Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 7th, 2021. Today saw a surprising announcement in the form of Pac-Man 99, the latest Battle Royale game hitting Nintendo’s Switch Online service. Besides that, we have a bit of other news, summaries of a couple of new releases, a Mini-View of Rip Them Off, and the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales for you to consider. Let’s get into things!
News
‘Pac-Man 99’ Releases Today on Nintendo Switch Online
Super Mario Bros. 35 isn’t even cold in the ground yet and we’ve already got our next “classic reimagined as a Battle Royale" game lined up. Pac-Man 99 arrives later today on Nintendo Switch exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. The idea here is that you do the typical Pac-Man gameplay, but ghosts you eat will get sent to other players in the form of ghost Pac-Mans that will slow down Pac if he touches them. There are also trains of sleeping ghosts, and if you eat them you can send tons of ghost Pacs to your opponents. This continues until only one player remains. The online portion of the game is free to play as long as you’re a subscriber, but there are also a number of offline modes and special skins you can pay for as DLC. Yeah, it’s not looking like it will be as generous as Tetris 99. But if nothing else, that paid DLC basically guarantees this isn’t a temporary thing like Super Mario Bros. 35.
Feel the Fury in This Week’s ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Event
It’s time yet again for the announcement of the next weekend even in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I think I somehow missed the last one but nobody’s perfect, eh? At any rate, this is a notable one. It introduces three new Spirits to collect, all from Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. They’re being brought in for a new event that kicks off this Friday. You’ll have a little extra time for this one, as it runs for five days rather than the usual three. Happy hunting!
Mini-Views
Rip Them Off ($8.99)
Rip Them Off marries an interesting theme to some familiar gameplay beats. It sounds like it’s going to be a building sim when you hear its concept described, but in practice it’s like a tower defense game. You need to build shops such that you efficiently empty the pockets of the passers-by. The requirements for each level have enough wiggle room that you don’t have to do things perfectly, which is what moves this firmly from the ‘puzzle’ box to the ‘tower defense’ genre for me. It’s wrapped up in a stylish aesthetic and seasoned with some amusing satire, which really boosts the game’s appeal.
There’s just something about it that doesn’t quite come together in the end, however. There’s a solid attempt at a tutorial here, but it often feels like the game is being cryptic for no real reason. You need to think quickly in many situations as you make your way through the game, and it’s easy to forget what represents what in those moments. It’s a difficult thing to resolve, I think. The abstract nature of the visual design is part of Rip Them Off‘s charm, but I feel the game would be more approachable with a more grounded style. You have to be prepared to juggle some needlessly complex calculations in your head, and if that sounds like more work than fun to you, it’s best to steer clear. If, on the other hand, you think you can deal with that, Rip Them Off has plenty to offer.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Pac-Man 99 (Free with Switch Online)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I’ve already gone into details on this one in the news story above, but here it is. The latest 99 game, and also the latest Pac-Man game. As mentioned above you can play the online portion of this game for free if you have a Nintendo Switch Online account, but there’s also a selection of DLC that adds offline modes, new skins, and more. The new skins are themed around other Namco classics, and even go as far as replacing the audio. You can buy all of that a la carte or go all-in for $29.99. I don’t know, I might buy in if I enjoy the free bit well enough. We’ll see. Anyway, this game looks like a riot and I can’t wait to give the online portion a try when it hits the eShop later today.
Lost Lands 3: The Golden Curse ($6.99)
Hidden object adventure game, done a bit cheaper than most of the competition. This one follows the story of a woman who is once again summoned to a fantasy world known as the Lost Lands. Wow, she found them again! Not so lost, really. Anyway, this heroic warrior has to stop some dangerous cursed monsters that have awoken after a thousand-year slumber. She will do that by solving hidden object puzzles and completing an assortment of mini-games. There are more than 50 locations, 40 different mini-games, and a number of collections to complete. I’d venture a guess that if you liked the first two games, this one won’t disappoint you.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not a whole lot going on with the new sales today. A few of the usual suspects, and a launch sale for Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks). The outbox is more interesting. Sales from Circle Entertainment and Annapurna are finishing up, and there are plenty of goodies to be had between those two publishers. Have a careful look through the list and see if there’s anything you really want right now. It’s not like these publishers never have sales, but it could be a few months before you see discounts on these games again if not more.
Select New Games on Sale
Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) ($11.69 from $12.99 until 4/13)
Perfect Traffic Simulator ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/13)
Royal Tower Defense ($1.99 from $7.99 until 4/13)
Fantasy Tower Defense ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/13)
The Legend of Ninja ($1.99 from $7.99 until 4/13)
Fall Gummies ($1.99 from $7.99 until 4/13)
NecroWorm ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/26)
Liberated ($5.99 from $19.99 until 4/26)
Croc’s World 3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, April 8th
A Dark Room ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/8)
Always Sometimes Monsters ($7.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Among Pipes ($5.59 from $7.99 until 4/8)
Apparition ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Arrest of a Stone Buddha ($8.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Ashen ($13.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Bleep Bloop ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Body of Evidence ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Button Button Up! ($4.79 from $11.99 until 4/8)
Chess Minimal ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Connection Haunted Server Error ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Cryogear ($9.54 from $19.89 until 4/8)
Curling ($3.95 from $5.99 until 4/8)
Defentron ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Demon’s Tilt ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Destropolis ($3.99 from $5.99 until 4/8)
Divine Ascent ($2.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Donut County ($3.89 from $12.99 until 4/8)
Drag Racing Rivals ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Dream Alone ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Drive Buy ($19.99 from $24.99 until 4/8)
Dungeonoid ($3.84 from $6.99 until 4/8)
Ego Protocol: Remastered ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Eternum Ex ($3.99 from $7.99 until 4/8)
European Conqueror X ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Florence ($2.99 from $5.99 until 4/8)
Football Cup 2021 ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Futoshiki Math ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/8)
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/8)
Gnome More War ($1.99 from $2.99 until 4/8)
Goblin Sword ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Golden Force ($12.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Gone Home ($3.74 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Gorogoa ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Grand Guilds ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Great Conqueror: Rome ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Hexologic ($2.00 from $2.99 until 4/8)
High Noon Revolver ($1.99 from $2.99 until 4/8)
Horned Knight ($4.79 from $5.99 until 4/8)
I Am Dead ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
If Found… ($8.70 from $12.99 until 4/8)
If My Heart Had Wings ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Inbento ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Incredible Mandy ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Kakurasu World ($1.99 from $2.99 until 4/8)
Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition ($14.99 from $24.99 until 4/8)
Kiai Resonance ($2.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Killer Chambers ($8.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Koi DX ($2.00 from $5.00 until 4/8)
Kropki 8 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Lines XL ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Lost Artifacts: Golden Island ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Lovekami -Divinity Stage- ($11.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Lyrica ($15.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Maitetsu: Pure Station ($20.99 from $34.99 until 4/8)
Make War ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Mercenaries Blaze: DotTD ($15.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Mercenaries Saga Chronicles ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Metaverse Keeper ($10.49 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Micro Pico Racers ($2.24 from $4.49 until 4/8)
Miles & Kilo ($1.99 from $7.99 until 4/8)
Nonograms Prophecy ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Pan-Pan ($2.00 from $5.00 until 4/8)
Panty Party ($11.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Paper Dolls Original ($8.49 from $16.99 until 4/8)
Picklock ($3.99 from $7.99 until 4/8)
Pirates: All Aboard! ($1.99 from $5.99 until 4/8)
Potion Party ($8.49 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Powertris ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Rabi-Ribi ($25.49 from $29.99 until 4/8)
Rad Rodgers Radical ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/8)
Riverbond ($7.49 from $24.99 until 4/8)
Rover Wars ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Run the Fan ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Runestone Keeper ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Sayonara Wild Hearts ($7.79 from $12.99 until 4/8)
Shadows of Adam ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Shelter Generations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Shikaku Shapes ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/8)
Simulacra ($7.79 from $12.99 until 4/8)
Soap Dodgem ($1.99 from $5.99 until 4/8)
Solstice Chronicles: MIA ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Splashy Cube ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Star Horizon ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Strike Force Kitty ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Sudoky ($1.99 from $3.99 until 4/8)
Sumatra: Fate of Yandi ($5.59 from $6.99 until 4/8)
Tanuki Justice ($9.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Telling Lies ($8.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa ($8.99 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Tinker Racers ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Towertale ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
Trailer Trashers ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
Under Leaves ($9.09 from $12.99 until 4/8)
Vortex Attack EX ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
What Remains of Edith Finch ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/8)
Wild Trax Racing ($3.19 from $7.99 until 4/8)
Will: A Wonderful World ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/8)
Wordify ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/8)
World Conqueror X ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/8)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means there are a ton of new releases incoming. Games like Astro Aqua Kitty, Cozy Grove, and Always Sometimes Monsters are coming alongside several others, and we’ll have summaries of each of them. Whatever new sales and big news items roll in will be included as well. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
