Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for November 12th, 2020. Today is all about the new releases, with the highlights being Metaverse Keeper and Just Dance 2021. We’ve got summaries of all of the new games that hit the eShop, along with the ever-popular lists of incoming and outgoing sales. This is an odd week in that Friday is going to have more releases than today, but there’s still plenty to court your business. Let’s look at all of it!
New Releases
Metaverse Keeper ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about Metaverse Keeper. It’s a roguelite dungeon crawler, the same kind of thing we’ve seen many times on the Switch before. But it’s a well-made one, with several different characters to play and lots of fun upgrades and weapons to find. There’s even support for online multiplayer, provided you can find people to play with. I really enjoy the art style in this one. The various types of environments look great and the enemy designs are excellent. I’ll have a review of this one sometime next week, but I think if you like this genre and are looking for your next meal, you won’t be unhappy with Metaverse Keeper.
Just Dance 2021 ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The latest installment of Just Dance is now available on Switch! It is just like the last version, but with some new songs! Yes, I’m sure some of you are disappointed as this is the first installment of the series with no Wii release, which should theoretically allow the devs to fully harness the power of (*does math*) last gen, but no. Just some new songs. You do get one free month of Just Dance Unlimited with your purchase, giving you access to a streaming service with more than 550 songs. Without it, you’ll have to make do with the 40 included songs. The list features such hits as You’ve Got a Friend in Me, Samba de Janeiro, In the Navy, along with lots of other more contemporary songs that I’ve never heard of because, lol, I’m old.
Arcade Archives Gradius II ($7.99)
Ah, Gradius II. A fine improvement over the first game, and far better than the installment that came after it. This would be an easy game to recommend if it weren’t already included in the Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary collection. That’s not to say there aren’t any advantages to this particular release. In addition to the Western (Vulcan Venture!) and Japanese releases included in the aforementioned collection, you also get two other revisions of the Japanese version and one additional revision of the Western version. Very minor differences between them, mind you, but if you’re a Gradius ultra-fan that may be enough to push you towards this release.
Santa’s Xmas Adventure ($8.99)
Okay, I’m calling it right now. There is literally no chance this wasn’t originally a mobile game. Give me a second. Okay, here’s what I’ve learned: there are a lot of weird Santa apps in the App Store, and App Store search is terrible. Anyway, this is probably a mobile port. It’s a sliding tile puzzle game where you need to make a path for Santa from the starting point to the goal, preferably grabbing the three presents along the way. A tried and true style of puzzle game, and one that is pretty hard to mess up. You get 720 levels here, which is probably more than you’ll want. I’ll stick with Cthulhu Saves Christmas for my seasonal gaming, I think.
Linelight ($9.99)
Linelight has been out for a few years on other platforms already, and it makes a nice fit for the Switch. It’s a minimalistic puzzle game where you need to guide a beam of light to the goal on each stage. It sounds simple, and at its core it is. Well, initially anyway. The game soon starts introducing new gimmicks like switches and enemies, creating a gentle but certain difficulty curve as you work your way through its 200 stages. Some chill music and a soft visual presentation helps you maintain your calm even as the heat starts to turn up. It’s a solid game for puzzle fans.
Forest Guardian ($10.99)
Forest Guardian is a yuri-themed visual novel that tells the story of a relationship between a fox girl and a shrine maiden. The former comes upon the latter when she collapses in a forest while trying to reach the local port before winter arrives. The fox girl, whose name is Mayu, watches over a shrine that doesn’t get many visitors. Anna, the shrine maiden, decides to help her get more visitors. An okay story but nothing too special. Note that while the PC version of this game is rated 18+, the Switch version makes cuts and changes to bring it down to a slightly risque T rating. Pretty much pure fluff, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, here you go.
BrainZ ($6.99)
Oh good, another zombie game. And by the looks of it, another completely forgettable one at that. This is a shooter from Polygon Art, the developer behind the rather dreadful Beyond Enemy Lines games. I imagine it’s using the same engine, but it’s hard to say. They’ve tried to make things cartoony but it just kind of looks bad. Seven entire Snickers bars would be a far better use of your money, but I literally cannot stop you if you’d rather buy this. Just don’t say Shaun didn’t warn you!
Zombie’s Cool ($3.99)
Oh we’re not done with zombies yet today, friends. You know, things didn’t use to be this way. Can you believe that when Zombies Ate My Neighbors came out, zombies were kind of an unusual video game enemy? Can’t swing a dead Joy-Con without hitting one these days. Anyway, there’s another well-trodden concept to go with the zombie theme in this game. It’s a top-down shooter where you battle enemies, collect coins, and buy upgrades. The game is refreshingly upfront about the fact that you will probably have to grind coins at certain points. Not the most inspiring of things, but for four bucks I suppose it doesn’t have to be.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
I say it every week, but I never know who is going to be reading for the first time. There will probably be a lot more sales posted by the time this article is up, but at the time of writing we’ve only got a small list. Power Rangers is on sale again, along with the first two Season Pass DLCs. Romancing SaGa 3 has been discounted significantly for its anniversary, and is well worth grabbing if you like 16-bit RPGs and esoteric gameplay systems. There’s a good chunk in the outbox, but I think two worth mentioning are Fairy Tail and Manticore, both of which are unlikely to be on sale again for a while.
Select New Games on Sale
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/16)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/16)
Clumsy Rush ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/16)
Power Rangers: BftG ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/17)
Shmubedi Boo ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/17)
Biped ($9.74 from $14.99 until 11/17)
Shio ($9.09 from $12.99 until 11/19)
Dying: Reborn ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/19)
Rascal Fight ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/19)
eSports Legend ($8.39 from $11.99 until 11/19)
Spencer ($2.09 from $6.99 until 11/23)
M.A.C.E. Space Shooter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/23)
Swamp Defense 2 ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/23)
Marble Power Blast ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/23)
Bubble Shooter DX ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/23)
Perry Pig Jump ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/23)
Balance Blox ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/23)
Super Star Blast ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/23)
My Aunt is a Witch ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/25)
Trine Enchanted ($4.49 from $14.99 until 11/25)
Trine 2: Complete Story ($5.09 from $14.99 until 11/25)
Trine 3: Artifacts of Power ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/25)
Boreal Blade ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/25)
Nine Parchments ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/25)
My Diggy Dog 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/25)
Elemental Knights R ($2.00 from $22.75 until 11/26)
Switch ‘N’ Shoot ($3.06 from $4.59 until 11/26)
Ghost Grab 3000 ($3.32 from $4.99 until 11/26)
Singled Out ($3.32 from $4.99 until 11/26)
Zombie’s Cool ($2.99 from $3.99 until 11/27)
Romancing SaGa 3 ($12.17 from $28.99 until 11/30)
Crazy Zen Golf ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/30)
Pinball Lockdown ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/30)
Starlit Adventures Golden Stars ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/30)
Space Ribbon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/30)
Soap Dodgem ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/30)
Santa Tracker ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/30)
Refreshing Sideways Puzzle ($22.39 from $27.99 until 12/3)
Madoris R ($4.00 from $5.00 until 12/3)
inbento ($3.49 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Break Dot ($3.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, November 13th
3D Billiards – Pool & Snooker ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
3D MiniGolf ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Agent A: Puzzle in Disguise ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Almost There: The Platformer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
Ash of Gods: Redemption ($16.49 from $29.99 until 11/13)
Ball Attraction ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/13)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Breakpoint ($3.49 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Caveman Chuck: Prehistoric Adv. ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/13)
Clue: Mystery Game ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/13)
Coast Guard: Beach Rescue Team ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/13)
Conduct Together! ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Dark Tower: RPG Dungeon Puzzle ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Fairy Tail ($41.99 from $59.99 until 11/13)
Fantasy Tower Defense ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Fury Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Grood ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Gurgamoth ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
Hair Mower 3D ($2.99 from $5.99 until 11/13)
Inside Grass: Little Adventure ($3.49 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Island Flight Simulator ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Jungle Z ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/13)
Kona ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Magic Nations: Strategy Card Game ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
Manticore – Galaxy on Fire ($6.99 from $19.99 until 11/13)
Red Faction Guerrilla ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/13)
Redeemer: Enhanced ($11.99 from $29.99 until 11/13)
Rolling Sky ($5.49 from $10.99 until 11/13)
Rolling Sky 2 ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/13)
Season Match 2 ($7.49 from $9.99 until 11/13)
Summer Sports Games ($18.74 from $24.99 until 11/13)
Swallow Up ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/13)
The Ambassador: FT ($8.99 from $14.99 until 11/13)
The Bridge ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
The Demon Crystal ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
The Legend of Ninja ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/13)
The Town of Light: Deluxe ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
Truck Driving Simulator ($8.99 from $11.99 until 11/13)
Tumblestone ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/13)
UORiS DX ($4.50 from $9.00 until 11/13)
WeakWood Throne ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/13)
Winter Sports Games ($18.74 from $24.99 until 11/13)
Zombie Hill Race ($5.99 from $9.99 until 11/13)
That’s all for today, friends. As I mentioned up above, tomorrow actually has more releases to look at than today. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory, and the newest Sabec game all sit heavily upon my mind as I consider the list, but there are plenty of other titles there as well. Aside from that, we’ll have the big list of new sales to check out, as well as any extremely pressing news. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
