Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 20th, 2021. We take a look at the many new releases hitting the eShop today, with summaries for each of them. At the time of writing, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance hasn’t showed up yet on the schedule, so if it appears as it is supposed to, I’ll cover it tomorrow. I’m also not including Shin Megami Tensei 3 as that is technically only out for those who preordered the Digital Deluxe version. What does that leave us with? A lot, surprisingly enough. On top of that, we’ve got the lists of new and outgoing sales for you to check out. Let’s go!
New Releases
Rising Hell ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
As soon as I saw the first screenshot of Rising Hell, I was interested. That kind of super-detailed pixel art usually bodes well. And indeed, this game is pretty awesome. It’s a roguelite action game where you’re climbing up a tower, with hell itself nipping at your heels. There are boss battles to overcome, and a bunch of unlockable characters with their own moves and abilities. It’s quite tough, so each run tends to be on the shorter side early on, but the core action works well enough to keep you coming back. A nice pick-up for 2D action fans today, provided you aren’t completely tired of roguelites.
CLANNAD Side Stories ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This one is simple. Have you played Clannad? Did you like it? Are you interested in getting a bit more time with its characters? If the answer to all of those questions is in the affirmative, then you should go ahead and pick this up. It’s a nicely done add-on to the original, with sixteen mini-stories set both before and after the original story. If your answer to any of the aforementioned is no, then this probably isn’t for you. It just doesn’t have much sense or purpose unless you’re already familiar with and fond of its predecessor. Clannad is quite good, so if you like visual novels I can easily recommend it. After you finish it, feel free to swing back around and grab this.
Backworlds ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Ah, drawing mechanics. They always add a little something-something to any game that uses them. Backworlds is a puzzle-platformer where you have to use your magical paintbrush to move between two different dimensions. Each dimension has its own rules and properties, so you’ll have to switch back and forth where needed to solve each area’s problems. It’s non-linear to an extent, so you can choose how you want to progress through the game’s four worlds. If you’re playing in handheld mode, you can use touch controls for the painting mechanic, while gyroscope controls fill in when you’re playing docked or tabletop. Some really solid and inventive puzzles to figure out in this one. I like it.
Fighting EX Layer Another Dash ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Finally, Skullomania is back! Arika, the developer founded by Street Fighter II co-creator Akira Nishitani, is no stranger to fighting games. The company handled the Street Fighter EX series for Capcom, which had a bit of a cult following despite not quite living up to the 2D entries. It also made a fighter for Namco called Fighting Layer around the same time. Neither series has had a new installment in quite some time, so Arika opted to create a spiritual successor to both named Fighting EX Layer. And this isn’t some half-hearted spiritual successor. The roster is pretty much made up of the Street Fighter EX cast, minus the original Street Fighter characters. Oh, and Terry Bogard is here for some reason. There’s a free-to-play version of the game on the eShop you can try if you want to see how you like it.
Arcade Archives Task Force Harrier ($7.99)
When it comes to Arcade Archives, if all else fails, shoot-em-up. Hamster reaches into the UPL catalog this week and pulls out 1989’s Task Force Harrier, a rather plain vertical shoot-em-up featuring slightly sci-fi’d up fighter jets and other military-style vehicles. You can collect power-ups to upgrade your weapons. It’s perfectly competent, but about as generic as they come for this genre and time period. Hamster has done its usual good job with porting and presenting the game, at the very least.
Just Die Already ($14.99)
The designers of Goat Simulator are back with another weird sandbox game. Instead of a goat, however, the protagonist is an old person. You’ve just been kicked out of your retirement, and the only way to survive is to complete bizarre and dangerous challenges in order to collect retirement tickets that will qualify you for care. It’s over-the-top stupid and violent, with plenty of ridiculous ragdoll physics. It also has an online multiplayer mode. Unless you’re put off by cartoonish blood splatters, I can’t imagine any fan of Goat Simulator won’t find similar joys here.
Tales of Djungarian Hamster ($9.99)
I mean, sure, why not a virtual hamster pet game? There are more than thirty types of Djungarian hamsters in this game, and that’s more than I ever knew existed. Anyway, you collect items for cages, take care of your hamsters, feed them, play with them, that kind of thing. It’s kind of weird how Nintendo hasn’t stepped into this market on the Switch yet. I know the last Nintendogs game wasn’t exactly the runaway hit that the original was, but surely it’s worth another go? Well, it leaves room for this hamster game, I suppose. I wish Success great success with this.
Sakura Succubus 2 ($9.99)
Well, that was quick. Here’s the follow-up to Sakura Succubus, and like with the first game’s port to the Switch, it’s had all of its adult scenes stripped out. The question then is as it often is: can it hold up without all of that stuff? And just as with Sakura Succubus, I think the answer is no. This visual novel follows the continuing story of a boring dude who becomes a photographer and somehow ends up attracting a bevy of rich, famous, beautiful women. Five new ones in this game, it seems. Good art, but the story is terrible. If you’re interested in this series, you’re probably better off grabbing the uncut computer versions.
Rise of the Slime ($14.99)
Got room in your life for another deckbuilding RPG? I promise, it’s a decent one. You control a slime whose versatility makes it just right for the job at hand. Build your deck from more than 100 cards and test your luck against a variety of foes. It’s a little on the easier side as these things go, but that might be what you’re looking for. I’m just a sucker for games where the slime is the protagonist. Always nice to see these humble little fellows overcoming the odds. I do feel this one exhausts itself a little quicker than the best games in the category, but they can’t all be Slay the Spire.
Fate of the Pharaoh ($9.99)
It’s been an honest-to-goodness while since one of these came out. It’s a casual stage-based strategy/management game where you’re rebuilding the golden cities of Egypt. Similar to games like Gnomes Garden and such. I suppose it’s possible a person who really enjoys games of this sort might be jonesing for another one right about now. And this is certainly another one. I can’t think of much else to write here, so let’s move along.
Invirium ($7.99)
A biologically-themed top-down shooter, Invirium has you playing as a cell dedicated to destroying any pathogens you find in the body. An interesting premise, but the gameplay ends up being quite pedestrian. There are various pathogens, each with its own patterns and behaviors to learn how to deal with. You’ll also find upgrades and power-ups, as odd as that may seem. Travel through various locations in the body, including all your favorite organs. Yes, even the liver is here! Wow.
Color Your World ($14.99)
Hm, I haven’t seen a “paint-the-maze" style game in a bit. The idea behind this game is that you need to paint every square in the stage with as few moves as possible. When you push in a direction, you’ll keep on rolling until you hit a wall or other obstacle. Some games like this don’t let you touch any already-painted squares, but this one isn’t like that. The aim is simply to cover everything as efficiently as you can. There are one hundred levels to clear, and the game introduces various gimmicks along the way to keep things fresh. There’s a local multiplayer mode here for up to four players, too. Seems interesting enough. Enough to pay fifteen bucks for? I leave that up to you.
Tiger Trio’s Tasty Travels ($14.99)
This is a puzzle game where you need to fix messed up orders of food before they reach customers. The titular Tiger Trio run a food truck that serves sushi, and they and their friends need to keep the customers happy as they travel the world and beyond in sixty stages of food-flinging fun. Add sushi! Subtract sushi! Move sushi from one conveyor belt to the other! Do whatever you have to in order to make sure everyone gets what they want, how they want it. Seems cute, but I don’t know that it’s what I’m looking for in a puzzle game at this price point.
Layers of Fear 2 ($29.99)
Bloober Team is back with a strong sequel to the popular Layers of Fear. It’s another trip through the realms of psychological horror, albeit one that is unnerving more than it is scary. You explore a mysterious ship, solving puzzles and running when necessary. It doesn’t venture too far from the first game in terms of mechanics, for better or worse. The story is fairly interesting, but it often feels like it’s jumping from one cliche to the next. Still, none of my criticisms of this sequel couldn’t also be levied at the original, so if you had a good time there you should probably consider continuing on to this one.
Let It Roll Slide Puzzle ($4.49)
Benjamin Kistler now offers up his interpretation of another classic game. You need to shift the tiles around in each puzzle to create a path for the marble to reach the goal piece. Basically the same sort of thing you can find in the toy sections in dollar stores, but digitally. There are two modes, one where you simply need to roll the marble to the goal and another where you need to collect stars along the way. Each mode has 240 levels, so at the very least you’re not getting shorted on quantity here. Is this how I would spend my five dollars? Probably not, but these puzzles clearly have an audience or we wouldn’t be seeing them everywhere. Handheld mode only for this one.
Wood Block Escape Puzzles ($3.99)
Benjamin’s not done for the day yet. Here’s another classic puzzle toy in video game form. You have to move the pieces around to create a path for the red piece to escape. You’ll earn a stars based on how many moves you take to finish each puzzle. Mr. Kistler doesn’t offer any numbers in the game description, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and guess that there are probably quite a few in here. You can find plenty of games like this on the App Store that won’t ask a dime, but I won’t pretend four bucks is a huge ask either. Handheld mode only, just like the other game.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
A decent list already, and surely more to come in the next few hours. Some lesser-seen choices in the list include Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl and Raiders of the Lost Island, both decent games to pick up on a sale if you’re into their respective genres. Lots of interesting stuff in the outbox, but I’m only going to point you specifically at one game: Raging Loop. It’s a great visual novel, and if you like the genre at all be sure to give it a go. Have a gander through the lists to see if anything stands out to you, though.
Select New Games on Sale
Raiders of the Lost Island ($8.31 from $12.99 until 5/24)
Mini Car Racing ($5.59 from $7.99 until 5/27)
Riverbond ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/27)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/27)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Art Sqool ($3.89 from $12.99 until 5/27)
Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl ($13.49 from $14.99 until 5/28)
Warparty ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Joker Poker: Video Poker ($3.74 from $7.49 until 6/1)
War of Stealth: Assassin ($13.48 from $14.98 until 6/1)
Stealth ($4.48 from $4.98 until 6/1)
Sludge Life ($12.74 from $14.99 until 6/2)
Sunless Skies: Sovereign ($22.49 from $24.99 until 6/3)
Our Two Bedroom Story ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/4)
Love Letter from Thief X ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/4)
My Forged Wedding ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/4)
Enchanted in the Moonlight ($13.99 from $19.99 until 6/4)
Star-Crossed Myth ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/4)
Kissed by the Baddest Bidder ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/4)
Tiny Gladiators ($1.99 from $14.99 until 6/7)
Cubicity ($3.00 from $6.00 until 6/8)
0 Degrees ($3.99 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Curling ($3.95 from $5.99 until 6/9)
Invirium ($6.79 from $7.99 until 6/9)
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes ($14.99 from $24.99 until 6/9)
Baila Latino ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/9)
Vaporum ($9.99 from $24.99 until 6/9)
Battle & Crash ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Collide-a-Ball 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Dungeon Shooting ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
The Walking Vegetables: Radical ($3.89 from $12.99 until 6/9)
Animal Hunter Z ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/9)
Crimson Keep ($5.99 from $19.99 until 6/9)
Ping Pong Trick Shot Evolution ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
RIOT: Civil Unrest ($5.99 from $19.99 until 6/9)
Caterpillar Royale ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
The Long Reach ($4.49 from $14.99 until 6/9)
Bingo ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Elemental Knights R ($2.00 from $8.64 until 6/10)
Wicce ($7.19 from $7.99 until 6/10)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 21st
1912: Titanic Mystery ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
All-Star Fruit Racing ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Angels With Scaly Wings ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Anima Gate of Memories ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Anima: GoM Arcane Edition ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/21)
Anima: GoM The Nameless Chronicles ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Aperion Cyberstorm ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Awe ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Blink: Rogues ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Brawl Chess ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Bunny Adventure ($2.10 from $6.00 until 5/21)
Can Androids Pray:Blue ($3.49 from $6.99 until 5/21)
Caveman Tales ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Chess Minimal ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Ciel Fledge: Daughting Raising Sim ($5.49 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Deployment ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Deuces Wild: Video Poker ($3.74 from $7.49 until 5/21)
Down in Bermuda ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Dungeonoid ($2.79 from $3.99 until 5/21)
Dusk Diver ($19.24 from $34.99 until 5/21)
EQQO ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques: HfC ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques: ToT ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Freaky Awesome ($3.89 from $12.99 until 5/21)
Futoshiki Math ($3.49 from $6.99 until 5/21)
Gal*Gun 2 ($16.49 from $29.99 until 5/21)
Gods Remastered ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Gun Gun Pixies ($24.99 from $49.99 until 5/21)
Hell Warders ($3.74 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Infini ($1.99 from $12.00 until 5/21)
Journey of the Broken Circle ($1.99 from $7.99 until 5/21)
Kakurasu World ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/21)
Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Kingdom Tales ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Kingdom Tales 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Kotodama: 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa ($9.89 from $29.99 until 5/21)
Kropki 8 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/21)
Lazy Galaxy: Rebel Story ($5.27 from $7.99 until 5/21)
Leopoldo Manquiseil ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/21)
Let It Roll Slide Puzzle ($3.14 from $4.49 until 5/21)
Liberated: Enhanced ($14.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Lines XL ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/21)
Lydia ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/21)
MazezaM: Puzzle Game ($2.75 from $5.50 until 5/21)
Merchant of the Skies ($9.89 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Muddledash ($2.99 from $5.99 until 5/21)
Myths of Orion: LftN ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Nippon Marathon ($3.74 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Nongunz: Doppelganger Edition ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Our World Is Ended. ($14.99 from $49.99 until 5/21)
Parking Madness ($2.10 from $6.00 until 5/21)
PlataGO! Platform Game Maker ($6.59 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Raging Loop ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/21)
RAZED ($5.99 from $11.99 until 5/21)
RIVE: Ultimate Edition ($2.09 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Root Letter: Last Answer ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/21)
Shikaku Shapes ($3.49 from $6.99 until 5/21)
Soul Searching ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Sudoky ($1.99 from $3.99 until 5/21)
Suicide Guy ($1.99 from $7.99 until 5/21)
Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/21)
Super Crush KO ($8.99 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Supermarket Shriek ($14.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Swap This! ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Swords & Soldiers ($1.99 from $7.49 until 5/21)
Table Soccer Football ($2.99 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Tadpole Treble Encore ($6.74 from $8.99 until 5/21)
Tales from Dragon Mountain ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Tales from Dragon Mountain 2 ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
The Man With The Ivory Cane ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
The Office Quest ($4.19 from $11.99 until 5/21)
Toki Tori ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Toki Tori 2+ ($2.09 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Tokyo School Life ($3.74 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Tower Climb ($2.10 from $6.00 until 5/21)
Ultimate Racing 2D ($2.49 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Up Cliff Drive ($2.10 from $6.00 until 5/21)
Valrithian Arc: Hero School Story ($3.74 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Vampire: The Masquerade CoNY ($8.99 from $19.99 until 5/21)
Vampire: The Masquerade SoNY ($8.44 from $12.99 until 5/21)
Warborn ($16.24 from $24.99 until 5/21)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse HotF ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/21)
Where Angels Cry ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Where Angels Cry: TotF ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
WildTrax Racing ($3.19 from $7.99 until 5/21)
Wordify ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/21)
Zotrix Starglider ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining new releases of the week. Miitopia is leading the charge, but there should be a few other interesting things to check out while we’re at it. I expect we’ll have a bunch of sales to check out, too. At the very least, Hamster should be having a sale on some of its Arcade Archives and ACA NEOGEO releases. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
