Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 8th, 2020. It’s a surprisingly big release day today, and in terms of heavy hitters perhaps the last of the year. The obvious big fellow of the bunch is DOOM Eternal, finally arriving after months of Ross/Rachel-style “Will they or won’t they?" nonsense. It was worth the wait though, as it’s an even more impressive port than the already respectable DOOM 2016 Switch port. There’s also Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, Drawn to Life: Two Realms, and a few other games to consider. I would go so far as to say that not one of today’s games is a bad pick-up, really. There’s also a little news and the usual sales lists, if that’s more your jam. Let’s get into it!
News
‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition’ Launches January 14th
One of the more requested delisted digital games will be making its comeback soon. While Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Complete Edition had originally been announced with a vague holiday release date, it’s going to be missing the holiday season. But worry not friends, it isn’t that far behind. The game will launch on the eShop and other platforms on January 14th, 2021. A nice way to kick off the new year, no doubt. Apparently there’s some talk that a physical release may happen at some point? That would be very cool. If we hear anything more on that, we’ll let you know.
New Releases
DOOM Eternal ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The high-speed follow-up to the hit DOOM 2016, DOOM Eternal finally makes its way to the Switch in about as good a form as you could reasonably expect. It obviously doesn’t hold a candle to other versions in terms of presentation, but when compared to other Switch games it’s still quite a looker. More importantly, the gameplay works very well. With the game having been out for a while on other platforms, opinions have settled down all over the place about it. It doubles down on stylish combat, and leans hard into being very video game-y rather than worrying about trying to make things realistic. Some people don’t like that. Some people do. I think it’s pretty neat.
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Fair warning, there are lots of highlights today. Not sure what attracted everyone to December 8th as a release date, but here we are. At any rate, this is the follow-up to the unexpected hit Puyo Puyo Tetris, and if you’ve played that game you won’t find a whole lot of surprises here. The biggest change is the addition of Skill Battle, where each character has skills they can use to change the course of the match. You also get an all-new story, if that’s something you’re interested in. Like with the first game, there’s an awful lot to enjoy here. If you enjoy falling block puzzlers, this is an easy recommendation. I’ll have a review of it soon.
Drawn to Life: Two Realms ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The original Drawn to Life was a big hit on the DS with its clever customization elements, and while it did get a sequel and a spin-off, the series hasn’t seen any new entries since 2009. That’s a while ago, in case you haven’t been paying attention to the passage of time. Well, there’s finally a new one. It’s called Drawn to Life: Two Realms, and while it was created by a different development from the original, it retains the spirit of the first game quite nicely. A little puzzle, a little platformer, and a whole lot of doodling fun. I’ll be doing a review of this one as soon as I can manage, but I can tell you right now that I feel it honors the original Drawn to Life quite well.
Monster Sanctuary ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Monster catching RPG plus Metroidvania? Someone had to hit on the idea eventually, and I’m glad Monster Sanctuary did it as well as it has. Catch monsters, create teams, and engage in three-on-three turn-based battles. Outside of combat, do some light platforming and puzzle-solving in a Metroidvania-style non-linear world. The RPG bits are more compelling than the exploration, but it’s all pretty good. If you’re looking for something that takes a page from Pokemon without grabbing the whole darned book, you’ll probably like Monster Sanctuary as much as I do.
Lofi Ping Pong ($4.99)
Yeah, this is nifty. It’s a rhythm-based ping pong game with some chill tunes and nice pixel graphics. The music is especially good, and once you get into the zone the game is a lot of fun. It’s a little on the lighter side content-wise, as you would probably expect from the price tag, and it can be quite difficult to get the timing down. I’ll be honest: I like this one a lot better in its mobile form. It just works better for me there. But this isn’t bad. If you like music games, want to play one on your Switch, and don’t want to go broke doing it, Lofi Ping Pong is a solid pick-up.
Heroes of Loot ($7.99)
OrangePixel continues to bring its mobile hits to the Switch. This time it’s Heroes of Loot‘s turn. This is a fun little action-packed roguelite from the days when roguelites weren’t a dime a dozen. As such, you can see it drawing clearer inspiration from classics like Gauntlet rather than other popular roguelites that have risen up over time. For example, there are four different classes: Elf, Warrior, Wizard, and Valkyrie. Plus one secret unlockable, but good luck getting that one. Anyway, if you’re on the hunt for a fast-paced dungeon romp that has tons of replay value, you won’t go wrong here.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not a lot going on in today’s sales, but what can you do? A couple of new releases, and an assortment of not totally common discounts. I don’t have any strong recommendations from the bunch, so check and see if anything jumps out at you. The outbox is similarly devoid of excitement, though after a couple of solid patches I would certainly recommend Panzer Dragoon Remake for half-price. Perhaps we’ll see more exciting sales towards the end of the week.
Select New Games on Sale
Demon’s Rise: WftD ($3.09 from $6.99 until 12/21)
Elli ($4.19 from $14.99 until 12/21)
Drowning ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/27)
Blood Waves ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/27)
The Tower of Beatrice ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/27)
A Winter’s Daydream ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/27)
Stellatum ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/27)
Rift Keeper ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/27)
North ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/27)
The Mooseman ($3.49 from $6.99 until 12/27)
Sigi ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/27)
RE:ZERO -Life in Another World- ($53.99 from $59.99 until 1/29)
Drawn to Life: Two Realms ($7.99 from $9.99 until 12/15)
Monster Sanctuary ($17.99 from $19.99 until 12/15)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 9th
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/9)
Animal Hunter Z ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Apocalipsis Wormwood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Basketball ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Battle & Crash ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Battleground ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Bingo ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Black Jack ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Bot Vice ($2.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Bubble ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Butcher ($2.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Caterpillar Royale ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Cinders ($5.99 from $19.99 until 12/9)
Collide-a-Ball 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Darkwood ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/9)
Darts ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Day and Night ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/9)
Dungeon Shooting ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ ($23.99 from $29.99 until 12/9)
I, AI ($7.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Monkey Business ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
MouseCraft ($6.49 from $9.99 until 12/9)
My Memory of Us ($5.99 from $14.99 until 12/9)
Numbala ($2.39 from $7.99 until 12/9)
Outbreak: New Nightmare ($11.04 from $12.99 until 12/9)
Panzer Dragoon: Remake ($12.49 from $24.99 until 12/9)
Ping Pong Trick Evolution ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Project Highrise ($17.99 from $39.99 until 12/9)
Project Warlock ($10.49 from $14.99 until 12/9)
Regalia: Of Men & Monarchs ($16.24 from $24.99 until 12/9)
Roulette ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
Skyhill ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Sudoku Relax ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Super Star Path ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/9)
Torn Tales: Rebound ($5.59 from $7.99 until 12/9)
World Soccer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/9)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow will see a couple more releases, and if I have time there are a couple of reviews I’d like to get off my chest as well. We’ll also have whatever news and sales come along, as usual. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
