Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 16th, 2020. In today’s article, we’ve got a quick summary of yesterday’s amazing Indie World Showcase, a bit of news about the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate event, summaries of the surprisingly large number of new releases, and the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales. Kind of a busy Wednesday! Anyway, let’s get to it.
News
Plenty of Cool Games in the Indie World Showcase
Good ol’ Jared kindly added in the video when he posted the article yesterday, so you may have already watched the Indie World Showcase. There were lots of neat games and a few surprise drops, as is often the case with these presentations. The released games are summarized below, so let’s hit the highlights on the rest. Super Meat Boy Forever is coming next week on December 23rd as a timed exclusive, both Spelunky and Spelunky 2 are hitting the Switch next summer, and Cyber Shadow is coming on January 26th. Oh, and the outstanding visual novel Gnosia is coming in early 2021 from Playism. There are lots of other interesting titles shown in the video, so make sure you give it a watch if you haven’t already.
Triple Up in This Week’s ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Event
Regardless of all the bustle of yesterday, Wednesday still means one thing above all else: the announcement of the next weekend event in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time around, the focus is on characters that come in threes. Trios, if you will. Think the Able Sisters from Animal Crossing, or the Viruses from Dr Mario. It’s a Spirit Board event, naturally. Defeat the Spirits in question to earn triple the experience, triple the SP, and lots of extra snacks. The event kicks off this Friday, December 18th, and runs for three days through the weekend as usual.
New Releases
Among Us ($5.00)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Depending on who you ask, this 2018 release is the best mobile game of 2020. So it’s quite nice to see it pop up on Switch, and for a rather reasonable price no less. It is cross-play with the PC and mobile versions, so you’ll never have trouble setting up a game. If you’ve somehow never heard of it, Among Us is a game where a bunch of players are put together on a ship. But not everyone is who they seem, as one or more killers may be among the crew. The killer has to avoid being detected and identified, while the other players need to try to figure out who the killer is. You can play online or via local wifi, but multiplayer is a must. It’s a very fun game, especially if you play with people you know.
Grindstone ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Chances are pretty good that if you’re reading this site, you know all about Grindstone. It’s one of the big success stories from the Apple Arcade line-up, to the extent that Apple apparently used it as an example of what kind of games they’d like to see more of. Anyway, it’s a puzzle game. It has a lot of grinding, and it’s proud of that. Play, accumulate resources, use them to get new equipment, take on greater challenges, accumulate more resources, and so on. There are more than 200 levels to play through as well as daily challenges that ensure you’ve always got something to do. Normally this is where I’d point out that you can get four months of Apple Arcade for the price of this game, but I know a lot of people who have been playing this game near-daily for way longer than four months. So yeah, have at it.
Dicey Dungeons ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
You thought you saw it all by watching the English Indie World presentation, but the Japanese one also had its own surprise release. Dicey Dungeons comes from Terry Cavanagh, and if you know that name then you’re probably already on your way to the eShop to buy this. If you don’t? Cavanagh is the developer behind VVVVVV, Super Hexagon, Don’t Look Back, and many more games. Dicey Dungeons is a deckbuilding roguelike where your goal is to take down Lady Luck herself. There are six different characters to use, each with their own abilities. I’ll have a proper review of this one soon, but I can tell you right now that I think it’s fantastic and something you should definitely buy if it sounds even remotely interesting to you.
Space Invaders Forever ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
A while back, Taito released a big set for the Switch containing a whole lot of Space Invaders games in Japan. Earlier this year, Strictly Limited Games brought that set over to the West in physical form. The trick with both of those is that they were a bit on the expensive side for what you got, making them feel like something for the Space Invaders die-hards alone. Enter Space Invaders Forever, a reasonably priced collection of the three newest games from those collections. You get the sublime Space Invaders Extreme, which is still just as brilliant as it ever was, Space Invaders Gigamax 4 SE, a multiplayer-focused take on the original game that was first built to be played on the sides of freaking buildings, and Arkanoid vs Space Invaders, a big ol’ Taito mash-up featuring a huge roster of characters from the company’s past. Oddly, the latter game is downloaded as its own app and can only be played in handheld mode with touch controls. Extreme alone makes this release worth it for shooter fans.
Synthetik: Ultimate ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah, this is awesome. I’m not sure which of you out there needs another top-down twin-stick roguelite shooter, but this one is very, very good. Stylish, strategic, and violent, Synthetik just has that outstanding shoot-feel that you want from a top-down shooter. Reviews for this game were extremely positive in its PC incarnation, and although the Switch port lacks its multiplayer mode and has a few more technical snags, it’s still a wonderful way to enjoy the game. This one is best enjoyed by those with a little experience with the genre, as it does have some crunchy mechanics you’ll have to learn above and beyond the simple act of pointing and shooting. It’s worth it, though.
When the Past Was Around ($8.49)
A point-and-click style adventure game about love and loss, When the Past Was Around tells the tale of a young woman named Eda and her encounter with The Owl, a man who changes the course of her life. The whole thing is set up like some sort of surreal dream where you wander from memory to memory, gathering clues and solving puzzles to reveal what really went down between Eda and The Owl. It takes a couple of hours at most to make your way through, so it’s suitable for a nice quiet evening of play. The presentation is really striking here, with nice hand-drawn visuals and a strong use of melody in its soundtrack. The story is… fine, but it never quite hits the heights you might hope for. Still, not a bad experience by any means.
Calico ($11.99)
Okay, so. This is a game where you are trying to make the best cat cafe you can. It is on its face a cat cafe simulation, if you will. But it also has a little splash of Animal Crossing-style slow life in it, and a bit of physics-based wackiness for good measure. It is a weird game, but I think some of you out there will like it a lot because of that. It is definitely not going to be to everyone’s tastes or, I think, even most people’s tastes. But the price is good and there’s a lot to love about it if you’re willing to take a chance on picking it up. Just kind of a feel-good game you can laugh with.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Some interesting things in today’s batch of new sales. Both Boot Hill games are on sale if you wanted to grab the whole series at once. New releases Grindstone and Dicey Dungeons have some launch discounts to offer, and Freedom Finger is half-off. There are some other cool games in there, along with a bunch of junk. I’ll leave it to you to sort out. As for the outbox, sales from Namco, Devolver Digital, and others are wrapping up. Definitely make sure to check out those discounts before it’s too late.
Select New Games on Sale
Dicey Dungeons ($13.49 from $14.99 until 12/28)
We. The Revolution ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/28)
Big Pharma ($4.99 from $29.99 until 12/28)
Help Will Come Tomorrow ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/28)
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/28)
Metamorphosis ($7.49 from $24.99 until 12/28)
Dex ($6.99 from $19.99 until 12/29)
HyperParasite ($2.99 from $17.99 until 12/29)
Tharsis ($3.99 from $11.99 until 12/29)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($4.24 from $4.99 until 12/29)
Mechstermination Force ($10.19 from $11.99 until 12/29)
Super Punch Patrol ($4.24 from $4.99 until 12/29)
Mana Spark ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/29)
Blazing Beaks ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/29)
Warlocks 2: God Slayers ($1.99 from $17.99 until 12/29)
Freedom Finger ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/29)
Grindstone ($14.99 from $19.99 until 12/29)
Blood Breed ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/3)
Puzzles for Toddlers & Kids ($5.59 from $7.99 until 1/4)
Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Earthlock ($5.98 from $29.90 until 1/4)
Shakes on a Plane ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Dark Grim Mariupolis ($4.24 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Trancelation ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/4)
Breakfast Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Jet Ski Rush ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/4)
Croc’s World ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Croc’s World 2 ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/4)
Croc’s World Run ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/4)
Real Drift Racing ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Adrenaline Rush: Miami Drive ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/4)
Classic Games Vol.1 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Pacific Wings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Deadly Fighter 2 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/4)
Yellow Fins ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Birds & Blocks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Airfield Mania ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/4)
Jewel Fever 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Jewel Rotation ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/4)
Water Balloon Mania ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Perseverance ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Restless Hero ($4.89 from $6.99 until 1/4)
Tauronos ($4.89 from $6.99 until 1/4)
Johnny Rocket ($3.49 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Zombie Scrapper ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/4)
Street Basketball ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/4)
Boot Hill Heroes ($6.49 from $9.99 until 1/5)
Boot Hill Bounties ($9.74 from $14.99 until 1/5)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, December 17th
Abyss of the Sacrifice ($31.99 from $39.99 until 12/17)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Bunny Adventure ($2.10 from $6.00 until 12/17)
Carrion ($14.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Clue ($14.99 from $29.99 until 12/17)
CMS ($2.99 from $14.99 until 12/17)
Cycle 28 ($2.09 from $6.99 until 12/17)
Dream Alone ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/17)
Futoshiki Math ($2.99 from $6.99 until 12/17)
Gris ($6.79 from $16.99 until 12/17)
Kakurasu World ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/17)
Katana ZERO ($8.99 from $14.99 until 12/17)
Kids: Farm Coloring ($2.99 from $4.99 until 12/17)
Miles & Kilo ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/17)
Milkmaid of the Milky Way ($2.03 from $5.99 until 12/17)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($14.99 from $49.99 until 12/17)
MotoGP 18 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 12/17)
My Friend Pedro ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Namco Museum ($9.89 from $29.99 until 12/17)
Namco Museum Archives Vol 1 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Namco Museum Archives Vol 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($7.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
NBA 2K21 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 12/17)
Overwatch: Legendary ($19.99 from $39.99 until 12/17)
Parking Madness ($2.10 from $6.00 until 12/17)
Pianista ($14.99 from $24.99 until 12/17)
Pixeljunk Eden 2 ($9.89 from $14.99 until 12/17)
Raji: An Ancient Epic ($18.74 from $24.99 until 12/17)
Strike Force Kitty ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/17)
The Office Quest ($4.19 from $11.99 until 12/17)
The Outer Worlds ($29.99 from $59.99 until 12/17)
The Shapeshifting Detective ($6.49 from $12.99 until 12/17)
The TakeOver ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/17)
Through the Darkest of Times ($9.99 from $14.99 until 12/17)
Tower Climb ($2.10 from $6.00 until 12/17)
Up Cliff Drive ($2.10 from $6.00 until 12/17)
Viviette ($6.99 from $9.99 until 12/17)
Woodle Tree Adventures ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/17)
That’s all for today, friends. But wow, what a day. And tomorrow is Thursday, so the new release train is going to keep on chugging along. We’ll have summaries of all of those games, of course. We will also have whatever new sales and big news show up in the next day. And that will probably be it! Honestly, if you’re like me your weekly budget is probably already running on empty. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
