Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 9th, 2023. In today’s article, I go through what was shown for the Switch in yesterday’s Pokemon Presents video. After that, there are several new releases to look at. We’ve got summaries of all of them, of course. After that, it’s time to check out the lists of new and expiring sales for today. It’s surprisingly busy for a Wednesday, but I suppose that will happen when you’ve got a presentation the day before. Let’s crack our knuckles and dig in!
News
Yesterday’s ‘Pokemon Presents’ Wrap-Up
That’s right, it’s a wrap-up in the round-up. What can you do? Some days are like this. There was a fair bit of info in the Pokemon Presents, even if there weren’t any new games. Pouring one out for the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fans again. I’m only going to go over the Switch-specific stuff, so if you want to know about the mobile game updates or trading card game championships, this isn’t the right place. Let’s start with the biggest news: the first part of the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC, The Hidden Treasures of Area Zero Part 1: The Teal Mask, will launch on September 13th. If the DLC for Sword & Shield is anything to go by, this should be good.
Next, you can now pre-order Detective Pikachu Returns on the Switch eShop. A trailer was shown, and it looks… well, it looks like another chapter in the Detective Pikachu series. That’s what people want, right? Tim and Detective Pikachu are still searching for Tim’s father, Harry. I wonder if the story is going to go in a different direction from the movie? I guess we’ll know soon enough, as Detective Pikachu Returns will arrive on Switch on October 6th.
Two Pokemon games were shadow-dropped for the Nintendo Switch Online retro apps. In the Game Boy app, The Pokemon Trading Card Game is now available. Expansion Pack subscribers can check out Pokemon Stadium 2 in the Nintendo 64 app. Update your apps and away you go. Over in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, you can get Mew and Mewtwo via a special in-game event. Mew is available right now using the Mystery Gift function and the code “GETY0URMEW", and Mewtwo will be appear through a Tera Raid Battle event starting on August 31st. Other than that, I suppose I should mention that there were some goodies being added to Pokemon Cafe Remix. That’s on Switch! Feel free to check out the full video of the Pokemon Presents if you want to see the trailers or more details on anything.
New Releases
Legend Bowl ($24.99)
It remains wild to me that we’re more than six years into the life of one of the best selling consoles of all-time and you can count the number of decent American football games on Mickey Mouse’s fingers with one or two to spare. It gets even worse if you’re looking for something more sim-like. Legend Bowl aims to help with that, and since at least one of the developers used to work at Electronic Arts, maybe it can deliver on that promise. You get multiple modes, thirty-two teams, tons of customization, and support for up to four players via local multiplayer. I haven’t had a chance to play this yet, but my fingers are crossed.
Skabma – Snowfall ($24.99)
Oh, cool. A game that draws on Sami culture and folklore. It’s a third-person action-adventure game about a young Sami reindeer herder who gets pulled into some astounding events. They’ll have to learn the ways of the Noaidis and use their drum and the Familiar Spirits to save the land from the forces that threaten it. This has been out for a while on other platforms and it seems to be reasonably well-liked despite having its fair share of rough edges. My only concern is how well it runs on the Switch, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out the answer to that one. I’ll keep my eye on this game.
Mondealy ($11.99)
I don’t know if this adventure game was inspired by Undertale, but it kind of gives off a bit of those vibes. I apologize to the developer if I’m wrong there. You explore an underground kingdom called Dargratt in Mondealy, a fantasy world. Meet a variety of characters, seek out secrets, and get to know the kingdom and its problems. While the game only has one ending, there are apparently many routes to get there. The prologue chapter of this game was wildly well-received on Steam, and I imagine the full game will find plenty of fans on the Switch too.
Unidentified Falling Objects ($14.99)
A quirky little puzzle game that works like a cross between something like The Blocks Cometh and Puyo Puyo. Avoid the falling blocks that enter the play area and try to remove them to make big combos. There’s plenty to chew on in single player, and you can also go head-to-head with another player locally or in matches with up to twenty online. I’ll have a review of this one soon.
Running Fable ($7.99)
This is an interesting idea, if nothing else. It’s a racing game, but before each race the participants have the opportunity to place traps around the course. Only they will know where their traps are placed, so there’s a bit of strategy here. Unfortunately, you can only play the multiplayer mode online. I’m also not sure how good the actual racing is, and if that isn’t up to snuff then none of the rest of it is worth much. Another one where someone is going to have to jump on the grenade. I’m broke from buying Spider-Verse on iTunes.
Fluffy Mio ($4.99)
A pretty basic Sokoban-ish puzzle game. You have to push each of the milk cartons to a bowl to clear the stage. You get sixty stages in total spread across the four different seasons, so there’s a bit of visual variety there.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
After yesterday’s sale kicked off, there was bound to be a shorter list today. Still, there are some good deals to be had on THQ games today. Those sales don’t pop up as often as they once did, so I’d recommend getting while the getting is good. Over in the outbox, all those Valis games are finishing up their sales. So is the quality beat-em-up, Final Vendetta. Check those lists!
Select New Games on Sale
Swords & Bones 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/15)
Wonder Boy Returns Remix ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/22)
Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony ($26.99 from $29.99 until 8/22)
Nekopara Vol.1 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/22)
Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Battle Chasers Nightwar ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Titan Quest ($11.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Darksiders III ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Risen ($25.49 from $29.99 until 8/22)
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake ($33.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
AEW Fight Forever Elite Edition ($71.99 from $79.99 until 8/22)
Remnant From the Ashes ($33.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Wreckfest ($25.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Destroy All Humans! ($19.99 from $39.99 until 8/22)
Sakura Dungeon ($13.39 from $19.99 until 8/28)
Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party ($35.99 from $59.99 until 8/28)
War Titans ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/29)
Super Cute Alien’s Adventure ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/29)
Farmer Simulator ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/29)
Real Driving Simulator ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/29)
Police Simulator 2023 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/29)
Extreme Trucks Simulator ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/29)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, August 10th
Clive ‘N’ Wrench ($20.99 from $29.99 until 8/10)
Final Vendetta ($9.98 from $24.95 until 8/10)
Hentai Uni 2 ($2.00 from $2.50 until 8/10)
Innocence Island ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Lucy Got Problems ($6.39 from $7.99 until 8/10)
Neo Atlas 1469 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/10)
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl ($7.50 from $49.99 until 8/10)
Red’s Kingdom ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Ruvato: Original Complex ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/10)
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/10)
Snow Bros. Special ($16.99 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Spectrolite ($8.39 from $13.99 until 8/10)
Super Night Riders ($3.74 from $4.99 until 8/10)
SYD of Valis ($12.00 from $15.00 until 8/10)
The Crimson Flower That Divides ($32.82 from $46.89 until 8/10)
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Turn Tack ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/10)
Ultimate Anime Jigsaw Puzzle ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/10)
Untitled Goose Game ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Valis II ($10.50 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Valis III ($10.50 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Valis IV ($12.00 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Valis: Fantasm Soldier Collection ($27.99 from $39.99 until 8/10)
Valis: Fantasm Soldier Collection 2 ($35.99 from $44.99 until 8/10)
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier ($10.50 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (MEGA DRIVE) ($12.00 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier (MSX) ($12.00 from $15.00 until 8/10)
Volley Pals ($4.54 from $6.49 until 8/10)
That’s all for today, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, which means we’ll have almost twenty new games to look at. Nothing really on the bleeding edge of amazing, but plenty of interesting looking games that could surprise. There will be summaries of all the ones worth summarizing, and probably a reasonably full bin to boot. Any new sales and big news will also be included at no additional cost. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
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