Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 20th, 2024. It’s Thursday today, and that means we have a number of new releases to check out. Nothing super high-profile, but some interesting looking games nonetheless. Maybe you shall buy one! Maybe you shan’t. I can only show them to you. I will also show you some sales, because that’s what we do around here. Let’s get to all of that now before someone else comes along to tempt you to spend money. That’s my job!
Select New Releases
Operation STEEL ($9.99)
Despite the clear Gradius II homage going on in that screenshot, this is yet another one of those roguelite-ish affairs where the stages are procedurally generated and you have to upgrade your ship, which means a whole lot of grinding. I’m a bit burnt out on these, but I know some of you can’t get enough of them. Perhaps this is what you’re looking for today.
Dicefolk ($14.99)
This is a really interesting and well-made deck (dice)-building roguelite, with the usual strategy you would expect from the genre plus a few interesting twists like being able to control both sides in a battle. There’s a major creature-collecting component the game, which puts a further spin on things. I’ll be reviewing this one soon, but I’ve really enjoyed playing it.
Ylands: Nintendo Switch Edition ($24.99)
One of those Everything Bagel kinds of games, with crafting, exploration, survival, combat, and so on loaded in. You can play the game in Adventure Mode and have fun making your way through six distinct regions, or fire up Creative Mode to roll around in the sandbox a little. While the reviews of this game are quite mixed on Steam, that seems to be largely directed at a pricing issue that I’m fairly sure isn’t relevant here. I have some concerns about the potential technical performance here on Switch, but as I haven’t had a chance to play this version yet I can’t really speak to it.
DarkStar One – Nintendo Switch Edition ($29.99)
Here’s a blast from the past. DarkStar One is a space sim that first released on computers in 2006, which makes it… pretty vintage at this point. It has a bit of the ol’ Elite/Freelancer feel to it, with you rolling around space in your ship and engaging in trading, combat, and so on. It was decent then, it’s decent now, but you can certainly feel some of the weight of its age. Still, we don’t have a ton of games like this on the Switch so you might be interested in it anyway.
EGGCONSOLE Tritorn PC-8801 ($6.49)
This time around in the EGGCONSOLE line it’s Sein Soft’s 1985 release Tritorn, an action-RPG more than a little inspired by Namco’s Dragon Buster. As usual for EGGCONSOLE, the game is presented in its original Japanese form. I can’t speak to how big of a problem that is yet, but I’ll let you know once my review is ready to go. I’m hoping we get a more straightforward game again in this line soon, but I’m still engaged enough with all of these oddball releases to not mind it too much.
Arcade Archives Rastan Saga II ($7.99)
Some innocent soul out there is looking at this and thinking “Wow, I love Rastan! I didn’t know there was a sequel! Cool!”, and let me just say that we have all been there once. Hopefully I can save some of you from the disappointment by letting you know that Rastan Saga II is nowhere near as good as the first game. It is, in fact, quite bad. Those big sprites are cool, the music is as good as you would expect from Taito, but the gameplay is clunky and boring. Rastan would get a little redemption in his third and final game, but this one is so bad I’m surprised they made another one. Hamster has given it the usual treatment, so if anyone out there somehow has happy memories of it… here it is.
Everafter Falls ($19.99)
Sure, another slow life game with a mysterious undertone. Never hurts to have more of these. The set-up here is that you had a chill life going on in Everafter Falls, but wake up one day to discover it was just a simulation. Slowly you begin your life anew, and it’s certainly a comfortable place to be. As you play you’ll start noticing some… unusual things. What do they mean? That’s up to you to discover, if you’ve got the gumption to do so. The game supports local co-op with another player, so you can even bring a friend along.
Cave Digger 2 ($14.99)
It’s like Cave Digger, but more Cave Digger. Do you want more Cave Digger? Here you go. That’s about as much as I’ll say about this one, because I did not want more Cave Digger.
Tavern Talk ($21.99)
We’ve had enough games like this by now that I can just say this is another game about mixing and serving drinks while getting to know the patrons of your bar. This game’s gimmick is that it is set in a fantasy world. Seems well-made for what it is, so if what it is is the “is” you’re after, you might want to investigate this further.
Garten of Banban I-IV ($1.99 – $9.99)
Four games built around a story where you’re exploring the mysterious Banban’s Kindergarten facility using a drone. A bunch of people have disappeared, and you need to uncover the secrets of the bizarre location. Solve the puzzles and make your way through the place room by room. Popular enough to have a metric ton of installments, but reviews of it aren’t terribly enthusiastic. Well, do what you will with it.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not too much in the inbox so far, but if you want the fancy edition of Super Mega Baseball 4 or feel like playing some good ol’ Gynoug, it’s your day. There are a few things in the outbox, so you’ll want to perhaps give that one a closer look.
Select New Sales
Super Mega Baseball 4 Ballpark Edition ($17.99 from $59.99 until 7/2)
HunterX ($8.99 from $14.99 until 7/3)
HunterX: Code Name T ($11.89 from $16.99 until 7/3)
Retimed ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/3)
Caveman Ransom ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/4)
Prisonela DX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/4)
Avenging Spirit ($2.99 from $5.99 until 7/4)
Gleylancer ($3.49 from $6.99 until 7/4)
Gynoug ($3.49 from $6.99 until 7/4)
Dusk Diver 2 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/4)
Dr. Frank’s Build a Boyfriend ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/4)
The Adventures of Panzer Collection ($4.49 from $8.99 until 7/4)
Little Witch Nobeta ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/4)
Aquadine ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/4)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, June 21st
Apollo Justice: AA Trilogy ($39.99 from $49.99 until 6/21)
Barbie DreamHouse Adventures ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/21)
Big Adventure Trip to Europe 5 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Demon’s Tilt ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/21)
Detective Agency Gray Tie 2 ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Encodya ($2.99 from $29.99 until 6/21)
Fall of Porcupine ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/21)
Finding America: The Pacific Northwest ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
First Time in Hawaii ($7.19 from $11.99 until 6/21)
I Love Finding Furbabies ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Itorah ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/21)
Just Find It ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Lacuna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 6/21)
Magic City Detective Secret Desire ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Magic City Detective Wings of Revenge ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Maze of Realities Flower of Discord ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Maze of Realities Reflection of Light ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Mystery Box: Hidden Secrets ($5.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Mystery Lover ($7.49 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Nature Escapes 2 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Nature Escapes 3 ($8.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Neko Secret Homecoming ($3.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
Pretty Girls 2048 Strike ($3.49 from $6.99 until 6/21)
Q.U.B.E. 10th Anniversary ($2.79 from $19.99 until 6/21)
Ravva and the Phantom Library ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/21)
RedRaptor ($2.49 from $4.99 until 6/21)
Seven Pirates H ($23.99 from $39.99 until 6/21)
Super Crush KO ($4.49 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Three Minutes to Eight ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Thunder Kid II: Null Mission ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/21)
Turret Rampage ($2.99 from $4.99 until 6/21)
Twin Mind Murderous Jealousy ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Twin Mind Nobody’s Here ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/21)
Twin Mind Power of Love ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/21)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back next week with more new games, more sales, some reviews, and perhaps some news. Not as much news as this week, most likely. I am ridiculously tired today, and keep falling asleep on my keyboard. Not a great thing, but some days are like that. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!