Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 19th, 2020. Well, yesterday’s IndieWorld Showcase certainly had a lot of things to talk about in it. We’ll cover some of the major points before heading into the unexpectly large list of new releases that resulted from it. Some really great games hit in conjunction with the presentation, so I hope you kept some extra money. Like, a lot of extra money. Because, you see, there are also some really great sales today as well. Phew! Let’s get to it!
News
Tons of News from the ‘IndieWorld Showcase’
In around 20 minutes yesterday, Nintendo’s latest IndieWorld Showcase showed off a bunch of new and upcoming indie games, many of which we hadn’t heard about before. A number of them even dropped on the eShop just after the presentation. It’s best to watch it yourself, but the highlights included Torchlight 3 (coming this fall), Supergiant’s Hades (also coming in the fall), Hypnospace Outlaw (coming August 27th), Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero (coming early 2021), and Card Shark (coming 2021). A sizzle reel of several more indies was shown, and the show capped off with the announcement of a free update to Untitled Goose Game that adds a two-player mode, coming on September 23rd.
Give Your Opponents a Royal Beating in ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ This Week
Okay, it was a wild Tuesday but that doesn’t mean we’re abandoning Wednesday traditions. The next weekend event for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been announced, and it’s another tournament. This time around, only members of royal families or those with close connections to them are allowed to participate. On top of that, only castle-based stages will be featured. There are surprisingly quite a few characters that fit the bill! I wonder how the game will treat spoilery connections? Well, whatever. The event kicks off on Friday and runs the usual three days through the weekend.
New Releases
Manifold Garden ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Some games succeed on their mechanical merits, while others are more about the presentation. Manifold Garden is the latter. This is a first-person puzzle/adventure game that plays around with the idea of impossible architecture. Most of the puzzles involve manipulating gravity or making use of mirrors and perspectives, and they’re not too bad. But the real treat here is how it looks. It’s an incredibly beautiful, dazzling experience that is assuredly worth making your way through at least once. That all said, if you have Apple Arcade, this game is available on there. If you prefer the Switch experience, I won’t stop you of course. Just, you know… raising awareness or something.
Spiritfarer ($29.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Geez, this one is the textbook definition of ‘bittersweet’. Okay, so you’re a person with a very important job. You have to ferry the dead to the door that leads to the afterlife. During the trip, you’ll try to take care of their needs, hang out with them, and get to know them better. And then you say your final good-bye and go pick up the next one. Each passenger you bring has their own story to tell, some of which are incredibly sad. This is a game that deals heavily with the topic of death, and I think it’s rather special provided you’re in a good place to experience it. Apparently a second player can join in for some co-op crying, if that’s your thing.
A Short Hike ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Just a nice little chill exploration game. Its title is no lie, this really is a short hike. You meet lots of interesting characters on the way, and sometimes you might help them out with things. It only lasts a couple of hours, but there’s something beautiful and extremely cool about it. Anyway, this game has been out for over a year on other platforms, so you should be able to find all kinds of opinions on it without much hassle. I don’t know anyone that, you know, hates the game or anything. But it clicks really well for some people and not at all for others, so that’s a risk you’re taking when you plunk down your eight bucks on the game.
Norman’s Great Illusion ($4.99)
This game has a message to deliver, and it’s not shy about it. You play as a worker in a factory, trying to grind out a living by doing menial, banal tasks all day long. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and there’s way more of the latter than the former. Your crappy job is represented by dull, monotonous mini-games. You’ll be asked to make choices here and there, and those choices will lead you to one of several dour endings. It’s not an enjoyable game and I’m not sure it’s going to change anyone’s mind on the topic of capitalism and class struggles, but there’s room for all sorts of stuff out there.
Takeshi and Hiroshi ($8.99)
I’m once again obliged to inform you that this game is available through Apple Arcade and plays just as well on a mobile device as it does here on the Switch. Anyway, the strongest part of the game is in its story, which explores the bonds between brothers in a very sweet way. The idea is that the older brother is making a game for his younger brother, and needs to adjust the difficulty to make it challenging without being overwhelming. So that’s what you’re in charge of, along with going through the RPG-lite bits that are the in-game game sections. The story is interesting, but I kind of bounced off the gameplay parts.
Raji: An Ancient Epic ($24.99)
I haven’t had the chance to play a few of the games that shadow-dropped today, and this is one of them. So I can’t say a whole lot here other than to give a little description. This seems to be a 3D action-adventure game that in places calls to mind Prince of Persia and in others seems a lot like God of War and its ilk. If nothing else, it has a fantastic presentation. I also love the style of the game’s theme, with its heavy emphasis on Indian mythology. Unfortunately with a game like this one of the most important things is how it plays, and I can’t speak to that one way or another right now. Definitely one to dig into a bit more.
Evergate ($19.99)
A gorgeous little puzzle platformer that follows the adventures of a spirit named Ki. You can use Ki’s Soulflame to slow down time, allowing you to take careful aim and unleash the power of various kinds of crystals. I don’t know too much about this game yet, but it certainly looks and sounds nice. There are apparently lots of optional goodies to collect, rewarding exploration and mastery of the mechanics. Follow the story to recover memories, revealing Ki’s connection to another soul.
Poker Hands ($0.99)
QUByte continues to put out decent little puzzlers at extremely competitive prices. Poker Hands is kind of a mix of Threes! and poker where you have to shift cards to make specific hands in order to clear each stage. You get fifty stages in total, with the first ten or so having a lot of the ol’ tutorial flavor to them. Things get very complicated before too long, providing a satisfying level of challenge in the back end. Not the fanciest thing in the world but certainly worth a buck if you enjoy puzzle games.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Wow, tons of great games on sale today. Many of them aren’t on sale very often, to boot. Most of the new games that hit the eShop in connection with the IndieWorld showcase have launch discounts, but a bunch of other cool indies are on sale as well. Streets of Rage 4, Bastion, Dead Cells, Hotline Miami Collection, Torchlight II, Huntdown, and Lonely Mountains: Downhill are all eye-catchers, but there are a lot of cool titles to check out in the list. If that’s not enough, today’s outbox is also rather large. I’ll make note of the Picross titles in particular, as they’re very rarely discounted.
Select New Games on Sale
Streets of Rage 4 ($21.24 from $24.99 until 8/31)
We Are Doomed ($6.79 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Poker Hands ($0.49 from $0.99 until 9/7)
Evergate ($16.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Manifold Garden ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Helheim Hassle ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Raji: An Ancient Epic ($22.49 from $24.99 until 8/31)
A Short Hike ($7.19 from $7.99 until 8/31)
Takeshi & Hiroshi ($8.09 from $8.99 until 8/31)
Hypnospace Outlaw ($14.99 from $19.99 until 9/7)
Bastion ($2.24 from $14.99 until 8/27)
Transistor ($2.99 from $19.99 until 8/27)
Dead Cells ($14.99 from $24.99 until 9/1)
Super Neptunia RPG ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/21)
Hotline Miami Collection ($8.74 from $24.99 until 8/31)
Torchlight II ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Creature in the Well ($9.74 from $14.99 until 8/31)
Overland ($14.99 from $24.99 until 8/30)
Ori & the Blind Forest ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Neo Cab ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
EarthNight ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/31)
Exit the Gungeon ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/31)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Huntdown ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)
What the Golf? ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/31)
Superliminal ($16.00 from $20.00 until 9/7)
Troll & I ($2.99 from $29.99 until 8/25)
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/25)
99Vidas – Definitive ($0.99 from $9.99 until 9/7)
Goat Simulator – The GOATY ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/30)
Klondike Solitaire ($0.99 from $8.99 until 9/7)
Deer Drive Legends ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Bear With Me: Lost Robots ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/25)
NBA 2K20 ($4.99 from $59.99 until 9/3)
2048 Battles ($0.29 from $3.99 until 9/7)
Freecell Solitaire Deluxe ($0.89 from $8.99 until 9/7)
Trine 4: Nightmare Prince ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/25)
Trine: Ultimate Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 8/25)
Beast Quest ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Override: Mech City Brawl ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/25)
Nicky – Home Alone Golf Ball ($0.09 from $0.99 until 9/7)
Super Battle Cards ($0.29 from $5.99 until 9/7)
UBERMOSH: OMEGA ($0.49 from $4.99 until 9/7)
Hang the Kings ($0.09 from $0.99 until 9/7)
Urban Flow ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/8)
Siegecraft Commander ($2.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
JackQuest ($1.49 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Minesweeper Genius ($0.89 from $5.99 until 9/8)
War Tech Fighters ($8.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Croc’s World 3 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Piffle: Cat Puzzle Adventure ($13.96 from $19.95 until 9/2)
Jenny LeClue – Detectivu ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/3)
Rack N Ruin ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/1)
Yet Another Zombie Defense HD ($0.74 from $4.99 until 9/9)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, August 20th
64.0 ($1.49 from $2.99 until 8/20)
A Street Cat’s Tale ($7.19 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Aery – Little Bird Adventure ($4.68 from $6.99 until 8/20)
Amazing Brick Breaker ($1.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
AngerForce: Reloaded ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Animated Jigsaws: Wild Animals ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/20)
Blazblue Centralfiction Special ($19.50 from $49.99 until 8/20)
Blazblue Cross Tag Battle ($4.80 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Boreal Blade ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Candleman ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Crash Drive 2 ($0.89 from $8.99 until 8/20)
Demon’s Tilt ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher ($0.19 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Dustoff Heli Rescue 2 ($2.40 from $8.00 until 8/20)
Fairy Knights ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Firefighter – The Simulation ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Firefighters: Airport Department ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Flood of Light ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
Freedom Finger ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Guilty Gear ($6.90 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R ($9.80 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Hand of Fate 2 ($9.89 from $29.99 until 8/20)
Heaven Dust ($5.59 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Infernium ($8.73 from $24.95 until 8/20)
Iris School of Wizardry ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/20)
Jettomero: HotU ($6.50 from $13.00 until 8/20)
Kemono Friends Picross ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Kill la Kill -IF ($10.00 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Kitty Love -Way to Look for Love- ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/20)
Koral ($4.19 from $11.99 until 8/20)
Late Shift ($6.49 from $12.99 until 8/20)
Lines Infinite ($0.99 from $1.99 until 8/20)
Lines X ($0.99 from $1.99 until 8/20)
MachiKnights ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Marooners ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)
MazM: Jekyll & Hyde ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
MIND: Path to Thalamus ($4.19 from $11.99 until 8/20)
Monochrome World ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
MotoGP18 ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/20)
Mountain Rescue Simulator ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
NekoMiko ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Nekopara Vol. 1 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Nekopara Vol. 2 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Nekopara Vol. 3 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Nine Parchments ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Ninja Village ($12.00 from $14.00 until 8/20)
NinNinDays ($5.19 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Party Planet ($6.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Picross Lord of the Nazarick ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Picross S ($6.39 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Picross S2 ($7.19 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Picross S3 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Princess Maker FTCT ($23.99 from $29.99 until 8/20)
Princess Maker Go!Go! Princess ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Prison Princess ($12.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Professional Construction Sim ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Professional Farmer ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Professional Farmer: American Dream ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Puzzle & Dragons Gold ($9.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Puzzle Wall ($2.39 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Rad Rodgers Radical ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/20)
Sacred Stones ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
SELF ($4.89 from $6.99 until 8/20)
SEN: Seven Eight Nine ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Silent World ($4.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption ($6.64 from $18.99 until 8/20)
Sorry, James ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
Space Blaze ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/20)
Speedway Racing ($6.99 form $9.99 until 8/20)
Stone ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Sudoku Universe ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
The Big Journey ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/20)
The TakeOver ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
TheNightFall ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/20)
Trine 2 Complete Story ($5.09 from $16.99 until 8/20)
Trine 3: Artifacts of Power ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Trine Enchanted ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)
TroubleDays ($6.39 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Vampire: Coteries of New York ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/20)
Wayout ($1.49 from $2.99 until 8/20)
Wenjia ($5.59 from $7.99 until 8/20)
Wonder Boy Returns ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)
That’s all for today, friends. But gosh, what a Wednesday. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means we’ll have even more new games to check out. There are almost a dozen games on the schedule already, and although none of them look particularly outstanding at a glance, who knows what a closer look will bring us? We’ll have the usual summaries along with whatever pressing news and new sales that arrive in the interim. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
