Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 7th, 2020. In today’s article, we’ve got a quick summary of some of the Switch news from 3D Realms’s Realms Deep 2020 weekend event. We’ve also got Mini-Views of a few games including Spiritfarer, Here Be Dragons, and Ary and the Secret of Seasons. There are summaries of the latest releases, and of course the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales. Let’s go!
News
Realms Deep 2020 Had Plenty of Switch News
3D Realms had its own digital show over the weekend, and there was a lot in there to interest Switch owners. A spiritual successor to Hexen called Graven is on the way to Switch in 2021 from Slipgate Ironworks, and it looks promising. The classic Rise of the Triad will be coming to Switch next year as well, along with an expansion for Ion Fury. Kingpin: Reloaded should make its debut before the end of this year. Nightdive was also there, showing off their Switch version of Shadow Man Remastered, as well as added details for Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition and the announcement of Strife: Veteran Edition for the Switch. Oh, and apparently New Blood’s DUSK port for the Switch will be getting a new Mario-inspired level. Neat.
Mini-Views
Spiritfarer ($29.99)
I wanted to do a bigger review of this game because it deserves it, but this is how things shook out. But this is perhaps one of those games where the less you hear about before you play it, the better. You’re ferrying departed souls to the afterlife, and while that may seem grim business it’s as much about the journey as it is the destination. You have to talk to each passenger and get to know them. Do what you can to make them comfortable. Then finally say good-bye to each one of them. As you play, you’ll upgrade your ship to improve its facilities and capabilities. The gameplay here is fine but not ground-breaking; the story on the other hand is at once cathartic and heart-breaking. Definitely a special game. Make sure you give it a look if you like a good story or getting to know interesting characters.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Here Be Dragons ($17.99)
Let it be known: I enjoy a good rip on Christopher Columbus. I have my reasons, and he knows what he has to do to make things right. He knows. So I was excited about Here Be Dragons, which combines turn-based battles (Shaun likey) with relentless mockery of Chris and the people that helped him on his way (per the first sentence: Shaun also likey). But the jokes try a little too hard and land too rarely, making the whole effort seem kind of sad. The battles fare better, but you have to be okay with the unique dice-based method and the way it sometimes scuttles your plans with its cruel random nature. Here be a bit of fun, but not so much as you would hope.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Ary and the Secret of Seasons ($39.99)
This game would be easily be a four if it weren’t so darned buggy. Maybe even pushing a four and a half. A patch is on the way, and I’m sure more will follow. But I can only review what is front of me. It’s a charming and well-designed Zelda-style game with a likable lead and some nice puzzles. Unfortunately, there’s no way around the fact that this game is loaded with nasty bugs and a lot of performance issues, and it probably shouldn’t have shipped in this state. Starting it up in the Switch’s docked mode kills the framerate for some reason. It hard crashes at certain points with alarming reliability. Some areas run badly no matter what you do. I’m a forgiving person who mostly plays in handheld, but if those things aren’t true for you it may be best to wait a couple of months for some updates to roll in.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Shaolin vs Wutang ($9.99)
Hmm. Okay, so first of all I should clarify that this game has nothing to do with the musicians. It’s referring to the Chinese martial art that they got their name from. I have to clarify this because there was a fighting game back in the day based on them that also referred to Shaolin in its title. This is a one-on-one fighter that isn’t all that great in the mechanical sense but somehow manages to be good fun anyway. There are 27 fighters here, each representing a particular fighting style. Many of them will be very familiar if you’ve watched a lot of classic martial arts movies. You can play against the CPU or another player via local multiplayer. I wouldn’t strongly recommend this, but if you love old martial arts movies you’ll probably get your ten bucks’ worth out of it.
Circuit Dude ($4.99)
This is a tile-based puzzle game, and I feel like most people out there have feelings one way or another on this sort of affair. I don’t think Circuit Dude will change your mind if you’re not big on the genre, but for those who do enjoy them this is quite a decent one. There are over one hundred levels, and they all seem to have at least one trick of their own to offer. You can grab this one on mobile and save a couple of bucks, but I think the button controls make for a slightly better experience here.
Deuces Wild – Video Poker ($7.49)
Sigh. It’s games like this one that make me think the approval process for the Switch could stand to be just a little tighter. It’s not that it’s video poker. Video poker is fine. But gosh, it looks tremendously low-effort. Like… there aren’t even any background elements or attempts to dress things up. It’s just some cheap-looking cards on a plain background with enough UI elements to get you by. Seven and a half dollars for this? Really? I mean, do what you want with your money, but I sure wish we’d see a bit more elbow grease put into these things. This is the kind of thing you wouldn’t even download for free on the App Store.
Super Dragonfly Chronicles ($6.99)
This is, for the most part, a side-scrolling action game featuring a hero in a special suit who has a foolish tendency to bring their fists to a gunfight. Hm, I should find something nice to say about this. I guess the art is kind of cool? Yeah, I don’t know. This game is an impressive effort given its largely the work of one person, but it’s not very enjoyable. It feels like the character’s abilities were made for an entirely different game than the one they’re in.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
A bunch of new discounts rolled out over the weekend, with the most noteworthy being the Aksys titles like Spirit Hunter and Collar X Malice. Mana Spark is probably on sale to celebrate its new DLC, or perhaps because it’s almost always on sale. I can’t really pick. Over in the outbox, the latest Ubisoft sale is coming to a close. This is your last chance to grab the publisher’s admittedly quite well-done Switch titles at a discount until the next Ubisoft sale rolls around in a few weeks. Choose carefully!
Select New Games on Sale
I, Zombie ($0.49 from $4.99 until 9/25)
Cubicity ($4.80 from $6.00 until 9/20)
Magic Nations ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/20)
Caveman Chuck ($2.00 from $4.00 until 9/20)
Dark Tower: RPG Puzzle ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/20)
Pop the Bubbles ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/20)
Moorhuhn Wanted ($5.59 from $6.99 until 9/26)
Bring Them Home ($2.09 from $2.99 until 9/26)
Mana Spark ($0.99 from $9.99 until 9/26)
Go! Fish Go! ($0.99 from $1.99 until 9/26)
Quad Fighter K ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/11)
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark ($19.99 from $49.99 until 9/11)
Spirit Hunter: NG ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/11)
Stardust Galaxy Warriors ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/11)
Ghost Parade ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/11)
Little Dragons Cafe ($17.99 from $59.99 until 9/11)
Fun! Fun! Animal Park ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/11)
Demon’s Tilt ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/11)
Code: Realize ~GoR~ ($27.99 from $39.99 until 9/11)
Code: Realize ~FB~ ($27.99 from $39.99 until 9/11)
Collar X Malice ($27.99 from $39.99 until 9/11)
Under Night In-Birth Exe ($27.99 from $39.99 until 9/11)
Son of a Witch ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/21)
Watermelon Party ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/21)
Windmill Kings ($0.11 from $9.99 until 9/21)
Seeders Puzzle Reboot ($0.09 from $9.99 until 9/21)
Roommates ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/21)
Viviette ($6.99 from $9.99 until 9/24)
Polyroll ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/24)
Purrs In Heaven ($2.44 from $6.99 until 9/24)
Bloodroots ($13.99 from $19.99 until 9/14)
Missile Command: Recharged ($2.00 from $2.99 until 9/18)
Dog Duty ($17.99 from $19.99 until 9/18)
Raining Blobs ($2.49 from $9.99 until 9/12)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 8th
Aborigenus ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
AeternoBlade II ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/8)
Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered ($14.79 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Assassin’s Creed: Rebel Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Blade Strangers ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Child of Light Ultimate ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Croc’s World 3 ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Diabolic ($0.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Ellipsis ($3.49 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Fin & the Ancient Mystery ($0.89 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Flat Heroes ($6.69 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Happy Words ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/8)
JackQuest ($1.49 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Just Dance 2020 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Knights & Bikes ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Last Encounter ($3.99 from $14.99 until 9/8)
Mario + Rabbids KB Gold ($19.99 from $79.99 until 9/8)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($14.99 from $59.99 until 9/8)
Minesweeper Genius ($0.89 from $5.99 until 9/8)
Rayman Legends Definitive ($9.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Rento Fortune ($7.99 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Siegecraft Commander ($2.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Silk ($3.89 from $12.99 until 9/8)
South Park: Fractured But Whole ($14.99 from $59.99 until 9/8)
South Park: The Stick of Truth ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Spellkeeper ($0.29 from $5.99 until 9/8)
Starlink: Deluxe Edition ($23.99 from $79.99 until 9/8)
Starlink: Digital Edition ($14.99 from $59.99 until 9/8)
This Strange Realm of Mine ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/8)
Trials Rising Gold ($8.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)
Trials Rising Standard ($5.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Urban Flow ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/8)
Valiant Hearts: The Great War ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
War Tech Fighters ($8.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow will have a handful of new releases to check out, and I’ve got at least one review ready to roll in some form or another. We’ll also dig into whatever news and new sales pop up, so it should be a good one. I hope you all have a solid Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!