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SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Dying Light’ Review, New Releases Featuring ‘rRootage Reloaded’ and More, Plus the Latest Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for October 22nd, 2021. In today’s article, we have a rare Friday review from our pal Mikhail. He worked tirelessly through the night to bring us his thoughts on Dying Light: Platinum Edition, so do give them a read if you’re that-way inclined. There ended up being quite a few more new releases today than the schedule indicated, and we’ve got summaries of all of those. We finish out things as we always do with the lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s go!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Dying Light: Platinum Edition ($49.99)

Back in 2015, Techland’s Dying Light was a very interesting release. On the surface, a lot of people wrote it off as another zombie game (including myself initially), but it ended up being a lot more than that with interesting mechanics and gameplay systems. Fast forward to today and Dying Light: Platinum Edition has arrived on Nintendo Switch in what I think is yet another “impossible" conversion for Nintendo’s hybrid system.

On Nintendo Switch, Dying Light arrives in its Platinum Edition incarnation which means it has the four major DLCs and 17 skin packs. This includes Dying Light: The Following expansion featuring a new story and map, Dying Light: Bozak Horde which is a new game mode with its own story, Cuisine & Cargo (two quarantine zones), the Hellraid game mode, and the Ultimate Survivor Bundle. Just like on other platforms, Dying Light: Platinum Edition is the most complete version of Dying Light yet and the open world zombie survival game feels surprisingly good to play on Switch.

If you’ve not heard of or played Dying Light before, it stuck out from the crowd by blending in survival, parkour, a day night cycle that drastically affects things, and its visuals. The story always felt like it was just there and not really the draw. On Nintendo Switch, I’m very impressed with how the gameplay scales and feels. I played it docked with my Pro Controller and handheld with the Hori Split Pad Pro. The latter lacks motion controls, but I don’t enjoy playing these kinds of games with Joy-Cons anymore. Techland surprised me with the addition of not only motion controls for aiming, but also touchscreen support for the interface. The Nintendo Switch touchscreen is so rarely utilized by games that getting even interface support is a big deal.

Visually, Dying Light: Platinum Edition can be a mixed bag. It obviously is downgraded compared to other systems, but it has been scaled with the right compromises since the performance is a lot better than expected. The image quality is blurry in some parts, but you will likely get used to it. Having played over a 100 hours of The Witcher 3 on Switch and more recently Doom Eternal, Dying Light: Platinum Edition is comparable in how it has been scaled back for the Switch. A lot of my expectations came from how the game looked and ran on the base Xbox. Taking that into consideration, Techland has done a great job here.

The area I was most worried about with Dying Light: Platinum Edition on Nintendo Switch, is performance. Surprisingly, load times are quite good. The game targets a frame rate above 30fps which doesn’t feel great because things constantly run just above 30fps and sometimes drop below. I hope a future patch can add a 30fps frame rate cap because that is my main performance complaint right now. I expected frame drops given how the game runs on more powerful consoles, but a few things like a 30fps cap option will help a lot.

While night time performance needs to be improved, the other issues with Dying Light: Platinum Edition on Nintendo Switch are to do with shimmering and shadows. Despite these issues, Dying Light: Platinum Edition is an impressive conversion. This isn’t just a port worth getting to see how it runs, but a release that is good enough to actually get to play. I know a lot of people like buying some heavy AAA games on Switch because the ports feel like they shouldn’t exist. Techland has gone above and beyond what I expected with Dying Light: Platinum Edition and this is a very good version of the game taking the hardware into consideration.

When big games like this show up on Switch, I’m used to just expecting developers to cut back features or ship an incomplete game to patch later because of cartridge size limitations. Techland’s Dying Light: Platinum Edition has arrived, complete and in a fine conversion. It isn’t the best way to play Dying Light, but it is the only portable version and happens to get the job done well.

Dying Light: Platinum Edition already offers a ton of value with the sheer amount of DLC and content included. Dying Light: Platinum Edition on Nintendo Switch offers everything in a single package and it even has a physical release with everything on cartridge barring the day one patch. Techland not only ported Dying Light to Switch well, but also added touchscreen support for menus and motion controls. In terms of features, this is one of the best big game conversions I’ve seen for Switch and it would be great if we actually saw more publishers and developers put in this much of an effort into their ports. While the Nintendo Switch version isn’t as good as other platforms in almost every way on a technical level, it is absolutely worth getting if you’ve wanted to experience the game and want it portable or only have a Nintendo Switch. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

New Releases

rRootage Reloaded ($5.00)

SwitchArcade Highlight!

Hey, I remember this. rRootage was one of the early hits of Japanese indie gaming, released all the way back in 2003. While its presentation is very much no-frills, you can enjoy 60 FPS bullet hell shoot-em-up action in four different flavors. Normal Mode is pretty plain, giving you a few bombs you can use in a pinch. PSY mode, inspired by Psyvariar, implements a graze mechanic. IKA mode, inspired by Ikaruga, adopts a color-swapping mode for absorbing shots and dealing extra damage. Finally, GW mode follows in the footsteps of Giga Wing by adding in a bullet reflect ability. Each mode has 40 levels to play, mostly against a huge boss whose patterns vary, giving you a total of 160 battles to enjoy. It’s very, very good.

City Stunt Driver ($11.99)

Here’s this week’s driving game from Pixelmob. Stunt driver theme this time, but you know how it goes. You get a handful of vehicles, a somewhat decent-sized open area, a bunch of missions to complete, and the same driving model we’ve seen in a dozen other games at this point. It will be on sale for half-price within a month or so, I’m quite sure.

Reminiscence in the Night ($4.99)

This is a narrative adventure where you play as a character trapped in their apartment. You can’t leave until you sort out your trauma. It’s going to take some work, so you’d best get started on it. Make choices, solve some light puzzles, and soak in the powerful atmosphere of this journey into one person’s troubled past.

My Friend Peppa Pig ($39.99)

If you have young kids, you probably know this creature very well. And I’m now going to tell you something you may or may not want to hear. If you have a kid who loves Peppa Pig, this game is pretty much perfect. You create your own animal character and then just hang with Peppa for the day. You can go and participate in various activities as you like. Peppa will recommend things but you can wander around and do whatever. It’s obviously not a super-challenging game, but there are some activities that have prerequisites in order to access them. It’s like an interactive episode of Peppa Pig, and that’s probably all it needs to be.

Demon Hunter: Riddles of Light ($14.99)

Artifex Mundi has some of its brand of hidden object adventure fun for us today, this time presenting another installment in its Demon Hunter series. This time, the titular Demon Hunter Dawn has ended up in a pinch and it’s up to her niece Lila to save her. Solve puzzles, play mini-games, and enjoy the detailed backgrounds and pulpy story that we’ve come to expect from these games.

Minigolf Adventure ($4.99)

More golfing fun for those who can’t get enough of chasing a ball around a park. There are more than fifty holes to play, set across three different environments. You get five different modes, and there’s support here for up to four players via local multiplayer. Seems to do what it needs to for a fiver.

Fantasy General II: Invasion ($39.99)

Wow, Slitherine Software. Now there’s a name I’ve not heard in quite some time. This publisher used to be the king of mobile turn-based strategy games before it pulled up stakes and more or less left what was becoming an increasingly challenging market. I wonder if it still has its old razzle-dazzle? Fantasy General II is a sequel to a game released by Strategic Simulations back in 1996. By and large this game seems to have been received reasonably well on other platforms, with some praise for the effort put in to faithfully follow up the original. Engage in epic battles with more than seventy-five different unit types under your command, training and leveling them up to handle greater challenges. Seems like a good one to sink your teeth into if you’re looking for something to chew on.

Dracula Frames ($3.99)

This is a collection of sliding tile puzzles, like the ones you can find in a dollar store toy aisle or by pushing A+B fifty-five times in Final Fantasy on the NES. They are Dracula-themed. There are eight of them. You don’t need me to tell you if this is something you want or not.

Pro Flight Simulator ($14.99)

Pix Arts has a lots of chutzpah charging fifteen bucks for something of such poor quality as this. Rest assured that this is nowhere near a proper simulator, and no amount of unauthorized use of real planes can cover up the horrible gameplay mechanics.

Donut Match ($7.99)

This is a Candy Crush Saga knock-off that swaps sweets for donuts, hewing so closely as to even offer the same power-ups and special matches. It’s only playable in handheld mode, so I presume you have to use touch controls. You can find a zillion of these on your mobile device that have more levels and are completely free. I’d personally go for one of those and keep my eight bucks for delicious Snickers bars, but you do you.

Dawn of Survivors 2 ($9.99)

Well, this is an odd case. The original Dawn of Survivors was so steeped in its multiplayer function that you needed a Nintendo Switch Online account to play it. Dawn of Survivors 2, meanwhile, is releasing without its multiplayer implemented. It will apparently be added later. Well, that’s fine. This is another helping of zombie survival action, with some new tower defense elements and an actual goal of safely evacuating to work towards. The first game seemed to connect well with some players, a fact I’m sure was at least partially connected to its extremely reasonable price. This one is a little higher. But as long as the multiplayer element wasn’t your favorite part of the original, you’ll likely appreciate what this follow-up has to offer. If it was… well, you’ll have to wait a bit I suppose.

Lyrica2 Stars Align ($24.99)

The combination of Chinese poetry with a variety of contemporary music genres gets a sequel. As you might expect, not a lot has changed here mechanically from the first. But you get new songs, a new story, and plenty of fresh challenges to tackle. If you were a fan of the first game’s unique charms, I think that will be more than enough.

Tandem: A Tale of Shadows ($24.99)

Well, here’s a new angle on the whole puzzle-platformer thing. You play as two characters in this game. One character plays from a top-down perspective, and the other from a side-scrolling perspective. You have to switch between the two as necessary to make progress as you try to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the magician Thomas Kane. Reviews seem lukewarm, with praise for the puzzles but not much joy on other fronts like the story and characters. Keep that in mind should you decide to venture into these shadows.

Pixel Game Maker Series Shiba Mekuri ($5.49)

You know, sometimes it helps to identify an audience and just go for it. That’s what this game does. It’s a simple game of flipping tiles to try to clear the whole play area, a little similar to Lights Out and its ilk. But behind the tiles? Extremely cute videos of a Shiba puppy named Hina playing and doing other adorable dog stuff. And really, that’s the main event here. Like those eastasiasoft games where you play poker and the ladies lose their clothes, this isn’t really about the game but about the rewards you get for playing. And that… is fine.

Flaskoman ($4.99)

Oh, that’s some nice five-dollar Switch platformer energy. You play as a scientist’s experiment who, in an unfortunate twist, develops the ability to think and feel. If you can prove to the scientist that you’re special, perhaps things might turn out well for you? This is a puzzle platformer with a heavy emphasis on liquids. Your head can contain them! I mean, more than the usual amount. A human head actually contains a lot of liquids. Uh, that has nothing to do with this game though. Solve the puzzles in all of the test chambers while the sarcastic scientist snarks, and maybe he will acknowledge you. No promises, though.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Not the most thrilling assortment, but there’s some interesting stuff here. Kairosoft has a handful of its games on sale if you feel like filling your boots. Those don’t come up too often, so if you’ve had your eye on any of them you should go for it. Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is having what I believe is its first post-launch sale, so if you’ve been considering that game now is a good chance to pick it up. Capcom Arcade Stadium is also having a sale on all of its DLC packs, along with making the games available individually. Nothing too pressing in the weekend outbox, but have a good look at both lists just to be sure anyway.

Select New Games on Sale

Deployment ($1.99 from $9.99 until 10/27)
Raiders of the North Sea ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/27)
Sagrada ($10.49 from $14.99 until 10/27)
Hyperspace Delivery Service ($4.99 from $9.99 until 10/28)
Tennis in the Face ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/28)
Azkend 2: The World Beneath ($3.19 from $7.99 until 10/28)
while True: learn() ($9.61 from $12.99 until 11/1)
Writhe ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/1)
Istanbul: Digital Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/2)
Eight-Minute Empire: Complete ($5.99 from $14.99 until 11/2)
Charterstone: Digital Edition ($14.99 from $24.99 until 11/2)
Steam: Rails to Riches Complete ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/2)
Immortals Fenyx Rising ($23.99 from $59.99 until 11/4)
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered ($14.99 from $39.99 until 11/4)
Assassin’s Creed Rebel Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/4)


Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Family Feud ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/4)
Monopoly ($9.99 from $39.99 until 11/4)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($14.99 from $59.99 until 11/4)
Mario + Rabbids KB Gold Edition ($19.99 from $79.99 until 11/4)
Shikhondo: Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 11/4)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 11/4)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($2.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Unto the End ($17.49 from $24.99 until 11/4)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition ($11.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 11/4)
The Procession to Cavalry ($11.24 from $14.99 until 11/4)
Glass Masquerade ($3.59 from $11.99 until 11/4)


Glass Masquerade 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 11/4)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 11/4)
Aquatic Adv. of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 11/4)
Underhero ($10.19 from $16.99 until 11/4)
Skul: The Hero Slayer ($17.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Tower of Time ($16.24 from $24.99 until 11/4)
Signs of the Sojourner ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/4)
Apsulov: End of Gods ($25.49 from $29.99 until 11/4)
Flaskoman ($3.99 from $4.99 until 11/4)
Cake Bash ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Dungeon Solver ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Hardcore Maze Cube ($1.99 from $2.49 until 11/5)
SmileBASIC 4 ($16.74 from $24.99 until 11/5)
Flatland Vol.1 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Flatland Vol.2 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Animal Pairs: Kids & Toddlers ($1.99 from $7.99 until 11/5)


Dogurai ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Lost Artifacts ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Space Elite Force 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
UBERMOSH:OMEGA ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
Sea King Hunter ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Trine Enchanted Edition ($3.74 from $14.99 until 11/5)
Trine 2 Complete Story ($4.24 from $16.99 until 11/5)
Trine 3: Artifacts of Power ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Zen Chess Collection ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Super Hiking League DX ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/5)
War Dogs: Red’s Return ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Dracula Frames ($2.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Mundaun ($13.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Arcade Space Shooter 2 in 1 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Gemini ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Knight’s Retreat ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)


Chess Knights: Viking Lands ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Destruction ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
99Vidas: Definitive Edition ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Boreal Blade ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/5)
Nine Parchments ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/5)
Dynamite Fishing: World Games ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/5)
Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S ($10.50 from $14.00 until 11/7)
Rest in Pieces ($1.99 from $7.99 until 11/8)
Grim Legends: The Forsake Bride ($2.09 from $14.99 until 11/8)
King’s Heir: Rise to the Throne ($2.09 from $14.99 until 11/8)
The Manga Works ($8.40 from $14.00 until 11/10)
World Cruise Story ($8.40 from $14.00 until 11/10)
Cafeteria Nipponica ($8.40 from $14.00 until 11/10)
The Pyraplex ($8.40 from $14.00 until 11/10)


Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection ($20.09 from $29.99 until 11/11)
Capcom Arcade Stadium Packs 1-3 DLC ($29.99 from $39.99 until 11/11)
Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 1 DLC ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 2 DLC ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Capcom Arcade Stadium Pack 3 DLC ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Capcom Arcade Ghosts ‘n Goblins DLC ($0.99 from $1.99 until 11/11)
Stealth ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/11)
Adv. of Elena Temple Definitive ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/11)
Discolored ($6.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Sakura Nova ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Project Aether: First Contact ($6.69 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Smashroom ($6.69 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Sparklite ($9.99 from $24.99 until 11/11)
Cards of the Dead ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Cube Creator X ($12.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)


Mahluk Dark Demon ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Buildings Have Feelings Too! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
The Dark Eye: Memoria ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Cloudpunk ($14.99 from $24.99 until 11/11)
Felix the Reaper ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
The Long Journey Home ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
AER Memories of Old ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Edna & Harvey: The Breakout ($2.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes ($2.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Solo: Islands of the Heart ($5.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Bot Vice ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Silence ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Super Star Path ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/11)
Aragami Shadow Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 11/11)


HoPiKo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Whip! Whip! ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Candle: Power of the Flame ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
State of Mind ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/11)
Shift Happens ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Battle Group 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)
Drift Legends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/11)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Anna’s Quest ($4.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/23)
Chaos on Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Color Zen Kids ($3.19 from $3.99 until 10/23)
Cube Life: Island Survival ($11.99 from $14.99 until 10/23)
Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Deponia Doomsday ($1.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Doom & Destiny ($5.99 from $11.99 until 10/23)
Doom & Destiny Advanced ($8.39 from $11.99 until 10/23)
Down in Bermuda ($3.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Feather ($4.49 from $9.99 until 10/23)
Fire: Ungh’s Quest ($3.99 from $14.99 until 10/23)
Goodbye Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Iris School of Wizardry ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/23)
Kitty Love ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/23)


Miner Warfare ($3.99 from $7.99 until 10/23)
Minigolf Adventure ($3.49 from $4.99 until 10/23)
Myastere: Ruins of Deazniff ($13.99 from $19.99 until 10/23)
Pixel Action Heroes ($3.99 from $4.99 until 10/23)
Rise Race the Future ($9.89 from $16.49 until 10/23)
Roombo: First Blood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 10/23)
Screencheat: Unplugged ($2.07 from $12.99 until 10/23)
Spiral Memoria ($17.49 from $24.99 until 10/23)
Under Leaves ($3.89 from $12.99 until 10/23)
Chess Gambit ($4.99 from $6.99 until 10/24)
Rock ‘N Racing Bundle OR & GP ($3.99 from $19.99 until 10/24)
Save Koch ($2.00 from $20.00 until 10/24)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with a slightly more eventful selection of titles and events, including the release of the new Mario Party game, the arrival of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, the Animal Crossing update and DLC, and a whole lot more. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!