‘Strike Buster Prototype’, ‘Super Gravity Ball’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales – TouchArcade

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 19th, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got the rest of the releases for the week to look at. There’s nothing super exciting in the bunch, but there are a few games that might catch your eye if you’ve got an interest in their respective genres. We’ve got summaries of all of them to help you make your purchasing decisions. Speaking of spending money, we also have the usual lists of new sales and expiring discounts. Let’s get into it, shall we?

New Releases

Strike Buster Prototype ($6.99)

Yeah, this is pretty fun. It’s a sort of twin-stick arena-based shooter, though I suppose some might compare it to things like Vampire Survivors in the current day and age. Several characters to choose from and lots of neat weapons and pick-ups to make use of. You have to build up big combos if you want to make it anywhere, and the better you are at that, the more upgrades and life pick-ups you’ll have coming your way. Not bad at all.

Arenas Of Tanks ($4.99)

Another take on the old Atari Combat tank battles, but it at least looks like a decent one. It’s a single-player game and designs itself around that, with larger stages that scroll and boss battles to engage in. There are five different arenas, and five different objectives to choose from. As you play, you’ll earn points that you can trade to recruit more friendly tanks. I mean, if you like this kind of thing, it looks decent enough for a fiver.

Timberman: The Big Adventure ($4.99)

Timberman takes a break from chopping down trees to go on a platforming adventure in this game. You can play alone or bring along a friend (as Mr. Bear) in local multiplayer co-op. Timberman has a variety of abilities to add some spice to the platforming, and the original game seems to make an appearance as a minigame. Looks like an amusing five-dollar Switch platformer if that’s the dish you’re craving.

Laboratory Rat Escape Simulator Pro ($4.99)

I can’t make heads or tails of this game. It talks about procedurally generated mazes and such, but only one of the screen shots in the eShop description shows anything like that. The game also really wants you to know that it has a clock feature. Since I can’t figure out what kind of game it is and I would rather spend my fiver towards another Arcade Archives title, I can’t say much more about this game. So I won’t.

Train Ride Simulator ($9.99)

Choose from ten different types of trains, choose a railroad, and enjoy driving your train through California. Strikes me as a bit of a low-rent take on things like Densha de Go, but I suppose there aren’t so many train driving games on the Switch that fans of such endeavors can afford to be picky. It doesn’t appear as though this got a very sunny reception on other platforms, but maybe it will find more of an audience here.

Super Gravity Ball ($9.99)

This nifty little puzzler sees you guiding a green sphere through stages filled with tricky hazards and obstacles. You have the ability to manipulate gravity in a variety of ways to help you get through, but you can only use each technique once per stage, and only in the order they are listed at the top of the screen. You have to figure out where and when to use them in order to succeed. A rather clever game.

Pipes Puzzle Casual Arcade ($9.99)

More or less Pipe Dream or Gunpey with a different theme applied. You need to rotate the blocks and place them such that they connect in a chain. There are a few extra wrinkles to this one, notably some enemies that you need to keep at bay. There are two different modes to play as well. I’ve had my fill of this kind of game unless it brings some really great ideas to the table, but if you’re more open-hearted to pipe puzzles than I am, you may want to investigate further.

Organic Engine ($0.99)

Looks like RandomSpin Games isn’t done beating this particular dead horse. This is essentially identical to the previous Engine games from this publisher, but with a biological horror theme. That means it’s an idle tapper or cow clicker or whatever we’re calling those things these days. One of the screenshots in the eShop listing has a prominent “Trophy Earned!” badge in the corner of the screen, and I imagine that is exactly why these games exist in the broad sense. As for why they exist on Switch… I have no idea.

Romantic Date: The Perfect Boy ($3.99)

Speaking of beating a dead template, here’s Cooking & Publishing with another game that asks you a bunch of questions, then asks them again to see if you give the same answers. If you do, you’ll get a nice ending. If you don’t, you won’t. The theme here is that you are on a date with a handsome anime boy. Complete drivel, but at least it isn’t plagiarism. As far as I can tell, anyway.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Some interesting games hitting new low prices today include Mayhem Brawler, Gamedec, OPUS: Echo of Starsong, and Transiruby. The latest Game Trial for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers is Pokken Tournament DX, and as usual the purchase price has been discounted for the duration of that period. There isn’t much in the outbox worth getting fussy about, but do yourselves a favor and check out those lists with your own peepers to make sure Shaun isn’t leading you astray.

Select New Games on Sale

Embracelet ($2.39 from $11.99 until 8/25)
Milkmaid of the Milky Way ($2.39 from $5.99 until 8/25)
Axiom Verge ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/25)
Darkest Dungeon ($8.49 from $24.99 until 8/26)
Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition ($13.59 from $39.99 until 8/26)
Writhe ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/26)
Mayhem Brawler ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/26)
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($9.59 from $59.99 until 8/29)
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/29)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($7.49 from $49.99 until 8/29)
Wuppo Definitive Edition ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/29)
Gamedec ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/30)
OPUS: Echo of Starsong FBE ($18.74 from $24.99 until 9/1)
OPUS: Rocket of Whispers ($6.74 from $8.99 until 9/1)
OPUS: The Day We Found Earth ($3.75 from $5.00 until 9/1)

Witch & Hero ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Witch & Hero 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
KAMIKO ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Fairune Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Transiruby ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Ninja Striker! ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/1)
Alchemic Dungeons DX ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/1)
Lanota ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Super Metboy! ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Monkey Barrels ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
SubaraCity ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/1)
Ambition of the Slimes ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/1)
Slime Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Can Androids Pray:Blue ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/1)
Can Androids Survive ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)

Pokken Tournament DX ($41.99 from $59.99 until 9/1)
Vaporum: Lockdown ($10.99 from $21.99 until 9/2)
Fillit ($2.79 from $7.99 until 9/2)
McDROID ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/2)
Aery: Vikings ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/5)
Aery: A New Frontier ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/5)
Labyrinth of the Chaka King ($4.90 from $7.00 until 9/8)
Exertus: Redux ($2.19 from $4.39 until 9/8)
Tropico 6 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
Goetia 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Port Royale 4 ($29.99 from $49.99 until 9/8)
Railway Empire ($19.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
Incredible Mandy ($5.99 from $14.99 until 9/8)
A Dark Room ($2.79 from $6.99 until 9/8)

Earth Defense Force: World Brothers ($27.99 from $39.99 until 9/8)
The Bass Fishing ($9.74 from $14.99 until 9/8)
The Table Game ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/8)
The Number Puzzle ($1.99 from $4.99 until 9/8)
Omega Labyrinth Life DE ($29.59 from $79.99 until 9/8)
Shakedown Hawaii ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/8)
Space Commander War & Trade ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/8)
Sherlock Holmes: C&P ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/8)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Crazy BMX World ($1.99 from $3.00 until 8/20)
Deathtrap Dungeon Trilogy ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Dinosaur Fossil Puzzles ($3.00 from $5.00 until 8/20)
Fighting Fantasy Legends ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/20)
Labyrinth of the Witch ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)
Menseki Genius ($3.00 from $5.00 until 8/20)
Menseki: Area Maze Puzzles ($3.00 from $5.00 until 8/20)
Mystic Vale ($2.19 from $21.99 until 8/20)
Prehistoric Life Puzzles ($3.00 from $5.00 until 8/20)
Red Colony ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/20)
Red Colony 2 ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/20)
Red Colony 3 ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/20)
S.U.M. Slay Uncool Monsters ($2.09 from $5.99 until 8/20)
Talisman Digital Edition ($1.99 from $1.99 until 8/20)
The Last Survey ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/20)

This Strange Realm of Mine ($2.07 from $12.99 until 8/20)
Clutter IX: Clutter IXtreme ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Crysis Remastered Trilogy ($32.49 from $49.99 until 8/21)
Faircroft’s Antiques: TFC ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Fightro ($2.39 from $7.49 until 8/21)
I Love Finding Critters ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
I Love Finding More Cats ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
INSIDE ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/21)
Jewel Match Twilight Solitaire ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
LIMBO ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Puzzle & Dragons ($1.99 from $4.37 until 8/21)
Sakura in Gameland ($2.54 from $2.99 until 8/21)
Shipwreck Escape ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
SpelunKing: The Mine Match ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)
Threaded ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/21)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with some reviews, some news, some sales, and a lot of new games. The usual spread, really. As for me, I’ll be spending the weekend playing some upcoming games for review purposes and also celebrating the birthday of a family member. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!