Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 25th, 2019. Today we’ve got a full review of the recent Amnesia: Collection, a new Mini-Views feature that includes quick-fire reviews of a few games, a bunch of news stories, and some sales information. Oh, and there’s one new release, but don’t pay much mind to it. Let’s go!
News
‘Civilization VI Expansion Bundle’ Heading to Switch This November
It’s safe to say that 2K Games was caught a little bit off-guard by how enthusiastic Switch owners were for its release of Civilization VI. As such, it’s been a bit of a wait for any extra content to be added to the game. Luckily, the wait is almost over. On November 22nd, the Civilization VI Expansion Bundle will be available on Switch, coinciding with the game’s release on other consoles. It includes both the Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm expansions for the game, adding tons of new elements that really change up the game quite a bit.
‘Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid’ Gets Second Season of New Content
Well, we all probably saw this coming. The Power Rangers mash-up fighting game Battle for the Grid has delivered all of the planned content for its first season pass, and it looks like it’s doing well enough to go in for another pass. The Season 2 Pass will sell for $14.99 and will include characters Anubis “Doggie" Cruger (from Power Rangers S.P.D.), Eric Myers (from Power Rangers Time Force), and Dai Shi (from Power Rangers Jungle Fury). It also includes a new arena, the Space Patrol Delta base, a new Ultra in the form of the Delta Squad Megazord, and a new White Ranger skin for Tommy Oliver. Characters will be available for $5.99 a la carte if you don’t want the pass, and will drop one per month from now until November.
‘Blazing Chrome’ Joins the Limited Run Games Line-Up, Pre-Sales Start Friday
Want to buy a physical copy of a really great Contra-style game this week? Well, you probably shouldn’t buy the one that says ‘Contra‘ on the package. But worry not, as Limited Run Games has announced that the excellent homage Blazing Chrome is getting a physical release. Open pre-orders start this Friday on the Limited Run Games website. If you just want the game and don’t care about having a physical copy, it’s currently available on the eShop.
‘Daemon X Machina’ Features in the Latest ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Event
Ooh, we’ve got an interesting one this week, friends. Celebrating the recent release of Daemon X Machina, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is dedicating its next event to the game. This Spirit Board event will introduce four new spirits to the game from Daemon X Machina. It kicks off on Friday as usual, but will run for five days rather than the usual three.
Reviews
Amnesia: Collection ($29.99)
Well, I’ll keep this review relatively short and sweet. Amnesia: Collection brings a trio of psychological horror games to the Switch in fine form. The first of those games is one of the finer examples of the genre. The second is a brief but interesting tale that was originally DLC for the first game. The third and final included title is a step down in many ways from the first two, but still not without merit. As a total set, it’s one of the better horror pick-ups on the system.
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is the centerpiece of the set. It’s a bit long in the tooth by now, but that means you don’t have to worry about it having to be compromised technically on the Switch. Developed by Frictional Games, this is a fascinating horror adventure that plays with light and darkness to create an unbelievable amount of tension. Staving off insanity requires you to keep things lit up, but you only have limited means of doing so. Solving puzzles also helps keep you sane, and they actually get quite elaborate as you go. The story is quite interesting until it suddenly isn’t, but other than its failure to stick the landing on its ending, it’s hard to find much to complain about with The Dark Descent. The controls are a little fussy since you’re using a stick to do what was designed with a mouse in mind, but it’s nothing intolerable.
Amnesia: Justine was originally DLC for the first game. It’s a stand-alone story that follows a different character through a different set of challenges. There are multiple endings that depend on some gut-wrenching choices you have to make on your way, and lots of puzzles to solve. All in all, this only takes an hour or two to finish, but it’s quite a good ride.
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs was developed by The Chinese Room, and it certainly has that developer’s fingerprints on it. Which is to say, the story is a lot more coherent and functional, with a satisfying ending and everything. But also, the game loses a lot of its more interesting gameplay mechanics in favor of a more streamlined experience. The sanity mechanic has more or less been tossed out, and you don’t need to manage your light so much anymore as your lantern will never run out of oil. The puzzles are considerably simpler, and the whole thing just never reaches the level of tension that made the first game so memorable. It’s still plenty scary, but it never reaches the heights that the other two included titles do.
If you’ve never played these games before, this is a great way to do that. All of the games run well and while fiddling with objects in the first couple of titles can be mildly annoying without a mouse, everything otherwise works nicely. Fans of horror games or adventure games will certainly want to check out The Dark Descent at the very least, though I can’t imagine either sort has let this one slip by for so long. If you’re already familiar with these games, there’s nothing really new to this collection. They’re good ports if you want to experience the Amnesia games again, and being able to take them with you to whatever spooky setting you want to play in could be seen as a value add. All in all, a solid port of a now-classic horror game series.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Mini-Views
Yes, this is a new feature. Basically, if I don’t have time to write full reviews of some games, or just don’t have a lot to say about them, I’ll be putting them in the Mini-Views section. These will be one paragraph long and I will be assigning scores. What separates these from the summaries, you might ask? Well, while the new release summaries are based on little more than first impressions, with Mini-Views I’ve played the games as thoroughly as I would have for a full review.
Atomic Heist ($7.99)
This is a roguelite twin-stick shooter. You swipe the nuclear core from a space station and need to get out alive as all heck breaks loose. The station layouts are procedurally-generated and change daily. There are power-ups and permanent upgrades to get, and you can also unlock different ships. In addition to the main gameplay mode, there’s also an endless arena that gives you something else to mess around with. The basic idea is alright, if a little played out by this point. It’s probably a little too challenging upfront for its own good, and nothing about it really stands out much.
SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5
Inferno 2 ($4.99)
One of the many great twin-stick shooters made by Radiangames, this Switch port comes off like a dream. There’s a new co-op mode in this version which definitely adds to the fun, but even as a single-player experience there’s plenty to do here. It also has an excellent presentation, with slick neon visuals and great audio effects. You get 80 levels, tons of weapons, a fun New Game+ mode, and actual sticks and buttons to control it with. I never had that many issues playing this game on a touchscreen, but handling the many weapons and abilities is a bit easier to swing with shoulder buttons in play. Great price, too.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Island Maze ($2.99)
This puzzle game seems simple on the surface but can actually be viciously difficult if you can’t wrap your brain around spatial puzzles easily. The idea here is that you move a cube around on little islands. You pick up keys by running over them, then use those keys to reach the goal. You have to make sure the surface that the key is stuck to matches up with the lock, and when multiple keys come into play that can take a bit of thinking. Looks and sounds nice enough. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more than the included 28 puzzles, but I suppose for the price it’s not a bad deal. It just feels like it ends right as it’s properly getting going. If you enjoy logic puzzles, though, this isn’t too shabby.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
New Releases
Flying Girl Striker ($15.00)
We’re in the eye of the storm, friends. Tomorrow and the day after are going to be bananas with new releases. Yesterday we had three high-profile titles. But today? It is Wednesday, and there is time for Flying Girl Striker. So, what is this? It’s a 3D rail shooter featuring a girl who flies by standing on top of a futuristic jet, and also strikes. It’s also a port of a free-to-play mobile game that was ad-supported and loaded with IAPs. Is it worth fifteen dollars? Well, if you have a mobile device (and if you’re reading TouchArcade I assume you do), you can go ahead and download it for free there and see, I suppose. I’m… I’m going to save my money on this one.
Sales
Activision has kicked off a sale on some of its games, with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled getting its first post-release discount. The outbox is full again today, and this time there’s a lot of interesting games to consider. Playism’s titles like Kero Blaster and Astebreed are always good pick-ups, and the very fun LOVE is finishing up its deep discount. Otome game fans should also double-check and make sure there isn’t anything on their wishlist there.
New Games on Sale
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($23.99 from $39.99 until 10/1)
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ($29.99 from $39.99 until 10/1)
Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($39.99 from $59.99 until 10/1)
InnerSpace ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/9)
Next Up Hero ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/9)
A Winter’s Daydream ($5.09 from $5.99 until 10/8)
TerraTech ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/2)
Reventure ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/8)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, September 26th
Angels of Death ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
Astebreed ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
Baobabs Mausoleum Ep.1 ($4.49 from $5.99 until 9/26)
Baobabs Mausoleum Ep.2 ($5.24 from $6.99 until 9/26)
Beach Buggy Racing ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Black The Fall ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
Bleep Bloop ($2.99 from $3.99 until 9/26)
Burnstar ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Catch ‘Em! Goldfish Scooping ($1.59 from $7.99 until 9/26)
Catch a Duck ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Color Zen Kids ($3.19 from $3.99 until 9/26)
Croixleur Sigma ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
Cycle 28 ($1.74 from $6.99 until 9/26)
Destiny’s Princess ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
Disease -Hidden Object- ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/26)
Enchanting Mahjong Match ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
Eternum Ex ($9.74 from $12.99 until 9/26)
Fernz Gate ($8.44 from $12.99 until 9/26)
Flowlines VS ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Food Truck Tycoon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Frane: Dragons’ Odyssey ($10.39 from $12.99 until 9/26)
Funghi Explosion ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
Gakuen Club ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/26)
Garage Mechanic Simulator ($4.89 from $6.99 until 9/26)
Golazo! ($12.74 from $14.99 until 9/26)
Grip ($25.99 from $39.99 until 9/26)
Guns, Gore and Cannoli ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 ($8.70 from $12.99 until 9/26)
HexaGravity ($1.49 from $1.99 until 9/26)
Job the Leprechaun ($0.14 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Joe Jump Impossible Quest ($2.24 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Kero Blaster ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Knock ‘Em Down! Bowling ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
LOVE ($0.49 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Mercury Race ($1.99 from $7.99 until 9/26)
Miles & Kilo ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/26)
Monster Puzzle ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Nightshade ($38.39 from $47.99 until 9/26)
Paper Dolls Original ($15.29 from $16.99 until 9/26)
Pixel Action Heroes ($3.99 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Pode ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/26)
Pool Billiard ($2.39 from $7.99 until 9/26)
Pub Encounter ($8.49 from $16.99 until 9/26)
Redneck Skeet Shooting ($1.24 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Riptide GP: Renegade ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Sephirothic Stories ($9.74 from $12.99 until 9/26)
SkyScrappers ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Stellar Interface ($9.74 from $12.99 until 9/26)
Subsurface Circular ($4.79 from $5.99 until 9/26)
Tennis ($2.39 from $7.99 until 9/26)
The Card ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/26)
The Charming Empire ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/26)
The Eyes of Ara ($12.74 from $14.99 until 9/26)
The Golf ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
The House of Da Vinci ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
The Men of Yoshiwara: Ohgiya ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
The Number Puzzle ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/26)
The Office Quest ($2.99 from $11.99 until 9/26)
Townsmen – A Kingdom Rebuilt ($13.39 from $19.99 until 9/26)
Vertical Strike Endless Challenge ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/26)
Vostok Inc. ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/26)
Warparty ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/26)
Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/26)
That’s the show for today, friends. Come back tomorrow when we’ll have a huge list of new games to look at, including Darksiders II, Gunvolt Chronicles, and more. We’ll also have whatever new sales and news items pop up in the next day, as usual. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
