Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 5th, 2023. It’s our first Thursday of the year, and while it’s not the most impressive of things, it beats last week. Hamster’s latest Arcade Archives release is a good one, Maximus 2 is now available on Switch, and we have two puzzle-platformers with a similar core conceit. All that, plus the latest sales. Let’s get to work!
New Releases
Arcade Archives Galaga ($7.99)
Oh hey, what’s up, First Game Shaun Remembers Ever Playing. Namco’s 1981 shooter was a bit of a game changer for the genre with its fast-paced action and not-so-secret trick for getting double shots. I think it’s still a lot of fun, but I would. Note that the arcade Galaga is already in the Namco Museum release for the Switch, so unless you really want those Hamster features you may find that a more economic way to pick up the game.
Pixel Game Maker Series Pearl Vs Grey ($7.99)
Another Pixel Game Maker Series game, and this is another one that seems to use the Game Boy aesthetic. It’s not part of the Game Buddy series, though. At any rate, this is a puzzle action game that has hints of things like Donkey Kong ’94 to it. Probably not quite as good as that game, but it looks fun enough for the price it’s asking. And hey, Game Boy aesthetic. Extra points out of the gate there.
Lost Snowmen ($4.99)
Okay, so here’s the deal with this. It’s a puzzle-platformer. You’ve got three different characters, each with their own abilities. You’ll have to switch between them and use their distinct skills in order to move forward through the stages. You’ve probably heard of this kind of thing before, but this one has snowmen and it’s five bucks.
Maximus 2 ($4.99)
Hey, it’s our old friends at Four Fats. Here’s a port of last year’s Maximus 2, minus the IAPs and plus an upfront price tag. But it’s a very reasonable price tag, so if you like the kind of wacky beat-em-up action Four Fats usually trades in, it’s hard to go wrong here. I’ll have a review of this one early next week, but you can also just download the mobile version and give it a go to see how you take to it.
Backpack Twins ($11.99)
Here’s a puzzle platformer where you control a pair of twins and need to use them together to progress through the stages. There are some extra goodies you can collect to unlock various things, and the game keeps track of your best time on each stage in case you feel like doing a little speed running. It seems okay as this kind of thing goes.
AlphaLink ($14.99)
One of those arena battlers where you can play alone if you like but really should pull in some friends if you want to get at the real fun. Up to four can play this one, either locally or online, and there are various modes you can choose from to keep things spicy. Experience points and a progression system, a bunch of weapons, cosmetics to customize your character’s look, it’s got all the boxes checked off. It’s been on other consoles for a bit and it seems to have gone over reasonably well with folks. I’m a bit weary of this kind of thing by now but if you aren’t you might want to give AlphaLink a deeper look.
Tumbleweed Destiny ($2.99)
Wow, January 5th and we already have a Game of the Year contender. In this fully accurate tumbleweed simulator, you control a tumbleweed. The more you roll, the more Tumbleweed Points you’ll earn. You can use those to upgrade your tumbleweed to help it do tumbleweed things better. Play alone or head online for multiplayer with up to sixteen players. Wow! All that for three bucks? What could possibly go wrong?
Age of Heroes: The Beginning ($19.99)
Oh hey, it’s another one of these Green Sauce matching puzzlers. Twenty bucks. I mean, they’re obviously selling or they wouldn’t keep bringing them out, so why not? Anyway, you probably know the routine by now. One hundred levels of matching fun, some power-ups that can be crafted, and a little story to go with your dinner. If that is what you’re after, here you go.
Slots Royale: 777 Casino Games ($9.99)
To be clear, this does not contain seven hundred and seventy-seven casino games. It perhaps wants you to think it does. I don’t know. It’s just another slots game. You get somewhat less than seven hundred and seventy-seven slots games to play.
Hollow World: Dark Knight ($7.99)
To be clear, this game has nothing to do with Hollow Knight. It perhaps wants you to think it does. I don’t know. Battle through more than one hundred stages using your magic and filling out your skill tree for great justice. Defeat an assortment of bosses, and if that’s not enough for you there is an Arena mode where you can fight to your heart’s content. It’s T-Bull, so don’t expect anything particularly amazing.
World War Battle Heroes Field Armies Call of Prison Duty Simulator ($4.99)
More toilet scum from our latest experts in absolute dreck, VG Games. Buy this if you want to waste five dollars in the most embarrassing possible way. You could stick the fiver up your nose and it would be a more dignified use of it.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Well, that’s not very impressive either, is it? Demon Gaze Extra is a great RPG for thirty bucks, and it’s never a bad thing to get some discounted NEOGEO games. The outbox sees another substantial wave of holiday sales come to a close. Check those lists carefully as ever.
Select New Games on Sale
Demon Gaze Extra ($29.99 from $59.99 until 1/19)
Buried Stars ($13.49 from $44.99 until 1/19)
Epic Dumpster Bear 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/19)
JankBrain ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/19)
ACA NEOGEO Samurai Shodown ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/19)
ACA NEOGEO Aero Fighters 2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/19)
ACA NEOGEO Metal Slug 4 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/19)
ACA NEOGEO Super Sidekicks ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/19)
ACA NEOGEO Burning Fight ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/19)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, January 6th
A Robot Named Fight ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/6)
Alfred Hitchcock Vertigo ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
Arkanoid Eternal Battle ($20.09 from $29.99 until 1/6)
Asterix & Obelix XXXL: TRfH ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
C.A.R.L. ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/6)
Can Androids Survive ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
Car Parking Club ($7.79 from $l2.99 until 1/6)
Cellular Harvest ($3.19 from $7.99 until 1/6)
Clan O’Conall & Crown of Stag ($3.74 from $7.49 until 1/6)
Cloud Gardens ($10.79 from $17.99 until 1/6)
Dire Vengeance ($11.24 from $14.99 until 1/6)
Dire Vengeance Deluxe ($14.99 until $19.99 until 1/6)
DreamGallery ($2.09 from $5.99 until 1/6)
Ender Lilies QotK ($14.99 from $24.99 until 1/6)
Fashion Friends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
fault -StP- Lightkravte ($14.39 from $17.99 until 1/6)
Filmechanism ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/6)
Finding Paradise ($10.79 from $11.99 until 1/6)
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch ($6.79 from $19.99 until 1/6)
Garfield Lasagna Party ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
Gemstone Keeper ($4.49 from $8.99 until 1/6)
Grand Mountain Adventure ($17.49 from $34.99 until 1/6)
HAAK ($16.06 from $18.90 until 1/6)
Hardcore Mecha ($14.99 from $24.99 until 1/6)
Hazelnut Hex ($2.39 from $7.99 until 1/6)
Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch ($31.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
Lunistice ($4.24 from $4.99 until 1/6)
My Universe: Interior Designer ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/6)
My Universe: Puppies & Kittens ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/6)
Mystic Vale ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
Negative Nancy ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/6)
New Joe & Mac Caveman Ninja ($23.99 from $29.99 until 1/6)
Nonogram Minimal ($1.99 from $6.99 until 1/6)
Oddworld Soulstorm ($39.99 from $49.99 until 1/6)
Off and On Again ($5.60 from $14.00 until 1/6)
Orn: The Tiny Forest Sprite ($2.50 from $8.99 until 1/6)
PigShip & the Giant Wolf ($3.19 from $7.99 until 1/6)
Pinball Jam ($9.99 from $24.99 until 1/6)
Raiders of the Lost Island ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/6)
RiffTrax: The Game ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/6)
Rush Rally 3 ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/6)
Smurfs Kart ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
Steam: Rails to Riches ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/6)
Stranded Deep ($12.49 from $24.99 until 1/6)
Summer Sweetheart ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/6)
Super UFO Fighter ($8.99 from $11.99 until 1/6)
The Bluecoats North & South ($4.49 from $29.99 until 1/6)
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 1/6)
The Sisters Party of the Year ($4.49 from $29.99 until 1/6)
There is No Game: Wrong Dimension ($7.79 from $12.99 until 1/6)
Touhou Luna Nights ($12.59 from $17.99 until 1/6)
UnderMine ($6.99 from $19.99 until 1/6)
XIII ($23.99 from $39.99 until 1/6)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, a good chunk of sales, and maybe a little more depending on factors outside of my control. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
