 from $14.99 until 5/9)
Ginger: Beyond the Crystal ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/9)
Super Beat Sports ($10.49 from $14.99 until 5/16)
Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/16)
Overcooked Special Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/13)
Flowlines VS ($3.49 from $4.99 until 5/23)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Deployment ($4.49 from $9.99 until 5/4)
Harvest Life ($19.99 from $29.99 until 5/4)
In Between ($5.99 from $11.99 until 5/5)
Sky Force Reloaded ($5.99 from $9.99 until 5/5)
Super Treasure Arena ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/5)
The Inner World ($4.79 from $11.99 until 5/5)
Tied Together ($4.49 from $14.99 until 5/5)
Toby: The Secret Mine ($1.19 from $11.99 until 5/5)
And that will bring today’s festivities to a close, friends. This was quite a week of releases, but next week will have even more on the plate. Can you believe it? The week will kick off with Shakedown: Hawaii, but by the end of it we’ll have seen the release of Puyo Puyo Champions, Saints Row: The Third, and many others. We’ll be there to cover it all as usual, but for now, let’s kick back and enjoy the weekend. I’ll be spending mine doing some virtual bartending in VA-11 Hall-A. How about you? Feel free to comment and let me know what you’re playing. As always, thanks for reading!
