Welcome to the SwitchArcade Roundup April 25th, where we’re covering today’s Nintendo Switch news, releases, and sales you should consider! A storm is coming tomorrow with a ton of new games hitting the eShop, so enjoy the calm today. Or don’t. I need a vacation to play all the Switch games I have, seriously. And then they keep releasing the games, and I hope you find some games to enjoy this week. We’re living in amazing times for gaming, and I have to keep stressing that because I never know when it’s all gonna come crashing down.
News
Sonic Mania Plus gets release date and new trailer
The upcoming DLC/physical release for Sonic Mania has a trailer showing off some of the new features when it releases on July 17th physically and digitally. Levels will now take place at different times of day, similar to Knuckles’ Chaotix from the 32X, an underappreciated game in the Sonic canon. A four-player competition mode is in the game now, and you can race against friends in a four-way split-screen mode. Also check out the trailer for some new animation, and a rad new remix of the track “Time Trials" by Hyper Potions and Jun Senoue:
The most important new feature is the two new characters: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. Mighty’s ability is to have a bounce attack similar to the water shield in Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but he can also break spikes thanks to being an armadillo. Meanwhile, Ray has a more unique ability: he can essentially propel himself through the air similar to the cape from Super Mario World, and seemingly stay aloft for a long, long time. This might lead to some interesting speedruns, and approaches to levels that weren’t there before! Also, seriously, I’m glad to see more obscure Sonic characters get the limelight, and reintroduce gameplay mechanics into the series.
Sega also revealed that the Sonic Mania Plus DLC will cost $4.99 for existing owners of the game on which ever platform they own the game on. The physical version will cost $29.99, which is a few bucks more than the digital+DLC cost, but look at it this way: isn’t it silly that physical games cost the same as their digital counterparts? Look, I’m a huge Sonic fanboy, and you can’t stop me from giving Sega all my money for Sonic Mania.
Also, we’re totally getting Omelette in the game, aren’t we?
Can't unsee this #SonicMania boss pic.twitter.com/Xof3j54KOI
— Alpha Gamboa (@blackbookalpha) August 28, 2017
Splatoon 2 changes how the game releases weapons
Previously, Splatoon 2 players could expect one new weapon a week. Instead, the plan is for a batch of multiple weapons to be released once a month. The latest selection of weapons:
- Neo Splash-o-matic w/ Burst Bombs & Suction-Bomb Launcher
- Foil Squeezer w/ Splat Bomb & Bubble Blower
- New Squiffer w/ Autobomb & Baller
- Glooga Dualies Deco w/ Splash Wall & Baller
Of course, I could argue that since many of the weapons are just existing weapons with different sub-items, it’d be cool if you could just create your own base weapon with different specials of your choice. I suppose there could be balance issues there? Maybe? Someone tell me I’m an idiot for this.
Wizard of Legend gets May 15th release date
A dungeon crawler with cooperative and competitive multiplayer, replete with roguelike elements? Oh yeah, sign me up for this. A friend of mine was really excited for this as well, I think we’ll have to play this the next time I see him. Contingent99’s Kickstarter success story hits all current platforms, including the Switch, on May 15th.
New Release: Where Are My Friends? ($5.99)
Wednesday’s only new release! Developed by Beard Games Studio and released by Sometimes You, this “Hardcore Experimental Game" has you controlling Wheye, who is an eye on a wheel. He has to discover where his friends are hiding across four levels compromising a runner, Metroidvania, point-and-click adventure, and puzzle-platformer. Each level has its own visual style, as well. The game didn’t appear to get much traction on Steam, perhaps the Switch release from Sometimes You will help this game find a new audience.
Sales
No Thing ($1.39 from $1.99 until May 3rd)
“$1.99? That’s too rich for my blood."
sees game drop in price by 60 cents
“Aww yeah, that’s my jam."
No judgment here if you pick it up on sale, saving money is good!
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($6.39 from $7.99 until April 29th)
Do you like your racers with a high degree of isometry? Well, good news: Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing is here for you! It’s got four-player splitscreen, and a Formula One styling that might be your preferred theme. It looks like a stylish take on 16-bit isometric racing games, which I am all into, if they improve on the experiences from that generation. Has any genre seen as much improvement over the years than the racing genre? Imagine what they used to be, and what they are now.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($29.99 from $59.99 until April 29th)
I hear there’s some kind of movie involving superheroes from the Marvel pantheon releasing soon. Seems like it might be a big deal. If you’re staying off the internet until you see the movie, maybe this game will help you out? And seriously, the best thing you can do if you’re paranoid about spoilers is to stay away from where people are discussing things that have happened. Like, don’t be a jerk about spoilers, I get that. But the best thing you can do to avoid spoilers is to take the responsibility for avoiding them into your own hands.
Putty Pals ($8.99 from $9.99 until April 26th)
Need a cute game you can play with a friend? This is a co-operative platformer, designed for two people to play together. Puzzles are color-based, so this might not be ideal for those with colorblindness issues. Otherwise, then this charming platformer might be a good way to pass the time. Cooperative games are a good way to pass the time, because hey, at least if you get stuck, you have someone who can help curse out the developers with you!
Robonauts ($2.99 from $14.99 until April 28th)
This has gone on sale a bunch, but not this cheap. Check out the demo, and maybe buy it now if you’re intrigued, because it might never get this cheap again. This one’s from Qubic Games. There’s a theme going on here.
Qbik ($2.49 from $4.99 until April 26th)
This game is probably pronounced the same as Robonauts developer Qubic Games, but there isn’t a relationship. However, if you want a puzzle platformer with a level editor, this might be for you. The pixel art looks rather well done, too! 63 levels are included if you suck at creating levels.
Qbics Paint ($3.74 from $4.99 until May 3rd)
Okay, was this all planned between all these “Qubic" people? Abylight’s Qbics Paint is also on sale, until May 3rd. The game has you solving puzzles to sculpt out 3D figures from blocks, which you can then paint to your heart’s content, and then share pictures of the sculptures on backgrounds. While the iOS version, just announced today, will have AR mode photo sharing, that won’t be available until May 10th. And you can save a few more cents picking this up on the Switch right now!
Keep an eye out every weekday for more SwitchArcade Roundups! We want to hear your feedback on Nintendo Switch coverage on TouchArcade. Comment below or tweet us with your thoughts!
