Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for March 9th, 2021. It’s a full bag today, friends. We’ve got a little Monster Hunter news, a full-sized review of Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Resurrection, some Mini-Views, summaries of the pair of new releases for the day, and of course the usual lists of new and outgoing sales. Plenty to read, so I hope you grabbed the big-sized coffee mug. Let’s go!
News
‘Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’ Set for July 9th Release
Capcom held a Monster Hunter-themed Digital Event yesterday, giving more information on the soon-to-release Monster Hunter Rise and the upcoming Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The latter game now has a release date, July 9th, and a set of Amiibos were announced as a GameStop exclusive. A new trailer was shown, which you can watch above. As for Monster Hunter Rise, it was announced that a second demo would be released on March 11th ahead of the full game’s release on March 26th. Some further details on gameplay systems were offered up, which you can find by checking Capcom’s YouTube channel.
Reviews
Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Resurrection ($29.99)
I think that people who know my tastes well know that I’m not a huge fan of games that I feel have unfair difficulty. By that I mean situations that basically run the player into doorknobs, expecting them to memorize the tricks for next time rather than avoiding them with careful play on the first attempt. That’s just my personal taste, and if you feel differently that is totally fine by me. I only mention this to let you know where I’m coming from before we run headlong into a bizarre contradiction in my gaming opinions.
You see, I love the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series. I wasn’t quite on-board with it until I played Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, but after that I went back and really enjoyed the previous games. These games are not fair. Not even a little. Simply making your way through each game is an exercise in frustration and memorization, and the now well-known twist of making you march through the game a second time to actually finish it is a cruel cherry on top. Clearing each game involves a ridiculous parade of stupid death after stupid death. But hey, that’s just how games were back in the day, right? You might think that, but when Ghosts ‘n Goblins made its first big comeback on the PSP back in 2005 in the form of Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins, it was perhaps even harder and nastier than ever.
Capcom has brought the man behind the series, Tokuro Fujiwara, back again for this new return for the series. Maybe he’ll go easy on us this time? Ah, but it wouldn’t really be Ghosts ‘n Goblins if he did, would it? Whatever the games were about, the sandblasting passage of time has stripped the series down to one primary memetic soundbite: these games are stupid-hard. And so Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Resurrection, in spite of any changes in its appearance, is as tough as nails. It will punch you in the stomach, laugh at you while you’re curled up on the floor, and then kick you a few times before dropping a rock on your head.
There are difficulty options, and you’ll probably want to use them for your first run through. You get more checkpoints, an endless supply of lives, and can take more hits. Don’t take this to think the game is going to be merciful. If anything it goes harder on you because of the presence of these options. The first couple of levels aren’t too bad, though they are tough. After that, the game cuts loose. You’ll die, die, and die some more. You’ll sometimes get into absurd loops where you forget one thing you remembered last time and keep on dying. I don’t know what is wrong with me that I like this nonsense, but I do.
Anyway, I hope that was a sufficient warning. Don’t come into this thinking it’s just going to be a little challenging, or hard in that playful way many “masocore" platformers are. This is a very hard game, the usual twist is intact, and you need to be patient and stubborn to see it through even on the lower difficulty settings. That’s the caution sign. If you are okay with that? Heck, come on in. This is a dandy Ghosts ‘n Goblins game, and one I like a lot more than Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins. I had misgivings about the art style initially, but there’s a medieval vibe to how it looks in motion that I think is pretty cool.
The game starts off by riffing on the first two games in the series heavily, regardless of which stage you choose to start on. Yes, an old idea was able to be implemented here. Back when Ghouls ‘n Ghosts was in development, the team had wanted to create a branching stage progression but didn’t have the resources or time to do it. You get all kinds of branches here, though you can go back to the other stages at your leisure. And indeed you should, because each stage contains collectable bees that you can use to unlock useful new magic and abilities. After the game gets the nostalgia parade out of the way, you start getting some really cool new stage designs that nevertheless slot in perfectly in the series canon.
Boss battles are a particular delight, with each one consisting of multiple phases that you’ll have to learn well in order to overcome. Even the returning faces have a whole new bag of tricks you’ll have to learn how to deal with. When you finally bring each one down and “take a key for coming in", it’s a great feeling. The nightmare of that stage is over. Bring on the fresh hell. Plenty of old weapons make a return here, along with a few new ones. Boss fights usually have a chest hidden somewhere that give you an alternate weapon, a surprising bit of clemency for those foolish enough to pick up the torch.
In the end, Ghosts ‘n Goblins: Resurrection is basically what it says on the tin. If you hate the classic games, you’re not going to like this one any better. If you love them, you’ll likely sink your teeth into this installment with aplomb. It feels altogether less confused about what it wants to be than Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins was. Here’s a game in the classic style with only a couple of mechanical bells and whistles attached. Make your way through the largely linear stages, battle a big boss at the end, take a key for coming in. Repeat until you reach the end of the game, and then repeat the whole game. For every reprieve it offers the player with things like difficulty settings, it makes up for by making its stages that much harder. It’s a game that spits in your face and dares you to beat it, and you know what? That’s exactly what it should be.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Mini-Views
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust ($19.99)
Anodyne was such a unique, satisfying game that I was a little bit worried about whether the sequel would be able to punch with the same power. It seems I needn’t have worried, as while things have changed considerably in terms of gameplay and presentation, the same strong themes that drove the original game can be found in Anodyne 2. Your time in the game is equally split between exploring 3D polygonal spaces and more focused puzzle-solving 2D sprite-based areas. The two play off each other well, and I appreciate the attempt to give a nostalgic feeling in both styles. That odd tone that permeated the original game has carried forward, and is perhaps even stronger here. Indeed, some of the themes are a bit out there, but almost always in a good way. There are some rough edges to the gameplay, particularly in the 3D sections, but on the whole Anodyne 2 plays well and will leave you thinking about it even after you finish it.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Gnosia ($24.99)
When I first started playing Gnosia, I was in love. It looks like a visual novel and it does draw a lot of concepts from that genre, including a couple I’d rather it didn’t, but it’s quite different from how it initially appears. You’ll soon realize you’re playing something of a single-player werewolf game against computer opponents, with identities and characters shuffled up on each loop. You’ll also unlock new ways of interacting with the people and places around you, keeping things fresh for quite a while.
An ultimate narrative forms over time, but triggering these bits of story progression gets more and more difficult as you go on. If you really want to finish it, you’ll almost have to start paying attention to the proverbial “man behind the curtain", which ruins the immersion somewhat. There were long stretches in the back half of the game where I felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all, cooling my enjoyment of the overall experience. That said, while these flaws may have knocked the game down a peg for me, I still came away from it impressed by the journey on the whole. It’s certainly unique, and when it moves, it really moves.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
Apex Legends (Free)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Some games don’t need much introduction and I feel like right here, right now, Apex Legends is one of those. EA’s Battle Royale sensation has fans across many platforms all over the world, and now Switch owners will be able to get in on the fun. The port has been handled by Panic Button, the same team behind the DOOM and Warframe ports on the platform, among others. Choose your favorite character and head into battles between up to 60 players. The game is free to play, but there are naturally ways to spend money if you’re inclined to. Anyway, it doesn’t cost you anything to try it out, but you will need to clear a good 30 GB of space on your memory card to download it. Cross-platform play is in, but unfortunately it seems like cross-platform progression is not. You’ll have to start fresh if you want to play on Switch. Well, that’s how it is. Give it a go if you want.
Travel Mosaics 8: Breathtaking Seoul ($7.99)
See that number ‘8’ in the title? That means I probably don’t have to say that much about this particular game. It’s another batch of Picross-style puzzles, mini-games, and trivia featuring everyone’s favorite question-raising family, the Walkers. You get 140 color puzzles, 20 new nonograms, and 20 bonus levels. The setting this time is of course the lovely capital of South Korea, Seoul. You’ll get some nice views of the place as you explore the game’s content. That’s really all I’ve got. If you liked the earlier entries, here’s another.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
If I had to point to something notable in today’s list of new sales, it would have to be the entire Travel Mosaics series (minus today’s new release) being discounted. It’s a cheap way to load up on Picross puzzles if you happen to be in that tiny group of people that are interested in Picross but don’t already have twenty Picross games on the backlog. There are plenty of goodies in the outbox, but I’ll call attention to the Arcade Archives games simply because I don’t know when or even if those Taito games will be on sale again. At the very least, Puzzle Bobble and Elevator Action are worth adding to your collection. Do the usual thing and check the lists yourself, of course.
Select New Games on Sale
Sushi Time! ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/13)
Landflix Odyssey ($11.99 from $14.99 until 3/14)
Get 10 Quest ($2.09 from $2.99 until 3/14)
Moto Rush GT ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/15)
Ludomania ($2.00 from $4.00 until 3/15)
Pizza Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/15)
Cooking Tycoons 2 – 3 in 1 ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/15)
Flowlines VS ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/15)
Klondike Solitaire ($1.99 from $8.99 until 3/15)
Stone ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/15)
3000th Duel ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/21)
Super Street: Racer ($12.49 from $39.99 until 3/22)
Speed 3: Grand Prix ($19.99 from $39.99 until 3/22)
Cloudbase Prime ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/22)
Potata: Fairy Flower ($7.20 from $12.00 until 3/27)
Retro Game Pack ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Overlanders ($1.99 from $24.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics: Paris Tour ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 2: Roman Holiday ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 3: Tokyo Animated ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 4: Adv. In Rio ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 5: Waltzing Vienna ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 6: Christmas ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/28)
Travel Mosaics 7: Fantastic Berlin ($1.99 from $8.99 until 3/28)
Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes ($2.79 from $4.99 until 3/28)
The Explorer of Night ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Bullet Beat ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Super Loop Drive ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/28)
History 2048 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/28)
Just Black Jack ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/28)
Miniature: Story Puzzle ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/28)
Scarlet Mysteries: Cursed Child ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/29)
Grim Legends: Forsaken Bride ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/29)
Pocket Mini Golf ($1.99 from $2.49 until 3/29)
Solitaire TriPeaks Flowers ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/29)
Crowdy Farm Puzzle ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/29)
Xtreme Club Racing ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/29)
Puzzle Book ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/29)
Tower of Babel ($1.99 from $5.99 until 3/29)
Final Light, The Prison ($1.99 from $6.99 until 3/29)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10th
ACA NEOGEO Puzzle Bobble ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Ageless ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Aperion Cyberstorm ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Archives Alpine Ski ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Archives Elevator Action ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Archives Front Line ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Archives Time Tunnel ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Arcade Archives Wild Western ($3.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Automachef ($5.09 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Balthazar’s Dream ($2.80 from $8.00 until 3/10)
Bit Dungeon Plus ($3.14 from $8.99 until 3/10)
Black Jack World Tour ($2.79 from $3.99 until 3/10)
Black Paradox ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Blacksea Odyssey ($3.24 from $12.99 until 3/10)
Blasphemous ($12.49 from $24.99 until 3/10)
Bleed Complete Bundle ($4.19 from $27.99 until 3/10)
Can Androids Pray: Blue ($4.19 from $6.99 until 3/10)
Catch ‘Em! Goldfish Scooping ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Caveman Warriors ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/10)
Children of Morta ($10.99 from $21.99 until 3/10)
Couch Co-Op Bundle ($6.89 from $45.99 until 3/10)
Crown Trick ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Curse of the Dead Gods ($17.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Demon Pit ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Destiny’s Princess ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Double Pug Switch ($5.39 from $8.99 until 3/10)
DreamBall ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Fall of Light: Darkest ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Frost ($3.89 from $12.99 until 3/10)
Geki Yaba Runner ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/10)
Glass Masquerade Pack ($3.29 from $21.99 until 3/10)
Gleamlight ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Going Under ($13.39 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Golem Gates ($7.49 from $24.99 until 3/10)
Golf With Your Friends ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Horror Bundle Vol. 1 ($4.56 from $30.49 until 3/10)
Ice Cream Surfer ($2.80 from $8.00 until 3/10)
Indie Darling Bundle Vol.1 ($5.24 from $34.99 until 3/10)
Indie Darling Bundle Vol.3 ($7.57 from $50.49 until 3/10)
INK & HackyZack Bundle ($2.24 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Koral ($3.59 from $11.99 until 3/10)
Lazy Galaxy: Rebel Story ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $11.99 until 3/10)
Max & the Book of Chaos ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Men of Yoshiwara ($9.79 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Merchant of the Skies ($9.89 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Monster Sanctuary ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Monster Slayers ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Moonlighter ($7.49 from $24.99 until 3/10)
Moving Out ($14.99 from $24.99 until 3/10)
My Time at Portia ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Nefarious ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Odallus: Dark Call ($3.59 from $11.99 until 3/10)
Oniken: Unstoppable ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Pixel Art Bundle Vol. 1 ($5.69 from $37.99 until 3/10)
Planet Alpha ($3.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Raging Justice ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Reverse Crawl ($3.24 from $12.99 until 3/10)
Rodent Warriors ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Sheltered ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Skelly Selest ($2.99 from $9.99 until 3/10)
Slain: Back From Hell ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Slayaway Camp ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Snakeybus ($7.19 from $11.99 until 3/10)
Straimium Immortaly ($4.07 from $11.99 until 3/10)
Street Racer Underground ($2.99 from $5.99 until 3/10)
Super Blood Hockey ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Super Hyperactive Ninja ($1.99 from $8.99 until 3/10)
Tennis ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Teslagrad ($8.99 from $14.99 until 3/10)
The Escapists 2 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
The Escapists: Complete ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/10)
The Room ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/10)
The Survivalists ($18.74 from $24.99 until 3/10)
This War of Mine ($9.99 from $39.99 until 3/10)
UnExplored ($4.50 from $15.00 until 3/10)
Valfaris ($11.24 from $24.99 until 3/10)
Verlet Swing ($5.09 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Void Gore ($3.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
World to the West ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Worms W.M.D ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/10)
Wreckin Ball Adventure ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
XenoRaptor ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/10)
Yesterday Origins ($2.98 from $14.90 until 3/10)
Yoku’s Island Express ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/10)
Yooka-Laylee ($9.99 from $39.99 until 3/10)
Yooka-Laylee & Impossible Lair ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/10)
That’s all for today, friends. It looks to me like there’s nothing on tomorrow’s new release schedule, but there may be a surprise or two. If things are looking light, I may have a review or Mini-View. We’ll see, as usual. At any rate, I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
