Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 24th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got a bunch of new releases for you to check out. Square Enix’s enchanting remake of the quirky Legend of Mana leads the charge, with the exciting action of CarX Drift Racing Online coming in hot on its tail. Like cheap visual novels? There are a few new ones today. Turn-based tactical RPGs? Two of those! Platform games revolving around swinging mechanics? A couple of those as well. All of that, plus the lists of new and outgoing sales. Let’s go!
New Releases
Legend of Mana ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
You know, I appreciate that Square Enix is rereleasing some of its older games that had mixed receptions. Sometimes the context just wasn’t right for some of these games to hit right, and I’m hoping that’s the case with Legend of Mana. This is actually a very good game whose biggest crime is being a very un-Secret of Mana-like game that, in the West, was the first follow-up to Secret of Mana. Is this a weird, unconventional action-RPG? You bet. There’s very little traditional about it. But give it some of your time and patience, and I think you might find the heart in it the way I did a few years ago. The game already looked and sounded great in its original form, but this remastered version has cranked up the presentation as much as possible without actually doing a full remake. It’s not going to be for everyone, but those that click with it will find something truly special.
CarX Drift Racing Online ($39.90)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The game that managed the rare trick of pleasing both mobile and PC gamers makes the hop to the Nintendo Switch. As the title says, it’s all about the drift racing. And it is also online, so that checks out. There are more than seventy cars to choose from here, with multiple set-ups for each. You can customize the cars using bodykits or by picking from over a thousand parts, and even paint your car and make vinyls. But that’s all set dressing, really. The important thing is how the driving feels, and yes, this feels rather good to play. The price may seem a little high, but keep in mind there are no microtransactions here. If you want to get a taste before plunking down your cash, you can try one of the free-to-play mobile games in the series. But basically, if you enjoy doing stupid drifts around corners like you’re driving a cow on ice skates, you’ll almost certainly get into what this is laying down.
Arcade Archives Shingen Samurai-Fighter ($7.99)
Here’s another Arcade Archives release that I can admit I have never heard of. This one is from Jaleco, and originally released in 1988. It’s a very early example of the beat-em-up genre where you play as a samurai warrior. You can jump or attack left or right, similar to Double Dragon 2 or Renegade. There are also some bonus stages where you’re riding a horse and trying to hit targets with arrows. It’s about as rough as you would expect from an early game in this genre. Hamster has done its usual fine work of bringing the game to the Switch, naturally.
Kirakira Stars Idol Project Nagisa ($10.00)
Ah, I see. This is a series now. Alright, then. This is follow-up to visual novel Kirakira Stars Idol Project Ai, and continues the adventures of idol producer Nobuyuki and his friend-turned-idol Ai. It picks up six months after the events of the first game, and sees the pair coming into contact with the top idol, Nagisa Yukihiro. A turn of events leads to Ai joining in on an idol festival named DivaFes. Follow the story of Nobuyuki and Ai taking the next step on her idol journey, and get to know the cute and talented Nagisa along the way. If you enjoyed the first one, you’ll probably want to play this. If you haven’t played it, this is likely a poor place to start. That’s probably all the info needed, I think.
Farm For Your Life ($19.99)
Heck, that sounds ominous. Better get farming, buddy. You won’t like what happens if you don’t. Okay, I was just joking but it turns out that there is a darker theme to this game. A heavy storm hit your community and somehow triggered a zombie apocalypse? Sure, fine. Whatever gets us to the fireworks factory. You have to set up a farm and manage a restaurant in order to sustain life for you and yours. And yes, you will also have to deal with the undead from time to time. By throwing vegetables and stuff at them, it seems. Weird. You’re a weird game, Farm For Your Life. But you are also slow, bad at explaining yourself, and for whatever reason double the price on Switch that you are on other platforms.
Cube Blast: Match ($18.00)
This is a port of isTom Games’s mobile release of the same name, a free-to-play matching puzzle game that takes the whole Pet Rescue/Toon Blast concept and adds a third dimension. Except this version doesn’t have any microtransactions and instead costs eighteen bucks up front. In spite of its twist, the game still very much plays like other games of this ilk, even down to the power-ups and reliance on a bit of luck to pass some stages. I’m sure it’s fine, but you don’t lose much of the experience by playing on mobile so I don’t really know why you would pay so much to have it on your Switch.
Sakura Succubus 3 ($9.99)
I guess these are selling well enough on Switch, because here’s the third in the Sakura Succubus series. Like with the others, all of the really naughty scenes have been excised from this version. There’s a little bit of risque stuff still in here, but if you want the dirty birdie stuff you’ll have to get the PC version. Anyway, this visual novel sees you kidnapped by the Queen of the Succubi. Maybe she just wants to play Skip-Bo? Probably not, but I don’t like to make assumptions about people based on their job titles. Can the protagonist escape the Queen? Does he even want to?
Empire of Angels IV ($19.99)
I reviewed this turn-based tactical RPG in its mobile form about four years ago. I found it rather bland, with a low level of difficulty and a nigh-unintelligible localization. This new console release from eastasiasoft solves one of those problems. The story has actually been translated into proper English now, and it does make a little difference. Unfortunately, the other two issues persist and it costs more than twice the price here than it does on the App Store. Still, if you’re looking for a lighter game in this genre and are into the idea of knocking the clothes off of your opponents, this could be your ticket.
Lovekami -Useless Goddess- ($14.99)
Useless goddesses are all the rage in anime and manga thanks to KonoSuba. People just can’t get enough of the combination of phenomenal cosmic power and itty-bitty common sense. This visual novel, set in the same universe as the previous Lovekami game, centers around one such useless goddess. The protagonist Sho stumbles across an Aragami, a goddess who causes mischief and other troubles. He decides he’s going to help rehabilitate her, a job that is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Well, you can probably guess how this all goes. As with the previous game, the art here looks pretty good even if the story isn’t at risk of winning any awards.
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos – Chicken Edition ($44.99)
If you’re on the hunt for a new turn-based tactical RPG, don’t mind if it’s nothing particularly special, have a high threshold for terrible jokes, and have forty-five bucks to spare, The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos might be for you. You have a team of seven characters, each with their own skill tree to unlock. You have to make your way through a huge dungeon filled with more than one hundred different types of enemies, including some very challenging bosses that will put your tactics and patience to the test. It leans heavily into humor, and as always with that kind of thing some of it sticks and some of it doesn’t. Apart from the generally average feel of most elements of the game, some players may also find its difficulty balance to be a bit severe at times. Not bad, just a bit of a tough sell at the price it’s asking, in my opinion.
Summer Paws ($4.99)
Need something to chill with? Summer Paws might be what you’re looking for right now. There are eighteen different island scenes, and you need to find all of the cats in them. There are 100 cats to find in total, plus some extra goodies to watch for in the form of sea shells. Some of the cats are easy to spot, others will require a bit of looking. There’s no real pressure involved with any of this, so you don’t have to worry about timers or anything. I think it’s at just the right price for what it is.
Super Cable Boy ($14.99)
The swing is the thing today, it seems. This stylish 2D platformer sees you playing as a little Game Boy-looking fellow with a cable that you can use for various purposes. You’re making your way through a glitchy world of weird and challenging obstacles. Please note: if you are photosensitive, this game is absolutely not safe. It’s very flashy, to the point that it bothered me a bit in places. And I’m generally not photosensitive, so keep it in mind. Setting that aside, this is a very well-made platformer. Level designs are interesting, challenging, and fun. It keeps tossing out new ideas and set-ups to engage you throughout the game.
Cyber Hook ($14.99)
Swinging, speedrunning, and parkour. That’s what Cyber Hook seems to be about at first, and while it’s sticking to that stuff it is quite fun. It gets a lot more demanding at a certain point and you’re either going to love that or hate it. Well, I’ll be reviewing this so I’ll leave that for then. The important thing is that this is a 3D platformer with an emphasis on making your way through levels as fast as you can, pulling off tricky maneuvers using your momentum and your trusty hook. Everything is all painted up in a spiffy neon look, if that’s something you’re not tired of by now. I find it a bit frustrating but you may feel differently.
Trove (Free)
This is a dungeon crawling MMO with a Minecraft-inspired look. It’s a relatively simple and straightforward example of its genre, and as such might be a good choice for someone just getting into the world of MMOs. That simplicity that rests at its core will be a boon for some but a bore for others. Certainly, it’s a game where you’re better popping in for a quick session here and there rather than hunkering down for hours at a time. And yes, it is going to shake you down to spend some money after a bit. Somewhat aggressively, in fact. But you don’t have to take my word for it. The game is free, try it out for yourself if you think it looks fun.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Some good stuff in the list today, friends. Return of the Obra Dinn is an amazing adventure game. Falcom’s RPGs are a treat if you’re looking for some long-lasting flavor. The fighters and brawlers of Arc System Works are a good time, and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin just got a great update. You can dual-wield dogs and cats now! Maximum fluff! By contrast, the outbox is rather big but not all that interesting. You should look through it anyway because tastes may vary, but most of it will be back around before long.
Select New Games on Sale
Return of the Obra Dinn ($14.99 from $19.99 until 7/1)
Under Leaves ($7.79 from $12.99 until 7/1)
Roundguard ($8.81 from $19.99 until 7/4)
LoH: Trails of Cold Steel III ($32.99 from $59.99 until 7/5)
LoH: Trails of Cold Steel IV ($47.99 from $59.99 until 7/5)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA ($19.99 from $59.99 until 7/5)
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin ($27.99 from $39.99 until 7/7)
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid ($12.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Double Dragon ($3.50 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Double Dragon II: The Revenge ($3.50 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Double Dragon III: Sacred Stones ($3.50 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Double Dragon 4 ($3.50 from $6.99 until 7/8)
Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Bundle ($20.00 from $39.99 until 7/8)
River City Ransom ($3.50 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Super Dodge Ball ($3.50 from $4.99 until 7/8)
River City Melee Mach!! ($4.80 from $13.99 until 7/8)
Stay Cool, Kobayashi-san! ($5.60 from $13.99 until 7/8)
Tiny Metal ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Kill la Kill -IF ($10.00 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Damascus Gear Operation Osaka ($2.40 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Of Mice and Sand Revised ($6.69 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Blazblue Cross Tag Battle ($5.00 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Blazblue Centralfiction SE ($19.50 from $49.99 until 7/8)
Chaos Code: New Sign of Catastrophe ($6.70 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Mononoke Slashdown ($4.20 from $6.99 until 7/8)
Family Tennis SP ($4.20 from $6.99 until 7/8)
Code Shifter ($4.50 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Tokyo Dark Remembrance ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
The Midnight Sanctuary ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Alternate Jake Hunter: Daedalus ($4.80 from $39.99 until 7/8)
The Missing: JJ Macfield ($10.20 from $29.99 until 7/8)
Necrosphere Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/8)
BATTLLOON ($3.49 from $6.99 until 7/8)
Worldend Syndrome ($16.00 from $39.99 until 7/8)
Guilty Gear ($6.90 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R ($9.80 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Lovekami -Useless Goddess- ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Bamerang ($5.59 from $6.99 until 7/9)
Fight of Gods ($9.09 from $12.99 until 7/9)
Fight of Animals ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/9)
Gerritory ($5.59 from $7.99 until 7/9)
Dungeon and Puzzles ($6.69 from $9.99 until 7/9)
Charterstone: Digital ($17.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
Istanbul: Digital ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/9)
Our Two Bedroom Story ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
My Forged Wedding ($17.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
Love Letter From Thief X ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
Kissed by the Baddest Bidder ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
Enchanted in the Moonlight ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/9)
Eight-Minute Empire: Complete ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/9)
Star-Crossed Myth ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/9)
Build a Bridge! ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/11)
Bridge Builder Adventure ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/11)
Fire: Ungh’s Quest ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/14)
Mainlining ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/14)
Stranded Sails: EotCI ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/14)
Spirit of the North ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/14)
The Count Lucanor ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/14)
Cast of the Seven Godsends ($2.59 from $12.99 until 7/14)
Anna’s Quest ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/14)
Jenny LeClue Detectivu ($4.99 from $24.99 until 7/15)
Break Dot ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/15)
Space Commander: War & Trade ($7.49 from $9.99 until 7/15)
Karma Knight ($3.59 from $8.99 until 7/15)
Battojutsu ($3.99 from $4.99 until 7/15)
Madoris R ($4.00 from $5.00 until 7/15)
Epistory: Typing Chronicles ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/15)
Sushi Reversi ($9.99 from $13.99 until 7/15)
Empire of Angels IV ($17.99 from $19.99 until 7/15)
Refreshing Sideways Puzzle Ghost Hammer ($16.79 from $27.99 until 7/15)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, June 25th
4×4 Dirt Track ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/25)
7 Years From Now ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
911 Operator ($1.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
911 Operator Deluxe ($2.99 from $21.99 until 6/25)
Animal Doctor ($15.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Astro Bears ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/25)
Basketball Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 6/25)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
BE-A Walker ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Blue Fire ($13.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Car Driving School Simulator ($6.99 from $13.99 until 6/25)
Carnage: Battle Arena ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
City Driving Simulator ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/25)
Clue: Classic Mystery Game ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/25)
Cooking Simulator: Pizza ($13.49 from $14.99 until 6/25)
Daylife in Japan: Pixel Jigsaw ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/25)
Donuts’n’Justice ($3.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Earthworms ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/25)
Firefighters: Airport FD ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Firefighters: Airport Heroes ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Firefighters: The Simulation ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Fledgling Heroes ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Forestry: The Simulation ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Galactic Trooper Armada ($2.99 from $5.99 until 6/25)
Gnomes Garden: Lost King ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Half Dead ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Hamster Bob ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Happy Animals Bowling ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Joe’s Diner ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Jumping Stack Ball ($2.59 from $3.99 until 6/25)
Mad Games Tycoon ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Mad Tower Tycoon ($11.99 from $29.99 until 6/25)
Mars Power Industries ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/25)
Moorhuhn Wanted ($5.59 from $6.99 until 6/25)
Mountain Rescue Simulator ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Pineview Drive ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Professional Construction: The Sim ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Professional Farmer ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Professional Farmer: American Dream ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Rigid Force Redux ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Rotund Takeoff ($4.79 from $7.99 until 6/25)
Safety First! ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/25)
Slime-san ($4.79 from $11.99 until 6/25)
Soccer, Tactics & Glory ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Space Blaze ($11.99 from $29.99 until 6/25)
Space Elite Force ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/25)
Spooky Chase ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/25)
SturmFront The Mutant War ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
Super Arcade Soccer ($2.02 from $6.99 until 6/25)
Super Soccer Blast: America VS Europe ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
The Adv. of 00 Dilly ($5.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/25)
The Coma Recut ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/25)
The Game of Life 2 ($23.99 from $29.99 until 6/25)
The Way Remastered ($1.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
TheNightfall ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/25)
Tinker Racers ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Unhatched ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
Vasara Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/25)
VSR: Void Space Racing ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/25)
War Solution: Casual Math Game ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/25)
Zombie Scrapper ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/25)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with another batch of tasty releases, including Mario Golf: Super Rush and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 among others. If there’s any major news, we’ll try to touch on that. There should be a bunch of new sales as well, but given the size of the sale that ended a few days ago, I’m not sure what precisely to expect. Well, I guess we’ll see. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
