Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 10th, 2020. In today’s article, we’ve got a lot of new releases to check out. We’ve got summaries of all of them, as usual. It’s a great day for sequels on the eShop, I’ll say that much. Besides that business, we’ve also got a massive list of new sales to check out alongside a teeny-tiny list of outgoing sales. Let’s get to it!
New Releases
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
A lot of fans have been waiting a while for a follow-up to the cult hit Deadly Premonition, and it’s finally here. There are two things I can say for sure about this game: it’s just as creative, surreal, and well-written as its predecessor, and it’s an absolute technical disaster. While that was also true of the first game to some extent, things get really rough here. Some fans will be happy to hear that because it adds to the B-game jank that lends these games so much character, but if you’re sensitive to things like framerates or, you know, wandering cameras and such, it all might be a little too much. Well, it’s a sequel to Deadly Premonition. At least you can’t accuse it of forgetting what brought it to the dance?
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
For what was essentially just a Kickstarter stretch goal, the original Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was really good. So good that many players liked it more than the main game, Ritual of the Night. It also seems to have been very successful from a financial standpoint, which means we get a lovely sequel. The original playable cast returns along with three more characters, each with their own set of abilities. Naturally, you also get an all-new set of stages and bosses to battle your way through. One big new addition is a two-player simultaneous mode, allowing you and a friend to play the game together locally and team up to battle baddies. If you liked the first game or the classic Castlevania games that inspired it, you’ll want to saddle up for this powerful follow-up.
Distraint 2 ($8.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This horror adventure basically follows in the footsteps of the original game. You play as a man who has sold his soul to get ahead in life and is now trying to reclaim what he lost. Like many adventure games, you’re collecting items and using them to solve puzzles scattered around the game world. If you haven’t played the first game, this follow-up includes a summary of its events to catch you up. I highly recommend playing the first game yourself before diving into this one, however. The story has a lot of impact and you won’t get the same feelings from it if you haven’t followed the full ride. It may not look like much, but Distraint 2 is a game that will stick with you for a while after you finish it.
Dongo Adventure ($0.99)
This is a pretty straightforward side-scrolling platformer starring a mouse. You can throw cheese and push objects to solve puzzles and make your way through the stages. The physics look a bit stiff and something about the visual design just puts me off for some reason. But you know, it’s one dollar. That doesn’t make it free from criticism or anything, but it does set expectations at a certain level. If you don’t have much money to spend and enjoy platforming, you’ll probably get your few coins’ worth out of this.
Love Letter From Thief X ($24.99)
What did I say yesterday? Here’s another otome visual novel, this time putting you in the role of a museum curator who becomes the target of a band of expert thieves. The object of this heist? Your heart, of course. There are five guys looking to steal your affection, including the arrogant leader of the bunch, the handsome yet cunning master of disguise, the slightly abrasive hacker, and a couple of others. They call themselves the Black Foxes, but it’s up to you which of them you let into the proverbial hen house. This one comes from Voltage, who I kind of view as the KEMCO/Kairosoft of dating sims. As such, you can expect decent quality but probably nothing all that far outside of the norm.
Robozarro ($6.99)
Side-scrolling action with some twin stick shooting controls, that’s what you get here. The main gimmick is your ability to grab things in the environment and turn them into explosive weapons. You’ll also earn extra health, weapons, and upgrades along the way by trading the junk you collect at shops. There are also special gadgets that will give you new skills that help you navigate later levels, like a grappling hook. Nothing too fancy, to be frank, but it’s competently done. Controls could be a bit tighter, but they’re workable. If it’s catching your interest for some reason, I’d say go for it. The price is quite reasonable and while it’s not a super-exciting game you will get some fun out of it.
Gas Station: Highway Services ($11.99)
Well alright, it’s time for another free-to-play simulation game ported to the Switch and given an upfront price. This one allows you to play from one of two roles: a driver and an employee of a gas station. So you’ll find yourself pulling up to the station to get some gas, but also sometimes driving a tow truck to pick up stranded motorists. There are 15 different vehicles and 75 different missions to complete. Very much not in my wheelhouse, but someone out there must like these because they keep on porting them. Note that the developers didn’t even bother to remove the mobile UI. That does not give me confidence that they properly re-balanced this to account for the missing microtransactions.
Creepy Tale ($9.99)
A little too short for my liking, but not bad overall. Creepy Tale is an adventure game where you solve puzzles, hide from monsters, and collect items to try to rescue your brother. On the way, you just might find out the secret behind why a peaceful forest turned into a spooky grove filled with darkness and despair. The puzzles in this one aren’t too bad, and require a little bit of out-of-the-box thinking. Sadly the whole experience lasts only a bit more than an hour, and it really feels like it could have been longer. Well, better to leave players wanting for more than running too long and boring them, I suppose.
The Great Perhaps ($9.99)
An adventure game about an astronaut who returns to a destroyed Earth after a number of natural cataclysms and finds a lantern that allows him to travel through time, The Great Perhaps alternates between post-apocalyptic environments and the lush, fertile times before everything hit the fan. The goal is to figure out what caused things to go bad and fix them, saving the planet. Sounds good on paper, but in practice this game suffers from dreadful puzzles and a very dull design overall. The atmosphere and aesthetics are definitely cool, but it’s hard not to feel the wasted potential here. It feels like it’s on the cusp of being something special but never quite makes it there.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
I’ll be honest: this list is somehow smaller than I was expecting, in spite of its size. The most interesting things in here are the Rebellion titles like Sniper Elite and Battlezone, which are seldom discounted. If you need another platformer “maker" game, check out PlataGO!, which is on sale for one single dollar. With very little in the weekend outbox, feel free to go wild on the new stuff. I certainly won’t stop you. I mean, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’m just an internet person.
Select New Games on Sale
Flashback ($0.99 from $19.99 until 7/15)
Bulb Boy ($2.24 from $8.99 until 7/23)
Earth Atlantis ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Rogue Trooper Redux ($8.49 from $24.99 until 7/16)
Cartoon Network: Battle Crashers ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/29)
UNO ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/14)
Ginger: Beyond the Crystal ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Dead Synchronicity: TCT ($4.94 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Caveman Warriors ($1.29 from $12.99 until 7/28)
Heart & Slash ($5.24 from $14.99 until 7/19)
Nightmare Boy ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/19)
Tachyon Project ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)
Spy Chameleon ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/23)
Zotrix: Solar Division ($0.99 from $1.99 until 7/29)
Skee-Ball ($0.99 from $4.99 until 7/29)
Gal*Gun 2 ($15.29 from $44.99 until 7/20)
Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles ($17.99 from $29.99 until 7/29)
Ice Cream Surfer ($1.20 from $8.00 until 7/23)
Yesterday Origins ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/22)
Infectious Madness of Dr Dekker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/23)
Anima: Gate of Memories Arcane ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/20)
Anima: The Nameless Chronicles ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Spheroids ($0.79 from $7.99 until 7/27)
Toby: The Secret Mine ($1.99 from $11.99 until 7/29)
Catch ‘Em! Goldfish Scooping ($1.59 from $7.99 until 7/29)
In Between ($1.99 from $11.99 until 7/29)
Soulblight ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Goosebumps the Game ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/29)
Rapala Fishing Pro Series ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/29)
Big Buck Hunter Arcade ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/29)
Tied Together ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/29)
Nickelodeon Kart Racers ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/29)
Super Hyperactive Ninja ($1.00 from $8.99 until 7/28)
Freaky Awesome ($4.93 from $12.99 until 7/20)
Numbala ($1.59 from $7.99 until 7/26)
Demon’s Crystals ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($9.99 from $34.99 until 7/22)
Battlezone Gold ($11.89 from $34.99 until 7/16)
Moto Racer 4 ($4.99 from $14.99 until 7/15)
Toki ($2.98 from $14.90 until 7/22)
Guess the Character ($1.00 from $2.99 until 7/28)
Awe ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Leopoldo Manquiseil ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/20)
Clouds & Sheep 2 ($3.49 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Robothorium ($1.49 from $14.99 until 7/23)
Rad Rodgers Radical ($7.49 from $29.99 until 7/16)
History 2048 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 7/29)
American Ninja Warrior ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/29)
Safety First ($0.99 from $2.99 until 7/29)
War Theatre ($0.49 from $9.99 until 7/29)
Joe Jump Impossible Quest ($0.99 from $2.99 until 7/16)
HexaGravity ($0.99 from $1.99 until 7/16)
Monster Puzzle ($0.99 from $4.99 until 7/16)
Lovecraft’s Untold Stories ($7.94 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered ($13.99 from $34.99 until 7/16)
Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate ($13.99 from $34.99 until 7/16)
PlataGO! Platform Game Maker ($0.99 from $19.99 until 7/24)
Furwind ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/28)
Smoots Summer Games ($6.49 from $9.99 until 7/28)
Just Black Jack ($0.99 from $1.99 until 7/29)
Throne Quest Deluxe ($2.99 from $5.99 until 7/23)
Zenith ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/20)
EA Sports FIFA 20 Legacy ($14.99 from $49.99 until 7/19)
Zombieland Double Tap Road Trip ($13.99 from $39.99 until 7/29)
Miniature – Story Puzzle ($0.99 from $3.99 until 7/29)
Street Outlaws: The List ($13.99 from $39.99 until 7/29)
Marblelous Animals ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
DreamBall ($3.24 from $4.99 until 7/28)
Adv. of Elena Temple: Definitive ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/29)
Reknum ($3.24 from $4.99 until 7/28)
Willy Jetman ($7.94 from $14.99 until 7/20)
The Man w/the Ivory Cane ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/29)
Goblin Sword ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/29)
Top Speed: Drag & Fast Racing ($0.99 from $7.99 until 7/29)
Zombie Army Trilogy ($26.24 from $34.99 until 7/16)
Theme Park Simulator ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Where Angels Cry ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/29)
Pixel Art Bundle Vol. 1 ($5.69 from $37.99 until 7/22)
SuperMash ($14.99 from $19.99 until 7/19)
Tools Up! ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/13)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Azure Reflections ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/11)
Biped ($12.74 from $14.99 until 7/11)
City Driving Simulator ($8.99 from $11.99 until 7/11)
Gensokyo Defenders ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/11)
Gensou Skydrift ($19.19 from $23.99 until 7/11)
Hyper Sentinel ($0.79 from $7.99 until 7/11)
Mystery of Woolley Mountain ($1.29 from $12.99 until 7/11)
Sally’s Law ($7.79 from $12.99 until 7/11)
The Forbidden Arts ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Twister Road ($0.99 from $4.99 until 7/12)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. Next week will see the release of the new Paper Mario game that a lot of people have already decided they don’t like, among many other titles. As for me, I’ll be spending most of my weekend working on my replay of Dragon Quest 7, because that’s a thing I decided to do. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
