Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 13th, 2020. Friday the 13th. Ooh, spooky. Given how this year has been going so far, a psychotic axe murderer might be a mercy. Well, you’re here for games, not kvetching. We’ll get right to them, because we have got an absolute ton of new titles to check out along with a monster-sized list of sales. Let’s swim to the deep end!
New Releases
My Hero One’s Justice 2 ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The original My Hero One’s Justice had its fair share of flaws, but it seems to have resonated well with fans of My Hero Academia, so I think it accomplished its mission. I mean, it at least did well enough that we’ve got a sequel here, and once again it appears to be a game that fans of the series will appreciate. Set during the Yakuza saga, it’s once more a 3D arena brawler that brings in many of the popular characters and their quirks. The single-player content is substantial enough that fans will likely get their fill even if they don’t have anyone else to play with, but diving into the multiplayer modes provides further rewards for those who want to get the most out of the game. Mechanically, there isn’t a whole lot new to the game. But if you liked the first game, that news probably won’t make you sad at all.
Syder Reloaded ($11.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is a slick-looking horizontal shoot-em-up with a bit of a Defender vibe to it. It includes a wide variety of ships to pilot, each with their own unique quirks, and multiple difficulty levels to hopefully make for a more accessible experience. You can also pick from a variety of retro filters to activate the nostalgia of your choice. This game was pretty well-received in its original Syder Arcade form back in 2012; I can’t imagine adding extra content and remastering the existing stuff would change much in that regard. Shoot-em-up fans should have a good time here.
Dead or School ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Tokyo zombie apocalypse metroidvania buzzword salad sandwich! Sorry, I was just having some fun there. Anyway, this is a metroidvania-style game featuring a sword-wielding schoolgirl traveling around Tokyo killing the undead. It has all the usual stuff you would expect from this genre, and in spite of its rather budget feel, it’s not too shabby. I’m not sure how much I would recommend it at its current price, but certainly something to consider if you like your action-heavy exploratory platformers.
Alder’s Blood ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This turn-based stealth/strategy game feels like someone mashed Darkest Dungeon with something like XCOM, and it ends up being surprisingly decent. You control a group of hunters who travel the world stalking monsters. Said monsters are quite dangerous, so it’s vital that you avoid facing them head-on. Setting up ambushes or avoiding certain monsters altogether is the order of the day in Alder’s Blood, and it’s a task easier said than done. I mean, they can even smell you. Yes, you have to make sure your scent isn’t carried on the wind. Add in the fact that the longer you push your hunters on, the more likely it is that they will lose their minds, and you’ve got a rather punishing yet strangely satisfying game. Note that this is one of those games that is virtually unplayable in handheld mode thanks to a stupidly tiny font size. I wish developers would pay more attention to this easily-avoided mistake.
Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns ($6.99)
No Oxford comma in that title. It really bothers me. Sigh. Let’s keep moving. This one comes from the same developer that brought us Black Paradox and Top Run, and yeah… that checks out. It’s a vertical shoot-em-up where you ride on a toilet with a rainbow streak behind it, visiting stages where you have to destroy Donald Trump’s hair, a Mickey Mouse stand-in, a vegan, Tom Cruise jumping on a couch, and more. This developer has decent chops at putting together a shooter with solid mechanics, but this one is just so try-hard and meme-tastic that I found myself kind of annoyed with it. If your sense of humor lines up with that of the game, you’ll probably really like RT&U.
Rack N Ruin ($12.99)
In spite of having buckets of charm in its unusual protagonist and set-up, Rack N Ruin ends up being a somewhat disappointing experience on the whole. It’s an action-adventure game, and neither the action nor the adventure really feel that great. In the case of the former, the somewhat slow speed of the character is to blame. Battles feel very much like shoot-em-ups in nature, making things more frustrating than necessary. As for the adventure end of the pool, the exploration is kind of dull. The visuals are nice thanks to a unique art style and the boss battles feel truly epic at times, but this still ends up being quite mediocre.
Roundguard ($19.99)
How well you enjoy Roundguard is going to depend heavily on how much you miss Peggle. EA’s general lack of interest in the Switch along with PopCap not really doing the kind of games they used to means we’re unlikely to get the real thing on our favorite little dedicated handheld/console hybrid, which leaves an opening for games inspired by it. Games like Roundguard. It mixes in some roguelite elements that don’t really work all that well, but you may be willing to tolerate the weaker bits of the game to enjoy the ball-bouncing mechanics. I wish this had turned out a bit better but as is I can really only give it a soft recommendation.
Jump, Step, Step ($4.99)
This puzzle game has a lot of promise, but it’s probably only going to appeal to a very specific sort of person. You have to guide a robot to various goals by programming his actions step by step in advance. You have to put in more or less complete instructions to each micro-goal along the way, and if you don’t do it properly your robot will either die or zip back to where it started. The levels do their best to mess with your planning, with lots of timing based elements that sometimes feel almost unfair. On the whole, it’s a rather difficult game, one that isn’t very interested in waiting for you to catch up to its thinking. Those who really love dense logic puzzles may enjoy it, however.
Stela ($19.99)
Stela is another one of those somewhat ponderous atmospheric puzzle-platformers that became all the rage in the wake of successes such as Limbo. The presentation is certainly nice in places, but the game itself feels a bit too familiar on the whole if you’ve played through your share of these kinds of affairs. It’s unfortunate because it really does start with a bang, but ultimately it’s just sort of short and forgettable. I’ve certainly played worse attempts at this type of game, but there’s nothing about Stela that would have me running down the street shouting either.
Trancelation ($9.99)
Uh, well, this is the weirdest piece of educational software I’ve seen in a while. This is kind of a rhythm game, but it’s also a set of interactive flash cards that will help you learn some vocabulary in different languages. It’s all wrapped up in a trance-style presentation, which is an interesting backdrop to moving around a cursor to pick corresponding vocabulary, if nothing else. I’m not sure how much this will help you learn, but I give it points for having an unusual approach. The publisher is throwing in four free games if you pick this up before March 16th, and yeah, they’re definitely the kinds of games someone would want to give away, but it may help push you over the edge on buying this?
Super Destronaut: Land Wars ($4.99)
You may or may not remember Super Destronaut, a Space Invaders-inspired neon-tastic shoot-em-up that made an appearance on the Switch in its DX form. Well, this spin-off takes a different perspective on the action, giving you a first-person view. It maintains the same general visual style, but the first-person shooting certainly has its own flavor when compared to the simpler gameplay of the original. Nevertheless, this is still a rather straightforward gaming experience, focusing on completing bite-sized challenges as opposed to offering any sort of larger campaign. It’s decent enough for the price, I suppose.
Yoga Master ($24.99)
Miss Wii Fit but can’t get your hands on a copy of Ring Fit Adventure for the life of you? Maintaining social distances but still want a nice light work-out? Maybe Yoga Master will appeal to you. Now, like most Switch fitness apps, you won’t be able to play this in handheld mode as uses the motion controls of the Joy-Cons to check that you’re doing the exercises. But I can’t imagine trying to do yoga while holding a Switch anyway, so that’s to be expected. You get a bunch of programs, lessons, and poses to work with, along with some extras like avatar customization and BMI calculation. No beefy dragon though, so you may want to wait for stock of Ring Fit to replenish.
Video Poker Aces Casino ($7.99)
I’d be awfully shocked if this wasn’t a port of a mobile release of some sort, but it’s not like the Switch doesn’t have plenty of its own stuff of this nature. Anyway, it’s a video poker game. All the thrills of one of those machines that some people just can’t tear themselves away from, but none of the potential for payouts. Admittedly, none of the potential for losses either. Play some Five Card Draw and see how much of a virtual bank you can build. There are some different themes you can use, but the gameplay remains the same no matter how you dress it up.
Poly Puzzle ($4.99)
I feel like calling these puzzles is a bit of a stretch, but whatever. I’ll leave the judging to those who enjoy it more than I do. What you do here is rotate and turn the seemingly nonsense arrangements of polygons until hit the right angle and see what shape they’re meant to form. So that guy up there in the screenshot? Looks like a fish if you turn it just right. You’re given stars based on how quickly you can fight the proper image, and that’s about the lot of it. I could see younger kids liking it, and if you just want to chill this is certainly a way to do that.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
So many games on sale, so few worth considering. Jamestown+ is an obvious choice here if you like shoot-em-ups, and 20XX is a great pick if you’re enticed by the idea of crossing Mega Man X with a roguelite. I don’t know. Nothing too exciting this time around. That’s not to say there aren’t good games in here, but it’s mostly the same old sales we see every month. Note that the discounts for Mario Day are expiring this weekend, so if you want to take advantage of those rare first-party sales, it’s just about time to get it done.
Select New Games on Sale
Jamestown+ ($8.99 from $17.99 until 3/26)
20XX ($8.99 from $17.99 until 3/19)
Silent World ($4.49 from $4.99 until 4/2)
Poly Puzzle ($4.49 from $4.99 until 4/1)
The Jackbox Party Pack 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 3/23)
The Jackbox Party Pack 3 ($14.99 from $24.99 until 3/23)
Overcooked Special ($6.79 from $19.99 until 3/22)
Overcooked! 2 ($14.99 from $24.99 until 3/22)
Oceanhorn ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/2)
Blossom Tales ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/2)
Venture Kid ($1.49 from $9.99 until 4/2)
Lichtspeer: Double Speer ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/19)
Butcher ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/19)
Syberia ($7.00 from 14.90 until 3/25)
Syberia 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/25)
Syberia 3 ($12.49 from $49.99 until 3/25)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($13.99 from $34.99 until 3/25)
Tallowmere ($2.09 from $6.99 until 3/26)
Ben 10 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/20)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($9.98 from $14.90 until 3/31)
Gear.Club Unlimited 2 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 3/25)
MXGP3 – The Official Game ($9.99 from $39.99 until 3/26)
Plague Road ($0.99 from $15.00 until 4/1)
Dimension Drive ($1.94 from $12.99 until 3/25)
Mecho Tales ($0.89 from $0.99 until 4/1)
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure ($6.74 from $14.99 until 3/26)
Tennis ($2.39 from $7.99 until 4/1)
The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya ($9.79 from $19.99 until 4/1)
The Men of Yoshiwara: Ohgiya ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/1)
Pool Billiard ($2.39 from $7.99 until 4/1)
Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas ($9.79 from $19.99 until 4/1)
Super Toy Cars ($3.99 from $9.99 until 3/30)
Bit Dungeon Plus ($1.79 from $8.99 until 3/26)
Enchanting Mahjong Match ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/1)
The Charming Empire ($16.24 from $24.99 until 4/1)
Shadow Bug ($6.29 from $8.99 until 3/26)
The Bunker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 3/26)
Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs ($7.49 from $24.99 until 3/19)
Agatha Knife ($4.79 from $11.99 until 3/30)
Super Chariot ($1.49 from $14.99 until 3/25)
Adventures of Elena Temple ($1.59 from $3.99 until 4/1)
Dead Fun Pack: Penguins & Aliens ($0.97 from $6.99 until 4/1)
Die for Valhalla! ($4.79 from $11.99 until 3/27)
Yesterday Origins ($9.98 from $14.90 until 3/25)
The Number Puzzle ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/1)
Pub Encounter ($8.49 from $16.99 until 4/1)
Flashback ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/25)
Destiny’s Princess ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/1)
Disease -Hidden Object- ($3.99 from $7.99 until 4/1)
Hotel Transylvania 3 ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/20)
Adventure Time: Pirates ($15.99 from $39.99 until 3/20)
Catch ‘Em! Goldfish Scooping ($1.59 from $7.99 until 4/1)
The Amazing Shinsengumi ($5.99 from $11.99 until 4/1)
Gakuen Club ($16.24 from $24.99 until 4/1)
The Card: Poker, Texas Hold ‘Em ($1.49 from $4.99 until 4/1)
Ultimate Chicken Horse ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/20)
Crayola Scoot ($4.49 from $29.99 until 3/20)
PAW Patrol: On a Roll! ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/20)
Timber Tennis: Versus ($0.59 from $1.99 until 3/19)
The Bug Butcher ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/25)
Destruction ($7.99 from $9.99 until 3/26)
Moto Racer 4 ($9.98 from $14.90 until 3/25)
ATV Drift & Tricks ($9.79 from $34.99 until 3/25)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/31)
Toki ($9.98 from $14.90 until 3/31)
Nightshade ($33.59 from $47.99 until 4/1)
Funghi Explosion ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/1)
Knock ‘Em Down! Bowling ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/1)
My Memory of Us ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/19)
Thea: The Awakening ($7.19 from $17.99 until 3/27)
Cinders ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/19)
The Golf ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/1)
Dreamworks Dragons ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/20)
Car Mechanic Simulator ($2.24 from $14.99 until 4/2)
Anodyne ($0.99 from $9.99 until 3/26)
History 2048 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 4/1)
Ghoulboy ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/26)
Monument Builders Rushmore ($1.95 from $6.99 until 3/25)
RICO ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/22)
Super Star Path ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/1)
Bot Vice ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/1)
Back to Bed ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/25)
UglyDolls ($5.99 from $39.99 until 3/20)
Darkwood ($9.74 from $14.99 until 3/19)
39 Days to Mars ($10.04 from $14.99 until 3/19)
30-in-1 Game Collection ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/26)
Forest Home ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/26)
MotoGP19 ($19.99 from $49.99 until 3/26)
Automachef ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/22)
Sheep in Hell ($0.98 from $2.99 until 4/1)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Omega Labyrinth Life ($39.59 from $59.99 until 4/1)
Just Black Jack ($0.99 from $1.99 until 4/1)
Blasphemous ($14.99 from $24.99 until 3/22)
Inferno 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/25)
Miniature – The Story Puzzle ($0.99 from $3.99 until 4/1)
Ice Age Scrat’s Nutty Adventure ($27.99 from $39.99 until 3/20)
Rocket Wars ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/19)
Fractured Minds ($1.79 from $1.99 until 3/27)
Garfield Kart Furious Racing ($19.49 from $29.99 until 3/25)
Blacksad: Under the Skin ($34.99 from $49.99 until 3/25)
Warhammer 40K: Space Wolf ($14.39 from $17.99 until 3/25)
Lumini ($6.99 from $9.99 until 3/25)
Super Loop Drive ($0.99 from $3.99 until 4/1)
Rascal Fight ($10.19 from $11.99 until 4/2)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Dead End Job ($11.89 from $16.99 until 3/14)
Deployment ($0.99 from $9.99 until 3/14)
Safety First! ($0.98 from $2.99 until 3/14)
The House of Da Vinci ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/14)
Truberbrook ($19.49 from $29.99 until 3/14)
Beat Cop ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/15)
Candle: The Power of the Flame ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
Crimson Keep ($3.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
HoPiKo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/15)
Mainlining ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/15)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games ($39.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
Moonlighter ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Planet Alpha ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
Raging Justice ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/15)
Shadow Blade: Reload ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/15)
Sheltered ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/15)
Stranded Sails ($17.49 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Super Mario Maker 2 ($39.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
Super Mario Party ($39.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
SUPERHOT ($17.49 from $24.99 until 3/15)
This War of Mine: Complete ($15.99 from $39.99 until 3/15)
Yoshi’s Crafted World ($39.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
That’s everything for today and this week, friends. How are you spending this weekend? It seems like we’re going to be spending a bit more time inside than we usually do for the next while, which I suppose is a good enough reason as any to chip into the backlog a bit. I’ve actually been replaying Chrono Trigger on my Nintendo DSi in celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary, but I will probably get back to Switch stuff soon. However you’re spending the next couple of days, I hope you have a good weekend. As always, thanks for reading!
