Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 12th, 2019. There are a bunch of great new games out on Switch today, but the biggest news is the giant summer sale that has kicked off. More than 150 new sales are in effect as of today, so… yeah. Pray for your paycheck, I guess? On top of that, a few great games got significant updates, and there are even a couple of cool events going on as well. Let’s get started!
News
Updates for ‘The Messenger’, ‘Dead Cells’, and ‘A Robot Named Fight!’
Three great games have each gotten impressive updates on the Switch. A Robot Named Fight! has added a four-player co-op mode alongside a number of bug fixes and balance adjustments. Now three friends can join in as orbs to assist you as you play that robot whose name is Fight. Dead Cells adds a new enemy, a couple of new mutations, and a ton of balance adjustments and fixes based on player feedback. The Messenger, meanwhile, gets its free DLC expansion Picnic Panic, which takes the ninja hero on a whole new adventure. All you have to do to enjoy the benefits of these great updates is to go ahead and download them, so why not do that little thing?
Reminder: ‘Splatoon 2’-Themed ‘Tetris 99’ and ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Events Are On
We already covered these in news stories when they were announced, but just in case you forgot, let’s do a little refresher. The Final Splatfest for Splatoon 2 hits next week, and a couple of Nintendo’s other games are celebrating it this weekend. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is holding a Splatoon-themed Spirit Board event where Splatoon-related spirits appear more often. It’s a longer one than usual, so take advantage of it. Meanwhile, over in Tetris 99, the fifth Maximus Cup is happening. Anyone who participates and earns 100 points during the weekend will get a free Splatoon theme to use forever. Get on it, troops!
New Releases
Dragon Quest Builders 2 ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Dragon Quest plus Minecraft. Who knew it would make for such a sweet combination? While it wasn’t without its flaws, Dragon Quest Builders was a really impressive first attempt at the whole crafting genre deal. Square Enix has taken the feedback from that game into account and come back even stronger with the sequel. Chances are if you had a complaint, it’s been addressed to some extent here. Like, there’s fast travel now. And worlds have a higher vertical limit. There’s co-op gameplay. You can swim now. And dashing makes moving quickly over the land a breeze. It’s really good, friends.
God Eater 3 ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Sort of like Monster Hunter but heavier on the action and lighter on the strategic elements, God Eater 3 makes its way to the Switch after debuting on the PlayStation 4 several months back. Given where it’s from, you might wonder if it runs well at all on the Switch. Well, if you played the demo that was released a few weeks ago, you know that it somehow came out pretty well. It doesn’t look as good as the other versions, but for a Switch game it looks great. And most importantly, it plays well. I’m not going to be the one out here banging pot lids together and saying this is a better game than Monster Hunter, but it’s still quite good and certainly worth checking out if you’re into third-person action games.
Lethal League Blaze ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah, this is an awesome game. I mean, when you really cut it down to its bare bones, it’s not that different from Pong. You’ve got two to four characters in an arena smacking a ball around trying to bean each other with it. Each character has their own skills and abilities, and depending on who you use your strategy will vary considerably. You can play on your own in various modes, play with friends or family in local play, or hop online to battle it out with random people. It’s a terrific game, and it’s definitely neat to have it playing on a handheld.
Streets of Rogue ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This follows in the footsteps of games like Nuclear Throne and Enter The Gungeon. It’s a top-down action-roguelite with tons of character classes, weapons, enemies, and surprises that should keep you coming back again and again. It’s just an incredible blend of pure chaos and enjoyable, fast-paced gameplay and if you’ve got any love at all for the games I mentioned at the start of this paragraph, you should definitely add Streets of Rogue to your shopping list.
Super Mutant Alien Assault ($9.99)
Okay, so Super Crate Box is supposed to be coming to Switch. Its release date was originally pegged for April of this year, and while I’m no calendarologist, even I can see that date has passed. Regular readers of TouchArcade know Vlambeer often has a, er, somewhat relaxed pace when it comes to things, so maybe while you’re waiting you could play a game kind of like it instead. May I suggest Super Mutant Alien Assault? I’ve been playing it for the last little while in preparation for an upcoming review, and it definitely scratches the itch. It even has a two-player co-op mode! Lots of unlockables, some wild stage designs, and tight gameplay make this a very appealing option for fans of Super Crate Box who are looking for something similar but different.
Mad Bullets ($8.99)
Warning! This game is meant to be played on your TV or in tabletop mode. It will not work in handheld mode. Anyway, this is an enhanced port of a game that came out on mobile a while ago. It’s a gallery shooter and in its original form you just tapped on the targets to shoot them. Which, okay, that’s fine given the hardware, but it’s not very authentic, is it? The Switch version tries to correct that. You’ll use a Joy-Con as a light gun of sorts when playing this game. You calibrate it at start-up and point and shoot, just like in the arcade. I’m going to be reviewing this one sometime next week, but what I’ll say for now is that it works well enough off a TV but otherwise is pretty tough to deal with.
Arcade Archives Shusse Ozumo ($7.99)
It’s rare for a sumo wrestling game to see release outside of Japan, but they were a pretty common sight inside the country back in the day. Shusse Ozumo is a 1984 release from Technos Japan, of River City Ransom and Double Dragon fame. This developer knew a few things about fighting games even at this stage, and it shows in this game. Hamster has done its usual job of bringing the game to the Switch with plenty of bells and whistles. Just keep in mind that this game never officially released outside of Japan back in the day and as such much of the in-game text in this release is Japanese. You’ll probably be able to figure things out anyway.
Switchy Road ($4.99)
If this isn’t a port of a mobile game, it’s surely inspired by one. Move your little object down the path, switching shapes and moving to the appropriate lane in order to clear gates and not fall to your doom. The speed picks up as you play, and the road itself is randomized so you never know what’s coming. In theory, anyway. This is the kind of game I’d much rather play on my mobile phone than on my Switch, but I’m sure some people feel differently. But even at the relatively low price of five dollars, I feel like this probably isn’t a great purchase.
Bouncy Bullets ($4.99)
Well, I can see an audience for this, I suppose. It’s an extremely colorful first-person shooter with lots of platforming, and it’s very much an all-ages affair as this sort of thing goes. There are forty-eight levels spread across four worlds, and I think that’s a fair amount of content for five bucks. I don’t think it’s a particularly great game by any means as its controls are often a bit irritating and it really doesn’t have many new ideas to bring to the table, but it’s fine enough for the price.
Sales
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Friends, I spent a couple of solid hours just typing these. I could have been playing Tetris, but the sales must be known. There are a lot of good games worth buying here, but I’ll call out a couple of special sales. First, Mutant Mudds Collection for a mere buck and a half is a total steal. A Robot Named Fight! is just a couple of bucks and it’s an incredible game. Finally, the first two Williams DLC packs for Pinball FX3 are on sale for the very first time, and those are well worth picking up. But really, look through the list carefully. There is a lot, I mean a lot, of gold in those hills.
New Games on Sale
Mutant Mudds Collection ($1.49 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Xeodrifter ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
Totes the Goat ($0.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Ultra Hyperball ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
Hiragana Pixel Party ($6.29 from $8.99 until 7/26)
Nuclien ($2.79 from $3.99 until 7/26)
Shadow Fight 2 ($9.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Debris Infinity ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
The Legend of Evil ($5.59 from $7.99 until 7/26)
Space Lift Danger Panic! ($0.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
The Lost Light of Sisu ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/30)
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! ($13.39 from $19.99 until 7/26)
Zombie Driver Immortal ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/31)
Fast RMX ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Vaccine ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Physical Contact: SPEED ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/31)
Physical Contact: 2048 ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/31)
Physical Contact: Picture Place ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/31)
Use Your Words ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Lightspeer: Double Speer ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Beach Buggy Racing ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Sparkle 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/25)
Butcher ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Inversus Deluxe ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Don’t Knock Twice ($6.24 from $12.49 until 7/25)
Party Golf ($3.75 from $15.00 until 7/25)
JYDGE ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Tesla vs Lovecraft ($7.49 from $14.99 unti 7/25)
Time Recoil ($6.99 from $13.99 until 7/25)
Ben 10 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($13.49 from $44.99 until 7/25)
Riptide GP: Renegade ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Heart&Slash ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Super Meat Boy ($9.74 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Aqua Kitty UDX ($4.49 from $8.99 until 7/26)
Membrane ($0.09 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Mulaka ($9.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Kona ($6.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Infernium ($17.46 from $24.95 until 7/28)
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs ($14.99 from $24.99 until 7/25)
Zotrix: Solar Division ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Manticore – Galaxy on Fire ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Skee-Ball ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
A Robot Named Fight ($1.99 from $12.99 until 7/25)
Jotun: Valhalla ($4.94 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Death Road to Canada ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Suicide Guy ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/25)
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply ($2.39 from $5.99 until 7/25)
Immortal Redneck ($6.79 from $19.99 until 7/25)
PixelJunk Monsters 2 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Yoku’s Island Express ($9.99 from $19.99 from 7/24)
Otto ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/21)
Soccer Slammers ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
Flashback ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Fossil Hunters ($11.89 from $16.99 until 7/25)
Ultra Space Battle Brawl ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Hotel Transylvania 3 Monsters Overboard ($11.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
The Lion’s Song ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Super Volley Blast ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Mugsters ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/24)
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/25)
Spheroids ($1.59 from $7.99 until 7/29)
Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/31)
The Messenger ($13.39 from $19.99 until 7/18)
Moonfall Ultimate ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/25)
Super Inefficient Golf ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/21)
The Mahjong Huntress ($0.49 from $4.99 until 7/31)
My Brother Rabbit ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/31)
MagiCat ($1.25 from $5.00 until 7/25)
Party Crashers ($3.75 from $15.00 until 7/25)
Art of Balance ($5.99 from $8.99 until 7/25)
Bombing Busters ($4.89 from $6.99 until 7/25)
Tricky Towers ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Crayola Scoot ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/25)
Spencer ($2.09 from $2.99 until 7/20)
The Room ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/24)
PAW Patrol: On a Roll! ($23.99 from $39.99 until 7/25)
Fly O’Clock ($0.19 from $1.99 until 7/31)
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Startide ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
Road Redemption ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Rage in Peace ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/25)
Swamp Defense 2 ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/20)
M.A.C.E. Space Shooter ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Toast Time: Smash Up! ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
The First Tree ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/22)
Secret Files: Tunguska ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Rock Boshers DX: Director’s Cut ($2.79 from $6.99 until 7/26)
Julie’s Sweets ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Ivanych vs Eared Beast ($2.09 from $2.99 until 7/29)
Everspace – Stellar Edition ($27.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Hunter’s Legacy: Purrfect ($3.49 from $6.99 until 7/26)
MIND: Path to Thalamus ($8.39 from $11.99 until 7/28)
Sundered: Eldritch ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Job the Leprechaun ($0.98 from $2.99 until 7/25)
Clock Simulator ($0.39 from $3.99 until 7/31)
Grab Lab ($0.49 from $4.99 until 7/31)
Bubble Shooter DX ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/20)
Marble Power Blast ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/20)
Spot The Differences: Party! ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/25)
Bedtime Blues ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
Mars or Die! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/21)
IHUGU ($0.39 from $3.99 until 7/31)
Unruly Heroes ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Balance Blox ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/20)
Perry Pig Jump ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/20)
Hyperide ($0.19 from $1.99 until 7/31)
Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Estiman ($0.19 from $1.99 until 7/31)
Mercury Race ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/25)
Iron Crypticle ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
DreamWorks Dragons ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/25)
Steins;Gate Elite ($29.99 from $59.99 until 7/25)
X-Morph: Defense ($11.99 from $19.99 until 7/25)
Skyhill ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/25)
Creepy Road ($7.79 from $12.99 until 7/25)
Braveland Trilogy ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Baba Is You ($10.50 from $15.00 until 7/27)
Twist & Match ($2.09 from $2.99 until 7/25)
Dungeons & Aliens ($0.39 from $4.99 until 7/31)
Azure Saga: Pathfinder Deluxe ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/18)
DayD: Through Time ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/21)
You Died but a Necromancer Revived You ($6.74 from $8.99 until 7/25)
Super Star Blast ($4.24 from $4.99 until 7/20)
UglyDolls: An Imperfect Adventure ($23.99 from $39.99 until 7/25)
Saints Row: The Third ($27.99 from $39.99 until 7/25)
Koral ($8.39 from $11.99 until 7/28)
My Lovely Daughter ($9.99 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Skelly Selest ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
She and the Light Bearer ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/25)
Archlion Saga ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/18)
Tarot Readings Premium ($7.91 from $8.99 until 7/17)
Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
Streets of Red – Devil’s Dare Deluxe ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
Surgeon Simulator CPR ($7.79 from $12.99 until 7/26)
Battle Princess Madelyn ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
SteamWorld Dig ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
SteamWorld Dig 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate ($6.59 from $19.99 until 7/26)
Outlast: Bundle of Terror ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Outlast 2 ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Reverie: Sweet As ($8.70 from $12.99 until 7/26)
Adrenaline Rush – Miami Drive ($2.99 from $3.99 until 8/2)
Moto Rush GT ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Street Basketball ($4.19 from $5.99 until 8/1)
Event Horizon ($2.09 from $5.99 until 7/22)
Tardy ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/22)
911 Operator ($0.99 from $14.99 until 8/2)
Moorhuhn Wanted ($5.59 from $6.99 until 8/2)
The Way Remastered ($0.99 from $14.99 until 8/2)
Cinders ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/21)
My Memory of Us ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/21)
Pinball FX3: Williams Pinball: Volume 1 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/18)
Pinball FX3: Williams Pinball: Volume 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/18)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Blazing Beaks ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/14)
Dead Dungeon ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/14)
That’ll do it for today and this week, friends. Next week should be another interesting one. There are lots of cool indie games and we cap off the week with the release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. Beyond that, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of interesting news bits and even more sales to wade through. I’m going to go ice my hands, but you all have a great weekend and, as always, thanks for reading!
