Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 19th, 2020. In today’s article, we go through the rest of the new releases for the week. Not quite as many as yesterday, but still a rather healthy number with a few big names in the bunch. We summarize all of them before sliding into a large list of new sales. No time for news today, but the biggest bit is that EA is apparently planning to release seven games on the Switch this year, starting with today’s Burnout Paradise Remastered and including the freshly-announced port of Apex Legends. Nice. EA, hear me out: NHL, please. Please. With that said, let’s get to the main event!
New Releases
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($49.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
It’s not very often that we see a full-effort EA game make an appearance on the Switch, but it sounds like that particular situation may be turning around. Here’s the deal: Burnout Paradise is an awesome game. Like, it’s a brilliant racer/open world driving game and it merely showing up on the Switch is almost sufficient for it to be considered the best of its genre on the platform. The two big issues here are as follows: how good the port is, and how willing you are to pay the price. EA has promised the port is high-quality, and everything I’ve seen so far leads me to believe that. Mikhail is working on a review for our little column here that will be posted next week if you need more details on that front. The price, though. Well, Burnout Paradise is definitely worth fifty bucks, in a vacuum. But it’s a lot cheaper on other platforms, and I know that bothers some people. If you have another platform and portability doesn’t mean much to you, it seems wise to save your money. Otherwise, I think what you get for your money here is fair relative to other similarly-priced games on the Switch.
Kuukiyomi 2: Consider It More! – New Era ($4.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The original Kuukiyomi was a funny game that tested you on your knowledge of (Japanese) social manners while also telling a sweet little love story. In gameplay terms, it was a lot like something like Wario Ware where you had to quickly discern what you needed to do to complete a series of micro-games. I liked it a lot. This sequel is just another helping of the same idea, with all-new micro-games, twists on returning ones, and a new story. It definitely pulls its weight for the price you pay.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location ($7.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The Five Nights at Freddy’s porting bonanza continues with this version of Sister Location, a game that for better or worse broke from a lot of the series traditions. Instead of drilling deep on one particular gameplay mechanic the way the previous games did, here you’ll be doing different things on each day. Some of those ideas work better than others, but I can at least commend the variety on display. One in particular works extremely well, and it’s one of the most genuinely frightening moments of the whole series. The production values also saw a tick-up in this game, and the better quality voice acting helps deliver the story with that extra bit of punch. This Switch port falls in line with the previous ones we saw from this publisher for the first four games. Well, you all know what this is. I’ll save further comments for the inevitable review.
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters ($14.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Yeah, this is good. This is an example of a sequel that outshines the original in just about every way, so if you liked The Coma? Hop on board, friend. It’s a rather striking horror adventure with plenty of good scares and a fairly engaging story that soaks itself thoroughly in the unsettling themes that drive Korean horror. The initial difficulty hump can be a little frustrating, especially get used to the combat, but once you do it’s pretty smooth sailing for the rest of the game. If you like survival-horror, you should get in on this one.
Super Soccer Blast ($7.99)
Somewhat improbably, we’ve got two arcade-style soccer games to look at today. This is probably the more enjoyable one to play, but I suppose I must acknowledge that it’s not quite as interesting as the other. It’s a perfectly fine game of soccer, albeit one that is pretty bare-bones both in features and gameplay depth. It feels very “1990s soccer video game”, if that makes any sense. And it’s totally fine in that capacity. Considering it’s just eight bucks, I think that it makes its case for itself perfectly well. The game includes multiplayer for up to four people, but be advised that it’s local only. Anyway, if you like soccer and don’t mind a lack of big-name licensing, I’d recommend giving Super Soccer Blast a shot.
Railway Empire – Nintendo Switch Edition ($39.99)
Railway Empire is a railway sim that is somehow very complex without being a super-realistic representation of the real thing. A very chunky game for people who like to dig into tycoon/theme-whatever games, and it sure doesn’t hurt if you’re already predisposed towards liking trains. If you’re new to the genre or not especially big on it, you’ll probably find this a bit hard to get on with and somewhat dull. Like a lot of games in this genre on the Switch things can get a little dicey on the tech end as things get more complex, and the controls sure aren’t ideal. But if you can deal with that stuff, Railway Empire will give you a solid if not spectacular way to lose hour upon hour. This version includes the Mexico, Great Lakes, and Crossing the Andes content at no added cost.
Radio Squid ($4.99)
Ah, I’m a sucker for this kind of art style. We see it a lot these days, but I still like it. This is a sort of shooter where you need to shoot and dodge along with the beat. You play as a squid so although the levels are technically meant to be seen from a side-view, you can move and shoot in a variety of directions. There are 24 levels in all, and you can buy upgrades for your squid along the way. You probably won’t get more than a couple hours out of it, but I suppose at this price point that’s more than fine.
WinKings ($4.99)
Well, it’s another single-screen arena-based multiplayer battler. The characters are viking-themed, the weapons are all the usual mainstays of the action genre, and up to four players can play together locally either competitively or cooperatively. I’m already pretty tired of games like this, but I can admit that the competitive mode is a fair bit of fun for the price. The single-player/co-op campaign just gets incredibly tedious in a hurry. I suppose if you need another party game, this one is cheap and not awful.
Behold the Kickmen ($3.99)
Behold the Kickmen is a soccer game from Dan Marshall of Ben There, Dan That! fame, and he is quite upfront about not knowing much about soccer or even liking it at all. It’s an arcade-style soccer game that will almost certainly annoy the heck out of most soccer fans. The contempt for both the sport and its fans feels baked in at almost every level, and it’s difficult to see it as coming from a place of love. It comes off very much like all the obnoxious Sportsball jokes that people make when a big championship game in any sport is occupying the conversation. All that said, there is some really good writing here in between the matches. Unfortunately, the actual soccer gameplay isn’t very good at all. It’s only four dollars, so you’re not out much if you decide to take a punt on it just for the silliness of it all.
Arcade Archives VS. Baseball ($7.99)
Nintendo’s very, um, classic 1983 take on America’s past-time is fairly well-known to most who grew up in that era, and even to some who didn’t thanks to how often it gets re-released. Like many in the VS. series of games, this one shares a lot with its NES counterpart. That said, there’s a new behind-the-pitcher view, some new audio effects, and a somewhat different set-up to keep you from spending all day at the arcade machine on a handful of quarters. It’s a neat curio, but little more than that. Hamster has done its usual capable job with the port, at the very least.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
After last week’s Summer Sale, it’s hard to get too excited about a list with most of the usual suspects included. But that’s what we’ve got, for the most part. Besides those and the new release discounts, the only real noteworthy discounts are for the two Saints Row games, New Star Manager, and Jamestown+. The weekend outbox is practically empty, so feel free to focus your discount dollars on new sales.
Select New Games on Sale
20XX ($8.99 from $17.99 until 7/2)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Slain: Back From Hell ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/1)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Bleed Complete Bundle ($4.19 from $27.99 until 7/1)
Monster Energy Supercross ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/2)
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Shadow Bug ($6.02 from $8.99 until 7/2)
Agatha Knife ($7.79 from $11.99 until 7/6)
Don’t Die, Mr Robot! ($1.07 from $8.99 until 7/1)
Three Fourths Home: Extended ($1.07 from $8.99 until 7/1)
Adventures of Elena Temple ($0.99 from $3.99 7/8)
INK ($1.34 from $8.99 until 7/1)
Figment ($5.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Paranautical Activity ($1.03 from $7.99 until 7/1)
Frost ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/1)
Life Goes On ($6.49 from $12.99 until 7/2)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($3.59 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Unexplored ($4.50 from $15.00 until 7/1)
Spectrum ($2.39 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Hacky Zack ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Digerati Indie Bundle ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Fall of Light: Darkest ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Son of a Witch ($4.99 from $14.99 until 7/6)
Shikhondo – Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 7/1)
Defunct ($0.24 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Nefarious ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/1)
The Gardens Between ($6.19 from $19.99 until 7/6)
Gaokao.Love.100Days ($6.99 from $11.99 until 7/2)
A Gummy’s Life ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/29)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Chasm ($11.99 from $19.99 until 6/25)
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption ($9.49 from $18.99 until 7/2)
Sports Party ($4.99 from $39.99 until 6/23)
Nidhogg 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Cattails ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Carcassonne ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/29)
Clue ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/29)
Cake Laboratory ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/8)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Blacksea Odyssey ($3.24 from $12.99 until 7/1)
Pipe Push Paradise ($3.73 from $10.99 until 7/1)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Aquatic Adventures of Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 7/1)
New Star Manager ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/8)
Toridama: Brave Challenge ($3.75 from $5.00 until 7/8)
Gunma’s Ambition ($6.99 from $9.99 until 7/8)
Kuukiyomi 2 ($3.74 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Oniken: Unstoppable ($3.39 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Odallus: Dark Call ($4.07 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Oniken & Odallus Bundle ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/1)
Glass Masquerade ($3.59 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Glass Masquerade 2 ($7.19 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Ghoulboy ($0.99 from $9.99 until 7/2)
Lyrica ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/2)
Uni ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/1)
Monster Slayers ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Super Blood Hockey ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Rollin’ Eggz ($1.49 from $2.99 until 7/8)
Black Paradox ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Reverse Crawl ($4.41 from $12.99 until 7/1)
Saints Row: The Third ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Saints Row IV: Re-Elected ($26.79 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Skelly Selest ($3.39 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Golem Gates ($7.49 from $24.99 until 7/1)
Watermelon ($0.03 from $4.99 until 7/6)
Verlet Swing ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Catan ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/29)
Battleship ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/29)
Seeders Puzzle Reboot ($0.09 from $9.99 until 7/6)
Pandemic ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/29)
Soulslayer ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/2)
Valfaris ($13.74 from $24.99 until 7/1)
CrunchTime ($2.49 from $9.99 until 7/2)
Windmill Kings ($0.49 from $9.99 until 7/6)
Jamestown+ ($8.99 from $17.99 until 7/2)
Straimium Immortaly ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/1)
XenoRaptor ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/1)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Demon Pit ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/1)
Super Crush KO ($9.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
Rolling Sky 2 ($10.39 from $12.99 until 7/3)
UnderHero ($10.19 from $16.99 until 7/1)
Snakeybus ($8.39 from $11.99 until 7/1)
Horror Bundle Vol. 1 ($6.09 from $30.49 until 7/1)
Mushroom Heroes ($2.99 from $5.99 until 7/2)
Destrobots ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/29)
Aery – Little Bird Adventure ($5.24 from $6.99 until 7/2)
Blood and Guts Bundle ($6.74 from $44.99 until 7/8)
Iron Wings ($11.99 from $14.99 until 6/25)
Tower of Time ($19.99 from $24.99 until 7/8)
Towaga: Among Shadows ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Grimshade ($21.24 from $24.99 until 6/25)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Push the Box ($6.66 from $8.89 until 6/20)
Spell Casting: Purrfect ($0.99 from $9.99 until 6/20)
Battle Group 2 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 6/21)
Boxing Champs ($2.37 from $9.50 until 6/21)
Drawngeon ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/21)
Lazy Galaxy: Rebel Story ($0.10 from $7.99 until 6/21)
Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae ($7.14 from $11.90 until 6/21)
Roulette at Ace’s Casino ($5.99 from $7.99 until 6/21)
Screencheat: Unplugged ($2.59 from $12.99 until 6/21)
Squidlit ($0.99 from $1.99 until 6/21)
The Count Lucanor ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. It ended up being a rather busy one, didn’t it? Next week is looking even bigger already, so make sure you save a few coins. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!