Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 23rd, 2023. It’s Thursday, and here in Japan it is a national holiday. Emperor’s birthday, you see. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a whole bunch of new releases to look at, and that is just what we are going to do. Probably the biggest game today is Grim Guardians, but there are a few other intriguing titles to check out. We also have the lists of new sales and expiring discounts, so that’s something. Let’s get to it!
New Releases
Grim Guardians: Demon Purge ($24.99)
Inti Creates takes a couple of characters from its Gal*Gun series and drops them into a 2D action game that draws inspiration from Castlevania and Bloodstained. In reality, though, it plays a lot more like the developer’s Gunvolt series of games. One cool feature is that you can play with a friend in local co-op. I’ll have a full review of this one soon, but if you’ve played any of Inti Creates’ 2D side-scrollers before you probably have a general idea of the quality here.
The Crimson Flower that Divides: Lunar Coupling ($46.89)
An otome visual novel set in a world where a disease has killed off a massive part of the female population. You follow a young woman named Naala who thought she had all her ducks lined up but ends up caught between a handful of dangerous hunks who all want to take her as a prize. Which, if any, of these men will she end up with? That depends on your choices. This one originally hails from around ten years ago, and I wouldn’t advise it if you’re looking for something light or fluffy because it is almost the opposite of that. There’s quite a lot of game here, but I don’t know if the quality is up to the price it’s asking.
Tyrant’s Blessing ($19.99)
Oh, this looks promising. While the fantasy theme may have you thinking it’s a turn-based strategy RPG, it’s actually not an RPG at all. Instead you have an assortment of characters, each with their own properties and abilities, to choose from. Your roster will expand as you play the game, with a total of twenty characters available in the end. You pick which ones you want to deploy for each mission, and if you lose them then you’ll have to work a bit to get them back. So yes, no experience points or leveling up as far as I can tell, but more of an emphasis on pure strategy with some roguelite elements thrown in for extra flavor. Reviews for the PC version have been positive if not overwhelmingly so, and I can’t help but be intrigued.
Remorse: The List ($19.99)
This is a first-person survival horror game that takes a somewhat open world approach to the genre. You have to explore a small Hungarian town, solving puzzles, battling enemies, and trying to stay alive. Be careful with how you use your ammo because it is seriously scarce. Your main source of guidance is a mysterious list, and it’s up to you the order in which you tackle its tasks. The Steam release has received its fair share of praise and I expect it will find an eager audience on the Switch as well.
Frog Hop ($4.99)
A cute little platformer featuring a frog. You can use your tongue to swing and launch yourself, which means this game has swinging. And games that have swinging are already up a couple of points on games that don’t. This is a genuinely enjoyable five-dollar Switch platformer, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of such things.
Pocket Academy ZERO ($3.99)
Okay, so this is obviously another Kairosoft simulation game. You may be wondering about the Zero in the title and the low price. Allow me to explain. The game we know as Pocket Academy in the West is actually Pocket Academy 2 in Japan. The first game went unlocalized until years later when Kairosoft translated it and dubbed it Pocket Academy ZERO. As the predecessor to the other game, it’s less full-featured. That is probably why it is priced lower. That said, it’s actually not that bad for four bucks. If you haven’t played a Kairosoft game before and have been curious, this is the most affordable way to do so on Switch.
Yonesawara Hospital ($18.00)
Another first-person horror game, this one set in an abandoned Japanese hospital. Explore the ruins and see if you can solve the mystery behind the disappearance of the hospital director ten years prior. Be careful though, as you may not like what you find. This one actually has an interesting gimmick. If you don’t like horror, there is an extra mode where you can just explore the game environment in broad daylight and take some pictures. Sort of a derelict building exploration mode. I like that.
Snake Core ($8.99)
This is Orange Pixel’s latest release on Switch, and it reminds me a bit of Nimble Quest. You all remember Nimble Quest, right? No? Anyway, imagine Snake. Nice. Good work. Now imagine the segments of your snake are all units with their own individual parameters. You can recruit new units and upgrade your existing ones as you go, making your “snake" that much stronger. Clear all of the levels and take down the Alien Overlord to win. A solid basis, a fun twist, and the usual Orange Pixel charm. Not bad at all.
Planet Cube: Edge ($14.99)
A stylish precision platformer with some devilish level designs and excellent controls. There are eight levels in the game with four bosses to battle, and while that may sound meager the levels are fairly lengthy affairs. You’ll die a lot, but you have near instant restarts and the checkpoints are very fairly placed. I’ll have a full review of this soon but I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve played so far.
Midnight is Lost ($3.99)
An affordable little puzzler from QUByte. You have to help a cat named Midnight get home, but instead of working from Midnight to the goal you have to plan your moves backwards. You get thirty levels to play, which I suppose isn’t terrible for the price. There are also some minigames you can find and play.
Horror Tale 1: Kidnapper ($9.99)
EpiXR continues its quest to find something other than Aery that will catch on. You play as a kid who is trying to hide from a kidnapper while also looking for the other captured kids. Oh, and it’s set in the 1990s. Not sure how well it actually represents that era, but there it is. And yes, that number in the title means this is just the first part of an intended series. You probably won’t get a resolution to the story in this chapter, in other words.
Dyadic ($6.99)
This is a game best enjoyed with another player. You’re trying to escape from some underground ruins, and you’ll only be able to do so with the power of teamwork. There’s just one catch, however. The final exit can only be used with the help of the Jade Statue, and it’s one of a kind. So in the end only one player can leave. Local multiplayer support only, so you’ll need a buddy at hand if you want to take advantage of it. You can play alone but I imagine most of the spice will be taken out of the dish if you do.
Rumble Sus ($4.99)
You know your game has made it when you’ve got people making riffs on it. In this game, up to eight players via local multiplayer battle it out. Some of the players are Innocents, while others are Traitors. The game will tell you which you are when the round starts by making your controller rumble, so keep it quiet. Traitors need to defeat Innocents, and Innocents need to defeat Traitors. You’ll have to use pick-ups to determine which is which, but since you’re all more or less dropped in an arena together you’ll probably sort things out in a hurry. Could be amusing.
Sakura Magical Girls ($9.99)
Well, here’s the latest Sakura visual novel. As usual, the… ahem, adult scenes have been removed from this version. Our protagonist is working a boring job at a resort when he meets a few magical girls who for whatever reason are completly taken with his Normal McNormalguy self. Make your choices and see which of the three girls, if any, you end up with. By now I’m sure most people have figured out how they feel about the Sakura games, so do what you will.
World War: Prologue ($14.99)
Another junk first-person shooter from the folks at TROOOZE. As usual, they’ve attached a somewhat ridiculous price tag to what is an incredibly low-rent experience. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it. But someone is buying TROOOZE’s games, and if they’re buying more than one then they must be enjoying them. If you are one of those people, here’s another serving.
Loot Box Simulator – Crimson Fire ($2.99)
More trash from EpiXR. Make choices to earn in-game money to buy in-game loot boxes that contain various pictures and such. Pretty much nothing to the game at all. At least it’s cheap?
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
An interesting assortment of sales to get going with so far. No Man’s Sky and Divinity Original Sin 2 are probably the big names, but there are some other decent games in the lot if you take a careful look. As for the outbox, Furi and the Saboteur games are probably the more notable ones in the lot, but again you should have a look at the list yourself.
Select New Games on Sale
Lord Winklebottom Investigates ($15.19 from $18.99 until 3/1)
Lost Snowmen ($4.24 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Space Raiders in Space ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/2)
Floogen ($1.99 from $3.99 until 3/2)
Gum+ ($1.99 from $7.99 until 3/2)
Broken Universe Tower Defense ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Space Tail: EJLH ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/2)
Fluffy Horde ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Sail Forth (416.79 from $19.99 until 3/2)
To Leave ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/2)
Freshly Frosted ($6.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Falling Out ($10.49 from $14.99 until 3/2)
Astronomical Club for Queers ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/2)
Oxide Room 104 ($8.99 from $24.99 until 3/6)
Get Ogre It ($2.03 from $11.99 until 3/6)
The Savior’s Gang ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/6)
Steamroll: Rustless Edition ($2.49 from $9.99 until 3/6)
Super Korotama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/6)
No Man’s Sky ($44.99 from $59.99 until 3/7)
Divinity Original Sin 2 DE ($24.99 from $49.99 until 3/7)
The Last Campfire ($2.99 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Phoenotopia Awakening ($8.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
3000th Duel ($4.49 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Rick Henderson ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Maggie the Magnet ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Kid Ball Adventure ($2.99 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Horatio Goes Snowboarding ($4.19 from $6.99 until 3/10)
Spacewing War ($4.19 from $6.99 until 3/10)
Drunken Fist 2 Zombie Hangover ($4.79 from $7.99 until 3/10)
Slap the Rocks ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Rage Among the Stars ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/10)
Pillars of Eternity CE ($12.49 from $49.99 until 3/15)
Cardpocalypse ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Cardpocalypse TW Edition ($7.49 from $29.99 until 3/15)
Faeria: Premium Bundle ($14.99 from $59.99 until 3/15)
Yaga ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/15)
Sockventure ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
The Hand of Merlin ($14.99 from $29.99 until 3/15)
Wintermoor Tactics Club ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
UnMetal ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/15)
Into The Dead 2 ($13.99 from $34.99 until 3/15)
Sherlock Holmes TDD ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/16)
Mystere Ruins of Deazniff ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Gas Station Simulator ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Truck Simulator USA ($11.24 from $14.99 until 3/16)
Bus Driving Simulator 22 ($20.99 from $27.99 until 3/16)
Remorse: The List ($15.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Police Sim 22 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 3/16)
Flight Sim 2019 ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Ship Sim 2020 ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Driving School Sim ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Real Driving Sim ($7.42 from $9.90 until 3/16)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, February 24th
Beholgar ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Bot Gaiden ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Bridge Builder Adventure ($2.84 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Build a Bridge! ($2.84 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Car Factory Driver ($9.74 from $12.99 until 2/24)
Crumble ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Devastator ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Dungeonoid ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Furi ($6.99 from $19.99 until 2/24)
Furi: Modore Edition ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/24)
Furi: Onnamusha DLC ($3.49 from $6.99 until 2/24)
Haven ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/24)
Kraken Smash: Volleyball ($2.50 from $5.00 until 2/24)
RE: CALL ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/24)
Saboteur II Avenging Angel ($4.80 from $8.00 until 2/24)
Saboteur SiO ($6.59 from $10.99 until 2/24)
Saboteur! ($4.80 from $8.00 until 2/24)
Sakura Cupid ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Squids Odyssey ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Super Gravity Ball ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/24)
Truck Simulator 3 ($7.79 from $12.99 until 2/24)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, which include Kirby’s Return to Dream Land and Octopath Traveler II, among others. We’ll have summaries of all of them, plus what I’m sure will be a healthy list of new sales. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
