Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 12th, 2020. As we trudge through what I hope is the hottest week of the summer in this part of the world, it’s a great time to stay inside and play some games. There are a few interesting new releases that we’ll be looking at today, along with a good chunk of news and a teeny-tiny list of new sales. Let’s check it out, shall we?
News
‘Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD’ DLC Featuring Dante from the ‘Devil May Cry’ Series
Back before Persona 3 and 4 made Atlus all famous with the normal people, the company used to have a bit of difficulty reaching players outside of its fanbase. One interesting attempt to do that came with Shin Megami Tensei 3. In exchange for Atlus artist Kazuma Kaneko designing Dante’s Devil Trigger form for the then upcoming Devil May Cry 3, the character was allowed to appear in a special version of the game called Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne Maniax. It’s this version of the game that was localized for the West back on PlayStation 2, allowing Atlus to tout on the game’s case that the character was present. He was replaced in a later version of the game with Devil Summoner‘s Raidou Kuzunoha, and it seemed as though the upcoming HD Remaster was based on that version.
But all things are possible with the power of money, friends. Specifically, your money. Atlus Japan announced today that Capcom’s popular demon hunter would once again be joining Shin Megami Tensei 3 for the upcoming remaster, with just one catch. He’s going to be DLC, and not a freebie either. Well, licensing and voice acting costs money. The price listed in Japan is 980 yen, which is around nine or ten dollars. Buying this DLC gives you access to a whole new mode that features all of the Dante content you may or may not remember from the PlayStation 2 Western release. Personally, I prefer Raidou, but Dante fans will surely be happy to see him in the game again. Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD launches this fall in Japan and sometime next year in the West.
‘Oceanhorn 2’ Arrives on Switch This Fall
The folks at Cornfox teased this a while back in a very obvious way, but it’s now official: Oceanhorn 2 will be coming to Switch. This fall, in fact. Yes, after spending a year exclusive to the Apple Arcade service, Oceanhorn 2 is now spreading its proverbial wings and flying to new lands. If you’ve somehow missed out on playing it on iOS or just prefer to collect and play games on Switch, you’ll want to keep your eye out for this one. It’s pretty spiffy.
This Week’s ‘Super Smash Bros’ Event Mashes Minions
A week sure does go by quickly sometimes. Anyway, it’s Wednesday again, and that means it’s once again time to find out what the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate event is about. The theme this time is Weaken Minions, and you’ll be doing just that in order to try to earn extra SP. The Weaken Minions item will be featured during the duration of the event, and you’ll be able to earn it by winning battles. As always the event starts on Friday and will run for three days through the weekend.
New Releases
Banner of the Maid ($16.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The Switch really is home to so many great tactical RPGs and strategy games. Here’s another one for the pile. Banner of the Maid is set in an alternate version of the French Revolution where you follow the story of a young officer named Pauline Bonaparte. She starts the story as a plain old officer, but her destiny is much larger. Naturally, you’ve got some solid turn-based battles to play, but you’ll also need to manage the political end of things as you go along. My early feelings on this one are really good, with the only real sticking point being a rather rough English translation. If you’re looking for more strategic entertainment on your Switch, you’ll probably be able to forgive that flaw and have as great a time with this as I have so far.
Escape From Tethys ($9.99)
This is a decent little Metroid-like game. Presentation is a little weak all-around, and there’s almost nothing to the story. But the map design is good and it’s always nice to see a game like this that leans completely into the Metroid half of the Metroidvania moniker. It really hits that feeling of isolation and vague horror nicely. Just be warned that it’s kind of a nasty game in terms of difficulty in the beginning. Once you get over the hump it’s fairly smooth going after that. There are so many great games of this genre on the Switch that it’s hard for me to vigorously recommend one that is merely okay, but if you’re really starving for another exploratory platformer, this isn’t too bad at all.
Volta-X ($19.99)
In the not-so-distant past, the world had a bit of an alien kaiju problem. That situation was resolved thanks to Dr. V and the miraculous invention of the giant robot Voltas. Now the aliens are gone, and all these Voltas are hanging around with nothing to do. Naturally, a sport is formed where Voltas pilots build and battle their finest against one another. You need to build your base, train your team, and customize your Voltas to see if you can come out on top of the world. There’s a reasonably lengthy single-player campaign to join in on, but the real meat of the game comes from its online play where you’ll battle against other real humans. Battles have a real-time component to them, so you’ll not only have to properly prepare but also need to execute your strategies on the battlefield. Seems neat but it’s all going to come down to the strength of the online player pool, I fear.
Metamorphosis ($24.99)
Well, this is an odd one. Inspired by Kafka’s novel, this first-person adventure game sees you play as a man who has been transformed into an insect. You have to figure out how to change back, but you also need to try to help a friend of yours who has landed in some big trouble of his own. Lots of puzzle-solving and platforming will happen along the way, and you’re going to run into some genuinely bizarre scenes and situations. I’d say if you’re interested in the premise, you should give it a go. It’s one of those games that more or less achieves what it sets out to do, so it all comes down to whether or not that’s something you’re interested in. The game is also available on other platforms and probably runs better on all of them, but if you want to be a bug on the go, this is your best route.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
So yeah, not too much going on in terms of new sales at the time of writing. Onion Games is having a sale on both of its games, likely in anticipation of the upcoming Moon release. Both Dandy Dungeon and Black Bird are great, and well-worth owning. The outbox is a bit bigger. Pretty much indies from top to bottom, but there are some great discounts in there like Swords & Soldiers, RIVE, Toki Tori 2+, Velocity 2X, and Axiom Verge. Check through the list carefully as usual, friends. Most of these will likely be back on sale again before too long, but you never know.
Select New Games on Sale
Dandy Dungeon ($11.39 from $18.99 until 8/27)
Black Bird ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/27)
Tiny Gladiators ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/31)
Doggie Ninja Burning Strikers ($5.00 from $8.99 until 8/27)
Doggie Ninja Golden Mission ($1.00 from $8.00 until 8/27)
DragonFangZ ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/27)
Classic Games Collection Vol.1 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Brunch Club ($9.99 from $14.49 until 8/24)
Vampire: Coteries of New York ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, August 13th
A Knight’s Quest ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/13)
Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Ep. 1 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Ep. 2 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
American Fugitive ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Ascendance ($1.19 from $5.99 until 8/13)
Axiom Verge ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Beholder: Complete ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Blood Will Be Spilled ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Bomber Crew ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Cyber Protocol ($1.09 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Cycle 28 ($1.39 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Defenders of Ekron: Definitive ($6.99 from $13.99 until 8/13)
Dream Alone ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Duke of Defense ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Exorder ($1.29 from $12.99 until 8/13)
For the King ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/13)
House Flipper ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/13)
Hue ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Inversus Deluxe ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Make War ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Manual Samuel ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Monster Energy Supercross 2 ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/13)
Motorsport Manager ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/13)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($3.44 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Nonograms Prophecy ($1.19 from $3.99 until 8/13)
OMG Police ($1.04 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Pirates: All Aboard! ($0.49 from $5.99 until 8/13)
Pumped BMX Pro ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Purrs in Heaven ($2.79 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Rawr-Off ($0.29 from $2.99 until 8/13)
Refreshing Sideways Puzzle Ghost Hammer ($22.39 from $27.99 until 8/13)
RIVE: Ultimate ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Rogue Aces ($3.24 from $12.99 until 8/13)
Rogue Singularity ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Serial Cleaner ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
She Sees Red: Interactive Movie ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Sisters Royale: Five Sisters Under Fire ($6.99 from $13.99 until 8/13)
Six Sides of the World ($1.00 from $10.00 until 8/13)
Smoke and Sacrifice ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Snake Pass ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Strike Force – War on Terror ($11.19 from $13.99 until 8/13)
Strike Force Kitty ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Swap This! ($0.10 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Swords & Soldiers ($0.74 from $7.49 until 8/13)
Tanks Meet Zombies ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
The Flame in the Flood: Complete ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
The Forgotten Land ($9.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
The Rainsdowne Players ($0.07 from $3.99 until 8/13)
The Swindle ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/13)
The VideoKid ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Toki Tori ($0.49 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Toki Tori 2+ ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Tower Inferno ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/13)
Urban Trial Playground ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Velocity 2X ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Viviette ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Vortex Attack EX ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means we’ll have tons of new releases to check out. There are more than ten new games on the schedule so far, and there will likely be more straggling in as the day goes on. Games like Collar X Malice – Unlimited, Double Kick Heroes, and Bite the Bullet among many others will be arriving. We’ll have summaries of all of those games, plus whatever pressing news and fresh sales come along in the interim. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
