News

SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Biomotor Unitron’, ‘Arcade Archives Flipull’, and Today’s Other New Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 26th, 2022. The day is Thursday, and that means we’ve got a bunch of new releases to check out. Jumping into the past, we’ve got Biomotor Unitron and Arcade Archives Flipull, both cool games that are coming back after a fairly long period of dormancy. There’s an intriguing-looking RPG based on the Three Kingdoms, an indie fighting game, and a real-time Pride Parade strategy game. You can’t knock the variety, that’s for sure. We’ve also got the new and expiring sales for you to dig into. Let’s get on with it!

New Releases

Biomotor Unitron ($7.99)

Well, here’s a nice surprise. SNK has another NEOGEO Pocket Color game for us today. Biomotor Unitron was the first RPG for SNK’s short-lived handheld, though I suppose by today’s standards we might be tempted to call it a roguelite. You play as a pilot of a mech called a Unitron and need to crawl through dungeons battling monsters. Your pilot will gain experience, which brings certain upgrades, and you can also get parts for your Unitron that will power it up. Dungeons are procedurally-generated and the town is just a menu. Unfortunately, the trade features aren’t available in this version, but it’s otherwise a great way to play a fun game that commands stupid-high prices on the aftermarket.

Arcade Archives Flipull ($7.99)

Ah, now here’s a neat one. Flipull is a puzzle game that was initially released in the arcade by Taito in 1989 and eventually made its way to other platforms including the Game Boy. That version is the one I’m most familiar with. Some of you may know this game as Plotting. Anyway, what you have to do is toss blocks with symbols on them to make matches, which seems simple enough but is actually quite tricky as you whittle the pile down. If you don’t do things right, you’ll end up with leftover blocks you can’t remove. And that’s the game. It’s good stuff, and Hamster has done its usual good work with this version.

Twin Blades of the Three Kingdoms ($14.99)

Based on the Chinese novel, this is an RPG with strategic turn-based battles. There are more than one hundred and twenty generals in play, allowing you a lot of flexibility in how you want to compose your party. Apparently BUN BUN (Yasuaki Fujita) composed the music for this game, which is pretty cool. He was one of the composers for Mega Man 3, Final Fight 2, Breath of Fire, and Punky Skunk. Anyway, it’s basically a standard JRPG with slightly rough visuals and a battle system similar to games like Shining Force or Fire Emblem. Might be one of those quote-unquote hidden gems that the kids on the internet TV like to talk about.

Pixel Game Maker Series Kingdom Fighter ($13.99)

Are we interested in an indie fighting game with local multiplayer? Perhaps. You get eight (at the start, anyway) different characters to play in this one, each with their own attacks and special moves. You can unlock more characters and costumes by playing through the story mode. I haven’t been able to play this one, and I can’t seem to find any impressions of it. I suppose fighting fans might want to take a punt on it given how little action we’ve seen in the genre of late, but do so at your own discretion.

Underland: The Climb ($3.99)

This is a direct sequel to Underland, which was a decent little puzzle platformer for the price. And to no one’s surprise, this is also a decent little puzzle platformer for its price. You get thirty new levels to play through with some interesting new puzzle ideas to stump you.

Sakura Succubus 5 ($9.99)

Wow, we’re at five of these now on Switch eh? I suppose people really don’t mind these edited versions. Anyway, it’s another visual novel where Hiroki adds another woman or two to his harem. A princess! And her maid, oddly enough. There are some choices to make as you go that will determine how happy of an ending you reach.

Beatus Creation Solitaire ($19.99)

So how does a simple Spider Solitaire game command a twenty-dollar price? Well, you bring in some licensed content. Now, I’m not going to pretend I’m anything but the most basic of VTuber fans. I like Inugami Korone, Nekomata Okayu, and Himemori Luna. If I feel like some quality gremlin, I might watch Amelia Watson. But I’ve never even heard of Beatus Creation, the VTuber characters that are at the core of this game. Looking it up, they were apparently created by Inside System, the developer of the Dark Witch games. They don’t seem to be very popular, but hey, maybe some of you are fans. So you play Spider Solitaire, earn coins, use those coins to unlock Beatus Creation-themed stuff like stickers and and themes, and that’s about the size of it. The VTubers lend their voices to the game, and you do get some extra puzzles to solve on top of the standard mode. Twenty bones, though? Hm.

Pride Dance Out & Proud ($14.99)

This released a while back on Steam under the name Pride Run, where it appears to have gotten a fairly good reception. You can choose to play it either as a standard rhythm game where you tap the buttons to the beat, or as a very unique real-time strategy game where you have to manage your Pride Parade, keep them safe from threats, and use leaders to boost the Parade’s power. There are also some boss battles against some people who may not appreciate Pride Parades, including one particularly bigly-known political figure. Be warned that like the real thing, it is very vibrant and a bit flashy, and thus may not be safe for people who are photosensitive.

Eye Exercise – Ver. kompeito ($1.99)

This is pretty much a standard side-scrolling endless driver, with one major gimmick in place. When you start playing, the screen splits into two. You are meant to do that Magic Eye thing to see a 3D picture while you play. If you look really hard, you might even see a sailboat. If this seems like a terrible way to play a game… you might be right. Even the eShop description warns against playing longer than five minutes at a time.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Some rarities in today’s list of new sales, that’s for sure. MLB The Show 22 has its first post-launch sale, and it’s a solid one. Wild Guns Reloaded and the Harvest Moon games aren’t on sale very often, and I can at least say that the former is a must-have. Anyone with a fondness for twin-stick shooters more or less needs Xeno Crisis in their collection. As for the outbox, it’s your last chance to get Dungeons of Dreadrock at its great launch price. You may also want to consider some of the THQ Nordic games on sale, as not all of them show up every time the publisher rolls one out. Finally, the Subnautica games. If you like your survival experiences, they’re both excellent.

Select New Games on Sale

MLB The Show 22 ($39.99 from $59.99 until 6/1)
MLB The Show 22 Digital Deluxe ($59.99 from $99.99 until 6/1)
Wild Guns Reloaded ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/1)
Harvest Moon: One World ($37.49 from $49.99 until 6/1)
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope SE ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
Harvest Moon: Mad Dash ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/1)
ConnecTank ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/1)
P.3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/1)
Atomicrops ($5.99 from $14.99 until 6/1)
Horror Tales: The Wine ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/4)
Infernium ($6.23 from $24.95 until 6/4)
Xeno Crisis ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/9)
River City Melee Mach!! ($4.76 from $13.99 until 6/9)
Stay Cool, Kobayashi-San! ($5.60 from $13.99 until 6/9)
Double Dragon & Kunio-kun RB Bundle ($20.00 from $39.99 until 6/9)


Double Dragon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Double Dragon II ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Double Dragon III ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Double Dragon 4 ($3.50 from $6.99 until 6/9)
Renegade ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
River City Ransom ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Crash ‘n the Boys Street Challenge ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Super Dodge Ball ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/9)
Wind Peaks ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/9)
Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/9)
Shadow Gangs ($17.99 from $23.99 until 6/13)
Moorhuhn Kart 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/13)
Death Come True ($11.19 from $15.99 until 6/15)
Toki ($2.08 from $14.90 until 6/15)
Hextones ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/15)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 27th

Aces of the Luftwaffe Squadron ($4.49 from $14.99 until 5/27)
Alveole ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Battlechasers: Nightwar ($11.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Catty & Batty: The Spirit Guide ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Chefy-Chef ($3.99 from $4.99 until 5/27)
Crysis 2 Remastered ($17.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Crysis 3 Remastered ($17.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Darksiders Genesis ($15.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Darksiders II Deathinitive ($11.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Darksiders III ($25.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Darksiders Warmastered ($11.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
de Blob ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
de Blob 2 ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Destroy All Humans! ($25.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Dog’s Donuts ($2.99 from $3.99 until 5/27)


Dungeons of Dreadrock ($5.00 from $10.00 until 5/27)
Earthlock ($5.38 from $29.90 until 5/27)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning ($25.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Late Shift ($7.14 from $12.99 until 5/27)
Legend of Kay Anniversary ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Maximillion Fortress ($2.79 from $3.49 until 5/27)
Monobot ($9.09 from $12.99 until 5/27)
Monster Energy Supercross 2 ($3.74 from $24.99 until 5/27)
MotoGP 20 ($3.74 from $24.99 until 5/27)
Overlanders ($1.99 from $24.99 until 5/27)
Path: Through the Forest ($2.09 from $5.99 until 5/27)
Rebel Cops ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Sphinx & the Cursed Mummy ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
SpongeBob SquarePants BfBB ($16.49 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Sports & Wild Pinball ($5.99 from $14.99 until 5/27)


Steam Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/27)
Subnautica ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Subnautica: Below Zero ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
SUPERHOT ($12.49 from $24.99 until 5/27)
This is the Police ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
This is the Police 2 ($8.99 from $29.99 until 5/27)
Titan Quest ($11.99 from $39.99 until 5/27)
Titan Quest: Atlantis DLC ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/27)
Titan Quest: Ragnarok DLC ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/27)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the rest of this week’s releases, including Kao the Kangaroo, Remote Life, and more. We’ll have summaries of all of those as we always do, plus a bunch of new sales and any major news that rolls in. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!