SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series’, ‘Rabio Lepus’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 7th, 2022. Today is Tanabata here in Japan, so let’s all hope Orihime and Hikoboshi have a nice time together. We’ve got an absolute boat-load of new releases to look at today, and quite a few of them are what I tend to refer to as “dubious”. We’ve got summaries of all of them anyway, though some of them are a bit terse. We finish things up with the usual lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s fly!

New Releases

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series ($39.99)

SwitchArcade Highlight!

WA-HOO! Klonoa is an awesome series featuring an awesome character that can’t ever seem to get its due in terms of mainstream success. Let’s hope this release helps. This set includes remakes of the first two Klonoa games, this time without any of the wild attempts to reimagine the character like the first remake of Klonoa tried. They’re both wonderful games, and the second game in particular is a genuinely rare sight these days. That’s my weekend sorted.

Arcade Archives Rabio Lepus ($7.99)

It’s been a long while since Hamster first announced Video System’s 1987 horizontal cute-em-up Rabio Lepus would be joining Arcade Archives, but it’s finally here. When the King of Bunnyland and his daughters are captured by alien invaders, it’s up to the Royal Combat Mecha Usagi to defeat the enemy and bring them back. This was Video System’s first shooter, and while it is a bit rough around the edges in places it’s a fun enough example of the genre to be worth playing.

QUByte Classics: Zero Tolerance Collection by PIKO ($9.99)

QUByte has another batch of games from the folks at PIKO for us. This time it’s the wildly ambitious Genesis/Mega Drive first-person shooter Zero Tolerance. You get the original game, the follow-up Zero Tolerance Underground, and an unlockable demo of the unreleased sequel Beyond Zero Tolerance. If you weren’t into gaming at the time or just don’t remember, the idea of doing a first-person shooter on the stock Genesis hardware was absolutely bananas. Zero Tolerance did it, and that is an impressive feat. Is it something you would want to play in 2022? Well… that’s what my review will help you with, I guess.

Overrogue ($14.99)

KEMCO doing a game that just isn’t the usual fare is always interesting. Together with developer EXE-CREATE, the company is trying its hand at the popular deckbuilding roguelite concept. It features five different labyrinth themes, more than three hundred different cards, tons of loot, and more. I doubt Slay the Spire has anything to fear from this, but it’s nice to see a pair of companies that tend to be defined by the extremely deep rut they’ve been in try something new. I hope it works out for them.

Forklift Extreme ($9.99)

If you like the first Shenmue but didn’t like all that pesky walking around town, talking to people, solving mysteries, playing SEGA games in the arcade, fighting people, or picking up objects and looking at them from all angles, this might be for you. That is to say, this is a game about driving a forklift. You will use your forklift to do forklift things. There’s a mobile version of it you can try out for free if you like before settling on a purchase here. I’ll be doing a review of this somewhat soon if you need all the hot details.

Understand ($9.99)

Make me! An odd puzzler where the core mechanic is that the rules change on every level. You have to figure them out through trial and error. Once you’ve got them sorted, you draw a line that meets all the requirements, and you’re off to the next level. There are more than one hundred in total to play, and some of them are real head-scratchers. One for the puzzle fan who wants something novel.

Railways ($4.99)

A little puzzle-action type game where you need to drag the trains to the right tracks in order to pick up passengers and keep things flowing properly. It has a minimalist vibe to it, following in the footsteps of fellow transportation management game Mini Metro, but it’s a bit more action-oriented. You get thirty levels to play, plus a couple of extra modes to keep the fun rolling after that. Trying to collect passengers while avoiding collisions is certainly demanding in an enjoyable way, and that reasonable price makes it all the more enticing.

Japanese Nekosama Escape the Local Train ($9.99)

Another in the series of Japanese Nekosama escape games. This one is set on a local train, which is naturally filled with cats acting like people in very suspicious ways. Solve the puzzles and find your way out before your clothes start to smell like pee.

Color Breakers ($14.99)

This is a game about completing paintings. You can play alone, but you’re better off pulling in a few friends and taking advantage of the multiplayer (online or local) for up to four players. You can work together to finish the paintings or sabotage each other if you feel like being an agent of chaos. Grab the giant colored pencil and try to complete the picture according to the target. Or don’t. Your call. The different stages throw in gimmicks that make this a lot more complicated than it sounds, in true Overcooked! fashion. If you’re looking for a new party game, this might suit you.

Harlow ($12.99)

A cute premise helps elevate this atmospheric platformer from just another exploration of trauma or whatever. You play as a little robot named Harlow, and you have an important job: gather materials and items to decorate your ship and throw a great surprise party for all the humans when they wake up from cold slumber! Most of what you need can be 3D printed by the ship itself, but you have to find the needed ingredients. That means exploring the hostile planet that the ship has landed on, carefully making your way around hazards and other tricky situations to get what you need.

Secrets of Magic 4: Potion Master ($19.99)

Well, it’s the fourth one of these. You probably know how they work by now, and if they are your thing or not. Play matching puzzles, collect decorations, and follow the story. You can try this out for free on your mobile device, and even buy the full game unlock a lot cheaper on the App Store. It’s up to you if you want to pay more than double the price to have it on your Switch.

Plan B from Outer Space: A Bavarian Odyssey ($14.99)

A quirky narrative adventure game that mixes science fiction and Bavarian culture to create something quite distinct. It’s well-written and pretty funny, to boot. Gameplay largely takes the form of making choices and playing minigames, and while a single playthrough doesn’t take very long, there are plenty of branches and endings to explore. And you’ll want to explore them, because there are a lot of interesting outcomes to arrive at. A very nifty choice-based game, so if you like those do be sure to give it a closer look.

Road of Death ($4.99)

In glancing at this one’s mind can’t help but go to Death Road to Canada, but this isn’t really that similar apart from its title and top-down zombie-killing action bits. Complete various tasks on eight different levels, or head into the endless mode and see how long you can survive. There are a number of different characters, each with their own skills and weapons, and you can upgrade them as you play. I’m kind of burnt out on this gameplay concept and theme, so I’m not going to dig much deeper into this one. If nothing else, it seems to achieve its aims decently enough.

SuperDuck! ($3.99)

Look, I may have this wrong, but this looks a lot like Krusty’s Funhouse to me. And that is not a bad thing at all. You need to lead the ducklings safely to the exit on each stage, creating and clearing a path using various objects laying about. You get fifty-six levels spread across three different themes, which isn’t bad for the price.

Sticks Collection ($2.99)

A collection of one hundred and twenty matchstick puzzles. Add, remove, or displace matchsticks to meet the requested target. Sometimes it involves math. Sometimes it just takes some logical thinking. Nothing too fancy, but at three bucks it’s probably cheaper than any matchstick puzzle book you could find.

Crazy Plane Landing ($9.99)

Wow, those are some silly planes. You have to try to land them, though. This is your burden. Another BoomHits conversion from a free-to-play mobile game, so feel free to try it on your phone first to see if you like it.

Farm Simulator USA Car Games – Driving Games & Car 2022 Farming ($17.99)

Look, it’s complete trash! Handheld mode only, because it is a low-effort mobile flip.

Luberman and The Legend of Animals Warrior – Platformer Game 2022 ($14.99)

Look, more complete trash! At least you can use the buttons to play this one.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

A fair bit of stuff on sale, though obviously with the Big Ol’ Super Sale ending yesterday there isn’t a lot of really juicy stuff. Have a look at the list anyway, and be sure to check out the outbox while you’re at it. Most of the major titles ended their sales yesterday but a few opted for today instead. We’ll probably have a bigger list to look at tomorrow, though.

Select New Games on Sale

P.3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/13)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/13)
Rolling Car Deluxe Edition ($1.99 from $8.49 until 7/13)
Action Arcade Wrestling ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/14)
Azurebreak Heroes ($1.99 from $6.99 until 7/18)
Stardash ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/19)
Heroes of Loot ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/19)
Heroes of Loot 2 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/19)
Groundskeeper2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/19)
Meganoid ($3.59 from $8.99 until 7/19)
Space Grunts ($5.59 from $13.99 until 7/19)
Gunslugs ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/19)
Gunslugs 2 ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/19)
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle ($9.99 from $59.99 until 7/21)

The Centennial Case: Shijima Story ($34.99 from $49.99 until 7/21)
Vesper: Zero Light Edition ($7.99 from $9.99 until 7/22)
Collapsed ($4.50 from $15.00 until 7/26)
Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/26)
Kosmonavtes: Academy Escape ($2.03 from $5.99 until 7/26)
Panmorphia ($2.03 from $5.99 until 7/26)
Panmorphia: Enchanted ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/26)
Flat Heroes ($7.49 from $9.99 until 7/26)
9-Ball Pocket ($1.99 from $5.99 until 7/26)
Old Man’s Journey ($7.49 from $9.99 until 7/26)
A Place for the Unwilling ($10.04 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Rogue Lords ($17.49 from $24.99 until 7/27)
TT Isle of Man ($9.99 from $49.99 until 7/27)
TT Isle of Man RotE 2 ($17.99 from $59.99 until 7/27)
WRC 9 The Official Game ($11.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)

WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/27)
Cricket 22 ($34.99 from $49.99 until 7/27)
Aqua Moto Racing Utopia ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Snow Moto Racing Freedom ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Truck Racing Championship ($11.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Bee Simulator ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
RiMS Racing ($19.99 from $49.99 until 7/27)
Street Power Soccer ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/27)
AO Tennis 2 ($17.99 from $59.99 until 7/27)
Tennis World Tour 2 ($14.99 from $49.99 until 7/27)
Another Sight ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Farmer’s Dynasty ($11.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Roguebook ($17.49 from $24.99 until 7/27)
The Unicorn Princess ($11.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
My Little Riding Champion ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/27)

Popeye ($2.59 from $12.99 until 7/27)
Monster Truck Championship ($15.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Hunting Simulator 2 ($11.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Mask of Mists ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/27)
Norman’s Great Illusion ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/27)
I, AI ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)
My Aunt is a Witch ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)
Alveole ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Need a Packet? ($3.49 from $6.99 until 7/27)
Catty & Batty: The Spirit Guide ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Aircraft Evolution ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)
Dungeons & Bombs ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Steam Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/27)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, July 8th

8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adv. ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
ANIMUS ($2.71 from $7.99 until 7/8)
ANIMUS: Harbinger ($2.71 from $7.99 until 7/8)
ANIMUS: Revenant ($9.19 from $22.99 until 7/8)
Around the World ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Bladed Fury ($11.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Bullet Battle: Evolution ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Catlateral Damage Remeowstered ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
City Traffic Driver ($5.59 from $13.99 until 7/8)
Counter Delta: The Bullet Rain ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Counter Recon: The First Mission ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Crashlands ($9.74 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Dark Water: Slime Invader ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Demong Hunter ($3.19 from $7.99 until 7/8)
Driving World: Italian Job ($5.19 from $12.99 until 7/8)

Dungeon Limbus ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Dungeon Munchies ($11.04 from $16.04 until 7/8)
Ever Forward ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Farm Mechanic Simulator ($17.69 from $29.49 until 7/8)
FEZ ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Football Manager 2022 Touch ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/8)
Foregone ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Girls Tank Battle ($4.39 from $10.99 until 7/8)
Guts ‘N Goals ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Haunted Dawn: Zombie Apocalypse ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
High Noon Revolver ($1.99 from $2.99 until 7/8)
Hoa ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Hundred Days: Winemaking Simulator ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/8)
Huntdown ($6.79 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Ikai ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/8)

Last 4 Alive EfZ ($6.04 from $10.99 until 7/8)
Levelhead ($12.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Lust for Darkness: Dawn Edition ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Metal Unit ($4.79 from $15.99 until 7/8)
My Singing Monsters Playground ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/8)
New Super Lucky’s Tale ($14.99 from $24.99 until 7/8)
Overlanders ($1.99 from $24.99 until 7/8)
Overrogue ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Phantom Breaker: Omnia ($29.99 from $39.99 until 7/8)
Project Highrise ($7.99 from $39.99 until 7/8)
Redden: 100denarii ($5.59 from $7.99 until 7/8)
Retro Game Pack ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/8)
RiffTrax: The Game ($7.49 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Rising Hell ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Saboteur II: Avenging Angel ($4.80 from $8.00 until 7/8)

Saboteur SiO ($6.59 from $10.99 until 7/8)
Saboteur! ($4.80 from $8.00 until 7/8)
Skul: The Hero Slayer ($12.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Space Genesis ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Space Moth Lunar Edition ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/8)
Space Stella: The Unknown Planet ($8.24 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Speed Limit ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
The House of the Dead Remake ($19.99 from $24.99 until 7/8)
The Hundred Year Kingdom ($8.44 from $12.99 until 7/8)
The Kids We Were ($11.19 from $15.99 until 7/8)
Tropico 6 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/8)
Truck Mechanic Simulator ($17.69 from $29.49 until 7/8)
Unsouled ($9.59 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Video World ($2.10 from $3.50 until 7/8)
West of Loathing ($5.83 from $11.00 until 7/8)
When the Past Was Around ($2.97 from $8.49 until 7/8)
World War: Tank Battle ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Zombie is Planting ($6.04 from $10.99 until 7/8)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, plus a bunch of sales and any major news that comes along. I got my copy of Klonoa today, so I’m going to pretty much spend tonight playing it. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!