Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 23rd, 2020. There’s a lot to talk about today, including a newly-localized NES classic, a whole lot of new releases including Pokemon Sword/Shield: The Crown Tundra and more, and a big list of new sales to dig into. There are lots of things today to catch your eye, take your time, and loot your money, friends. Let’s dive into danger!
News
The First ‘Fire Emblem’ Game is Getting Officially Localized for the First Time
Well, I sure didn’t see this one coming. The 30th anniversary of the original Fire Emblem is this year, and Nintendo has a surprising treat for Western fans. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & The Blade of Light, the first game in the series, is getting localized and released outside of Japan for the first time ever on December 4th of this year. Various enhancements have been included to make the game a little more palatable for modern audiences, but you can still expect it to be bastard-hard. A newly localized NES game in 2020? Wow, now do the Super NES ones, Nintendo. You can pick this one up on the eShop on December 4th for $5.99 or grab a special physical pack with a digital code and a lot of cool goodies at retail for $49.99. Better act fast, though: this is one of those limited releases and as a result it will only be available until March 31st, 2021.
New Releases
Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The second and final part of the Pokemon Sword/Shield Expansion Pass, The Crown Tundra, is now available. As long as you own the pass, you can download the new content by updating the game. It adds a whole new area, a snowy area loosely based on Scotland. It’s a big Wild Area with dynamic weather that determines which Pokemon will appear. The Legendary Pokemon Calyrex is the main figure in this part of the expansion, along with some new regional forms. Another highlight is the return of more than 100 Pokemon from past games that were initially cut from the Pokedex, including all the non-mythical Legendary Pokemon. I’ll have a review of this content once I get through it, so look forward to that. I feel like Isle of Armor alone nearly justified the price of the Expansion Pass, so I’m hoping for good things from this.
Transformers Battlegrounds ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Wow, a new Transformers game! This could really go either way! But actually it ends up landing somewhere in the middle. It’s a turn-based strategy game featuring what looks to be the G1 versions of the characters in a different art style. You command the Autobots, who are probably waging battles to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons. They’re always doing that. There’s a campaign to play through and a local multiplayer battle mode that two players can enjoy. Make use of the environments and fire off your special moves to gain the edge in battle. XCOM and Fire Emblem probably don’t have anything to worry about, but Transformers fans will probably enjoy this.
If Found… ($12.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Let’s be real: you won’t go wrong too often by picking up Annapurna-published games. If Found… is a visual novel from the folks at DREAMFEEL, and it’s a really powerful one. A coming of age story with some genuinely memorable characters, it follows the story of Kasio as she returns to her home in Ireland. Old conflicts and new friends arise, which sounds like pretty standard fare for this genre. Less standard is that a black hole has suddenly appeared and threatens to devour the entire planet. What the heck is going on? You’ll have to play it to see. It’s definitely worth experiencing if you enjoy a good narrative.
Arcade Archives Soccer ($7.99)
You know, normally I have some kind of information on what separates these Vs. series Nintendo arcade releases from their NES counterparts, but when it comes to Soccer I really have no clue. There are probably some minor differences here as there always are, but I can’t speak to them. So instead what I can say is that this is the arcade version of NES Soccer, a game which is available through the NES Switch Online service. It came out in 1985 and allows you to play against the CPU or another player. Hamster has done its usual fine work with the emulation, so to the extent that any version of this would be worth picking up, this is as good as you could expect.
Lord of the Click ($4.99)
That’s a clicker, alright. Or I suppose a button-pusher. You know the deal. It’s an idle game where you just push the buttons to collect currency and spend it to make collecting currency faster and easier. There’s nothing really special about this one, but I do like its charming pixel graphics. There are probably worse ways to spend five bucks on the eShop, but as much as I can appreciate this genre it’s not the kind of thing I really want to play on my Switch unless it has some neat new ideas.
Pumpkin Jack ($29.99)
I’ll level with you, I thought this was going to be junk. It seems like an opportunistic title meant to capitalize on a holiday in a genre that is quite hard to pull off in general. But Pumpkin Jack is actually a fairly decent 3D platformer. The combat is a bit dull and repetitive, but the other bits of the game are competently handled and rather enjoyable. I’m not sure I’d jump to throw down thirty bucks on it, but if you’re looking for a new 3D platformer to play, this is a decent B-tier entry into the genre. The kind of thing we used to get a lot of back in the PlayStation 2 days, you know? Not bad at all.
Kakurasu World ($2.99)
This type of puzzle is a new one on me, but I can dig it. Kakurasu World gives you 90 puzzles to solve. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but puzzle fans don’t usually care too much about that. Kakurasu is kind of Picross-like, or perhaps a bit Sudoku-like? You have to fill squares such that the total value of the rows and columns match the hints. Seems like a fun type of puzzle in case you’re looking for something to break up the constant stream of Picross games.
Grood ($4.99)
Do you need another horizontal shoot-em-up? Perhaps you do. If so, you may be interested in Grood. It’s got a chaotic heavy metal vibe to it, and while it’s not the finest of shooters around, it’s decent enough for a good bit of fun. There are three difficulty modes, all of them hard. You can choose between modern graphics or a retro-style 90s graphics mode. Lots of cool bosses and weapons to mess around with, too. The price is certainly competitive, but this is a very crowded genre so I wouldn’t blame anyone for passing on it.
Galacide ($15.00)
Galacide, on the other hand, is taking a shot at a higher price and a solid gimmick for its horizontal shooting action. To be specific, this is a shooter crossed up with a matching puzzle game. It’s like someone smashed Gradius into Puyo Puyo, and it kind of works? You need to match blocks to remove obstacles while shooting down enemies and avoiding incoming fire. The boss battles are pretty much straight shooting action, but there’s a puzzle mode if you’re more interested in the matching stuff. There are different ships to choose from, a local multiplayer mode for up to four players, and even an endless mode to keep you busy once you’ve finished the campaign. Not bad, especially if you’re tired of the usual fare in this genre.
Maze ($6.99)
It is what it says. Venture around a first-person maze filled with traps and try to make your way out. This one comes from Ultimate Games so you should probably know about what to expect. To my old eyes, this looks very much like someone’s test project more than anything else. Maybe some people might get into its more passive approach to exploration. I don’t know. I really can’t think of much to say about this one, so let’s just move along.
Supermarket Shriek ($19.99)
Well, this is weird. I mean, it’s a kart racer. That’s not weird. But it’s a shopping kart racer where you’re controlling a kart-bound man and his goat, propelling themselves by screaming. You’ll race around various locations filled with ludicrous obstacles. There are 38 stages in total, so that should keep you busy for a bit. You can customize your characters with various costume pieces to add to the antics. The game is amusing enough in solo play, but it’s a whole different beast in local multiplayer where you have to time your screams with each other to maximize your speed. I’m not going to call it a great game, but if you’re looking for something bizarre today this is probably your ticket.
Truck Driving Simulator ($11.99)
BoomBit brings another one of its driving games to the Switch. This time you will kindly be asked to keep on trucking. There are fifteen trucks of various types to drive, seventy-five missions to clear, and a nice little port area to drive around as you like. Lots of driving and parking, which can be pretty challenging depending on the size of your truck and trailer. Probably not terribly different from the other BoomBit driving simulators in broad strokes, so if you enjoyed any of the previous ones and have an interest in trucks, I guess this one is for you?
CrossKrush ($4.99)
An elderly couple isn’t taking the latest development project in their neighborhood very well. A new highway has been built, and all of the noisy traffic has driven them over the edge. Take control of Henry or Florence and use explosives to blow up as many cars as you can. There are ten stages with multiple waves of traffic to deal with. Naturally with two characters there is support for two players via local multiplayer. Work together or work against each other, it’s up to you. Seems like it could be fun for a little while, but I’m not sure how long it will hold a person’s interest.
Farm Mechanic Simulator ($29.49)
SimFabric brings another simulator game to the Switch in the form of Farm Mechanic Simulator. You know how this kind of thing goes. Repair tractors, use the proceeds to upgrade your skills and workshop, repeat until you get tired of it all. There are fifty different parts, plenty of types of damage and malfunctions to repair, an endless number of orders to complete, and lots of special tasks to handle. This isn’t really my kind of thing, as regular readers know. If it’s your kind of thing, however, don’t let me stop you. I tried to find some impressions of this on other platforms but the title is a bit too generic to track down the correct one. So you’re on your own!
Truck Mechanic Simulator ($29.49)
Ah, I see. Well, if the publisher can copy and paste its work with minor changes, so can I. SimFabric brings another simulator game to the Switch in the form of Truck Mechanic Simulator. You know how this kind of thing goes. Repair trucks, use the proceeds to upgrade your skills and workshop, repeat until you get tired of it all. There are seventy different parts, plenty of types of damage and malfunctions to repair, an endless number of orders to complete, and lots of special tasks to handle. This isn’t really my kind of thing, as regular readers know. If it’s your kind of thing, however, don’t let me stop you. I tried to find some impressions of this on other platforms but the title is a bit too generic to track down the correct one. So you’re on your own!
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Phew, that’s a big one. I see some Capcom stuff, the newly-released WWE 2K Battlegrounds, Rune Factory 4 and Story of Seasons, Ubisoft games, THQ Nordic titles, and a whole lot more. Have a careful look through it all, friends. There isn’t a whole lot to worry about in the weekend outbox, so feel free to blow your money on the new stuff. Or save some money. I guess you can save money. But it’s really hard!
Select New Games on Sale
Wordherd ($1.99 from $5.99 until 10/25)
Rhythm of the Gods ($2.24 from $9.99 until 10/26)
Blacksad: Under the Skin ($19.99 from $49.99 until 10/28)
My Universe – My Baby ($20.99 from $29.99 until 10/28)
Offroad Racing – BxAxM ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
Toki ($2.95 from $14.90 until 10/28)
Cycle 28 ($2.09 from $6.99 until 10/29)
Clouds & Sheep 2 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/29)
Rad Radgers Radical ($7.49 from $29.99 until 10/29)
Story of Seasons: FoMT ($34.99 from $49.99 until 10/29)
The Red Lantern ($19.99 from $24.99 until 10/29)
Wuppo: Definitive ($4.99 from $14.99 until 10/29)
Rune Factory 4 Special ($29.99 from $39.99 until 10/29)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds ($29.99 from $39.99 until 10/29)
World Tree Marche ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/30)
SubaraCity ($2.50 from $5.00 until 10/30)
Captain StarONE ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection ($22.49 from $29.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man 11 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man X Collection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man X Collection 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man Collection ($10.04 from $14.99 until 10/30)
Mega Man Collection 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/30)
The Outer Worlds ($47.99 from $59.99 until 10/30)
Demon’s Tilt ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Party Planet ($2.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Streets of Red: DDD ($5.99 from $9.99 until 11/1)
Alien Cruise ($3.60 from $11.30 until 11/1)
Rain City ($4.45 from $7.58 until 11/1)
Stellar Interface ($1.99 from $12.99 until 11/1)
Little Triangle ($6.75 from $14.99 until 11/1)
Isoland 2 – Ashes of Time ($2.50 from $3.62 until 11/1)
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle ($14.99 from $59.99 until 11/1)
Mario + Rabbids: Gold Edition ($19.99 from $79.99 until 11/1)
Trials Rising ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Trials Rising Gold ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/1)
Rayman Legends Definitive ($9.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
Valiant Hearts: The Great War ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Child of Light ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/1)
South Park: Stick of Truth ($11.99 from $29.99 until 11/1)
South Park: Fractured but Whole ($14.99 from $59.99 until 11/1)
Just Dance 2020 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
Starlink: Battle for Atlas ($14.99 from $59.99 until 11/1)
Starlink: Battle for Atlas Deluxe ($23.99 from $79.99 until 11/1)
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
Assassin’s Creed: Rebel Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
Trivial Pursuit Live! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
UNO ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/1)
Monopoly ($9.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
Jeopardy! ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Wheel of Fortune ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Risk Global Domination ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Riverbond ($7.49 from $24.99 until 11/2)
Neon City Riders ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/3)
Pato Box ($4.49 from $14.99 until 11/3)
Paranautical Activity ($2.39 from $7.99 until 11/4)
INK ($2.24 from $8.99 until 11/4)
Super Chariot ($1.49 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Three Fourths Home ($2.24 from $8.99 until 11/4)
Don’t Die, Mr Robot! ($2.24 from $8.99 until 11/4)
Aquatic Adv. of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Shikhondo: Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 11/4)
Hacky Zack ($2.49 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Spectrum ($2.39 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Omega Strike ($3.74 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Pipe Push Paradise ($2.74 from $10.99 until 11/4)
Underhero ($10.18 from $16.99 until 11/4)
Nerdook Bundle Vol. 1 ($4.49 from $29.99 until 11/4)
Indie Puzzle Bundle Vol 1 ($5.99 from $39.99 until 11/4)
Skelly Selest & Straimium Immortaly ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Tower of Time ($16.23 from $24.99 until 11/4)
Valfaris & Slain Pack ($13.99 from $39.99 until 11/4)
SuperMash ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Glass Masquerade ($2.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Glass Masquerade 2: Illusions ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Sunless: Zubmariner ($12.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Oniken & Odallus Bundle ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Card Game Bundle Vol. 1 ($3.59 from $23.99 until 11/4)
Indie Darling Bundle Vol 2 ($5.24 from $34.99 until 11/4)
Syberia ($4.90 from $14.90 until 11/4)
Syberia 2 ($1.49 from $29.99 until 11/4)
Syberia 3 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 11/4)
Bleed ($2.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Bleed 2 ($3.74 from $14.99 until 11/4)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($3.59 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Monster Dynamite ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
The Bunker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/5)
Layers of Fear: Legacy ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Gem Smashers ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Observer ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Monster Loves You ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Panda Hero ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Bibi Blocksberg: Big Broom Race 3 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Bibi & Tina: Adv. with Horses ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Bibi & Tina at the Horse Farm ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Hexamaze ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Monster Energy Supercross 3 ($19.99 from $49.99 until 11/5)
MotoGP 20 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/5)
#KILLALLZOMBIES ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Tower Climb ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders Warmastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders II Deathinitive ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders Genesis ($26.79 from $39.99 until 11/5)
Sphinx & the Cursed Mummy ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
The Raven Remastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
The Office Quest ($3.59 from $11.99 until 11/5)
Lost Artifacts: Time Machine ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Blair Witch ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Elden: Path of the Forgotten ($10.39 from $15.99 until 11/5)
They Breathe ($2.67 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Bulb Boy ($2.24 from $8.99 until 11/5)
Up Cliff Drive ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Mechstermination Force ($2.39 from $11.99 until 11/5)
Super Punch Patrol ($4.49 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Ultimate Runner ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Parking Madness ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Bunny Adventure ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
GONNER2 ($11.69 from $12.99 until 11/6)
Goonya Fighter ($0.99 from $24.99 until 11/10)
Sky Ride ($0.99 from $7.00 until 11/10)
Flip Over Frog ($0.99 from $7.50 until 11/10)
Nullum ($1.39 from $1.99 until 11/10)
Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Drift Legends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
The Long Journey Home ($5.99 from $29.99 until 11/11)
Aer Memories of Old ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Felix the Reaper ($2.49 from $24.99 until 11/11)
Cube Creator X ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Deponia ($3.99 from $39.99 until 11/11)
Chaos on Deponia ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Deponia Doomsday ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Goodbye Deponia ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Adv. of Elena Temple: Definitive ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/11)
Rollin’ Eggz ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/11)
State of Mind ($3.99 from $39.99 until 11/11)
Shift Happens ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Aery – Little Bird Adventure ($3.98 from $6.99 until 11/11)
Edna & Harvey: Breakout ($6.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes ($6.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Outbreak: TNC ($11.04 from $12.99 until 11/11)
Silence ($3.99 from $39.99 until 11/11)
Cake Laboratory ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/11)
Starman ($0.99 from $8.99 until 11/11)
Mecho Tales ($0.09 from $0.99 until 11/11)
Plague Road ($0.99 from $15.00 until 11/11)
War Theatre ($0.65 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes ($0.65 from $9.99 until 11/11)
My Little Dog Adventure ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Unrailed! ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
TENS! ($9.99 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Sales Ending This Weekend
AeternoBlade II ($19.99 from $24.99 until 10/24)
Fantasy Tower Defense ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/24)
Zarvot ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/24)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Battle Group 2 ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($34.99 from $49.99 until 10/25)
Deployment ($0.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Dimension Drive ($1.99 from $12.99 until 10/25)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Lost Wing ($4.79 from $7.99 until 10/25)
Lumini ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Rainswept ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Riot: Civil Unrest ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
Rise: Race the Future ($11.54 from $16.49 until 10/25)
She Sees Red: Interactive Movie ($2.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Solo: Islands of the Heart ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
Switchy Road ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/25)
Tangle Tower ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
The Bug Butcher ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/25)
The Count Lucanor ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/25)
The Lion’s Song ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/25)
Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/25)
Unravel Two ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/25)
Vaporum ($8.74 from $24.99 until 10/25)
WarriOrb ($9.74 from $12.99 until 10/25)
Wordherd ($1.99 from $5.99 until 10/25)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. But what a way to finish with that wild Fire Emblem news, eh? This was a pretty busy week for great new releases, and next week is probably going to keep up the pace. I mean, we’ve at least got Pikmin 3 to look forward to. There’s also Oceanhorn 2, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty, Mad Rat Dead, and a whole lot more. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
