Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 7th, 2020. Like most Thursdays, today is mostly about the new releases. But there was one piece of news so cool that I had to make sure we included it. There’s also a rather robust list of sales, something we usually don’t see until I’ve already finished the article for the day. That… makes me worry about what will come while I’m sleeping. Oh well. Let’s not forget those new releases, either. There are more than a dozen new games to check out, and we’ve got summaries of all of them. Let’s go!
News
‘Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath’ Expansion Coming May 26th
It’s safe to say that Mortal Kombat 11 has been a massive hit across the board, selling tons of copies and satisfying fans with its intense combat, impressive amount of content, and excellent post-release support. As good as all the new characters have been, however, it’s always nice to get more story content. So, Mortal Kombat 12? Not yet, it seems. Instead, we’ve got Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath to look forward to. Aftermath kicks off on May 26th, telling a new story about an uneasy alliance with Shang Tsung and a time traveling plot that will leave your head spinning.
New characters will also be coming, including old favorites Sheeva and Fujin. New guest character RoboCop joins the roster, and yes, it is the classic version of the character. Actor Peter Weller has even returned to lend his voice. Besides the new story campaign and characters, there are new stages, character skins, Friendships, and a whole bunch more. The expansion will be made available a few ways. It can be purchased separately for $39.99, or in a bundle with the core game and all of the previously-released DLC for $59.99. If you own the core game but haven’t bought the Kombat Pack yet, there will also be a bundle that includes Aftermath and the Kombat Pack for $49.99.
New Releases
Slayin 2 ($11.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I feel like if you’re reading TouchArcade you probably know the basics behind Slayin already. Just in case, though: Slayin is an extremely streamlined take on the action-RPG genre where you battle against waves of monsters and collect coins. The original mobile release saw a lot of added content in its more active years, and it was of course a tremendous hit. Slayin 2 retains the appealing pick-up-and-play gameplay of the original but expands on it with more characters, modes, monsters, bosses, upgrades, and more. I’ll be doing a full review of this one in a few days, but it’s safe to say that if you enjoyed the original game, you will absolutely love this follow-up.
Void Bastards ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Ah, now this is a cool one. A first-person roguelike shooter, Void Bastards is as fun as it is stylish. There’s a lot of strategy involved here, and you can look forward to somewhere near a dozen or more hours of play to get to the end. While you’ll probably die many times, your crafting progress is carried over from one prisoner to the next, so you’re always moving forward in one way or another. It’s a little bit FTL, a little bit Bioshock, and a little bit too long for its own good, but that’s just my opinion. If you liked games like Immortal Redneck and City of Brass, you’ll definitely want to jump on Void Bastards.
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
There are lots of bike games around, or at leasts a few very popular ones. But as fun as those games are, they rarely capture the real feeling of riding a bicycle. Lonely Mountains: Downhill won’t ever be confused for a sim, but the feeling of excitement of barely controlling your bike as you go down steep hills is almost perfectly re-created here. Steer your bike around twisty paths and dangerous obstacles, take wild jumps, and laugh at the results of your failures. This game is quite well-liked on other platforms, and I’d imagine Switch owners are going to take to it just as much. Just a really fun game to pick up and spend a bit of time with here and there, with sufficient depth to satisfy those who want to sink in for longer sessions.
Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hey you! Are you a North American between the ages of 30 to 45? Do you have fond memories of your younger years, when making Star Wars references and talking about comic books and video games in movies was nearly unheard of instead of commonplace? Do you like weed? If I say “37", do you have the irresistible urge to reply with “In a row?". If so, you may be part of the audience for Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, a retro-style beat-em-up that was actually built around NES specs. An immediate follow-up to the events of Mallrats, this game sees Jay and Silent Bob trying to escape the Eden Prairie Mall after messing up Mr. Svenning’s dating show. You’ll control both characters, but in single-player you need to swap between them. There’s a really annoying Turbo Tunnel-style stage in the middle of the game, and it’s a fairly middling brawler even at the best of times. But if you’re here for the View Askewniverse references, you absolutely will not be disappointed.
Cloudbase Prime ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is a first-person action game where you battle robots and other enemies on a gas giant mining station. You’re in a robot suit, and you can find new weapons and abilities for your suit as you go. There’s a lot of platforming in here, which may well be obligatory for a first-person game with Prime in its title. Besides your direct attacks, you also have some powers you can use to indirectly assault enemies by throwing them into the air and such. It can get a bit repetitive over the long haul, but overall this is a weird and really enjoyable title that is set at just the right price.
The Bullet: Time of Revenge ($4.49)
You might be able to guess from the UI, but this is a port of a mobile game. It’s pretty straight-forward. You go on a variety of missions that more or less come down to shooting stuff. You can buy items and power-ups, and each mission has three goals to complete. It’s… fine, I guess. I’m not sure what you would expect from a third-person shooter that costs four-and-a-half bucks. Would I buy it? No, no I would not. Would you? Well, that’s a question you’ll have to answer yourself.
Infinite – Beyond the Mind ($9.99)
Well, nothing too fancy here. This is a side-scrolling action-platformer for one or two players that sees you battling through stages set across a variety of locations, dashing and slicing enemies along the way. The graphics are cute, the controls are solid, and the boss battles have their moments. It feels very meat-and-potatoes on the whole, however. There’s the odd secret or alternate path to take in the stages, but there’s nothing in here that makes the game stand out in any meaningful way. I’ll be doing a Mini-View of this game after I finish it up, so there’s still room for my impressions of it to change, I suppose.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms (Free)
If you want to play a Dungeons & Dragons game but find Baldur’s Gate and its kin to be a little too complicated, you may enjoy venturing to the ridiculously-opposite pole that is Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. It’s pretty much exactly what you would think it would be from that name. You bring a party of heroes into battles that mostly come down to idle tapping mechanics. There is of course a selection of in-app purchases you can buy with real money in order to try to procure cool rare loot. Ehn.
Gerritory ($7.99)
This is a territory-control game where each player controls a cube. You have to paint over the squares of each stage, and if you can believe it this isn’t the only game we’ll be looking at today that involves that idea. It’s a more important part of this game, though, since you’ll be competing against others who are trying to stake out their own claims. Interestingly, the player with the fewest points can actually attack and kill the other players, creating plenty of opportunities for comebacks. You can play against the CPU if you like, but as you can imagine this is best enjoyed as a multiplayer game. There’s no online support, so you’ll need nearby friends or family members to fill out those four-player games.
Ghost Files: Memories of a Crime ($14.99)
The latest Artifex Mundi hidden-object game release on the Switch, Ghost Files sees you following the story of Arthur Christie, a man who wakes up in a very Deja Vu-ish situation. He’s in a basement with a splitting headache and huge gaps in his memories. Oh, and there’s a murder victim in there, too. As if things couldn’t get worse, Arthur can hear police sirens coming from all directions. He has to slip out and try to prove his innocence by solving the case before everything comes crashing down around him. Well, you know how these things go by now, I’m sure. Relatively light adventure gaming that largely leans on its story to entertain the player. Artifex Mundi fans should be pleased with it.
Monochrome World ($9.99)
This is sort of a cross between Q*Bert and Marble Madness. You control a rain drop that takes the form of a sphere, and you need to maneuver through stages painting squares until you reach a particular threshold, opening the way to the exit. There are some secrets and tricks involved in getting everything on each stage, and there are a lot of customization options you can unlock. We’ve seen games like this before and this one doesn’t really do anything special to differentiate itself, but what’s here is solid. If you enjoy games about moving a slippery character of some sort around tight platforms, you’ll probably enjoy what Monochrome World offers for its price.
Spirit of the North ($24.99)
Inspired by Nordic folklore, Spirit of the North sets you on a third-person adventure where you play as a red fox. The fox meets the guardian of the Northern Lights, who takes the form of a female spirit fox. As you journey through the gorgeous landscapes, you’ll learn more about the world and your companion through a unique story with absolutely no dialogue whatsoever. There’s a bit of puzzle-solving here and there, but this game is mostly about the experience so don’t expect too much in that regard. The controls can be a little iffy and I’m not sure how well the wordless story-telling gets its point across, but it’s definitely a memorable trip.
Relic Hunters Zero: Remix ($12.99)
This game is quite well-liked in its non-Remix form on Steam, but it’s also free over there. No IAPs or anything, just straight-up free. So what do you get for plunking down your thirteen bucks for this version? Uhh, you know what? I’m not sure. It seems to share the majority of its content with the free PC version. The soundtrack has definitely been beefed up, at least. But hey, just because a game was free at one point, it doesn’t mean it always has to be. This is a very enjoyable top-down shooter, one with a lot to offer compared to the average entry in the genre. Something worth looking into if you’re hunting for another game of this sort, to be sure.
Fledgling Heroes ($9.99)
This game has been on Apple Arcade for a while now, and we even had a review of it. It’s kind of an advanced take on the whole Flappy Bird concept, with tons of different birds and levels, a level editor, character customization, multiplayer, and more. The price isn’t too bad for what you get, but if you have an Apple Arcade subscription there’s really no need to grab the game here. I don’t know, I wasn’t a very big fan of this in its original form. It’s very well-made and I love the colorful visuals, but in spite of the tremendous effort to add extra elements it still gets old fast.
Tennis Club Story ($14.00)
We just had a Kairosoft release about a week ago, but I guess there’s always room for another. Tennis Club Story follows the usual template for a Kairosoft sports sim, so you’ll be in charge of developing facilities and improving the skills of your team members so that they can win bigger and better tournaments and earn more money. As usual, the difficulty is quite breezy, and if you’re not burnt out on this kind of thing you’ll probably find the game rather compelling. But like always, I’m going to recommend the far cheaper mobile version. It plays perfectly well on mobile, and it’ll leave you with almost ten extra bucks in your pocket.
Pong Quest ($14.99)
Pong is back… in quest form! Yeah, I don’t really associate Pong with epic questing either. But I’m certainly open to the idea. Apparently you have to play through various dungeons full of gimmicks and puzzles that change up what are pretty much the oldest mechanics in video gaming. Customize your paddle, gather loot, and learn how to master 50 different kinds of balls, each with their own properties. Naturally, there is a multiplayer mode here if you just want to kick it old-school. You can even play with classic rules, just as gamers did… 48 years ago? Pong is almost 50? Geez. I need to sit down.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
As mentioned above, we’ve already got a fair few new discounts to check out. While tomorrow will certainly bring more, there are already some tough decisions to make today. Children of Morta, Rimelands, and Coffee Crisis are just some of the highlights, but have a look through yourself and see what catches your attention. There are also some good things in the outbox, like Wild Guns Reloaded, Heroland, and Skullgirls. Well, good luck picking what you will or won’t buy today. And remember, there will be more sales coming tomorrow.
Select New Games on Sale
Children of Morta ($14.73 from $21.99 until 5/25)
Beat Cop ($3.99 from $14.99 until 5/25)
This War of Mine: Complete ($13.20 from $39.99 until 5/25)
She Sees Red ($8.49 from $9.99 until 5/13)
Boreal Blade ($5.99 from $19.99 until 5/20)
Nine Parchments ($5.99 from $19.99 until 5/20)
Trine Enchanted ($4.49 from $14.99 until 5/20)
Trine 2: Complete Story ($5.09 from $16.99 until 5/20)
Trine 3: Artifacts of Power ($5.99 from $19.99 until 5/20)
Shanky: Vegan’s Nightmare ($3.49 from $6.99 until 5/19)
Flowlines VS ($0.04 from $4.99 until 5/26)
Ludomania ($0.40 from $4.00 until 5/26)
Knights of Pen & Paper +1 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 5/18)
Knights of Pen & Paper 2 ($6.49 from $12.99 until 5/18)
Knights of Pen & Paper Bundle ($11.24 from $22.49 until 5/18)
Chroma Squad ($9.99 from $14.99 until 5/18)
Old School RPG Bundle ($17.99 from $29.99 until 5/18)
The Bridge ($1.49 from $9.99 until 5/14)
Tumblestone ($2.24 from $14.99 until 5/14)
Brawl ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
One Strike ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Escape Doodland ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Coffee Crisis ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Mana Spark ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Wondershot ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Koloro ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Super Hero Fight Club ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Utopia 9 ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Unit 4 ($1.49 from $14.99 until 5/27)
Not Not – A Brain Buster ($0.99 from $1.99 until 5/27)
Blazing Beaks ($1.99 from $14.99 until 5/27)
Akane ($0.99 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Warlocks 2: God Slayers ($1.79 from $17.99 until 5/27)
Mini Trains ($0.99 from $5.99 until 5/27)
#RaceDieRun ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Gurgamoth ($0.49 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Chop ($4.99 from $9.99 untill 5/27)
Rimelands: Hammer of Thor ($0.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Shipped ($0.99 from $5.99 until 5/27)
Puzzle Book ($0.99 from $3.99 until 5/27)
Party Treats ($0.99 from $1.99 until 5/27)
REKT! High Octane Stunts ($0.99 from $5.99 until 5/27)
Castle of No Escape 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 5/27)
Get Me Outta Here ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Space Pioneer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Akuto: Showdown ($3.99 from $7.99 until 5/27)
Welcome to Primrose Lake ($3.99 from $7.99 until 5/27)
Pocket Mini Golf ($0.99 from $1.99 until 5/19)
Subsurface Circular ($4.79 from $5.99 until 5/28)
Warparty ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/15)
Demolition Crew ($1.50 from $2.00 until 5/25)
Cyber Protocol ($1.39 from $9.99 until 5/14)
Crayon Shinchan: Kasukabe Runner ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/22)
ELEA: Paradigm Shift ($3.99 from $7.99 until 5/28)
MazM: Jekyll & Hyde ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/28)
Task Force Kampas ($4.79 from $5.99 until 5/28)
Ghost Files: Memory of a Crime ($8.99 from $14.99 until 5/18)
Cloudbase Prime ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/19)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 8th
Alien Cruise ($4.52 from $11.30 until 5/8)
Azure Reflections ($12.49 from $12.99 until 5/8)
BATTLLOON ($3.49 from $6.99 until 5/8)
Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/8)
Close to the Sun ($14.99 from $24.99 until 5/8)
Ding Dong XL ($0.09 from $0.99 until 5/8)
Fate/EXTELLA LINK ($29.99 from $49.99 until 5/8)
Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/8)
Gensokyo Defenders ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/8)
Gensou Skydrift ($19.19 from $23.99 until 5/8)
Guns, Gore and Cannoli ($5.99 from $9.99 until 5/8)
Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 ($8.70 from $12.99 until 5/8)
Happy Animals Bowling ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/8)
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/8)
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/8)
Heroland ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/8)
Isoland 2: Ashes of Time ($2.71 from $3.62 until 5/8)
Kemono Friends Picross ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/8)
Little Triangle ($8.09 from $14.99 until 5/8)
Madorica Real Estate ($9.90 from $14.99 until 5/8)
Monstrum ($26.99 from $29.99 until 5/8)
Necrosphere Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 5/8)
Never Stop ($2.99 from $4.99 until 5/8)
Picross Lord of the Nazark ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/8)
Rain City ($6.44 from $7.59 until 5/8)
Reel Fishing: Road Trip Adventure ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/8)
Rooms: Anne & George ($8.84 from $14.99 until 5/8)
Skullgirls 2nd Encore ($17.49 from $24.99 until 5/8)
Super Bit Blaster XL ($0.99 from $3.99 until 5/8)
The Midnight Sanctuary ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/8)
Tiny Metal ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/8)
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL ($3.89 from $12.99 until 5/8)
Tokyo Dark -Remembrance- ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/8)
Wild Guns Reloaded ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/8)
WordHerd ($3.60 from $6.00 until 5/8)
That’s all we’ve got for today, friends. The week isn’t over yet, though. Tomorrow will have another batch of releases, nearly ten in number. There should also be a fresh batch of sales, and maybe even a bit of news. Are there any games you’ve got your eye on from today’s releases? Feel free to comment below and let me know what you’re playing these days. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
