Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 30th, 2021. Today we’ve got a really, really, really big list of new releases to look at. Lots of interesting titles, including Death’s Gambit: Afterlife, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Unsighted, Darksiders III, Bonfire Peaks, some Cotton games, and many more. Even with all of those games to talk about, I’ve still managed to get the lists of new and expiring sales together. Let’s get our hands dirty!
New Releases
Death’s Gambit: Afterlife ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Death’s Gambit has been one of the more well-liked 2D Soulslike games since its release a few years back, and the Afterlife update made a good thing even better. As Death’s new right-hand, you’ll travel through twenty areas defeating the challenging Guardians you find along the way. There are seven different character classes to choose from, each with a ton of skills and abilities to unlock and use. There’s plenty of non-linear exploration, alternate endings, crafting, a New Game+ mode, a super-tough Heroic mode, and a whole lot more. I’ll have a review of this one soon but if you like the sound of what I’ve described, you’ll probably enjoy Death’s Gambit.
Unsighted ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
A deadly war between humanity and a race of mechanical Automatons has left the world in ruin. The androids rely on a resource called Anima to give them sentience, and the supply is running low. Those who don’t have enough Anima become mindless killing machines called Unsighted. Alma must battle against the clock before she joins her brethren, making her way through a world full of danger. That’s the gimmick of this game, by the way. The more time you waste, the more NPCs will become Unsighted and be lost. You can save other Automatons or drain them of their Anima to give yourself more time. Your choices will determine the ending you reach in this stylish top-down action-adventure game.
Darksiders III ($39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
I will once again remind readers that I use the highlight to point out games of interest, and it’s not necessarily an endorsement. I am saying this because I have to play Darksiders III‘s Switch version before I can recommend it. This game had a lot of technical issues on more powerful systems than the Switch, so this could be rough. Assuming the developers have pulled it off however, this release finally completes the Darksiders saga so far on the Switch. You play as Fury as she tries to hunt down and dispose of the Seven Deadly Sins in this hack-and-slash action-adventure. You get the game plus both of its DLCs in this package. I’ll have a review of this one once I can put some time into it.
Hot Wheels Unleashed ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Wait, it’s a good Hot Wheels game? What the heck? Yes, I can actually say that this is a pretty solid racer that has a very distinct Hot Wheels flavor to it. It features 68 cars based on the toys that you can collect and race on tons of tracks in five different environments. In terms of weight, the cars really do feel like toys, giving the racing a particular feel of its own. It’s drift-heavy and carries itself well. But it’s in the collecting aspect that this game shows its real strength. With a huge assortment of real vehicles, licensed stuff like the Batmobile, and Hot Wheels originals, there are a lot of neat vehicles to track down and race. More will be coming via paid DLC, too. There are a few rough edges in this launch version, but a big patch is on the way early next week. I’ll have my review right around then, too.
Bonfire Peaks ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Gosh, Draknek sure is making a big splash on Switch these days. This is a puzzle game with an intriguing voxel style by Corey Martin of Pipe Push Paradise fame and the folks at Draknek. You have to make your way through more than two hundred puzzles, carrying a specific box to a bonfire to light it up. You’ll have to do a whole lot of block manipulation and careful navigation through each environment, as it’s rare as simply as going from point A to point B. With solid puzzle design, a unique look, and plenty of stuff to enjoy, Bonfire Peaks is a great title that puzzler fans should give heavy consideration.
Arcade Archives Typhoon Gal ($7.99)
After a week of Pac-Man and Xevious, Hamster is getting back to the deep pulls. This time it’s Taito’s 1985 fighting game Typhoon Gal. It feels somewhat inspired by Konami’s Yie Ar Kung Fu and of course Data East’s Karate Champ. You travel around to various locations and battle opponents, weakening them with regular attacks and then taking them down with stronger ones. It’s not very good, but I appreciate that Hamster covers even this kind of thing in Arcade Archives.
Mary Skelter Finale ($49.99)
The third and presumably final entry in the Mary Skelter series of horror-tinged dungeon RPGs, Mary Skelter Finale tells the tale of the Blood Maidens as they make their way the living Jail floating in the sky. Will they find their happy ending, or are things heading in a decidedly darker direction? One way or the other, it all ends here. As with the previous games in the series, expect some solid RPG mechanics mixed in with moderate gore and sexual content. Not one to play when your boss might be looking over your shoulder, unless your boss is totally cool with it. But you still shouldn’t be playing at work. Unless it’s your lunch break. That’s your time, friend.
BARRICADEZ ReVisited ($14.99)
This is a survival tower defense game where you need to explore, gather resources, and craft defenses to protect a cradle from the creatures that come out at night. You control a little robot and as you play further into the game you’ll learn more about what happened to bring the world to this point. This game was quite well-liked on other platforms, and I can definitely see it finding an audience on the Switch as well. There’s an interesting risk/reward structure to exploring as you really do need to make sure you get back to the cradle before night falls to protect it.
Road Racing: Highway Car Chase ($9.99)
Oh good, another endless driving game. You can collect currency on the road and use it to upgrade your vehicle. Maybe you will get farther next time? You can unlock new cars, too. You know how this goes by now.
THE Card Battle: Eternal Destiny ($18.99)
Wow, it has been a truly long time since I’ve seen this kind of card battler game. It’s like one of those early free-to-play hits from the pre-Puzzle & Dragons era. Collect cards and evolve them to battle against a variety of opponents with very little in the way of tactical options. There’s a story mode to play through and a dungeon mode where you can basically grind. There are over six hundred animated cards to collect, so you’ll be kept fairly busy if you aim to get everything. It feels very old-fashioned to me, but if that’s what you’re pining for you certainly shouldn’t let me stand in your way.
Astria Ascending ($39.99)
Fans of mobile RPGs have been through this song and dance before, but it was called Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey back then. A developer that seems to consistently fall short of making good games brings in a couple of big names to help make the latest project look better on the surface than it really is. I know this isn’t exactly the same as Zodiac, but rather scavenges its corpse to try to make something out of it. But in the end, I don’t trust this new take to be any better than the original. If you’re feeling more charitable than I am, by all means. I’ll be sitting this one out.
Ronister Adventure ($1.00)
One whole dollar, eh? Not really expecting much here, but let’s have a look. Yeah, that’s about what I expected. It’s a really… let’s call it modest-looking… a really modest-looking 2D platformer. It costs a buck. That’s the selling point.
Ludo XXL ($19.99)
Hey, it’s another video game take on the classic board game Ludo. A rather expensive one, relative to the other adequate versions on Switch. You get four different game boards, three different modes, some rules options you can tweak, and support for up to six players. Is that worth the step up in price from the other Ludo games on the platform? Heck, is it worth the step up in price from an actual Ludo board game? Probably not.
Prepare the First RPG Village ~ The Adventures of Nyanzou & Kumakichi: Escape Game Series ~ ($4.90)
Ugh, that title. Seriously, you’re killing me here. Setting the title aside, this is another one of those somewhat simple room escape games with a hilariously poor localization. The story this time is that Nyanzou and Kumakichi are trying to help prepare the first town in an RPG for the arrival of the hero. Solve some simple puzzles and have a lovely fifteen to twenty minutes with it. Well, it’s under a fiver. Can’t complain too much. You can play it free on your mobile device if you like.
Aeon Drive ($14.99)
Plenty of 2D platformers out there, but Aeon Drive aims to get you to add one more to your collection. You need to scour Neo Barcelona for the Drive Cores to fix your crashed ship and save the day. You have the ability to bend time and space, which includes but is not limited to teleporting around as you zip through the game’s one hundred stages. There’s an emphasis on speedrunning here, and the main character’s abilities certainly support that style of play. If that is your jam, give this one a closer look.
Gearshifters ($29.99)
This strikes me as a modern roguelite take on Spy Hunter, except rotated on its side. Drive, destroy vehicles, collect loot, upgrade your ride, and try again when you inevitably meet your end. There are lots of different small enemy types that will keep you on your toes, but the real threat comes from the huge, heavily-armored bosses. I haven’t had the opportunity to go hands-on with this yet, but it certainly looks very promising. Hopefully it can live up to its strong premise.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina ($49.99)
Here’s the latest in the Melty Blood series of fighting games based on Tsukihime. You get new stories, new characters, and improved graphics, but the core gameplay should be familiar to those who got into the previous games. This one is specifically set in the new timeline from the Tsukihime remake, A Piece of Blue Glass Moon. It features rollback netcode, so online play should be as smooth as possible. If you enjoyed the other Melty Blood games this is an easy pick-up, and if you haven’t played any of them before you might find this a good place to get started with the series.
Cotton 2 – Saturn Tribute ($17.99)
The first of three Saturn shoot-em-ups getting released on the Switch today courtesy of the folks at City Connection. Cotton 2 was originally released in arcades but it didn’t get ported around nearly as much as its predecessor did. Indeed, the only home console port came for the SEGA Saturn. In terms of gameplay, it’s basically along the same lines as the original game, featuring horizontal shoot-em-up action through colorful stages. You can now take more than one hit, and there are some new ways of attacking enemies and racking up points. Naturally, you’ll be blasting your way through a whole new adventure filled with new enemies, bosses, and sights to see. Like many of the Cotton games, the original version of this title fetches a pretty penny on the second hand market. You can get it here for just under twenty dollars, or you can shell out a couple hundred bucks for the Saturn game. That said, if you’re trying to be a bit frugal, I recommend skipping this in favor of…
Cotton Boomerang – Saturn Tribute ($17.99)
Here’s the second of the trio of Saturn shoot-em-ups arriving on Switch today, and if you’re only buying one this is the lucky bingo. Basically, this is a remix of Cotton 2 that features more characters, some new gameplay elements, altered stage layouts, some changes to the scoring system, and some tweaks to the visuals. As with Cotton 2‘s Switch port, there aren’t as many extras here as we saw in the rather fancy Cotton Reboot a few months ago. This game goes for north of three hundred dollars in its original Saturn form, so there’s immediate value in the price it’s asking here. But more than that, this is just a really good shoot-em-up.
Guardian Force – Saturn Tribute ($17.99)
The third in the trio of Success’s SEGA Saturn shoot-em-ups that are hitting the Switch eShop today, and the only one not featuring Cotton, Guardian Force is a multidirectional affair where you pilot a futuristic tank of sorts. With your tank, you’re able to shoot in a different direction from where you are moving, which is the main gimmick of the game. It’s pretty good, but not really a must-play. This is a very competitive genre on the Switch, after all. That said, this game goes second-hand on Saturn for about two hundred dollars, so I can’t exactly argue with the pricing here.
Space Revenge ($10.99)
Why settle for normal revenge when you can have Space Revenge? That’s the kind of thinking JanduSoft is banking on with its latest release. This is a top-down twin-stick shooter with fourteen different stages and four different weapons to unlock. Single-player only, unfortunately. If I’m to be frank, this game doesn’t really look like it has a lot to offer in a category with tons of exceptional examples available on Switch. But maybe you’ll see something in it that I don’t.
ExZeus: The Complete Collection ($12.99)
Known at different times as both ExZeus and Counter Force, this is a two-game series of somewhat shabby Space Harrier-like rail shooters with a mecha theme. The first game started as an arcade title but made its way around to everything from the PlayStation 2 to the iPhone at various points. The second didn’t get around quite as much but it was also on mobile at one point. I won’t say you can’t have some fun with these games, though. We don’t exactly get a ton of rail shooters these days, and these certainly have a decent sense of style and function well enough.
Asdivine Saga ($14.99)
Madam, I know Celes. And you are not Celes. In KEMCO and EXE-Create’s latest RPG, you follow the adventures of a mercenary named Vyse (I also know Vyse and you are not him, sir) who is trying to uncover a dark plot bubbling up behind the scenes. He is joined on his journey by a pair of beautiful princesses and a beautiful ninja. Someone out there clearly can’t get enough of these or else they wouldn’t keep making them. Have fun, whoever you are!
Touhou Genso Wanderer -Lotus Labyrinth R- ($44.99)
The original Touhou Genso Wanderer was a surprisingly enjoyable Mystery Dungeon-style roguelike, and this new installment isn’t just going to rest on those laurels. There’s a big new gimmick for this one. You can bring everyone with you into the dungeon. That’s right, you no longer have to carefully choose who to bring or who to leave. Everyone can come. Even if that means you’re bringing dozens of party members with you. Only time will tell if this is a good idea or not, but I appreciate that it’s trying something new with the formula.
Trios – Lofi Beats/Numbers to Chill To ($7.99)
So the idea with this puzzle game is that you have a bunch of numbers, and you need to use all of them to reach a target. You choose two numbers and one operator at a time, and they’ll combine to form a new number. There are two modes, one with pre-set puzzles that follow a steady difficulty curve, and one that just tosses out randomly generated puzzles that try to match the difficulty to your pace. Not terribly difficult, but not so simple as to be boring either. I think it’s pretty neat.
Mini Car Racing 2 ($7.99)
If today you looked at Hot Wheels Unleashed and thought it looked way too good and instead wanted a crappy, festering pile of trash, you’re in luck! Benjamin Kistler is here!
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Got any money left? Let’s see what we can do about that. There’s a sale on adventure games going on, with well-known hits like Sam & Max Save the World and Thimbleweed Park alongside lesser-known but still good games like Unavowed and Nelly Cootalot included. In the outbox, I think the best stuff is Rayark’s line-up of games like Implosion, DEEMO, and such. Have a look through both lists, as always. I will remind you every time.
Select New Games on Sale
Darkestville Castle ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/5)
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/6)
Banner of the Maid ($10.19 from $16.99 until 10/6)
Lair of the Clockwork God ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/6)
Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/6)
The Longing ($11.24 from $14.99 until 10/7)
Unavowed ($12.74 from $14.99 until 10/7)
Sam & Max Save the World ($15.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Thimbleweed Park ($7.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/7)
Football Game ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/11)
Guard Duty ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/11)
Fhtagn! Tales of Creeping Madness ($5.59 from $7.99 until 10/13)
Bonkies ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Catty & Batty: The Spirit Guide ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Tetragon ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/14)
May’s Mysteries: TSoD ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/20)
From Shadows ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
ReactorX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Effie ($11.99 from $19.99 until 10/20)
My Maite ($3.20 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Nyakamon Adventures ($2.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
This is the Zodiac Speaking ($3.99 from $12.99 until 10/20)
Bullet Beat ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Nexoria ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/20)
The Explorer of Night ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Cybxus Hearts ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Dark Grim Mariupolis ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Smart Moves ($2.00 from $5.99 until 10/20)
Void Source ($1.99 from $5.99 until 10/20)
Apocalipsis Wormwood Edition ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Skyhill ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
We. The Revolution ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/20)
Golazo! ($3.99 from $14.99 until 10/20)
The Sinking City ($19.99 from $49.99 until 10/20)
Big Pharma ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/20)
Help Will Come Tomorrow ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/20)
Angry Alligator ($26.99 from $29.99 until 10/20)
Sheepo ($9.34 from $10.99 until 10/20)
Roarr! Jurassic Edition ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, October 1st
12 is Better Than 6 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
99Vidas: Definitive Edition ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings ($6.29 from $17.99 until 10/1)
Bakery Master ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Bargain Hunter ($8.74 from $12.49 until 10/1)
Barrier X ($2.09 from $2.99 until 10/1)
Between Time ($7.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Black The Fall ($4.94 from $14.99 until 10/1)
Bossgard ($9.99 from $19.99 until 10/1)
Breathedge ($14.99 from $24.99 until 10/1)
Burger Master ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Curve Racer ($2.09 from $2.99 until 10/1)
Cytus Alpha ($24.99 from $49.99 until 10/1)
Dead Cells ($16.24 from $24.99 until 10/1)
DEEMO ($14.99 from $19.99 until 10/1)
DEEMO: Reborn ($15.00 from $25.00 until 10/1)
Defend The Kingdom ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Dogurai ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Doom & Destiny Worlds ($17.99 from $19.99 until 10/1)
Dungeon Solver ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/1)
Empire Invasion ($9.09 from $12.99 until 10/1)
Galak-Z: The Void Deluxe ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/1)
I Saw Black Clouds ($11.04 from $12.99 until 10/1)
Implosion ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/1)
Infectra ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/1)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade, Assorted ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/1)
Johnny Turbo’s Heavy Burger ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Knights & Guns ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/1)
Kwaidan: Azuma Manor Story ($9.99 from $24.99 until 10/1)
LoveChoice ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Mahjong Masters ($3.99 from $5.99 until 10/1)
MO: Astray ($7.49 from $14.99 until 10/1)
Momolu and Friends ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Palindrome Syndrome ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Party Games 15 in 1 ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Peace, Death! Complete ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Pocket Races ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Police Stories ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/1)
Rift Adventure ($5.99 from $7.99 until 10/1)
SGC: Short Games Collection 1 ($15.99 from $19.99 until 10/1)
Silver Falls Ep. Prelude ($6.39 from $7.99 until 10/1)
Skulls of the Shogun ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/1)
Squeakers ($1.99 from $2.99 until 10/1)
Standby ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/1)
Strange Field Football ($5.24 from $6.99 until 10/1)
Suzerain ($14.39 from $17.99 until 10/1)
Tested on Humans ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
The Almost Gone ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
The Unholy Society ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/1)
Time Tenshi ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/1)
Truck Simulator ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/1)
UBERMOSH:OMEGA ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/1)
VOEZ ($12.50 from $25.00 until 10/1)
War Dogs: Red’s Return ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/1)
Wild Pinball Bundle ($5.93 from $8.99 until 10/1)
Zen Chess Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/1)
That’s all for today and this month, friends. But the week isn’t over yet. Tomorrow will have several more new releases to check out, and that’s just what we will do. There should also be quite a lot of new sales to look at. As for me, I’m going to go ice my hands. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
