Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 29th, 2023. In today’s article, we briefly go over that fancy Tears of the Kingdom preview from yesterday then head right into a review of the action bop Kraino Origins. After that, we’ve got a few new releases to look at. A small batch, but not a bad one. Finally, it’s the lists of sales we all crave, both new and expiring. Let’s get to it!
News
Hey Look, a ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ Video
Maybe you saw this already, and maybe you didn’t. I know I forgot about it yesterday. Anyway, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is coming out pretty soon. Like a month and half from now or so. If you’re in full-on hype devouring mode, Nintendo and Mr. Aonuma from the Zelda team have presented ten-ish minutes of gameplay from the game. It shows off the new Fuse mechanic, and yes, that is quite cool. I’m sure people will find ways to use it to do all kinds of things I would never think of, and after I finish my vanilla playthrough I’ll watch some videos and gawk at them. Oh, and there’s also a special Tears of the Kingdom OLED Switch and Pro Controller coming. Well, watch the video, it’s all there.
Reviews & Mini-Views
Kraino Origins ($11.99)
Kraino Origins is one of those pleasantly challenging action-platformers that you’ll have a nice time making your way through over the course of a lazy weekend and probably rarely think about again after that. It takes a lot of cues from Shovel Knight both aesthetically and in its gameplay mechanics, sometimes to an uncomfortable degree, but in doing so it ends up looking and playing fairly well. Its eight lengthy, linear stages and handful of shorter bonus stages are over a bit too quickly for seasoned platforming fans, but the variety of gimmicks sprinkled among them makes it a fun romp. The checkpoints in the main stages are probably a little too far apart for many newcomers, and the action may well be a bit too spicy.
Some hidden areas in each stage can be uncovered that offer extra challenges in exchange for permanent upgrades to your health and mana, and you can also find a variety of sub-weapons by seeking out a shopkeeper and buying them. The visuals offer up some nice pixel art, while the music is decent but extremely repetitive. I feel like the game could use some UI improvements. There are some fun filters to try out, but you can only access them from the main menu. It would also be nice to have an option to exit a stage without actually reaching the end. Perhaps it’s there and I didn’t see it.
The controls take a little bit to get used to thanks to the slight delay in how quickly Kraino’s scythe connects, but once you do it’s fairly smooth sailing. His moves are very familiar, and you’ll find his pogo move to be the key to success in many cases. While you get a bunch of sub-weapons to play with, most of them aren’t very useful or necessary. I should also mention that I wasn’t very impressed with the boss battles, which lacked the enjoyable variety the stages offered. Each new boss feels too similar to the last, and their high amount of HP combined with the simple patterns they use makes most of those fights a snooze.
It might sound like I’m down on Kraino Origins, but the reality is that I’m very mixed on it. It controls well and I like the level designs. The bosses don’t match up to the levels in quality, and it really doesn’t take long to see everything here. I also feel like it cribs a little too much from Shovel Knight, and the end result is that it lacks a strong sense of identity. The graphics are good, the music less so. Yes, I’m all over the place on this one, but I do think fans of the genre will have a pretty good time with it while it lasts.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Pirates Outlaws ($16.99)
Sure, we have a lot of games like Darkest Dungeon and such on Switch already. But this one has pirates! It also has a nifty papercraft look to its visuals, so that’s nice. Anyway, this version includes all of the updates for free right from the hop, and it’s a great way to play a very well-received game for those who prefer to play on the Switch over their mobile devices or computers.
Gripper ($19.99)
If you think motorbikes are cool as heck, this is the game for you. You play as a guy on a bike who is battling bosses, and he is not getting off that bike for anything. But you don’t just have a bike, of course. You also have weapons! And you have a grappling hook you can use to maneuver around the environments better or just grab enemies and drag them. Neat. This game looks pretty cool, but I haven’t had a chance to play it yet so all I can comment on is how it looks.
RunBean Galactic ($4.99)
Oh, I’ve enjoyed a few games like this one. So the idea is that you run around the planet, jumping over and sliding under hazards while trying to collect bonus goodies. You need to survive as long as you possibly can, dealing with sudden direction changes and whatever other nonsense the planet throws at you. Could be fun for a fiver.
Pocket Penguin DX: A Retro Style Adventure ($9.00)
Well, this is cute. Not the first or last game to try to evoke the Game Boy, but it really does a nice job of presenting a Kirby-style platformer that feels fairly authentic to the era. The main gimmick involves using bombs as platforms and to attack your enemies. This version includes new minigames, a total of nineteen color palettes to choose from, and multiple difficulty modes to tackle. Not bad at all for under ten bucks.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
The Rogue Legacy games are at new low prices, and I can safely recommend both of them if you’re into the ol’ roguelites. Those craving some Shinobi-ish action will want to look at Shadow Gangs, also hitting a new low price. Not hitting new lows are the Atelier Ryza games, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick them up if you want to catch up before tackling Ryza 3. Some goodies in the outbox too, so make sure you check that list before moving on.
Select New Games on Sale
Superliminal ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/4)
Cat Tales ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/5)
Rogue Legacy ($2.02 from $14.99 until 4/5)
Rogue Legacy 2 ($21.24 from $24.99 until 4/5)
Full Metal Furies ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/5)
Space Tail: EJLH ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/9)
Shadow Gangs ($14.39 from $23.99 until 4/10)
TOHU ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/11)
Alan Wake Remastered ($20.09 from $29.99 until 4/11)
Railgrade ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/11)
Mars Horizon ($6.59 from $19.99 until 4/11)
PC Building Simulator ($3.99 from $19.99 until 4/11)
Murder By Numbers ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/11)
Fairy Tail ($39.59 from $59.99 until 4/12)
Blue Reflection Second Light ($35.99 from $59.99 until 4/12)
Atelier Ryza ($29.99 from $59.99 until 4/12)
Atelier Ryza 2 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 4/12)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Ninja Collection ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/12)
Brigandine: Legend of Runersia ($24.99 from $49.99 until 4/13)
Death Come True ($11.19 from $15.99 until 4/13)
Children of Morta Complete ($7.98 from $26.99 until 4/18)
Moonlighter Complete ($4.34 from $28.99 until 4/18)
This War of Mine Complete ($1.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
South of the Circle ($7.79 from $12.99 until 4/18)
Beat Cop ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/18)
Children of Silentown ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/18)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, March 30th
#Funtime ($3.22 from $14.99 until 3/30)
A Juggler’s Tale ($4.49 from $17.99 until 3/30)
A Little Lily Princess ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/30)
A Space for the Unbound ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
A Summer with the Shiba Inu ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/30)
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection ($29.99 from $59.99 until 3/30)
Arcaea ($35.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Assault Gunners HD Edition ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/30)
Balancelot ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/30)
Blackberry Honey ($5.19 from $12.99 until 3/30)
C14 Dating ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium DLC Bundle ($29.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Capcom Arcade Stadium 1/2/3 DLC Bundle ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Capcom Fighting Bundle ($29.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Capcom Fighting Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Dariusburst CS Core/Taito/SEGA ($23.99 from $29.99 until 3/30)
Dead or School ($8.99 from $29.99 until 3/30)
Deleveled ($2.15 from $9.99 until 3/30)
EDF World Brothers Deluxe ($34.79 from $59.99 until 3/30)
Fracter ($2.20f rom $6.99 until 3/30)
Freshly Frosted ($6.79 from $9.99 until 3/30)
Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party ($35.99 from $59.99 until 3/30)
Heal: Console Edition ($2.09 from $6.99 until 3/30)
HellGunner ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/30)
Kansei: The Second Turn HD ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/30)
Klang 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/30)
Nicole ($3.79 from $18.99 until 3/30)
Papetura ($7.99 from $9.99 until 3/30)
PGMS BombMachine Gunzohg ($4.79 from $5.99 until 3/30)
PGMS Pentacore ($7.99 from $9.99 until 3/30)
Phoenix Wright AA Trilogy ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/30)
PHOGS! ($17.49 from $24.99 until 3/30)
Plan B from Outer Space: ABO ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/30)
Power Rangers Battle for the Grid ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Power Rangers: BftG Super Edition ($24.99 from $49.99 until 3/30)
Rabi-Ribi ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Ravensword Shadowlands ($2.09 from $6.99 until 3/30)
Roundguard ($6.30 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Sail Forth ($16.39 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Samurai Maiden ($47.99 from $59.99 until 3/30)
Space Otter Charlie ($6.52 from $14.99 until 3/30)
Sunwards ($12.00 from $15.00 until 3/30)
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines ($3.22 from $14.99 until 3/30)
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/30)
Ultimate ADOM: Caverns of Chaos ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/30)
Within the Blade ($3.29 from $10.99 until 3/30)
Yeah! Fighting Girl ($12.00 from $15.00 until 3/30)
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles ($8.99 from $29.99 until 3/30)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means we’ll have a whole bunch of new releases to sift through tomorrow. Assault Suits Valken Declassified, LUNARK, Like Dreamer, and more will be hitting the eShop, and we’ll have summaries of all of them. More than twenty of them, eh? Hm. Other than that, we’ll also have whatever new sales roll in. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
