Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 2nd, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got an absolute ton of new releases to look at. Many, many, many new games and several of them look quite promising. We’ve also got some sales to check out, as we always do. Some new low prices on Resident Evil games, if you want a sneak preview. Let’s get to business!
New Releases
Card Shark ($19.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
They say cheaters never prosper, but you’ll have to prove that wrong in the latest from Devolver Digital and developer Nerial. Although the game is about playing cards, you won’t be doing much of that. Instead, you’ll be finding new and innovative ways to cheat. Most of these take the form of a minigame of some sort, and it’s all very chaotic and humorous. As you play, you’ll slowly catch wind of a plot of another kind. It’s definitely unique and I’ve rather enjoyed what I’ve played so far. When I finish it up, I’ll put together a review for you.
Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stag ($7.49)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Hey, I like this game a lot. It’s one of those puzzle-platformer deals where you have a handful of characters, each with their own abilities, and you need to switch between them to progress through the game. It leans hard into its Celtic theme, to excellent results. All for a highly reasonable price, too! Yes, I give this a thumbs-up.
TOKOYO: Tower of Perpetuity ($11.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
A curious roguelite platformer with tons of charm. You’re climbing a vertical tower that changes its make-up every day. That’s a real-world day, by the way. The tower will rearrange itself when the date rolls over. That means you’ll have to learn new tricks and traps each day. One interesting gimmick is that your only means of offense has a lengthy cooldown timer, so you have to think carefully about when you should just avoid trouble versus when you should take it down. There are some simple social elements in the game, particularly in the form of seeing graves where other players bit it. Quite a blast. I’ll have a review for you early next week.
Lamplight City ($14.99)
A vaguely steampunk-themed detective story, Lamplight City is a point-and-click style adventure game where you’re going to have to do some actual investigating if you want to succeed. And yes, you can fail. You can fail so hard, if you’re not careful. You can fail in the first few minutes of a case and not even realize what you’ve done until a couple hours later. If you are okay with that or perhaps even relish that, then you’ll almost certainly get into Lamplight City. It’s quite well-made, and the five cases make for a meaty experience. I’ll have a more thorough review soon.
Gravitar: Recharged ($9.99)
Having found success in its line of Recharged classics, Atari has decided to keep charting forward on that course. This time the game getting the facelift is Gravitar, a fairly complicated 1982 title where you really need to demonstrate your mastery of the thrust mechanics seen in Asteroids. This Recharged version builds rather significantly on that framework, with more complicated planets to explore and a greater variety of missions to complete. The usual Recharged elements are here as well, such as power-ups, a Megan McDuffee soundtrack, special missions to complete, and a co-op mode via local multiplayer.
Arcade Archives The Tower of Druaga ($7.99)
Here’s a game that has an incredible place in gaming history but isn’t exactly well-known or loved outside of Japan. Take Pac-Man and add a few RPG elements and you’ve got The Tower of Druaga, the game that inspired The Legend of Zelda and many Japanese action-RPGs and action-adventures. It’s a very opaque game, but this version from Hamster does have an optional feature that will give you the hints you need to win. And you really do need them, because it’s basically impossible to figure out some of this on your own.
QUByte Classics: Jim Power: The Lost Dimension By PIKO ($9.99)
Chances are good that if you happen to remember Jim Power: the Lost Dimension, three things come to mind. First, the music is amazing. Second, the Super NES version came with some weird 3D glasses and had bizarre parallax backgrounds. Third, the game is absolute bull-crap difficult, making a Souls game look like a bloody walk in the park. You get two versions of the game here, and neither is the Super NES one. Instead, you get the Genesis version that was more or less completed back in the day but canceled before release. Piko finished it up and put it out last year. You also get the NES version, which was built from scratch by Piko. Certainly a curiosity.
Fishing Paradiso ($14.99)
For some reason at first glance I thought this was one of Kairosoft’s games. But no, it’s quite a bit more unusual than that. You’re dead, but you went to heaven. Nice. But heaven seems to be nothing more than a deserted island with no other sign of life than a fishing rod laying about. Things open up as you go, and soon you’ll be meeting others and helping them out with their requests. This in turn will open up more the world, bringing you ever closer to solving the mystery behind the legendary God Fish. A fishing adventure game? Sure, why not. You can try this one out for free on mobile, but I definitely recommend this flat-price buy-in version over that one if you enjoy the sample.
Loopers ($24.99)
This is a straight-up visual novel with no choices to make in it. Just so you know that one ahead of time. It tells the story of some high schoolers who get swept up in a time loop. They meet others who are trapped in the same cycle, apparently calling themselves the Loopers because every team needs a name these days. They’ll have to put their heads together and try to find a way out of the loop. If the art looks familiar, it’s because it was handled by Kei Mochizuki of Danganronpa fame. The story was written by Ryukishi07, who also wrote Higurashi When They Cry and its follow-ups. With those two on-board, the result is quite likely to satisfy.
Dungeon Village 2 ($12.00)
Yes, it’s once again Kairosoft time. This one is a sequel to the rather enjoyable Dungeon Village, which was a cute hybrid of sim game and RPG. It doesn’t make a whole lot of changes to the formula, but I’m sure we’re all used to that routine now. Like all Kairosoft games, this one can be found on mobile devices at a fraction of the price and equally playable. But if you want it on your Switch, this is as good a way to play it as any.
Repentant ($9.99)
A point-and-click style adventure game with a striking hand-painted look. A veteran criminal who has lost a lot finally starts to regret his actions and now seeks redemption however he can find it. An opportunity is served up to him when he is witness to a robbery committed by a young woman. But are things as simple as they seem? I wish the story was as good as the premise, but it’s a bit clumsy and predictable in how it unfolds. The puzzles are also absolutely maddening, relying on a lot of annoying pixel-hunting. Ultimately, I could go either way on it.
Souldiers ($19.99)
It’s another Metroidvania, friends. And this one has some Souls influences! I’ll be frank: this is a fine enough game, and apart from a few annoying puzzles and difficulty spikes, I can’t imagine anyone would have a particularly bad time playing it. But it also doesn’t do very much to stand out in a positive sense. It’s just here. If you want another Metroidvania, here is one of them. That is all.
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery ($12.99)
Here’s a narrative experience about an artist trying to finish the final piece of her gallery submission. Explore the world and find the colors you need to finish your piece as you get to know more about the artist and her life. The art, which is said to be inspired by Studio Ghibli, sure has a nice look to it. Not the lengthiest of tales, but if you find yourself intrigued by the premise you’ll probably enjoy what it has to offer.
Samurai Riot ($9.90)
An arcade-style beat-em-up for one or two players via local multiplayer. It claims to offer deep moral choices, but I doubt you’ll be furrowing your brow over anything in here. That does mean you have a branching story however, which lends the game a bit of replay value. Nothing too fancy as games of this genre go, but it does a good enough job for the price it’s asking.
Pretty Girls Speed ($5.99)
It’s the card game Speed, but with pretty girls. The usual eastasiasoft fare, really. Play cards against an assortment of girls in various costumes. They’re fully voiced and will react with some basic animations as you play. There is a 100-level challenge mode, or you can just pick an opponent and go up against them.
Surface Rush ($4.99)
This one is a bit fun. You’ve probably played games with similar mechanics to it before. You fling your little character and try to collect goodies, avoid obstacles, and reach the next air bubble. You get 132 levels to play, and four different modes to add some extra challenges to the mix. It’s affordable, it gives you lots to do, and it’s enjoyable. Not bad if you’re looking for a cheap date today.
Jigsaw Fun 3-in-1 Collection ($29.99)
You know those rather decent Jigsaw Fun releases from Mindscape? This is three of them put together in one handy bundle. You get Wonderful Nature, Amazing Animals, and Greatest Cities. A nice discount over the standard price of buying the three of them. Check the individual releases to see if they’re on sale before making a purchase here, though.
The Minesweeper: Crew Bomber Expedition ($3.99)
Cooking and Publishing again, eh? Why, they haven’t released a game in at least twenty-four hours or so. It’s Minesweeper. A bland, ordinary take on Minesweeper. Did the eShop really need another junk publisher? The answer is no, but it’s not like these folks will be the last by any stretch of the imagination. Welcome to the Crap Club, Cooking and Publishing. Have a seat over there next to Sabec and Pix Arts.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
I totally spoiled it in the introductory paragraph, but yes, the big news in the sales today is that most of the Resident Evil games are at their lowest prices yet. You can get Resident Evil 4 for a tenner! What a world! There are some other good games in the list, so make a careful examination. Might as well hit the outbox too while you’re at it.
Select New Games on Sale
Barbearian ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/6)
Warhammer 40k Space Wolf ($5.39 from $17.99 until 6/8)
The Forgotten City Cloud Vers. ($26.99 from $29.99 until 6/10)
Fuga: Melodies of Steel ($27.99 from $39.99 until 6/13)
Tiny Metal ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/15)
Necrosphere Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 6/15)
Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/15)
Tokyo Dark: Remembrance ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/15)
Bear’s Restaurant ($9.74 from $12.99 until 6/16)
Miner Warfare ($3.99 from $7.99 until 6/16)
Doom & Destiny ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/16)
Doom & Destiny Advanced ($5.99 from $11.99 until 6/16)
Doom & Destiny Worlds ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/16)
Resident Evil 0 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil 5 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil 6 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/17)
Project Starship X ($3.99 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Takotan ($2.79 from $6.99 until 6/17)
Zero Strange ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Horatio Goes Snowboarding ($4.89 from $6.99 until 6/17)
Enter Digiton: Heart of Corruption ($3.99 from $7.99 until 6/17)
Synergia ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/17)
Formula Retro Racing ($6.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Clutter IX: Clutter IXtreme ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
SpelunKing The Mine Match ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Frogs vs. Storks ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Threaded ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques: TFC CE ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Suicide Guy Collection ($4.39 from $10.99 until 6/22)
Encodya ($2.99 from $29.99 until 6/22)
Leisure Suit Larry WD Saga ($9.74 from $64.99 until 6/22)
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus ($11.99 from $39.99 until 6/22)
Crysis Remastered ($11.99 from $29.99 until 6/22)
Crysis Remastered Trilogy ($32.49 from $49.99 until 6/22)
Murder Mystery Machine ($12.99 from $19.99 until 6/22)
The Sinking City ($9.99 from $49.99 until 6/23)
Battle Axe ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/23)
Treasures of the Aegean ($11.99 from $19.99 until 6/23)
SuperEpic: The Entertainment War ($1.99 from $17.99 until 6/23)
Regency Solitaire ($7.19 from $11.99 until 6/23)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, June 3rd
890B ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/3)
A Pretty Odd Bunny ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/3)
Aloof ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/3)
B.ARK ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/3)
Beat Souls ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/3)
Crisis Wing ($5.19 from $7.99 until 6/3)
Cubicity ($2.04 from $6.00 until 6/3)
Dark Quest 2 ($5.49 from $10.99 until 6/3)
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen ($9.99 from $29.99 until 6/3)
El Gancho ($4.89 from $6.99 until 6/3)
Exertus: Redux ($2.85 from $4.39 until 6/3)
Flaskoman ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/3)
Ghost Blade HD ($4.49 from $14.99 until 6/3)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/3)
HellGunner ($3.99 from $4.99 until 6/3)
Horned Knight ($1.99 from $5.99 until 6/3)
Mechstermination Force ($2.39 from $11.99 until 6/3)
Potata: Fairy Flower ($3.00 from $12.00 until 6/3)
Queeny Army ($3.49 from $4.99 until 6/3)
Rogue Explorer ($3.99 from $7.99 until 6/3)
Soul Axiom Rebooted ($6.49 from $12.99 until 6/3)
Super Car Driver ($8.99 from $13.99 until 6/3)
Super Punch Patrol ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/3)
The Jackbox Party Pack 5 ($17.99 from $29.99 until 6/3)
The Jackbox Party Pack 7 ($19.49 from $29.99 until 6/3)
The Warlock of Fire-Top Mountain ($2.99 from $29.99 until 6/3)
Trigger Witch ($9.74 from $14.99 until 6/3)
Vaporum Lockdown ($10.99 from $21.99 until 6/3)
X-Force Genesis ($2.10 from $7.00 until 6/3)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, including Wonder Boy Collection among others. I have to head back into the Diablo Immortal salt mines tonight, so wish me luck. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
