Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 14th, 2020. In today’s article, we’ve got a couple of Mini-Views of recently released games, a couple of juicy news bits, some new releases to check out, and a hefty list of new sales that includes some rock-bottom prices on an assortment of truly great games. It’s a bit of a quiet week, but don’t take that to mean that your wallet or backlog is getting out of this intact. Let’s see the damage!
News
System Update 10.0.0 Now Available with New Features
Nintendo has sent out another system update, but this time we’re getting a little bit more than stability improvements. Don’t get me wrong: we are also getting stability improvements. In addition that key point, you can also look forward to the ability to move game data between the system’s internal memory and the SD card, system-level button remapping for a wide array of controllers, the ability to bookmark news posts, and some new Animal Crossing icons you can use for your account. Don’t forget to update your controllers too!
Limited Run Releasing Physical Versions of ‘Jedi Knight’ Games
Limited Run Games has been releasing physical versions of a number of Star Wars games over the last little while, and it’s finally turn for the Switch Jedi Knight games to get their chance to shine. Both Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy will be available as regular editions and in super-spiffy special editions that include all kinds of extra goodies. The games will be available for order for one month through the Limited Run Games website starting April 24th.
Mini-Views
Monster Viator ($14.99)
Well hey, not bad. This is another RPG from Kemco, this time developed by Hit-Point. In most ways it’s very similar to at least a half-dozen or more games created by this particular union, which is to say that it’s decent but not spectacular. The story isn’t terribly interesting, but it keeps the game moving. Visuals are a bit better than usual, with fairly nice sprite designs, and there’s a bit more music than we typically see in Hit-Point’s stuff. I rather liked the Carmina system, which allows you to equip special items to modify your character parameters. You can completely break the game over your knee if you take proper advantage of this system, something that is amusing enough on its own. Nothing to rush out and pick up, but if you need something to fill the gap until something more substantial comes along, it’s alright.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Towertale ($9.99)
My first impression of Towertale wasn’t a strong one. The somewhat simple art style and seemingly basic set-up make the game feel like it’s going to be a simple bit of hack and slash. Stick with it, though, and you’ll find a rather enjoyable boss rush experience with four very distinct characters to play as. The bosses lean towards the bigger side and always come with multiple phases, so you have to spend some time learning patterns and the appropriate action to take in response. It’s fun to hammer away at these bosses with your friends in multiplayer, but I actually got more satisfaction from the game when I took it on solo and could properly focus on what I was doing. Just be aware that you’re not getting much more than a series of boss battles here. Multiple storylines and modes help extend the playtime a bit, and you can always try to earn a higher score if that’s something that interests you. Not bad, but be ready to spend a bit of time getting used to how it works if you want to get the most out of it.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Boot Hill Bounties ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Heck, I love RPGs. You all know that, friends. But even I get a little excited when I see an example of the genre stepping outside of the usual fantasy tropes, and that’s just what you get with Boot Hill Bounties. A Wild West-themed adventure that even lets you play with friends, this game offers about 20 hours of satisfying RPG entertainment. The battle system is more or less a riff on the familiar Active Time Battle system from older Final Fantasy games, and having drop in/out co-op multiplayer really tickles my nostalgia. I wouldn’t call this a must-have game by any means, but it’s nice tonic for RPG fans looking for something a bit different.
Path of Giants ($8.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
You may remember this one from when it hit mobile a little while back. It’s a cute little puzzle game where you guide three characters through 80 stages of puzzles. You’ve probably played this sort of game before. You have to use all three of the characters together in order to get through each stage, often by climbing on top of each other’s heads and so on. Nothing too fancy in terms of gameplay mechanics, but it’s solid enough and has a nice look to it. You can save a few bucks if you pick this up on mobile, but the Switch version is a decent enough choice too.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
A few different companies are running sales today, and in at least two cases it involves the lowest prices we’ve seen yet on many of their games. Bandai Namco is running discounts on almost its entire line, allowing you to grab goodies like Namco Museum and Katamari Damacy Reroll for under ten bucks. Drinkbox is also doing a nice sale, with games like Guacamelee! and Severed at their lowest prices we’ve seen yet as far as the Switch releases go. Plenty to consider in that new list, that’s for sure. Not so much to worry about in the outbox but if you don’t have Shovel Knight yet, you may want to consider picking it up. It’s not on sale all that often.
Select New Games on Sale
Namco Museum ($9.89 from $29.99 until 4/27)
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Katamari Damacy Reroll ($9.89 from $29.99 until 4/27)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Ni no Kuni ($29.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth ($29.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet ($23.99 from $59.99 until 4/27)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($12.49 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($14.99 from $59.99 until 4/27)
Super Dragon Ball Heroes World ($17.99 from $59.99 until 4/27)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red ($11.99 from $39.99 until 4/27)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Deluxe ($11.99 from $39.99 until 4/27)
My Hero One’s Justice ($19.79 from $59.99 until 4/27)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/27)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/27)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/27)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 4/27)
Doraemon Story of Seasons ($34.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival ($29.99 from $49.99 until 4/27)
God Eater 3 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 4/27)
Little Nightmares: Complete ($9.89 from $29.99 until 4/27)
RAD ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/27)
One Night Stand ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Super Box Land Demake ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Just Ignore Them ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Deep Space Rush ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Delta Squad ($4.19 from $5.99 until 4/27)
Football Game ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/27)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/26)
Lumini ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/26)
Stranded Sails ($14.99 from $24.99 until 4/26)
Dimension Drive ($1.94 from $12.99 until 4/26)
HoPiKo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/26)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/26)
Mainlining ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/26)
Candle: Power of the Flame ($4.99 from $19.99 until 4/26)
The Bug Butcher ($3.99 from $7.99 until 4/26)
Crimson Keep ($3.99 from $19.99 until 4/26)
Severed ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/20)
Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/20)
Guacamelee! Super Turbo ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/20)
Guacamelee! 2 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 4/20)
Armello ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/20)
Fault – Milestone One ($10.49 from $14.99 until 420)
Werewolf Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 5/3)
Mummy Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 5/3)
Halloween Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 5/3)
Pirates Pinball ($1.49 from $2.99 until 5/3)
A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/24)
Little Briar Rose ($5.09 from $5.99 until 4/28)
Enigmatis 2: Mists of Ravenwood ($1.49 from $14.99 until 5/4)
Sydney Hunter & Curse of the Mayan ($6.69 from $9.99 until 5/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th
64.0 ($1.49 from $2.99 until 4/15)
AeternoBlade ($4.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
Anarcute ($9.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story ($2.99 from $5.99 until 4/15)
Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX ($6.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Away: Journey to the Unexpected ($4.99 from $16.99 until 4/15)
BAFL – Brakes Are For Losers ($1.49 from $4.99 until 4/15)
Card Game Bundle Vol. 1 ($7.19 from $23.99 until 4/15)
Cube Creator X ($4.99 from $19.99 until 4/15)
Cyber Protocol ($0.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Depixtion ($5.99 from $7.99 until 4/15)
DragoDino ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Dungeon Rushers ($2.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
Flood of Light ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/15)
Flowlines VS ($0.04 from $4.99 until 4/15)
Fury Unleashed ($17.99 from $19.99 until 4/15)
Galaxy Warfighter ($4.89 from $6.99 until 4/15)
Hover ($9.99 from $24.99 until 4/15)
Indie Darling Bundle Vol 2 ($6.99 from $29.99 until 4/15)
Instant Sports ($19.99 from $24.99 until 4/15)
Kill The Bad Guy ($2.79 from $6.99 until 4/15)
Lethis – Path of Progress ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/15)
Lost in Harmony ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/15)
Lost Phones Stories ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Ludomania ($0.40 from $4.00 until 4/15)
Melbits World ($7.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Momonga Pinball Adventures ($2.99 from $5.99 until 4/15)
My Arctic Farm 2018 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
My Exotic Farm 2018 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
My Farm ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Nelly Cootalot: Fowl Fleet ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/15)
Pankapu ($2.99 from $11.99 until 4/15)
Shape of the World ($4.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/15)
Skelittle: A Giant Party! ($6.66 from $9.99 until 4/15)
Sudoku Universe ($3.49 from $4.99 until 4/15)
The Last Door – Complete ($9.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
White Night ($2.99 from $14.99 until 4/15)
Zombie Night Terror ($7.49 from $14.99 until 4/15)
That’s all that’s good for today, friends. Tomorrow has at least one new release on the schedule, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of news and new sales to look at as well. Sadly, my review queue is empty for the moment, so that will likely be the lot of it. At any rate, I hope you all have a nice Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
