Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the Christmas Eve edition of the SwitchArcade Round-Up. In today’s article, we cover the surprisingly large number of new releases that hit the eShop today. Hundreds of games went on sale since yesterday, but I had to give up on transcribing all of them. Instead, I offer you a curated selection and directions to where you can find a more complete list. And that’s about it for today, as I need to try to salvage the burning ashes of my Christmas. Let’s go!
New Releases
Elliot ($9.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
If you like demanding platformers, you may find Elliot to be right up your alley. This is one of those games where you essentially have to pull off exacting sequences of moves to safely make your way through the stages. Luckily, it’s a good game of that sort. Not an incredible one, but a good one. With a nice presentation, cute characters, and a whole mess of content to play through, Elliot offers a nice amount of bang for your buck if you’re into the high level of challenge it’s putting down. Steer clear if you get frustrated easily, however.
Arcade Archives Gradius III ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hamster usually handles the classics it releases with a fairly light touch. A few options, sure, but nothing like the sort of re-contextualizing that M2 aims to do. But Gradius III is different. This is Hamster’s 200th week in a row of releases, and it decided to do something special. If any game needed that, it’s this one. Gradius III is best known for its Super NES version, which took a miserably difficult arcade game and hammered it into something enjoyable. The biggest problem with the arcade version is that it’s so utterly hard that relatively few players have the skill to see much past the first stage. This release adds an extensive stage select with checkpoints for each loop, plus a number of other helpful options like displaying hit boxes and correcting specific bugs. So yeah, if you were ever going to play the arcade version of Gradius III, this is probably the way to do it.
Kolumno ($1.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Looking for some solid entertainment for a low price? Kolumno has you covered today. In each of the game’s 75 levels, your aim is to drop the ball from the top of the column into the hole at the bottom. Rotating obstacles impede you in that goal, and you need to use a combination of precise timing and some handy special abilities to get past them. It’s arguable whether or not it stays interesting all the way through, but it certainly covers its meager asking price. A solid choice for the puzzle fans.
Candy Jump Featuring Frosty ($5.99)
Ah, now there’s the pile of uninspired holiday cash-in nonsense I’ve been waiting for. Whether you call it Doodle Jump, Bouncy Bob, or Sonic Jump, you know how this goes. Make the snowman bounce his way up an endless arrangement of platforms, avoiding obstacles and other dangers. Grab the coins. Use the coins to unlock things like characters and customization options. Play again. Get bored. Realize you could have found a million games like this or better on your phone for free. Lament that you did not spend the six dollars on a handful of delicious Snickers bars instead. Learn. Enjoy the future Snickers bars.
Spirit Arena ($9.99)
This is a top-down arena-based shooter where you battle waves of enemies using an Ikaruga-ish system of switching between two different colors of attacks. Enemies are either red or blue, and you need to use the right weapon to defeat them. Pull in a friend for local two-player and make life easier. There are four different worlds, each with four levels of difficulty to challenge. There are also a bunch of items to collect, several characters to play as, and… well no, that’s it. It’s alright but I feel like there are better games to pick up in this genre around the same price point.
Kauil’s Treasure ($9.99)
I can’t find a whole lot of information on this game and haven’t been able to play it myself, so I won’t speak to its quality. It describes itself as a single-player adventure-puzzle game, and speaks of the main character using his whip and moving objects to clear the path forward. It’s pretty clearly inspired by Indiana Jones, but the chunky graphical style makes it look like enough of its own thing to pass. Making a good game of this type takes a careful hand, but if the developer has pulled it off that would certainly be a nice thing. If it ends up surprising me once I play it, I’ll let you know.
The Last Dead End ($9.99)
There are some interesting elements to The Last Dead End, but it’s ultimately a very flawed action-horror game. There are bits of the game that are in third-person, and other parts in first-person. The latter are generally the more enjoyable sections but even across a fairly short game they get tiresome well before the end. You’re basically battling waves of enemies and solving the occasional puzzle. The enemies are extremely stupid and borderline broken in places, and the balance is all over the board. The lore is interesting, but the overall story just doesn’t pull off what it’s going for. That said, some people liked it in its PC form, so don’t fully write it off based on my opinion.
JDM Racing – 2 ($4.99)
The sequel to the rather poor JDM Racing is here, and even its title is odd. Why is there a hyphen between ‘JDM Racing‘ and ‘2‘? I don’t know. Anyway, this is another single-player racing game with unpleasant physics and a small wad of content spread incredibly thin. In its favor, it is five dollars. It’s probably better than the first game? I don’t know, and I don’t feel like playing both of the games long enough to sort it out with any certainty.
Kingdom Tales ($9.99)
I could tell just by looking at the key art and title for this game that it was going to be another Gnomes Garden-style light strategy game, and so it is. You get 45 levels to play through in this one, with all the resource collecting, structure building, and map traversing this sort of affair usually has. Probably some kind of story in there to grease the wheels of progress, and almost certainly a three-star system based on how fast you finish the stages. People who like these games tend to like them a lot and hungrily gobble up each new one. Is that you? If so, here you go.
Fatal Fury First Contact ($7.99)
Out of nowhere comes the latest release in SNK’s line of NEOGEO Pocket Color re-releases. Fatal Fury First Contact is a handheld version of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, and while it drops a number of characters from the big-pants version of the game, the overall feel has been retained quite well. It’s a bit slower and more methodical than some of the other fighters released in this line so far, but if that’s your preferred style you’ll have a lot of fun here. It includes all of the options and features of previous releases, including a rewind, display options, and a full digital replica of the original manual. I wish more re-releases had those!
Hexxagon – Board Game ($9.89)
Okay, so a little while ago this publisher released a game called Infection that was basically a re-release of the game that became more popularly known as Ataxx. Hexxagon is another variation, this time played on a hex board instead of a grid. It was originally released in 1993 on PC, and this isn’t too far off from that game. Play against another player or the CPU as you try to secure the most spaces on the board. Careful placement can flip your opponent’s pieces to your side, so you have to constantly think a few moves ahead if you want to win. It’s fine, though if you already have Infection I’m not sure this is different enough to warrant the purchase.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Okay friends, I officially have to tap out on today’s complete list of new sales. I’ve transcribed over a thousand sales over the past few days, and I’ve hit my limit. So instead, I will highlight a few of the better sales and direct you to Nintendo’s page for the rest. Chances are pretty good that any given game you’re interested in on Switch outside of Nintendo-published stuff will have a discount of some kind at this point, so pop into the shop and check your wishlists. Oh, and grab Dungeon of the Endless while it’s still super-cheap.
Select New Games on Sale
Indie World Holiday Sale
Hades ($19.99 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Spiritfarer ($22.49 from $29.99 until 1/2)
Cuphead ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
A Short Hike ($6.39 from $7.99 until 1/2)
Super Meat Boy ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Golf Story ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove ($24.99 from $39.99 until 1/2)
Panzer Paladin ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Slay the Spire ($14.99 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($13.39 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Ikenfell ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
The Gardens Between ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Murder by Numbers ($10.04 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Mark of the Ninja ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Night in the Woods ($11.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
SteamWorld Dig 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Thumper ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Timespinner ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
West of Loathing ($6.60 from $11.00 until 1/2)
Wonder Boy: Dragon’s Trap ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
LIMBO ($3.39 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Guacamelee! 2 ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Cat Quest ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/2)
Blazing Chrome ($8.49 from $16.99 until 1/2)
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
A Hat in Time ($20.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
To the Moon ($8.39 from $11.99 until 1/2)
Operencia: The Stolen Sun ($13.49 from $29.99 until 1/2)
Bug Fables: Everlasting Sapling ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Paradise Killer ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
NIS America Sale
LoH: Trails of Cold Steel III ($39.99 from $59.99 until 1/11)
Disaster Report 4 ($35.99 from $59.99 until 1/11)
Disgaea 1 Complete ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Disgaea 4 Complete+ ($29.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Labyrinth of Refrain: CoD ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Langrisser I & II ($29.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Psikyo Shooting Stars ($23.99 from $39.99 until 1/11)
The Alliance Alive HD ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
The Caligula Effect: OD ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/11)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA ($23.99 from $59.99 until 1/11)
God Wars The Complete Legend ($11.99 from $39.99 until 1/11)
Other Sales
Levelhead ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/1)
Crashlands ($11.24 from $14.99 until 1/1)
Sausage Sports Club ($3.00 from $15.00 until 1/1)
Collar X Malice ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/2)
Grimvalor ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/2)
Ion Fury ($17.49 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Commander Keen: Keen Dreams ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Nexomon: Extinction ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Kunai ($8.49 from $16.99 until 1/2)
SeaBed ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Ara Fell: Enhanced ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Demon’s Tilt ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
AER Memories of Old ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Wilmot’s Warehouse ($8.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
River City Girls ($20.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
Amnesia: Collection ($5.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
Skulls of the Shogun ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Forager ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Mutant Year Zero: RtE ($17.99 from $44.99 until 1/2)
Ys Origin ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Neighbours Back From Hell ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Piofore: Fated Memories ($34.99 from $49.99 until 1/2)
Pillars of Eternity ($34.99 from $49.99 until 1/2)
Banner Saga 1 ($4.99 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Banner Saga 2 ($4.99 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Banner Saga 3 ($8.74 from $24.99 until 1/2)
Another World ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Aggelos ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD ($20.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
VA-11 Hall-A ($9.89 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Severed ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Undead Darlings ($23.99 from $29.99 until 1/2)
Neon Chrome ($5.24 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Supraland ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Pang Adventures ($3.99 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Windjammers ($5.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Alpaca Ball: Allstars ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Nekopara Vol.1 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Nekopara Vol.2 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Nekopara Vol.3 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade (All) ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/2)
Iron Crypticle ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Rogue Legacy ($5.09 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Momodora: RUtM ($8.99 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Minoria ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Wintermoor Tactics Club ($13.19 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Shantae: Risky’s Revenge ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/2)
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/2)
Spirit Hunter: NG ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/2)
Transistor ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/2)
Crawl ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Tricky Towers ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
World of Goo ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/2)
Children of Zodiarcs ($10.79 from $17.99 until 1/3)
Furi ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Squids Odyssey ($2.99 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Pankapu ($2.39 from $11.99 until 1/3)
Sales Ending This Long Weekend
Dungeon of the Endless ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/25)
Food Truck Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/25)
Fury Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/25)
Nordlicht ($2.99 from $3.99 until 12/25)
Paw Paw Paw ($7.99 from $9.99 until 12/25)
Shady Part of Me ($13.49 from $14.99 until 12/25)
Splashy Cube ($3.99 from $4.99 until 12/25)
Steampunk Tower 2 ($6.99 from $9.99 until 12/25)
99Moves ($2.00 from $2.99 until 12/26)
99Seconds ($2.00 from $2.99 until 12/26)
Abyss ($2.00 from $2.99 until 12/26)
BallzOut ($2.00 from $2.50 until 12/26)
Beat Me! ($9.09 from $12.99 until 12/26)
Blackmoor 2 ($3.74 from $4.99 until 12/26)
Crash Drive 2 ($1.99 from $8.99 until 12/26)
Darts Up ($2.00 from $2.99 until 12/26)
Galactic Defence Squadron ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/26)
Horror Pinball Bundle ($2.06 from $8.99 until 12/26)
Marooners ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/26)
Omvorm ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/26)
Power Racing Bundle ($3.39 from $16.99 until 12/26)
Purrs in Heaven ($2.02 from $6.99 until 12/26)
Rally Rock ‘N Racing ($2.99 from $9.99 until 12/26)
Rock ‘N Racing Bundle ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/26)
Tangle Tower ($12.99 from $19.99 until 12/26)
Touchdown Pinball ($2.01 from $2.99 until 12/26)
A Winter’s Daydream ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/27)
Blood Waves ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/27)
Drowning ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/27)
Just Shapes & Beats ($13.99 from $19.99 until 12/27)
North ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/27)
PixARK ($9.59 from $39.99 until 12/27)
Rift Keeper ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/27)
Sigi ($2.49 from $4.99 until 12/27)
Stellatum ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/27)
The Mooseman ($3.49 from $6.99 until 12/27)
The Tower of Beatrice ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/27)
Yes, Your Grace ($11.99 from $19.99 until 12/27)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. I hope all of you who do the Christmas thing enjoy it in spite of the circumstances, and those of you who don’t? Have a pleasant day in your own way. I’m back to the hospital tomorrow morning, which is a unique way to spend the holiday to say the least. Well, that’s how it is. Enjoy your weekend, everyone. And as always, thanks for reading!
