Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 11th, 2019. Well, I’m currently preparing for the landfall of one of the biggest typhoons to hit this part of Japan in several decades, so today’s article is a quick in-and-out that covers all of the day’s new releases and sales. Hopefully, I’ll still be here on Monday and we can get back to the news and reviews. If not… um, it’s been real? Let’s go to it!
New Releases
Doraemon Story of Seasons ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The series formerly known as Harvest Moon is back with another cross-over title. For people in North America, Doraemon is probably not much more famous than Popolocrois, the subject of the last cross-over game. But he’s actually an incredibly beloved character in his home country of Japan and many other places around the world. He was even played by Jean Reno in a series of commercials! Yes, played by. Not voiced by. Those were pretty great. Anyway, take control of Noby, use Doraemon’s gadgets to help you out, do some farming, go on some adventures, and bond with the residents of the town. I wouldn’t expect any romance, but otherwise this should fulfill your Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons needs quite nicely.
Killer Queen Black ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I feel like we’ve been hearing about Killer Queen Black coming to Switch for ages now. Well, the day is finally here! Dive into some hot four-on-four combat with your weapon and role of your choice. Battle in six different arenas, each requiring a slightly different strategy. Battle against AI opponents to build your skills, then play local or online against other humans to show what you’ve learned. You can spectate online to pick up some helpful tips, and the online mode even works cross-platform with PC and Xbox players. The local multiplayer supports four players on one Switch, but you can connect two machines to play with a full eight players. This game is awesome, but make sure you’re interested in the multiplayer mode before you pick it up. I’ll have a review of some kind soon.
AeternoBlade II ($29.99)
The original Aeternoblade was one of those games that wasn’t particularly good or bad, but felt just barely good enough to play that you could conceivably enjoy it. It certainly didn’t hurt that it got some wild discounts at a time where that wasn’t the norm on consoles. Well, the developer has been working on this sequel for a very long time and there’s no doubt it’s a step up visually from the first game. As for the gameplay? I haven’t had a chance to try it yet, but I certainly see a very real chance for it to improve on the original game and end up as something I can recommend without qualifiers.
Super Box Land Demake ($4.99)
Nothing too complicated about this. It’s a box-pushing puzzle game in the fine tradition of Sokoban, offering you 100 levels of fun that you can tackle alone or with a friend in local multiplayer. If you want an extra challenge, you can activate a speedrun timer to see how quickly you can clear things. There are three different difficulty settings, and the whole thing is painted up in a cute retro presentation. If you like crate puzzles, this is a good one. If you don’t, this definitely won’t change your mind.
Puzzle Book ($3.99)
Can’t get enough of jigsaw puzzles on your Switch? Well, here’s another set for you. There are 34 different puzzles covering a wide variety of themes, and you can set how many pieces you’d like them to be, from an easy-for-tots six pieces to a more challenging sixty pieces. You can play co-op with a friend or family member, and the game supports Joy-Con and touch controls. I’m not really into doing virtual jigsaw puzzles, but for those that are, this seems like an okay choice.
Shipped ($5.99)
This is a ship-based party game that allows for up to eight players locally. Your goal is to defeat your opponents however you can. You can shoot them with your cannons if you have ammo or pushing them so that they crash on land or the edge of the screen. The screen scrolls, so be careful that you don’t get yourself pinched between land and the edge the screen while you’re cruising around. There are five different modes, and you can play against the AI if you’re short on extra players. Seems to be well-liked enough on other platforms, but this is another one you’ll want to avoid if you usually fly solo.
Silk ($12.99)
Silk is an exploration RPG based on a board game, and it has a huge hand-crafted world for you to venture out into. Build a party, battle enemies, trade to increase your wealth, and find the best team of advisers to bring with you. I’m not really sure about this game, to be honest. It sounds cool, but the board game it’s based on was kind of so-so. I’d have to investigate more deeply to say anything one way or the other, but I’ll at least say that it looks quite promising for those looking for something a little different from more standard RPGs.
CrunchTime ($9.99)
This is a run-and-gun platformer whose chief gimmick comes in its visual style and theme. Namely, most of the level bits are made up of ASCII art, there are cheeky little references to coding all over the place, and you’ll find emails that are meant to convey the feeling of your boss leaning on you while you’re trying to finish up a game during crunch. Beyond that, this looks like a pretty ordinary example of the genre, with tricky platforming, boss battles, and so on. It seems alright, but I don’t know if it’s “ten dollars" alright, you know?
Desktop Dodgeball ($7.45)
The latest in the Desktop sports line takes on the fine sport of dodge ball. In terms of overall sensibility, it’s pretty similar to its predecessors. There are lots of different modes and rules to play around with, and it has support for local multiplayer for up to four players. Jump into a practice game, build your own team, participate in a tournament, and head to the capsule machine to unlock new customizable items, uniforms, formations, and more. There are different sets of rules to play with, giving you a fair bit of variety for your money. This series is more or less a known quantity now, so you probably already know your feelings on any given new entry.
Arcade Archives The Legend of Kage ($7.99)
Taito’s 1985 title about the eternal struggle of one high-jumping ninja to rescue a frequently-captured princess is probably best known in its NES form, but the arcade version sports much nicer visuals to go with the, er, unique gameplay. Hamster does its usual job of re-creating the game with care, even going so far as to allow players the option to play the game with audio that reflects two different sound chips. Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of this game, but I know lots of people who like it and they will be very happy to have a nice home version of the arcade original.
Mah-jongg Puzzle Pai-Sen ($3.99)
Please note that this is not the familiar tile-matching game that most Westerners know as mahjong. It is also not the less-familiar-in-the-West game played in many a smoke-filled pub in Asia. Instead, this is a puzzle game that uses the mahjong tiles in a sort of tile-sliding affair. Note this is yet another release that offers only Japanese language, so if you can’t speak the language and are having trouble figuring out how to play on your own, don’t count on the in-game directions to be of much help. I really wonder why publishers are doing this sort of thing, especially for a puzzle game without a whole ton of text beyond the rule sheets. Well, go for it if you’re brave, I guess.
Sales
Bandai Namco is having an incredible sale on many of its Switch games, featuring some of the lowest prices we’ve seen on them yet. Namco Museum, Taiko no Tatsujin, Katamary Damacy Reroll, and Tales of Vesperia are not on sale as often as the others and are all worth playing. That’s not to take away from the great discounts on their other titles, of course. Besides that stuff, there are plenty of other sales to check out. Don’t forget to have a look at the outgoing sales, as Square Enix’s great deals are coming to a close soon along with a lot of other excellent games.
New Games on Sale
Namco Museum ($10.19 from $29.99 until 10/21)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($12.49 from $49.99 until 10/21)
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($17.99 from $59.99 until 10/21)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red Deluxe ($11.99 from $39.99 until 10/21)
My Hero One’s Justice ($23.99 from $59.99 until 10/21)
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! ($19.99 until $49.99 until 10/21)
Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Storm Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 10/21)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe ($11.99 from $39.99 until 10/21)
Katamari Damacy Reroll ($17.99 from $29.99 until 10/21)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive ($24.99 from $49.99 until 10/21)
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Deluxe ($19.99 from $49.99 until 10/21)
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet Complete ($35.99 from $59.99 until 10/21)
God Eater 3 ($35.99 from $59.99 until 10/21)
Little Nightmares: Complete ($10.19 from $29.99 until 10/21)
RAD ($14.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Mushroom Wars 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/24)
Tales of the Orient – The Rising Sun ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/17)
Bard’s Gold ($2.69 from $8.99 until 10/30)
Lyrica ($15.99 from $19.99 until 10/24)
Mr Blaster ($0.99 from $1.99 until 10/30)
Omen Exitio: Plague ($6.69 from $9.99 until 10/30)
Hyperforma ($8.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
The Bradwell Conspiracy ($17.99 from $19.99 until 10/18)
Valfaris ($22.49 from $24.99 until 10/30)
Corpse Party: Blood Drive ($17.99 from $19.99 until 10/17)
CrunchTime ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/21)
BDSM: Big Drunk Satanic Massacre ($26.99 from $29.99 until 10/17)
Where the Bees Make Honey ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/30)
Stranded Sails ($21.24 from $24.99 until 10/30)
Yuri ($9.79 from $13.99 until 10/31)
Robbie Swifthand & the Orb of Mysteries ($8.99 from $17.99 until 10/17)
Smashing the Battle ($8.99 from $9.99 until 10/24)
DayD: Through Time ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/24)
Secrets of Magic – The Book of Spells ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/17)
Undead Horde ($12.74 from $14.99 until 10/16)
Thief Simulator ($6.79 from $19.99 until 10/30)
Spheroids ($0.99 from $7.99 until 10/28)
The Shapeshifting Detective ($7.79 from $12.99 until 10/24)
Phantaruk ($0.49 from $4.99 until 10/30)
Late Shift ($6.49 from $12.99 until 10/24)
Animated Jigsaws: Japanese Women ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/24)
Season Match ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/17)
Season Match 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/17)
The Childs Sight ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/30)
Q-YO Blaster ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/30)
Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Puzzle Wall ($3.99 from $7.99 until 10/24)
Maria The Witch ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/24)
Star Ghost ($4.49 from $8.99 until 10/24)
Deployment ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Dustoff Heli Rescue 2 ($4.00 from $8.00 until 10/24)
Food Truck Tycoon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Dawn of Survivors ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Blazing Beaks ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/01)
Warlocks 2: God Slayers ($5.99 from $17.99 until 11/01)
Mini Trains ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/01)
Wreckin’ Ball Adventure ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/01)
#RaceDieRun ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/01)
Atomic Heist ($2.95 from $7.99 until 10/21)
Shipped ($4.49 from $8.99 until 11/01)
Puzzle Book ($2.99 from $3.99 until 11/01)
ZikSquare ($4.99 from $6.99 until 10/26)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Claws of Furry ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/12)
Cyber Protocol ($7.77 from $9.99 until 10/12)
Farm Expert 2018 ($26.99 from $29.99 until 10/12)
I, Zombie ($0.99 from $4.99 until 10/12)
OTTTD ($2.23 from $7.99 until 10/12)
Soulblight ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/12)
Spartan ($1.59 from $3.99 until 10/12)
Super Street: Racer ($44.99 from $49.99 until 10/12)
Zombie Scrapper ($2.24 from $2.99 until 10/12)
A Ch’ti Bundle ($4.99 from $15.99 until 10/13)
Abzu ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Aegis Defenders ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Aggelos ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Apherion Cyberstorm ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Bastion ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Butcher ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon ($27.99 from $39.99 until 10/13)
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game ($19.49 from $29.99 until 10/13)
Collection of Mana ($26.79 from $39.99 until 10/13)
Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Darkest Dungeon ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/13)
Darkwood ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Don’t Starve ($7.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Earthlock ($13.45 from $29.90 until 10/13)
Ethan: Meteor Hunter ($2.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Feral Fury ($0.89 from $8.99 until 10/13)
Final Fantasy IX ($14.69 from $20.99 until 10/13)
Final Fantasy VII ($11.19 from $15.99 until 10/13)
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD ($29.99 from $49.99 until 10/13)
Final Fantasy XII ($29.99 from $49.99 until 10/13)
Final Fantasy XV Pocket ($17.99 from $29.99 until 10/13)
Flat Heroes ($6.69 from $9.99 until 10/13)
GALAK-Z: The Void Deluxe ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Golf Story ($9.89 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ ($24.99 from $29.99 until 10/13)
I am Setsuna ($27.99 from $39.99 until 10/13)
Icey ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Inside My Radio ($2.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Jotun: Valhalla ($4.94 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Knights of Pen and Paper +1 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Lost Sphear ($29.99 from $49.99 until 10/13)
Mainlining ($5.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Mark of the Ninja ($11.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Nairi: Tower of Shirin ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
NeuroVoider ($6.99 from $13.99 until 10/13)
Party Crashers ($3.75 from $15.00 until 10/13)
Party Golf ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Road Redemption ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Romancing SaGa 2 ($18.74 from $24.99 until 10/13)
Shio ($5.19 from $12.99 until 10/13)
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Sky Force Reloaded ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Slay the Spire ($19.99 from $24.99 until 10/13)
Songbird Symphony ($15.29 from $16.99 until 10/13)
Spell Casting: Purrfectly Portable ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Spelunker Party! ($11.99 from $29.99 until 10/13)
Splasher ($5.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Steredenn: Binary Stars ($4.99 from $12.99 until 10/13)
Sundered: Eldritch ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
The Adventure Pals ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/13)
The Next Penelope ($1.99 from $12.99 until 10/13)
Transistor ($3.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Valley ($10.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Wandersong ($11.99 from $19.99 until 10/13)
Wizard of Legend ($9.59 from $11.99 until 10/13)
World of Final Fantasy Maxima ($19.99 from $39.99 until 10/13)
That’s it for today and this week, friends. Next week has so many big releases to look forward to, including The Witcher 3, The Ninja Saviors, Overwatch, Baldur’s Gate, Return of the Obra Dinn, Ring Fit Adventure, and many more. As for me, I’m going to shut myself in for the weekend, enjoy some games, and hope my workplace is still here when the typhoon passes. I hope you have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
