Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 14th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got a bunch of new releases to look at. A few of them caught me by surprise, so I’ll be a busy fellow the next few days trying to catch up on them. We’ve got summaries of all of them anyway. We also have the lists of new and expiring sales, and that’s about it. Don’t blow all your money today, though. Tomorrow looks like another feisty one. Let’s go!
New Releases
Evil Tonight ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The aim here seems to be to deliver a pixel-art survival horror game crossed with an action-adventure. The visuals are nice and the action looks smooth. This one comes from the folks at DYA Games, who made great titles like Strikey Sisters, Viviette, and Bot Vice. I’ve been fond of all of their games thus far, so I’m rather looking forward to trying this one out.
Inspector Waffles ($13.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
So yeah, this is a really great point-and-click style adventure game. You play as the titular Inspector Waffles, a feline detective who must investigate the murder of a high-profile CEO. Interrogate the anthropomorphic citizens of Cat Town and look for clues to crack the case. It’s a very funny game, but be warned that it is absolutely shameless about puns. Seriously. It’s worse than you old high school English teacher. Worse than that one uncle. I love it. The game also has really good adventure game chops, too. Some good puzzles, excellent writing, interesting characters, and cool locations. If you like adventure games and don’t mind being barraged by cat and dog puns, you really should grab this.
Mon Amour ($8.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
And now something a little different from good ol’ Onion Games. There’s no way to gussy this up: it’s Flappy Bird, except you are playing as a mustachioed fellow in a bowler hat who is flying through the air to try to kiss everyone. EVERYONE. There are 65 people to kiss in all, including the kidnapped princess of the realm. While the core mechanics are essentially Flappy, the level and obstacle designs are decidedly more complex. And the whole thing is naturally wrapped up in the usual Onion Games style, adding a further layer of charm to the proceedings. I like it, but I like everything this particular developer does.
The Jackbox Party Pack 8 ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
As we are on the eighth one of these by now on the Switch, you probably don’t need much editorializing from me. The included games this time are: Drawful Animate, Job Job, The Poll Mine, Weapons Drawn, and The Wheel of Enormous Proportions. Plenty of fun for you to enjoy with your family and/or friends, I assure you.
Dungeon Encounters ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hiroyuki Ito, the creator of Final Fantasy‘s ATB battle system, returns with this minimalist yet strangely compelling dungeon-crawling RPG. While this game clearly wasn’t given the largest of budgets, it gets a lot from its little. You need to thoroughly explore the dungeon map, fighting ATB battles with groups of roving monsters as necessary. Don’t count on much story. This one is almost purely for the love of the gameplay mechanics in turn-based dungeon exploration RPGs.
Subnautica + Subnautica: Below Zero ($59.98)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
It’s Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero in one handy download, with absolutely no savings whatsoever! Buy it if you want both games, which I assume you will if you have any interest in Subnautica. What’s that? You already own one or both of these games? Then you don’t need this. That’s all.
Arcade Archives Rally-X ($7.99)
Pac-Man‘s weird cousin arrives on Arcade Archives this week. Originally released in 1980, Rally-X sees you driving around maze-like streets searching for flags to collect. You have to avoid the red cars that are pursuing you. If you end up in a pinch, you can use a smokescreen to stall the red cars at a cost of some of your fuel. Be careful, because if you run out of fuel before collecting all the flags, you’re out. Not quite as fun as Pac-Man, but this is generally believed to be the first video game with background music playing continuously, so that’s something?
Aeon Must Die! ($19.99)
Much like Romeo a couple of decades ago, it has been determined that Aeon Must Die!. A dreaded emperor named Aeon has been betrayed by his generals and left for dead. But that’s none of your business. Or it wouldn’t be, except that Aeon has decided to merge with you and jack your body for his purposes. This is a stylish beat-em-up with some truly unique mechanics. I think it looks terrific, but I haven’t been able to try it out myself yet so that’s about as far as I can go with my comments.
A Little Golf Journey ($19.99)
Oh hey, this looks like a lovely little golf game. There are over one hundred holes to play across ten different courses, which is a fairly substantial amount. It’s a lighter take on the sport, with collectibles, secrets, and a trip to the Moon. If you’ve exhausted Mario Golf: Super Rush already and need another game to help hold you over until Sports Story, you should take a look at this.
The Sundew ($14.99)
Lots of really interesting point-and-click style adventure games releasing on Switch recently, and this looks like another one. The Sundew follows the story of Anna Isobe, a cyborg cop of the future. That sounds cool, except cyborgs have been rendered obsolete by drones and automata, and the future is a crappy dystopia. Still, Anna’s got a job to do and that’s just what she will do. Investigate an increasingly wide-reaching conspiracy with implications for the entire human race. There are puzzles to solve, choices to make, and characters to meet. I’ll have a review of this one as soon as I can get through it.
Fight of Animals: Arena ($19.99)
While I personally haven’t gotten into this series of silly fighters, I know many people enjoyed both Fight of Animals and Fight of Gods. Those folks will surely be happy to see Fight of Animals: Arena, which brings the twelve characters from the original game into some wild arena battles. There are random items and weapons, plus environmental hazards and traps specific to the six different themed stages. Up to four people can play via local or online multiplayer, and I’m going to assume that is the best way to enjoy this goofy nonsense.
Bonito Days ($9.99)
This game touts itself as a form of chilling out, so keep that in mind. You roll around and glide in twenty different levels spread across five different environments. There are goodies to grab and alternate routes to discover as you make your way through, with the ultimate goal being to reach the end and make a nice landing on the target. It’s a bit like the Monkey Target mini-game in the Super Monkey Ball games, but extended out. I definitely dig the soundtrack, for whatever that’s worth.
Red Ronin ($7.99)
QUByte’s latest is a rather fun one. It’s set up a lot like Slayaway Camp, with a turn-based puzzle style of play. You control a deadly assassin and need to kill your way through each area to reach the exit. Pushing in any of the cardinal directions will cause you to head off in said direction until you hit a wall or other obstacle, slicing anyone who gets in your way. Be mindful, however. If you don’t time things right, the enemy will be able to kill you. You not only need to consider your path carefully but also need to make use of a couple of special abilities. I’ll have a review of this one next week, but I think it’s pretty good so far.
Nira ($9.99)
It’s another game about crafting and surviving, this time from a top-down perspective. This one has a low-fi pixelated look to it, but most of the things you will be doing are very familiar. You’re given quests to complete by a mysterious totem, which gives you some sort of structure should you feel you need it. But yes, gather the resources, build the tools, gather more, build shelter and weapons, battle the monsters, grow crops, and dive into the occasional dungeon. You can play alone or pull in a buddy for local co-op. I’ll have a review of this one next week, but so far I feel fairly so-so about it as a whole. Not particularly bad or good, just there. For the price, it may be enough for some.
Ruin Raiders ($19.99)
Here’s a roguelite featuring anthropomorphic dungeon delvers engaging in some exploratory expeditions, piecing together puzzles, battling baddies in turn-based combat, and looking for loot. You’ve got all the usual stuff, including skill trees and a crafting system. You can also unlock more classes and abilities as you go, adding even more replay value. Aside from the unusual character designs, I’m not sure what this really does to distinguish itself within this terribly busy genre. But then again, a thing doesn’t have to be unique to be satisfying, and this at least seems to have its fundamentals down.
Super Chicken Catchers ($17.99)
This is a futuristic sport thing where aliens and pigs team up to try to catch chickens? Multiplayer focused, as you might expect. Up to four players can get it on the fun, either via local splitscreen or online multiplayer. Your alien rides a pig and you have to catch the chicken, but once you do you’ll be weaker and vulnerable to the opponent. Reviews weren’t super-great on this one back when it hit computers, but it’s likely seen some improvements since then that might help it find a more welcoming audience on Switch.
Aliens Drive Me Crazy ($8.00)
Wait. This feels very familiar. Give me a second, please. Wow, yes. I reviewed the mobile version of this game all the way back in 2014! Well… take it away, Shaun of the Past.
“Like most of the games from developer Rebel Twins, Aliens Drive Me Crazy isn’t something most people are going to want to sit down and play for hours at a time, but is incredibly fun in short bursts where its limited gameplay scope isn’t quite so apparent. The developer has managed to find a manic tone that resonates extremely well with the wild, unique gameplay. It’s not hard to see why its great sense of silly fun won over people in our forums. I’m not sure if it’s something you’ll love forever, but there’s nothing wrong with an exciting fling now and then in one’s gaming diet. This game provides that, and perhaps a little more."
Henchman Story ($14.99)
This is a choice-based adventure where you play as a henchman working for a somewhat incompetent supervillain, battling heroes and generally getting the stuffing beaten out of you by cool attractive folks. Well, that’s the job. At least it provides health insurance? Setting aside the novel premise, this plays out like these sorts of games usually do. Make choices that will lead you down the path to one of several endings, perhaps even earning a promotion! Wouldn’t that be nice?
Tears of Avia ($14.99)
Oh good, this game. Tears of Avia is a turn-based tactical RPG that is making its way over to Switch after making its less than impressive mark on computers and Xbox One. I’m sure if I really think hard about it, I could conjure up a worse TRPG that I’ve played, but I would have to really spend some time to come up with one. Well, maybe they fixed some of the many, many bugs in this release. Guess we’ll see.
Zumania – Magic Casual Puzzle Game ($9.99)
Hey look, it’s a rip-off of Zuma, which itself was a rip-off of Mitchell Corporation’s Puzz Loop. Ten bucks gets you one hundred levels. You can definitely find more for less if you go poking around the App Store on your mobile device. If you need one of these on your Switch, 10tons makes a much better one that costs less, called Sparkle Unleashed. Get that instead.
Hextones ($2.99)
Oh hey, I know what this one is going for. This is basically Ishido but with a hex grid instead of a square grid. Each stone comes in five different colors and five different symbols, and you need to place them so that they are only touching stones with the same color or the same symbol. There are one hundred stones to place, and your goal is try to put as many of them as you can down without running out of spaces for them. You get more points for more complex connections. Rather tricky, but it can be good fun. The hex grid makes it even more challenging.
Waifu Discovered 2: Medieval Fantasy ($9.99)
Bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk! No amount of bonking is enough for eastasiasoft these days, it seems. This is the sequel to Waifu Uncovered, and like that game it is a shoot-em-up where you battle enemies with the ultimate goal of stripping the big ladies in the background. Is it a high-quality shoot-em-up? No. But that is not what this is about, is it? There are eight characters to “assist", unlockable ships, local co-op support, and a one-handed mode with two special ships just in case you haven’t gotten the point yet. Bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk!
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not a small bunch given the time of the day I’m writing this. But is there anything good? Let’s have a look. You know, I’m not really seeing anything there that has me excited beyond the semi-regular stuff like The Flame in the Flood or Human: Fall Flat. Well, there’s always tomorrow. How about the outbox? Hmmm. Also nothing! I guess you can save your money for new games, how about that? I’m sure that will change between now and the next time we speak, so enjoy the peace. And check those lists!
Select New Games on Sale
Space Crew ($7.99 from $19.99 until 10/20)
Heart Chain Kitty ($5.90 from $9.90 until 10/20)
Almost There: The Platformer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/21)
The Bridge ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/21)
Tumblestone ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/21)
Roundguard ($8.67 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Foregone ($7.99 from $19.99 until 10/21)
Jim Conception ($11.25 from $15.00 until 10/21)
Sunblaze ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/21)
Deleveled ($3.92 from $9.99 until 10/21)
Fracter ($3.35 from $6.99 until 10/21)
Space Otter Charlie ($10.47 from $14.99 until 10/21)
Breakpoint ($2.39 from $4.99 until 10/21)
Gurgamoth ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/21)
#Funtime ($5.20 from $14.99 until 10/21)
The Ambassador: FT ($5.89 from $14.99 until 10/21)
Minigolf Adventure ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/23)
Wind Peaks ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/27)
Instant Farmer ($2.39 from $2.99 until 10/27)
The Flame in the Flood: Complete ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Serial Cleaner ($2.24 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Human: Fall Flat ($7.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
Smoke and Sacrifice ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
Manual Samuel ($2.49 from $9.99 until 10/28)
Velocity 2X ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
The Swindle ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/28)
The Jackbox Party Pack 6 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 10/28)
Beholder: Complete Edition ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/28)
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Pumped BMX Pro ($2.99 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Motorsport Manager ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/28)
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid ($12.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
For The King ($8.49 from $24.99 until 10/28)
American Fugitive ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
Hue ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/28)
Nira ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/28)
A Knight’s Quest ($4.99 from $24.99 until 10/28)
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels ($5.99 from $29.99 until 10/28)
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind ($4.99 from $24.99 until 10/28)
Hotshot Racing ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/28)
The Bluecoats North & South ($13.49 from $29.99 until 11/3)
Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/3)
Hope’s Farm ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/3)
The Sisters Party of the Year ($22.49 from $29.99 until 11/3)
Agatha Christie: ABC Murders ($13.49 from $29.99 until 11/3)
Syberia 3 ($4.99 from $49.99 until 11/3)
Explosive Dinosaurs ($5.59 from $7.99 until 11/3)
What Comes After ($4.89 from $6.99 until 11/3)
Adventure Field 4 ($6.49 from $9.99 until 11/3)
Medieval Tower Defense ($4.89 from $6.99 until 11/3)
Karma Knight ($3.59 from $8.99 until 11/4)
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Complete ($13.49 from $29.99 until 11/4)
Jurassic World Evolution ($26.99 from $59.99 until 11/4)
Revenant Saga ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Antiquia Lost ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Fort Triumph ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Waifu Discovered 2 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Miden Tower ($9.74 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Alphadia Genesis ($9.74 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Revenant Dogma ($6.49 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Brain Meltdown Into Despair ($7.19 from $7.99 until 11/4)
Creepy Road ($3.89 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Bonds of the Skies ($7.14 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Sephirothic Stories ($8.24 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Frane: Dragon’s Odyssey ($7.14 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Geki Yaba Runner ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/4)
Deadlings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/4)
Metamorphosis ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Struggling ($6.74 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Little Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Space Cows ($1.99 from $7.99 until 11/4)
Tools Up! ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Seek Hearts ($8.24 from $14.99 until 11/4)
It Came From Space ($2.99 from $14.99 until 11/4)
inbento ($2.99 from $4.99 until 11/4)
Red Wings: Aces of the Skies ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, October 15th
.cat Milk ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
4×4 Dirt Track ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/15)
A Gummy’s Life ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Absolute Drift ($8.99 from $11.99 until 10/15)
Aqua TV ($3.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Art Sqool ($1.99 from $12.99 until 10/15)
Bear’s Restaurant ($10.39 from $12.99 until 10/15)
Biped ($7.34 from $14.99 until 10/15)
Blastful ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/15)
BraveMatch ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/15)
Car Driving School Sim ($6.99 from $13.99 until 10/15)
Caretaker ($2.39 from $7.99 until 10/15)
Carnage: Battle Arena ($4.49 from $14.99 until 10/15)
City Driving Simulator ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/15)
Conarium ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Cooking Festival ($3.29 from $10.99 until 10/15)
Dancing Dreamer ($2.09 from $6.99 until 10/15)
Death Coming ($2.72 from $6.99 until 10/15)
Death Squared ($2.09 from $14.99 until 10/15)
Don’t Touch This Button! ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/15)
Dreaming Canvas ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/15)
Dungeon of the Endless ($3.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Elli ($3.99 from $7.99 until 10/15)
Fluxteria ($2.09 from $6.99 until 10/15)
Gearshifters ($26.99 from $29.99 until 10/15)
Have a Blast ($11.99 from $17.99 until 10/15)
Headsnatchers ($3.74 from $14.99 until 10/15)
INSIDE ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Jigsaw Abundance ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/15)
Jigsaw Solace ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/15)
LEGO Builder’s Journey ($15.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
LIMBO ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Memory Lane ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/15)
Memory Lane 2 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 10/15)
Monster Truck Arena ($8.99 from $11.99 until 10/15)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 10/15)
Neighbors Back From Hell ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/15)
Nerved ($2.69 from $8.99 until 10/15)
oOo: Ascension ($3.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Press “A" to Party ($2.09 from $6.99 until 10/15)
Puddle Knights ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Ramp Car Jumping ($3.14 from $10.49 until 10/15)
Sin Slayers ($1.99 from $19.99 until 10/15)
Speed Truck Racing ($4.49 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Still There ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/15)
Super Space Serpent Secondary ($7.49 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Survival Z ($9.99 from $14.99 until 10/15)
The Bear & the Admiral ($16.19 from $17.99 until 10/15)
Through the Darkest of Times ($8.99 from $14.99 until 10/15)
Tower of Babel No Mercy ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/15)
Trios Lofi Beats/Numbers ($5.99 from $7.99 until 10/15)
Underland ($5.99 from $7.99 until 10/15)
War-Torn Dreams ($2.09 from $6.99 until 10/15)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with some more new releases like The Good Life and Gleylancer, among others. There should also be a lot more sales, hopefully a bit more impressive than today’s bunch. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
