Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 20th, 2019. Today’s article is all about those new releases and sales, friends. We’ve got a few absolutely massive new releases to look at, along with a bunch of, uh, less-massive ones. And then there are the sales. Yikes, there are a lot. A few of them are even good. But only a few. I wrote them all out anyway, because that’s how we do things around here. Let’s check it all out!
New Releases
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
There are two ways I suppose you could look at this release. This is one of the most beloved games in the Zelda series, given an amazing face lift while remaining completely faithful to the original version. If you haven’t played it before, this is a great way to experience it for the first time. The other way you can look at this? Well, it’s so faithful to the original that you really aren’t losing a lot if you opt to play the Game Boy version instead, which is obviously a much cheaper option than paying the cost of a full-price Switch game. Beyond the amazing new presentation, there are some small changes and tweaks here and there, but for the most part this is slavishly adherent to the original game. Choose accordingly.
Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
There was a stretch of time in the last console generation where home console owners were so starved for new JRPGs that microwave burritos started to look like fine cuisine. Ni no Kuni is a bit better than a microwave burrito, with some outstanding art done by the masters at Studio Ghibli, but I do feel like a lot of the excitement around it was largely down to it being a competent swing at an HD JRPG. With this Switch version, a whole new audience can try the game out and explore its gorgeous world. Personally, I’d wait until next week and pick up Dragon Quest 11 instead, but if you’ve got time to play them both, by all means grab this game as well.
Untitled Goose Game ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I can’t imagine anything I write here is going to make a difference in anyone’s opinion of this game one way or the other. Be a jerk of a goose and wander around about the town bothering people as best as you can. Cause trouble, honk at unsuspecting people, knock stuff over, and just be a pest in general. It has a stylish look to it, so that’s something. If this sounds like something you would like, you’re probably pretty safe to pick it up. If it sounds too idiotic for your tastes, it probably is. Some games are beyond judgement, and Untitled Goose Game is one of them.
Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse ($4.99)
I didn’t have room to fit the whole title, but this is actually The Beginning, which is the first chapter of the game. This is a point and click adventure that takes place in a world full of anthropomorphic animals who are trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. You need to negotiate and haggle with other animals to get them to help you out, and the whole thing has a silly, cheeky tone that lends it a great deal of charm. The reviews weren’t great on this one on other platforms, but players seem to have taken to it well enough. I’d imagine it will be much the same on Switch.
Niffelheim ($14.99)
Well, it has cool art. This is a 2D survival strategy game, falling somewhere between This War of Mine and Fallout Shelter in terms of complexity. Yes, that’s a wide gap. What can you do, there aren’t a ton of famous games like these to use as reference points. It’s a pretty tough one, with random timed events throwing regular wrenches into the works, but it’s not too bad on the whole. Throw some extra points on top if you’re into the whole viking theme. It’s mostly about keeping your village alive, but there’s also an exploration component where you go into the caves to try to find powerful new items and stuff.
Island Maze ($2.99)
This is a simple little puzzle game where you have to tumble a cube around stages, picking up gems of different colors to unlock the way to the exit. You have to think a lot about which end is pointed where, as the gem needs to be on the side that touches the lock. You also need to try to solve the levels in as few moves as possible. There are 28 levels, which feels a bit on the slighter side of things, but then again, it’s only three dollars.
Detective Dolittle ($2.99)
This is quite cheap and also looks kind of neat, which has me very suspicious as I can’t find anyone saying anything about it. It’s an adventure game where you play as a detective who can talk to animals. He comes home one day and his delicious chocolate cake has been absconded with. The only obvious clue is a set of pawprints left on the floor. Dolittle and his canine partner need to ask around and solve the case. Why is this so inexpensive? I have no idea, but if you want to find out, it’ll only cost you a few bucks.
Hidden ($9.99)
Yeah, it’s Sabec again. I don’t know what it is with this company’s games, but they always come off as ridiculously cheap and bland. Anyway, you wake up in an insane asylum where the other inmates are trying to kill you, because I guess they’re all murderers? Doesn’t seem like a very well thought-out asylum, if you ask me. You have to explore in first-person and find three keys to escape, because that is also how asylums work. It’s very dark and you have a flashlight, but using it will attract attention. There’s a sort of sanity meter thing going on, but it’s more like a health meter than anything. You can find better horror games than this on Switch, even in this price range.
Tyd wag vir Niemand ($9.99)
This is apparently an abstract adventure game where you manipulate time to solve puzzles. The title means “Time Waits for Nobody", in case you were wondering. The level designs and overall style are certainly quite creative, but iffy controls, wonky hit detection, and some puzzles that don’t quite click properly drag the experience down somewhat. It’s not a bad game and it certainly has style, but unless you’re really into quirky first-person adventure games, I’d give it a pass.
Zenith ($14.99)
This is an RPG parody of sorts where you hack and slash your way through a world that pokes fun at genre tropes at every opportunity. Kind of like that Bard’s Tale reboot, but not nearly as good. For one thing, it’s not an ounce as funny as it wants to be, but it really, really wants to be. Worse, it’s just not a very enjoyable game to play. In spite of how it seems to want to skewer RPGs, there aren’t many RPG elements in the game, and it’s just a technical mess all around. Definitely one to avoid.
Ball Attraction ($7.99)
Hmm, well. This isn’t the most exciting release today, to be sure. It’s a game where you guide a ball through courses, sucking up objects of the same color as your ball while trying to avoid objects of a different color. The more you suck up, the stronger your ball’s attraction will be, making it harder to avoid things you’re not supposed to touch. And that’s pretty much the ball game.
Arcade Archives Time Tunnel ($7.99)
This 1982 Taito game is, um, one for the archives more than something most people would like to play today, I think. You control a train and need to accomplish various goals depending on the stage. It’s a bit confusing and kind of hits that bad zone where it’s too complicated for a pick-up-and-play arcade game and too simple for something you’d want to really dig into. Well, it’s important to chronicle games like these too, I suppose. Hamster did its usual good job, so Time Tunnel fans need not worry.
Spellworm ($1.99)
This is a word search game where you have to guide your little worm around a grid of letters, making a chain of words that fits the level’s theme. It seems fairly straightforward, but at only a couple of dollars I could see some people getting some enjoyment out of it. Some of the levels are so simple that they feel like they’re designed for small kids, but it does eventually turn up the heat a little bit. Still not that much, but enough that you probably won’t fall asleep. Probably.
Sales
Well, that’s another massive list of sales, alright. There are a lot of good games in there, don’t get me wrong. But most of them are on sale so regularly that it’s hard to get too excited about it, you know? Sky Force Anniversary is probably the least-seen decent game with a good discount in the list, but if you just want to stock up on some good Team 17 releases, that’s also fine. As for the outbox, the 2K Games sale is ending this weekend, and so is that very unusual sale on the Johnny Turbo’s Arcade line. I picked up a couple of them and while they’re not perfect, they’re also not as bad as the eShop screenshots make them look. I’d at least recommend Night Slashers if you’re into good beat-em-ups.
New Games on Sale
Yooka-Laylee ($19.99 from $39.99 until 10/7)
Neo Cab ($17.99 from $19.99 until 10/10)
Gnomes Garden: Lost King ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/3)
Paper Dolls Original ($15.29 from $16.99 until 9/26)
The House of Da Vinci ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Goonya Fighter ($4.99 from $24.99 until 10/9)
Baobabs Mausoleum Ep.1 ($4.49 from $5.99 until 9/26)
Baobabs Mausoleum Ep.2 ($5.24 from $6.99 until 9/26)
Forest Home ($9.74 from $14.99 until 10/3)
Verlet Swing ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
The Savior’s Gang ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Golem Gates ($12.49 from $24.99 until 10/9)
Little Friends: Dogs & Cats ($39.99 from $49.99 until 10/3)
Skelly Selest ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/9)
Reverse Crawl ($6.49 from $12.99 until 10/9)
Monster Puzzle ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/26)
HexaGravity ($1.49 from $1.99 until 9/26)
Black Paradox ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Super Star Blast ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/29)
Super Blood Hockey ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Joe Jump Impossible Quest ($2.24 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Crocs World 2 ($4.79 from $5.99 until 10/7)
My Time at Portia ($20.99 from $29.99 until 10/7)
Back to Bed ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/2)
Monster Slayers ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Cel Damage HD ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/30)
Cinders ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/29)
Glass Masquerade ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/9)
Odallus: The Dark Call ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/9)
Oniken: Unstoppable ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/9)
Bleep Bloop ($2.99 from $3.99 until 9/26)
Robothorium ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/3)
My Memory of Us ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/29)
Perry Pig Jump ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/29)
Balance Blox ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9//29)
My Exotic Farm 2018 ($6.66 from $9.99 until 9/30)
My Arctic Farm 2018 ($6.66 from $9.99 until 9/30)
Stellar Interface ($9.74 from $12.99 until 9//26)
Marble Power Blast ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/29)
Caveblazers ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/3)
Bubble Shooter ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/29)
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 10/9)
Job the Leprechaun ($0.14 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Uncanny Valley ($3.39 from $9.99 until 10/9)
Pipe Push Paradise ($4.39 from $10.99 until 10/9)
Black Sea Odyssey ($3.24 from $12.99 until 10/9)
Hacky Zack ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/9)
INK ($2.69 from $8.99 until 10/9)
Digerati Indie Bundle ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Cake Laboratory ($1.99 from $2.99 until 10/9)
Sheltered ($10.04 from $14.99 until 10/7)
Starman ($0.99 from $8.99 until 10/3)
M.A.C.E. Space Shooter ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/29)
Swamp Defense 2 ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/29)
The Bug Butcher ($5.59 from $7.99 until 10/2)
Sky Force Anniversary ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/29)
Timber Tennis: Versus ($0.99 from $1.99 until 9/29)
MechaNika ($3.95 from $5.99 until 9/30)
Eternum Ex ($9.74 from $12.99 until 9/26)
Momonga Pinball Adventures ($3.99 from $5.99 until 9/30)
The Room ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/7)
Spencer ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/29)
The Jackbox Party Pack ($12.49 from $24.99 until 10/3)
The Jackbox Party Pack 5 ($17.99 until $29.99 until 10/3)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/9)
Dokuro ($4.49 from $8.99 until 10/9)
The Escapists: Complete ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/7)
The Escapists 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
The Gardens Between ($12.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
Nefarious ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Shikhondo – Soul Eater ($4.75 from $13.99 until 10/9)
Planet Alpha ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Fall of Light: Darkest ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/9)
My Farm ($6.66 from $9.99 until 9/30)
Spectrum ($2.99 from $11.99 until 10/9)
Unexplored ($4.50 from $15.00 until 10/9)
Cycle 28 ($1.74 from $6.99 until 9/26)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($3.59 from $11.99 until 10/9)
Frost ($3.89 from $12.99 until 10/9)
Mugsters ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/7)
Neverout ($1.87 from $7.49 until 10/2)
Burnstar ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Paranautical Activity ($1.59 from $7.99 until 10/9)
Yoku’s Island Express ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Dungeon Rushers ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/3)
Three Fourths Home: Extended ($1.79 from $7.99 until 10/9)
Raging Justice ($5.09 from $14.99 until 10/7)
Don’t Die, Mr Robot! ($1.34 from $8.99 until 10/9)
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/29)
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 10/9)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/9)
Pool ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/3)
The Coma: Recut ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/9)
Slain: Back From Hell ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/9)
Riptide GP: Renegade ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Dimension Drive ($6.49 from $12.99 until 10/2)
Worms W.M.D. ($14.99 from $29.99 until 10/7)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $11.99 until 10/9)
RiME ($9.89 from $29.99 until 10/3)
Beach Buggy Racing ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Lichtspeer: Double Speer ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/29)
Overcooked Special ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Overcooked! 2 ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/7)
Membrane ($0.09 from $9.99 until 10/5)
Escape Doodland ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/11)
Koloro ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/11)
Super Hero Fight Club: Reloaded ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/11)
Odium to the Core ($0.49 from $4.99 until 10/11)
LOVE ($0.49 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Table Top Racing: World Tour ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/4)
Home Escape ($0.99 from $1.99 until 9/30)
Laser Kitty Pow Pow ($0.49 from $2.99 until 10/11)
Omega Labyrinth Life ($47.99 from $59.99 until 10/4)
Burger Chef Tycoon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/10)
2048 Battles ($2.99 from $3.99 until 10/10)
Talk it Out: Handheld Game ($2.99 from $4.99 until 10/9)
Freedom Finger ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/27)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Alpha ($4.00 from $5.00 until 9/21)
Carnival Games ($13.99 from $39.99 until 9/21)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($9.89 from $29.99 until 9/21)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($35.99 from $59.99 until 9/21)
SmuggleCraft ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/21)
WWE 2K18 ($14.99 from $59.99 until 9/21)
Gnomes Garden 2 ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Bad Dudes ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Break Thru ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Express Raider ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Fighter’s History ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Gate of Doom ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Heavy Barrel ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Heavy Burger ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Joe and Mac ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Joe and Mac Returns ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Night Slashers ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Nitro Ball ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Shoot Out ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Sly Spy ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Super Burger Time ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Two Crude Dudes ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Wizard Fire ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/22)
Kentucky Robo Chicken ($0.99 from $2.49 until 9/22)
Rogue Bit ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/22)
The Amazing Shinsengumi: Heroes in Love ($5.99 from $11.99 until 9/22)
Watermelon Party ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/22)
That’s it for today, friends. And we close the book on another wild week of new releases, as well. Next week is another big one, with titles like Dragon Quest 11, Contra Rogue Corps, Ori and the Blind Forest, Gunvolt Chronicles, and many more on the way. I, uh, hope you saved some money and didn’t blow it all this week. At any rate, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
