Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 18th, 2020. Scheduling and time zones have made fools of us once again, friends. There’s an IndieWorld Showcase today that hasn’t happened yet for me but almost certainly has wrapped up by the time you read this. There’s nothing for it but to do a couple of Mini-Views, check out the latest releases, and go over the uncharacteristically large number of new sales that popped up in the last day. Let’s check things out!
News
IndieWorld Showcase Scheduled for Today
Mmm, yes. One of these situations again. As I write this article, the next IndieWorld Showcase has been announced but it hasn’t yet aired. It’s scheduled for August 18th at 9:00 AM PT, which is around 1:00 AM where I’m at. It is very likely that as you read this, however, it will have already been shown. The presentation is about 20 minutes long and is focused on upcoming indie games for the Switch. Strangely, there’s no Japanese equivalent this time around, suggesting this may be mostly about Western games. Well, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.
Mini-Views
Double Kick Heroes ($21.99)
Double Kick Heroes bills itself as a shooter/rhythm game hybrid, but it’s far more the latter than the former. You’ll have to hit the buttons as beats hit the sweet spot on a chart, just like in many rhythm games. The shooting element? Well, above the chart your plucky band is outrunning a horde of zombies. As you hit each beat, you can choose whether to go high or low, sending a shoot towards the upper half or lower half of the pack. So you not only need to keep up with the song, you also need to make sure you’re alternating buttons appropriately. It’s a really enjoyable game, and its metal soundtrack helps it stand out among the many excellent games in this genre on the Switch. If you like metal and you like rhythm games, you’ll almost certainly take well to this.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Reason – Casual Puzzle ($0.99)
It has slightly spiffier visuals and audio than many games of this sort, but make no bones about it: Reason is about as straight of a Sokoban homage as you’re going to get. The only differences are in its slightly askew viewing angle and the fact that you can push blocks off the edges of the stage. But as a box-pusher, it’s fine. The price is really low and you get fifty puzzles of varying difficulty and complexity to play with. The controls work fine and the game keeps track of how much time and how many moves you take to clear each stage. As long as you don’t find Sokoban-style puzzles repulsive or dull, it’s hard to imagine how you wouldn’t get your money’s worth out of Reason. Still, with as many decades behind the concept as there are here, it’s difficult to get excited about such a plain take.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
New Releases
Helheim Hassle ($19.99)
A puzzle platformer about a pacifist Viking. Well, that’s kind of odd. Wait, your character can detach and re-attach their limbs to solve puzzles? Okay, this is a really weird game. It’s got a bit of a Lost Vikings vibe to its gameplay and basic setting, but you’re only using one character instead of three. Of course, that one character can separate into independently-moving pieces, so perhaps it’s a moot distinction. The puzzles are decent, the story and world are plenty charming, and it’s a very creative game all-around. Some control issues make things a little annoying in places, but I’d still say it’s worth a look if you’re into this sort of game.
My Universe – My Baby ($29.99)
What a bizarre title for a game. I’m assuming the My Universe is some kind of branding thing, but it reads like a super-villain has suddenly had parenthood thrust upon them or something. Anyway, this is one of those kinds of games that used to clog the pipes on the Nintendo DS. You have to take care of a baby by doing various mini-games and activities with it. As time goes on, you’ll unlock new outfits and items that you can use to interact with your baby. Kind of like Nintendogs but with more pants-pooping.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Quite a few new sales to look at today. Devil May Cry‘s birthday is coming up soon, which I suspect is the reason the original trilogy is on sale. The first and especially third games are excellent and certainly worth owning. The second game definitely exists. Other random picks worth checking out: Sparklite, Framed Collection, Jets’n’Guns, and Hoggy2. The outbox has a lot of neat things in it with the conclusion of sales from NIS America, 2K Games, Abylight, and more. Make sure you have a look at it!
Select New Games on Sale
Aragami: Shadow ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/6)
AeternoBlade ($3.88 from $14.99 until 9/6)
Hyper Sentinel ($0.61 from $7.99 until 8/24)
Werewolf Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/6)
Candle: Power of the Flame ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)
Mummy Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/6)
Pirates Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/6)
Halloween Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 9/6)
Crimson Keep ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)
Demetrios ($1.49 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Lazy Galaxy: Rebel Story ($0.10 from $7.99 until 9/6)
Xenon Valkyrie+ ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Burger Chef Tycoon ($1.49 from $4.99 until 9/7)
Devil May Cry ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Devil May Cry 2 ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Devil May Cry 3 Special ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
HoPiKo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/30)
Rampage Knights ($4.79 from $11.99 until 9/6)
Mystery of Woolley Mountain ($0.99 from $12.99 until 8/24)
Mainlining ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/30)
Silk ($4.41 from $12.99 until 8/24)
Stranded Sails ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/6)
Sparklite ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/6)
Jets’n’Guns ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/6)
Depixtion ($5.59 from $7.99 until 9/6)
Deadlings ($0.49 from $4.99 until 8/24)
Framed Collection ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/24)
Think of the Children ($2.59 from $12.99 until 8/24)
King’s Heir: Rise to the Throne ($1.49 from $14.99 until 9/7)
The Stillness of the Wind ($4.54 from $12.99 until 8/24)
Metagal ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Super Weekend Mode ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Iron Snout ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Zeroptian Invasion ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Bird Game + ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
My Big Sister ($3.59 from $5.99 until 8/31)
Devious Dungeon 2 ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/31)
Back in 1995 ($6.49 from $9.99 until 8/31)
TerraTech ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/24)
Warlock’s Tower ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Neon Junctions ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Cybarian ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Attack of the Toy Tanks ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Paradox Soul ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Super Mutant Alien Assault ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/24)
Bouncy Bullets ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Mochi Mochi Boy ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Hoggy2 ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Church in the Darkness ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Super Wiloo Demake ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Sagebrush ($3.89 from $5.99 until 8/31)
Gravity Duck ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Mekabolt ($3.24 from $4.99 until 8/31)
In Other Waters ($11.24 from $14.99 until 8/24)
TaniNani ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/24)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19th
Ankh Guardian ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/19)
Car Mechanic Simulator ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Carnival Games ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Civilization VI Expansion Pack ($32.49 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Clouds & Sheep 2 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/19)
Cursed Castilla ($7.69 from $13.99 until 8/19)
Demon’s Rise ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/19)
Disaster Report 4 ($44.99 from $59.99 until 8/19)
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends ($27.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory ($14.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($4.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Jewel Wars ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
Kemono Heroes ($9.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
La-Mulana ($9.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
La-Mulana 2 ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Langrisser I & II ($34.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Liberated ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Mecho Tales ($0.49 from $0.99 until 8/19)
Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
Moto Racer 4 ($4.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
My Bewitching Perfume ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/19)
Nights of Azure 2 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/19)
Panzer Dragoon: Remake ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Princess Closet ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Shinobi Spirits S ($6.29 from $8.99 until 8/19)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/19)
Slime-San ($4.79 from $11.99 until 8/19)
Smashing the Battle ($8.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
Starship Avenger Operation: TBE ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Super Chariot ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Super Hydorah ($10.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
The Lost Child ($14.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Touhou Gensou Wanderer ($19.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Vambrace: Cold Soul ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Windscape ($6.79 from $19.99 until 8/19)
WWE 2K18 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 8/19)
Yoga Master ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Ys VII: Lacrimosa of DANA ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/19)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a summary of the IndieWorld Showcase, along with looks at all of the new games and the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales. I hope you all have a tremendous Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
