SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Miitopia’, Plus ‘Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne’ and Other New Releases and Sales

TouchArcade

iPhone Gaming
iPhone Gaming
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 24th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got a trio of reviews for you to digest. Miitopia, Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, and Chess Knights: Shinobi are in the review spotlight today. We’ve also got summaries of all of the new releases, including Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster. Finally, sales! You know them, you love them, we’ve got them. Let’s get down to business!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Miitopia ($49.99)


miitopia.jpg


Miitopia has a lot of appeal to it. It’s a streamlined RPG that you can cast all of your friends, family, and whoever in by adding in their Mii characters. A gimmick, to be sure, but it’s a fun one if you’re willing to put the time into creating or importing your characters of choice. While the RPG part of the game is almost as straightforward as it gets, many of the social elements from other Mii games have been added in for spice. This Switch port builds on that side of the game, adding in more events and systems for seeing your Mii party come together. Characters that build relationships with each other will gain access to new skills and abilities, giving you a reason to care.

While it’s clear that this is meant to be a more casual sort of RPG, I found it engaging enough for the most part. I think it heavily overstays its welcome, and you could probably chop a good ten hours or so from the game and be left with something a lot snappier and more enjoyable. But that’s going to be tremendously subjective, I think. If you’re more amused than I am by the particular type of humor that the Mii characters usually bring with them, you may well enjoy things all the way through. The game certainly does its best to sprinkle in new abilities, enemies, and strategic options as you play.

miitopia1.jpg


If you’ve already picked up Miitopia on the Nintendo 3DS before, nothing here is substantial enough to warrant buying it again. On the other hand, those new to the game will want to grab this version. The improvements and additions make for a more complete, satisfying experience overall. Ultimately, this is an accessible but extremely average light RPG that only rises above the line if you’re willing to get into the whole dress-up side of it. Those who delight in making Mii doppelgangers and watching them get into hilarious situations will have a blast with Miitopia, but if that doesn’t sound like something you’re interested in doing, you’re probably better off steering clear.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind ($34.99)


famicomdetectiveclubthegirlwhostandsbehind.jpg


Everything I said about Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir can be applied to The Girl Who Stands Behind. It makes sense, as while these games were originally released separately and are available as such now, they really are meant to be taken together. This one is a prequel, and it has more of a horror vibe than the original story. As things tend to go in this sort of adventure game, a murder has occurred. A rumor points to the supernatural, but can it really be true? I found the story in this one marginally better than the first, but it still suffers from similar pacing issues and occasionally opaque progression. An impressive remake of a fairly old game, and one that should be experienced by fans of mystery stories and Japanese adventure games.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Chess Knights: Shinobi ($3.99)


chessknightsshinobi.jpg


I often say that I’ve seen something before when I’m talking about games that reuse familiar concepts. But gosh, I really feel like I’ve seen Chess Knights: Shinobi before. Publisher QUByte and developer Minimol have been churning out chess puzzle games frequently over the last year or so, and while they always offer their own sets of puzzles I feel like they’re starting to blend together. This release puts a thematically-appropriate wrapper around the puzzles, presenting your Knight as a ninja making its stealthy escape through the pieces “guarding" the path. That theme helps a little bit, but at the end of it all you’re still just flogging away at another set of chess puzzles. Even with how similar it is to previous games, there’s still some enjoyment to be had here. I’m not sure how many more of these the world needs, though.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

New Releases

Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster ($49.99)


shinmegamitensei3nocturne.jpg


SwitchArcade Highlight!

Atlus’s PlayStation 2 classic returns to modern consoles in this remaster. Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster brings back the original game with remastered 3D models and backgrounds, new difficulty settings, a choice between Japanese and English voices, a suspend save feature, and regrettably the same compressed soundtrack. Oh, and there’s DLC now, featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series. Anyway, this was already one of the best JRPGs on the PlayStation 2, so even the modest enhancements result in something very great indeed. If you haven’t played it before, you’ll get your fifty dollars’ worth from it. If you have… well, it’s a small upgrade, but it’s also an excuse to play Nocturne again. Your call.

RoboPhobik ($9.99)


robophobik.jpg


This is another top-down shooter, but it has an interesting twist to it. Namely, if you stop moving, the enemies will as well. This adds a little tactical edge to the gameplay, and helps it stand out from a very crowded pack. There are six different playable characters, each with their own unique abilities, and ten different weapons to use. In addition to scrapping evil robots, you also need to rescue scientists along the way. It looks to be a little slower-paced than the average game of this sort, but if that catches your fancy then it may be worth investigating this further.

Eat Your Letters ($5.99)


eatyourletters.jpg


Well, this is just a straight-up rip-off of Sushi Cat Words, isn’t it? I wouldn’t expect anything better from Benjamin Kistler, I guess. Your plate has letters on it, and you have to use the letters to spell as many words as you can. There are 540 levels in total, which is a good value for your money. Like many of Kistler’s other games, this one is handheld-only. You have to use the touchscreen to play, as ol’ Benjamin can’t even be bothered to come up with a new control scheme. If you want to support the original game instead of this knock-off, it’s available on mobile through GameClub.

Dancing Dreamer ($6.99)


dancingdreamer.jpg


This looks like a behind-the-back auto-runner of sorts, but a very stylish one. You ride a board and try to stick to the line, occasionally jumping and avoiding obstacles. The premise is that the main character dreams of being a dancer and is training for that in a virtual world. You’ll switch between the real and virtual worlds as you progress through the game. It seems nice enough if you’re still looking for new games like these nowadays.

Sales


(North American eShop, US Prices)

Some interesting sales came in over the weekend, including Pirate Pop Plus, Vigil: The Longest Night, and Rise: Race the Future among others. As for the outbox, it’s a lot of familiar faces. You’ll want to take note of Grindstone and Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP as they aren’t on sale as frequently as the rest, but you can probably get away without spending too much money on discounts today. Check both lists as usual, of course. My tastes are not guaranteed to match yours, after all.

Select New Games on Sale

landflixodyssey.jpg


Landflix Odyssey ($10.49 from $14.99 until 5/30)
Runbow ($2.99 from $14.99 until 5/30)
Pirate Pop Plus ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/30)
Roki ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/31)
Galaxy Warfighter ($3.99 from $6.99 until 6/1)
Adventure Llama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 6/1)
Ghostanoid ($3.99 from $6.99 until 6/1)
1001 Ultimate Mahjong 2 ($6.66 from $9.99 until 6/1)
Doodle Devil: 3volution ($6.29 from $8.99 until 6/1)
Horned Knight ($4.79 from $5.99 until 6/4)
Vigil: The Longest Night ($15.39 from $21.99 until 6/7)
Rocket Rabbit: Coin Race ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/7)
Pop the Bubbles ($3.99 from $7.99 until 6/7)
Sweet Witches ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/8)

balloongirl.jpg

Balloon Girl ($5.99 from $7.99 until 6/9)
Dungholes ($7.49 from $9.99 until 6/9)
Fancy Solitaire ($4.49 from $8.99 until 6/10)
Crypt of the NecroDancer ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/10)
Demon’s Rise: Lords of Chaos ($4.95 from $7.99 until 6/10)
Rise: Race the Future ($9.89 from $16.49 until 6/11)
Gutwhale ($3.99 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Azurebreak Heroes ($2.99 from $6.99 until 6/11)
Rusty Spout Rescue Adv. ($3.49 from $6.99 until 6/11)
Zombies Ruined My Day ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/11)
Solitaire Klondike Minimal ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/11)
Solitaire Spider Minimal ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/11)
Kakuro Magic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Hitori Logic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Suguru Nature ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)

slitherloop.jpg

Slither Loop ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Monster Truck XT Derby ($8.39 from $11.99 until 6/11)
Strike! Ten Pin Bowling ($7.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Speed Truck Racing ($5.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Animal Up! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
They Came From the Sky ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Ghost Sweeper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/11)
Potata: Fairy Flower ($6.00 from $12.00 until 6/11)
Crypt of the Serpent King ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/11)
Metaloid: Origin ($3.49 from $6.99 until 6/11)
Purrs in Heaven ($2.02 from $6.99 until 6/13)
.cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/13)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 25th

numberoneanagrams.jpg


#1 Anagrams ($2.99 from $3.99 until 5/25)
#Funtime ($6.64 from $14.99 until 5/25)
16-Bit Soccer ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Airfield Mania ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/25)
Almost There: The Platformer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/25)
Birds and Blocks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Breakpoint ($2.46 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Chill Panda ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/25)
Cozy Grove ($13.47 from $14.99 until 5/25)
Crazy Zen Mini Golf ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Croc’s World ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Croc’s World Run ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/25)
Deleveled ($4.92 from $9.99 until 5/25)
Eat Your Letters ($4.19 from $5.99 until 5/25)
Explosive Dinosaurs ($5.59 from $7.99 until 5/25)

farmersdynasty.jpg

Farmer’s Dynasty ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/25)
Fracter ($3.44 from $6.99 until 5/25)
Ghostrunner ($19.49 from $29.99 until 5/25)
Grindstone ($14.99 from $19.99 until 5/25)
Gunpig: Firepower for Hire ($3.49 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Gurgamoth ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/25)
Hexagon Defense ($2.19 from $3.99 until 5/25)
Jewel Fever 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Jewel Rotation ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/25)
King of Seas ($19.99 from $24.99 until 5/25)
Laraan ($4.20 from $6.00 until 5/25)
Monster Truck Championship ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/25)
Pacific Wings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Pinball Lockdown ($1.99 from $5.99 until 5/25)
R.B.I. Baseball 21 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 5/25)
Retrovamp ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/25)

Roundguard-gameplay.png

Roundguard ($8.85 from $19.99 until 5/25)
Smash Boats ($9.99 from $14.99 until 5/25)
Space Otter Charlie ($11.96 from $14.99 until 5/25)
Space Ribbon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/25)
SUPERHOT ($14.99 from $24.99 until 5/25)
The Ambassador: FT ($6.64 from $14.99 until 5/25)
The Bridge ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/25)
Tumblestone ($1.99 from $14.99 until 5/25)
Water Balloon Mania ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)
What Comes After ($4.89 from $6.99 until 5/25)
Yellow Fins ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/25)

That’s all for today, friends. I haven’t really looked at the schedule for tomorrow too intensely yet, but I’d imagine we’ll have some new releases to discuss, along with whatever sales and news come in. I should have one or two more reviews for you to check out as well. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top