Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 20th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got summaries of all of the new releases of the day. That includes the pair of surprise launches that came in after I went home yesterday: Quake and DOOM Slayers Collection. But if you’re not into the whole shooting thing, don’t worry. There are a lot of other games to look at today. We’ve also got the lists of incoming and outgoing sales to look at, though they’re a little on the smaller side for a Friday. Well, that’s how it is. Let’s go to it!
New Releases
Quake ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Now that’s a nice shadow drop. Quake may not have had the impact its predecessor DOOM did, but it wasn’t that far from it. A fully polygonal first-person shooter with a focus on fast, furious multiplayer, Quake has you battling horrifying monsters in some vaguely fantasy-ish locales. This version gives you the original campaign, both original expansion packs, two extra expansions created by MachineGames, and all sorts of multiplayer options for both online and local play. And yes, cross-platform play is supported, so you shouldn’t have trouble matching up with others. Much like with the DOOM and DOOM II Switch ports, Quake features full support for free mods and extra missions, with the Quake 64 mod available right now. Finally, gyro aiming has been implemented if you want to use it. Amazing package, and only ten bucks? If you like first-person shooters, get on it.
DOOM Slayers Collection ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Wow, this is a pretty good deal if you haven’t dabbled in anything DOOM-related on Switch yet. Your thirty-five bucks gets you DOOM (1993), DOOM II, DOOM 3, DOOM 64, and DOOM (2016). That’s a lot of gaming goodness for a very reasonable price. Just make sure you’ve got plenty of space on the ol’ memory card. As always, check for individual deals before buying to make sure you’re getting a good value on the bundle, but it would take one heck of a sale to best the price on this.
Arietta of Spirits ($19.99)
Sure are a lot of charming pixel-art top-down action-adventure games coming out lately. Arietta of Spirits is another one, and it promises an emotion-filled narrative and fast-paced combat. If you want to get a taste of it, there is a demo up on the eShop with enough of a slice to give you a proper feel. Arietta’s grandmother passed away a year ago, and her family decides to travel to her cabin for the first time since her death. Through a series of events, Arietta gains the ability to see and interact with the spirits that inhabit the island. Explore the island, battle enemies, and see where the story goes. This seems good, but I’m still busy working through Garden Story. I suppose I’ll give it a go after that and see how I find it.
Ultimate Bumper Cars: Dodgems ($11.99)
If you’ve ever wanted a video game version of bumper cars, here you go. I don’t even know if fairs are a thing anymore. Anyway, if you pine for those days of getting into those cars and recklessly ramming into everyone else while swirls of colors and lights threaten to dislodge the mustard-covered mystery meat in your gut, this game might be for you. It aims to simulate the fairground bumper car experience. There’s a single-player mode with missions to complete, an arcade mode where you can just go in and have fun, a simulation mode with slightly more realism about it, and an online multiplayer mode where up to six players can have at it. Oh, and I wasn’t kidding: driver condition is an element here, and nausea is one of those things you need to worry about.
Jessika ($14.99)
Hey, it’s another FMV adventure game. You play as someone whose job is to process the digital footprints of those who have passed away. A grieving father comes to you and asks you to help him figure out why his daughter committed suicide. Her name is Jessika, and you need to search through her files to piece together what happened. If this sounds a lot like Her Story, well… yes, it sure looks that way. But hey, there’s room in the world for more games like that. Perhaps of greater concern is the relatively poor reviews it received on other platforms, with most criticisms aimed at its story and clumsy UI. Apparently the story goes in some very extreme directions, and it doesn’t really handle those topics as well as it should, then bungles the ending. Not my cup of tea so I won’t be verifying that stuff first-hand, but you’re welcome to if this is your kind of gig.
Space Marshals 2 ($14.99)
Hey, it’s Space Marshals 2 on the Switch! Most of our readers will know this game very well from its mobile incarnation, and it’s just as good here. If you don’t know it, this series gives you some quality twin-stick shooting with a bit of a strategic element. You need to take full advantage of the environment to get a leg-up on your enemies and avoid their return fire. Sometimes it even pays to be, gasp, stealthy! Sneaking around in a twin-stick shooter? It’s more likely than you think. You can save a bit of money by picking it up on mobile, but this is a fine port and I think it takes to the Switch rather well. One way or the other, give it a shot.
Heart Chain Kitty ($9.90)
This is a story about a character named Kittey who lives on Kitty Island. Kittey has to find his parents, who are apparently trapped in a dream. With the help of some heart-shaped friends, you just might be able to save them. This is a 3D platformer with a heavy emphasis on seeking out collectibles in large areas. There are more than fifty levels to play, and a fair number of secrets about. It’s no Mario or even Yooka-Laylee, but for ten bucks those who can put up with some rough edges in their games may find a good value in this one. It’s certainly not lacking in color, and I can always get behind games that aren’t afraid to use some of the more interesting colors in the palette.
Space Scavenger ($12.99)
This is a cute space shooter roguelite with a focus on building your ship on the fly from the parts you find. Blast away enemies, explore planets, and use what you find to make your ship even better. There are lots of interesting parts to find, and you’ll need to take full advantage of all of them if you want to survive. Runs in this one tend to be on the shorter side if you can line your ducks up properly, so it’s a nice one to pull out for a quick blast now and then.
Wrestledunk Sports ($12.99)
Party time! Party sports time! And this party can happen locally or online because the eight-player multiplayer supports both. Now that’s the winning play. There are a number of different sports to try here, including fencing, wrestling, volleyball, and smashball. Not sure what that last one is, but it sounds promising. You can play in single player if you like, and teams can be filled out with as many AIs as are needed. There are a bunch of arenas and modes to unlock, and the whole thing seems built to be easy to play. That online multiplayer is cross platform, too. That’s a good thing because online play on smaller games like this can be a ghost town if you have to rely on a single platform alone.
City Driving Simulator 2 ($11.99)
Oh my, we’re at the point where we are making sequels to these dozens of nearly identical driving games? Alright then. This one’s eShop description starts off really aggressively too, taking shots at games that aren’t as awesomely realistic as this. Bold flex, folks. Anyway, this is the usual engine trotted out again, with thirteen different cars, sixty-five driving missions to complete, and a free roam mode so you can wander around the decent-sized area they’ve built for all this to take place in. If you’re one of the people who have been buying these, here’s one more. As usual, give it a few weeks and I’m sure you can get it for half-price.
Shark Pinball ($2.99)
Ah, they’re still doing these. Alright, then. This is yet another mediocre pinball game from the folks at SuperPowerUpGames, this time with a shark theme. You get the same set of options, including four different camera angles. Same weak physics, too. And so I will say the same thing that I usually do: spend a buck or two more and grab a Pinball FX3 table instead. The difference in quality is substantial and worth a little extra scratch. But hey, there must be some people out there who like these or they wouldn’t keep making them. If you’re one of those folks, don’t let me stop you from having your fun.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Somehow, I expected more sales today. I suppose the big summer sale just wrapped up not that long ago, but still. What’s here today? Another sale on Perfect World’s stuff like Torchlight II and Hob. Iconoclasts is always good. G-MODE’s port of the feature phone port of ZANAC is interesting from a historical perspective. As for the outbox, the best things in there to my eyes are the Choices That Matter games from Tin Man. Take a look through both lists as always, though. Your tastes and mine may differ, after all.
Select New Games on Sale
Torchlight III ($14.79 from $39.99 until 8/26)
Torchlight II ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Hob: The Definitive Edition ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Off and On Again ($9.80 from $14.00 until 8/26)
Secret Neighbor ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Clue: The Classic Mystery Game ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/26)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
The Game of Life 2 ($23.99 from $29.99 until 8/26)
Brawl Chess ($3.49 from $9.99 until 8/27)
Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/27)
Through the Darkest of Times ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/27)
Wrestling Empire ($15.79 from $19.99 until 8/28)
Under Leaves ($6.49 from $12.99 until 8/28)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($7.79 from $12.99 until 8/29)
Shalnor Legends: Sacred Lands ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Vosaria: Lair of the Forgotten ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Black The Fall ($3.99 from $14.99 until 9/2)
Bossgard ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/2)
Thea 2: The Shattering ($18.39 from $22.99 until 9/2)
Defoliation ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/3)
Animated Jigsaws: Japanese Women ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/3)
The Office Quest ($4.19 from $11.99 until 9/3)
Fight of Gods ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/3)
Fight of Animals ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/3)
Gerritory ($5.59 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Headspun ($7.14 from $12.99 until 9/3)
Gnomes Garden: Lost King ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/3)
Forward to the Sky ($24.49 from $48.99 until 9/3)
Superliminal ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/3)
Tic-Tac-Letters by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Ladders by POWGI ($3.99 form $7.99 until 9/3)
Crypto by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Fifty Words by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Wordsweeper by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Word Sudoku by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/3)
Just a Phrase by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Roundout by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Alphaset by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Gaps by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Epic Word Search Collection ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Epic Word Search Collection 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Fill-A-Pix: Phil’s Adventure ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Block-A-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Link-A-Pix Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/3)
Planetary Defense Force ($1.99 from $5.99 until 9/3)
Animal Rivals ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/3)
The Complex ($10.39 from $12.99 until 9/3)
Up Cliff Drive ($2.10 from $6.00 until 9/3)
Tower Climb ($2.10 from $6.00 until 9/3)
Bunny Adventure ($2.10 from $6.00 until 9/3)
Art Sqool ($2.98 from $12.99 until 9/3)
Parking Madness ($2.10 from $6.00 until 9/3)
Super Toy Cars ($2.99 from $11.99 until 9/5)
Iconoclasts ($6.79 from $19.99 until 9/6)
Sweet Witches ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Spirit Roots ($1.99 from $6.99 until 9/6)
Drawngeon ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/7)
Steampunk Tower 2 ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/7)
Moon Raider ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/7)
Adventure Llama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/7)
Feather ($4.59 from $9.99 until 9/7)
Dwarf Journey ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/7)
Depth of Extinction ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/8)
Polyroll ($2.49 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Zombo Buster Advance ($2.79 from $3.99 until 9/9)
Jessika ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/9)
Sakura Succubus 3 ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/9)
Sakura Succubus 4 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/9)
Train Station Renovation ($9.49 from $18.99 until 9/9)
Rise Eterna ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/9)
King of Seas ($18.74 from $24.99 until 9/9)
Narita Boy ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/9)
A Long Way Down ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/9)
Neoverse Trinity Edition ($12.00 from $24.00 until 9/9)
G-MODE Archives29 ZANAC ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/9)
Monster Sanctuary ($13.39 from $19.99 until 9/9)
JDM Racing – 2 ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/9)
Under the Jolly Roger ($11.99 from $19.99 until 9/9)
Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Asterix & Obelix XXL 3 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Odysseus Kosmos & his Robot Quest ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/9)
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/9)
Neon Abyss ($13.39 from $19.99 until 9/9)
Kuukiyomi 2: Consider It More! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 9/9)
Warhammer 40K: Space Wolf ($7.19 from $17.99 until 9/9)
Garfield Kart Furious Racing ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Blacksad: Under the Skin ($7.99 from $39.99 until 9/9)
My Time At Portia ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Mimic Hunter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/9)
Golf With Your Friends ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/9)
The Gardens Between ($4.39 from $19.99 until 9/9)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($2.98 from $14.90 until 9/9)
Syberia ($2.98 from $14.90 until 9/9)
Syberia 2 ($1.99 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Worms W.M.D ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9)
Hyperforma ($1.99 from $13.99 until 9/9)
Blasphemous ($9.99 from $24.99 until 9/9)
Yooka-Laylee & the Impossible Lair ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9)
I, Zombie ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/10)
Yet Another Zombie Defense HD ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/10)
Fury Unleashed ($8.99 from $19.99 until 9/10)
Tiny Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/10)
Warplanes: WW1 Sky Aces ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/10)
Snowball Collections Bubble ($1.99 from $5.99 until 9/10)
City Driving Simulator 2 ($8.99 from $11.99 until 9/10)
Nexomon ($8.99 from $9.99 until 9/17)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Black Rainbow ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Brightstone Mysteries: PH ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Cardaclysm: Shards of the Four ($13.49 from $14.99 until 8/21)
Country Tales ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Emily Archer: TCofT ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques: THofGK ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Farm Mystery ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Julie’s Sweets ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ($7.14 from $11.90 until 8/21)
Red Crow Mysteries: Legion ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Skee-Ball ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/21)
Suicide Guy Collection ($7.14 from $10.99 until 8/21)
The Drama Queen Murder ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
The Mysterious Case of Jekyll & Hyde ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
The Seven Chambers ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Woodle Tree 2 Deluxe ($3.24 from $12.99 until 8/21)
Woodle Tree Adventures ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/21)
Zengeon ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/21)
Adventure Field 4 ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/22)
Bargain Hunter ($8.11 from $12.49 from 8/22)
Choices That Matter: ATHWL ($2.99 from $5.99 until 8/22)
Choices That Matter: ATSWE ($2.99 from $5.99 until 8/22)
Choices That Matter: ATSWO ($2.99 from $5.99 until 8/22)
Connect Color Dots ($7.95 from $9.95 until 8/22)
Cyber Hook ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/22)
Firework ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/22)
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch ($13.39 from $19.99 until 8/22)
Hero Express ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/22)
Hyper Sentinel ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/22)
Pet Shop Snacks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/22)
Reventure ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/22)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain ($2.99 from $29.99 until 8/22)
Time Tenshi ($9.74 from $14.99 until 8/22)
Yoga Master ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/22)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. Next week is another good one, with Spelunky and Spelunky 2 on the schedule along with the likes of King’s Bounty II and No More Heroes 3. Lots of ways to spend money as usual, in other words. This weekend, I’ll be playing a whole bunch of Quake and finishing off Fantasian so I can finally review it. What are you all looking to play? Feel free to comment below and let me know. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
