Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 14th, 2020. It’s a Thursday, and that means we have a whole lot of new releases to check out. From the hot action of Ion Fury to the exquisite flavors of Cooking Simulator, there are plenty of interesting new games available. We’ve got summaries of all of them, along with the usual lists of new and outgoing sales. Let’s get to it!
New Releases
Ion Fury ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The Build engine. When I think back, it was one of the first times I was conscious of a game engine’s name. It’s also the first time I ever actually messed around with building my own levels outside of the modes included in certain games. I have a lot of fondness for the engine behind games like Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and others. I certainly did not expect a 2019 game to use the engine, let alone one published by 3D Realms. Ion Fury is Build engine as heck. Not truly 3D, but 3D enough to have expansive environments to explore. Cheeky, cheesy humor and one-liners. Cool secrets. Interesting weapons. If you liked Duke 3D, go ahead and grab Ion Fury. You won’t regret it. If you need more details, I’m working on a review that should be ready early next week.
Wolflame ($6.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Wow, that title is pretty harsh. I think wolves are pretty cool, actually. Anyway, Wolf Lame is anything but lame. This is a rather excellent homage to pre-bullet hell shoot-em-ups like Raiden or Toaplan’s stuff. You get 10 stages filled to the brim with reasonably-paced action. Cool power-ups, multiple difficulty levels, and plenty of interesting enemies to blast out of the sky make this a great choice for anyone on the lookout for a new shooter to sink their teeth into.
Satazius NEXT ($6.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is the second of three shoot-em-ups we’re looking at from the talented hands at Astro Port. It’s probably the best of the lot, but it’s also easily the row most hoed. Satazius obviously tips its hat to games like Technosoft’s Thunder Force and Konami’s Gradius, and it does a pretty good job of it. It’s tough as nails though, so don’t come into expecting a lot of modern niceties. You can pick your weapon load-out between each stage, which I suppose is a bit kinder than, say, Gradius 3. But yeah, just a solid slice of horizontal shoot-em-up action at a fair price. There are plenty of Gradius homages on the Switch, and while I won’t say this is the best of the lot, it’s worth paying attention to.
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 ($59.99)
TT2? TT Isle of Man 2? TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2? I’m not sure where the number goes here, but whatever. It’s the follow-up to TT Isle of Man, and you can probably expect a tech performance experience not far off from the Switch version of that game. As for the content, there’s an open world, improved physics, more classic bikes, and more. With tons of tracks and bikes, TT fans will have lots of racing action on their plates. Reviews on other platforms have been decent if not outstanding, and while I doubt the Switch version will fully stand up to the versions on more powerful hardware, having it portable is a nice thing in and of itself.
Cooking Simulator ($19.99)
Well, this looks stupid in a good way. It’s Cooking Simulator, the game where you are the boss of the kitchen. Use realistic physics to chop vegetables, make soup, sizzle up some steaks, and more. Or use realistic physics to set your kitchen on fire, throw knives at your pans, build a ridiculous tower from whatever objects are laying around, and so on. It’s meant for one player only, which is a bit of a shame in that it would be a hoot messing around with all of this with a friend. Not sure I’m in a place right now where I would spend twenty bucks on something I would just screw around with, but if you are? Have at it.
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee ($29.99)
This curious 3D take on the whole Oddworld idea had a lot of hype back in the day thanks its high-profile jump from being a PlayStation 2 title to a Microsoft-published Xbox launch release. That created high expectations for the game, and it really couldn’t live up to them. The sad thing is that this is not a bad game. It’s rather lovely and humble in a weird way, just like its protagonist. I can’t unreservedly recommend it because it has a lot of rough edges, but those looking for something a bit different will find plenty to love with this well-done port of Munch’s outing.
Roulette ($9.99)
This is a bare-bones video game version of roulette. There is no multiplayer mode, no story, no virtual casino to wander around in, or anything like that. Just a roulette table and a basic UI. Load up the game, play some roulette. Try not to think about how you spent ten bucks on a roulette game with fewer features than most roulette mini-games in other titles. Thank you, Sabec.
Kholat ($14.99)
This is a horror adventure game inspired by real events, I’m guessing in the same way the Amityville Horror was inspired by a real event. Nine Russian hikers are killed under mysterious circumstances in the Ural Mountains. You now venture into the scene of the incident. What will you find? Will you live to tell the tale? You have a lot of freedom to wander around in the game’s open world, and you’ll need to learn how to navigate properly pretty quickly. The big selling point here is the narration by veteran actor Sean Bean, apparently. One does not simply walk into the Ural Mountains? There, the joke is made. Now no one else has to. Seems substantial enough for what it is, so if you like a spooky adventure here and there, you know what to do.
Armed 7 DX ($6.99)
Just as Wolflame takes after stuff like Truxton and Raiden, Armed 7 DX pays homage to Masaya’s Assault Suits series of horizontal mech-based action games. This is a bit more of a straight shoot-em-up than those games, but you are piloting a mech and using some similar weapons. You can customize your load-out as you battle your way through the game’s seven stages, and there are four different difficulty levels you can play on. Personally, I’ve never quite gotten on with this particular branch of the shoot-em-up genre, but if you have happy memories of Target: Earth or Cybernator, this will probably please you.
Carnage: Battle Arena ($14.99)
This game was amusing in short bursts as a free-to-play mobile game, and I suppose I can say at least that much for this port. Obviously you don’t have to worry about in-app purchases here, which should in theory make it easier to get your hands on the 82 different vehicles. In theory. In practice, how well these games get re-balanced in the transition to other platforms is all over the map. Anyway, it does what it does well enough, even if it’s a bit on the lighter side for something that costs fifteen bucks. If you like smashing vehicles into other vehicles in a variety of modes and situations, you may well get your money’s worth out of this. I’d recommend trying the free mobile version first to see how well you like it.
Zenge ($1.99)
I’ll level with you: I’m more fascinated by the name of the developer/publisher than anything about this game. Hamster On Coke Games. Amazing. Whoever came up with that name deserves extra sunflower seeds in their lunch today. As for Zenge, it’s an atmospheric puzzle game where you need to turn, slide, and rotate pieces in order to complete pictures. Seems like a pretty chill experience, so if you have a couple of bucks in your pocket and are puzzle game-inclined, maybe give it a go.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
While the majority of today’s new sales will likely show up later in the day and will thus have to be included in tomorrow’s article, we’ve got enough to get the party started now. Bandai Namco is running a big sale. Most of its library is included, all at least matching their lowest prices to date if not beating them. If you’re a fan of RPGS, anime, or ideally both, there’s a lot to enjoy in that bunch. A bunch of the Psikyo shoot-em-ups are discounted, but I have to point out that it’s just as cheap to buy the collections unless you only want one or two. Kemco and Playism are also running sales on some of their titles, though at least a few of those appear in these lists often enough. The outbox is small, so feel free to spend on the new stuff.
Select New Games on Sale
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($14.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Super Dragon Ball Heroes ($17.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red ($11.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 ($9.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ninja Storm Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
My Hero One’s Justice ($19.79 from $59.99 until 5/26)
My Hero One’s Justice 2 ($39.59 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Ni no Kuni ($29.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet ($19.79 from $59.99 until 5/26)
God Eater 3 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth ($29.99 from $49.99 unitl 5/26)
Curious Cases ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/20)
Escape First ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/20)
The Experiment: Escape Room ($3.39 from $3.99 until 5/20)
Locomotion ($8.79 from $10.99 until 5/17)
Pushy & Pully in Blockland ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Star Horizon ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/4)
R.B.I. Baseball 20 ($24.99 from $29.99 until 5/22)
Battojutsu ($3.99 from $4.99 until 5/29)
Strange Telephone ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/28)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ ($23.99 from $29.99 until 5/25)
If My Heart Had Wings ($13.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Asdivine Dios ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Star Sky ($1.49 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Frane: Dragon’s Odyssey ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Croixleur Sigma ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Yumenikki -Dream Diary- ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Fishing Star World Tour ($17.99 from $29.99 until 6/4)
Astebreed ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Hot Gimmick Cosplay-Jong ($14.00 from $20.00 until 5/22)
Revenant Saga ($6.49 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Revenant Dogma ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Kero Blaster ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/28)
Vertical Strike Endless Challenge ($2.99 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Angels of Death ($8.99 from $14.99 until 5/28)
Strikers 1945 ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Strikers 1945 II ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbird ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbird 2 ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbarich ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Dragon Blaze ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Samurai Aces ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Tengai ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Sol Divide ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Zero Gunner 2- ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Operation Hardcore ($6.49 from $12.99 until 6/1)
TorqueL -Physics Modified- ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Kid Tripp ($0.79 from $3.99 until 6/4)
Levels+ ($3.49 from $6.99 until 6/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 15th
Archaica: The Path of Light ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Feathery Ears ($8.49 from $9.99 until 5/15)
Human: Fall Flat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Juicy Realm ($9.74 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Spice and Wolf VR ($17.49 from $24.99 until 5/15)
Warparty ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/15)
That’s all that’s good for today, friends. The week is far from over, however. Tomorrow will see another bunch of new games to check out, including Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix, Dungeon of the Endless, and more. We’ll have summaries of all of them, along with what I’m sure will be a rather massive list of new sales. I hope you all have a stellar Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
New Releases
Ion Fury ($24.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
The Build engine. When I think back, it was one of the first times I was conscious of a game engine’s name. It’s also the first time I ever actually messed around with building my own levels outside of the modes included in certain games. I have a lot of fondness for the engine behind games like Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and others. I certainly did not expect a 2019 game to use the engine, let alone one published by 3D Realms. Ion Fury is Build engine as heck. Not truly 3D, but 3D enough to have expansive environments to explore. Cheeky, cheesy humor and one-liners. Cool secrets. Interesting weapons. If you liked Duke 3D, go ahead and grab Ion Fury. You won’t regret it. If you need more details, I’m working on a review that should be ready early next week.
Wolflame ($6.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Wow, that title is pretty harsh. I think wolves are pretty cool, actually. Anyway, Wolf Lame is anything but lame. This is a rather excellent homage to pre-bullet hell shoot-em-ups like Raiden or Toaplan’s stuff. You get 10 stages filled to the brim with reasonably-paced action. Cool power-ups, multiple difficulty levels, and plenty of interesting enemies to blast out of the sky make this a great choice for anyone on the lookout for a new shooter to sink their teeth into.
Satazius NEXT ($6.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
This is the second of three shoot-em-ups we’re looking at from the talented hands at Astro Port. It’s probably the best of the lot, but it’s also easily the row most hoed. Satazius obviously tips its hat to games like Technosoft’s Thunder Force and Konami’s Gradius, and it does a pretty good job of it. It’s tough as nails though, so don’t come into expecting a lot of modern niceties. You can pick your weapon load-out between each stage, which I suppose is a bit kinder than, say, Gradius 3. But yeah, just a solid slice of horizontal shoot-em-up action at a fair price. There are plenty of Gradius homages on the Switch, and while I won’t say this is the best of the lot, it’s worth paying attention to.
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 ($59.99)
TT2? TT Isle of Man 2? TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2? I’m not sure where the number goes here, but whatever. It’s the follow-up to TT Isle of Man, and you can probably expect a tech performance experience not far off from the Switch version of that game. As for the content, there’s an open world, improved physics, more classic bikes, and more. With tons of tracks and bikes, TT fans will have lots of racing action on their plates. Reviews on other platforms have been decent if not outstanding, and while I doubt the Switch version will fully stand up to the versions on more powerful hardware, having it portable is a nice thing in and of itself.
Cooking Simulator ($19.99)
Well, this looks stupid in a good way. It’s Cooking Simulator, the game where you are the boss of the kitchen. Use realistic physics to chop vegetables, make soup, sizzle up some steaks, and more. Or use realistic physics to set your kitchen on fire, throw knives at your pans, build a ridiculous tower from whatever objects are laying around, and so on. It’s meant for one player only, which is a bit of a shame in that it would be a hoot messing around with all of this with a friend. Not sure I’m in a place right now where I would spend twenty bucks on something I would just screw around with, but if you are? Have at it.
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee ($29.99)
This curious 3D take on the whole Oddworld idea had a lot of hype back in the day thanks its high-profile jump from being a PlayStation 2 title to a Microsoft-published Xbox launch release. That created high expectations for the game, and it really couldn’t live up to them. The sad thing is that this is not a bad game. It’s rather lovely and humble in a weird way, just like its protagonist. I can’t unreservedly recommend it because it has a lot of rough edges, but those looking for something a bit different will find plenty to love with this well-done port of Munch’s outing.
Roulette ($9.99)
This is a bare-bones video game version of roulette. There is no multiplayer mode, no story, no virtual casino to wander around in, or anything like that. Just a roulette table and a basic UI. Load up the game, play some roulette. Try not to think about how you spent ten bucks on a roulette game with fewer features than most roulette mini-games in other titles. Thank you, Sabec.
Kholat ($14.99)
This is a horror adventure game inspired by real events, I’m guessing in the same way the Amityville Horror was inspired by a real event. Nine Russian hikers are killed under mysterious circumstances in the Ural Mountains. You now venture into the scene of the incident. What will you find? Will you live to tell the tale? You have a lot of freedom to wander around in the game’s open world, and you’ll need to learn how to navigate properly pretty quickly. The big selling point here is the narration by veteran actor Sean Bean, apparently. One does not simply walk into the Ural Mountains? There, the joke is made. Now no one else has to. Seems substantial enough for what it is, so if you like a spooky adventure here and there, you know what to do.
Armed 7 DX ($6.99)
Just as Wolflame takes after stuff like Truxton and Raiden, Armed 7 DX pays homage to Masaya’s Assault Suits series of horizontal mech-based action games. This is a bit more of a straight shoot-em-up than those games, but you are piloting a mech and using some similar weapons. You can customize your load-out as you battle your way through the game’s seven stages, and there are four different difficulty levels you can play on. Personally, I’ve never quite gotten on with this particular branch of the shoot-em-up genre, but if you have happy memories of Target: Earth or Cybernator, this will probably please you.
Carnage: Battle Arena ($14.99)
This game was amusing in short bursts as a free-to-play mobile game, and I suppose I can say at least that much for this port. Obviously you don’t have to worry about in-app purchases here, which should in theory make it easier to get your hands on the 82 different vehicles. In theory. In practice, how well these games get re-balanced in the transition to other platforms is all over the map. Anyway, it does what it does well enough, even if it’s a bit on the lighter side for something that costs fifteen bucks. If you like smashing vehicles into other vehicles in a variety of modes and situations, you may well get your money’s worth out of this. I’d recommend trying the free mobile version first to see how well you like it.
Zenge ($1.99)
I’ll level with you: I’m more fascinated by the name of the developer/publisher than anything about this game. Hamster On Coke Games. Amazing. Whoever came up with that name deserves extra sunflower seeds in their lunch today. As for Zenge, it’s an atmospheric puzzle game where you need to turn, slide, and rotate pieces in order to complete pictures. Seems like a pretty chill experience, so if you have a couple of bucks in your pocket and are puzzle game-inclined, maybe give it a go.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
While the majority of today’s new sales will likely show up later in the day and will thus have to be included in tomorrow’s article, we’ve got enough to get the party started now. Bandai Namco is running a big sale. Most of its library is included, all at least matching their lowest prices to date if not beating them. If you’re a fan of RPGS, anime, or ideally both, there’s a lot to enjoy in that bunch. A bunch of the Psikyo shoot-em-ups are discounted, but I have to point out that it’s just as cheap to buy the collections unless you only want one or two. Kemco and Playism are also running sales on some of their titles, though at least a few of those appear in these lists often enough. The outbox is small, so feel free to spend on the new stuff.
Select New Games on Sale
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($14.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Super Dragon Ball Heroes ($17.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red ($11.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 ($9.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/26)
Naruto: Ninja Storm Trilogy ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/26)
My Hero One’s Justice ($19.79 from $59.99 until 5/26)
My Hero One’s Justice 2 ($39.59 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Ni no Kuni ($29.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/26)
Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet ($19.79 from $59.99 until 5/26)
God Eater 3 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 5/26)
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth ($29.99 from $49.99 unitl 5/26)
Curious Cases ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/20)
Escape First ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/20)
The Experiment: Escape Room ($3.39 from $3.99 until 5/20)
Locomotion ($8.79 from $10.99 until 5/17)
Pushy & Pully in Blockland ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/21)
Star Horizon ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/4)
R.B.I. Baseball 20 ($24.99 from $29.99 until 5/22)
Battojutsu ($3.99 from $4.99 until 5/29)
Strange Telephone ($6.99 from $9.99 until 5/28)
Hexagroove: Tactical DJ ($23.99 from $29.99 until 5/25)
If My Heart Had Wings ($13.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Asdivine Dios ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Star Sky ($1.49 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Frane: Dragon’s Odyssey ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Croixleur Sigma ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Yumenikki -Dream Diary- ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Fishing Star World Tour ($17.99 from $29.99 until 6/4)
Astebreed ($7.99 from $19.99 until 5/28)
Hot Gimmick Cosplay-Jong ($14.00 from $20.00 until 5/22)
Revenant Saga ($6.49 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Revenant Dogma ($7.79 from $12.99 until 5/28)
Kero Blaster ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/28)
Vertical Strike Endless Challenge ($2.99 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Angels of Death ($8.99 from $14.99 until 5/28)
Strikers 1945 ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Strikers 1945 II ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbird ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbird 2 ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Gunbarich ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Dragon Blaze ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Samurai Aces ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Tengai ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Sol Divide ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Zero Gunner 2- ($6.39 from $7.99 until 5/22)
Operation Hardcore ($6.49 from $12.99 until 6/1)
TorqueL -Physics Modified- ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/28)
Kid Tripp ($0.79 from $3.99 until 6/4)
Levels+ ($3.49 from $6.99 until 6/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, May 15th
Archaica: The Path of Light ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Feathery Ears ($8.49 from $9.99 until 5/15)
Human: Fall Flat ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Juicy Realm ($9.74 from $14.99 until 5/15)
Spice and Wolf VR ($17.49 from $24.99 until 5/15)
Warparty ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/15)
That’s all that’s good for today, friends. The week is far from over, however. Tomorrow will see another bunch of new games to check out, including Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix, Dungeon of the Endless, and more. We’ll have summaries of all of them, along with what I’m sure will be a rather massive list of new sales. I hope you all have a stellar Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!