Hello gentle readers, and welcome to 2020. Oh, and welcome to the very first SwitchArcade Round-Up for this year. Things are still winding up at TouchArcade Towers, and we’re not the only ones still getting going by the looks of it. As such, it’s a bit of a smaller one today as I’ve only got one news item, a few new releases, and a small handful of sales for you to check out. But hey, that’s fine. Don’t want to tire ourselves out this early in the year, right? Let’s go to it!
News
The Next ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Event Pays Tribute to Melee
It’s a new year, and for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, not much has changed. This weekend, like clockwork, a new event will be running. The latest tournament pays homage to Super Smash Bros. Melee, focusing on characters, stages, and items from the game that made this series hit the big time. It starts tomorrow and will run for three days as usual. The better you do, the higher quality spirits you’ll receive in return. Not the worst way to start off 2020.
New Releases
Link-a-Pix Deluxe ($7.99)
The good folks at Lightwood Games are starting the year on a nice note with Link-a-Pix Deluxe, a collection of 240 puzzles where you make pictures by drawing lines between points. If you’ve played Slitherlink or Pathpix, you’ll know what to expect here. This isn’t the first time Lightwood has visited this concept, but if you missed the Nintendo 3DS Link-a-Pix you’ll be happy to know that the puzzles from that game are available as paid DLC in this one. Apparently more packs will be sold in the future, too. Nothing too flashy, but if you enjoy this type of puzzle you’ll be busy for hours on end with this one.
Battojutsu ($4.99)
Well, all the people who find Super Smash Bros. too simple for a fighting game will really want to steer clear of this one. This game, which supports up to ten players at once online and eight players offline, has you facing off to see who can strike the quickest. A command will pop up on the screen and you have to hit the right button or, if the Batto command come sup, shake the Joy-Con. If you go too quickly, you lose. If you’re slower than your opponent, you lose. There’s a strange selection of characters and a few different modes to mess with. It’s only five dollars normally and its launch price is less than half that, so I suppose you could get your money’s worth out of Battojutsu even if it only lasts you for one or two get-togethers.
Arcade Archives PenguinKun Wars ($7.99)
UPL isn’t exactly the most famous game publisher from Japan’s bubble era, but it did have a few decent games to its name. Probably the most well-known are Atomic Robo-Kid and Ninja-kun/Ninja-Kid, but those are fairly deep cuts even for people who were into video games in the 1980s. Its best and most enduring game is probably Penguin Wars, an amusing 1985 game where you play as animals trying to fling balls across a table at each other. The goal is to get all of the balls over to one side, something that is hard to pull off unless you take your opponent out for a bit by beaning them with a ball first. This release from Hamster brings that arcade classic back with the publisher’s usual style, and it’s still pretty fun. That said, there’s a really nice remake/sequel of Penguin Wars available on the Switch at just a bit over two times the price of this one, and I’d say that’s probably the better choice.
Sales
With a lot of the holiday sales finishing up, there isn’t a whole lot of room for exciting new ones. But hey, that’s alright. There are still some neat ones to look at, especially if you like otome dating simulations. Otherwise, I’d recommend looking at the outbox and making some final decisions. Some of those probably won’t be on sale again anytime soon, so dig through those sofa cushions one last time for eShop credit. That’s how it works, right? Right?
Select New Games on Sale
Welcome to Hanwell ($10.49 from $14.99 until 1/13)
Exception ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/17)
Silk ($8.44 from $12.99 until 1/8)
The Big Journey ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/21)
Enchanted in the Moonlight ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/14)
Star-Crossed Myth ($22.49 from $29.99 until 1/14)
Roof Rage ($8.99 from $14.99 until 1/7)
Heroine Anthem Zero Episode 1 ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/14)
Rock ‘N Racing Off Road DX ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/19)
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/19)
Parallel ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/13)
Otto ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/13)
Super Inefficient Golf ($3.99 from $7.99 until 1/13)
Mars or Die! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/13)
Super Arcade Soccer ($2.93 from $6.99 until 1/19)
Moto Rush GT ($1.49 from $14.99 until 1/20)
Adrenaline Rush – Miami Drive ($1.59 from $3.99 until 1/20)
Classic Games Collection Vol.1 ($1.49 from $4.99 until 1/19)
Battojutsu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/14)
Dark Quest 2 ($7.69 from $10.99 until 1/16)
Xtreme Club Racing ($0.98 from $9.89 until 1/16)
Story of a Gladiator ($7.69 from $10.99 until 1/16)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, January 3rd
A Knight’s Quest ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/3)
Agent A ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
American Fugitive ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Aqua Kitty UDX ($3.59 from $8.99 until 1/3)
Asdivine Dios ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Atelier Lydie & Suelle ($35.99 from $59.99 until 1/3)
Atelier Ryza ($53.99 from $59.99 until 1/3)
Beholder: Complete ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Black Bird ($17.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Bloody Zombies ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Bomber Crew ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Cuphead ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Dandy Dungeon ($17.99 from $18.99 until 1/3)
Death Road to Canada ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Demetrios ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/3)
Detention ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Dying: Reborn ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/3)
Farabel ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/3)
For The King ($12.49 from $24.99 until 1/3)
Gal*Gun 2 ($17.99 from $44.99 until 1/3)
Gun Gun Pixies ($42.49 from $49.99 until 1/3)
Hidden Folks ($5.99 from $11.99 until 1/3)
Home Escape ($0.99 from $1.99 until 1/3)
Human: Fall Flat ($7.49 for $14.99 until 1/3)
Iconoclasts ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Illusion of L’Phalcia ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Iron Crypticle ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/3)
Kotodama: 7 Mysteries ($17.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
Mech Rage ($0.49 from $9.99 until 1/3)
Motorsport Manager ($8.99 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists ($41.99 from $59.99 until 1/3)
Nights of Azure 2 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 1/3)
Pumped BMX Pro ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Revenant Dogma ($9.09 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Rock Boshers DX ($2.79 from $6.99 until 1/3)
Rogue Aces ($3.89 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Root Letter: Last Answer ($25.49 from $29.99 until 1/3)
Shio ($5.19 from $12.99 until 1/3)
Snake Pass ($6.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Talk it Out: Handheld Game ($2.99 from $4.99 until 1/3)
The Bradwell Conspiracy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
The Flame In The Flood: Complete ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/3)
The Jackbox Party Pack 3 ($16.24 from $24.99 until 1/3)
The Jackbox Party Pack 6 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
The Rainsdowne Players ($0.39 from $3.99 until 1/3)
The Swindle ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Them Bombs! ($9.79 from $14.99 until 1/3)
TumbleSeed ($4.94 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Unruly Heroes ($12.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Urban Trial Playground ($2.84 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Velocity 2X ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/3)
WorldNeverland ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
That’s all we’ve got for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with… something. The release schedule seems quite empty, so don’t be surprised if it’s another list-type article. I hope you all have a great Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
