Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 8th, 2022. I’ve got another review for you today, this time for Land of Screens. I, uh, didn’t love it. Well, you can’t win them all. We also have some new releases to look at, and I rather liked a couple of those. Finally, we’ve got some sales for you to check out. New sales, expiring sales, the rainbow of sales flavors. Let’s go to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Land of Screens ($5.99)
I’m going to be direct here: I found this game’s messaging to be heavy-handed and I can’t say I fully agree with what it has to say. And that, my friends, is a problem because this game is really all about its story. Most of the problems you solve are done by wandering around and talking to the right people in the right order, which puts a lot of weight on the words they’re saying. Sometimes the writing is fine, and the main character comes off fairly well. But this game has a message, and it is going to beat you upside the head with it from start to finish.
There’s some merit to the idea that perhaps we all spend a bit too much time looking at our various screens. But Land of Screens goes way over the top with it, and seems more excited about presenting a wide array of ridiculous scenarios than handling the topic in a nuanced manner. It’s bizarre that something that looks and reads like it comes from the younger generation comes off so utterly… boomer-ish. I normally get on well with Serenity Forge’s stuff, but this one just didn’t work for me. Maybe you’ll find it more relaxing than I did.
SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5
New Releases
OlliOlli World ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The latest game in the Olli Olli series takes things up a notch by bringing things down a notch. Travel through candy-colored skating courses, performing tricks, hunting down secrets, and so on. You know, Tony Hawk-style stuff but in 2D. It’s a little easier to make progress in this one, and a story gives you added incentive to do so. Not that you need such things; the game is a joy to play. If you liked the previous games, this is an easy recommendation. If you bounced off them because they were a bit too strict, you may find this one treats you better. Lovely stuff.
Ziggurat 2 ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Another heaping helping of roguelite dungeon-crawling FPS action, Ziggurat 2 tends to split fans of the first game. Some prefer its faster-paced, more accessible approach, while others like the deeper yet less immediate joys of the first. I’m not going to make a judgement call on all of that, but I can at least say that both games are quite cool. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll probably want to check this one out even if it ultimately doesn’t impress you quite as much. Not like there are too many other games scratching this particular itch.
Death end re;Quest 2 ($49.99)
By Idea Factory standards, this is a decent enough game. Turn-based RPG meets horror visual novel to solid results. It’s bleak as heck, but that is part of the appeal. But goodness gracious, this is not a good port. Technical issues abound, and this really shouldn’t be the kind of game suffering from that. If you can put up with that kind of thing, you might find something to like here. I’ll have a review of this one early next week if you need more details.
Zorya: The Celestial Sisters (Free)
Well, here’s a new one for the eShop. This is basically a Lite version of the game, allowing you to play the first five levels before asking you to buy a $24.99 IAP to unlock the rest. So what is this game? It’s a co-operative puzzle game where you and a friend take control of two sisters, each with different abilities and a different relationship to the light and shadows. It seems as though you can play with a friend online or locally via a splitscreen function, and from the sounds of things the game really is meant to be played with another person. The good news is that only one of you needs to own the unlock IAP for both of you to proceed. It looks interesting, and it’s free to try.
AAA Clock + Clumsy Rush ($13.99)
It’s a bundle of AAA Clock and Clumsy Rush. I don’t think either of these is worth paying any amount of money for, but if you do this is probably the cheapest way to get them. As always, check if the separate games are on sale to make sure you are actually getting a deal here.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Hey, time to pick up some Ace Attorney games if you haven’t already. Especially The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Other than that, you’ve got the pleasant hidden object adventure games Kosmonavtes and Panmorphia available for a song, the Guacamelee games, and a few other bits and bobs. The outbox doesn’t have anything immediately pressing in it, but you’ll want to have a look through both of the lists anyway.
Select New Games on Sale
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection ($44.99 from $59.99 until 2/14)
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles ($29.99 from $39.99 until 2/14)
Phoenix Wright: AA Trilogy ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/14)
Headliner: NoviNews ($9.37 from $13.99 until 2/14)
S.N.I.P.E.R. Hunter Scope Deluxe ($1.99 from $16.99 until 2/14)
Monument ($1.99 from $7.00 until 2/14)
Rain on Your Parade ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/14)
WarriOrb ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/14)
Diamond Girl: An Earnest Education ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Yumemidori Nostalgia ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Princess Closet ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/21)
My Bewitching Perfume ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Byakko-tai Samurai Boys ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Spellkeeper ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/21)
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Severed ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Guacamelee! Super Turbo CE ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Guacamelee! 2 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Ultra Foodmess ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/21)
Beyond a Steel Sky ($31.99 from $39.99 until 2/21)
Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Kosmonavtes: Academy Escape ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Panmorphia: Enchanted ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Panmorphia ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Into a Dream ($4.99 from $13.99 until 2/22)
Big Dipper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Merrily Perilly ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
GUNKID 99 ($2.99 fom $6.99 until 2/22)
Potion Party ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Flip Over Frog ($1.99 from $7.50 until 2/27)
Sky Ride ($1.99 from $7.00 until 2/27)
Goonya Fighter ($11.59 from $14.49 until 2/27)
Marooners ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Salad Bar Tycoon Deluxe Edition ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/28)
Crash Drive 2 ($1.99 from $8.99 until 2/28)
Crash Drive 3 ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($2.09 from $34.99 until 2/28)
Solitaire TriPeaks Flowers ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/28)
Crowdy Farm Puzzle ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/28)
Spider Solitaire ($1.99 from $8.99 until 2/28)
Fatum Betula ($2.49 from $5.49 until 2/28)
She Sees Red: Interactive Movie ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Tap Tap Legions ($2.47 from $3.99 until 2/28)
Ages of Mages: The Last Keeper ($7.43 from $11.99 until 2/28)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/28)
Battle for Blood ($2.47 from $3.99 until 2/28)
Legend of Numbers ($2.39 from $2.99 until 2/28)
Anna’s Quest ($3.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Deliland: Pocket Planet ($8.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Earth Atlantis ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/28)
Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Goodbye Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Deponia Doomsday ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Chaos On Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Jumping Helix Ball ($3.39 from $3.99 until 2/28)
Mania Fish ($3.39 from $3.99 until 2/28)
Frog Ball Rerolled ($4.24 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 9th
A Day Without Me ($2.49 from $5.99 until 2/9)
A Pretty Odd Bunny ($3.49 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Arcade Fuzz ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
ASMR Journey Jigsaw Puzzle ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
BFF or Die ($2.99 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Cannibal Cuisine ($10.39 from $12.99 until 2/9)
Castle of Pixel Skulls ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Chess Knights: Shinobi ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Circa Infinity Ultimate ($2.19 from $10.99 until 2/9)
Daylife in Japan: Jigsaw Puzzle ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 2/9)
Dimension Drive ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/9)
Dracula Frames ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Foregone ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/9)
Galaxy Champions TV ($1.99 from $6.99 until 2/9)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 2/9)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Lost Wing ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Luckslinger ($3.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Lumini ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Milli & Greg ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Missing Feature: 2D ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Puzzle Car ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Puzzletronics ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Rainswept ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Red Ronin ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Savage Halloween ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Shapeshooter ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Shieldwall Chronicles ($3.49 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Space Elite Force ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/9)
Spooky Chase ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
STAB STAB STAB! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Swarmriders ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
The Bug Butcher ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Thea: The Awakening ($7.19 from $17.99 until 2/9)
UBERMOSH:BLACK ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Underland ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/9)
Urban Flow Extended Edition ($1.99 from $16.99 until 2/9)
Vasara Collection ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
War Solution: Casual Math Game ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/9)
Wingspan ($13.39 from $19.99 until 2/9)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and whatever else rolls in over the course of the next 24 hours. I’m still fighting my way through a bunch of games, and I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. I’ll get there, don’t worry. At any rate, I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
