Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 22nd, 2024. In today’s article, we take a quick look at some tidbits from yesterday’s Partner Showcase before heading into the new release summaries. Some decent stuff today, and the next several weeks will certainly keep us busy. I had to spend half the day at the hospital today, so I kind of have to spring through this. I hope you’ll forgive me. Let’s get to the games!
News
Some Cool Games Were Announced in the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase
I’m sure most of you who care have already watched yesterday’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, but let’s summarize the big news just in case. Xbox Game Studios offered up Pentiment and Grounded, Ender Lilies is getting a sequel in the form of Ender Magnolia, SEGA and Atlus have Unicorn Overlord, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, and Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, Capcom’s bringing Monster Hunter Stories to the system, Epic Mickey is getting remade for some reason, Star Wars: Battlefront is bringing some classic games in, and Suika Game has some multiplayer DLC. Pocket Card Jockey and Penny’s Big Breakaway shadow dropped, Contra Operation Galuga got a release date and demo, and a new Endless Ocean game is coming in May. All that and more, so check out the video if you want all the details.
A Selection of Rare’s Games Have Been Added to Nintendo Switch Online
No, I’m not going to talk about the game that went up for Japanese Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Let’s focus on what the West got, which is a selection of five games from Rare courtesy of Xbox Game Studios. On the NES, we get the excellent RC Pro-Am and Snake Rattle n’ Roll, two games that were published by Nintendo back in the day. On the Super NES, it’s Battletoads in Battlemaniacs and Killer Instinct. Wow, those are pretty high-profile. On for those who have an Expansion Pack subscription, there’s the innovative and enjoyable Blast Corps. Not bad, really.
New Releases
Pentiment ($19.99)
After rumors and a business update from Microsoft that didn’t name games coming to Switch and PlayStation, the partner showcase (above) confirmed that Pentiment is out on Switch today on the eShop. Pentiment is a historical narrative-driven game with amazing art, music, and superlative writing with many choices set in early 16th century Bavaria. It is one of the best games in a long time, and I’m glad it is coming to more consoles today. Back in October, I interviewed Pentiment game director and Obsidian studio design director Josh Sawyer where we covered many topics including games, RPGs, cheese, and more, but I also asked about the possibility of Pentiment on iPad or Switch to which Josh said he thought it was possible but he’d love for the game to be on as many platforms as possible, but “time will tell". I’m glad it is happening and I’m going to buy it the moment it goes up. In addition to the digital release, a physical release is happening through Limited Run Games.
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! ($15.00)
Well, this was almost inevitable. The Apple Arcade revisit of the excellent Pocket Card Jockey seemed ripe to release on other platforms at some point, and here we are. Pocket Card Jockey is a combination of horse racing and solitaire, and if that sounds weird… I mean, it is. But it works. A great game, and it’s good to see it on the Switch.
Penny’s Big Breakaway ($29.99)
From many of the folks behind Sonic Mania comes this 3D platformer. The main character Penny uses a special Yo-Yo to get around, battle enemies, and solve some light puzzles. The early word on this one seems pretty good, but don’t go into expecting a Sonic-style speedfest because it’s a lot more deliberate than that. I think our pal Mikhail might be looking at the Steam version of this for a review, so stay tuned on that front if you’re interested.
Yohane the Parhelion – NUMAZU in the MIRAGE – ($29.99)
Huh, another game about this character. I should probably look into them, because I really don’t know much about them. Anyway, this one is a roguelite deckbuilding card game, which is certainly a well-worn path on Switch. That’s a double-edged sword. On the positive side, it means there are plenty of examples to follow so it shouldn’t be too tough to come up with something decent. On the negative side, it makes it hard to stand out. This one is probably leaning on the license to help with that, but it’s also priced like a licensed game. If you like Yohane the Parhelion and card games though, I can’t see how you could go wrong.
502’s Arcade ($9.99)
The set-up of this one is that you need to set a high score in each of the faux-retro games in the arcade. They cover a variety of genres, so there’s a decent chance you’ll find something to like here. I’m not sure how many games are included, but the screenshots show off a good four or five of them. For a tenner, that doesn’t seem too bad. I’ll give this one a look when I can and if it turns out to be exciting, I’ll let you all know.
Quadroids ($11.99)
If you think those games where you have to control two characters at once are tough, how about trying four characters at once? That’s what you’ll need to do in Quadroids, which tasks you with clearing more than one hundred tricky stages. Each quadrant of the screen has a button assigned to it, and you’ll need to really use your brain to handle all of it. Or, you know, pull in some friends. There’s nothing stopping a few other players from picking up a controller and helping you out in local multiplayer. The easy way or the hard way, I suppose.
Inkulinati ($24.99)
Hm, lots of games using this kind of aesthetic lately. That doesn’t really matter much, I suppose. What does matter is that this is a rather good strategy game, one that has a lot of humor and charm baked into it. Also, a lot of challenge. If you aren’t seasoned in this genre, you might find it to be a little too much. If you like your strategy games tough and a bit on the complicated side, you’ll find plenty to chew on here.
LUNARiA -Virtualized Moonchild- ($24.99)
Another one of Key’s kinetic novels makes its way to the Switch with LUNARiA, a story about a genius gamer and an AI from the Moon who fall in love. There are absolutely no choices to be made in this game. You just settle in and enjoy the story as it unfolds. Some good art to enjoy, and the narrative is fairly engaging. If you liked any of Key’s other kinetic novels, you’ll probably have a nice time with this one.
EGGCONSOLE Hydlide3 PC-8801mkIISR ($6.49)
The latest EGGCONSOLE release is T&E Soft’s action-RPG sequel Hydlide 3. What happened to Hydlide 2? Hard to say, but this is another interesting early example of the genre. Hailing from 1987, it benefits considerably from the progress in the action-RPG space in the years since the original game, but it’s still a bit of tough game to get into unless you’re history-minded. Also, the usual stipulation about in-game Japanese text applies. I’ll do a review of this next week after I spend a little more time with it.
Arcade Archives Jungler ($7.99)
Way back in 1981, before Konami became a household name, it was just trying to survive like every other fledgling game company. And in 1981, the safest way to do that was to make your own twist on Pac-Man. That’s what we have here. You control one of the snake-like things and need to take out the other snake-like things, either by picking off the pieces of their body, or by ramming into them when they are smaller than you. Finish them all off, and you’re on to the next stage. Might be a fun score chaser.
Apex Heroines ($24.99)
Here’s one of those arena battler games with cute ladies as the main characters. There are six to choose from, each with their own set of moves, and lots of enemies to use those moves on. They’ll drop coins, you use those coins to buy things from the shop, then you move on to the next level. It looks good for what it is, but I’m not sure about that price tag personally.
Squirrel Stapler ($7.99)
Man, today’s been a lot already. I don’t know if my brain has room to deal with this. It’s a short hunting simulator? A parody of a hunting simulator? You pick. Go hunt squirrels for nefarious reasons and deal with the consequences.
Make It! Taiyaki ($3.00)
This is just like Make It! Takoyaki, but instead of making little octopus balls you’re making tasty cream/bean paste-filled sweets. Up to four players can join in via local multiplayer, just like last time. Is the dining fancy? Not particularly, but SAT-BOX is well-practiced at this sort of thing and the reasonable price means that if you only play it a few times, you’ll still probably get your money’s worth out of it.
Slimeboo ($2.00)
I try not to toss anyone’s first game on the Switch into the Bin Bunch unless it’s really blatant, so here’s Slimeboo. It’s a platformer! It’s two bucks!
The Bin Bunch
Geometric Sniper Z ($3.99)
Aery – Stone Age ($9.99)
Toy Rider ($9.99)
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
A short, short list today. That makes me nervous for tomorrow, and I have to spend half the day at the hospital then too. Lots of hospital for Shaun in the next week. Anyway, I’ll call out Super Woden GP, Jetboard Joust, and 9 Years of Shadows from the inbox. Some cool stuff in the outbox like Drainus, Kero Blaster, and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, so make sure you give that a look as well.
Select New Sales
Garden Story ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
The World Next Door ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Floppy Knights ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Cresteaju ($3.14 from $6.99 until 3/6)
Super Shadow Break Showdown ($5.84 from $12.99 until 3/6)
Chaos Galaxy ($11.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Sword & Fairy Inn 2 ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Bot Gaiden ($5.99 from $14.99 until 3/8)
Super Woden GP ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/8)
Ravva & The Phantom Library ($6.99 from $9.99 until 3/8)
Mugen Souls Z ($29.99 from $39.99 until 3/8)
Takotan ($2.44 from $6.99 until 3/8)
Pirate Bloopers ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/12)
Neon Blight ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Mars Base ($9.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Despotism 3k ($2.19 from $10.99 until 3/13)
PigShip & the Giant Wolf ($3.59 from $7.99 until 3/13)
9 Years of Shadows ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Jetboard Joust ($1.99 from $9.99 until 3/13)
Doomsday Hunters ($12.59 from $17.99 until 3/13)
Anuchard ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/13)
Ruin Raiders ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Hello Goodboy ($1.99 from $13.99 until 3/13)
Terracotta ($7.99 from $19.99 until 3/13)
Dreamscaper ($9.99 from $24.99 until 3/13)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, February 23rd
20XX ($7.99 from $17.99 until 2/23)
30XX ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
7 Days to End with You ($8.39 from $11.99 until 2/23)
Backpack Hero ($15.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Bright Memory: Infinite Gold ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Drainus ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Gnosia ($17.49 from $24.99 until 2/23)
Heads Up! Phones Down Edition ($9.99 from $39.99 until 2/23)
Idol Manager ($17.49 from $24.99 until 2/23)
Kero Blaster ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Legal Dungeon ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle ($13.99 from $39.99 until 2/23)
Mech Armada ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Mighty Goose ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
MythForce ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/23)
Omen of Sorrow ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Orangeblood ($5.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Rainbow Skies ($11.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Record of Lodoss War: Wonder Labyrinth ($17.49 from $24.99 until 2/23)
Rip Them Off ($2.24 from $8.99 until 2/23)
Rooftop Renegade ($4.49 from $17.99 until 2/23)
RunBean Galactic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Saboteur SiO ($7.69 from $10.99 until 2/23)
Sea Horizon ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Seven Pirates H ($25.99 from $39.99 until 2/23)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/23)
Strange Telephone ($3.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
The Bridge Curse: Road to Salvation ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/23)
The Good Life ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/23)
Time of War, Arkano ’90 ($2.09 from $14.99 until 2/23)
Tux and Fanny ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Wind of Shuriken ($2.79 from $7.99 until 2/23)
Word Web by POWGI ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/23)
Xuan Yuan Sword: MBtM ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/23)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and perhaps some news. It’s that kind of week. Speaking of, I’m lucky I’m not staying at the hospital again, though I could land back there next week if the current treatment doesn’t work out. Wish me luck, everyone. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
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