Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 20th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got a couple of news items to look at before we get into the newest releases to hit the eShop. We’ve got summaries of all four new games available today, such as they are. After that, it’s just the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales, and let me tell you, that outgoing list is a big fellow today. Well, let’s get to it!
News
‘Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning’ Coming to Switch March 16th
THQ Nordic continues porting many of its hits from previous generations to the Switch with the upcoming release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, marking the first time the game has appeared in any form on a Nintendo platform. The story behind its original development is absolutely bananas, but the resulting game was quite good. The talents involved include names such as R.A. Salvatore, Todd McFarlane, Grant Kirkhope, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. Does it live up to the standards of those names at their best? Uh, no. But it’s a really fun action-RPG and certainly worth a go when it arrives on Switch on March 16th.
Gotta Go Fast in This Weekend’s ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Event
The weeks go by quickly sometimes, don’t they? Here we are with another Wednesday already, and that means it’s time to find out what the next weekend event is in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s another tournament, and this time it focuses on the speediest characters. The 16 fastest characters on the roster will be eligible for the tournament, with the likes of Sonic, Captain Falcon, and Greninja leading the charge. The tournament begins on Friday, and like usual it will run for three days through the weekend.
New Releases
All Walls Must Fall ($9.99)
Well, this is at least interesting. All Walls Must Fall takes place in an alternate future where the Cold War never ended. Things are about to go completely ca-ca, so both sides are using time traveling agents to figure out how to avoid total disaster. I think? It’s complicated. It’s a strategy game that in many regards takes after XCOM, but with enough new elements to feel like its own thing. Lots of time manipulation shenanigans, basically. It’s pretty good but the Switch seems to be struggling in places with keeping things running smoothly. Strategy fans will want to check it out anyway, I think.
Otti: The House Keeper ($8.99)
A slight twist on the usual base defense game, this title sees you setting traps to defend a house against an assortment of invaders. It doesn’t look all that fancy, but I suppose it works well enough for what it is. Despite the unusual theme and slight mechanical differences, this feels a lot like the norm as far as base or tower defense games go. Which is to say that it’s a decent way to kill a little time but gets old fast in longer sessions. Honestly, I’m not sure who I would recommend this to. It’s a little too basic for serious fans of the genre, but I can’t see anyone but those folks being interested in it.
Shinobi Blade ($9.90)
This is a relatively poorly-done platformer where you play as a wall-jumping, dashing, shuriken-tossing kid ninja. The lousy hit detection and mushy controls take what could have been an amusing enough game and make it into a janky nightmare. I’d hesitate to suggest trying this even at a third of the price, but for ten dollars this just doesn’t do what it needs to do to justify itself. I mean, five more dollars could get you a pre-order on Cyber Shadow. In a very competitive genre on the platform, you need to have a new gimmick, polish the heck out of what you have, or go cheap. Shinobi Blade does none of those things.
Little Squire’s Quests ($9.90)
Oh hey, like in the mobile game ads! Yes, this is one of those “pull the pins" puzzle games. Each stage presents you with an assortment of pins that you need to pull in the correct order to defeat the monsters, get treasure, or save the princess. If you pull them in a wrong order, you fail in a way that usually involves hot magma landing on something you don’t want bathed in molten death. There are over a hundred levels, so you’ll probably get tired of the game well before it runs out of content for you. You can find all kinds of games like this for free on your phone, but I guess if you want one on Switch, here it is.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Another teeny-tiny list today. Not too much to get excited about in the new sales, unless you want to save a couple of bucks on Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead. The outbox is where the action is happening, as the first wave of the New Year’s sale comes to a close. You’ll definitely want to look through that list carefully. I’d personally recommend the Konami Arcade, Contra, and Castlevania Anniversary collections, the enjoyable action-puzzler Radical Rabbit Stew, and the ever-compelling Lumines Remastered. There are many great titles in there that I haven’t listed though, so have a look yourself and see what grabs you.
Select New Games on Sale
War Truck Simulator ($6.39 from $7.99 until 1/26)
Little Squire’s Quests ($4.95 from $9.90 until 2/8)
Shinobi Blade ($4.95 from $9.90 until 2/8)
Bridge Constructor: TWD ($7.49 from $9.99 until 2/8)
World Soccer Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 2/8)
8-Ball Pocket ($2.03 from $5.99 until 2/8)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, January 21st
6180 The Moon ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/21)
Aegis Defenders ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Ageless ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Alphaset by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Arcade Anniversary Collection ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Automachef ($5.09 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Azurebreak Heroes ($4.49 from $6.99 until 1/21)
Blasphemous ($12.49 from $24.99 until 1/21)
Block-a-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Bullet Beat ($3.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)
CastleStorm 2 ($8.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Castlevania Anniversary Collection ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)
Collar X Malice ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Contra Anniversary Collection ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Contra: Rogue Corps ($9.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Crimsonland ($4.89 from $13.99 until 1/21)
CrossCode ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Crown Trick ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Crypto by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Epic Word Search Collection ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Epic Word Search Collection 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
FIFA 21 Legacy ($29.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Fifty Words by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Fill-a-Pix: Phil’s Adventure ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Fun! Fun! Animal Park ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Ghost Parade ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Ghostrunner ($22.49 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Going Under ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Grindstone ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Gunpig: Firepower for Hire ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/21)
Indivisible ($17.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Invisible Inc ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Just a Phrase by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
JYDGE ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Killer Queen Black ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Levels+: Puzzle Game ($3.49 from $6.99 until 1/21)
Link-a-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Lonely Mountains Downhill ($13.39 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Lumines Remastered ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Machinarium ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Moving Out ($14.99 from $24.99 until 1/21)
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden ($17.99 from $44.99 until 1/21)
My Hidden Things ($6.29 from $6.99 until 1/21)
My Time at Portia ($7.49 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Neon Chrome ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes ($3.30 from $4.99 until 1/21)
Nidhogg 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)
OMG Police ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)
Overcooked Special ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Overcooked! 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 1/21)
Panty Party ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Pic-a-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Pic-a-Pix Pieces ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Piofiore: Fated Memories ($34.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Project Highrise ($15.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Quad Fighter K ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Radical Rabbit Stew ($3.99 from $15.99 until 1/21)
Raging Justice ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Railway Empire ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Road Redemption ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Sheltered ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Shing! ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Solitaire Spider Minimal ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/21)
Speed Truck Racing ($6.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Spirit Hunter: NG ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Star Wars Pinball ($17.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Suicide Guy ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/21)
Super Bomberman R ($9.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Superbrothers: S&S EP ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Tesla vs Lovecraft ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/21)
The Escapists ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
The Escapists 2 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
The Explorer of Night ($3.30 from $4.99 until 1/21)
The Room ($2.49 from $9.99 until 1/21)
The Survivalists ($18.74 from $24.99 until 1/21)
Tic-Tac-Letters by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
VA-11 Hall-A ($9.89 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Vegas Party ($4.39 from $21.99 until 1/21)
West of Loathing ($7.70 from $11.00 until 1/21)
Wizard of Legend ($6.39 from $15.99 until 1/21)
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Word Search by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Word Sudoku by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Word Wheel by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Wordsweeper by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/21)
Worms W.M.D ($7.49 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Yoku’s Island Express ($4.99 from M$19.99 until 1/21)
Yooka-Laylee ($9.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Yooka-Laylee & Impossible Lair ($11.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of Duelist ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and it’s a beefy one. There are currently a whopping eighteen games scheduled for release tomorrow, and that’s not counting any surprises. Tomorrow’s article will be dedicated to summarizing all of those games, plus whatever sales come along in the interim. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
