Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 7th, 2021. In today’s article, it’s all about those new releases. There are quite a few of them if not nearly as many as last week. The big titles of the week are hitting tomorrow, but we’ll go through today’s list to see what’s worth considering. We’ve also got the ever-present lists of incoming and outgoing sales for you to think about. Let’s get to work!
New Releases
Jack Axe ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah, this is cool. A very bright and colorful platformer with support for up to four players via local multiplayer. One of the main gimmicks involves your axe, which you can use to attack enemies by throwing it. Okay, that’s pretty normal, but you can also bring yourself to your axe in mid-flight. The inspiration from various platformers, Donkey Kong Country in particular, is clear here, but it does its own thing sufficiently that it doesn’t feel lacking in soul by any means. Just be aware that the game is only a few hours long if you’re skilled enough to not hit any major snags.
Arcade Archives The Genji and the Heike Clans ($7.99)
Here’s the third Namco game for the Arcade Archives line-up, and it’s not a terribly well-known game in the West. The Genji and the Heike Clans was originally released in 1986. It features three different perspectives for its action, with an overhead view, a zoomed-out side view, and a zoomed-in side view usually reserved for boss battles. This game has a strong following here in Japan, but I’ve personally never gotten on well with it. Still, Western releases of this title are few and far between so this is certainly a valued addition to the Arcade Archives selection.
Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire ($4.99)
Eastasiasoft has another one of these this week. The topic this time is Mahjong Solitaire, or Shanghai as it is sometimes known. Match the tiles and beat the clock to beat each stage, unlocking new costumes for the five titular Pretty Girls as you go. You don’t need me to tell you if this is your jam or not.
Creepy Tale 2 ($14.99)
Creepy Tale 2, or as Carter would call it 2 Creepy 2 Tale, is a follow-up to the rather middling original title. It’s about the same level of quality, so I suppose if you enjoyed Creepy Tale, get in the car. For some reason it costs more here than it does on Steam, and you can actually get both games over there for the price of just Creepy Tale 2 on the eShop. Oh well. Solve the puzzles, save your sister, try not to die.
Prehistoric Life Puzzles ($5.00)
The second in this series following Dinosaur Fossil Puzzles, this is essentially the same idea but without dinosaurs. That makes it automatically worse, I’m afraid. Anyway, if you aren’t familiar with that game, what you do here is use your pickaxe to dig out fossil panels, bring them all to your little restoration area, then arrange them into the correct order. It sometimes mixes things up by… well, by mixing other fossil types in, but otherwise this is a fairly straightforward game that kids in particular might enjoy.
PandaBall ($13.99)
Well, if you’re going to make another mediocre soccer game on the Switch, you might as well throw pandas in it to differentiate it. There’s support for two players via local multiplayer, but this is otherwise a rather unremarkable, low-frills game of soccer. With pandas.
No Longer Home ($14.99)
This is a narrative adventure about a pair of non-binary university students who have lived together for a year and are graduating from university. With one of the two having to go back to their home country due to their student visa expiring, they’re forced to part ways. The future seems uncertain as they pack up their belongings, and that’s more or less where we pick up with them. This is apparently based on a similar situation the developers went through, and it seems to go over well enough with those in a relatable situation. Reviews seemed okay on other platforms, if not overwhelmingly good. I think it’s all about how well you connect with the story, because that’s really the centerpiece of the whole thing.
Panmorphia ($5.99)
Another adventure game conversion from LKMAD, Panmorphia‘s Switch version works pretty much like its other versions. You have to play it using touch controls, so undocked play only. Anyway, this is a puzzle-heavy adventure where you can morph into various creatures to help you progress. Those who just want to chill and enjoy the sights can kick the game into Easy Mode. There’s also a hint system for those who need a little nudge now and then. Some lovely art in this one, and I certainly enjoyed the game on mobile.
Drum Box ($7.99)
This is a game all about drumming. You play the drum parts in eight different genres of music, with three different levels of difficulty to unlock for each. There’s a training mode where you can practice patterns, a performance mode where you need to aim for high scores and earn medals, and a freestyle mode where you can do whatever you want. The Drum Police will not arrest you. I don’t know enough about drumming to say if this is a good low-budget take or not, but it certainly seems to have been put together with some care.
Sophia’s World ($9.99)
I wonder if when Shigeru Miyamoto decided to put turtles into Mario Bros. as an enemy type that he would be condemning the poor things to be crunched on by video game heroes for all eternity? This is a very plain platformer with a modest presentation, giving you seventy-two levels of hop and bop action. There are coins to hunt down and collect, and all of the animals you step on merely hide until you move along. It’s fine, don’t worry. Step on them. This would be iffy as a five-dollar Switch platformer, but at ten it’s a very hard sell.
The Lightbringer ($14.99)
Hey, it’s one of those isometric-ish action-adventure things. It has a nice look to it, and what I’ve seen of the gameplay seems promising enough. I haven’t had a chance to play this yet myself, so that’s really all I can say. The story involves traveling around the land fighting corruption, so I wouldn’t expect anything too exciting in that regard. Still, you don’t need much context to make a game like this work.
Business Tour Deluxe ($9.99)
This is the “McDonalds we have at home" version of Monopoly. It’s not a one-for-one copy, but the inspiration is pretty clear. You can play multiplayer online or offline, which is nice. At least at regular prices, this is a lot cheaper than the version of Monopoly on Switch. Not as fancy by a long shot, but if you aren’t willing to throw forty bones at the Monopoly experience but are willing to throw ten, here you go.
The Marauder Chronicles: Curse Over Valdria ($4.99)
In this visual novel you follow the adventures of a dude in a fantasy land where there aren’t many dudes about. Fortunately, it seems there is no shortage of beautiful women. You can make some choices as you play through the story, leading to different endings. There’s some sort of somewhat-generic defeat-the-evil fantasy plot going on here, but even the game description makes it clear that romancing the ladies is a key feature. Well, do what you will.
Lotus Bloom ($2.99)
This is a chill puzzle game where you need to connect the bits to make the flowers bloom. You have to connect things just right, and that gets trickier the further into the game’s forty-eight stages you play. Not bad for three bucks if you like your puzzlers.
InfiniteCorp: Cyberpunk Card Game ($7.99)
You’re probably imagining a Hearthstone-like strategic card game or something, but this is actually pretty close to Reigns. You just choose between outcomes and the story plays out. Still, it’s not bad for what it is. Good soundtrack, decent writing.
Balloon Pop – Learning Letters, Numbers, Colors, Game for Kids ($14.99)
A simple game for young kids to help them learn some basic concepts involving letters and numbers. It requires touch controls, so this one is for undocked play only. It has support for multiple languages, which is interesting. This is obviously not aimed at anyone like me, but if you have any really little ones it might be of more value to you.
My Little Ramenbar ($4.99)
Benjamin Kistler appears to have found an Android template on the Unity Asset store that imitates those time management cooking games to a significant degree. Just over one hundred levels, handheld mode only.
Sweets Swap Classic ($3.49)
Benjamin Kistler appears to have found an Android template on the Unity Asset Store that imitates Candy Crush Saga to a significant degree. Ninety-nine levels, handheld mode only.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Yes, it’s a lot of the usual suspects. Outside of those fellows, though, there are a few games to consider. Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin is great and I will keep banging that drum until everyone buys it. Everyone. Inferno 2 is cool, even if it does show up in these sales a lot. Wingspan is a fun and somewhat novel card game. As for the outbox, I don’t see a lot to get too concerned about except maybe Immortal Redneck and Superliminal. Check the lists yourselves, naturally.
Select New Games on Sale
Stone ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/11)
Sophia’s World ($8.99 from $9.99 until 10/11)
Dune Sea ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/13)
Knight Squad 2 ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/13)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/14)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/14)
Cozy Grove ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/14)
Absolute Drift ($8.99 from $11.99 until 10/15)
Castle of Pixel Skulls ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Zombo Buster Advance ($2.79 from $3.99 until 10/20)
Lost Wing ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/20)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Rainswept ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/20)
Bakugan: CoV ($14.99 from $49.99 until 10/20)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
BFF or Die ($4.79 from $7.99 until 10/20)
Lumini ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/20)
STAB STAB STAB! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 10/20)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 10/20)
Wingspan ($13.39 from $19.99 until 10/20)
Luckslinger ($6.99 from $9.99 until 10/20)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 10/20)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
The Bug Butcher ($1.99 from $7.99 until 10/20)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Dimension Drive ($1.99 from $12.99 until 10/20)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/20)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($12.49 from $49.99 until 10/20)
Scribblenauts Showdown ($3.99 from $39.99 until 10/20)
Scribblenauts Mega Pack ($7.99 from $39.99 until 10/20)
LEGO DC Super-Villains ($11.99 from $59.99 until 10/20)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 10/20)
LEGO Jurassic World ($9.99 from $39.99 until 10/20)
LEGO The Incredibles ($11.99 from $59.99 until 10/20)
LEGO Worlds ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/20)
LEGO Ninjago Movie Game ($9.99 from $49.99 until 10/20)
LEGO City Undercover ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/20)
The LEGO Movie 2 Video Game ($7.99 from $39.99 until 10/20)
Cars 3: Driven to Win ($7.99 from $39.99 until 10/20)
The Sundew ($13.49 from $14.99 until 10/21)
Georifters ($1.99 from $29.99 until 10/21)
Monomals ($16.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin ($27.99 from $39.99 until 10/21)
Super Sports Blast ($14.99 from $24.99 until 10/27)
Super Soccer Blast ($3.99 from $7.99 until 10/27)
Dungeon Shooting ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Battle & Crash ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Collide-a-Ball 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Animal Hunter Z ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/27)
Bingo ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Super Ping Pong Trick Shot ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Ping Pong Trick Shot Evolution ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Caterpillar Royale ($2.49 from $4.99 until 10/27)
Creepy Tale 2 ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/28)
The Sokoban ($12.59 from $17.99 until 10/28)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, October 8th
Beast Breaker ($12.00 from $15.00 until 10/8)
Brawl Chess ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/8)
Business Tour Deluxe ($7.99 from $9.99 until 10/8)
City Bus Driving Simulator ($4.79 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Coast Guard: Beach Rescue Team ($4.79 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Cyber Hook ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/8)
Detective Driver: Miami Files ($4.79 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Dojoran ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/8)
Dreamscaper ($19.99 from $24.99 until 10/8)
Dungeon of Crawl ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/8)
Gas Station: Highway Services ($4.79 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Haustoria ($8.44 from $12.99 until 10/8)
Immortal Redneck ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/8)
InfiniteCorp: Cyberpunk Card Game ($7.19 from $7.99 until 10/8)
Love Colors ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/8)
Mary Skelter Finale ($44.99 from $49.99 until 10/8)
MindSeize ($13.59 from $16.99 until 10/8)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 10/8)
Prehistoric Life Puzzles ($4.00 from $5.00 until 10/8)
Race Track Driver ($7.79 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Smashy Road: Wanted 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 10/8)
Street Racing: Tokyo Rush ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/8)
Superliminal ($14.99 from $19.99 until 10/8)
Tadpole Treble Encore ($6.74 from $8.99 until 10/8)
TaniNani ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/8)
The Shapeshifting Detective ($7.14 from $12.99 until 10/8)
Time Carnage ($8.44 from $12.99 until 10/8)
Unruly Heroes ($8.99 from $19.99 until 10/8)
Viviette ($5.99 from $9.99 until 10/8)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with some big releases, most notably Metroid Dread. Wow, it’s been such a long time since a fully original 2D Metroid game. Tomorrow will also see the release of Tetris Effect: Connected, which is perhaps not quite as exciting but still more than worthy of attention. I have a quick hospital visit tomorrow morning to get some test results, but I should be back with plenty of time to write everything. I hope you all have a fantastic Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
