Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 22nd, 2021. I was met with some surprise after I returned home from my trip to the hospital today. The release schedule for today, which mere hours before had looked so very light, had positively exploded! Indeed, I barely had enough time to write all of the summaries. But I did, and they are here for you to enjoy. I’ve also got the lists of incoming and outgoing sales for you to look over. Let’s go!
New Releases
Timothy and the Mysterious Forest ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hey, that’s actually not a bad facsimile of Game Boy graphics. Getting that right is rarer than you’d think. The dialogue boxes break the illusion, but otherwise? Well done. Adventure, exploration, puzzle-solving, and stealth are the main themes here, with a little bit of action on the side. A single hit will do you in, so taking a direct approach doesn’t usually work in your favor. Basically, don’t come into this expecting something Zelda-like. I know what it looks like, but it’s really got its own flavor. It’s also a fair bit longer than you might expect if you want to experience everything it has to offer.
Colorful Colore ($2.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Terrific, that’s what this is. Seriously, if you like puzzle games even a little, go out and spend three meager bucks on this. The idea is that you have to get your little character to the exit on each stage, but you have to be careful not to touch any walls that don’t have the same color as you. Your character can move in all four cardinal directions, zooming along until it hits a wall. There are tons of gimmicks and twists to make that simple concept sing as you make your way through the fifty stages on offer. Wrap all of that in a charming presentation and you have an absolute steal of a deal.
Gradiently ($4.99)
I’ve definitely played a few games like this before on mobile, but I have no idea who came up with it first. At any rate, the idea is that you have to arrange the tiles such that they form a perfect color gradient. There are 400 puzzles in all, which will keep you busy for a long while. Indeed, you’ll probably get tired of the concept before you run out of levels to play. The game features touch screen support if you’re playing undocked, and that’s really the best way to go about it. Decent enough roughage for your puzzle diet, I guess.
Rock ‘N Racing Bundle Off Road & Grand Prix ($19.99)
We’ve already seen one Rock ‘N Racing Bundle, which brought together Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing and Rock ‘N Racing Rally. This second bundle brings together Rock ‘N Racing Off Road and… Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing again. Hm. A bit odd, but okay. As with all of these bundles, make sure that the separate versions aren’t selling for a lower price before you get in on this. They go on sale quite often, so the odds are in your favor. I’d imagine this bundle will also be discounted fairly frequently. I’m not a big fan of either of these games, but they’ve both been out long enough that you can probably find some reviews that will tell you what you need to know to decide for yourself.
Cupcake Match ($7.99)
Well, that’s just Candy Crush. Match the cupcakes, deal with special gimmicks, and use power-ups at the right time in order to defeat more than 100 stages. I don’t have much to say about this. There’s absolutely zero creativity on display here, so I’m not going to bother my higher brain functions to try and come up with anything interesting to spice it up.
Battle for Blood ($3.99)
This low-cost puzzle game has you matching tiles to call your soldiers into battle. There are twelve different types of troops to upgrade and command, and special items you can use to help you through if you get stuck. There are sixty levels in total, which seems alright for the price you’re paying. I don’t think I’d recommend this game with much vigor, but I could definitely see myself firing it up now and then and picking away at it until the end. Very mindless, but it will pass the time adequately if that’s something you need.
CATTCH ($6.99)
This came out a few years ago on iOS (five years ago actually, oh boy the end is coming soon) and I remember enjoying it well enough even if it wasn’t all that fresh. Well, here it is again. I enjoy it well enough even if it isn’t all that fresh. Even less fresh now, I suppose. It’s cute, colorful, and challenging enough. You get forty stages to play through, with extra objectives to aim for if you want to get three stars on each. If you enjoy platformers and missed this one on mobile, you’ll get your money’s worth from CATTCH.
Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden ($14.99)
It’s Artifex Mundi time again, which means plenty of hidden object puzzles to unravel along with a passable plot. That plot in question sees you discovering and exploring an underwater city with an Art Deco style. No, it’s not called Rapture. Geez. It’s Eden. That is totally different. Find the ancient evil resting within its depths, and do what all good heroes do to such things: solve puzzles to make it go away! Seems fine as these things go, but I’m not much into them myself so I can’t speak to where it ranks in the proverbial pantheon.
Dirt Bike Insanity ($7.99)
Some people are cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but a select few suffer from a far more tragic malady: Dirt Bike Insanity. Like a lot of what Ultimate Games releases on the Switch, this is a years-old release from the PC that few cared for or about on that platform. It has relatively poor visuals, terrible controls, and very little content. Another awful racer on a platform with no shortage of them. Steer clear.
Balancelot ($7.99)
Oh ho ho, I love that title. That’s a splendid choice. Sigh, I’m sure it can only go down from here. Let’s see just how far. Oh… well, that’s not that bad. You play as a squire who can’t even afford a horse and instead has to sally forth on his unicycle. Yes, this is one of those goofy games where half the fun is in how unintuitive it is to control. There are more than fifty levels, but the game is so hard that most probably won’t even see a tenth of them. It’s just something you pick at until you get aggravated, then come back to later after you’ve cooled down to see if you can make any further progress. Not bad. Definitely not for everyone, or even most.
Adverse ($5.99)
If you were interested in training to become one of the more useless members of the Avengers, Adverse might be of interest to you. You need to run, jump, and shoot your bow through forty different obstacle courses where one wrong move will send you right back to the start. It’s another one of those first-person platformers that demands a lot of precision, and I’ll give you fair warning that it gets tricky very quickly. Frustrating, even. If you can deal with that, this is a good enough effort for the price it’s asking.
Her Love in the Force ($24.99)
You might think this is some sort of Star Wars dating sim, and while that would be pretty awesome, I regrettably must inform you that the “force" in question here is the police force. It’s an otome visual novel from the experienced folks at Voltage, and it follows the story of a young woman who joins a police academy and meets an assortment of hunky dudes. There are five different men to meet, and they fall into the usual character types for this kind of affair. I don’t know. It feels like some of the stuff these guys are doing will get them called to HR, but I’m not the chief or anything. Note this is one of those otome games where the heroine is rather creepily lacking eyes in most drawings. Weird, please don’t do that.
Neoverse Trinity Edition ($24.00)
Wow, that lady is dangerously close to having a terrible wardrobe malfunction. Well, whatever. This is a deck-building roguelite that has had a pretty solid reception on other platforms, and with good reason. While its gameplay doesn’t really do anything all that special, it’s functional and familiar enough to slip into if you’ve played a game like this before. And the visuals are certainly trying a little harder than we typically see in this particular category. It’s not going to dethrone Slay the Spire or anything, but if you’re on the hunt for another card-battler to kill some time with, this should fit the bill.
Pineview Drive ($19.99)
Hmm, I can’t believe they’re asking twenty dollars for this. It’s a very bland adventure game with some tacked-on horror elements where the puzzles largely consist of finding keys and diary pages. Things get dark at some point during each day, and you’ll ideally have found a flashlight to help you with that. Sometimes apparitions will appear and try to scare you, costing a portion of your life. It’s not very interesting, not very scary, and just feels all-around like a poorly cobbled-together project.
Joe’s Diner ($19.99)
This is from the same people as Pineview Drive, and it’s equally poor if not worse. Instead of spending 30 days in a spooky house, you’re spending 30 days in a spooky diner built on a Native American burial ground. You have to appease the angry spirits by… cleaning up after patrons? Just like in their other game, the tepid jump scares here aren’t very frightening at all. I’ve heard people say they can’t understand the popularity of games like Five Nights At Freddy’s or Slender, but if you spent some time with one of those games and then tried out this weak wannabe, the difference in quality will be pretty clear. Twenty dollars. Really. Not even on a lark.
Pixel Game Maker Series The Witch and The 66 Mushrooms ($6.60)
Another game created using the Pixel Game Maker software, but this one is a little better than the last couple at least. It’s a short Metroidvania-style game where you play as a cute witch who needs to collect 66 mushrooms for some reason that I’ve already forgotten. Probably rescuing someone. Anyway, it works pretty well. The puzzles are challenging without being frustrating, and for the most part the gameplay is solid. For the price it’s going for, it’s a solid pick-up for those who don’t already have fifteen Metroidvanias in their backlogs. Whoops! Well, it’s only a few hours long. I’m sure it’s fine.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
With many of the biggest games finishing up discounts in the New Year’s sale, there really weren’t a ton of notable titles available for sales today. Capcom’s got the Resident Evil games on sale to line up with the anniversary event, and FDG has some of their great games discounted as well. There are a few other decent titles in the mix, so check out the list yourself to be sure. The weekend outbox is short and sweet, but give it a look as well.
Select New Games on Sale
Chicken Police: Paint it Red ($13.49 from $19.99 until 1/28)
Spitlings ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/28)
Super Crush KO ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/28)
Pix the Cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/29)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade, Assorted ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/30)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Heavy Burger ($2.49 from $9.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix 2-in-1 Packs ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix 4-in-1 Pack ($7.99 from $15.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix Collection: Data East ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/30)
Real Heroes: Firefighter ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/30)
Galak-Z: The Void Deluxe ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/30)
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/30)
Inversus Deluxe ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/1)
Forgotton Anne ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Oh My Godheads ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/3)
Octahedron: Transfixed ($2.07 from $12.99 until 2/3)
Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Ping Redux ($3.99 from $4.99 until 2/3)
Kwaidan: Azume Manor Story ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/4)
Bunny Adventure ($2.10 from $6.00 until 2/4)
Parking Madness ($2.10 from $6.00 until 2/4)
The Office Quest ($4.19 from $10.99 until 2/4)
Lyrica ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
Gnomes Garden: New Home ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
Black The Fall ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/4)
Tower Climb ($2.10 from $6.00 until 2/4)
Animated Jigsaws: Japan Scenery ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Panzer Dragoon Remake ($6.24 from 24.99 until 2/4)
Bossgard ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
Up Cliff Drive ($2.10 from $6.00 until 2/4)
Conarium ($16.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
Resident Evil ($12.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil 0 ($12.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil 4 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil 5 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil 6 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Under the Jolly Roger ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Warhammer 40k: Space Wolf ($8.99 from $17.99 until 2/10)
Cube Creator X ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
In Celebration of Violence ($9.09 from $12.99 until 2/10)
Nine Witches: Family Disruption ($12.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Spiral Splatter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/10)
Where Are My Friends? ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/10)
Drift Legends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/10)
Save the Ninja Clan ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/10)
Alteric ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/10)
Urban Trial Playground ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Syberia ($2.98 from $14.90 until 2/10)
Syberia 2 ($1.99 from $29.99 until 2/10)
Oceanhorn ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Blossom Tales: Sleeping King ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Slayin 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 2/10)
Monster Boy & Cursed Kingdom ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/10)
Venture Kid ($5.00 from $10.00 until 2/10)
Energy Cycle Edge ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/10)
Loot Hero DX ($3.99 from $4.99 until 2/10)
Goblin Sword ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/11)
Chess Royal ($2.39 from $2.99 until 2/11)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Blackmoor 2 ($4.49 from $4.99 until 1/23)
Commandos 2: HD Remaster ($26.99 from $29.99 until 1/23)
ELEA: Paradigm Shift ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/23)
Legend of Numbers ($2.09 from $2.99 until 1/23)
Sir Eatsalot ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/23)
Super Space Serpent Secondary ($7.99 from $9.99 until 1/23)
The Unexpected Quest ($12.75 from $15.00 until 1/23)
Demon’s Tilt ($11.99 from $19.99 until 1/24)
Deployment ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/24)
Pop the Bubbles ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/24)
Road 3 Pack ($2.99 from $7.99 until 1/24)
Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure ($2.99 from $14.99 until 1/24)
Sushi Time! ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/24)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. Today’s test results were good, but that only means I don’t have the very specific bad thing we were looking for. My hospital adventures will continue as we try to figure out just what is wrong with me. At least I have lots of time to play games on those long rides, eh? I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
