Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 21st, 2019. Tomorrow is the first day of summer for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, and things are getting hot in more ways than one. Luckily, there are plenty of Switch games to keep us all busy, and we look at the rest of this week’s releases in today’s article. There’s also some news on upcoming releases and, wouldn’t you know it, a massive list of sales to check out. Let’s do this!
News
‘Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories’ Will Come West in Early 2020
This series has sure had a hard time over the course of its life, especially when it comes to North American releases. The latest game, Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories, will make the jump in early 2020 courtesy of publisher NISA. If you’re not familiar with these games, the idea is that you’re having a pretty normal day when some big disaster hits. In this case, it’s an earthquake. You have to try to survive, and that means getting through some dangerous situations and making some very hard choices. The developer even worked with the Kobe City Fire Bureau to help design more realistic scenarios. It’s a very interesting series, and it’s nice to see it getting another shot in the West.
‘Friday the 13th: The Game’ Slashes Up the Switch August 13th
We’ve known for a bit that the unusual Friday the 13th: The Game would be bringing its unique brand of multiplayer action to the Switch soon. We now have a date and some details for the retail release. Friday the 13th: The Game Ultimate Slasher Edition will arrive on August 13th for $39.99. This special edition includes the base game, all of the released DLC, and a limited edition poster. I know some people who really love this game, and I’m sure they’ll be quite happy to have it in an on-the-go form.
‘Realm Royale’ Free Version Now Available
Battle royale game Realm Royale made its debut on the Switch not long ago in the form of the Founder’s Pack, which was a way for people who wanted to get in on the game early to do so while getting some goodies to give them a leg up. The gates are now opening for those who simply want to play for free, as Realm Royale is now available as a regular free download. If you like the idea behind Fortnite but find it’s not quite scratching the itch, you can give this game a go and see if it does things better for you.
Visual Novel ‘Clannad’ Comes West on July 4th
This isn’t the most surprising of news items, given that we already knew that the Japanese version of Key’s beloved visual novel Clannad had a full English script included. But in case there were any doubts, we can now say with certainty that the game will be releasing on the eShop in the West. It will come out on July 4th in North America at a price of $44.99.
New Releases
Demolition Crew ($2.00)
Hm, this seems to have dropped out of nowhere. And it’s only two dollars. Well, the look and the title certainly remind me of Wrecking Crew on the NES, but this is actually more of a straightforward platforming game. Work your way up to the top of each building, solving some light puzzles along the way, in order to mark it clear for demolition. A second player can join in for two-player simultaneous fun, and you can help or hinder each other as you see fit. Honestly, for a couple of bucks, it’s not too bad.
Arcade Archives Wild Western ($7.99)
It’s another game from the earlier days of gaming as the Arcade Archives welcomes the 1982 Taito game Wild Western into the fold. Bandits try to rob a train, and it’s up to you to sling your guns from the back of your horse and stop them before three of them can get on board. This basically takes the form of a vertical shoot-em-up, but it’s a very unconventional one. In between stages, there’s a bonus round where your horse will fling an object in the air. Shoot it down to earn bonus points. A simple game that will probably be of little interest to most people, but if you have happy memories of it, Hamster has done it right here.
Driving School Original ($14.99)
Well, it’s another one of those years-old “sim" games that have been getting dropped onto the Switch for the last while. This one aims to bring the experience of going to driving school to your favorite hybrid handheld. Um, does anyone actually pine for those days? I remember driving school being boring on the best of days and annoying as heck on the worst of them. But if you want to re-live that experience in 80 levels of questionable car handling and inconsistently applied traffic rules, I guess your day has finally arrived. This series hasn’t gotten the nicest of reviews anywhere and the jump to the Switch probably isn’t going to change that.
WordMesh ($6.99)
Do you like word search puzzles? If you do, you might be in heaven here. WordMesh allows you to generate puzzles of various sizes and difficulty rankings, drawing from a dictionary with thousands of words in it. You can have the puzzle draw words from a specific category among eight, or just go for a random mix. You’re not just limited to English, either. You can play word search puzzles in ten different languages, and the game will even translate the words at your request. It’s a bit lacking in terms of presentation, but it’s hard to argue with the content.
Cybarian: The Time Traveling Warrior ($4.99)
I really, really wanted to like Cybarian. It looks fantastic, the price is great, and the whole thing just seems right up my alley. But I don’t like it. I don’t think I hate it, but I sure don’t like it. You get four levels of platform/beat-em-up hybrid, and while the platforming bits are fine enough, the brawling is unbelievably boring thanks to a very limited set of moves and a shallow pool of enemy types. Only the bosses really get things moving the way you’d want, but they’re not so cool that it’s worth playing the rest of the game to get to them. I don’t know. I appreciate that Ratalaika is out there taking chances on bringing slightly obscure stuff to wider audiences. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
There are two big questions when it comes to this kart racing revival. How did it turn out? How is the Switch version? The answers to those questions: pretty well, and not bad. Frankly, this turned out about as well as trying to bring back a legendary title without its original developer along for the ride was ever going to. Better than Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Nah. But it can hang pretty well with Team Sonic Racing. As for the Switch port, there are some issues to consider. The loading times are horrendous. Like, thirty to forty seconds at times. Really not good. The resolution in handheld mode is also pretty rough. The framerate is acceptable, but yeah. Basically, if the handheld aspect isn’t super-important to you and you have the option to grab this on another platform, you probably should. If Switch is all you have, I think you’ll still enjoy it here.
Scrap ($4.99)
Well, it’s a stage-based auto-runner. You can get it for a buck on mobile, but I get that some people really need their buttons. Hop a little robot through thirty stages that are actually hand-designed instead of procedurally-generated. The game’s eShop description is directly copied and pasted from its App Store description, as it touts a lack of ads as a feature. It also makes a similar promise of a new world coming soon, but since that promise was made more than two years ago for the mobile version with no follow-up, I’d imagine that’s going to be the same here. So it’s really thirty levels of auto-running and jumping plus three bonus stages for your fiver. Not a bad game for what it is, just not something I’d be jumping to the pump to buy.
Zomb ($9.99)
Geez, this is a like a bingo of trend-chasing. This is a single-player first-person shooter with Minecraft-style blocky graphics where you parachute into a city to battle hordes of zombies. The goal is to survive as long as you can. You need to keep moving because ammo and supplies are scarce and will drop in at various points around the city map. It just doesn’t seem like the kind of game that you’d want to pay ten bucks for, but if you really like the look of it, don’t let me stop you.
Captain Cat ($6.99)
Ah, this reminds me of one of those fun-but-forgettable puzzle games we used to get a ton of on mobile before free-to-play came to eat everything. Wait a minute. This is one of those fun-but-forgettable puzzles games we got on mobile before free-to-play came to eat everything! Captain Cat came out on iOS several years ago, and here it is again. Guide your cat’s anchor through maze-like underwater areas, trying to reach the tasty fish held within. Lots of things will get in your way and your timing is critical. It’s not a bad game, I guess. Not really something I’d want to pick up and play in 2019, personally, but you get a good amount of content for your money. I’d imagine kids might get a kick out of its general style and straightforward gameplay.
Miner Warfare ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah okay, this is just plain stupid fun. The goal is to dig up as much gold as you can in four minutes in one of twenty-plus maps. You can pick up and use weapons, but what does a miner need with such implements of violence? Well, pull in a friend or seven and you’ll find out in a real hurry. I know it’s not really saying much to say a game is more fun in multiplayer, but this is one of those Bomberman-style revelations that becomes exponentially more awesome as you add players. You can have a total of eight players playing against each other locally if you have the controllers for it, and if you want to see pure friendship-breaking chaos in action, this is the way to do it. Remember: get gold. Don’t get too sidetracked trying to mess with everyone else. Or do, I’m not your boss. Great game if you have friends to play it with. Not so much by yourself, though. Use appropriately.
Sales
There are tons of new sales today, which is usually what happens on Fridays. Lots of the usual gang are here, but there are some rarer sales in the bunch. FlyHigh Works is having a sale, with titles such as Slime Tactics, Kamiko, and SubaraCity enjoying some nice discounts. Hyper Light Drifter and Cursed Castilla are also making very rare appearances on the sale list. Not the deepest discounts, but for such great games even a little bit knocked off the price is an unexpected treat. Notables in the outbox include the sale on Limited Run’s digital titles and the Disney titles. Other than that, it’s a whole bunch of familiar faces rotating in and out.
New Games on Sale
The Low Road ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/28)
Defend Your Castle ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/28)
The Childs Sight ($4.49 from $4.99 until 7/3)
Mr. Shifty ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Kamiko ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/4)
Phantom Trigger ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
RiME ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/4)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $10.99 until 7/4)
Slain: Back From Hell ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/4)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 7/4)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
The Coma: Recut ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/4)
Ambition of the Slimes ($3.00 from $5.00 until 7/4)
The Final Station ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Clustertruck ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Urban Trial Playground ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/5)
The Bunker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/4)
Ninja Striker! ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/4)
Agatha Knife ($7.19 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Don’t Die, Mr Robot! ($1.34 from $8.99 until 7/4)
Three Fourths Home ($1.79 from $8.99 until 7/4)
Garage ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Fairune Collection ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Punch Club ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Samurai Defender: Ninja Warfare ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/4)
Chameleon Run Deluxe ($2.99 from $5.99 until 7/10)
Lanota ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/4)
INK ($2.69 from $8.99 until 7/4)
Hacky Zack ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Digerati Indie Bundle ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Paranautical Activity ($1.59 from $7.99 until 7/4)
Guts & Glory ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Frost ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/4)
Hello Neighbor ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/8)
Hello Neighbor Hide and Seek ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/8)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($3.59 from $11.99 until 7/4)
Road to Balhalla ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Cycle 28 ($1.74 from $6.99 until 6/27)
Unexplored ($4.50 from $15.00 until 7/4)
SubaraCity ($2.50 from $5.00 until 7/4)
Spectrum ($2.99 from $11.99 until 7/4)
Fall of Light: Darkest ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Shikhondo – Soul Eater ($4.75 from $13.99 until 7/4)
Hyper Light Drifter – Special ($16.99 from $19.99 until 7/19)
Spider Solitaire F ($3.00 from $5.00 until 7/4)
Nefarious ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Jettomero: Hero of the Universe ($5.20 from $13.00 until 6/27)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Timber Tennis: Versus ($1.39 from $1.99 until 6/30)
Party Hard ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Steamburg ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/4)
Please, Don’t Touch Anything ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/10)
The Keep ($8.99 from $17.99 until 7/10)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Blacksea Odyssey ($3.24 from $12.99 until 7/4)
Pipe Push Paradise ($4.39 from $10.99 until 7/4)
Uncanny Valley ($3.39 from $9.99 until 7/4)
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/4)
Forgotten Tales – Day of the Dead ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/4)
My Memory of Us ($11.99 from $14.99 until 6/30)
Cursed Castilla ($11.89 from $13.99 until 7/10)
Captain StarONE ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Oniken: Unstoppable ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Odallus: The Dark Call ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/4)
Glass Masquerade ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/4)
Cinders ($15.99 from $19.99 until 6/30)
Tales of the Orient – The Rising Sun ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Strikey Sisters ($7.99 from $9.99 until 7/10)
Valley ($12.99 from $19.99 until 6/27)
Golf Peaks ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/8)
President F.net ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/4)
Yet Another Zombie Defense HD ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/10)
Monster Slayers ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Slime Tactics ($8.99 from $9.99 until 7/4)
Moai VI: Unexpected Guests ($15.19 from $18.99 until 7/4)
Black Paradox ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/4)
Reverse Crawl ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/4)
Slender: The Arrival ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/27)
Forest Home ($11.99 from $14.99 until 6/27)
Q-YO Blaster ($8.09 from $8.99 until 6/27)
Food Truck Tycoon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Sales Ending This Weekend
10 Second Run Returns ($3.27 from $6.54 until 6/22)
Cars 3: Driven to Win ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/22)
Cosmic Star Heroine ($6.74 from $14.99 until 6/22)
Deployment ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/22)
Jumping Joe & Friends ($0.99 from $1.99 until 6/22)
LEGO The Incredibles ($29.99 from $59.99 until 6/22)
Night Trap – 25th Anniversary Edition ($6.74 from $14.99 until 6/22)
Pirates: All Aboard! ($2.99 from $5.99 until 6/22)
Revenge of the Bird King ($0.99 from $4.99 until 6/22)
Sally’s Law ($7.79 from $12.99 until 6/22)
Saturday Morning RPG ($4.49 from $9.99 until 6/22)
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/23)
Candle: The Power of the Flame ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/23)
Crimson Keep ($5.99 from $19.99 until 6/23)
FunBox Party ($0.99 from $1.99 until 6/23)
HoPiKo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/23)
Mad Carnage ($0.99 from $4.99 until 6/23)
Mech Rage ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/23)
Tactical Mind ($0.99 from $2.99 until 6/23)
Vaporum ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/23)
Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/23)
That’ll wrap things up for this week, friends. Next week is going to be a wild one. We’ve got games like Devil May Cry, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Dandy Dungeon, the next two SEGA AGES releases, and… oh yeah, a little guy by the name of Mario in his latest title. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
