Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 31st, 2023. It was my birthday over the weekend, and as such I actually spent some time not working. That means I don’t have any reviews for you today, but our pal Mikhail has come through with a terrific one for This Way Madness Lies from Zeboyd Games. After that, I go through the several new releases of the day. It’s a good one if you like puzzle-heavy adventure games, I’d say. Then we hit the lists of new and expiring sales, and call it a month. Let’s go!
Reviews & Mini-Views
This Way Madness Lies ($9.99)
Back in December, I included This Way Madness Lies in my feature on the best new PC-only games to play on Steam Deck. Since then, it was announced for consoles, and released on Nintendo Switch last week. I enjoyed the magical girl, JRPG, and Shakespeare blend of a game that delivered another quality turn-based release from Zeboyd Games. Zeboyd Games’ Cosmic Star Heroine is amazing, so I was optimistic about This Way Madness Lies, and it delivered.
As a turn-based RPG, what stuck out to me the most about This Way Madness Lies, was in its team customization with stats, traits, abilities, and more. It isn’t super deep or anything, but I think Zeboyd is the master of making smaller and memorable turn-based RPGs that appeal to me as a fan of the games in the genre on the SNES and PS1. Outside of the gameplay, the dialogue and character designs are excellent, but as with Cosmic Star Heroine, the real star is the soundtrack.
Having played it without knowing much about it back on Steam Deck, I was blown away by how good it was. It got me thinking about how I see a lot of folks recommending Chained Echoes to anyone excited for the upcoming Sea of Stars, and while I adore Chained Echoes, I feel like Cosmic Star Heroine and This Way Madness Lies are going under the radar for too many.
After both This Way Madness Lies and Cosmic Star Heroine ended up being so good, I think Zeboyd Games’ potential next turn-based RPG will be near the top of my anticipated games list. If you enjoy magical girls, JRPGs, and Shakespeare and want a game that doesn’t waste your time, This Way Madness Lies is an easy recommendation. Its low asking price definitely helps, and I think it does a few things better than Cosmic Star Heroine, though that remains my favorite release from the developer. –Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
New Releases
Venba ($14.99)
Set in Canada in the 1980s, Venba is the story of an immigrant family from India trying to settle in to their new home. It’s a cooking game in the main, and you’ll be cooking plenty of Indian dishes, but you’ll also see a story play out as you go. Our pal Mikhail is going to have a review of this one ready for us tomorrow, so do look forward to that.
The Forgotten Room ($5.99)
I’m not really sure why, but Glitch Games has dropped four its games in a single day on the eShop. These are all ports of its mobile games, and all of them are similar in terms of mechanics. Just different premises and puzzles, by and large. This one sees you exploring a mysterious house to search for a missing girl. Not the most original of set-ups, but it’s popular for a reason.
Veritas ($11.99)
This one is about an amnesiac who wakes up in what appears to be an abandoned laboratory. What did they do to you? What happened to them? It’s like that. A bit longer than the other Glitch Games releases today, which is probably why it costs a little more.
Ferris Mueller’s Day Off ($5.99)
I’ve always felt this one stood out a bit in the Glitch Games line-up just by virtue of its look and sense of humor. A mule has gone missing, and you have to find him. It’s part parody of a certain movie whose title I can’t recall, and partly its own bag of silliness. Expect the usual puzzle and adventure elements seen in most of Glitch’s other titles. Not a bad way to spend six bucks and an evening or tow.
A Short Tale ($5.99)
It might not always be readily apparent but the people behind Glitch Games have a pretty goofy sense of humor that bleeds into the work often. In this game you play as someone who wishes to be small again, and ends up shrunken down and exploring his brother’s now giant-sized room. It’s somehow full of puzzles to solve, of course. But yes, that is why it is called A Short Tale. You’re short.
The Bin Bunch
Last Mage Survivors ($9.99)
Mega Ramp Moto – Dirt Bike Stunts Simulator ($11.99)
Brain On: Dot Physics ($0.99)
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
A modest list of new sales, though the only ones I would personally shout out are the new low prices on Panic Porcupine and SteamWorld Heist. The latter for three bucks is a bonkers deal. The outbox is quite large and has a number of good things in it, but I’ll simply encourage you to scan the list yourself and see what jumps out at you.
Select New Games on Sale
Monark: Deluxe Edition ($32.49 from $64.99 until 8/7)
World’s End Club ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/7)
Sqroma ($6.98 from $8.99 until 8/8)
Farm Slider ($4.49 from $4.99 until 8/12)
Jump Challenge! ($2.74 from $6.86 until 8/12)
Shukuchi Ninja ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/12)
Gerritory ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/13)
The Library of Babel ($12.72 from $18.99 until 8/14)
Heist Force ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/14)
ARK: Dinosaur Discovery ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/14)
Forest Fire ($5.59 from $6.99 until 8/14)
Dr. Fetus’ Mean Meat Machine ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Bus Tycoon Night and Day ($4.89 from $13.99 until 8/18)
The Unicorn Princess ($3.99 from $39.99 until 8/18)
Bee Simulator ($3.99 from $39.99 until 8/18)
Zorro The Chronicles ($10.49 from $34.99 until 8/18)
WRC 8 FIA World Rally Championship ($4.99 from $49.99 until 8/18)
Panic Porcupine ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/18)
Hunting Simulator 2: Elite Edition ($6.99 from $69.99 until 8/18)
Last Mage Survivors ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition ($2.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Train Life: A Railway Simulator ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/19)
Session: Skate Sim ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
WRC Generations Fully Loaded Edition ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Chef Life: Al Forno Edition ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/19)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 1st
16-Bit Soccer ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/1)
Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Astalon: Tears of the Earth ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Beat Cop ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Birds and Blocks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/1)
Birds and Blocks 2 ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/1)
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Spring ($7.49 from $24.99 until 8/1)
Children of Morta Complete ($7.99 from $26.99 until 8/1)
Chronicles of Albian: TMC ($7.19 from $11.99 until 8/1)
Clutter 12: It’s About Time ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Evertried ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Faircroft’s Antiques: TML ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Finding America: The Heartland ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
First Time in Paris ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
First Time in Rome ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/1)
Gorogoa ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Gravity Thrust ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/1)
I Am Dead ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
I Love Finding Birds ($11.24 from $14.99 until 8/1)
I Love Finding More Pups ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Ki11er Clutter ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Lone Ruin ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Lost Ruins ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Maquette ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Match Ventures ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/1)
Minoria ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Momodoria: Reverie Under the Moonlight ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Montgomery Fox & TCotDN ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Montgomery Fox & TCotMB ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Montgomery Fox & TRoVD ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Numolition ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Octo Curse ($7.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Puzzle Vacations Ireland ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/1)
Rise of the Third Power ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Sayonara Wild Hearts ($7.79 from $12.99 until 8/1)
Smelter ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
South of the Circle ($7.79 from $12.99 until 8/1)
Sydney Hunter & the Curse of the Mayan ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
The House of Da Vinci 3 ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
The Pathless ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/1)
This War of Mine Complete ($1.99 from $39.99 until 8/1)
Ultra Age ($17.99 from $29.99 until 8/1)
What Remains of Edith Finch ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
That’s all for today and this month, friends. Hopefully I should have a couple of reviews ready for tomorrow, but we’ll have to see how things shake out. We’ll at the very least have some new releases and sales to consider, plus any big news that rolls in. I hope you all have a magnificent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
