Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 7th, 2021. Friends, ol’ Shaun is quite sick today. As such, this is a smaller article than usual. Our pal Mikhail has a review of a game that came out a while back for you, and I’ve got the new release summaries and lists of sales. Hopefully I’ll be feeling better tomorrow, but I suppose we’ll see. Let’s snack on what we’ve got, at least.
Reviews & Mini-Views
Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed ($39.99)
I discovered the Akiba’s Trip series when Xseed Games announced Akiba’s Trip Undead & Undressed for PS4 and I was looking at buying some PS4 games. I enjoyed it quite a bit even though it was repetitive. Undead & Undressed is actually the second game in the series and was the only one released internationally until Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed released on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC recently. Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed aims to bring the original game to modern systems with an overhauled engine, upgraded visuals, and more.
While I have enjoyed seeing the origins of Akiba’s Trip, Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed is very much one for hardcore fans and not something I can recommend to newcomers. The customization, vampire stripping mechanics initially, and recreation of Akihabara are good, but the real stars of Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed are the music and the story. Sadly, the combat and movement in general both feel pretty stiff. The combat gets better as you progress, but it still feels very dated and not as good as the combat in Undead & Undressed.
Despite being based on a PSP game, there are too many technical issues in the Nintendo Switch version. These range from blurry visuals to unstable performance. Given that it has been a while since the game launched, I don’t expect these to be fixed. I never played Akiba’s Trip Undead & Undressed on PS Vita and was hoping to have a nice portable experience for this release, but the port leaves a lot to be desired.
If you enjoyed Akiba’s Trip Undead & Undressed a lot and want more, Akiba’s Trip Hellbound & Debriefed is worth checking out at a discount. In its current state, it suffers from feeling too much like the PSP game it is based on, and with the technical issues on Nintendo Switch. While I did enjoy it more on PC, the PSP roots are still there and it just feels like more should’ve been done to bring the original Akiba’s Trip to a modern audience. If you’re new to Akiba’s Trip, I definitely recommend Undead & Undressed instead of this if the premise appeals to you. -Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
New Releases
Sonic Colors: Ultimate ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
It’s been a while since the last Sonic release of any kind, and I wish I could say he was coming back with style. This is a remake of the Wii release Sonic Colors, and if you’ve read my review that went up yesterday, you know the results are somewhat mixed. I’m sure the bugs will be fixed sooner or later, but there are some design decisions here that keep this from being the definitive release you may have been hoping for. Still, there is some fun to be had here if you’re looking for it. Just be careful if you’re photosensitive, as some of the present glitches can result in some dangerous flashing colors.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Hey, there are some interesting ones in the list today. Road to Guangdong isn’t going to be for everyone, but at a steep discount it may be worth giving it a try. If you enjoy your side-scrolling action-adventure games, Cathedral, Alwa’s Awakening, and Alwa’s Legacy are worth looking into. Like simulation games? Why not give Tropico 6, Port Royale, or Railway Empire a try? Over in the outbox, the biggest news is that 2K’s latest sale is wrapping up. Grab those games now, or wait a couple of weeks for the next sale. It’s up to you. Make sure you take a look at both lists yourself, of course.
Select New Games on Sale
Road to Guangdong ($4.99 from $24.99 until 9/13)
The Eyes of Ara ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/13)
Pizza Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/13)
RBI Baseball 21 ($19.99 from $29.99 until 9/14)
Food Truck Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/20)
Invisible Fist ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/21)
Rise of Insanity ($3.49 from $9.99 until 9/21)
Legends of Amberland: Forgotten Crown ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/21)
Death and Taxes ($5.84 from $12.99 until 9/21)
Charge Kid ($1.99 from $2.49 until 9/21)
Dreamo ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/21)
Cathedral ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/21)
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/21)
Alwa’s Awakening ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/21)
Alwa’s Legacy ($8.99 from $17.99 until 9/21)
Golf Peaks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/27)
Dark Arcana: The Carnival ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/27)
Block Puzzle ($3.89 from $5.99 until 9/27)
Super Battle Cards ($1.99 from $5.99 until 9/27)
Family Mysteries: PP ($2.09 from $14.99 until 9/27)
Cooking Tycoons 2: 3 in 1 ($1.99 from $12.99 until 9/27)
Dungeons & Bombs ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/27)
Dull Grey ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/27)
Port Royale 4 ($39.99 from $49.99 until 9/27)
Tropico 6 ($29.99 from $4.99 until 9/27)
My Aunt is a Witch ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/27)
Commandos 2: HD Remaster ($20.99 from $29.99 until 9/27)
I, AI ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9//27)
Railway Empire ($23.99 from $59.99 until 9/27)
Aircraft Evolution ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/27)
Need a Packet? ($4.19 from $6.99 until 9/27)
Steam Tactics ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/27)
Norman’s Great Illusion ($2.99 from $4.99 until 9/27)
Mask of Mists ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/27)
Knowledge Trainer: Trivia ($2.99 until $14.99 until 9/27)
Pure Mahjong ($2.99 from $9.99 until 9/27)
AeternoBlade ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/27)
AeternoBlade II ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/27)
Wanderjahr TryAgainOrWalkAway ($3.99 from $9.99 until 9/27)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8th
9 Monkeys of Shaolin ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Ash of Gods: Redemption ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
BioShock 2 Remastered ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
BioShock Infinite: Complete ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
BioShock Remastered ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
BioShock: The Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
Borderlands Legendary Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
Borderlands: GotY Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Carnival Games ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Chasm ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Depth of Extinction ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/8)
L.A. Noire ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
Laid-Back Camp: Fumoto Campsite ($16.79 from $20.99 until 9/8)
Laid-Back Camp: Lake Motosu ($16.79 from $20.99 until 9/8)
Meganoid ($1.99 from $8.99 until 9/8)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/8)
PGA Tour 2K21 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 9/8)
Polyroll ($2.49 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Redeemer: Enhanced Edition ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Rogue Explorer ($6.39 from $7.99 until 9/8)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Spice and Wolf VR ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/8)
Spice and Wolf VR2 ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/8)
Tales from the Borderlands ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/8)
UNI ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Where’s Samantha? ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/8)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds ($15.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
WWE 2K18 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 9/8)
XCOM 2 Collection ($14.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
That’s all for today, friends. Hopefully I’ll be feeling okay tomorrow. If I am, we’ll have some new games to look at, some news to discuss, some fresh sales to sort through, and maybe more. I hope you all have a great Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
