Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 17th, 2021. After yesterday’s operation, I found myself feeling quite exhausted so I took the day off. Everything went smoothly, so we just have to wait for the results now. Anyway, I’m back today with all of the latest games and sales, plus a fair bit of news. The biggest being that a massive Nintendo Direct is happening later today, of course. Let’s get back to work, friends!
News
Check Out the Latest News in Today’s Nintendo Direct Presentation
It has been almost a year and a half since the last full-sized Nintendo Direct, and to say that fans have been antsy would be a colossal understatement. Well, the drought will soon be over. Nintendo will be hosting a full 50-minute Nintendo Direct at 2:00 PM PT/5:00 PM ET today, with a focus both currently-released titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the software coming in the first half of 2021. So you probably shouldn’t expect much in the way of Metroid Prime 4 or Breath of the Wild 2 news, but we will at least have a better picture of Nintendo’s plans for the immediate future. It’s just my hunch, but I think we’ll also be seeing some stuff related to The Legend of Zelda‘s 35th anniversary, which is coming up early next week. We’ll hit the main beats in tomorrow’s article, as I’ll be waking up at 7 am local time to glance skyward at this long-awaited presentation along with the rest of you.
The Newest Retro Game Additions to ‘Nintendo Switch Online’ are Here
The newest updates for the Super NES Switch Online and NES Switch Online apps were announced last week, and they’re now both available to download and enjoy. The NES app gets the rare and delightful puzzle game Fire ‘N Ice by Tecmo, a game that often commands hundreds of dollars on the aftermarket due to its rarity. Over on the Super NES side, we’ve got the tepid fighter Doomsday Warrior and the quirky side-scrolling action game Psycho Dream, both originally from Nihon Telenet, and one of the few actual good Titus games, Prehistorik Man. If you’ve got your subscription in hand, simply update your apps and dig in.
Channel Your Inner Hockey Goon in the Next ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Event
There is definitely some Super Smash Bros. Ultimate news coming in today’s Nintendo Direct, but as that is in the future we’ll have to talk about it tomorrow. Still, today is Wednesday, and that means the latest weekend event announcement. It’s a tournament event this time around, focusing on characters who use their bodies to attack. The more you win, the better the quality of the spirits you’ll earn. The event kicks off as usual on Friday and runs for three days through the weekend.
New Releases
Fallen Legion: Revenants ($39.99)
This is a sequel to Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory, which itself was a definitive release that combined two previous Fallen Legion games. It does not do much to distinguish itself from its predecessors either in structure or gameplay, so if you liked the previous game and want more, it’s your lucky day. If you didn’t like it, absolutely nothing here is going to change your mind. And if you haven’t played Rise to Glory, I’d probably recommend starting there rather than here. At any rate, this is a similar mix of light adventure elements and some well-designed RPG-style battles, and like the games that came before it’s quite engaging but suffers from some serious pacing issues. I’ll have a review of this fairly soon if you need a more decisive description.
Azur Lane: Crosswave ($49.99)
The popular mobile game makes the jump to full 3D in this spin-off. This came out on PC a while back and it’s safe to say the reception was middling. It’s a hybrid of 3D shooting and visual novel-style story scenes, and it does the latter a lot better than it handles the former. The art is as good as you would expect given the source material, but the action is incredibly dull (just keep circle-strafing to win) and the dialogue has a tendency to drone on beyond all reason. I think if you’re generally okay with the flaws present in most Idea Factory/Compile Heart games, you will probably be able to forgive this game’s rough edges, but otherwise it’s really just one for the Azur Lane fans.
#DRIVE ($12.99)
Hashtag-DRIVE is a port of a decently amusing mobile game of the same name. That version is free-to-play with various IAPs but I think the one that would bring it in line with this Switch version costs about seven bucks. Hm. Anyway, it’s an endless driver where you’re going down roads, moving left and right to avoid traffic, turn corners, and pick up power-ups, fuel, and repair items. If you collide with something, your run is done. You’ll earn currency in each run that you can exchange for a variety of unlockables. It’s reasonably enjoyable but there’s nothing here that would convince me to pay thirteen bucks over just hopping onto the free mobile version for the occasional run. Perhaps you will feel differently.
Void Gore ($4.99)
Project Starship‘s developer has another shoot-em-up to dip your toes into, this time with a horror vibe. Battle your way through the levels of hell, picking up cash that you can use for permanent upgrades that will help you get further each time. You know how this kind of thing works by now, I’m sure. The levels are somewhat randomized, so you can’t rely on memorization to get you through. In terms of visuals it seems to be aiming at a retro look, and I think it works. Personally I can only take so much of the whole grinding shoot-em-up concept, but if you have a hankering for one more you could do a lot worse than spending a fiver on this one.
Brutal Rage ($6.99)
Ah, what can I say about this one? It’s a pretty mediocre beat-em-up made by a very small developer, and I think in that context it’s, you know, fine. There are a lot of excellent beat-em-ups on the Switch already that run laps around this, but most of them are more expensive to go with that bump in quality. It supports two players via local multiplayer, and you get a few extra modes and three characters to play with. There are some brief, cool bits on a motorcycle that remind me very much of Renegade/Kunio-Kun, and that’s not a bad thing. You’re probably better off buying something from the Arcade Archives, but if you want to throw your money at a developer with clear passion for the genre you could do worse than buying this.
Escape Route ($2.99)
Hey, it’s Piotr Skalski. What does he have for us this time? Well first of all, this is apparently a handheld-only game. Not sure why but I’d imagine there are some required touch controls in here or something. Anyway, the idea is to make your way through 25 stages without getting detected. It’s a pretty straight-forward stealth game, in other words, with most of the gimmicks you would expect to see in that sort of affair. It doesn’t look terribly good, but Skalski at least has the good sense to not charge too much for things like this.
Burger Master ($4.99)
Burger Master, eh? So is this going to be some kind of take-off on BurgerTime or… no, it’s just going to be another one of those time management food prep games that follows the exact same formula as all of the others without a single new idea beyond maybe a new coat of paint, isn’t it? Yes, it is. Customers walk up and make orders. Fulfil those orders in time or else they’ll leave angry. Do a satisfactory job and you’ll clear the stage. Do better than that and you’ll get more stars. This is another one of Piotr Skalski’s titles, and I’m a bit disappointed at how direct a clone it is. You’re (marginally) better than this, Piotr.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Well, it makes sense we’d have a big list to work with since I was out of commission yesterday. The bulk of it is a sale on the Ultimate Games catalog, so it’s not exactly filled to the brim with quality. Some good stuff in there anyway, like Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, Goat Simulator: The GOATY, and Hypnospace Outlaw. In the outbox, a bunch of decent indies are finishing up their discounts. Have a look through the list carefully, but save some money in your budget for the inevitable interesting stuff that drops after the Nintendo Direct.
Select New Games on Sale
Doom & Destiny Advanced ($9.59 from $11.99 until 2/19)
Hero Express ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/21)
Firework ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Her Majesty’s Ship ($2.30 from $10.99 until 2/22)
Nubarron: Unlucky Gnome ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Maze ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Poltergeist Crusader ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Detective Puz ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/22)
The Long Return ($2.69 from $8.99 until 2/22)
Boss Rush: Mythology ($2.69 from $8.99 until 2/22)
The Count Lucanor ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Cast of the Seven Godsends ($3.89 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Mainlining ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Stranded Sails: EotCI ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/22)
Oneiros ($2.19 from $10.99 until 2/22)
Bus Driver Simulator ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/22)
Super Star Panda ($5.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Electro Ride: The Neon Racing ($7.19 from $11.99 until 2/22)
Stela ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
I Wanna Fly ($2.12 from $2.42 until 2/22)
Godly Corp ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Hotel Dracula ($2.27 from $5.69 until 2/22)
Epic Clicker Journey ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Shadows ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Shadows 2 Perfidia ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Feathery Ears ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Ailment ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Climbros ($2.97 from $9.90 until 2/22)
Undead & Beyond ($2.19 from $10.99 until 2/22)
Swords & Sandals: Spartacus ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Gerty ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Pangeon ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
The Executioner ($2.07 from $9.90 until 2/22)
Paint Your Pet ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Drink More Glurp ($7.49 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Ramageddon ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Indygo ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Tank Mechanic Simulator ($5.39 from $17.99 until 2/22)
ESport Manager ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Car Mechanic Simulator Pocket ($2.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Gym Hero: Idle Fitness ($2.01 from $2.29 until 2/22)
Darkest Hunters ($2.12 from $5.30 until 2/22)
Car Mechanic Manager ($2.19 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Car Trader ($2.19 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Selma & The Wisp ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Garage Mechanic Simulator ($2.79 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Catch a Duck ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Robot Squad Simulator ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Scrap ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Redneck Skeet Shooting ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Bus Fix 2019 ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Down to Hell ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Technosphere ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Demolish & Build 2018 ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Ski Sniper ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
AvoCuddle ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/22)
WoM: Planar Conquest ($6.79 from $16.99 until 2/22)
Super Tennis ($2.49 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Please The Gods ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Help Me Doctor ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
SuperMoose ($4.79 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Hed the Pig ($2.39 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Frodoric the Driver ($2.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Ziggy the Chaser ($4.79 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Incredible Adv. of Super Panda ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Fishing Adventure ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Otherworldly ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Chicken Rider ($2.19 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Silk ($2.99 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Billy Bomber ($2.00 from $5.00 until 2/22)
Ultra Off-Road 2019 Alaska ($2.84 from $18.99 until 2/22)
Ships ($2.09 from $13.99 until 2/22)
Blindy ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/22)
The Mims Beginning ($2.69 from $8.99 until 2/22)
Bug Academy ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/22)
CopperBell ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Bouncy Bob 2 ($2.00 from $5.00 until 2/22)
RMX Real Motocross ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Doubles Hard ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Spirit of the North ($14.99 from $24.99 until 2/22)
GoFishing 3D ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Bohemian Killing ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Food Truck Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Repressed ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Urban Flow ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Freecell Solitaire Deluxe ($1.99 from $8.99 until 2/22)
Cooking Tycoons: 3 in 1 ($5.19 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Food Truck Tycoon: Asian Cuisine ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Bounty Battle ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/22)
#DRIVE ($11.69 from $12.99 until 2/23)
Goat Simulator: The GOATY ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/28)
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 ($29.99 from $39.99 until 3/1)
Doom & Destiny ($7.19 from $11.99 until 3/1)
The Copper Canyon Dixie Dash ($5.24 from $7.49 until 3/1)
Miner Warfare ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/1)
Breakfast Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Commander Keen: Keen Dreams DE ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/1)
Stab Stab Stab! ($3.99 from $9.99 until 3/1)
Die for Valhalla! ($2.39 from $11.99 until 3/1)
Immortal Planet ($5.99 from $19.99 until 3/1)
Tetsumo Party ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Steamburg ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Thea: The Awakening ($7.19 from $17.99 until 3/1)
Moto Rush GT ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/1)
Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars ($23.99 from $39.99 until 3/2)
Drowning ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/7)
Yes, Your Grace ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Blood Waves ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/7)
Rift Keeper ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/7)
The Mooseman ($3.49 from $6.99 until 3/7)
Cube Life: Island Survival ($11.99 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Breeder’s Homegrown: DC ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/7)
Bridge Constructor Portal ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/7)
North ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/7)
Pixel Action Heroes ($3.99 from $4.99 until 3/7)
A Winter’s Daydream ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/7)
Stellatum ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Color Zen Kids ($3.19 from $3.99 until 3/7)
The Tower of Beatrice ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/7)
Free Throw Basketball ($2.99 from $3.99 until 3/8)
Hypnospace Outlaw ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Perseverance ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/8)
Grim Legends 3: The Dark City ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Tap Tap Legions ($2.39 from $5.99 until 3/8)
Destrobots ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/8)
Ages of Mages: Last Keeper ($7.19 from $11.99 until 3/8)
Jet Kave Adventure ($13.39 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Warplanes: WW2 Dogfight ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/8)
Castle of Heart ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Blood Breed ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/8)
Trancelation ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/8)
Chess Ace ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/8)
Noir Chronicles: City of Crime ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Croc’s World 3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/9)
Bladed Fury ($17.99 from $19.99 until 3/25)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, February 18th
Alder’s Blood ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Back to Bed ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Batu Ta Batu ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Biped ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Blue Fire ($17.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Cathedral ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Chicken Assassin: Reloaded ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/18)
Clue: Classic Mystery Game ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/18)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Conduct Together! ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Cycle 28 ($3.49 from $6.99 until 2/18)
Desert Child ($5.99 from $11.99 until 2/18)
Dimension Drive ($3.24 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Dungeon Nightmares Collection ($1.99 from $12.00 until 2/18)
Etherborn ($8.49 from $16.99 until 2/18)
Five Dates ($10.39 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Graceful Explosion Machine ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Half Dead ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Hand of Fate 2 ($13.49 from $29.99 until 2/18)
Happy Animals Bowling ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Immortal Redneck ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Inferno 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Lines Infinite ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/18)
Lines X ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/18)
Lost Artifacts: Time Machine ($3.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Lost Wing ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/18)
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Lumini ($3.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Many Faces ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
MotoGP 18 ($2.99 from $29.99 until 2/18)
Neon City Riders ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Never Stop ($3.74 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
OMG Police: Car Chase ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Outbreak Lost Hope ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Pato Box ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Project Starship ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Quell Zen ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/18)
Rainswept ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Relic Hunters Zero: Remix ($9.09 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Reventure ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/18)
Rock’N Racing Off Road DX ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Skatemasta Tcheco ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Sorry, James ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Spinch ($11.24 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Super Arcade Soccer ($2.02 from $6.99 until 2/18)
The Big Journey ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/18)
The Bug Butcher ($3.19 from $7.99 until 2/18)
The Darkside Detective ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/18)
The TakeOver ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
To The Moon ($8.39 from $11.99 until 2/18)
Tumblestone ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/18)
Ultra Foodmess ($2.59 from $3.99 until 2/18)
Wayout ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/18)
We Are Doomed ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/18)
While True: learn () ($11.04 from $12.99 until 2/18)
Whispering Willows ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/18)
Wuppo: Definitive ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/18)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow we’ll obviously have the Nintendo Direct stuff to talk about alongside the usual new release summaries and sales lists. I do wonder what we’ll be seeing. We’ll know soon enough, I suppose. I hope you all have a great Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
