Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 19th, 2019. It’s the last Thursday before Christmas, and things are about as quiet as they can be for this day of the week. We’ve got several new releases to check out, and as you might expect none of them are all that spectacular. There are also a couple of new updates to look into, a bit of news about the next Arcade Archives release, and the usual list of sales. Let’s have a gander!
News
‘Cadence of Hyrule’ Gets New Free Content Update
The awesome free updates keep on rolling in the world of Switch games. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda isn’t just one of the longest, most ungainly titles in the world of video games. It’s also a really fun game! It’s so fun that you’ll probably finish it really quickly after you start playing it, because it’s very hard to stop. But that gives you a sad, because then you have no more Cadence of Hyrule to play. This update addresses that crucial problem by adding in the nefarious Octavo as a new playable character complete with his own story, weapon, and skills. You can also enjoy some classic NecroDancer gameplay in the Dungeon Mode if that’s what you’re pining for. Sweet.
Make Questionable Fashion Choices with This New ‘Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Outfit
This particular update, sadly, is not a freebie. This one is only for Fire Emblem: Three Houses Expansion Pass holders. This time around you don’t need to feel too bad if you don’t have it. It’s another new outfit for Byleth, the Sothis Regalia. I’m not going to lie: it looks alright on female Byleth, but I’m not sure male Byleth has the legs for it. I wish it was something better, but it is what it is. On the other hand, this is also kind of extra on top of what the pass was advertised to contain, so maybe I shouldn’t whine? Yeah, I’m going with that one. Heck yeah, dorky outfits!
Next Week’s ‘Arcade Archives’ Release is ‘VS. Balloon Fight’
Well, we’re getting towards the end of the year, and that means everyone’s doing what they can to get things queued up to roll out while they’re on vacation. For Hamster’s part, they’ve announced their release for next week, which will hit on December 27th. It’s none other than VS. Balloon Fight, a title that was announced ages ago for Arcade Archives. Did you know that VS. Balloon Fight was actually developed in tandem with the NES version? While Satoru Iwata and HAL Laboratory handled the home console version, Nintendo SRD did this arcade version. As a result, this is actually more different from the NES version than most VS. System games are. The core mechanics are the same, but the level designs are more vertical. This port even has a two-player mode that puts both players’ screens side by side on the display. Cool. It will probably cost $7.99, so keep an eye out for it if you want it.
New Releases
Kuukiyomi: Consider It! ($4.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Look, I’m recommending this because it’s reasonably cheap, quite unusual, and actually surprisingly fun. In Kuukiyomi: Consider It!, you play through 100 mini-games that challenge you to do the considerate thing in certain situations. Many of these are common social situations in Japan, like what to do if you’re sitting on the train and certain types of passengers come in. Some are a little more surreal, like having you play as Santa delivering presents in a room with a sleeping child. Educational and enjoyable, and I frankly can’t believe G-Mode is releasing it outside of Japan. Reward the foolishness, even if only for that brilliant subtitle pun.
Dual Brain Vol.1: Calculation ($14.99)
Nintendo’s next Brain Age game is coming relatively soon, but if you really can’t wait to get your math video games on, you may want to consider Dual Brain Vol.1: Calculation. It has a bunch of different challenges involving numbers, and it certainly does give your brain a bit of a workout. Given that we’re still waiting for details on a North American release of Brain Age for the Switch, this might be a good game to pass the time with. Personally, I’d wait for the more fully-featured Nintendo effort, but I’m not going to stand in the way of anyone who wants to exchange premium buckerinos for math problems.
JDM Racing ($4.99)
Something about this one had the whiff of “free-to-play mobile game" about it, and sure enough, that’s just what it is. This is drift-heavy racing with a heavy grinding component to it. On mobile, that was alleviated by opening your real wallet to exchange money for virtual money. Here, I suspect you’ve got to sort things out on your own. There doesn’t seem to be any in-app purchases, and while I would like to believe the developer would adjust the balance to take that into account, I don’t really feel like playing both versions enough to spot such differences. It’s amusing enough in short bursts, and it’s only five dollars. That may be enough for some.
Mirror ($9.99)
This is one of those games that combines match-3 gameplay with some light narrative elements and a mechanic where the pretty ladies you’re battling against get slightly more naked as you go. Somehow, there are more of these out there than you would expect. Naturally, this one doesn’t go too far with the naughtiness, but it’s certainly meant to titillate. Anyway, you’ve been warned so don’t yell at me if you buy this expecting a good, clean game of matching jewels or whatever. As you win battles, you’ll learn more about the back story of each of your opponents. These story scenes are accompanied by some decent art, which is nice. I doubt anyone needs me to help them make their decision on this one, so I’ll move right along.
Melbits World ($9.99)
Well, this is an odd sight. This game used the PlayLink system on the PlayStation 4 as its chief gimmick. You could use your phone to operate switches that would help you guide these cute little creatures to the goal. Take that away and you have a somewhat plain take on the old Lemmings formula. You can play with up to four players at once, and that spices things up because everyone controls different switches and thus need to communicate to properly coordinate things. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. It may be worth the pick-up if you do regular multiplayer gaming with family or friends.
Bayala – The Game ($39.99)
This is a game based on a movie based on a line of toys, and while I can’t say that has never gone well, it’s rare enough that I wouldn’t be running out to buy this sight unseen. There are three main types of gameplay on offer here: some light exploration bits, auto-running, and an awkward bit of fighting. There are also some mini-games that cover things like fishing and match-3 puzzling. It’s all a bit clunky but not egregiously so. At any rate, something like this clearly isn’t aimed at pleasing old dudes like me, so all I can really say is that it’s not particularly awful and may well please any younger tots who love the toys.
Sales
Lots of sales today, which is a bit odd for this day of the week. Some interesting ones in there, for sure. The highlight is the deal on VA-11 Hall-A, which I believe is its first post-launch discount. I like Sparklite and The Bug Butcher enough to give them a solid thumbs-up at those discounted prices. Vaporum is practically thievery at seven-and-a-half bucks if you like your first-person dungeon-crawls. Aragami is quite nice as well, and it’s never a bad time to buy Black Bird and Dandy Dungeon. The outbox doesn’t have a whole lot to get up in arms about, so feel free to focus on the new stuff or just save your money for potential future sales.
Select New Games on Sale
VA-11 Hall-A ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Sparklite ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/7)
The Bug Butcher ($3.99 from $7.99 until 12/31)
The Count Lucanor ($2.24 from $14.99 until 1/7)
Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure ($4.49 from $29.99 until 1/7)
Dimension Drive ($1.94 from $12.99 until 12/31)
Bloody Zombies ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Spot the Difference ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
Air Hockey ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
The Long Reach ($1.49 from $14.99 until 1/7)
Party Trivia ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/7)
Cast of the Seven Godsends ($1.29 from $12.99 until 1/7)
Candle: The Power of the Flame ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/7)
Battle Group 2 ($0.99 from $9.99 until 1/7)
The Walking Vegetables: Radical ($1.94 from $12.99 until 1/7)
Crimson Keep ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/7)
HoPiKo ($0.99 from $9.99 until 1/7)
Riot – Civil Unrest ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/7)
Aragami: Shadow ($11.99 from $29.99 until 1/7)
Vaporum ($7.49 from $24.99 until 1/7)
Back to Bed ($0.99 from $4.99 until 12/31)
Mainlining ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/7)
Solo: Islands of the Heart ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/7)
Damsel ($6.79 from $16.99 until 12/30)
Inferno 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/31)
Stranded Sails ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/7)
Tennis Go ($1.79 from $8.99 until 1/6)
Physical Contact: Speed ($3.49 from $4.99 until 1/2)
Physical Contact: 2048 ($3.49 from $4.99 until 1/2)
Physical Contact: Picture Place ($3.49 from $4.99 until 1/2)
Lumo ($11.97 from $19.95 until 1/9)
Hello Kitty Kruisers ($22.46 from $29.95 until 1/9)
Red’s Kingdom ($7.49 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Trailblazers ($17.99 from $29.99 until 1/9)
Giga Wrecker Alt ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/9)
Death Squared ($5.39 from $14.99 until 1/9)
Conga Master Party! ($2.48 from $9.95 until 1/9)
Super One More Jump ($1.75 from $7.99 until 1/9)
Detention ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/3)
WorldNeverland ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
Lost Sea ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Iro Hero ($3.89 from $12.99 until 1/9)
One Strike ($0.99 from $4.99 until 1/9)
Photon Cube ($5.46 from $13.65 until 1/7)
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! ($11.99 from $14.99 until 1/9)
Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?! ($11.99 from $14.99 until 1/9)
Shio ($5.19 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Light Fingers ($11.99 from $19.99 until 1/1)
Dokuro ($4.49 from $8.99 until 1/9)
Revenant Dogma ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Madorica Real Estate ($9.99 from $14.99 until 12/27)
Black Bird ($17.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Blue Rider ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Dying: Reborn ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/3)
The Rainsdowne Players ($0.39 from $3.99 until 1/3)
RICO ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/9)
Istanbul: Digital ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/1)
OTTTD ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/9)
Chiki-Chiki Boxy Pro Wrestling ($9.89 from $14.99 until 1/8)
Dandy Dungeon ($17.99 from $18.99 until 1/3)
Asdivine Dios ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Illusion of L’Phalcia ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Eight-Minute Empire ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/1)
Agent A ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Habroxia ($5.59 from $7.99 until 1/9)
Cyber Protocol ($2.99 from $9.99 until 12/31)
Family Tree ($5.59 from $7.99 until 1/9)
Ghost Blade HD ($10.49 from $14.99 until 1/9)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, December 20th
39 Days to Mars ($11.24 from $14.99 until 12/20)
Ashen ($31.99 from $39.99 until 12/20)
Breathing Fear ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/20)
Cardpocalypse ($19.99 from $24.99 until 12/20)
Dungeon Warfare ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/20)
JDM Racing ($3.49 from $4.99 until 12/20)
Klondike Solitaire ($1.79 from $8.99 until 12/20)
Rawr-Off ($0.99 from $2.99 until 12/20)
That’s all that’s good for today, friends. Do swing back tomorrow, as we’ll be looking at a few more new releases, checking out the latest news and sales, and perhaps presenting a little something extra if that all doesn’t add up to enough. I’m trying to assemble our top 10 games for the year, but it’s tricky because there were so many good ones. You’ll know the results soon, I promise. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
