Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 19th, 2021. Today is kind of a review-o-rama. I’ve been playing a bunch of games over the last few weeks but have been a lazy bum about writing the reviews of them. Today, I got things done. There are also some new releases to look at, but they’re not really anything to get excited about. Finally, we’ve got some sales to check out, because there are always sales to check out. Let’s get into it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Unavowed ($14.99)
If you’ve played a Wadjet Eye Games adventure before, you probably don’t need me to tell you that you should buy Unavowed. This may be the publisher’s Switch debut, but it has been doing its thing on computers and mobile for fifteen years now. Games like The Blackwell Legacy, Gemini Rue, and Technobabylon have provided high-quality entertainment to adventure game fans, establishing Wadjet Eye as a company to pay attention to. Unavowed, which initially released a few years ago on home computers, may well be its best game yet.
The initial cut-scene allows you organically customize your character in a few different ways, which actually changes the backstory you’re shown and causes a few details to differ as you play. Cool. It also introduces you to some of the key players of the game, along with their excellent voice actors. You were a normal person who got possessed by a demon one day, and for a full year you’ve run amok committing heinous crimes against humanity. You’re brought back to your senses by a duo who represent an organization known as the Unavowed. There’s no way to go back to your old life, so you decide to join their group to help repent.
You’ve joined just in time. Supernatural events are on the rise in New York, and if left unchecked the entire city could fall. Together with the rest of the team, you’ll investigate a variety of cases. As the threads start to weave together and main plot kicks into gear, Unavowed becomes almost impossible to put down. This is an intensely well-written and engaging story, worthy of some of the best of the point-and-click genre. Based on your actions and reactions, you’ll come to one of a handful of different endings. Some are happy enough. Some… are not.
The game’s point-and-click interface has fortunately been well-adapted to a controller layout. That makes it easy to do what you need to and focus instead on solving the game’s many interesting puzzles. The puzzle design in this game is fantastic. Challenging without being ridiculous. Almost completely sensible with the knowledge you have at hand. This is a key element many modern games in this genre mess up, but Unavowed nails it. You’ll also have a lot of conversations where you’ll need to make dialogue choices. Not all of it matters, but some of it does. Think about the kind of character you want to portray before you start running off your mouth too much.
I really appreciate the work put into the characters in this game. They’re distinct, interesting to get to know, and certainly quite memorable. But on top of that, the world itself has a great deal of character. This is meant to be New York, but a New York where a lot of weird things happen between the cracks. Unavowed threads the needle between reality and the supernatural just right, betraying neither side in pursuit of the other. The presentation is superb, with detailed visuals, excellent voice acting, and a solid soundtrack.
Unavowed is one of those rare adventure games that I feel can appeal even to those who are not predisposed to play the genre. Its compelling story, well-developed cast of characters, strong production values, and carefully-designed gameplay mechanics create one of the better adventure game packages I’ve seen this side of Thimbleweed Park. As long as you’re okay with some grisly content (you’re investigating demonic killers, not a theft at the bubblegum factory after all), you should give this game a look. It’s really something special.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Boomerang X ($19.99)
Boomerang X is a cool game. While it starts off relatively simple, giving you a boomerang you can toss and catch, it doesn’t take long before it starts layering on ridiculous, over-the-top maneuvers. Throw your boomerang in the air, then zip to it, then slow down time while you take aim at an enemy’s back. Pop the enemy, call the boomerang back, now zip over to the next batch and take them out with a spread attack. Once you get the hang of it, battles feel like a first-person take on things like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry. Boomerangs: who knew? You’ll also use these powers to make your way from arena to arena, solving light platforming puzzles. While there is a story, it’s not really something you should pay much attention to. The game sure doesn’t. But the environments are at least visually interesting, helping disguise the fact that you’re mostly playing around in the same kinds of spaces.
Boomerang X has great controls, a unique premise, and lots of fun moves to pull off in combat. It’s fun and fast-paced, and you’re constantly getting new tricks to add to your arsenal. If you’re looking for a slick first-person arena battler, I think you’ll have a blast with this one. It’s a game that challenges you to learn it better and master your skills, and even leans into speedrun stuff for those who want to partake of it. That all being said, I kind of wanted something more than just an arena battler from it. The little bits of navigation between battles were tantalizing and I wish the game had built on that. But I’m not going to judge the game for not being something it was never trying to be. It’s a solid action game, and one that will especially appeal to those who appreciate stylish combat.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Indigo 7 Quest For Love ($14.99)
Phew, this game really wants to have a Scott Pilgrim license. Well, whatever. Indigo 7 Quest For Love is a puzzle game with a lot more meat on its bones than you might initially expect. While from screenshots I thought it might be a competitive territory capture game along the lines of Othello, it’s a little more than that. You have pieces of various colors on the field and need to change the color of your pieces to pull in neighboring pieces. The goal is to capture the board within a set number of moves, a certain amount of time, and in some cases, before your opponent does the same with their board. It starts off a little simple, but as more colors and variations come into play, it becomes satisfyingly challenging.
Solo players can dive into a story mode that tells its tale with humorous comic-style cut-scenes. As mentioned, it’s very Scott Pilgrim-inspired. It will run you through a variety of modes as it slowly ramps up the challenge. It’s a good idea to play this first if possible. In the long run, the best part of the game is in its multiplayer. The CPU opponent oscillates between too easy and too tough, but when playing against other humans you can really appreciate the mechanics here. It’s a shame that the multiplayer is limited to local play, as I could see this game thriving online.
Indigo 7 Quest For Love is probably best recommended to enthusiasts of the genre looking for something with fresh mechanics. It also helps if you have a ready supply of local friends willing to play the game with you. I’d also suggest those who enjoyed the story mode of Puyo Puyo Tetris give this game a shot as it does make an effort to provide a well-rounded solo campaign. Those less experienced with the genre may not enjoy it as much, as the difficulty and complexity ramps up considerably as you go. I can’t say I found myself loving the game at any point, but its raw enthusiasm sure made me want to. Still, love isn’t everything. I liked Indigo 7, and perhaps that’s enough.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
World’s End Club ($39.99)
The talent behind this game includes people who worked on titles like Root Double, Danganronpa, and Zero Escape, and if you come in expecting something that rises to that level you’re going to be very disappointed. The story, which involves a group of kids pulled into an apparently lethal game, is interesting from moment to moment but full of silly twists that aren’t well-telegraphed. That said, the game’s true weakness is in its platforming segments. They’re not fun, they’re not challenging, and it feels like they were jammed in there for no real purpose. The game feels like it grinds to a halt every time one of these Act sections comes up.
World’s End Club is an odd thing. It feels like it’s trying to tell a more family-friendly version of the now-common Death Game tale, but in doing so a lot of the tension and fascinating character work is tossed to the side. I like a good twist in a game, but most of the ones in this game just feel like they came out of nowhere. The platforming bits are somewhere between atrocious and irritating. It’s not without its merits, but if you aren’t completely opposed to playing the game on Apple Arcade that is probably the wisest course of action.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Curved Space ($19.99)
There are a few things I really appreciate about Curved Space. One is that it really is a nice-looking game for what it is. The graphics pop nicely, and the unusual geometry of the stages that give the game its name certainly help it stand out in a ridiculously crowded genre. There are lots of weapons to use and a few added mechanics that endeavor to give the game some depth. Sadly I think this is all in service to a game that is kind of dull. The enemy variety just doesn’t create a lot of interesting scenarios, and all the quirky arena layouts don’t do a lot towards that end either. The more I played, the less I wanted to. Still, there is some fun to be had here if you explore all of the modes and can forgive how similar every session feels.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
ASMR Journey – Jigsaw Puzzle ($3.99)
The constant dilemma with these low-priced titles from QUByte is in how fair it is to judge them for being sparse in content. Even keeping the price in mind, however, ASMR Journey feels very slight. You get five animated pictures here to serve as the basis for the jigsaw puzzles, and can play each of them at three different difficulty levels. The extra assists are nice if you get stuck, and you can choose between button or touch controls. Neither control set-up works terribly well, but you can get by. At the end of it all, it just feels like there isn’t enough here to enjoy. Throw in some slightly clunky controls and it’s clear there are better ways to scratch your jigsaw itch on the platform.
SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5
New Releases
Scribbled ($9.99)
A cool visual gimmick is the main thing this platformer has going for it. Unfortunately, that’s about all it has going for it. It’s not very fun to play, but I’ve certainly dealt with worse. I wouldn’t in a million years spend ten dollars on it, but it seems to be launching with a deep discount and I’d imagine that’s where it will be living more often than not. For two dollars, it’s a bit easier to justify a purchase just to gawk at the pencil-drawn graphics.
Dungeon Bricker ($3.99)
It’s been a hot minute since Piotr Skalski’s last release, with his role having been largely overtaken by Benjamin Kistler. His vacation appears to be over, though. Dungeon Bricker sees you trying to brick over the floors of each stage by moving over them. You have to cover the whole floor to move on. There are more than 150 stages to play through. Probably another Unity Asset Store template, but Piotr is a bit better about covering his tracks than the other prolific flingers of low-quality stuff so I can’t say with certainty.
Zoo Dentist ($9.99)
Oh no, tell me we are not going down this road. You know all of those weird dentistry games you see on the App Store? This is one of those kinds of things. Do fillings, cleanings, extractions, and more on a variety of animal characters. The game’s description has some stuff about taking care of our animals and how this game is a good way to teach kids about such things, but I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Well, I won’t judge you if this is what you want to play. Not openly, anyway.
SpaceEx Commander ($4.99)
This is a relatively generic side-scrolling shoot-em-up, the sort where you need to gather experience and cash to upgrade your ships as you go. The presentation isn’t terribly impressive, and the large size of your ships makes it hard to avoid attacks. I don’t want to be unkind about it, but I’m not really sure this game has what it takes to compete in an incredibly crowded genre with so many high-quality entries.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There’s a big list of new sales to look at, but it’s by and large the usual crew. Some select highlights: Terraria, Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S, Tanuki Justice. I’ll let you dig through the rest. The outbox doesn’t have anything too big to worry about, unless you feel like you’re going to need some of those WB games between now and when they go on sale again in a few weeks. Have fun looking for treasure!
Select New Games on Sale
Carnage: Battle Arena ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/23)
City Driving Simulator ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/23)
4×4 Dirt Track ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/23)
Car Driving School Simulator ($6.99 from $13.99 until 7/23)
Terraria ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/24)
Treadnauts ($8.24 from $14.99 until 7/24)
Top Run ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/25)
Silver Falls Episode Prelude ($6.39 from $7.99 until 7/25)
Mahjong Adventure ($4.79 from $7.99 until 7/25)
Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S ($12.60 from $14.00 until 7/26)
Breathing Fear ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Adventure Llama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Lost Grimoires 3 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Dwarf Journey ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/26)
Dead Dungeon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Mad Carnage ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
One Person Story ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/26)
Atomic Heist ($1.99 from $7.99 until 7/26)
Dark Burial ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/26)
Swordbreaker the Game ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Grood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Colorful Colore ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/27)
Pew Paw ($1.99 from $6.99 until 7/27)
Debtor ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/27)
Farabel ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)
Mushroom Quest ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/27)
Skull Rogue ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/27)
FunBox Party ($1.99 from $2.49 until 7/27)
Event Horizon ($1.99 from $5.99 until 7/27)
Tactical Mind ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/27)
The Hong Kong Massacre ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/27)
Horned Knight ($4.19 from $5.99 until 7/30)
Boris The Rocket ($10.04 from $14.99 until 7/31)
My Hidden Things ($4.68 from $6.99 until 7/31)
BDSM ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
HardCube ($2.10 from $7.00 until 7/31)
One Dog Story ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/31)
Mystery Mine ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/31)
Postal Redux ($4.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
The Game is On ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/2)
Retro Fighter: Dragon’s Revenge ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/2)
Drawngeon ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/2)
Windmill Kings ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/2)
Seeders Puzzle Reboot ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/2)
Son of a Witch ($4.99 from $14.99 until 8/2)
Quest for the Golden Duck ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/2)
Rogue Bit ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/2)
Watermelon Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/2)
Moorhuhn Kart 2 ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/2)
Pode ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/2)
Spirit Roots ($1.99 from $6.99 until 8/3)
Sweet Witches ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/3)
Zoo Dentist ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/5)
Graviter ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/6)
Kickerinho World ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Final Light, The Prison ($1.99 from $6.99 until 8/6)
Exorder ($1.99 from $12.99 until 8/6)
Xtreme Club Racing ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Rawr-Off ($1.99 from $2.99 until 8/6)
Nonograms Prophecy ($1.99 from $3.99 until 8/6)
Strike Force Kitty ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Ego Protocol: Remastered ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Alder’s Blood ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/6)
Drag Racing Rivals ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Powertris ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/6)
Tanuki Justice ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/6)
Splashy Cube ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Body of Evidence ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Golden Force ($10.99 from $19.99 until 8/6)
Bob Help Them ($2.99 from $7.99 until 8/6)
Apparition ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Picklock ($2.49 from $7.99 until 8/6)
Destropolis ($3.99 from $5.99 until 8/6)
Make War ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Star Horizon ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Creepy Tale ($3.49 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Pool Pro GOLD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Kids: Farm Coloring ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Connection Haunted ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Connection reHaunted ($3.99 from $6.66 until 8/6)
Basketball Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 8/6)
Squeakers II ($2.09 from $2.99 until 8/6)
Within the Blade ($8.79 from $10.99 until 8/6)
SpaceColorsRunner ($2.39 from $5.99 until 8/6)
Midnight Evil ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Super Arcade Soccer ($2.02 from $6.99 until 8/6)
Pizza Parking ($2.39 from $5.99 until 8/6)
Pixel Action Heroes ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/6)
Color Zen Kids ($3.19 from $3.99 until 8/6)
Cube Life: Island Survival ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/6)
Green Game: TimeSwapper ($2.00 from $2.99 until 8/6)
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/6)
Bounce Mania ($1.99 from $3.99 until 8/6)
Tower of Babel ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/6)
Pirates: All Aboard! ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/6)
Crash Drive 2 ($1.99 from $8.99 until 8/7)
Marooners ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/7)
LocO-SportS ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/7)
Journey of the Broken Circle ($4.80 from $8.00 until 8/7)
Scribbled ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/7)
Lydia ($1.99 from $3.99 until 8/7)
EQQO ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/7)
3D Air Hockey ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/7)
NecroWorm ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/8)
Liberated ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 20th
Almost There: The Platformer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
Bakugan: CoV ($14.99 from $49.99 until 7/20)
Beast Quest ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Breakpoint ($2.44 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Captain Cat ($2.09 from $6.99 until 7/20)
Cars 3: Driven to Win ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/20)
Circuits ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Cozy Grove ($13.44 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Crimson Keep ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Croc’s World 3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Deer Drive Legends ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Degrees of Separation ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Deleveled ($4.48 from $9.99 until 7/20)
Fates of Ort ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Fracter ($3.41 from $6.99 until 7/20)
Get Over Here ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Gurgamoth ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
Jump, Step, Step ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/20)
King Lucas ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/20)
LEGO City Undercover ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/20)
LEGO DC Super-Villains ($11.99 from $59.99 until 7/20)
LEGO Jurassic World ($9.99 from $39.99 until 7/20)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 7/20)
LEGO NinjaGO Movie Video Game ($9.99 from $49.99 until 7/20)
LEGO The Incredibles ($11.99 from $59.99 until 7/20)
LEGO Worlds ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/20)
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/20)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($14.99 from $49.99 until 7/20)
Override 2: Super Mech League ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/20)
Path to Mnemosyne ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
RIOT: Civil Unrest ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break ($7.49 from $29.99 until 7/20)
Roundguard ($8.79 from $19.99 until 7/20)
Scribblenauts Mega Pack ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/20)
Scribblenauts Showdown ($3.99 from $39.99 until 7/20)
Space Otter Charlie ($11.22 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Spell Casting: Purrfectly Portable ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
Super Skelemania ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
The Ambassador: FT ($5.98 from $14.99 until 7/20)
The Bridge ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/20)
The Long Reach ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/20)
The Walking Vegetables: Radical ($2.59 from $12.99 until 7/20)
Train Station Simulator ($4.39 from $21.99 until 7/20)
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince ($7.49 from $29.99 until 7/20)
Troll & I ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/20)
Tumblestone ($1.99 from $14.99 until 7/20)
Vaporum ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/20)
WeakWood Throne ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/20)
Winds of Change ($17.99 from $19.99 until 7/20)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with some new releases worth caring about, along with a couple more reviews. There may be some news, there should be some sales, you know how this song and dance goes by now. I hope you all have an excellent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
