Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 3rd, 2023. We start things off with a review of Fashion Police Squad from our pal Mikhail. Gosh, he’s quite the keener. After that, we look at the dozen or so new releases that hit the eShop today. A few interesting games, and a fair bit of dubious stuff. Such are many Fridays around these parts. After that, we’ve got the usual lists of new sales and expiring discounts. Let’s get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Fashion Police Squad ($19.99)
Fashion Police Squad from Mopeful Games and No More Robots is a game I played a good amount of when it hit Steam a little while ago. This new take on a boomer shooter has you solving fashion crimes instead of taking on demons with an interesting aesthetic and nice music. I was curious to see how it would feel on Switch because some games in the genre don’t feel as nice to play on Switch.
Fashion Police Squad feels good on Switch, but there are some issues that also affect the game itself. When it comes to the levels and enemies, a lot of Fashion Police Squad is very creative. The last hour of the campaign can get annoying though. Barring that, I love the unique enemies and character interactions.
I wasn’t a fan of the default control and camera setup in Fashion Police Squad on Switch. I’d recommend trying out the gyro controls and also increasing the camera sensitivity. I had a much better time after that and also when I mapped jumping to the paddles on my 8BitDo controller when playing docked. Barring the gyro, Fashion Police Squad also has good HD Rumble support.
Having now played Fashion Police Squad on both Switch and Steam Deck, the latter is a much better experience for sure when it comes to performance and load times, but this is one of No More Robot’s better Switch releases in terms of port quality. It has touchscreen support for the interface and you can even fire by tapping the screen.
Despite some performance issues on Switch compared to the PC version I played, a nice gyro control implementation helps elevate the Fashion Police Squad experience on Nintendo Switch. It is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to try out a unique take on the boomer shooter subgenre. –Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
Helvetii ($16.99)
Helvetii‘s rich visuals and large characters immediately call to mind the works of Vanillaware, and that’s a bar that may be a little too high for it to clear. Choose from one of three characters and go into battle for reasons I have already forgotten, get as far as you can, die, then try again with perhaps one or two permanent upgrades in tow. I’ll have a full review of this one soon, but I’m personally a bit mixed on it at the moment. Certainly some good aspects, but the core gameplay mechanics aren’t vibing well with me yet.
Trophy ($9.99)
Originally released a little while back as an NES cartridge, this action-platformer comes to the Switch in emulated form. There are nine levels to play through, each one culminating in a battle with a boss of some kind. These bosses can get pretty large, particularly given the hardware the game was built for. It looks like a lot of fun, but I haven’t had a chance to play it yet myself.
Chasing Light ($18.99)
If you’re looking for a weird, meta piece of interactive art today, here’s one to check out. You play as the Director, who is trying to make a masterpiece game. It’s not as easy as it seems, and you’ll get to know some of the particular hardships this one faces very well. It takes a couple of hours to blow through and while I can’t say if you’ll enjoy it or not, you certainly won’t forget it.
Sport & Fun: Swimming ($19.99)
This feels like a high price for what you get here. One or two players via local multiplayer can do their best to outswim each other. You have to use the Joy-Con motion controls to play this game, so handheld-only players are out of luck. The idea I think is that you move the Joy-Cons in a swimming motion. You can choose from various characters and swimming styles. That’s about it.
Brightstone Mysteries: The Others ($14.99)
Do you like Ocean Media’s Brightstone Mysteries series of hidden object puzzle adventure games? Well, here another. The Others, to be specific. Anyway, there is some kind of mysterious thing going on in some small town. As it goes. Nothing special here, but if you like this flavor of game this is certainly one more.
Match Ventures 2 ($11.99)
Oh hey, a sequel already. That was a harrowing week of anticipation. It’s another Ocean Media matching puzzle game. Complete the stages and build your castles. You can play this for free on your mobile device, freeing up this twelve dollars for important things like mixed nuts or jam.
Pets at Work ($4.99)
Some pets are trapped in an office and need to escape in this puzzle-platformer. Your goal is to figure out how to open the route to the exit in each stage and then pull it off. Seems like a decent five-dollar game for those who enjoy a little bit of puzzling. You can even pull in a friend via local multiplayer to help you out. Two heads are better than one, I’m told.
Hundred Fires: The Rising of Red Star Episode 2 ($5.99)
The Dollar Store Metal Gear Solid is back for another adventure. Like the first time around, it’s not very good. But it might be good enough for Metal Gear Solid fans pining for something, anything, to scratch their itch. I’m not sure. The six dollar price tag probably helps set expectations, if nothing else.
Tiny Detour ($4.99)
You’re on your way home but the bridge you need to cross is broken. To fix it, you have to take on a variety of tasks that see you venturing into the woods. Mostly a chill little walking game, which is probably all it needs to be for a fiver.
Car Factory Driver ($12.99)
BoomHits is checking in for its weekly release, and it’s another game where you drive various vehicles around a decent-sized area and complete a list of missions. Many of them involve parking, because the kids are all about parking cars these days. I have no facts to support that. I’m just throwing that out there because a lot of these games seem to involve parking lately.
Swap Puzzles ($2.99)
If I sound tired with some of these frequently appearing game concepts, I apologize. But there are only so many ways to write about some of these things. This one, for example. It’s another one of those games where you swap around tile to complete the picture. Like a jigsaw puzzle but all of the pieces are squares. While many games of this sort go for saucy pictures, this one contents itself with some family-friendly art.
Crime Map: Spot the Hidden Differences ($2.99)
Well, I suppose we had to have at least one appearance from one of the eShop Crap Squad members today. Cooking and Publishing has another “spot the differences" game for all you greasy spoon diner placemat fans. But this time it’s mixed with crime.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not a bad list, I suppose. Some Kairosoft games, a new low price for the enjoyable Jetboard Joust, some new low prices on a few Kemco games. Nothing to knock off a person’s socks, but worth combing through. The outbox is less interesting, with mainly the QUByte retro re-releases filling it out. Check it anyway, just in case.
Select New Games on Sale
Sonority ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Mutropolis ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Lamplight City ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Growbot ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Unforeseen Incidents ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood ($2.24 from$14.99 until 2/13)
A Plague Tale Requiem Cloud Vers. ($41.99 from $59.99 until 2/13)
Kardboard Kings: Card Shop Sim ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Relic Hunters Zero Remix ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/16)
Spinch ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Godstrike ($4.94 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Jetboard Joust ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Mars Base ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Dark Deity ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/16)
Coromon ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Absolute Tactics: DoM ($19.99 from $24.99 until 2/16)
The Jackbox Party Pack 8 ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
FAR: Changing Tides ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 CE ($10.49 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Struggling ($5.24 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Black Wolf ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/17)
Super Chicken Jumper ($3.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Plunderer’s Adventures ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Until the Last Plane ($6.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Bubsy Paws on Fire ($4.99 from $24.99 until 2/17)
Shiny Ski Resort ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
8-Bit Farm ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
Dream House Days DX ($7.00 from $14.00 until 2/22)
Asdivine Cross ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Asdivine Saga ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Gale of Windoria ($11.24 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Ambition Record ($9.74 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Ruinverse ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Sherlock Holmes: C & P ($11.99 from $29.99 until 2/23)
Guntech 2 ($10.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Space Lines Puzzle Arcade Game ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/23)
Chess Brain: Dark Troops ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Hidden Shapes: BS & OW ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Chameneon ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Josh Journey Darkness Totems ($6.99 from $13.99 until 2/23)
SAOMI ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Cat Slide Tiles ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/23)
Host 714 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Animal Puzzle Cats ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Legendary Heroes ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Fashion Friends ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Geometric Feel the Beats ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Milk Inside a Bag… ($5.35 from $7.99 until 2/23)
Swarmrider Omega ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Doomed to Hell ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Vasara Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
In Extremis DX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Chinese Parents ($9.74 from $12.99 until 2/4)
Christmas Tina ($20.24 from $26.99 until 2/4)
Circa Infinite Ultimate ($1.99 from $10.99 until 2/4)
Dying: Reborn ($7.49 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Galaxy Shooter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
Glyph ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Golazo 2 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 2/4)
Head Over Heels ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Jim Power: The Lost Dimension ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Luna the Shadow Dust ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
Necrobarista Final Pour ($16.49 from $21.99 until 2/4)
Nirvana Deluxe Edition ($1.99 from $7.49 until 2/4)
Radical Rex ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/4)
Rhythm Fighter ($12.74 from $16.99 until 2/4)
Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
The Humans ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/4)
The Immortal ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/4)
Thunderbolt Collection ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/4)
Zero Tolerance Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Family Man ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/5)
Hatchwell ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/5)
Haustoria ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/5)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with more new releases, more sales, more reviews, and I believe at least a little news. I have a whole weekend of paperwork ahead of me, so wish me luck with that. I hope you all have a better weekend than me, and as always, thanks for reading!
