Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 12th, 2021. Hey, that Indie World Showcase yesterday was really cool, wasn’t it? Lots of nice-looking games, several of which released on the spot. I recommend checking out the video on Nintendo’s channel if you haven’t. I’d summarize it all for you, but I suddenly had twice as many games to write about today. That’s what the bulk of today’s article is about, friends. We’ve also got the usual lists of sales for you to look at, if you need more to spend money on today for some reason. Let’s go!
New Releases
Axiom Verge 2 ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Oh my, Axiom Verge 2 is here. The first game was a very solid Metroid-like game that played with the fourth wall of game design in a lot of interesting ways. This second game promises to explore the origins of what we saw in that first game, and while I haven’t had a chance to play this yet I fully expect it to find new and interesting ways to push out the exploratory platformer space. I don’t hit that buy button at the literal first second often, friends. But I had no trouble doing that here just on the basis of how good the first one was. I’ll let you know if it has me literally jumping for joy after I spend the weekend playing it.
Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yes, this game has a strong hook to it. It’s kind of a farming game, but you’re wrangling slimes along with growing crops and such. As you make more money and gather rewards, you’ll be able to invest in your ranch and gear, allowing you to push out and explore more of the strange alien world you’re on. That will help find more slimes, which will earn you more money, and… okay, you know how this goes. It’s a solid enough game if you don’t mind falling into some video game quicksand for a few days. Seriously hard to put down. And hey, how can you not love those slimes? Adorable.
Fire Tonight ($5.99)
An isometric puzzle game with a strong sense of style, Fire Tonight sees a young couple trying to reunite during a city-wide power outage caused by rampaging fires. Since the game is set in 1990, they can’t just use their smartphones to coordinate. You have to guide one of the pair, Maya, through the streets of the city to get to her boyfriend Devin’s apartment. There are items to collect, puzzles to solve, and Walkmans to keep putting batteries into. It’s a relatively short game all told, and it doesn’t really spend as much time on its story and characters as you might like. Still, the price is reasonable and it’s a decent enough way to spend a quiet evening.
Poker Champion: Texas Hold’em ($9.99)
Here’s a single-player Texas Hold’em Poker game where you can compete in a variety of tournaments against computer players. I wish I had more to say about this game, but we’ve covered so many poker games already over the years and there isn’t a whole lot unique or unusual about this one. With all that in mind, I’m just going to move along now.
Fhtagn! – Tales of the Creeping Madness ($7.99)
This is a text-based adventure game for up to four players in local multiplayer. Each player controls a cultist who wants to unleash an Ancient Horror on the world. Visit various locations in Arkham, battle your enemies, and make careful choices to bring about the end of the world. You can work together with the other players or try to hinder each other if you like. A last-minute betrayal could certainly be on the menu if that’s the way you’re feeling. It has a board game feel to it, as you have a set number of rounds to visit locations and build up the necessary stats to use the ritual items needed for the summoning. You can play it alone, but it absolutely shines with other players. If you have friends or family members willing to join in, do give it a shot.
Links Puzzle ($2.99)
Imagine being Benjamin Kistler today. There are, like, ten or twelve really cool games on today’s release list, and a few of them are reasonably priced to boot. And yet here ol’ Benny rolls in with an Android template he picked up from the Unity Asset Store for $10.99 that can only be played in handheld mode, a simple puzzle game where you link pieces to complete each stage. There are apparently one hundred and fifty stages to play, so that’s something. Mr. Kistler only needs to sell about six copies of this to make a profit, so you can see why he does this kind of thing.
Foreclosed ($19.99)
This is a very cool-looking action-adventure game from Antab Studio, the developer behind the rather decent Gridd: Retroenhanced. As such, I have some faith that they’ve pulled off what looks like a fairly ambitious but achievable goal. It’s a cyberpunk adventure with action combat, and a bunch of neat skills to use. Use telekinesis to toss around enemies, chuck objects at them, or even overheat their implants to cook their heads. It certainly looks the part, but given the scale of what it seems to be attempting it really could go either way gameplay-wise. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, so I can’t say where it has landed at the moment.
Dinosaur Fossil Puzzles ($5.00)
This game is made up of two parts. In the first you have to dig up the fossils. Use your pickaxe and break the rock panels to reveal the fossil panels. After that, you head to the second part of the game. Arrange the fossil panels to create the proper image of the dinosaur. The game also includes information on various dinosaurs, adding an extra layer of educational benefit. Might be a fun one to play with the kids if you’re looking for something with a bit of learning to it, and I sure can’t argue with the price.
Mary Kay Andrews: The Fixer Upper ($9.99)
Well that’s not a nice thing to say about Ms. Andrews. I’m sure she’s perfectly fine as she is. Oh, I see. That’s a writer’s name. From the title you might think this is one of those games where you renovate stuff for money or whatever, but it’s actually a hidden object adventure game. A woman loses everything when she is caught up in a political scandal. Without any options, she’s forced to take up her father’s offer to fix up an old family home he inherited. Ah, rich people problems. There are mini-games to play, and plenty of hidden objects to find. Not the usual sort of hidden object game story-wise, but that’s alright sometimes.
Tetragon ($14.99)
Feel like a slick-looking puzzle-platformer about messing with gravity? I know, we have a lot of those. But here’s one more. Rotate the rooms, manipulate towers, and do some careful climbing to solve each of the game’s forty-plus levels. You play as a father who is trying to find his lost son, which is admittedly another thing we see a lot in games. Oh, but you’re apparently a lumberjack. That’s kind of new! Well, you’re either in the mood for one of these or you’re not. I’ll leave it to you to decide where you’re at with this one.
One Deck Dungeon ($9.99)
This is a conversion of a physical card game that did a nice job of giving the roguelike experience on a tabletop. The developer of this digital has put it on other platforms before, including mobile, and each version has been quite well-suited to the respective platform. Choose one of nine heroes and try to make your way through seven deadly challenges with just a deck of cards and some dice. A fairly enjoyable solo experience if you’re looking for something a little different from the usual roguelite adventure.
Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins ($12.99)
As you can probably guess from the screenshot, this is a port of a mobile game. It’s a good one, though. It picks up from the episode Blink during the David Tennant run of the show, telling an original story about the Weeping Angels that works quite well. Solve puzzles, investigate clues, and make choices to see if you can figure out the answers in this found-phone mystery game. Jodie Whittaker makes an appearance as the voice of the Doctor, but you’re working with a character named Petronella Osgood for much of the story. I tend to prefer games like these on my mobile device since they’re obviously designed around that device in an immersive way, but if you want to play it on your Switch, here it is.
Boyfriend Dungeon ($19.99)
Sure, why not? This is an action-RPG dungeon crawler, but it’s also a dating sim. Nothing too odd about that so far, I suppose. But you aren’t trying to date people in this one. Not even, like, cat-people or dragon-people. Oh no, in this one, you’re dating your weapon. Romance one of nine different weapons, each with their own personality. The plot has you clearing creatures out of a dungeon as a summer job. While you’re there, you meet some weapons that can turn into handsome guys and lovely ladies. They are single, so are you, and that’s all we need. A strange game, but it seems to be decent enough gameplay-wise and the unusual premise helps it stand out even further.
Garden Story ($19.99)
So this is an action-RPG where you play as a grape. It’s very cute and uses lots of soft colors, giving it a refreshing look and feel. You need to battle the Rot, be a hero to the locals, and help rebuild your home with the help of a veritable fruit salad of friends. Help people with their problems and invest in both the infrastructure and community of The Grove, and your efforts will be rewarded. I’ll be doing a review of this one as soon as I can, you know, finish it. If you need further details I suggest waiting until then. But if you just need a cute-looking game with quality puns, you probably don’t need to wait for me.
Islanders ($4.99)
Here’s the lowest-price offering from today’s Indie World Showcase shadow-drops, but don’t take that to mean you shouldn’t pay it any mind. This is a fairly simple yet somehow compelling building game where you build little cities on islands. The tools are easy to use, and it only takes about a half hour to build up each one. Once you’re finished, you just move on to the next island and start again. SimCity this isn’t, but if you’re looking for something to sink a little relaxation time into, you could do a lot worse than this. Especially for a mere fiver.
Necrobarista – Final Pour – ($21.99)
Hey, it’s another Apple Arcade game making its way over to the Switch. In a special cafe, the dead are allowed one last chance to hang out with the living. The story follows a variety of characters as they talk about life, death, and the ethics of necromancy. Just to be clear, this isn’t a coffee-themed answer to VA-11 Hall-A and in spite of its similar premise it’s also not much like Spiritfarer, either. Rather, this is more or less a visual novel with a different presentation style from what we usually see in the genre. Very much worth experiencing, though I personally think Apple Arcade is a more than sufficient way to do so. Still, there are some extras here courtesy of the Final Pour content. That might make it worth your while to pick up this version, especially if you’re keen to play on a big TV or use buttons to scroll the text.
Curious Expedition 2 ($19.99)
The original Curious Expedition was an interesting narrative roguelite that, in my opinion, ran out of ideas well before it ran out of game. But it certainly had its charms and as a result found its audience. Those folks will be happy to see this sequel, which appears to check off many of the same bullet points: procedural storytelling, an odd sense of humor, challenging resource management, and strategic turn-based combat. If you liked the first game, I can’t see why you wouldn’t want to take a punt on this follow-up. I’ll have to put more time into it to see if it has anything for those of us that weren’t quite as thrilled with the original.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
As usual, I’m sure we’ll have a bunch more sales to check out tomorrow. For today, we’ve got a few Capcom games, some new releases, and a handful of otome visual novels. As for the outbox, nothing in there really grabs my attention except for Rigid Force Redux. If you haven’t picked that one up yet and you dig shoot-em-ups, you may want to give it a go. Check those lists as usual, of course.
Select New Games on Sale
Raiders of the Lost Island ($9.09 from $12.99 until 8/16)
Halloween Forever ($8.69 from $9.99 until 8/17)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Pine ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/19)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
OBAKEIDORO! ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Axiom Verge ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Axiom Verge 2 ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
The Shrouded Isle ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Necrobarista – Final Pour – ($18.69 from $21.99 until 8/19)
Shinsekai Into the Depths ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Onimusha: Warlords ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/19)
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/19)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 8/25)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/25)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/25)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/25)
STAB STAB STAB! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/25)
Wingspan ($13.39 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Summer Paws ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/25)
Byakko-tai Samurai Boys ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Yumemidori Nostalgia ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Diamond Girl ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Georifters ($1.99 from $29.99 until 8/26)
My Bewitching Perfume ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Princess Closet ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/26)
Crimson Spires ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/1)
Deadly Days ($3.79 from $18.99 until 9/1)
Shakes on a Plane ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/1)
The Innsmouth Case ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Fobia ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Leisure Suit Larry: WDDD ($5.99 from $39.99 until 9/1)
Leisure Suit Larry: WDDT ($26.99 from $44.99 until 9/1)
Divine Ascent ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Kiai Resonance ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Power Racing Bundle 2 ($6.79 from $16.99 until 9/1)
Creepy Road ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/2)
Eastward ($22.49 from $24.99 until 9/16)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, August 13th
#pinocchio, Super Puzzles Dream ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/13)
112 Operator ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
911 Operator ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
911 Operator Deluxe Edition ($8.79 from $21.99 until 8/13)
Area 86 ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Astro Bears ($1.99 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Banana Treasures Island ($4.95 from $9.90 until 8/13)
BE-A Walker ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Brawl Chess ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Bridge Constructor: Walking Dead ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Cargo Crew Driver ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Castle of Pixel Skulls ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
City Bus Driving Simulator ($4.79 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Coast Guard: Beach Rescue Team ($4.79 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Cooking Simulator: Pizza ($11.24 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Detective Driver: Miami Files ($4.79 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Dininho Space Adventure ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Doodle Devil: 3volution ($4.94 from $8.99 until 8/13)
Doomsday Vault ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Dungeonoid ($2.09 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Earthworms ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/13)
Freddy Spaghetti ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Freddy Spaghetti 2 ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Galaxy Warfighter ($3.84 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Gas Station: Highway Services ($4.79 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Ghostanoid ($3.84 from $6.99 until 8/13)
Hamster Bob ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Killer Chambers ($8.49 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Legend of Keepers: CoaDM ($14.99 until $19.99 until 8/13)
Little Squire’s Quests ($4.95 from $9.90 until 8/13)
Lost Artifacts ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Mars Power Industries ($1.99 from $3.99 until 8/13)
Max Reloaded II ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Meow Motors ($6.29 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Mermaid Castle ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Multilevel Parking Driver ($7.79 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Rigid Force Redux ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Safety First! ($1.99 from $2.99 until 8/13)
Sky Racket ($5.24 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Slime-san ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Sports Pinball Bundle ($5.39 from $8.99 until 8/13)
Stonefly ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Super Club Tennis ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/13)
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
The Coma: Recut ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/13)
The Way Remastered ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/13)
Truck Simulator 2 ($8.99 from $11.99 until 8/13)
Unhatched ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
Vampire: The Masquerade CoNY ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/13)
Vampire: The Masquerade SoNY ($7.79 from $12.99 until 8/13)
Void Space Racing ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/13)
WildTrax Racing ($2.39 from $7.99 until 8/13)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow has another rather large list of new games to check out, including games like WitchSpring3 and Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four. There should also be a bunch of new sales to dig into. As for me, I’ll be spending my night playing Axiom Verge 2. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
