News

SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 3’, ‘Digimon Survive’, and Today’s Other New Releases, News, and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 29th, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got some spiffy new releases to dig into. But before that, a little news about the release date of the next wave of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe courses. As for those new games, there’s the big-pants RPG Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the long-in-development Digimon Survive, a pair of Turrican collections, and more. Finally, there’s a huge list of new sales from which I’ve boiled things down to a somewhat manageable load, plus the expiring sales for the weekend. Let’s go!

News

Wave 2 of the ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ Booster Pass Arrives Next Week

It’s about that time, friends. Time for another pack of courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Booster Course Pass. Well, it’s not precisely that time. That will be next week, on August 4th, when the next set of eight tracks hits the game. You can watch the video to see which ones, but fan favorite courses like Waluigi Pinball and Kalimari Desert are among them. There’s even a completely new course in the form of Sky-High Sundae. If you’ve already bought the Booster Course Pass, you’re all set to grab these when they go up next Thursday. Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers will also be able to enjoy them.

New Releases

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ($59.99)

SwitchArcade Highlight!

Here it is, the latest in the massive Xenoblade Chronicles series. Offering more than one hundred hours of adventure, this game takes you through a massive world full of sights to see and characters to meet. Early reviews on this one are very promising, and I hope to add my own review to the pile if things line up right. I could have picked a screenshot that just showed something from a cutscene, but I wanted to be honest about this. Take a gander at that wild UI in the screenshot. Your feeling about it will determine if this one is for you or will send you screaming for the hills. I’m in Group A, personally.

Digimon Survive ($59.99)

This has been a long time coming. I can’t believe it’s actually here. Anyway, this is a blend of visual novel and turn-based tactical RPG, which is a blend I tend to associate with Sakura Wars more than anything. It looks like this game leans into the darker themes that are sometimes associated with the brand, and I can only hope that it is everything Digimon fans have been hoping it would be.

Turrican Anthology Vol. I ($29.99)

Turrican Anthology Vol. II ($29.99)

Yeah, this is a similar situation to the whole Space Invaders Forever/Invincible Collection thing from a while back. ININ Games released Turrican Flashback some time ago, which had a nice selection of Turrican games, if not necessarily a complete one. At the same time, Strictly Limited Games was selling two volumes with even more Turrican games as physical editions. Those have finally shipped to those who ordered, so here we are with digital versions of them. The first volume has Turrican and Turrican 2‘s Amiga versions, Super Turrican and Super Turrican Director’s Cut for Super NES, and Mega Turrican Score Attack for the Genesis. The second volume has Turrican 3 for Amiga, Mega Turrican and Mega Turrican Director’s Cut for the Genesis, and Super Turrican 2 and Super Turrican 1 Score Attack for Super NES. Is that enough for a double dip for those who have Flashback? Ehn, I’ll leave that to you to decide.

Avenging Spirit ($5.99)

Jaleco’s arcade classic, perhaps these days best known for its excellent Game Boy conversion, gets the Ratalaika Games treatment. It’s the usual wrapper we’ve seen in many of Ratalaika’s other emulation projects, but with a full range of dip switch options for those who want to tinker around with such things. The emulation seems to have some mild issues, and there’s no online leaderboard or anything. I’ll have a review of this one for you soon, but if you like the arcade game you don’t have too much to fear.

Aniquilation ($14.99)

This is kind of a neat spin on the usual twin-stick shooter. It reminds me of Super Stardust, because the levels are all small planetoids. In addition to your own shots, you can throw chunks of the environment or reflect enemy attacks back at them. As you play you’ll earn XP and resources you can use to upgrade your ship. There are a few different modes to play, and you can also bring in a buddy via local multiplayer. It looks promising, but I haven’t had a chance to play it yet so I can’t make any guarantees.

MADiSON ($34.99)

This is a first-person horror game, and regular readers know that isn’t exactly my kind of thing. I do know that it features plenty of puzzles to solve, a lot of psychological weirdness, and enough jump scares to make Shaun hide in the dryer for a week. Reviews on other platforms haven’t exactly been glowing, but they’re not bad either. That’s as far as I can take you with this one.

Moonrise Fall ($9.99)

An exploration puzzle game where a boy is involved in a car crash that kills both of his parents. He finds himself in a bizarre forest and needs to solve its mysteries to escape. So yeah, explore that forest, solve those puzzles, and enjoy the trippy happenings. You have a camera and part of the game involves taking pictures of the strange denizens of the woods. There’s a lot of optional stuff to do if you feel like poking around and seeing what you can turn up. This one got some good reviews on other platforms, so if you like the sound of it, feel free to dive in.

Superpanda 2 ($3.99)

More junk from Pix Arts. I guess enough people bought the previous generic platformer, so now we get another one. Probably a template flip, but I can’t be bothered to search for it. Just toss it in the trash bin where it belongs and move on.

Whack First! – Fight the Moles ($3.99)

Cooking and Publishing has four releases today, and every last one of them is a burning pile of trash. This one is a generic Whack-A-Mole game. Curiously, it doesn’t have support for handheld mode, so you’ll need those motion controls.

Beach Girls: Don’t Lie in Summer ($4.99)

One type of well Cooking and Publishing keeps going back to is this one where you need to answer questions once and then answer them again with the same responses, thus proving you are not a liar. This one uses beach girls as a theme. Not much of a game at all.

Adopt an Animal Near Me ($3.99)

One type of well Cooking and Publishing keeps going back to is this one where you need to answer questions once and then answer them again with the same responses, thus proving you are not a liar. This one uses pet adoption as a theme. Not much of a game at all.

Backgrounds for Life ($2.99)

Cooking and Publishing’s final “treat" for the day is this. You can set different backgrounds. That’s it. Leave your Switch running and enjoy these (hopefully) public domain sights.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Wow, that’s a list alright. I’ll call your attention to a few things and then just let you go to work. Super Mega Baseball 3, DOOM Eternal, and quirky shooter Radirgy Swag are at new low prices. A handful of Nintendo first-party games are on sale, including Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and its Expansion Pass. Crimzon Clover is on sale and shoot-em-up fans really ought to own that. Finally, there are a lot more sales than what you see here. I pruned things considerably. So hop on the eShop and see if anything on your wishlist is discounted. The weekend outbox is practically non-existent, so feel free to lay out your cash where you will.

Select New Games on Sale

Chasm ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Freshly Frosted ($8.89 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Cozy Grove ($9.66 from $14.99 until 8/4)
The Ambassador: FT ($3.89 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Deleveled ($2.59 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Shadows of Kurgansk ($7.19 from $17.99 until 8/5)
Unbound: Worlds Apart ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/5)
Super Mega Baseball 3 ($13.49 from $44.99 until 8/7)
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($9.89 from $29.99 until 8/7)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($7.99 from $39.99 until 8/7)
Dead by Daylight ($11.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ($4.94 from $14.99 until 8/8)
My Little Pony Maretime Bay Adv. ($31.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Torchlight II ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Torchlight III ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Warshmallows ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/8)
Tricky Towers ($5.24 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Streets of Rage 4 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/8)
Streets of Rage 4 Mr. X DLC ($5.59 from $7.99 until 8/8)
Biped ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)


Slipstream ($8.49 from $9.99 until 8/8)
Very Very Valet ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Windjammers ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Windjammers 2 ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Soundfall ($22.49 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Zengeon ($12.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Gravity Heroes ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Wrestling Empire ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Supermarket Shriek ($8.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Warborn ($8.24 from $24.99 until 8/8)
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth ($14.99 from $49.99 until 8/8)
Tales of Vesperia DE ($9.99 from $49.99 until 8/8)
God Eater 3 ($8.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet ($8.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
SnowRunner ($25.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
GONNER2 ($3.24 from $12.99 until 8/8)
Get Packed: Couch Chaos ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Young Souls ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/8)
The Uncertain: Quiet Last Day ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
World War Z ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)


Serious Sam Collection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Heave Ho ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/8)
Ultra Street Fighter II ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania ($25.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Mario & Sonic at the 2020 Games ($41.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax ($20.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Namco Museum ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Taiko no Tatsujin Drum n Fun ($9.99 from $49.99 until 8/8)
Mr. Driller DrillLand ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Sonic Colors Ultimate ($23.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Sonic Forces ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Sonic Mania ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Sonic Origins ($31.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Team Sonic Racing ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
SEGA AGES, Assorted ($2.79 – $5.99 from $7.99 until 8/8)
SEGA Genesis Classics ($11.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival ($17.49 from $49.99 until 8/8)
Puyo Puyo Tetris ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)


Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Puyo Puyo Champions ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/8)
DOOM Eternal ($14.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
DOOM Eternal Deluxe ($22.49 from $89.99 until 8/8)
Crawl ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Raining Blobs ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/8)
Rival Megagun ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Crimzon Clover World EXplosion ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
H.I.C.H. ($7.49 from $24.99 until 8/8)
Ice Station Z ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/8)
LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga ($44.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Star Wars Episode I Racer ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Fight’N Rage ($8.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Pikuniku ($3.24 from $12.99 until 8/8)
Castle Crashers Remastered ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Full Metal Furies ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba ($42.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Bloody Zombies ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection ($19.79 from $29.99 until 8/8)


Tetris Effect: Connected ($23.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Grid Autosport ($17.49 from $34.99 until 8/8)
Time Loader ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Vagante ($11.24 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Dodgeball Academia ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/8)
QuickSpot ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Enter The Gungeon ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition ($41.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity ($41.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
1-2-Switch ($34.99 from $49.99 until 8/8)
Super Mario Party ($41.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Snipperclips Plus ($20.98 from $29.98 until 8/8)
Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Among Us ($3.50 from $5.00 until 8/8)
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon ($16.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Dungeon Defenders Awakened ($19.79 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Conan Chop Chop ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Rush Rally Origins ($9.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)
PixelJunk Eden 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/8)
Super Meat Boy ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/8)


Spiritfarer ($9.89 from $29.99 until 8/8)
Assault Android Cactus+ ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Crash Bandicoot 4 ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Blizzard Arcade Collection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/8)
Diablo II Resurrected ($23.99 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Diablo III Eternal Collection ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Diablo Prime Evil Collection ($35.99 from $59.99 until 8/8)
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 ($20.00 from $39.99 until 8/8)
Alchemist Adventure ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/11)
Greak: Memories of Azur ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/11)
Narita Boy ($8.74 from $24.99 until 8/11)
Retro Machina ($10.99 from $19.99 until 8/11)
Super Cane Magic ZERO ($7.49 from $24.99 until 8/11)
Sheltered ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/11)
Overcooked All You Can Eat ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/11)
Epic Chef ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/11)
Raging Justice ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/11)


Transient: Extended ($6.66 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Soldam: Drop Connect Erase ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/12)
Psyvariar Delta ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/12)
Japanese Rail Sim: Journey to Kyoto ($39.99 from $49.99 until 8/12)
Radirgy Swag ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Penguin Wars ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Apple Knight ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Slap the Rocks ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/12)
Waifu Discovered 2: MF ($6.49 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Marble Maid ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/12)
The Sorrowvirus ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Buissons ($4.39 from $7.99 until 8/15)
Melty Blood: Type Lumina ($32.49 from $49.99 until 8/17)
Barn Finders ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/17)
Monster Hunter Generations Ult. ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/17)
Monster Hunter Rise ($30.59 from $59.99 until 8/17)
Monster Hunter Stories 2 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/17)
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Deluxe ($34.99 from $69.99 until 8/17)
Deadly Premonitions Origins ($20.99 from $29.99 until 8/17)
An NPC’s Odyssey ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/18)


Mom Hid My Game! ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/18)
Mom Hid My Game! 2 ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/18)
Hide & Dance ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/18)
My Brother Ate My Pudding! ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/18)
Sherlock Holmes: Devil’s Daughter ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/18)
Final Vendetta ($21.20 from $24.95 until 8/18)
AngerForce: Reloaded ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
To the Top, Mammoth! ($2.50 from $10.00 until 8/18)
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/18)
Cube Blast: Match ($3.60 from $18.00 until 8/18)
Battle Axe ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/18)
Obakeidoro! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/18)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Agatha Christie ABC Murders ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/30)
Dungeons of Dreadrock ($4.00 from $10.00 until 7/30)
Gangsta Magic ($1.99 from $8.99 until 7/30)
My Universe: Doctors & Nurses ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/30)
Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness ($7.49 from $29.99 until 7/30)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($2.44 from $34.99 until 7/30)
Parasomnia Verum ($2.61 from $3.49 until 7/31)

That’s all for today, this week, and this month, friends. We’ll be back next week to kick off the new month with some reviews, some sales, some news, and plenty of new releases as usual. I’ll be enjoying a little cake to celebrate making it through another year on this dustball. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading.