SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’, ‘Shadow Gangs’, and Today’s Other New Releases and Sales – Touch Arcade

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 14th, 2021. After a couple of slow weeks, were starting to see the eShop heat up again. From here on out its going to be a couple of wild months, so I hope you saved a few bucks. Weve got summaries of all of todays new releases, which include some pretty spiffy ways to spend your gaming time and money. On top of that, weve got the usual incoming and outgoing sales lists, meager though they may be today. Lets go!

SwitchArcade Highlight!

People have been begging for this game to make its return since almost the exact second it was delisted, and its finally happening. I dont even want to know the amount of legal wrangling that had to take place. The important thing is that it is here, and it even comes with the DLC that was originally sold separately. Its a River City Ransom-inspired beat-em-up through the mean streets of Toronto, with Scott and friends battling Ramonas Evil Exes. It originally arrived during a serious beat-em-up drought and I think that, combined with its excellent presentation and sudden unavailability, perhaps gave it a greater presence in peoples minds than it can stand up to under modern examination. But its still a pretty good time, especially with buddies.

SwitchArcade Highlight!

I mean, how often do you get a decent Shinobi-style game in this day and age? I have my criticisms of Shadow Gangs. Its brutally difficult, and while it constantly evokes Shinobi it never quite matches up to its straightforward and fun ninja action. But it looks amazing and plays well enough to scratch the itch, and I think that will be enough for old-school SEGA fans. I think its priced a little high for what it is but if you dont mind the relatively hefty sticker price, some fairly high-quality arcade-style thrills are waiting for you in Shadow Gangs.

SwitchArcade Highlight!

A simple idea, but its executed quite well. Each stage has a tasty orange that you need to hit with your ball. You have a set number of shots, and there will almost always be some kind of obstacle in the way that youll either need to break or bounce around. There are more than 100 stages to play, and it gets surprisingly challenging as you go. Everything rests on the level designs, and fortunately Ping Redux comes through on that aspect. A nice, cheap puzzler to spend a weekend with.

SwitchArcade Highlight!

Take Crypt of the Necrodancers roguelite to the beat" idea and apply it to a side-scrolling beat-em-up, and you wont end up too far from what Rhythm Fighter is all about. And hey, its really fun. The translation is a little rough in places, but thats not really all that important. The presentation and gameplay are spot on, and those are the points that matter most in a game like this. If you like rhythm games, this will definitely be your jam.

From the developer of Crocs World, Pacific Wings, and Yellow Fins comes this obvious homage to Sensible Soccer. It features five different leagues with more than 120 teams, two different types of tournaments, and a few difficulty levels. You can play against the computer opponent or versus another player via local multiplayer. I wouldnt expect this to play as well as Sensible Soccer, and judging by the developers past efforts its probably not very good at all. Its biggest advantage is offering two-player soccer for five bucks, and that only takes a game so far.

Heres an odd one. Weve seen a few games that focus on the relaxing sensations of flying around in non-threatening environments, but they usually cast you as a bird or something like that. Not in this game, though. In this one, you play as a fly. Or rather as a number of flies, each with their own episode where you buzz around a new environment and listen to the fly wax philosophical about its life. I mean, sure, why not? If you like the sound of the idea, youll probably enjoy the game. It delivers on what it sets out to do fairly well. Easily the strangest release of the day.

Another fairly straightforward wave-based twin-stick space shooter. Grab power-ups, fend of incoming enemies, and try to clear all of the stages. The presentations a bit on the humble side of things, but it looks okay. Plays decently, too. But theres really nothing remarkable about it at all, and its hard to recommend dropping ten bucks on a rather plain shooter when the Switch has so many excellent ones that offer more fun at a similar or better price.

Aw heck, I summoned Sabec. After the onslaught of pure trash weve seen come to the eShop this week, theres something oddly comforting about the more usual Sabec stuff. This is a very basic dogfighting game that sees you piloting a few different military jets and getting into scraps with enemies. Use machine guns and missiles to fend off your foes and complete missions. Is it worth ten bucks? Absolutely not. Is it worth the two bucks it will eventually be on sale for? Also no. But at least it isnt as bad as Top Gun Air Combat, and this week thats enough for me to pull my punches a little.

A story-heavy hidden object game with a few quirks to call its own, My Hidden Things at least gives fans of the genre a break from the constant flow of Artifex Mundi games. You not only need to find the objects in the scene, but also often need to combine them to check off the items on your list. The story is about a journey into the dreams of various people to help them get over their issues and retain their humanity. The monochrome visuals aim for a comic art style that at least helps it stand out among the fancier entries in the genre. Not my kind of thing, but it could be yours.

This is a video game version of Milton Bradley/Hasbros Connect Four, but with no license because who needs those anymore? Well, its not like Ultimate is the first company to make a generic Connect Four, and the game is just an extension of Tic-Tac-Toe to begin with. The real issue here is that this is the most bland take on the idea you could realistically imagine. Thankfully there is support for two players, even if only via local multiplayer. You can also play against the computer if you hate having fun.

The latest in the line of commercial releases using the Pixel Game Maker creation tool is a top-down vertical shoot-em-up that reminds me a very tiny bit of KikiKaikai/Pocky and Rocky. Only a little, though. Maybe a dash of Ninja Princess? I dont know. Its alright, but its extremely challenging and sometimes a bit awkward thanks to how collision works in this engine. Probably not the savviest way to spend ten bucks on the eShop, but in my opinion its best weve seen from this line yet.

There are a couple of things to say about Down in Bermuda. First of all, its a really enjoyable adventure game from the creators of Agent A. Its only a couple of hours long, but its a very pleasant couple of hours. But the other thing is that its on Apple Arcade, and while I think in a vacuum it is worth twenty bucks that same amount of money will get you four months of access to this game and countless others on your mobile device. As such Id really only recommend this Switch version if you have an issue with playing games on mobile or if you want to kick some extra money in the direction of the developers. Its at least a very good port, and I will have a review of some kind soon to help make your decision easier.

Apparently this is the second chapter in an epic trilogy of visual novels. Anyway, it picks up the story from the first game, which if youve forgotten sees you as someone transported to a fantasy world and put in charge of a tavern full of cute women employees. In this installment, a lady knight visits the tavern. Shes trying to take down a monster that only preys on women, but I guess shes not stereotypical enough to attract the beast. So she wants you to help her increase her feminine charms" by giving her a job as a waitress. I dont know. Its a thing. You can play it if you want.

This is a follow-up to V.O.I.D., and it offers seven stages of platforming action for your three bucks. Theres the basic story mode, an EX-mode where the stages are remixed with greater difficulty, and a music player. It doesnt look particularly great but also not particularly bad, and for such a low price Im not sure what more you should expect. One interesting point is that this game was designed around NES specs and actually exists in cartridge form. I suppose if you liked V.O.I.D. or Ploid Saga youll find this of interest.

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Were back to the usual pattern now, which means at the time Im writing this there arent many new sales to look at. What we have isnt really worth remarking on all that much either. Well, tomorrow should look a bit different. The outbox is similarly quiet, with only the BIT.TRIP games really worth demanding much attention. Do what you will.

Select New Games on Sale

Hed the Pig ($3.19 from $3.99 until 1/20)Shing! ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)OMG Police ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/21)Big Dipper ($3.49 from $4.99 until 1/22)Forest Guardian ($7.69 from $10.99 until 1/22)Table Top Racing: WT Nitro ($16.24 from $24.99 until 1/28)Home Sheep Home: Farmageddon ($6.49 from $9.99 until 1/28)Grand Prix Racing ($4.49 from $5.99 until 1/30)Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/31)Metamorphosis ($7.49 from $24.99 until 1/31)Little Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/31)Tools Up! ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/31)Evoland Legendary ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)Northgard ($13.99 from $34.99 until 2/4)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, January 15th

Art Sqool ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/15)Barbarous: Tavern of Emyr ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/15)BIT.TRIP Series ($4.49 from $4.99 until 1/15)Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom ($17.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)Brawl Chess ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/15)Chess Ace ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/15)Deaths Hangover ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/15)Infernium ($2.49 from $24.99 until 1/15)Koloro ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/15)Mimic Hunter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/15)Mini Trains ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/15)Reflex Unit 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/15)Utopia 9 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/15)Warsaw ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)Writhe ($7.49 from $9.99 until 1/15)

Thats all for today, friends. Well be back tomorrow with the rest of this weeks releases, though its not looking nearly as busy as today so far. Well also probably have a fairly large list of new sales to look at, so thats something. If theres any important news, I may slip it in if I have the time. I hope you all have a good Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!

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SwitchArcade Round-Up: 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World', 'Shadow Gangs', and Today's Other New Releases and Sales - Touch Arcade