Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for November 8th, 2019. Today saw a ton of new releases, more than a few of which are fairly high-profile. We’ve also got a bit of news to look through, and the usual big list of sales that we tend to see on Fridays. With plenty on the plate, it’s time to tuck in our bibs, pull in our chairs, and dig in!
News
‘Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Update and Third Wave of DLC Now Available
Well, this is a little ahead of schedule. The third wave of DLC in the Expansion Pass for Fire Emblem: Three Houses is now available for those who bought the pass, and with it comes a free update for everyone to enjoy. The DLC includes two new characters, some new outfits, and some new quests. As for the update, it fixes a lot of bugs, increases the number of save files from 5 to 25, adds an option to use monastery outfits in battle, and gives you an option to turn off the UI when you’re viewing a character in Unit Appearance. Mmm, more save files.
Shoot-Em-Up ‘Jamestown+’ Hits Switch December 12th
Sure, why not? Jamestown is a pretty well-regarded shoot-em-up that first hit PC several years back before making its way to PlayStation 4 a few years after. And now it is coming to Switch, the home of many great shoot-em-ups. There are some new levels and ships, so even if you’ve played it before you’ll find something new here. The magic date is December 12th, and it will be selling for the highly reasonable price of $17.99. If you’re happy and you know it, you can pre-order the game on the eShop from November 28th at a 17% discount, which will bring the price under $15.
New Releases
Layton’s Mystery Journey ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The latest and possibly last game in the Professor Layton series of puzzle adventures, Layton’s Mystery Journey came out a few years ago on mobile and other platforms. It now arrives on Switch in a Deluxe Edition that includes all of the previously released DLC, some new outfits, and more. This isn’t the strongest game in the series by any means, but it’s decent enough. Moreover, the same is true of Switch as was true of iOS when this game hit it: there really isn’t anything else exactly like this on the system, so it’s easier to forgive its faults.
New Super Lucky’s Tale ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
For those who enjoy a good 3D platformer, today is a great day. New Super Lucky’s Tale is a great game, full of all of the sorts of things you want to see in something like this. You’ve got 3D platforming, item collecting, 2D-style areas, mini-games, boss battles, and so on. It runs okay on the Switch, even in handheld mode, which is a relief after some other ambitious recent projects stumbled a bit. Great for good boys and good girls of all ages, I assure you. There’s a demo available that you ought to try before you buy, though.
Sturmwind EX ($12.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Arguably the finest Dreamcast game of 2013, Sturmwind makes its way to the Switch in this special EX edition. There are a few changes here and there, and while it may seem odd I think it runs worse than the original game in some places, but this is still an outstanding, tense horizontal shoot-em-up. Sure, the Switch has plenty of horizontal shooters, but I think the developers have picked a very fair price for what is an excellent slice of action. All that, and you don’t have to hook up your Dreamcast to play it. But you should still hook up your Dreamcast. Just on principle.
Football Game ($4.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is not a football game. No, I’m not doing a cute riff on the Magritte pipe piece. This is an adventure game about a football game. Well, sort of. It’s a point-and-click style game that is obviously trying to evoke the vibe of late 1980s/early 1990s examples of the genre. It’s also pretty creepy, very much paying homage to David Lynch, and quite an interesting little tale all around. It’s only a couple of hours long and is well-worth the trip. The less you know going into it the better, so I’ll leave it there.
REKT! High Octane Stunts ($5.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This was a fun game on mobile, and it’s still a fun game for a few bucks more on Switch. Button controls definitely make a difference here, allowing you more easily pull off wild stunts and tricks. It’s obviously a wee bit inspired by Rocket League, but in practice it reminds me a lot more of trick-focused games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and its ilk. Either way, it’s a really good time. It even has support for local four-player splitscreen play. No online play sadly, so you’ll have to entertain yourself with the single-player content and local multi. I still rather like it.
Jumanji: The Video Game ($39.99)
Finally… The Rock… has come BACK to Nintendo Switch! Kind of. The neat thing is that no matter how bad this turns out to be, it can’t possibly be the worst Switch game featuring The Rock. How comforting. This is apparently a survival game where you have to use the talents of the various explorers to defeat your enemies and live to see another day. It has support for up to four players online or in local multiplayer splitscreen, too. I haven’t had the chance to play this one yet, so I can’t say too much about its quality. I’m not expecting much, though.
Blindy ($7.99)
This ultra-tough platformer arrives on Switch from its mobile home, and it’s one of those games where you have to die a lot to figure out how to tackle each screen. One of the main gimmicks is that you generally can’t see very far ahead of you, which is an… interesting choice. If you have an Android device, the game is free to play so you can try it out and see if you like it. Personally, this kind of design where the game deliberately runs you into doorknobs isn’t to my liking. But I know lots of people feel differently about that.
House of Golf ($9.99)
It’s pretty hard to mess up a golf game, and bringing in an interesting theme can go a long way. House of Golf, as you may guess from the name, involves golfing in a house. There are 5 different environments and 135 levels to clear, with unlockable balls opened up as you go. You can also engage in a bit of local multiplayer fun with up to six players. Not the best golf game on the Switch, but not too bad. It reminds me of some of the classic golf games I played on my computer in my younger years, albeit with far, far better graphics.
One Person Story ($2.99)
This is a puzzle-ish action game where you have to guide a bouncing object through 100 vertical levels. Most of the levels have some kind of inspirational platitude attached to them, so it feels like you’re playing through a series of classroom posters with hanging cats on them or something. It’s an aggravating little thing that offsets its occasional irritations with a relaxing presentation. I’d say for the price it’s an easy game to take a chance on, but if you want to try it out before you buy it, you can play it on your mobile device. It’s on iOS and Android under the title One Life Story, and the first bit of it is free to play.
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival ($49.99)
I really question how big the audience is for this worldwide. Disney Tsum Tsum, the mobile game that is, was a massive hit here in Japan. Was it big elsewhere? I really don’t know, but I do know that the type of person who downloads and plays a free puzzle game is probably not likely to drop $50 to play it on their Switch, no matter how many mini-games you toss in. There are ten such mini-games in this game, and up to four players can join in on them. You can also play the core puzzle game if you like. Online play is included here, but if you’re on a Switch Lite, be careful: some of the mini-games require Joy-Cons.
Arcade Archives T.N.K III ($7.99)
This week’s Arcade Archives release is another hard sell, if you ask me. Not that T.N.K III is a bad game. It’s a pretty good example of the then-popular one-man-army vertical shooter. But this is yet another game that you can find in a more cost-efficient bundle. In this case, it’s the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, which houses T.N.K III, its excellent NES port, and a whole bunch of other games. The only way buying this release makes any sense is if you’re only interested in this particular version of this particular game. And given the overlap in appeal between this, Ikari Warriors, and Guerrilla War, I suspect that few people meet that criteria. Hamster did a fine job as usual, at least.
Sales
Plenty of stuff on sale today, though I’d be hard-pressed to say that any of it is particularly special. I’ll do my usual recommendation for Ninjin: Clash of Carrots, but other than that I suppose I’ll leave you to your own devices. There isn’t a whole lot in the outbox this weekend, either. Well, there are plenty of new games to buy, so I suppose that’s for the best. Plus, Black Friday is right around the corner and my typing fingers are aching just thinking about it.
New Games on Sale
Graceful Explosion Machine ($7.79 from $12.99 until 11/14)
Troll and I ($2.99 from $29.99 until 11/14)
Axiom Verge ($16.99 from $19.99 until 11/14)
Neon Chrome ($4.49 from $14.99 until 11/13)
Party Golf ($3.75 from $15.00 until 11/27)
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/20)
Sparkle 2 EVO ($0.49 from $4.99 until 11/27)
Plague Road ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/26)
Mecho Tales ($0.49 from $0.99 until 11/26)
Hollow ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/27)
Disco Dodgeball – Remix ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/14)
Jurassic Pinball ($1.97 from $2.99 until 11/27)
Super Sportmatchen ($1.49 from $14.99 until 11/14)
World Soccer Pinball ($1.97 from $2.99 until 11/27)
Pode ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/21)
MotoGP18 ($11.99 from $39.99 until 11/21)
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots ($0.99 from $9.99 until 11/14)
Old School Musical ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/14)
Party Crashers ($3.75 from $15.00 until 11/27)
Goosebumps The Game ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/20)
Rapala Fishing Pro Series ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/20)
Big Buck Hunter Arcade ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/20)
Nickelodeon Kart Racers ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/20)
Cake Laboratory ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/20)
Gnomes Garden 2 ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/21)
Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/26)
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/14)
Monkey Wall ($3.99 from $4.99 until 11/21)
Robothorium ($1.49 from $14.99 until 11/21)
Stunt Kite Party ($6.69 from $9.99 until 11/21)
Monster Energy Supercross ($23.99 from $59.99 until 11/21)
Car Mechanic Simulator ($1.49 from $14.99 until 11/27)
Rotating Brave ($3.99 from $4.99 until 11/21)
Elevator… to the Moon! ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/26)
American Ninja Warrior: Challenge ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/20)
War Theatre ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/26)
Super Star Path ($3.99 from $4.99 until 11/27)
Bot Vice ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/27)
Sudoku Relax ($4.50 from $5.00 until 11/27)
Sudoku Relax 2 Summer Waves ($4.50 from $5.00 until 11/27)
Sudoku Relax 3 Autumn Leaves ($4.50 from $5.00 until 11/27)
Neverlast ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/20)
Beast Quest ($2.99 from $29.99 until 11/14)
Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip ($29.99 from $39.99 until 11/20)
Street Outlaws: The List ($29.99 from $39.99 until 11/20)
Robox ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/27)
Deer Drive Legends ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/14)
Bear With Me: The Lost Robots ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/14)
Incredible Mandy ($13.49 from $14.99 until 11/15)
Skybolt Zack ($16.99 from $19.99 until 11/14)
Ritual: Crown of Horns ($15.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Sparklite ($21.24 from $24.99 until 11/20)
Human Fall Flat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/21)
Tactical Mind ($0.98 from $2.99 until 11/19)
Tactical Mind 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/29)
REKT! High Octane Stunts ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/29)
Party Treats ($0.99 from $1.99 until 11/29)
Freecell Solitaire Deluxe ($6.74 from $8.99 until 11/28)
2048 Battles ($2.39 from $3.99 until 11/28)
Invisigun Reloaded ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/23)
Swaps and Traps ($1.97 from $8.99 until 11/19)
Laser Kitty Pow Pow ($0.29 from $2.99 until 11/29)
Real Drift Racing ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/28)
Odium to the Core ($0.49 from $4.99 until 11/29)
Super Hero Fight Club: Reloaded ($0.99 from $9.99 until 11/29)
Wondershot ($0.99 from $9.99 until 11/29)
Escape Doodland ($0.99 from $9.99 until 11/29)
FunBox Party ($0.99 from $1.99 until 11/19)
Mad Carnage ($0.99 from $4.99 until 11/19)
Mech Rage ($1.49 from $9.99 until 11/19)
Island Maze ($1.49 from $2.99 until 11/19)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Bring Them Home ($4.89 from $6.99 until 11/9)
Mantis Burn Racing ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/9)
Moorhuhn Remake ($5.59 from $6.99 until 11/9)
Moorhuhn Wanted ($5.59 from $6.99 until 11/9)
The Lion’s Song ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/9)
Beat Cop ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/10)
Gaokao.Love.100Days ($7.79 from $11.99 until 11/10)
Mimpi Dreams ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/10)
Moonlighter ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/10)
Shadow Bug ($3.59 from $8.99 until 11/10)
Soap Dodgem ($0.79 from $1.99 until 11/10)
Soulslayer ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/10)
This War of Mine: Complete ($19.99 until $39.99 until 11/10)
That’s all that’s good for today, friends. We can put another week on the shelf and head confidently into the weekend. What are you planning to play this weekend? I’ve got to play a bunch of stuff for review purposes, and for whatever reason I’m replaying The Legend of Zelda on the NES Nintendo Switch Online app. Whatever you’re playing, I hope you have a great weekend and as always, thanks for reading!
