Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 3rd, 2020. It’s a new month in this dreadful year, and it’s looking to be a very quiet one for big Switch releases. Perhaps we’ll see a big summer sale to make up for it? At the very least, the month is starting off slowly. We’ve got a little news and a fairly big list of sales, but so little beyond that is going on that I had to rely on the old reliable listicle to make sure you all have something to read today. Let’s go!
News
‘Williams Pinball Volume 6’ Coming Soon to ‘Pinball FX3’
It’s been several months since the last batch of Williams tables dropped in Pinball FX3, but three more tables are on their way soon with the release of Williams Pinball Volume 6. The heavy-hitter of the pack is Funhouse, a tricky table with the head of a creepy ventriloquist dummy named Rudy who taunts you as you play. Dr. Dude and His Excellent Ray is a goofy table that is very much of its era, and one that is appreciated by many players. Rounding out the trio is Space Station, the follow-up to Space Shuttle. It’s one of the rare non-licensed Williams tables that never saw release through The Pinball Arcade, so it’s quite an exciting addition. These tables mark Zen Studios’s first foray into Williams’s alphanumeric tables, which may explain part of why the wait has been so long. As usual, the tables will be available in classic and enhanced forms. Heck yeah, pinball.
Five Little Games Worth Playing
Not much going on today, and I don’t have any reviews ready at the moment. So in lieu of that stuff, I thought I’d list five lesser-known, relatively low-cost Switch games that I’ve personally enjoyed. If you’re looking for something to play, why not give one of them a try?
Bridge Strike ($6.99)
This is basically an homage to the Activision classic River Raid, and while it’s a rather breezy affair it’s a nice game to chill out with. You can play in Raid mode where you try to go as far as you can, or the Campaign mode which offers up a bunch of missions. You’ll collect coins along the way that you can use to buy different vehicles. It’s an oddly relaxing game, and I often jump into it for a few minutes of fun. Remember: don’t shoot the aircraft carriers! They’re for refueling, and you won’t get far if you take them out. This one goes on sale quite often, and at the time of writing you can get it for just shy of four dollars.
Clash Force ($4.99)
A short and sweet side-scrolling run-and-gun that aims to evoke the 8-bit era, Clash Force isn’t the most memorable of affairs but it’s an enjoyable bit of action. You can choose between three different characters, but it doesn’t really matter for gameplay purposes. There are a few different weapon power-ups you can grab, and 25 levels of brisk challenges to make your way through. The controls are really good, and I find the level designs to be quite good all around. I haven’t seen this one go on sale yet since its launch discount, but Ratalaika does do occasional 20% discounts on some of their titles so you may be able to save a buck if you wait. I think it’s worth the fiver, though.
Super Battle Cards ($5.99)
I grabbed this one while it was on very deep discount in order to get another one of the publisher’s games for free. Well, that free game was okay, but this one turned out to be a lot more interesting. It reminds me a bit of something like Card Thief or Dungelot, and that’s not bad company to keep. Beef up your character by grabbing armor, weaken the enemies with spells or other attacks, then go in for the kill. Grab all the gold you can, and see how long you can last. Is it the most original game around? No, not really. But it’s definitely well-made. It’s on sale all the time at a pretty steep discount if you want to wait, but I think its regular price is more than fair.
Kuukiyomi: Consider It! ($4.99)
This is one of those games in the vein of Mom Hid My Game where you have to figure out what to do in a series of different situations. The idea here is that you’re supposed to try to figure out what the most considerate thing to do is in circumstances as mundane as a crowded train or as weird as an alien abduction. It all builds up to a sentimental ending that is probably too serious for the game it caps off, but the ride is so odd and charming that the tonal whiplash is forgivable. As an added bit of fun, there’s an extra mode where the aim is to be as inconsiderate as possible. Nice for blowing off a bit of stress.
Zen Chess Collection ($3.99)
I’ve sung the praises of this game before, but this is basically a bunch of well-crafted chess puzzles that will keep you busy for quite a while. I’m a fan of these kinds of puzzles as I don’t really get much of a chance to play chess against other people anymore but still like messing around with the mechanics of the game. Like many of the other games I’ve talked about, Zen Chess Collection goes on sale pretty often. You can grab it now for a mere dollar and for what you’ll get out of it, that price is a steal.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Lots of the usual weekend discounts have popped up since Friday, but there are a few lesser-seen titles in there to spice things up. Limited Run Games titles are on sale often enough, but here they are again in case you can live with paying a mere two dollars for awesome games like Cosmic Star Heroine. Killer Queen Black and Fury Unleashed are also enjoying some solid discounts. In the outbox, NIS America’s latest sale is coming to a close, along with a number of interesting indies. Do that usual thing and have a good look through both lists to see what strikes you.
Select New Games on Sale
Saturday Morning RPG ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/17)
Cosmic Star Heroine ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/17)
Night Trap 25th Anniversary ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/17)
Double Switch 25th Anniversary ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/17)
Revenge of the Bird King ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Trailer Thrashers ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Rover Wars ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Woodle Tree Adventures ($0.59 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe ($5.19 from $12.99 until 8/16)
Never Stop ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/8)
Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ($7.14 from $11.90 until 8/21)
Clue: Classic Mystery Game ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/8)
You Died but Necromancer Revived You ($5.39 from $8.99 until 8/7)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/7)
Killer Queen Black ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/21)
PuPaiPo Space Deluxe ($3.99 from $4.99 until 8/7)
Strike! Ten Pin Bowling ($7.49 from $9.99 until 8/22)
Shadow Bug ($5.84 from $8.99 until 8/14)
Infernium ($8.73 from $24.95 until 8/20)
MIND: Path to Thalamus ($4.19 from $11.99 until 8/20)
Koral ($4.19 from $11.99 until 8/20)
Lines X ($0.99 from $1.99 until 8/20)
Lines Infinite ($0.99 from $1.99 until 8/20)
Wayout ($1.49 from $2.99 until 8/20)
The Big Journey ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
Sorry, James ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
Speedway Racing ($6.99 form $9.99 until 8/20)
Tower Inferno ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/13)
Switchy Road ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/16)
Tactical Mind ($0.44 from $2.99 until 8/11)
Mad Carnage ($0.34 from $4.99 until 8/11)
FunBox Party ($0.39 from $1.99 until 8/11)
Mech Rage ($0.49 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Tardy ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Sweet Witches ($1.49 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Swaps and Traps ($0.35 from $8.99 until 8/11)
Atomic Heist ($0.63 from $7.99 until 8/10)
Event Horizon: Space Defense ($1.98 from $6.99 until 8/18)
Drawngeon ($2.99 from $4.99 until 8/18)
Skull Rogue ($1.34 from $2.99 until 8/11)
Debtor ($0.38 from $2.99 until 8/10)
Fury Unleashed ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/21)
Genetic Disaster ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/17)
Bridge Strike ($2.98 from $6.99 until 8/10)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4th
Alien Cruise ($3.60 from $11.30 until 8/4)
Atomicrops ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Bad North ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Cosmonauta ($0.49 from $0.99 until 8/4)
Dandara: Trials of Fear ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Dark Burial ($0.79 from $3.99 until 8/4)
Dead Dungeon ($0.34 from $4.99 until 8/4)
Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers ($23.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Disgaea 1 Complete ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/4)
Disgaea 4 Complete+ ($32.49 from $49.99 until 8/4)
Disgaea 5 Complete ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Ellen ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/4)
Emma: Lost in Memories ($5.99 from $7.99 until 8/4)
Flatland Vol.1 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/4)
God Wars The Complete Legend ($14.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
GoNNER ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Happy Birthdays ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Isoland ($1.80 from $2.17 until 8/4)
Isoland 2 – Ashes of Time ($2.50 from $3.62 until 8/4)
Kingdom Two Crowns ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Kingdom: New Lands ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Labyrinth of Refrain: CoD ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/4)
Lapis x Labyrinth ($9.99 from $29.99 until 8/4)
Liar Princess & Blind Prince ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Little Triangle ($6.75 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Magicolors ($0.49 from $1.99 until 8/4)
Mosaic ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Neonwall ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Night Call ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Not Tonight: Take Back Control ($2.49 from $24.99 until 8/4)
One Person Story ($0.49 from $2.99 until 8/4)
Out There: The Alliance ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Penny-Punching Princess ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Rain City ($6.00 from $7.58 until 8/4)
Regions of Ruin ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/4)
Rooms: Anne & George ($7.15 from $14.99 until 8/4)
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Spartan Fist ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/4)
The Alliance Alive HD Remastered ($29.99 from $49.99 until 8/4)
The Caligula Effect: Overdose ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/4)
The Longest Five Minutes ($9.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
The Princess Guide ($14.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
V.O.I.D. ($0.99 from $3.99 until 8/4)
Yomawari: Long Night Collection ($14.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Zen Chess Collection ($0.99 from $3.99 until 8/4)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with at least one new release, and hopefully a bit of news and some interesting sales to help things along. I’m working on a couple of reviews but they’re probably not going to be ready to go for tomorrow. We’ll have to see what happens if things are too quiet again. I hope you all have a great Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
