‘Fire Emblem Engage’, ‘Colossal Cave’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales – TouchArcade

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 20th, 2023. When I went home last night, I expected there to be about a dozen new releases to talk about today. Imagine my surprise when I came in this morning and saw more than twenty. Some great, some highly dubious, some intriguing. We’ve got summaries of all of them, with Fire Emblem Engage obviously leading the pack. Throw in a healthy list of new sales and the expiring discounts for the weekend and you’ve got a packed line-up. Let’s get to it!

New Releases

Fire Emblem Engage ($59.99)

In the realm of Elyos, an evil creature known as the Fell Dragon was defeated one thousand years ago through the cooperation of heroes from across various worlds. The land has known peace since then, but recent signs indicate that the Fell Dragon may have just been pining for the fjords the whole time. This Fire Emblem game puts more focus on the combat and less on the side stuff when compared to Three Houses, which is a decision that some folks may not like but others will be thrilled with. What does Shaun think? I’ll let you know when I review this one soon.

Colossal Cave ($39.99)

I really don’t know what to do with this. When I heard that legendary video game pioneers Roberta and Ken Williams were coming out of their decades-long retirement to make a remake of the seminal 1976 adventure game Colossal Cave, I had assumed they were using the original game as a source of inspiration or jumping-off point for a whole new thing. But no, this is really Colossal Cave in all of its 1976 glory, rendered with decent but not great 3D graphics. The puzzles are familiar. The rules are familiar. Instead of reading the text, you hear the narration. Instead of typing in your actions, you have a more modern way of interacting with the environment and its objects. But this is shockingly faithful to the original, and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. I’m also not sure if the 3D graphics replacing the text descriptions is a friend or foe. I might have a review, if I can sort my thoughts out.

OmegaBot ($12.99)

In this side-scrolling action game you play as a robot that makes its way through a futuristic, mechanized world in search of a means to end the curse that threatens life itself. As you battle bosses and clear areas, you’ll earn new weapons and abilities to aid you. It’s quite well-made and you can really feel the passion of the developer in its details. Definitely worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Pixel Game Maker Series Pentacore ($9.99)

This game isn’t shy about what it’s paying homage to. It’s a Metroid-like where you have to try to escape a world filled with deadly hazards and murderous monsters. You don’t know how you got here but you have to find a way out. Explore, locate upgrades, and see if you can uncover the method for finding the secret ending. Not a bad little Metroid-style adventure for the price.

Chronicles of Albian: The Magic Convention ($11.99)

Another one of those hidden object adventure games from the folks at Ocean Media. A magical convention is being held at Albian Castle, and the Fairy Godmother Gwendolyn has asked for your help with the preparations. Find hidden treasures, fix everything up, and make sure the castle is up to the high standards of the hoity-toity magicians who will soon be arriving.

Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 ($19.99)

2021, eh? That takes me back. Terrible year, but at least it had a Spider-Man movie. At any rate, this is another one of Ultimate’s mechanic games. Fix the bikes, get paid, upgrade your garage, lather, rinse, repeat. As usual the UI seems designed for a monitor and mouse, with teeny-tiny text that is unpleasant to read on the handheld screen. This is how this publisher has done things on Switch for years, so I guess I shouldn’t expect them to suddenly start fixing things. Maybe they should make Switch Port Simulator 2017 to get the hang of it?

Drift & Drive ($12.99)

Another BoomHits driving game, with more or less the same structure as all of them. Drive various vehicles, complete various missions, and explore a decent-sized area. There’s a focus on drifting here, but otherwise it’s very familiar. I’m at the point where I wonder how many of these we need, but if they keep coming that means that someone must be buying them and enjoying them. So shine on, my friends.

Gardenia ($14.99)

This is a curious little game. It’s a first-person adventure where you’re doing all kinds of things to help out the residents of an island, all while trying to find the source of the pollution and litter that keeps popping up. Your stamina is limited each day, like in a farming sim, and you’ve got various side quests to solve. The game has a bizarre sense of humor that is really quite charming, and that I think that helps it stand out in what is becoming a real crowd of slow life simulations.

Critical Zone ($2.99)

A party game-style brawler for up to four players via local multiplayer. Indeed, I can’t tell if there is any solo play mode here at all. Choose from more than twenty different characters, all loosely based on various historical figures, and fight it out on eleven different planets. Each planet has its own properties, adding some variety to the gameplay. It doesn’t look all that great, but for three bucks I suppose it doesn’t have to.

Deep Space Shooter ($3.99)

A four-dollar vertical shoot-em-up, and it looks and plays like it. You get twenty-four levels to blast through, plus an endless mode to keep you playing after you’ve finished the game. I’ve seen far worse things, but it’s really hard to justify buying something like this when an absolute treasure trove of great shooters are waiting in the Arcade Archives line for just a few bucks more.

Escape to the Ocean ($11.50)

A port of a rather shabby free-to-play mobile behind-the-back auto-runner, albeit with some of the IAP included in the upfront purchase price. Give it a try on your mobile device if you want to get a taste, but at least in my opinion it just doesn’t play very well at all. About the nicest thing I can say about it is that it looks okay visually. There are better ways to spend your money today, no doubt. Worse ways too, mind you.

Xposed Switched ($9.99)

This is basically another game inspired by Taito’s QIX. Carve out portions of the screen to reveal the backgrounds, and when you reach a certain percentage you’ll clear the stage. Notable in that this is the rare QIX clone that doesn’t hide saucy pictures in the background. Instead you get meme pictures, landscapes, evil clowns, and such.

Harem Girl Isabella ($2.99)

Another one of those Gamuzumi puzzle games where you just need to rearrange and rotate the tiles to complete the pictures. Some of them are a little spicy, but there isn’t anything too adult. I tend to prefer puzzles with a little more texture to them, but I suppose if you like the art then three bucks is a reasonable ask for this kind of affair. Probably a spicier version on Steam if you can’t work out how to find naked ladies on Google for free.

Trenches ($9.99)

A survival horror game with an unusual premise, Trenches sees you in the role of a soldier caught behind enemy lines in World War I. You’re unarmed and all you have with you is a trench whistle. The whistle’s sound will guide you to where you need to go, but you have to be careful because if an enemy soldier hears it, you’re as good as done for. Be cautious, be quiet, and try not to lose your cool. There’s no room for a gun-toting hero who takes on an entire army in this game. Seems interesting, if not necessarily my kind of thing.

Demon Hunter: New Chapter ($14.99)

Another Artifex Mundi hidden object adventure game, and another chapter in its Demon Hunter series. This one sees a doctor reach out to Dawn Harlock, claiming he knows about her mysterious past. The truth can be a dangerous thing, something Dawn may come to know all too well. I’m sure if you’ve enjoyed the previous Demon Hunter games, you’ll also have fun with this one.

Through the Years ($9.99)

Oh, BoomHits is doing something unrelated to cars. That’s unusual. This is a very basic simulation game where you start off as a caveman gathering resources and move, portal by portal, through history. I haven’t been able to play it, but I’d expect it to be about on par quality-wise with other BoomHits games.

Menhera Girls Ensemble – Needy Girlfriends – ($19.90)

Wow, that’s… that’s something. ‘Menhera‘ is a somewhat rude word in Japanese and translates to something like ‘nutjob’ or ‘lunatic’, but the eShop description has opted to just go with ‘mental’. That’s a choice. Anyway, this is a visual novel where all three heroines are kind of obsessed with the protagonist, who himself can’t seem to walk away from people in need. Is there any way for this bunch to come to a happy ending? It seems like another game with a poor localization, so even if you’re interested in the concept you may want to tread carefully.

Mischief Dungeon Life Dorothy Edition ($7.99)

Mischief Dungeon Life Clara Edition ($7.99)

Mischief Dungeon Life Janice Edition ($7.99)

Mischief Dungeon Life Satsuki Edition ($7.99)

A bit over a year ago, a visual novel called Mischief Dungeon Life came out on Switch. Twenty bucks, five different ladies to romance, you know how it works. Well, if you want a version of that game that focuses on just one route, here you go. Four of the five ladies from that game have been split off into their own eight-dollar game. This does not feel like an especially good deal to me, but do what you will. I’m not the governor of your piggy bank.

Peachy Boy ($3.99)

Weakfish takes a swing at the single-screen action-puzzler genre with this game. There are thirty levels in total, and your goal in each is to guide Peachy Boy to the key and then to the exit. There are various obstacles, hazards, and gimmicks to deal with along the way. It seems fine enough for what it is.

Arcade Machine: Clown Hunt ($2.49)

A pretty basic shooting gallery-style game where you have to blast away clowns. Play it alone or pull in a friend for some local multiplayer fun. Not much more to it than that.

Simple Mini Golf 3D ($3.99)

More trash from Benjamin Kistler. Leave it in the garbage pail where it belongs.

Midnight Runner – Blade Galaxy Beat Puzzle Legacy 3D Games Ultimate Edition ($2.99)

More trash from Midnight Works. Leave it in the garbage pail where it belongs.

Counter Bottle Shooter – Pro Aim Master Target Bottle Shoot 3D Game Strike Pistol ($3.99)

More trash from VG Games. Leave it in the garbage pail where it belongs.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

So what do we have in the inbox today? The usual sales from Electronic Arts, Capcom, and Ubisoft for starters. That said, there are some new low prices among them so even if they’re the usual fare they are still worth checking out. Also note Huntdown at four bucks. Not a new low price for it or anything, but it is a very good value. Nothing in the outbox is speaking loudly to me, but give it a look anyway.

Select New Games on Sale

Retro Highway ($2.99 from $5.99 until 1/27)
Bloodwash ($7.99 from $9.99 until 1/27)
Super Korotama ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/30)
Naught ($2.99 from $19.99 until 1/30)
Steamroll Rustless Edition ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/30)
Oxide Room 104 ($9.99 from $24.99 until 1/30)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($7.99 from $39.99 until 1/31)
Super Mega Baseball 3 ($13.49 from $44.99 until 1/31)
Lost in Random ($5.99 from $29.99 until 1/31)
Fe ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/31)
Plants vs Zombies BfN CE ($7.99 from $39.99 until 1/31)
Huntdown ($3.99 from $19.99 until 2/1)
Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen ($9.99 from $29.99 until 2/2)
Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil 0 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)

Resident Evil ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil 5 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil 6 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Monster Hunter Generation Ult. ($11.99 from $39.99 until 2/2)
Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak DLC ($29.99 from $39.99 until 2/2)
Monster Hunter Stories 2 ($19.99 from $59.99 until 2/2)
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Deluxe ($24.49 from $69.99 until 2/2)
Onimusha Warlords ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Capcom Arcade Stadium 1+2+3 DLC ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/2)
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Shinsekai Into the Depths ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection ($34.99 from $59.99 until 2/2)

Mega Man 11 ($9.99 from $29.99 until 2/2)
Mega Man Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $14.99 until 2/2)
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/2)
Devil May Cry ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/2)
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary ($11.99 from $29.99 until 2/2)
Unbound Worlds Apart ($6.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Immortals Fenyx Rising ($11.99 from $59.99 until 2/3)
Immortals Fenyx Rising Season Pass DLC ($15.99 from $39.99 until 2/3)
Valiant Hearts The Great War ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Monopoly ($9.99 from $39.99 until 2/3)
Family Feud ($9.89 from $29.99 until 2/3)
Legendary Fishing ($4.49 from $29.99 until 2/3)

Wheel of Fortune ($7.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Trivial Pursuit Live 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Trials Rising ($5.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Scott Pilgrim vs The World ($4.94 from $14.99 until 2/3)
Rabbids: Party of Legends ($15.99 from $39.99 until 2/3)
Assassin’s Creed Ezio Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/3)
Child of Light UE ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/3)
Hungry Shark World ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/3)
MotoGP 20 ($2.49 from $24.99 until 2/3)
Poly Link Origins ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/6)
Evil Tonight ($12.74 from $14.99 until 2/9)
Dog Gone Golfing ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Always Sometimes Monsters ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/9)
Kamikaze Veggies ($9.09 from $12.99 until 2/9)
Burger Patrol ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Omega Labyrinth Life ($23.99 from $59.99 until 2/9)
Bakumatsu Renka Shinsengumi ($19.99 from $49.99 until 2/9)
Goblin Sword ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/9)
Vampire the Masquerade NY Bundle ($5.79 from $28.99 until 2/9)
Karma Knight ($2.06 from $8.99 until 2/10)
Drift & Drive ($9.74 from $12.99 until 2/10)

Sales Ending This Weekend

8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adv. ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Aeon Must Die ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Aery Path of Corruption ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/23)
American Fugitive ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Call of Cthulhu ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Curse of the Dead Gods ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques TML CE ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Finding America: TH CE ($8.49 from $9.99 until 1/21)
First Time in Paris CE ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
First Time in Rome CE ($10.19 from $11.99 until 1/21)
Go Rally ($14.99 from $20.00 until 1/21)
Grappling Dash ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/23)
Hotshot Racing ($2.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Human: Fall Flat ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
I Love Finding More Pups CE ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)

Invocation: Festival of Souls ($2.02 from $6.99 until 1/21)
Ki11er Clutter ($5.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Love 3 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Masters of Anima ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/21)
Metal Unit ($3.99 from $15.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & tCotDN ($12.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & tCotMB ($12.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & tRoVD ($12.74 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Othercide ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Shady Part of Me ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Smoke & Sacrifice ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
SnowRunner ($23.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
Tankorama ($6.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Unsouled ($5.59 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Vampyr ($13.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: SG ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/21)
Bush Hockey League ($9.59 from $15.99 until 1/22)
Family Mysteries 2: EoT ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/22)
Family Mysteries 3: CM ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/22)
Family Mysteries: PP ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/22)
Journey To The Blue Mountain ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/22)
Police Sim 22 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/22)
The Kingdom of Gardenia ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/22)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with some reviews, more new releases, a bunch of sales, and maybe some news if it pops up. I’ve got a busy weekend ahead of me. I need to wrap up Persona 4 Golden and keep plowing through Fire Emblem Engage. I never expected January of all months to be this crowded. I hope you all have a nice weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!