Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 4th, 2021. In today’s article, we’re taking a look at the remaining new releases for the week. The big title is Nintendo’s DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power, with the rest of the line-up largely made up of indies of varying degrees of quality. In addition, the ever-present lists of new and expiring sales are here for you to look over and consider. Let’s go!
New Releases
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power ($59.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah, this is out today. Nintendo hasn’t exactly made a lot of noise about it, but I guess that was how they played Ultimate Alliance 3 too. So I’ve had a little time with this, and I think fans of the show will like it. I don’t seeing pushing out beyond that audience, but it’s okay. It almost feels PlayStation 2-ish in its design sensibilities. Use three Super Hero Girls (Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Supergirl) and their special abilities to save Metropolis from a bunch of Super-Villains. There are various missions to complete and lots of battles to fight. I’m not sure if I’ll be reviewing this one or not yet, but perhaps.
Nature Matters ($4.99)
This game came out a while ago on mobile, and it seems to have gone over fairly well with those who played it. You’re a spirit of nature in search of her caretaker, a young boy who has grown up to be a less-than-caring adult. Each stage sees you trying to “paint" all of the tiles, which isn’t exactly the newest concept under the sun. But the presentation and general vibe of the game help it a lot. The difficulty ramps up at a nice pace, too. You can save a few bucks by buying this for your mobile device, but I don’t think five dollars is a lot to ask for what it offers.
Hero Pop ($7.99)
Oh look, another garish knock-off of King’s knock-off of Taito’s Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move. Play as a superhero who has the power to chuck colored bubbles upward. Pop bubbles, save what appears to be super-babies, and make use of limited power-ups when needed. There are 200 levels to play in this game. For the exact same price, you can buy the real Puzzle Bobble via Arcade Archives and have a much better experience. Well, you know my feelings on the matter.
Basketball Pinball ($2.99)
SuperPowerUpGames has another generic pinball game for you, this time themed around basketball. It’s another very simple design, and I doubt they’ve improved the mechanics much from the previous pinball games they’ve released. But hey, four different camera angles and an online leaderboard. I’m going to say that if you had fun with any of this publisher’s other pinball games, you’ll probably find this to be in line with them. But Pinball FX3 is right over there. Tables are a bit more expensive but so much better.
Tiny Lands ($5.99)
This is a 3D, animated take on those old “spot the differences" puzzles. You’re given two versions of a scene side-by-side, and you need to find the differences. To do that, you’ll have to adjust the angles to look around the 3D objects so that you can take a careful look at everything. There seems to be a fair number of scenes included here, so if you love doing these kinds of puzzles or just want something low-pressure to chill with, this could be for you.
Arcane Arts Academy ($7.99)
You know Diner Dash? This is pretty much Diner Dash, but replace the food serving with orders for magic stuff. Same kind of time management gameplay, a vaguely similar graphical style, and some story bits to stitch it all together. You can play this one for free on mobile, so feel free to give it a try there before deciding if you want to throw down eight bucks on the largely identical Switch version. At least there’s no IAPs or ads in this one, right?
Sweet Bakery Tycoon ($4.99)
The master of cheap reskinned food prep games is back, and this time revenge is going to be sweet. Yeah, it’s Baltoro Games with another one of these. The theme is a bakery/patisserie this time, but otherwise it’s exactly what we’ve seen in other games from this developer. Customer has an order, you need to prepare it before they get mad and leave. Easy enough until you have multiple customers to deal with. I don’t know. It’s not like Baltoro does a bad job with these. They’re just all very similar. If you want another one, here it is.
Donuts’n’Justice ($4.99)
This is a scrolling shoot-em-up with a 1980s buddy cop theme. It’s about one hour long, but it’s a pretty fun hour. Enemies are bullet sponges, so if you don’t care for that kind of set-up consider yourself warned. You can play with another player via local multiplayer mode if you like. While the game is quite brief, it does throw a bit of variety in there like bosses and car chases. Pretty fun for the price, and well worth it if you enjoy arcade action games.
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom ($39.99)
Whoa, the last kids on Earth? That’s probably not good! Please be careful, kids. Wait, they’re battling zombies and other monsters in an action-RPG adventure? Oh, that’s not safe at all. The kids are apparently on a quest to make sure some evil person named Malondre doesn’t get the Staff of Doom. I’m not sure what that staff does, but the name doesn’t bode well. Explore the streets, battle enemies with each kid’s unique skills, and upgrade all of your stuff to become an elite zombie-killing force that cannot legally drink alcohol. I guess this is a licensed game, and it looks okay in that context.
Conglomerate 451: Overloaded ($9.99)
Interesting. This is a first-person dungeon-crawler with a cyberpunk setting, which is a mix of flavors I haven’t actually seen before. It’s turn-based and grid-based, in the vein of things like Dungeon Master or Vaporum. Reviews on the non-Overloaded version of the game on other platforms generally assess the game as being okay at best, with the combat and character building being low points. Given the price, as long as this Overloaded version fixes up a few things I could see it being of interest to fans of the genre. I’ll have to give it a closer look.
Skellboy Refractured ($20.00)
I guess today’s the day for second chances, eh? First thing’s first: if you already own the original Skellboy, this should show up as 100% free for you. Always nice when a publisher can swing that. The list of improvements and additions include: performance improvements, a local two-player co-op mode, a new randomized dungeon, a Refractured mode that serves as something of a Second Quest, a whole bunch of new items, and a new map with new areas to explore. I felt like the original game had potential but there were enough flaws to bring it down. We’ll see how I feel about this improved version.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
You know, I actually expected more new sales than this. Well, what can you do? A lot of the usual games, but I’d like to call attention to the enjoyable RPG 9th Dawn III and the interesting feature phone port of Zanac. The weekend outbox is also rather short. I think we might get away without spending too much today, friends. And that’s a good thing, because E3 sales are likely right around the corner.
Select New Games on Sale
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/10)
Mordheim: Warband Skirmish ($12.50 from $25.00 until 6/10)
Ultrawings Flat ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/10)
Stunt Kite Party ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Talisman: Digital Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
The House of Da Vinci 2 ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Mad Carnage ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/14)
Crayon Shinchan Flaming Kasukabe Runner ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/14)
Dead Dungeon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/14)
Atomic Heist ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/14)
One Person Story ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/14)
Dark Burial ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/14)
WeakWood Throne ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/14)
Boot Hill Heroes ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/15)
Boot Hill Bounties ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/15)
Grood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/15)
Pew Paw ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/15)
Farabel ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/15)
Mushroom Quest ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/15)
FunBox Party ($1.99 from $2.49 until 6/15)
Event Horizon ($1.99 from $5.99 until 6/15)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 6/17)
Don’t Die, Mr Robot ($2.24 from $8.99 until 6/17)
Three Fourths Home: Extended ($2.24 from $8.99 until 6/17)
Ink ($2.24 from $8.99 until 6/17)
Paranautical Activity ($2.39 from $7.99 until 6/17)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($2.99 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Spectrum ($2.39 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Hacky Zack ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Shikhondo Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 6/17)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Pipe Push Paradise ($2.74 from $10.99 until 6/17)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 6/17)
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner ($11.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Aquatic Adv. of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 6/17)
Glass Masquerade ($3.59 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Tower of Time ($16.24 from $24.99 until 6/17)
Glass Masquerade 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Underhero ($10.19 from $16.99 until 6/17)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/17)
Unto The End ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/17)
Signs of the Soujourner ($14.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Stacks On Stacks (On Stacks) ($14.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
9th Dawn III ($8.79 from $15.99 until 6/18)
1971 Project Helios ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/18)
Moonfall Ultimate ($6.49 from $12.99 until 6/18)
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles ($14.09 from $29.99 until 6/18)
Don’t Knock Twice ($6.24 from $12.49 until 6/18)
Lost Artifacts ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/18)
Cycle 28 ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/18)
Headspun ($6.49 from $12.99 until 6/18)
Spice & Wolf VR ($14.99 from $24.99 until 6/19)
Spice & Wolf VR2 ($17.49 from $24.99 until 6/19)
Archaica: The Path of Light ($3.49 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Techno Tanks ($3.34 from $4.99 until 6/21)
Sweet Bakery Tycoon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/24)
G-Mode Archives29 Zanac ($3.74 from $4.99 until 6/24)
80’s Overdrive ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
The Bullet: Time of Revenge ($2.24 from $4.49 until 6/24)
Hidden ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Fight ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Dogfight ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Negative: The Way of Shinobi ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/24)
Night Vision ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Survival ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Guitar ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ($20.99 from $29.99 until 6/24)
Kuukiyomi: Consider It! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 6/24)
Pooplers ($3.59 from $8.99 until 6/24)
Midnight Evil ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Monkey Business ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Strikey Sisters ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Earthlock ($5.98 from $29.90 until 6/24)
Super Volley Blast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($1.99 from $34.99 until 6/24)
The First Tree ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Green Game: TimeSwapper ($2.00 from $2.99 until 6/24)
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/24)
Mars Power Industries ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/25)
BE-A Walker ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
The Way Remastered ($1.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
VSR: Void Space Racing ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Earthworms ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/25)
Moorhuhn Wanted ($5.59 from $6.99 until 6/25)
911 Operator ($1.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
911 Operator Deluxe ($2.99 from $21.99 until 6/25)
Hamster Bob ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Unhatched ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Astro Bears ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/25)
Jumping Stack Ball ($2.59 from $3.99 until 6/25)
Super Soccer Blast: America VS Europe ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Ace Strike ($2.79 from $3.99 until 6/5)
America Wild Hunting ($2.79 from $3.99 until 6/5)
Olympic Table Tennis ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/5)
Space Grunts ($4.19 from $13.99 until 6/5)
Super Arcade Racing ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/5)
140 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/6)
Bounce Mania ($2.79 from $3.99 until 6/6)
Bridge Builder Adventure ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/6)
Build a Bridge! ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/6)
Fobia ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/6)
Rainbows, Toilets & Unicorns ($4.19 from $6.99 until 6/6)
Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/6)
THOTH ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/6)
Turbo Skiddy Racing ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/6)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week to face the upcoming onslaught of releases like Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Alchemist Adventure, and more. As we edge ever closer to E3, I expect the rumors will fly wildly and among them a few bits of real news. Well, that’s a matter for next week. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
