Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 7th, 2023. Today is Tanabata in Japan, the one day a year when Orihime and her lover Hikoboshi can meet. Have a nice day, you two wacky kids. It’s also Friday, which means we have to sort through the remaining releases for the week. On top of that, we also have a bit of news and the usual lists of new and outgoing sales. Let’s get to it!
News
The Next Pack of Courses for ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’ Comes Next Week
Yes, I suppose it is about that time again, isn’t it? If you’re a Mario Kart fan, keep your schedule clear next Wednesday, because the next wave of the Booster Course Pass is incoming on the 12th. It features not only eight new courses, but also four additional characters. The courses are: Koopa Cape (Wii), Los Angeles Laps (Tour), Moonview Highway (Wii), Athens Dash (Tour), Daisy Cruiser (Double Dash), Sunset Wilds (Game Boy Advance), Vancouver Velocity (Tour), and brand new course Squeaky Clean Sprint. The new characters are: Birdo, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek. Sorry, Funky Kong. This is the second-last wave of the Booster Course Pass, so we’re getting down to the wire here. If you have the Pass or are a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscriber, you’ll be able to download this new wave next week.
New Releases
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie ($59.99)
Oh boy, here we go again. After dipping back into past titles for the past couple of releases in The Legend of Heroes, it’s time to step forward in the story. Trails into Reverie follows on from the events of Trails of Cold Steel IV, and there are plenty of familiar faces in the cast. I’m sure most readers know the basic outline here. A big, long RPG with enough lore and world-building to make even the loftiest of fans whimper. The Switch seems to struggle a bit running this one, but I imagine we’re used to that by now with these Falcom ports from big-pants consoles. I’ll have a review of this one soon.
Garlic ($14.99)
This is a rather good precision platformer about an onion-headed kid named Garlic. He’s an agile little fellow, and it’s good thing because this game is going to throw some seriously demanding challenges at you. It’s generous with the checkpoints, the controls are tight, and Garlic is a fun character to play with. There’s an emphasis on building combo dashes which is definitely going to appeal to people who enjoy games like Celeste for their mechanics.
Full Quiet ($9.99)
Well, this is certainly an ambitious effort for an NES indie game. Sure, yes, it’s a 2D scrolling game. But if features an open world, a day/night cycle with actual gameplay consequences, and plenty of interesting puzzles to solve. I haven’t had a chance to play it yet, but I am intrigued to say the least.
Swords & Bones 2 ($9.99)
I enjoyed the first Swords & Bones well enough for what it was, and I feel the same way about the sequel. It’s just your basic side-scrolling action game, but it has a decent feel to it and I like the pixel art. This new game features fifty levels to play, and in terms of new mechanics you’ve got a parry move and four new spells. I don’t know if I would go for it at its full price, but it could be a good sale pick-up if you’re bored and need something to pick through.
Feeble Light ($4.99)
A minimalistic three-color vertical shooter that features five randomized stages to blast your way through. It’s all pretty standard as this kind of thing goes, and as you might expect you can unlock new color palettes as you play. It’s fine.
Time Of War, Arkano’90 ($14.99)
A behind the copter shooter that looks better in screenshots than it actually is. There are a variety of missions and bosses to tackle, and you can unlock new choppers as you go. I’d like to see more games like this, but this isn’t it.
Tad the Lost Explorer. Craziest and Madness Edition ($39.99)
Wow, that is some title. I’m going to try to not dwell on it too much. Anyway, this is a licensed 3D platformer. You don’t see as many of those as you used to, and part of the reason why is that there were too many games like this. It’s not outright terrible, but it isn’t very good either. Die-hard fans of the property will probably get some kicks out of it, but it’s hard to recommend it to anyone else.
Super Box Delivery – Beyond the Horizon ($4.99)
This game absolutely pops in screenshots, but I’m sure you can see the price tag and are setting your expectations appropriately. The idea is that you’re supposed to make deliveries to people. I haven’t had a chance to play this one yet, so I can’t say what the inevitable catch is. If you decide to take a punt on it, do report your results in the comments below.
Mahjong Woods ($6.99)
A fairly straightforward stage-based mahjong solitaire game with a light story attached to it. Something about a kid named Jeremy getting lost in the woods and meeting some clever animals. Whenever I see the name Jeremy I think of the Pearl Jam song, and as a result I have not been able to maintain a friendship with anyone named Jeremy since that tune hit the airwaves. Sorry, Jeremys! Sorry I am always singing your name in a bad Eddie Vedder voice! This is not a problem with you but rather with me! Anyway, mahjong solitaire game.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Not exactly a thrilling selection. Super Mega Baseball 4 is discounted to a new low price, Pumped BMX Pro is a nice pick-up for a couple bucks and change, and there are a pair of Sherlock Holmes games available for a song for adventure game fans. The weekend outbox isn’t very big, though you’ll want to have a look through it anyway just in case.
Select New Games on Sale
Vaccine Rebirth ($6.29 from $6.99 until 7/13)
Ala Mobile ($13.49 from $14.99 until 7/17)
Super Mega Baseball 4 ($34.99 from $49.99 until 7/18)
Burrow of the Fallen Bear ($11.99 from $19.99 until 7/21)
Hatup ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/21)
Aery The Lost Hero ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/24)
Puzzle Box Maker ($1.99 from $14.99 until 7/24)
Zombies in City: Apocalypse Survival ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/24)
Pumped BMX Pro ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/27)
Sherlock Holmes The Awakened ($26.99 from $39.99 until 7/27)
Sherlock Holmes: Devil’s Daughter ($8.99 from $29.99 until 7/27)
Beholder: Complete Edition ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/27)
The Swindle ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/27)
Work from Home ($14.99 form $19.99 until 7/27)
Lost Artifacts ($2.09 from $2.99 until 7/27)
Chenso Club ($3.39 from $9.99 until 7/27)
Niche: A Genetics Survival Game ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/27)
From Space ($5.09 from $14.99 until 7/27)
Samurai Maiden ($44.99 from $59.99 until 7/27)
Velocity 2X ($2.99 form $19.99 until 7/27)
A Knight’s Quest ($3.74 from $24.99 until 7/27)
Gang Beasts ($11.99 from $29.99 until 7/27)
JDM Racing – 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Mega Mall Story 2 ($7.00 from $14.00 until 7/27)
Burger Bistro Story ($7.00 from $14.00 until 7/27)
Dungeon Village 2 ($7.20 from $12.00 until 7/27)
Omega Labyrinth Life ($17.99 from $59.99 until 7/27)
Sales Ending This Weekend
Bus Driving Simulator 22 ($9.79 from $27.99 until 7/8)
Bus Simulator City Ride ($22.74 from $34.99 until 7/8)
Extreme Trucks Simulator ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Hentai RPG: Isekai Journey ($3.34 from $4.99 until 7/8)
Moon Dancer ($13.29 from $18.99 until 7/8)
Truck Simulator USA ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/8)
War Titans ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/8)
Byte Cats ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/9)
Family Man ($1.99 from $19.99 until 7/9)
Fashion Police Squad ($14.99 from $19.99 until 7/9)
Halftime Heroes ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/9)
Nowhere Prophet ($2.49 from $24.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Block Slime Cave ($4.20 from $7.00 until 7/9)
PGMS Cham the Cat Adventure ($7.25 from $10.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Clam Knight ($3.59 from $5.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Game Battle Tycoon ($9.89 from $14.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Jewelinx ($5.27 from $7.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Kingdom Fighter ($6.99 from $13.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Medium-Naut ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Ninja Otedama R ($5.09 from $5.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Oumuamua ($6.59 from $9.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Pearl Vs Grey ($5.99 from $7.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Remote Bomber ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Rumble Dragon ($7.91 from $11.99 until 7/9)
PGMS Shiba Mekuri ($4.39 from $5.49 until 7/9)
PGMS Thunder Striker ($7.91 from $11.99 until 7/9)
Soccer Story ($13.99 from $19.99 until 7/9)
That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with more new games, more sales, some reviews, and maybe even some news. I slept very badly last night, and right about now I am paying the price. This weekend, I might just catch up a bit on my sleep backlog. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!
