Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 13th, 2020. We’ve got lots to look at in today’s article. Mikhail steps in once again for a guest review, this time looking at Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!. There are a couple of news items to look at, several new releases, and a Mini-View of 9th Dawn III. On top of that, there’s a rather robust list of new sales to check out, alongside the outgoing discounts. Let’s check it out!
News
‘Pokemon’ Returns to ‘Tetris 99’ in the 17th Maximus Cup
The second half of the Pokemon Sword/Shield Expansion Pass is hitting next week, and Tetris 99 is in the mood to celebrate. The 17th Maximus Cup event is dedicated to Pokemon Sword/Shield, giving you another chance to earn its theme. This time around, you’ll only need 50 points to permanently unlock it. If you already have the theme, there’s nothing new on offer here. Oh well! The event kicks off on Friday, October 16th and runs through October 19th.
The Nintendo Switch Online ‘Overwatch’ Trial Begins Today
In case you forgot about it, the free one-week trial of Blizzard’s Overwatch begins today for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Simply head over to the eShop and you should be able to find Overwatch available as a free trial. You can play the full game to your heart’s content for seven days. The game will be discounted in the eShop for a short while after the trial in case you want to pick it up, and your progress from the trial will carry over.
Reviews
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! ($19.99)
The original Cook, Serve, Delicious! is one of my most played games on iPad. It obviously was designed for PC but it felt perfect on iPad just like FTL. The chaotic time management gameplay and soothing music blended in perfectly. When Vertigo Gaming announced a sequel, I was excited for it. I played and enjoyed Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! but it was lacking when it came to progression like the first game. Thankfully, the core gameplay held up and Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is finally here on all consoles after an extended early access period on Steam.
Vertigo Gaming clearly learned from Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! because Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is an improvement in every aspect and one that has the best of prior games and its own generous serving of delicious new content. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!‘s campaign is set in a war torn America where your restaurant has been destroyed. Your aim is to build up your reputation and life with the help of a food truck that takes you all over the place serving various dishes to people. The campaign is playable solo and in co-op. On Nintendo Switch, you can even use a single joy-con each to play it on the go. It works well. You slowly earn things to customize your food truck with as well and unlock the ability to upgrade it early on.
Barring accessibility options like screen shake and visual tweaks, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! has a chill mode option. This ensures you can only earn up to a silver medal in each level but gives you infinite time to prepare and serve customers. It is a nice compromise to allow players who find the core gameplay a bit too difficult. I would definitely recommend playing it on standard mode first and only resorting to this if you find yourself struggling.
If you’ve not played a Cook, Serve, Delicious! game before, you need to cook dishes using different ingredients by pressing the face buttons and dealing with timers. Once your dish is ready to be served, you either use the right stick to automatically serve it or prepare it to be served by putting the finishing touches depending on the dish. As you zip between locations in your food truck, you can and should make some things at the holding stations so you save time and can cater to more people quicker. Being able to automatically serve a lot of food while you prepare other food is one of the best new features Vertigo Gaming have brought to this series.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is definitely a big step up in production values and this carries over into the art, animations, and more subtle things like visual cues and the interface. The food all looks gorgeous as expected but there are a few minor performance issues on Nintendo Switch. Sometimes, the prepping station or item you need to prepare will take a second or two longer to load in as compared to the PC version which loads up instantly. Compared to Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! on Nintendo Switch, Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! takes a bit longer in some of these situations. Barring those, it is an absolute joy to play on Switch in both portable and docked mode.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! is known for great audio through the sound design for food and the superlative music from Jonathan Greer. His music for Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is brilliant. This is easily one of my favorite soundtracks of the year with its upbeat tunes. A lot of the tunes also remind me of Katamari Damacy‘s music which is never a bad thing.
While Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2!! and 3?! aren’t on iOS yet, I’m glad that the games have touch controls on Nintendo Switch. It takes a little bit of getting used to but you can play Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! with touch controls on Nintendo Switch. Some of the touch targets are smaller than they should be on a regular Switch. I could barely complete levels on a Switch Lite with touch controls though. Using a stylus might be a better option on that if you’d prefer not using the button controls.
Thankfully, the button controls work brilliantly. I just struggled a little because I always have trouble moving between Xbox One and Nintendo Switch controllers for games that rely on quick inputs thanks to both controllers having different face button positions.
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! takes the best of the first two games and brings so much more with better progression, more food, accessibility options, and more to be the ultimate cooking game. I already loved the first Cook, Serve, Delicious! game and while the second entry was a step forward in many ways, it also regressed. Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?! is everything I wanted from this franchise and more. -Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Mini-Views
9th Dawn III ($15.99)
I have a full review of the iOS version of 9th Dawn III that is either up already or soon to be up, and I recommend checking that for details on the game itself. It’s a really awesome follow-up and a great action-RPG to sink tons of time into. This Switch version is also quite good, but its interface is a little harder to work with in places using the controller. It’s also set at a higher price. On the positive side, you can easily get a local co-op game going and that is indeed a hoot. It’s a game I would enthusiastically recommend to any fan of RPGs, but if you have a mobile device capable of playing it and don’t mind playing there, I’d probably be inclined to nudge you towards that version over this one.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
New Releases
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I don’t know, Prinny. Can you? You’ll have to be exceptionally lucky because you are one of one thousand Prinnies and this game is really hard. Making its way over from the PlayStation Portable (and it really shows), Prinny is a tough side-scroller that pays homage to classics like Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Castlevania. The cheeky sense of humor that Disgaea is known for is here in full force, with the whole purpose of the Prinnies’ adventure being to replace Etna’s dessert that someone stole. To counter the heavy challenge, you’re given a whopping 1000 lives to clear the game with. It’s a pretty fun game and it plays well on the Switch, but there’s a somewhat ugly graphical filter that makes things look blurrier than I’d like.
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The first game did well enough that Prinny got a second chance to be the hero. This time around the mission is to recover Etna’s stolen panties from the mysterious Phantom Thief before she loses all patience and transforms the Prinnies into replacement panties. In terms of gameplay not a whole lot has changed here aside from some adjustments to the combo meter. Just a batch of new levels, enemies, and bosses to battle. Like its predecessor, it’s quite tough. Also like its predecessor, this is a relatively bare-bones port from the PSP with a slightly unappealing blur filter slapped over top of everything. I’ll have reviews of both of these in the coming days.
Remothered: Broken Porcelain ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Resident Evil may well be more popular than it has ever been before at the moment, but some fans pine for the clunkier days of old where movement was more awkward and things were less action-y. It’s that sort that really got into Remothered: Tormented Fathers, a very old-school survival-horror game that offered plenty of spooks and thrills wrapped up in an interesting if somewhat cheesy story. Well friends, Remothered is back. If you enjoyed the first game, you’ll be right at home here. Make careful use of the limited resources you’ll find in the Ashmann Inn to try to uncover its secrets and get out alive. Solve puzzles, absorb the atmosphere, and be careful not to bump into anything you can’t handle. Which, to be frank, covers most things in this game.
Robotics;Notes Elite ($34.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The third main installment in the Science Adventure series of visuals novels best-known for its second chapter Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes comes to us in English for the very first time in this Elite version of the game. You take the role of Kaito Yashio, a member of the school robot club who is inspired to build his own fighting robot. From this simple plot an absolutely wild series of events ensues, though I’m sure those familiar with Steins;Gate won’t be surprised by that. I don’t think this one reaches quite the same heights as Steins;Gate, but it’s still an excellent experience that is worth diving into.
Robotics;Notes DaSH ($34.99)
And then there’s DaSH. Look, these follow-up games tend to just be fanservice for people that loved the original story and want to squeeze a bit more out of the characters or setting. As such, they’re almost never up to the standards of the original. How much worse they end up tends to vary. DaSH… is really not where it needs to be. Its plot heavily involves Itaru Hashida (Daru) from Steins;Gate and it uses a similar premise where all heck breaks loose from seemingly innocuous circumstances, but I feel like it ends up undermining the original game’s narrative a bit too much. This one’s really only recommended for super-fans who don’t mind when the follow-ups go off the rails.
G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout ($39.99)
When I was a kid, I was totally into G.I. Joe, which is pretty weird if you know me well. Or is it? G.I. Joe may have started as a toy line about soldiers but it turned into a franchise about ridiculous superheroes with terrible aim and awesome vehicles. That feeling is more or less preserved in this game, a third-person team-based shooter featuring twelve characters from both sides of the conflict. There are lots of weapons, extra skins, and even some of those classic vehicles. The campaign can be played solo or in local co-op with a second player, and a variety of multiplayer modes are on offer for up to four players to battle locally. I want to believe this will be the game that breaks Game Mill’s pattern of mediocre offerings, but if knowing is half the battle I refuse to give up my advantage to the enemy.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Hey, those are some decent new discounts for a Tuesday. enjoyable adventures like Milkmaid of the Milky Way, nice arcade-style jams like The Bug Butcher and Atomik: RunGunJumpGun, and even some chunkier experiences like Vaporum. Plenty in the outbox as well, with the most notable titles being Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary Edition and Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition. Those don’t go on sale super-often, and almost never as cheap as they are presently. Make the appropriate decisions, friends.
Select New Games on Sale
Milkmaid of the Milky Way ($2.39 from $5.99 until 10/18)
The Low Road ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/18)
Defend Your Castle ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/18)
Headliner: NoviNews ($1.99 from $13.99 until 10/19)
Clan N ($11.24 from $14.99 until 10/19)
Woven ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/20)
Battle Group 2 ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Lumini ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Solo: Islands of the Heart ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
The Bug Butcher ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/25)
Riot: Civil Unrest ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
Vaporum ($8.74 from $24.99 until 10/25)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
She Sees Red: Interactive Movie ($2.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/25)
The Count Lucanor ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/25)
Rainswept ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Lost Wing ($4.79 from $7.99 until 10/25)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Dimension Drive ($1.99 from $12.99 until 10/25)
Save Koch ($8.00 from $20.00 until 10/26)
Monster Prom: XXL ($9.59 from $15.99 until 10/26)
ATOMIK: RunGunJumpGun ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/26)
Hyper Jam ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/27)
This Strange Realm of Mine ($1.29 from $12.99 until 10/27)
Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ($7.14 from $11.90 until 10/31)
Battery Jam ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/1)
Haunted: Halloween ’86 ($2.99 from $9.99 until 11/1)
Horror Pinball Bundle ($6.02 from $8.99 until 11/1)
Touchdown Pinball ($2.01 from $2.99 until 11/1)
Yoga Master ($19.99 from $24.99 until 11/1)
Galactic Defense Squadron ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/1)
Omvorm ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/1)
Destrobots ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/2)
Mars or Die! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/2)
Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/2)
Hyperdrive Massacre ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/2)
Jet Kave Adventure ($13.39 from $19.99 until 11/2)
Queen’s Quest 4: Sacred Truce ($1.49 from $14.99 until 11/2)
Castle of Heart ($0.99 from $14.99 until 11/2)
Otto ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/2)
Super Inefficient Golf ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/2)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 14th
3000th Duel ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
A Knight’s Quest ($8.49 from $24.99 until 10/14)
Adventures of Chris ($13.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Aery – Sky Castle ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Alteric ($0.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
American Fugitive ($6.79 from $19.99 until 10/14)
ATV Drift & Tricks ($6.99 from $29.99 until 10/14)
Beholder: Complete ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Blacksad: Under the Skin ($24.99 from $49.99 until 10/14)
Bomber Crew ($1.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch ($7.49 from $29.99 until 10/14)
Charterstone: Digital ($19.99 from $24.99 until 10/14)
Cooking Simulator ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/14)
Crashbots ($3.39 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Deep Ones ($1.69 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Dyna Bomb ($1.59 from $1.99 until 10/14)
Earth Atlantis ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Energy Balance ($1.01 from $2.99 until 10/14)
Energy Cycle ($1.01 from $2.99 until 10/14)
Energy Cycle Edge ($0.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Energy Invasion ($1.01 from $2.99 until 10/14)
Escape Game Fort Boyard ($20.99 from $29.99 until 10/14)
Flame in the Flood: Complete ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
For The King ($9.99 from $24.99 until 10/14)
Fred3ric ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
FuzzBall ($9.98 from $18.49 until 10/14)
Ghost Sweeper ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Go All Out! ($1.29 from $12.99 until 10/14)
Grab the Bottle ($1.69 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Grass Cutter – Mutated Lawns ($2.37 from 6.99 until 10/14)
Hot Shot Burn ($13.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Hue ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Human: Fall Flat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
In Between ($1.99 from $11.99 until 10/14)
Kropki 8 ($0.19 from $1.99 until 10/14)
Manual Samuel ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Masky ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Metaloid: Origin ($5.59 from $6.99 until 10/14)
Metropolis: Lux Obscura ($2.71 from $7.99 until 10/14)
Motorsport Manager ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
My Universe: My Baby ($23.99 from $29.99 until 10/14)
Narcos: Rise of Cartels ($11.99 from $29.99 until 10/14)
One Eyed Kutkh ($1.69 from $4.99 until 10/14)
OVIVO ($2.37 from $6.99 until 10/14)
Pack Master ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Pixboy ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Planet RIX-13 ($1.69 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Poly Puzzle ($1.24 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Pumped BMX Pro ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Rogue Aces ($3.24 from $12.99 until 10/14)
Safety First! ($0.99 from $2.99 until 10/14)
Save the Ninja Clan ($0.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Seeds of Resilience ($6.99 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Serial Cleaner ($1.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
SkyTime ($1.01 from $2.99 until 10/14)
Smoke & Sacrifice ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/14)
Snake Pass ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/14)
Spiral Splatter ($0.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
State of Anarchy: MoM ($2.71 from $7.99 until 10/14)
Strikey Sisters ($3.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Tennis Open 2020 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/14)
The Inner World ($2.99 from $11.99 until 10/14)
The Inner World: Last Wind Monk ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
The Swindle ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Towaga: Among Shadows ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Vasilis ($1.69 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Velocity 2X ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/14)
Vigil: Longest Night ($19.79 from $21.99 until 10/14)
Wanderlust Travel Stories ($1.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Where Are My Friends? ($1.19 from $5.99 until 10/14)
That’s all for today, friends. But it’s just the start of what is looking to be a rather busy week. Tomorrow will see a couple of new releases, along with whatever news and new sales come along in the interim. There may also be a review or some Mini-Views, depending on how much I can get done today. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
