Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 26th, 2020. With it being Thursday, we have a massive list of new releases to get through. So we’ll go right to the new game summaries, follow it up with the usual list of sales, then call it a day. Plenty of RPGs hitting today, friends. They’re good for killing time, and maybe that’s something we all need right now. I mean, we would need it if it weren’t for Animal Crossing. Maybe you can squeeze some other stuff in? Let’s see what we’ve got!
New Releases
Mekorama ($4.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
You may remember this game from when it released on mobile a few years ago. We reviewed it quite favorably here at TouchArcade back then, and it’s even better now thanks to having twice the number of levels. Using an isometric perspective similar to games like Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker and Monument Valley, Mekorama sees you guiding a little robot through 100 stages of somewhat relaxed puzzle-solving and navigation. You’ll need to get to the exit on each stage, and you’ll have to rotate the stage around frequently to find the way forward. There’s also a level creator here so you can design your own once you’re finished with the pre-built stages. A real charmer that is definitely worth a fiver.
One Step From Eden ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
While far from the only charming point the Mega Man Battle Network series had going for it, the battle system of that series was incredibly unique and extremely enjoyable. Some games have tried to adopt parts of its combat mechanics to varying degrees of success, and One Step From Eden is the latest. It pretty much lifts the system with minor adjustments, and you know what? That’s fine by me. The combat in this case is married to a roguelite structure, making for a rather fresh package as a whole. Good stuff.
NecroWorm ($4.99)
You can probably tell from the screenshot, but this is basically a variation on the classic Snake. Guide your increasingly large worm around 120 different levels trying to eat everything up without running into your own tail. So what’s unique about this game? Um… well, it appears that you’re playing as a zombie worm? So the stuff you’re eating is of course brains. That’s about it. At least it’s cheap.
Wenjia ($7.99)
Wenjia is a very pretty game. That’s the nicest thing I can say about it, and it’s the one aspect that really stands out. Otherwise, this is a fairly middling puzzle-platformer with a realm-switching mechanic that doesn’t get as much mileage as you might hope. Indeed, the game on the whole doesn’t give you a whole lot to chew on. It’s over within a couple of hours, and it sure doesn’t satisfy in that time. I’ve certainly suffered through worse games and I really do love the visuals on display here, but regardless of how good it looks it ultimately didn’t do a lot to fill my belly.
Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe- ($9.99)
While it’s not the most popular fighter around, Chaos Code certainly has its fans. This Switch version brings 16 different fighters and 6 different modes, but no online play. You get an Arcade Mode, a VS Mode, a Survival Mode, a Practice Mode, a Mission Mode, and a Score Attack Mode. Nothing too surprising there, but also more or less everything you’d want outside of the missing net play. There are lots of fun unlockable extras, so those who enjoy grinding away at fighting games will certainly get their money’s worth here. And indeed, that cuts to the heart of it: this is just ten bucks. As long as you like fighters and have someone nearby to play with, it’s very hard to argue with that price.
Indie Darling Bundle Vol 2 ($34.99)
Has Digerati done so many of these that they’re already seeing some overlap in included titles? Alrighty. This bundle gets you Bleed 2, Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut, and The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human. All three games are pretty decent, but also on sale quite often. Judging by what happened last time, this bundle will also get an extremely steep discount soon, perhaps by the time you read this. In that case, it may be worth picking up depending on whether or not you already own any of the included games. Which you very well may if you bought last week’s Indie Puzzle Bundle, as it included Slayaway Camp. Weird.
Card Game Bundle Vol. 1 ($23.99)
And again we have a bundle with an overlapping title. Card Game Bundle Vol. 1 packs two games together. You get the deck-building solo survival game Frost, and the fantasy rogue-like deck builder Monster Slayers. The latter was included in last week’s Nerdook Bundle, so you may already own it. As with the above bundle, I’m sure this one will be on deep discount very soon due to the frequent huge sales on the games it contains. Good games, but if you’ve been buying these Digerati bundles as they’ve come out this one isn’t much use to you.
Slot ($9.99)
Hmm. Well, I’m sure there’s some kind of audience for this. They’re there on just about every other platform, after all. I’m not going to pretend I understand the appeal of slot machine video games. I think these things are pretty boring in real life outside of the chance of winning a few bucks here and there, so take away the chance to win any genuine reward and I don’t think you’re left with much. Getting off my soapbox, this particular video game version of the ol’ one-armed bandits gives you five different machines to play. That’s it, really. What can you do? It’s a Sabec.
Sin Slayers ($19.99)
Today is clearly indie RPG day on the Switch. This one is obviously a bit inspired by Darkest Dungeon and like a lot of the games that try to chase its tail, Sin Slayers falls well short. You assemble your team of heroes and head out into domains inspired by the Deadly Sins. The gimmick here is that your actions will either earn or lose you points for your Sin Level. Having a higher Sin Level increases the spoils you’ll earn, but it also makes the enemies tougher. So you have to try to maintain your Sin Level where you want it to be. Unfortunately, the game’s idea of tougher enemies seems to be enemies with too much HP, which when combined with a number of other flaws makes for a very sloggy experience all around.
Wanba Warriors ($6.99)
Well, this looks completely stupid. But at least it’s deliberately stupid, you know? This is a fighting game of sorts with some wacky weapon-swinging physics. Local multiplayer only, and just two players at once. It could be a lot of fun with the right mix of people, but it really is built around a very thin skeleton. Nothing wrong with that, but I wouldn’t expect this game to keep you entertained for very long unless you have a friend or family member who really gets into it with you.
JigSaw Abundance ($4.99)
If you’ve been waiting for a brand new jigsaw puzzle video game, stand up. JigSaw Abundance is here to scratch your itch, you strange person. Well, I guess I should go with some numbers. There are 50 different images to make the puzzles from, and as usual for this sort of game you can choose from a number of different puzzle sizes. The images are sorted into 10 different themes, and you have your choice of 14 different music tracks to chill to. Yes, it does have touch support. Look, you don’t need my input to know whether or not this is something that appeals to you. It’s jigsaw puzzles. Make the call.
Dream Gallery ($5.99)
Uh, if you can believe it, this is another jigsaw puzzle video game. Or at least, I think it is. The description is ridiculously flowery and makes absolutely no reference to what you actually do in the game, but all of the gameplay footage I’ve seen shows this to be a bunch of jigsaw puzzles in a very pretty wrapper. Is that enough to have you spend an extra buck to grab this over JigSaw Abundance? I have no idea! But I’m not really keen on how sneaky that shop description is, if I’m being honest. The one thing I do know is that jigsaw video game enthusiasts are enjoying a rare bounty today.
Grand Guilds ($19.99)
This is a turn-based tactical RPG with a deck-building component to its battle system. It certainly looks good, and you can see plenty of inspiration from Final Fantasy Tactics/Tactics Ogre peppered throughout. There’s a nice combination of pre-built story missions and procedurally-generated guild quests to keep things fresh, and a wide variety of characters with their own abilities to take advantage of. I’ll have to spend more time with it before I can properly recommend it, but it seems okay so far.
Trailer Trashers ($9.99)
Probably not the best time to introduce a competitive local multiplayer game, but I suppose there are plenty of families who have to stay inside together right now that might appreciate some extra entertainment. This is a twin-stick shooter for up to four players with a multiplayer focus. There are plenty of modes to play, including some amusing soccer modes. Yes, soccer with guns. There are three different weapons and eight different arenas built from three locations. Oh, and that family thing? Uh, it’s only for older families. There’s enough blood and gore here that the game got itself an M rating from the ESRB. The unique modes are the coolest thing about it.
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition ($14.99)
This game really nails the whole classic JRPG look, if nothing else. People have generally liked Ara Fell in its home computer form, and this Enhanced Edition adds in a bunch of new content and improvements. I would say that this game has a lot of appeal for fans of classic JRPGs, but if you’re not already in love with the genre you’re going to find this hews a little too close to the typical example to convince you otherwise. I may have a review of this one down the road if I’m feeling rambunctious enough. At the very least it’s a better use of your fifteen bucks than just about any Kemco RPG.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
The next Pen & Paper RPG is hitting in a couple of weeks, so it looks like the publisher is running a sale on all of the other titles to celebrate it. Besides those there’s a nice deal on Flinthook, if you like swinging around wearing a bag on your head. And who doesn’t? As for the outbox, Dezatopia is finishing its launch sale and Pikuniku‘s deep discount is coming to an end. Buy what you must!
Select New Games on Sale
Knights of Pen & Paper +1 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/6)
Knights of Pen & Paper 2 ($6.49 from $12.99 until 4/6)
Chroma Squad ($9.99 from $14.99 until 4/6)
Knights of Pen & Paper Bundle ($11.25 from $22.49 until 4/6)
Old School RPG Bundle ($17.99 from $29.99 until 4/6)
Pen & Paper Games Bundle ($23.99 from $29.99 until 4/9)
Mercenary Kings: Reloaded ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/1)
Flinthook ($8.99 from $14.99 until 4/1)
The Bridge ($1.49 from $9.99 until 4/2)
Tumblestone ($2.24 from $14.99 until 4/1)
Gurgamoth ($1.49 from $9.99 until 4/2)
Peace, Death! Complete ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
12 is Better Than 6 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Let’s Go Nuts ($0.99 from $9.99 until 4/13)
Battery Jam ($4.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Police Stories ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Battojutsu ($3.99 from $4.99 until 4/10)
Tangle Tower ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Cyber Protocol ($0.99 from $9.99 until 4/2)
Stellar Interface ($2.99 from $12.99 until 4/6)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, March 27th
Dezatopia ($16.99 from $19.99 until 3/27)
Die for Valhalla! ($4.79 from $11.99 until 3/27)
Doggie Ninja: Burning Strikers ($5.00 from $8.00 until 3/27)
Doggie Ninja: Golden Mission ($5.00 from $8.00 until 3/27)
DragonFangZ ($12.49 from $24.99 until 3/27)
Dusty Raging Fist ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/27)
Fractured Minds ($1.79 from $1.99 until 3/27)
Pikuniku ($0.99 from $12.99 until 3/27)
Remothered: Tormented Fathers ($10.49 from $29.99 until 3/27)
So Many Me: Extended ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/27)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Sushi Time! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Swordbreaker ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/27)
Thea: The Awakening ($7.19 from $17.99 until 3/27)
Worse Than Death ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/27)
That’s all we’ve got for today, friends. Tomorrow we’ll be back with another big list of new games and summaries for each and every one of them, plus a recap of the Nintendo Direct Mini that just aired with a bunch of new game reveals and announcements. I hope you all have a good Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
