SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Tunnel of Doom’ Review, Plus Today’s New Releases and the Latest Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 29th, 2021. It’s a quiet one again today, but there’s a little bit to talk about as we head into the final days of the year. First up is a review of Tunnel of Doom, a game that released last week just before Christmas Eve. We’ve got a terrible-looking new release from the folks at Pix Arts to check out, and a handful of new sales to check out. Let’s see what we’ve got!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Tunnel of Doom ($13.99)

If you were tossing a couple of darts at a board of popular indie game genres, it wouldn’t be odd if you hit ‘roguelite’ and ‘tower defense’. This is almost certainly not the origin of Tunnel of Doom, but that particular combination describes this game well enough. A bunch of townspeople are trapped in a dangerous mine, and you decide to go in and save them. The mine itself is procedurally-generated each time, so you’ll have to fumble your way through anew every time you play. It doesn’t really amount to much variety, however. You know how it goes.

It’s a room-by-room affair, with each room containing materials, objects, or other points of interest. Some rooms are designated as combat rooms, where you’ll need to defeat some enemy waves to move on. You can prepare an assortment of traps, cannons, and obstacles to soften up the enemy forces. You can also take a swing or shot at them personally, and this is often just as effective as engaging with the tower defense mechanics. Aside from materials, you’ll also find accessories, shops, and other goodies as you explore the mines. Once you clear the game once, you’ll unlock a couple of other modes that add a bit more spice.

Tunnel of Doom passes the time well enough, but it doesn’t do much more than that. While its blend of elements is interesting at first, it often undercuts its own ideas and ultimately ends up being very repetitive. Too many of the encounters can be handled with the same simple strategy, and it’s rare for the game to show any real teeth. A bit of story could have served as an extra carrot, but the game has little to offer in that regard as well. It’s worth taking a trip or two through, but it lacks the necessary elements to keep you coming back.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

New Releases

Cartoon Tower Defense ($3.99)

Pix Arts snagged a nice discount for this template on the Unity Asset Store. Normally, it would have cost $33.00, but it’s on sale right now for a cool $16.50. If even ten copies of this are sold, Pix Arts will likely be turning a profit. Anyway, it’s as basic a 2D tower defense game as you could imagine, and since the template was meant for PC or mobile, you can only play it in handheld mode. I have to believe you all can find a better way to spend your four bucks.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

A small list of new sales, but not one without any interesting games. Life is Strange: True Colors only came out a few weeks ago, but it has its first post-launch sale. The same goes for Beyond a Steel Sky. Lacuna just launched yesterday, and its launch discount is now live. The outbox is big and has some cool games in it, though most of them tend to go on sale fairly often. Check out the lists carefully as always, friends.

Select New Games on Sale

Airheart: Tales of Broken Wings ($2.69 from $17.99 until 1/4)
Comic Coloring Book ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Little Bug ($4.99 from $12.99 until 1/4)
The Last Survey ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/4)
Life is Strange: True Colors ($53.99 from $59.99 until 1/5)
Beyond a Steel Sky ($31.99 from $39.99 until 1/11)
Project Highrise: AE ($7.99 from $39.99 until 1/11)
Warhammer 40k Mechanicus ($13.99 from $39.99 until 1/11)
Filament ($5.94 from $16.99 until 1/11)
Lacuna ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/18)
Evoland Legendary Edition ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/18)
Syder Reloaded ($5.99 from $11.99 until 1/18)
My Universe: Pet Clinic ($19.49 from $29.99 until 1/18)
My Universe: My Baby ($11.99 from $29.99 until 1/18)
Northgard ($13.99 from $34.99 until 1/18)
Push-Ups Workout ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/18)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, December 30th

10 Second Run RETURNS ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
1979 Revolution Black Friday ($2.99 from $11.99 until 12/30)
39 Days to Mars ($10.04 from $14.99 until 12/30)
A Robot Named Fight ($1.99 from $12.99 until 12/30)
Abyss of Sacrifice ($19.99 from $39.99 until 12/30)
Alteric ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Amnesia: Collection ($4.49 from $29.99 until 12/30)
Apsulov: End of Gods ($23.99 from $29.99 until 12/30)
Aquatic Adv. of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 12/30)
Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi ($24.99 from $49.99 until 12/30)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 12/30)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Bloody Rally Show ($17.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: S&B ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ($7.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
Catch ‘Em! Goldfish Scooping ($2.39 from $7.99 until 12/30)
Chalk Dash Carnival ($1.99 from $7.09 until 12/30)
Colsword ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/30)
Conarium ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
Desktop Baseball ($1.99 from $7.29 until 12/30)
Desktop Basketball ($1.99 from $7.20 until 12/30)
Desktop Bowling ($1.99 from $7.39 until 12/30)
Desktop Dodgeball ($1.99 from $7.45 until 12/30)
Desktop Rugby ($1.99 from $7.43 until 12/30)
Desktop Table Tennis ($1.99 from $7.41 until 12/30)
Desktop Volleyball ($1.99 from $7.43 until 12/30)
Draw a Stickman: EPIC 2 ($1.99 from $6.99 until 12/30)
Duke of Defense ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Dune Sea ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)

Dying Light: Platinum Edition ($37.49 from $49.99 until 12/30)
EDF World Brothers ($35.99 from $39.99 until 12/30)
Energy Cycle Edge ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Escape Trick: 35 Fateful Enigmas ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
Flat Heroes ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Galak-Z: The Void DE ($3.74 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Glass Masquerade ($3.59 from $11.99 until 12/30)
Glass Masquerade 2 ($4.79 from $11.99 until 12/30)
Graviter ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/30)
Headsnatchers ($3.74 from $14.99 until 12/30)
ibb & obb ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Ice Cream Surfer ($2.80 from $8.00 until 12/30)
Infinite Golf 2 ($3.74 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Inspector Waffles ($7.99 from $13.99 until 12/30)
Iron Wings ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Johnny Turbo: Heavy Burger ($2.49 from $9.99 until 12/30)

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Assorted ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/30)
Kuukiyomi 2: Consider It More! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Ministry of Broadcast ($4.99 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Mushroom Heroes ($2.09 from $5.99 until 12/30)
Never Stop ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Nightshade ($28.79 from $47.99 until 12/30)
Old Man’s Journey ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Omega Labyrinth Life ($24.59 from $59.99 until 12/30)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Our Flick Erasers ($2.98 from $12.96 until 12/30)
Pachi Pachi On A Roll ($2.44 from $6.99 until 12/30)
Pool Billiard ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/30)
Project Aether: First Contact ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Real Heroes: Firefighter ($3.74 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Rev Up! RC Grand Prix ($3.04 from $13.26 until 12/30)

Rogue Star Rescue ($11.24 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Ruvato: Original Complex ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Save the Ninja Clan ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Shikhondo Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 12/30)
Signs of the Sojourner ($12.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
Six Sides of the World ($3.50 from $10.00 until 12/30)
Skulls of the Shogun: BE ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)
SlabWell: TQfKA ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/30)
Smashroom ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Space Commander: War & Trade ($5.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Spider Solitaire Black ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Spiral Splatter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Still There ($5.09 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Sudoku Relax 4 Winter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/30)

Superola & the Lost Burgers ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
Tales of the Tiny Planet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 12/30)
THE Card Battle: Eternal Destiny ($13.29 from $18.99 until 12/30)
THE Card: Poker, Blackjack, Etc ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/30)
THE Casino: Roulette, Video Poker, Etc ($4.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
THE Golf ($2.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
The Men of Yoshiwara ($9.79 from $19.99 until 12/30)
The Procession to Cavalry ($8.24 from $14.99 until 12/30)
Toast Time: Smash Up! ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Tower of Time ($12.49 from $24.99 until 12/30)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Undead Battle Royale ($2.07 from $9.00 until 12/30)
Underhero ($8.49 from $16.99 until 12/30)

Unto The End ($14.99 from $24.99 until 12/30)
Virtual Battle ($1.99 from $7.69 until 12/30)
Voxel Galaxy ($1.99 from $7.43 until 12/30)
Voxel Pirates ($1.99 from $7.28 until 12/30)
Voxel Shot ($1.99 from $8.00 until 12/30)
Voxel Sword ($1.99 from $7.00 until 12/30)
Where Are My Friends? ($2.39 from $5.99 until 12/30)
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles ($16.19 from $29.99 until 12/30)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the last noteworthy releases of the year, along with whatever sales roll in. We’ll also have our year-end genre awards in a SwitchArcade Special, so please look forward to that. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Source: https://toucharcade.com/2021/12/29/switcharcade-round-up-tunnel-of-doom-review-plus-todays-new-releases-and-the-latest-sales/