Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 10th, 2020. It’s a scorching hot summer day here in Japan, with the local temperature sitting at around 44 degrees Celsius when taking humidity into account. I just want to curl up next to the air conditioner and sleep. But I will not, because it is SwitchArcade time. In today’s article we’ve got a few Mini-Views, a small handful of new releases to check out, and some fresh sales to dig into. Let’s go!
Mini-Views
Skully ($29.99)
I feel like Skully would be a decent game if it only ran a bit better on the Switch. Not a great game, but a decent one. I like that the primary character rolls around the world, adding a fun twist to the 3D platforming experience. The extra forms help add a bit of texture and variety, and while the story isn’t always well-acted, it’s amusing enough. There’s some fun to be had in poking around the various levels, seeking out hidden paths and secrets. But the game starts fairly rough and only gets worse the longer you play. I can live with framerate issues, but in a game like this the poor resolution (especially in handheld mode) diminishes the fundamental enjoyment of the game so much that I can’t look past it.
SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5
Cruel Bands Career ($3.99)
Never has something so weird gotten repetitive so quickly. Love the odd-ball style of the presentation, and it initially seems like it has a pretty good twist on the usual lane-based defense formula. Various types of people approach the stage, some good and some bad. You need to rotate your band members in such a way that none of their HP meters reaches zero. A band member who receives a good person will see their HP go up while the others go down out of jealousy, while bad ones usually just reduce the HP of the receiving member. You can unleash some special moves now and then, and various added elements try to keep you on your toes. It’s a hectic game but it couldn’t hold my interest very well. Still, for the price I suppose it doesn’t have to hold it that long.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Dininho Adventures ($1.99)
I didn’t expect much out of Dininho Adventures, particularly after playing the rather dreadful Dongo Adventure from the same publisher a couple of weeks ago. But hey, different developer on this one, so let’s go. Surprisingly, this is a rather fun little platformer. The goofy little dinosaur controls well, jumping and swishing his tail to make his way through four worlds. It’s the level design that is the star of the show, however. The difficulty starts ramping up only a few levels in, but it rarely feels cheap. There are some well-hidden secrets to uncover, and you get a tangible reward for uncovering them in the form of a whole extra world. There aren’t really any new gimmicks or wildly fresh ideas in here, but it’s a familiar dish prepared well and served at a ridiculously good price. If you like platformers, you’ll definitely get your two bucks’ worth out of Dininho Adventures.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
Mastercube ($5.49)
There’s no way to sugarcoat this: Mastercube is pretty poor overall. It’s a twin-stick shooter that takes a stab at some Geometry Wars-like thrills, but its significant rough edges and flaws ensure that it falls well short of its mark. I mean, it functions. You can move your cube around and shoot at the enemies that appear and it works. But in terms of visuals, enemy AI, and all-around mechanical depth, it feels like someone’s first game project. Given the plethora of excellent games in this category on the Switch, there’s really no reason to blow money on something of this quality.
MazezaM ($5.50)
This looks a lot like Sokoban, and I suppose it is a lot like Sokoban in many ways. The idea is that in each stage you have to guide your character to the exit, which will require you to move the pieces around that block your way. The twist is that you can only push them horizontally, and all pieces of the same color move together. Well, it’s something at least. The game promises plenty of levels but doesn’t say exactly how many, though for five and a half bucks it doesn’t exactly need to offer 80 hours of gameplay or anything. If you’re into Sokoban but are tired of the vanilla variety, you might get into this. Certainly not a looker, though.
Twist&Bounce ($4.99)
Yes, that’s how the title is presented on the eShop. No spaces. That’s what the publisher chose and now we all have to live with it every time it appears in the sales list. Something tells me we’ll be seeing it there soon and often. The idea here is that balls are falling and you need to twist your tower so that they fall through the openings. A second player can join in locally if you’re into that kind of thing. Looks about as deep as a puddle, but I suppose when it hits the inevitable sub-fifty cent price point it might give you a laugh or two.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Some interesting new sales to consider today. Human Fall Flat just got an update with a new free level, so it’s a good time to grab it if you haven’t before. Yes, Your Grace doesn’t go on sale all that often, and I think that may be its deepest discount yet. SUPERHOT goes on sale now and then but it’s never a bad time to buy it. As for the outbox, do note that the QuakeCon sales are wrapping up soon. It’s your last call to get id Software’s titles (and Skyrim) at some very nice prices.
Select New Games on Sale
Human: Fall Flat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/21)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade, All Titles ($1.99 from $7.99 until 8/24)
Hexologic ($1.49 from $2.99 until 8/21)
Perception ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/27)
Quest for the Golden Duck ($0.05 from $9.99 until 8/24)
Rogue Bit ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/24)
Cel Damage HD ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/27)
Tanks Meet Zombies ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Pixel Gladiator ($1.39 from $6.99 until 8/24)
Super Space Snake ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/23)
Kakuro Magic ($0.99 from $2.99 until 8/27)
Animal Up! ($0.99 from $2.99 until 8/27)
Yes, Your Grace ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/27)
Green Game: TimeSwapper ($0.29 from $2.99 until 8/14)
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/14)
Superhot ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/15)
Overdriven Reloaded: Special ($0.99 from $7.99 until 8/28)
Akane ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/28)
Island Maze ($1.49 from $2.99 until 8/25)
Midnight Evil ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/14)
ZikSquare ($0.99 from $6.99 until 8/28)
Tactical Mind 2 ($0.49 from $4.99 until 8/24)
Aborigenus ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Diabolic ($0.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Pew Paw ($2.99 from $6.99 until 8/17)
#Funtime ($10.49 from $14.99 until 8/15)
Dex ($16.99 from $19.99 until 8/28)
Zombie Scrapper ($1.19 from $2.99 until 8/29)
Story of a Gladiator ($2.74 from $10.99 until 8/16)
UNI ($0.49 from $4.99 until 8/31)
Disney Classics: Aladdin & Lion King ($17.99 from $29.99 until 8/25)
Fishing Star World Tour ($17.99 from $29.99 until 8/31)
Enigmatis 2: Mists of Ravenwood ($1.49 from $14.99 until 8/31)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 11th
Agent A: Puzzle in Disguise ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/11)
DOOM ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/11)
DOOM 1993 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/11)
DOOM 3 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/11)
DOOM 64 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/11)
DOOM II Classic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/11)
FunBox Party ($0.39 from $1.99 until 8/11)
KORG Gadget ($33.60 from $48.00 until 8/11)
Mad Carnage ($0.34 from $4.99 until 8/11)
Mushroom Quest ($0.29 from $2.99 until 8/11)
Skull Rogue ($1.34 from $2.99 until 8/11)
Summer in Mara ($21.24 from $24.99 until 8/11)
Swaps and Traps ($0.35 from $8.99 until 8/11)
Switch ‘N’ Shoot ($2.29 from $4.59 from 8/11)
Tactical Mind ($0.44 from $2.99 until 8/11)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/11)
The Office Quest ($2.39 from $11.99 until 8/11)
Tower Climb ($1.20 from $6.00 until 8/11)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/11)
Wolfenstein: Youngblood Deluxe ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/11)
8-Ball Pocket ($1.97 from $5.99 until 8/11)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow has at least one new release on the schedule, so we’ll be taking a look at that along with any other games that slip out. We’ll also have whatever news and new sales that come along in the next 24 hours, and perhaps a review or two depending on time. I hope you all have a magnificent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!