Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 23rd, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got a full review for the recently-released Snow Bros. Special for you to enjoy. There are a couple of new releases to look at as well. Nothing too fancy, but not terrible either. Finally, we’ve got a list of some of the interesting sales that popped up over the weekend, plus the expiring discounts you should know about. Let’s get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Snow Bros. Special ($19.99)
Daewon Media and CRT Games didn’t mess this up. There were some concerns about that happening given the relatively unknown status of the developer and the first impressions the redrawn visuals gave people. But no, this plays very faithfully to the original arcade Snow Bros., with thirty new levels and a few new modes slapped on for good measure. Once you get used to the new visuals not being the original ones, they’re not bad. It’s a perfectly decent way to play Snow Bros., and I suppose the most affordable choice at the moment.
Those thirty new levels represent a substantial increase, given the original arcade game offered up fifty. They are different from the additional levels in the Genesis port, and while they’re not quite up to the best of the original bunch they’re certainly fine enough. The new modes, at least the ones offered in the base purchase, are less game-changing. There’s a survival mode where you go as far as you can on a single life, and a time attack mode where you clear the entire game as quickly as you can. You can credit feed your way through the arcade mode and time attack mode, so beating them is really just a matter of course. There is an additional mode available as DLC, but it wasn’t accessible to me for this review so I can’t speak on it.
I suppose I should give a summary of the game for those unfamiliar with it. It’s a single-screen puzzle-action game along the lines of things like Bubble Bobble and Rodland. Your aim on each stage is to defeat all of the enemies. Your means of doing so is in throwing snow at the enemy until they become a giant snowball. You can then roll the ball where you like and give it a good kick to send it on its way. If it hits any other enemies before it smashes, it will take them out. If it hits another snowball, they’ll both get moving and you’ll earn some extra points. Should you take out all of the enemies with one ball, you’ll get a bunch of extra bonus point items. The mechanics are satisfying and reasonably deep as this sort of thing goes, and it’s fun whether you’re alone or playing with a friend.
The biggest problem I have with Snow Bros. Special is that it doesn’t feel like it goes far enough to justify the price of admission. The new stages are a nice extra, but apart from those and the re-done presentation, this feels less fully-featured than the average Arcade Archives release. You can’t even make a checkpoint save or anything, so you have to get through the whole game in one sitting. The various modes, at least the ones I could try, come off as perfunctory at best and you don’t even get online leaderboards to compare your scores on. Just local ones.
While I’m happy that this remake turned out better than expected and there is now an easily accessible way to play Snow Bros., Snow Bros. Special feels like it’s caught between the couch cushions of a straightforward re-issue and a full-blown revival. It’s a bit pricey to be the former and a bit light on features to be the latter. Snow Bros. fans who don’t mind dropping twenty bucks to have a decent remake will be happy with what they get here, but others may find there isn’t quite enough here to make a decent snowman.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
New Releases
Galacticon ($4.99)
This is a decent homage to early 1980s arcade games. Battle enemies while rescuing prisoners and then make your way back to your ship, avoiding asteroids all the way. Then you do it again! There will always be another level. The controls are fine and the scoring system has some depth to it, which is nice. If you want to compare your scores with other players you’ll have to use a QR code, but I suppose that’s better than nothing at all. Not a must-have or anything, but if you have happy memories of things like Defender, Robotron, or Joust you may want to give it a look.
sCATch: The Painter Cat ($5.00)
A simple puzzle game where you need to guide the cat around forty different levels, painting the walls in the correct colors before moving along to the exit. There are a few gimmicks to try and liven things up along the way, but nothing too fancy. And hey, for that price, it doesn’t need to be much more than that.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Hey, a sale on Super Mega Baseball 3! I… think that is the first one ever? Certainly the first in quite a long while. It’s a really good baseball game even if Sony’s MLB The Show has slightly overtaken it as the best baseball game on the Switch. Nothing else in either list is jumping out at me personally, but you’ll want to take a look yourself as I am known to miss all kinds of things I’ve written out myself when I scan over text.
Select New Games on Sale
Super Mega Baseball 3 ($17.99 from $44.99 until 5/30)
Fe ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 5/30)
MK11 Ultimate Add-On DLC ($9.99 from $49.99 until 5/30)
The LEGO Movie 2 Game ($5.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
LEGO Ninjago Movie Game ($7.49 from $49.99 until 5/30)
LEGO Worlds ($5.99 from $29.99 until 5/30)
LEGO City Undercover ($5.99 from $29.99 until 5/30)
LEGO The Incredibles ($8.99 from $59.99 until 5/30)
LEGO Jurassic World ($7.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 5/30)
LEGO DC Super-Villains ($8.99 from $59.99 until 5/30)
Scribblenauts Showdown ($3.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
Lost in Random ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/30)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($7.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($9.89 from $29.99 until 5/30)
FIFA 22 Legacy Edition ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
Plants vs Zombies BfN Complete ($9.99 from $39.99 until 5/30)
Unravel Two ($4.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Fast & Furious Spy Racers ($23.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
The Addams Family: Mansion Mayhem ($23.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
Blaze & the Monster Machines ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
My Friend Peppa Pig ($23.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
Zoids Wild Blast Unleashed ($9.99 from $39.99 until 6/1)
Horned Knight ($1.99 from $5.99 until 6/3)
A Pretty Odd Bunny ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/3)
Exertus: Redux ($2.85 from $4.39 until 6/3)
Rocket Rabbit Coin Race ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/6)
Zodiac Tri Peaks Solitaire ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/6)
Gem Miner ($1.99 from $5.99 until 6/6)
Bridge Builder Adventure ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/6)
Super Mombo Quest ($7.95 from $15.90 until 6/7)
Bridge Strike ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/7)
Detective Case & Clown Bot MitHL ($2.03 from $5.99 until 6/9)
PigShip & the Giant Wolf ($5.99 from $7.99 until 6/10)
The Legend of the DF Highschool ($3.99 from $4.99 until 6/10)
Niko and the Cubic Curse ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/10)
Pure Mahjong ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/10)
Cooking Festival ($3.29 from $10.99 until 6/10)
Press A to Party ($2.09 from $6.99 until 6/10)
Construction Site Driver ($6.99 from $13.99 until 6/10)
Dancing Dreamer ($2.09 from $6.99 until 6/10)
Beast Breaker ($12.00 from $15.00 until 6/10)
West Water ($8.24 from $10.99 until 6/10)
An American Werewolf in LA ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/10)
Despotism 3k ($2.19 from $10.99 until 6/11)
Grand Mountain Adventure: Wonderlands ($26.24 from $34.99 until 6/11)
Creepy Balls ($1.99 from $6.99 until 6/11)
SteamWorld Heist ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
SteamWorld Dig ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
SteamWorld Dig 2 ($6.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
Anthill ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Flipping Death ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
Say No! More ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Curious Expedition ($5.24 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Giga Wrecker Alt ($8.74 from $24.99 until 6/11)
Trailblazers ($5.99 from $29.99 until 6/11)
Demon’s Rise: Lords of Chaos ($2.49 from $7.99 until 6/12)
Liberated ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/12)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24th
Big Crown: Showdown ($2.49 from $12.99 until 5/24)
Chess Royal ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/24)
Deployment ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/24)
Depth of Extinction ($4.49 from $14.99 until 5/24)
Disjunction ($7.99 from $15.99 until 5/24)
Furi ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/24)
Gem Wizards Tactics ($1.99 from $12.99 until 5/24)
Genetic Disaster ($2.99 from $14.99 until 5/24)
KeyWe ($16.74 from $24.99 until 5/24)
Lacuna ($5.99 from $19.99 until 5/24)
Little Bug ($1.99 from $12.99 until 5/24)
Little Friends: Dogs & Cats ($24.99 from $49.99 until 5/24)
My Singing Monsters Playground ($23.99 from $39.99 until 5/24)
No Straight Roads ($16.74 from $24.99 until 5/24)
Pinball FX3 Carnivals & Legends ($2.09 from $6.99 until 5/24)
Pinball FX3 Williams Vol. 2 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 5/24)
Puddle Knights ($3.99 from $9.99 until 5/24)
Radical Rabbit Stew ($3.99 from $15.99 until 5/24)
She Sees Red ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/24)
Wrestledunk Sports ($8.99 from $12.99 until 5/24)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a couple of new releases, a new review or two, some sales, and whatever news rolls in. I have some other projects I’m working on right now, so I haven’t been able play anything for fun in the last few days. The downsides of making your hobby your job, I suppose. Anyway, I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
