Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 9th, 2019. Today is Thursday, and that means we’ve got a bunch of new releases to check out and make hasty judgments about. We’ve also got a few little bits of news to go over, and some interesting sales to consider. Honestly, today’s new releases are mostly decent games but there isn’t a whole lot of exciting stuff in the bag. That’s just how it goes some weeks. But let’s do our best anyway, friends. I’m sure we’ll find something worth playing!
News
The Switch Version of ‘Bubsy: Paws on Fire!’ is Delayed Til Summer
What could possibly go wrong? A lot, it seems. Bubsy: Paws on Fire will finally be releasing next week. Or at least, it will be on most platforms. The Switch version, on the other hand, has been delayed to a vague summer release date, with the developer citing that although the Switch version is “in great shape", the team is on “the final push on some non-gameplay aspects". My speculation? Probably loading time optimizations, but who can say for sure? Either way, if you’re a big Bubsy fan you’re probably used to disappointment. Please bear with it FUR a little longer. Ha ha, I’m as funny as Bubsy now.
Rock The Dragon and Update Your ‘Dragon Ball FighterZ’ Now
Today, today, today is the magical day where you can update your Dragon Ball FighterZ game and get some new goodies. Everyone gets access to some new seasonal gacha, an added random course for the Arcade Mode, and custom Tenkaichi that allow you to hold your own tournaments. Those who have the FighterZ Pass 2 can get their hands on the new DLC character, Goku (GT). He’s the de-aged version of Goku from the less-than-popular Dragon Ball GT series, and he packs a real punch. Pass holders also get a bunch of new commentator voice packs, so you can some new characters on the proverbial mics. Goku (GT) can also be bought separately for $4.99.
New Releases
Dragon Snakes ($3.99)
Wait, is this… is this Slither.io? Holy smokes, it pretty much is! Though you’d have to take away the large play areas, the online play, and anything more than four people playing at once, so it’s kind of missing the point of that game. Oh well. You play as a dragon who has to eat butterflies to get bigger. Don’t run into your tail or the walls. You can play with three other players locally to see who can get their dragon the biggest without smashing into something. Somehow, this manages to lack the appeal of both the original Snake and the aforementioned Slither.io. Impressive, if you think about it.
Lost Artifacts: Soulstone ($9.99)
Wait a minute, that gameplay style in the screenshot looks awfully familiar. And the publisher? Ah ha! I knew it. This is from the Gnomes Garden people. And it’s more or less exactly the same kind of game, all dressed up in a new theme, by the looks of it. Well, if this kind of casual strategy is your thing and you don’t mind paying a few dollars more to have it on your Switch rather than your mobile device, here you go. Very much not my thing but at the rate these games are being released they have got to be selling well enough. So if this is your jam, feel free to enjoy the latest.
MachiKnights -Blood Bagos- ($14.99)
This Korea-developed action RPG came out a couple of months ago in Japan and it doesn’t seem to have made any major waves. Anyway, up to two players can play locally, taking the roles of ancient machines battling against the forces of an evil organization that seeks to resurrect the ancient weapon, Bagos the Giant. Basically, this plays out like a stage-based hack-and-slash with a character upgrade system. You can get new gear for your MachiKnight to beef up their stats and abilities, and that’s about the long and short of it. Mash, mash, mash those buttons until the game ends.
Monster Puzzle ($4.99)
Generic puzzle games are the backbone of any largely unfiltered gaming marketplace, and the Switch certainly has its share. Here’s another one for the pile. Take your little monster through 50 levels, safely collecting all the “dreams" (they’re dots basically) by taking the right route along the constantly-collapsing blocks and other obstacles. Essentially, this is just a minor variation on the familiar paint-all-the-blocks style of puzzle. There’s nothing terribly special about it, but it’s also not bad. If you like these kinds of puzzles, this is probably worth a fiver and not much more than that.
For The King ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is a turn-based roguelite strategy RPG, and it’s a pretty darned good one. The stylish look will draw you in, but the gameplay will keep you there. This Switch version even includes all of the expansions released so far for the PC version, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on anything important. Anyway, this game has a nice board game feel, and the ability to have up to three players play together locally or online really accents that. Of course, not all board games elements are going to be welcome for everyone. This game has some rather notoriously cruel RNG elements to it, making victories not just about how well you play but also how lucky you are. Oh well, that’s life in the rogue-ish end of things. Still a lot of fun regardless.
Masquerada: Songs and Shadows ($19.99)
An RPG set in a world inspired by the renaissance era of Italy is an utterly brilliant idea, and it is indeed in its setting, characters, and story that Masquerada shines the brightest. Indeed, the story constantly pulls you along, not allowing you to go back so much as a single screen or even to talk to people who have nothing to do with the main plot. The battle system here is the real-time-with-pause style that was seen in most of Bioware’s RPGs back when they made them, but it lacks much in the way of useful tactical options. The story-to-gameplay balance in general is extremely tilted in this game, and it’s a bit too in love with its lore at times. This Switch version also has some truly unholy loading times. I’ll put together a more detailed review for this game sometime soon but for now I’ll say that it’s not bad as long as you’re only looking for a story, but not particularly great even under those conditions.
Ascendance ($5.99)
The price is low and the game really does look nice enough in the screenshots. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay just can’t bring it home. Platforming in first-person is a tricky thing to pull off properly, and the controls here just don’t feel right. It’s too floaty and slow, and the level design just doesn’t have a good flow in general. The end result is a game that is just kind of boring and unpleasant. There are plenty of good platformers on the Switch, so there really isn’t much need to waste your time on stuff like this.
Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey ($12.99)
Hey, it’s one of the first original games from our old friends at EXE-Create! Yes, after they spent a few years working on ports and such back in the 1990s, most notably on Falcom games like Ys, the developer launched its first successful series of its own. And to little surprise, it’s a lot like those very Ys games that they ported. Anyway, fast forward almost 20 years and we can now play one of the Frane games on our Switch consoles courtesy of Kemco. And it’s kind of spiffed up a bit? At its core, though, this is the same game that came out on Japanese PCs ages ago and also made an appearance on mobile. It’s decent, but very much the mediocre Ys 2 knock-off that it appears to be.
Arcade Archives Ninja Gaiden ($7.99)
Ninja Gaiden was originally a two-pronged attack on Tecmo’s part. With a cool idea and the broadest of outlines, two largely independent teams worked on games for the home and arcade. Though these games would share a name, they would be almost entirely different from one another. One went on to be a massive hit and a legend in its own time. The other was the arcade version. And here it is, on your Switch! The arcade Ninja Gaiden is a relatively middle-of-the-road beat-em-up with a few interesting ideas and not much more than that. It likely wouldn’t be remembered at all if its console cousin hadn’t become so famous. But since it did, this arcade version serves as an interesting curio that may be of interest to fans of Ryu Hayabusa. Hamster has done its usual job here, with all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect.
Sales
Today is almost all about the Game Bakers so far, friends. If you haven’t picked up their excellent Switch releases, here’s your chance to get some of them at a discount price. Furi is a very well-liked game, and if you’ve somehow not played Squids before on another platform, you’ll get a ton of value out of the Switch version. This War of Mine is another excellent game especially if you like being super-depressed. And who doesn’t these days? As for the outbox, there isn’t much of note to be worried about except perhaps that launch discount on Saints Row. I mean, Snake Pass is great, but it’ll be back on sale again in a month or two, I’m sure.
New Games on Sale
This War of Mine: Complete Edition ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/22)
Shift Happens ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/28)
State of Mind ($13.59 from $39.99 until 5/28)
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/24)
Infinite Minigolf ($5.99 from $14.99 until 5/17)
Furi ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/24)
Membrane ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/24)
Squids Odyssey ($4.49 from $14.99 until 5/24)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 10th
Dragon Pinball ($1.97 from $2.99 until 5/10)
I, Zombie ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/10)
Saints Row: The Third ($35.99 from $39.99 until 5/10)
Snake Pass ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/10)
The Bridge ($2.89 from $9.99 until 5/10)
TumbleSeed ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/10)
Tumblestone ($4.34 from $14.99 until 5/10)
Zombie Scrapper ($2.69 from $2.99 until 5/10)
That’s all we’ve got for today. I thought I’d put a review in today, but I spent too much time playing and didn’t have enough time for writing. It’s cool, though. I’m sure I’ll have one or two things for you tomorrow. Even without that, we’ll have tomorrow’s new releases to check out, a news bit or two, and some fresh sales to consider. I hope you’ll swing back around and have a look. As always, thanks for reading!
