Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for November 4th, 2020. In today’s article, we’ve got one more review and one more Mini-View for you to enjoy. No More Heroes and Wallachia: Reign of Dracula step up to the plate and, spoilers, they both do quite well. There’s a little bit of news, a small list of new sales, and a handful of new release summaries to check out as well. Let’s check it all out!
News
The Mask is Slipping in This Week’s ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Event
We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking. But some very special people wear masks, literally speaking. And it is those brave souls that this weekend’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate event is dedicated to. It’s a Spirit Board event where you’ll be battling against spirits who wear masks. Defeating them will earn you more SP than usual. The event kicks off on Friday as usual, and will run for three days.
Reviews
No More Heroes ($19.99)
No More Heroes has always been one of those games whose sum is greater than its parts. To look at it from the worst possible angle, it’s a janky try-hard melee action game with tons of tedious filler content and weird gimmicks. There’s nothing in that sentence that I would disagree with. Heck, there’s nothing in there I would have disagreed with when the game first came out twelve years ago. And yet somehow in spite of its flaws, or perhaps because of them, I can’t help but be incredibly fond of No More Heroes.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that this Switch version is an excellent update to the original Wii release. This isn’t the first HD version of the game, but it is the first such version handled by its quirky creator Suda51 and as such stays a lot truer to the source than the PlayStation 3 port. Instead of trying to change the look of the game, the Switch version gives you the striking comic book style of the the Wii game with a higher resolution and better framerate. It also brings the Pro Controller controls of the sequel back into this first game, though you can still make use of the motion controls if you have a set of Joy-Cons.
You play as Travis Touchdown, a geek who basically lives in a motel room and blows all his cash on toys and other nonsense. His latest purchase is a beam saber, and it was pretty costly. So costly that he needs to make some extra money soon. Logically, he decides to become an assassin. And not just any assassin, either. No, he’s shooting for the top. To do that he’ll have to take out the ten best assassins in the world. To even get a crack at them, he’ll have to take on other, smaller jobs to earn some extra cash. And so goes the game.
The main courses are the battles against the assassins. Lengthy, varied affairs with all the excitement the game’s slightly awkward combat system can muster. There’s a lot of stuff that happens between those fights, however. You’ll have to battle through a lot of goons to reach them, for example. Those goons tend to be scattered in non-descript rooms and hallways, and they present very little challenge once you know what you’re doing. That should be boring. Maybe for some people it is. But I actually find it kind of awesome to slice and dice my way through a pack of nobodies. I’m one of the best assassins in the world! It’s only natural that I’d be cutting these lame nobodies into ribbons.
There are a lot of other things you’ll get up to, and that’s where things get a little more love-it-or-leave-it. There’s technically an open world here, but it’s extremely empty and bereft of anything interesting to do. There are also some mini-games, and while I find them charming in a sense, I could easily see someone bouncing off of them hard. This game is at its best when you’re making with the melee, but in making an effort to break up that action and avoid it becoming repetitive, No More Heroes introduces elements that feel tedious in and of themselves.
It attempts to plaster over its cracks with a healthy dose of humor and irony, and you’re either into that or you’re not. When I was younger, I found it a little obnoxious. It’s grown on me over time. Maybe I’ve found greater sub-text in it. Maybe I just like stupid humor more now than I did when I was in my 20s. But it works for me, and perhaps because of that No More Heroes as a whole works for me. It certainly doesn’t hurt that this release is extremely reasonably priced, which makes it easier to forgive some of its weaker elements. There are unquestionably jankier games at this price point on the Switch that are still thought of positively by the average player.
You’re probably coming at No More Heroes from one of two angles: you’ve either played this before and are wondering about the Switch version, or you haven’t played it at all and are interested in the game itself. If you’re in the first group, fear not: this is an excellent port and the best way to play No More Heroes. If you’re in the second group, it’s a bit harder to say how you’ll feel about the game. It’s an odd thing, a title that has built up a passionate following for a reason but has stayed firmly at cult status for equally-valid reasons. At the very least, this is probably the cheapest and certainly the best way to take a chance on the game and see where it lands for you.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Mini-Views
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula ($14.99)
This is a highly enjoyable Contra-esque run-and-gun game dressed up in Castleavania‘s duds, and in many ways it was just what I was looking for. Your character primarily attacks using a bow that can fire in eight directions, and just like the Contra heroes in Contra 3 she can plant her feet when needed. There’s also a sword attack for when things get up close and personal, and you can find a variety of arrow types to mix things up. The game’s presentation is solid, and I really liked hearing Robert Belgrade’s voice again. I also found the difficulty curve surprisingly smooth. The challenge ramped up nicely without going overboard, which I suppose is one way it doesn’t take after the games it pays homage to. All in all, a very solid action game.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
Pick Me Up! – Rescue Rangers – ($11.99)
Sometimes! Some crimes! Go slipping through the cra- what? It’s not those Rescue Rangers? Aw. Well, this still looks fun anyway. Invaders have arrived, and your job is… not to battle them! No, you’re in charge of rescuing the innocent people that may end up underfoot. Drive a variety of vehicles around the map, pick up people in distress, and drop them off at designated locations. There are 25 stages in total, and getting the job done before time runs out apparently gets fairly tricky in the back half. Probably a little expensive for what it is, but it seems decent enough.
Lunch A Palooza ($15.99)
Time for a food fight! Ha, that would totally be on the back of the box if this game had one. It would be in one of those wacky fonts that looks like ketchup splattered on the box or something. You play as a food item and need to use your abilities (apparently they go beyond sitting on a plate and being eaten?) to knock all of the other food off the table. Well, there are different modes but that’s the gist of it. Up to four players can join in via local multiplayer, and I’d imagine that’s the proper way to go about things if you want to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of this, however much that may be. The game got terrible reviews on other platforms, and I wouldn’t expect this Switch version to turn things around dramatically.
L.O.L. Surprise! Remix: We Rule The World ($39.99)
Oh no, it finally happened. I finally became old enough that I’m reading a title that probably looks completely normal to younger readers and it parses like complete word salad to me. I’m guessing this is based on a toyline, because all of the characters look like extremely creepy little dolls. It looks like an Animal Crossing-style affair where you decorate your house with stuff and interact with other characters at a festival? There are some mini-games and quests to mess around with, and lots of items to collect. Looks pretty rough to me, but I can fully guarantee that I’m not the target audience here. Kids who love the dolls will probably find a lot more to like.
Tennis World Tour 2 ($49.99)
This is a good improvement on the original Tennis World Tour, and that’s a good thing because that game wasn’t so hot. This still isn’t at the level that you should run out and buy it regardless of your feelings on the sport, but tennis fans should be satisfied. The core of the game is its career mode, where you need to manage a ridiculous number of variable to help your star rise in the world of tennis. The actual gameplay is much improved here, with a nice speed boost over the somewhat lethargic pace of the original. Naturally, there is support for multiplayer. Up to four players can join in, and there is online support for those not hosting fancy dinner parties.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Some good stuff today, even if the list is rather thin. A great discount on Kingdom Two Crowns to go with its latest update, and a discount so steep on Cattails that it’s hard to ignore for RPG fans who haven’t picked it up already. Sniper Elite 4‘s pre-order discount is now live, so if you’ve had your eye on that upcoming release you can save some money by snagging it ahead of time. By contrast, the outbox has a lot more interesting stuff in it. I can’t even begin to list it all, beyond the fact that I already did down there. Just have a careful look through and make sure you’ve got what you needed as outside of the THQ Nordic sales most of those games may not be back around again for a bit.
Select New Games on Sale
Kingdom Two Crowns ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/10)
Cattails ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/10)
Fantasy Tower Defense ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Pure Pool ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/17)
Sniper Elite 4 ($33.99 from $39.99 until 11/17)
Figment ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/23)
Real Drift Racing ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/23)
Breakfast Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/23)
Croc’s World ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Croc’s World 2 ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/24)
Pacific Wings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Yellow Fins ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Jewel Rotation ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/24)
Jewel Fever 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Water Balloon Mania ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Airfield Mania ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/24)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, November 5th
A Winter’s Daydream ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/5)
Awakening of Cthulhu ($2.39 from $11.99 until 11/5)
Axiom Verge ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Bastion ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Bibi & Tina at the Horse Farm ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Bibi & Tina: Adv. with Horses ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Bibi Blocksberg: Big Broom Race 3 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Blair Witch ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Blood Waves ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Bloodstained: RotN ($27.99 from $39.99 until 11/5)
Blue Rider ($2.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Book of Demons ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Bulb Boy ($2.24 from $8.99 until 11/5)
Bunny Adventure ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Call of Cthulhu ($15.99 from $39.99 until 11/5)
CASE: Animatronics ($16.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Clumsy Rush ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Crashlands ($11.24 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Creepy Brawlers ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Darkest Dungeon ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders Genesis ($26.79 from $39.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders II Deathinitive ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Darksiders Warmastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Detective Puz ($4.79 from $5.99 until 11/5)
Dragon Lapis ($13.49 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Drowning ($1.49 from $2.99 until 11/5)
Elden: Path of the Forgotten ($10.39 from $15.99 until 11/5)
Fight of Animals ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Fight of Gods ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/5)
Gem Smashers ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Gerritory ($5.59 from $7.99 until 11/5)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Hades ($19.99 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ ($22.49 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Hexamaze ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Hypnospace Outlaw ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Indivisible ($23.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
It’s Spring Again ($0.99 from $1.99 until 11/5)
Kakurasu World ($0.99 from $2.99 until 11/5)
Layers of Fear: Legacy ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Levelhead ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Lost Artifacts: Time Machine ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Many Faces ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Mechstermination Force ($2.39 from $11.99 until 11/5)
Monster Dynamite ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Monster Energy Supercross 3 ($19.99 from $49.99 until 11/5)
Monster Loves You ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
MotoGP 20 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/5)
My Bewitching Perfume ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
North ($1.49 from $2.99 until 11/5)
Observer ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
OMG Police: Car Chase Simulator ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Othercide ($29.99 from $39.99 until 11/5)
Panda Hero ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Parking Madness ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Portal Knights ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Princess Closet ($18.74 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Purrs In Heaven ($2.44 from $6.99 until 11/5)
Rift Keeper ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Rive: Ultimate ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Robox ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Rock ‘N Racing Bundle ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Seven Knights -Time Wanderer- ($15.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Sigi ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/5)
SmileBASIC 4 ($22.49 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Sphinx & the Cursed Mummy ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
Stellatum ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Sudoky ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/5)
Super Punch Patrol ($4.49 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Surgeon Simulator CPR ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/5)
Swap This! ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Swords & Soldiers ($1.99 from $7.49 until 11/5)
Swords & Soldiers 2 ($10.49 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Task Force Kampas ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/5)
TerraTech ($16.74 from $24.99 until 11/5)
The Bradwell Conspiracy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
The Bunker ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/5)
The Coma: Recut ($11.24 from $14.99 until 11/5)
The Mooseman ($3.49 from $6.99 until 11/5)
The Office Quest ($3.59 from $11.99 until 11/5)
The Raven Remastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/5)
The Tower of Beatrice ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/5)
They Breathe ($2.67 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Toki Tori ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Toki Tori 2+ ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Tower Climb ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Towertale ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Transistor ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
UBERMOSH: OMEGA ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Ultimate Runner ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Up Cliff Drive ($1.80 from $6.00 until 11/5)
Vampire: Coteries of NY ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Vampyr ($19.99 from $49.99 until 11/5)
Vasara Collection ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Viviette ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Wurroom ($0.99 from $1.99 until 11/5)
Zen Chess Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Zero Strain ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
#KILLALLZOMBIES ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means a ton of new releases. There are more than fifteen on the schedule already, and I expect more to straggle in at the last minute. Plenty of cool-looking games like Choices That Matter, Seven Knights: Time Wanderer, YesterMorrow, and others. We’ll have summaries of all of them, plus whatever sales come in. If Nintendo does their usual surprise news drop, I suppose we’ll make room for that too. I hope you all have a decent Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
