Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 15th, 2024. It’s the start of a new week, and we’ve got an assortment of goodies for you to kick things off with. A few reviews, including the latest PowerWash Simulator DLC, Parasol Stars, and a QUByte-published puzzler. There are two new releases, and at least one of them is fairly noteworthy. Finally, we have a really solid list of new sales, plus the expiring discounts of the day. Let’s get going!
Reviews & Mini-Views
PowerWash Simulator – Alice’s Adventures Special Pack ($7.99)
I know, this is usually Mikhail’s beat. He’s on vacation, so you get me instead. But I assure you, my PowerWash bonafides are legit. Every time a new DLC for this game comes out, I drop what I’m doing to play through it. That’s exactly what I did with Alice’s Adventures, the latest paid DLC for PowerWash Simulator. Where the Warhammer Special Pack focused on vehicles and equipment, this one is all about the areas. You get five of them in total, taking you loosely through the footsteps of Alice’s adventure in Wonderland. From Wonderland’s Entrance Hall all the way to Queen of Heart’s Court, you’ll be seeing the sights of this bizarre fantasy world and hosing them down.
To level with you all, I haven’t enjoyed the last couple of DLCs for this game as much as I hoped I would. The Back to the Future Special Pack felt like a massive missed opportunity that was hurt as much as it was helped by its license. Warhammer was better, but I’m more about cleaning those environments than I am about the objects. Thus, Alice’s Adventures appears to be right up my alley. No messy licensing restrictions, and some truly epic locations to clean up.
And indeed, it is! The trippy nature of the original story gave the developers carte blanche to do all kinds of weird things. Right from the first level at Wonderland’s Entrance Hall, you get some fun messing around with perspective. The second level, the White Rabbit’s House, is a more typical set-up but still has some fun things to look at. The Caterpillar’s Mushroom has a nice verticality to it that will involve some platforming as you clean. The Mad Tea Party is a real treat, having you trek across giant tables set with all kinds of interesting objects and desserts. The Special Pack finishes up with the Queen of Heart’s Court, a location with a solid sense of place that also lets you do some impromptu croquet if you feel like it. All the while, you should keep your eye open for the Cheshire Cat, because he’s definitely got his eye on you.
I found the Mad Tea Party to be the best level of the bunch, particularly the last table that forces you to climb a tower of cake platters. I didn’t dislike any of the levels, but the White Rabbit’s House feels a little plain compared to the rest. The dialogue in this pack feels very natural, far more so than some of the other themed DLCs we’ve seen. As usual for PowerWash Simulator DLC, it took several hours to finish it all up. You also get some new skins with the package if that’s a thing you like to have. Since I mostly play alone, that aspect of the Special Packs doesn’t do too much for me. Even setting that aside, I feel like the value for money is good here.
PowerWash Simulator – Alice’s Adventures Special Pack is the first DLC for this game to try to fly without a popular license of some kind attached, and while some might think that a disadvantage for it, I think it turned out to be in the Pack’s favor. The developers were able to truly put their own spin on a familiar theme, free to interpret it as they liked. The result? An imaginative, enjoyable rabbit hole that I think anyone who enjoys virtual power-washing will find most agreeable to fall down.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble Part III ($9.99)
Let’s not dwell too much on the numbering of any given game in the Bubble Bobble franchise. The important thing to know is that this is another elimination platformer that in spirit follows on from the popular Rainbow Islands. One interesting thing about this one is that it didn’t originate in the arcade, but rather on the TurboGrafx-16 console. It got a lot of ports back in the day, most of which were limited to Europe. And then there was silence, for the most part. The original game got a Virtual Console release for the Wii in Japan, and it appeared on both the PC Engine Mini and TurboGrafx-16 Mini that came out a few years back.
There are surely reasons why that happened, and I could speculate about it and to what extent it had to do with who brought the game to the West back in the day, but that doesn’t really matter now. For our purposes, the key point is that ININ Games, Taito, and Ratalaika have put together a nice release of the original Parasol Stars for modern platforms including the Switch. It’s running in the usual emulation wrapper from Ratalaika, but it has a distinctive title screen that helps it feel a little more special than the usual Ratalaika Brown Bag release.
Japanese and English releases are included, there are online leaderboards, and you can use a list of cheats at your leisure. Absolutely zero extra stuff along the lines of manual scans or that sort of thing, and that is a bit disappointing. You can make use of save states and the rewind feature when playing normally, but there is also an Arcade Mode that disables that kind of thing for a more pure experience. All in all, it could be better in terms of celebrating the game, but if you just want to play it then you’ve got everything you need here.
Do you want to play it? Well, if you enjoy games like Bubble Bobble, Snow Bros., and so on, I would say that you probably do. Parasol Stars is a really great game, with a strong core mechanic that it mines for a fair bit of depth. There are also a lot of secrets in the game, albeit not to the frankly ridiculous point of Rainbow Islands. If you have someone willing to play it with you in the local co-op multiplayer, then you’ll have even more of a blast. I think Bubble Bobble is a bit better, but I like this one a lot more than Rainbow Islands.
While I think there was an opportunity to do a little more with this long-awaited reissue of Parasol Stars, I can’t be unhappy with what we’ve got here. The game is emulated properly with plenty of options and extras to customize your experience, and the online leaderboards are an extremely welcome addition. If you enjoy classic arcade games and haven’t tried this one before, this is a great opportunity to do so. If you have played Parasol Stars before, you probably don’t need me to tell you to grab this.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Busway Islands – Puzzle ($4.99)
Sometimes you just want a simple puzzle game, and QUByte is generally pretty good about putting those out there. Busway Islands – Puzzle is one of its recent efforts, and it’s fine. The idea is that you’re trying to make a route for the buses and trains to pick up their passengers and get to their respective goal. You do that by swapping or rotating tiles to create those paths. There are thirty-five stages in all, and they get more complex as you go. It’s never very stressful or difficult to sort out, really just a matter of fiddling around until you get things right.
Busway Islands – Puzzle is a relatively gentle puzzle game that can occupy you for an afternoon or evening. It doesn’t have much new to offer, but what’s here is done well enough to not get in the way of itself. Not something I would rush out and recommend, but if you’re in the mood for some light entertainment, this isn’t a bad choice.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Select New Releases
Darkest Dungeon II ($39.99)
This sequel has been out for a while now on other platforms, long enough to percolate within the community. To state the most important thing first, this is a very different game from the first one in a lot of ways. That is one thing that both the people who like it and people who don’t will acknowledge. Now whether or not that is a good thing is where players wildly diverge. What’s my take? Well, I’ll have a review for you very soon so you can find out just that.
B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA ($49.99)
A visual novel where you’re managing an up and coming idol band. There are fourteen young men you’ll be serving as a manager to. It’s up to you to help them reach their full potential and make the new group, B-Project, a huge success. I think Mikhail might be taking a look at this one soon, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. PQube generally picks up decent games of this sort, and it certainly looks like it has potential. I suppose we’ll see.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Okay, most of the new sales today are Square Enix ones. But don’t miss that half-price sale on FEZ, because that is a very rare sale indeed. That is a very nice Square Enix sale, mind you. Not that such things are rare, but it’s never a bad day to stock up on some quality RPGs. Check out the outbox as well, since there are a few other cool things in there you won’t want to miss.
Select New Sales
FEZ ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/22)
Final Fantasy VII ($6.39 from $15.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy IX ($8.39 from $20.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster ($19.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy XII TZA ($19.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
World of Final Fantasy Maxima ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Chocobo GP ($19.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Dragon Quest ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Dragon Quest II ($3.89 from $6.49 until 7/26)
Dragon Quest III ($7.49 from $12.49 until 7/26)
Dragon Quest Treasures ($29.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince ($41.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Infinity Strash Dragon Quest ($35.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Collection of SaGa FFL ($9.99 From $19.99 until 7/26)
Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song ($14.99 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Romancing SaGa 2 ($7.49 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Romancing SaGa 3 ($8.69 from $28.99 until 7/26)
SaGa Frontier Remastered ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/26)
SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
SaGa Emerald Beyond ($37.49 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Collection of Mana ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Trials of Mana ($19.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Legend of Mana ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Octopath Traveler ($29.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Octopath Traveler II ($35.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
NEO The World Ends With You ($23.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Chrono Cross Radical Dreamers ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
Tactics Ogre: Reborn ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Actraiser Renaissance ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Voice of Cards Forsaken Maiden ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Voice of Cards Isle Dragon Roars ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Voice of Cards Beasts of Burden ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
Dungeon Encounters ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/26)
The DioField Chronicle ($23.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
Various Daylife ($11.59 from $28.99 until 7/26)
Harvestella ($29.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition ($23.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/26)
Life is Strange 2 ($15.99 from $31.99 until 7/26)
Life is Strange: True Colors ($17.99 from $59.99 until 7/26)
PowerWash Simulator ($17.49 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
Star Ocean First Departure R ($6.29 from $20.99 until 7/26)
Star Ocean The Second Story R ($34.99 from $49.99 until 7/26)
Little Goody Two Shoes ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/26)
The Last Hero of Nostalgia ($14.99 from $24.99 until 7/31)
SteamWorld Dig ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
SteamWorld Dig 2 ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
SteamWorld Heist ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
SteamWorld Quest ($4.99 from $24.99 until 7/31)
SteamWorld Build ($17.99 from $29.99 until 7/31)
Worldless ($12.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Crowns & Pawns: Kingdom of Defeat ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Cake Bash ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Planet of Lana ($14.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Boardwalk Arcade ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/2)
Growth ($3.39 from $9.99 until 8/2)
FAR: Lone Sails ($2.09 from $14.99 until 8/2)
The Forgotten Land ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/2)
Castaway Paradise ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/2)
GINSHA ($12.46 from $17.80 until 8/3)
Blasphemous 2 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/4)
Regency Solitaire ($2.99 from $11.99 until 8/4)
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Overcooked All You Can Eat ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Fury Unleashed ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Moving Out ($7.49 from $24.99 until 8/4)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, July 16th
Aeterna Noctis ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/16)
Army of Ruin ($5.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Before the Green Moon ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/16)
Blasphemous 1 + 2 Bundle ($26.99 from $44.99 until 7/16)
EA Sports FC 24 ($14.99 from $59.99 until 7/16)
Family Man ($1.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Fashion Police Squad ($10.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Formula Retro Racing ($1.99 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Game Dev Tycoon ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/16)
GeoJelly ($5.00 from $10.99 until 7/16)
Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party ($35.99 from $59.99 until 7/16)
Hypnospace Outlaw ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
KORG Gadget ($24.00 from $48.00 until 7/16)
Let’s Build a Zoo ($8.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Nowhere Prophet ($2.24 from $24.99 until 7/16)
Pinball Freedom ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/16)
Pinball FX Charlie Brown Xmas ($4.11 from $5.49 until 7/16)
Pinball FX Star Trek Pinball ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Quell Memento ($1.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Quell Reflect ($1.99 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Summum Aeterna ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Treasures of the Aegean ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Vera Blanc Supernatural Mysteries ($6.39 from $7.99 until 7/16)
Yes, Your Grace ($2.99 from $19.99 until 7/16)
Ziggurat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/16)
Ziggurat 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/16)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more reviews, more sales, and perhaps some news. I’ve been replaying Ultimate NES Remix on my Nintendo 3DS in preparation for the upcoming release of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. I had forgotten how fun this was, and I’ll be interested to see how NWC differentiates itself. Not long to wait now, I suppose. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
