Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 8th, 2022. In today’s edition, we’ve got a few reviews for you to check out. Primordia, A Musical Story, and Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes are up for evaluation today. After that, we’ve got a new release to check out. It’s not a super-exciting one, but that doesn’t matter. We cover them all anyway. After that, we finish up with the usual lists of new and outgoing sales. Let’s get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Primordia ($14.99)
Primordia is, somewhat unapologetically, a throwback to 1990s point-and-click adventure games. I want to say it leans more in the Lucasarts direction than anything else, but some parts of it feel very much like certain Sierra games. The setting is fascinating, presenting a post-human world where the machines we built continue to build themselves and revere their now-extinct creators as mythical gods of sorts. But things aren’t going well for the robots, either. Resources are drying up, things are breaking down, and many of them are just trying to survive day to day. The protagonist of this tale is one such robot, and he’s just had his ship’s power core stolen by a mysterious robot.
Some of the puzzles in Primordia can be really hard to figure out logically, which is one of the bad ways it can feel old-school. Some people may not resonate with the setting or some elements of the story, and those are such a big factor in this genre that it always needs to be considered. Other than those things, I’m hard-pressed to find too many things to complain about here. This Switch version handles the controls as you would expect. You can move the cursor around with the stick or use touch controls. Adventure game fans should enjoy it quite a bit, but be ready to get a little frustrated with some puzzles that feel borderline farcical in their design.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
A Musical Story ($14.99)
Here’s another one for the “I wanted to like this a lot more than I did" pile. There are a few different components to this one, and some of them fare better than others. The music and overall presentation? Superb. Great stuff. I could listen to this soundtrack for hours, and the art is both stylish and beautiful. The story? It’s up and down. When it’s going, it’s really interesting and has a lot of heart. But there are long stretches where almost nothing is happening, and they’re too frequent to ignore.
The biggest problem with A Musical Story comes in its gameplay mechanics, though. You play the tunes in sliced out sections, and you have to hit every note perfectly before the game will let you move on. And unless you’re really good with audio cues, you’re going to fail a lot. The worst thing is that once you’ve missed a note, you know you can’t succeed but you still have to finish out the slice anyway. It’s aggravating in the worst way. You never get that feeling of being one with the music that you get with better rhythm games. Great music, an uneven story, and unpleasant gameplay make for a very rocky road trip indeed.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes ($14.99)
Much as I enjoy a standard game of pinball, it’s always nice to see some attempts to work silverball into other gaming concepts. It’s even better when they actually work out well. And that is indeed the case with Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes. It’s pinball, but also a roguelite. You work your way around maps, picking and choosing the points of interest you want to visit. Some of them will send you into a pinball battle against hordes of zombies. After clearing one of these action stages, the zombie horde on the map will spread, making it harder to move about without taking damage. Each stage culminates in a boss battle against a monster with special skills. Worry not, as you’ve got some skills of your own and you’ll accumulate more over the course of each game.
Sure, you can probably find a better pure game of pinball, and all the roguelite caveats apply here. The procedural generation can swing for or against you, and things can get a little repetitive after a while. But broadly speaking, this bit of pinball with a purpose offers up plenty of fun zombie smashing and loot gathering to keep you whacking away for hours on end. Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes has its tongue in its cheek and its hand on… someone or something’s heart, and that’s good enough for me.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
The Wild Case ($9.99)
This is a fairly relaxed adventure game set in a remote village where the people are being terrorized by creatures from the surrounding forests. Normally a job for animal control, but these creatures are of a supernatural nature and thus you, a paranormal detective, have been called in to sort things out. The village is full of odd characters, and you’ll need to talk to all of them to figure out what they know and what they have seen. Some of them will be less than forthcoming unless you have something to offer them first. Be careful: if you head into the forest without properly preparing, you’re liable to become another victim.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Okay, no Mario games today. But there are some good ones in there. The Kingdom games are on sale, and so is the excellent Operencia: The Stolen Sun. Ratalaika has a bunch of its titles on sale for some of the lowest prices they’ve seen yet. In the outbox, you’ve got a whole bunch of DOOM games. You should have most of those already, if not all of them. Provided you don’t, there’s your shopping list. Speaking of lists, you know what to do.
Select New Games on Sale
Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut ($11.99 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Bad North Jotunn Edition ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Kingdom New Lands ($2.99 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Kingdom Two Crowns ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
Kingdom Two Crowns Norse Lands ($6.29 from $6.99 until 3/14)
Townscaper ($4.49 from $5.99 until 3/14)
Dandara: Trials of Fear ($5.24 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Mosaic ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
Star Renegades ($12.49 from $24.99 until 3/14)
Stela ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
Demon Turf ($19.99 from $24.99 until 3/14)
A Little Golf Journey ($17.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
Uurnog Uurnlimited ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/14)
West of Dead ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
GoNNER ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/14)
GONNER2 ($3.89 from $12.99 until 3/14)
Night Call ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/14)
Atomicrops ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Out There: Omega The Alliance ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Backbone ($19.99 from $24.99 until 3/14)
Swords & Bones ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/15)
Operencia: The Stolen Sun ($8.99 from $29.99 until 3/15)
Castlestorm II ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
Banner of the Maid ($10.19 from $16.99 until 3/15)
Mushroom Savior ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/15)
Flaskoman ($2.99 from $499 until 3/15)
Aloof ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/21)
Frontier Quest ($9.59 from $11.99 until 3/21)
King’s Heir Rise to the Throne ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/28)
Abyss The Wraiths of Eden ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/28)
Tank Battle Heroes ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/28)
InfiniteCorp Card Game ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Squareboy vs Bullies ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Twin Robots Ultimate ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Super Destronaut DX ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
My Big Sister ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/28)
One More Dungeon ($2.39 from $799 until 3/28)
Super Weekend Mode ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Metagal ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Vera Blanc: Full Moon ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
UltraGoodness 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Strike! Ten Pin Bowling ($7.49 from $9.99 until 3/28)
Autumn’s Journey ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Jet Set Knights ($3.99 from $9.99 until 3/28)
Freddy Spaghetti ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
SkyScrappers ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/28)
The Language of Love ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/28)
Zeroptian Invasion ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Devious Dungeon ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Devious Dungeon 2 ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Devious Dungeon Collection ($5.19 from $12.99 until 3/28)
Even the Ocean ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/28)
Roommates ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/28)
Loot Hero DX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Jet Kave Adventure ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/28)
Paw Paw Paw ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/28)
Balancelot ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/28)
More Dark ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Golf Zero ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
InkSplosion ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
How to Take Off Your Mask ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/28)
Reflection of Mine ($3.19 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Ord ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Micetopia ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Two Parsecs From Earth ($3.19 from $7.99 until 3/28)
A Hero and a Garden ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Bird Game + ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Iron Snout ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Jack N’ Jill DX ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Daggerhood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Binaries ($2.07 from $12.99 until 3/28)
Subsurface Circular ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/28)
Quarantine Circular ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/28)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9th
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
BFF or Die ($2.99 from $7.99 until 3/9)
Castle of Pixel Skulls ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Crashbots ($6.69 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Deep Ones ($3.34 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 3/9)
Dimension Drive ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/9)
DOOM 1993 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/9)
DOOM 2016 ($9.99 from $39.99 until 3/9)
DOOM 3 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/9)
DOOM 64 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/9)
DOOM Eternal ($19.79 from $59.99 until 3/9)
DOOM Eternal Deluxe ($29.69 from $89.99 until 3/9)
DOOM II Classic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/9)
DOOM Slayers Collection ($17.49 from $49.99 until 3/9)
Energy Balance ($2.00 from $2.99 until 3/9)
Energy Cycle ($2.00 from $2.99 until 3/9)
Energy Invasion ($2.00 from $2.99 until 3/9)
Grass Cutter: Mutated Lawns ($4.68 from $6.99 until 3/9)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/9)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Kirakira Stars Idol Memories ($19.60 from $28.00 until 3/9)
Lost Wing ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/9)
Luckslinger ($3.49 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Lumini ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Metropolis: Lux Obscura ($5.35 from $7.99 until 3/9)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
OMG Police Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
One Eyed Kutkh ($3.34 from $4.99 until 3/9)
OVIVO ($4.68 from $6.99 until 3/9)
Planet RIX-13 ($3.34 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Rainswept ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/9)
Runbow ($2.99 from $14.99 until 3/9)
Sigi ($3.34 from $4.99 until 3/9)
SkyTime ($2.00 from $2.99 until 3/9)
Stab Stab Stab! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 3/9)
State of Anarchy MoM ($5.35 from $7.99 until 3/9)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
The Bug Butcher ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/9)
Thea: The Awakening ($7.19 from $17.99 until 3/9)
Urban Flow Extended ($1.99 from $16.99 until 3/9)
Vasilis ($3.34 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Wingspan ($13.39 from $19.99 until 3/9)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a couple more new releases, more sales, and potentially some news. I’ve had a bit of a bad day today. I guess that means that statistically speaking tomorrow should be better. I hope so, anyway. May you all have a better Tuesday than I did, and as always, thanks for reading!
