Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 11th, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got four reviews and Mini-Views for you to enjoy. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Kombinera, Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between, and Slipstream all get evaluated in our usual manner. There are a few new releases to look at, but it’s not exactly the kind of stuff to go running down the street yelling at the top of your voice about. We summarize them anyway, because that’s what we do. Finally, we’ve got a rather chunky list of new sales to go with the usual list of expiring discounts. Let’s get going!
Reviews & Mini-Views
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga ($59.99)
I’m not going to relitigate the past too much, but at least at the time of release of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, it was hard to find many good things to say about it. One of the things that just about everyone could agree on was that we got a few good video games out of it. One of those, and perhaps the most popular, was LEGO Star Wars from Traveller’s Tales (now TT Games). The developer had a history of working on IP established by others, always doing a serviceable job and scoring the occasional hit. With LEGO Star Wars, it seemed to have finally found its true muse.
That first game was naturally followed the very next year by a sequel that covered the Original Trilogy, and within a couple of years TT Games had turned into a veritable LEGO video game assembly line. Indiana Jones, Batman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel Super Heroes, and more were adapted into the format, keeping the developer busy with one or two new releases each and every year. Most of the games were received well enough, but the hectic schedule seemed to be taking a toll in many ways.
After the 2019 release of The LEGO Movie 2 Video Game, it was announced that the next new game in the series would be introducing a new engine and going back to the roots of the franchise by revisiting Star Wars. This time it would cover the entire nine-film Skywalker Saga in one go, and it was initially announced for a release in October of 2020. That released date slipped to early 2021, then to an unannounced date, and ultimately ending up with a final release date of April 2022. I’m not going to pretend to know the inner workings of TT Games, but I imagine that the developer has spent more time working on Skywalker Saga than it has on any other game in the last fifteen years or so.
You know what? It shows. It really, really shows. This game is so much more polished than the usual LEGO game affair, and it runs better on the Switch than any other LEGO game so far. It’s not bug-free by any means, but it certainly feels more stable in every respect. The polish goes beyond the technical, too. The gameplay design here is some of the best I’ve seen from this developer, with fun and varied stages, tons of interesting extra side-content to indulge in, and redesigned gameplay that helps elevate this somewhat from the usual button bashing. It’s still a very kid-friendly game that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels, but there’s a bit more substance here for those who want to dig into it.
There’s certainly no shortage of things to dig into in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, either. Each film gets five stages dedicated to it, which adds up to forty-five in total. There are also reasonably-sized open areas to go with each of them, filled with side-quests and other interesting distractions to engage with. There are a few hundred characters to collect, even without touching the DLC character packs. You also get a bunch of vehicles, and can ride on a lot of things you wouldn’t expect to be able to ride. It does feel like it’s rushing through the stories of the movies a bit, but that’s understandable. The comedy is still on point, and I have to assume none of us are experiencing these stories for the first time via this game anyway.
If you enjoy the LEGO games, this is one of the best ones ever. If you fell off the series because it felt like it was treading water, this might be the one to bring you back. And if you’ve never played one before, here is a great place to start. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a fantastic game, and serves as proof that TT Games can still serve up some surprises in this long-in-the-tooth franchise. It also runs very well on the Switch relative to other LEGO games, which is just another feather in its cap.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between ($12.99)
I really liked Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between conceptually. You embark on one of a handful of different Journeys, chill experiences like driving down a highway at night, riding a train through the countryside, or taking a mellow hike. You meet other travelers on these Journeys, and have conversations on various topics with them. The conversations touch on some heavy or deeply philosophical subjects, and the experience as a whole feels very meditative. The visuals are simple but striking, and the audio holds up its end perfectly. The other travelers in particular tend to take on abstract forms, but it somehow all holds together.
As an overall experience, Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is going to appeal a lot to some people and not at all to others. Personally, I loved what it was going for. Unfortunately, this version of the game suffers from some pretty severe tech issues in some of the Journeys. I ended up having to quit out of the train Journey because the framerate dove into the “seconds per frame" range. The highway had no issues. I’m hoping this is the result of a bug that can be fixed, but in its current state I have a lot of trouble recommending this game on the Switch. Play it, but perhaps not on this platform.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Kombinera ($14.99)
Atari hits us with a new game that doesn’t draw on any of its own classic IP, and it’s actually pretty good. Your primary goal on each stage is to fuse all of the balls together without destroying any of them, a task made quite challenging through a combination of devious obstacles and the fact that you are controlling all of the balls at the same time. Balls of different colors will have different abilities, and you’ll need to use your wits and skills to pull off what you need to. There are sometimes extra crowns to try to collect, which will open up extra stages. The game also keeps track of your time and presents a target for each stage to try to beat.
Be warned: Kombinera is quite tough. It starts getting demanding fairly early on, and figuring out the trick to each stage and successfully pulling it off aren’t an easy matter even in the initial set of stages. Simply reaching the end is an effort in and of itself, and trying to complete all of the various additional objectives, target times, and achievements will take a lot of practice and patience. There are three hundred levels in all, making for a monster-sized puzzler. If that all sounds good to you, then you may enjoy this game at least as much as I did.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Slipstream ($9.99)
If you can only buy one Out Run-style game on Switch, it should be SEGA AGES Out Run. If you can only buy two Out Run-style games on Switch, that second one should be Horizon Chase Turbo. But if you have room in your heart for a third, it should absolutely be Slipstream. This is a fun, colorful, surprisingly full-featured racing game at a very reasonable price. You’ll drive through various locations, racing against rivals, drifting around corners, and catching some extra speed by taking advantage of the slipstream. The Super Scaler-like visuals certainly bring bags of nostalgia with them, and the synth soundtrack holds up its end of things as well.
Slipstream has a lot to offer fans of SEGA’s old Super Scaler arcade games. It’s not shy about its source of inspiration, but it is dutiful in doing justice to that game. There are a variety of modes to play and sights to see. You can even play with friends in local multiplayer. Just be aware that the game plays like something from the time and place it pays homage to, so you very much have to take it on its own terms mechanically. Perhaps the biggest problem is that it never really manages to escape being one big reference and become its own thing. Even with that in mind, arcade racing fans likely won’t regret picking it up.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Double Shot Gals ($4.99)
This is a lewd arcade shooter of sorts where you need to blast the gems and blocks in order to… I think free the different women from a cursed carnival of some kind? There are five different ladies, and they’ll basically get more naked as you go along. Seems like one of those things that is less about the gameplay and more about filling out a gallery, but there’s clearly a market for these experiences.
Axolotl ($6.99)
I see they fixed the inconsistencies in the eShop description. The title graphic originally showed a pink elephant who has since been deleted, and the description itself referred to becoming a “magnificent elephant" but now correctly calls it an axolotl. Anyway, this is a platformer with the main gimmick being that your axolotl will dry out as you play. You need to make it to sources of water to cool off before you get too hot. Big five dollar Switch platformer energy, priced a little higher than five dollars, currently on sale for a lot less. Do what you will.
Chess Cartoons ($5.99)
Benjamin Kistler describes this as a “hilarious game of chess", and I feel like I’ve learned more about his sense of humor than I ever wanted to. This is just a basic chess game with three levels of CPU difficulty and a local two-player mode. The cartoon bit in title comes from the chess pieces in the menus being dressed up like Mr. Potato Heads or something. It’s extremely likely this is a template flip of some sort, but I can’t be bothered to go looking anymore.
Micro Stunt Machina ($4.99)
More Pix Arts junk, and almost certainly an Android template flip due to it requiring touch controls and therefore handheld mode-only. Kind of a puzzle racer where you have to get your makeshift vehicles through eighty levels’ worth of tracks set in household environments.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Lots of stuff in the inbox. While a good chunk of it is the usual suspects, there are few worth paying attention to. Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition is on sale for the first time, and those who like SEGA and Picross will love it. The House in Fata Morgana is on sale again, and it’s never a bad time to pick that up and give it a play. The outbox is a good bit smaller, but I don’t see anything in particular I want to highlight there. Have a look through both lists as always.
Select New Games on Sale
Kingdom Rush Origins ($10.49 from $14.99 until 4/12)
City Driving Simulator ($6.99 from $13.99 until 4/15)
Car Driving School Sim ($7.99 from $15.99 until 4/15)
Carnage: Battle Arena ($7.99 from $15.99 until 4/15)
4×4 Dirt Track ($6.99 from $13.99 until 4/15)
World War Z ($24.79 from $39.99 until 4/15)
The Legend of Tianding ($13.39 from $19.99 until 4/16)
The Last Survey ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/16)
Lamentum ($9.59 from $15.99 until 4/16)
Yuppie Psycho: EE ($6.66 from $16.66 until 4/16)
Superhot ($12.49 from $24.99 until 4/17)
Gibbous: A Cthulhu Adventure ($4.99 from $19.99 until 4/17)
Mortal Kombat 11 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 4/18)
Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath ($11.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes ($19.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/18)
LEGO DC Super-Villains ($8.99 from $59.99 until 4/18)
LEGO Ninjago Movie Game ($7.49 from $49.99 until 4/18)
The LEGO Movie 2 Game ($5.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
LEGO City Undercover ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/18)
LEGO The Incredibles ($8.99 from $59.99 until 4/18)
LEGO Jurassic World ($7.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
LEGO Worlds ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/18)
Scribblenauts Mega Pack ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/18)
Scribblenauts Showdown ($3.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
Cars 3 Driven to Win ($5.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
FIFA 22 Legacy Edition ($19.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
Burnout Paradise Remastered ($9.89 from $29.99 until 4/18)
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ($9.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
Knockout City ($8.99 from $19.99 until 4/18)
Knockout City Deluxe Edition ($13.49 from $29.99 until 4/18)
Plants Vs Zombies BfN Complete ($9.99 from $39.99 until 4/18)
Unravel Two ($7.39 from $19.99 until 4/18)
Lost in Random ($14.99 from $29.99 until 4/18)
Kings of Paradise ($17.49 from $24.99 until 4/18)
Her Love in the Force ($17.49 from $24.99 until 4/18)
Scandal in the Spotlight ($17.49 from $24.99 until 4/18)
Don’t Be Afraid ($5.99 from $9.99 until 4/18)
eCrossminton ($3.74 from $14.99 until 4/18)
Guards ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/19)
GTA The Trilogy Definitive ($39.99 from $59.99 until 4/19)
The Outer Worlds ($23.99 from $59.99 until 4/19)
BioShock Infinite CE ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/19)
BioShock The Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/19)
OlliOlli World Rad Edition ($35.99 from $44.99 until 4/19)
Sid Meier’s Civ VI Platinum ($14.99 from $49.99 until 4/19)
NBA 2K22 75th Anniversary ($32.99 from $99.99 until 4/19)
WWE 2K18 Deluxe ($26.99 from $89.99 until 4/19)
Borderlands Legendary Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/19)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Deluxe ($19.99 from $49.99 until 4/19)
PGA Tour 2K21 Deluxe ($17.49 from $69.99 until 4/19)
XCOM 2 Collection ($9.99 from $49.99 until 4/19)
Pode ($12.49 from $24.99 until 4/19)
Barrier X ($1.99 from $2.99 until 4/20)
Breathedge ($12.49 from $24.99 until 4/20)
12 is Better Than 6 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/20)
Police Stories ($2.99 from $14.99 until 4/20)
Black Book ($14.99 from $24.99 until 4/20)
Tunche ($13.99 from $19.99 until 4/20)
Standby ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/20)
SpongeBob Krusty Cook-Off ($4.94 from $14.99 until 4/20)
Picross S Genesis & MS Edition ($7.99 from $9.99 until 4/22)
Azurebreak Heroes ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/22)
Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker ($2.44 from $3.49 until 4/22)
Greedroid ($8.40 from $12.00 until 4/22)
The House in Fata Morgana DotR ($29.99 from $39.99 until 4/23)
Save Me Mr Tako DE ($11.24 from $14.99 until 4/23)
Night Trap 25th Anniversary ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/23)
Double Switch 25th Anniversary ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/23)
Revenge of the Bird King ($3.74 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Cosmic Star Heroine ($5.99 from $14.99 until 4/23)
Cthulhu Saves Christmas ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/23)
Saturday Morning RPG ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/23)
Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure ($3.74 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Dead Dust ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Pictooi ($7.49 from $9.99 until 4/23)
Die With Glory ($3.49 from $6.99 until 4/23)
Yoko & Yuki: Dr Rat’s Revenge ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Boom Blaster ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Caves and Castles Underworld ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/23)
Glittering Sword ($2.49 from $4.99 until 4/23)
CATTCH ($3.49 from $6.99 until 4/23)
Instant Farmer ($1.99 from $2.99 until 4/23)
Hotel Transylvania 3 MO ($11.99 from $29.99 until 4/25)
Transformers Battlegrounds ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
Transformers Battlegrounds CE ($22.49 from $29.99 until 4/25)
Jumanji the Video Game ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
Gigantosaurus The Game ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
Ben 10 ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
Ben 10 Power Trip ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
PAW Patrol On a Roll ($14.99 from $19.99 until 4/25)
PAW Patrol the Movie ACC ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
PAW Patrol Mighty Pups SAB ($19.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Adventure Time: Pirates ($15.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Fast & Furious Spy Racers RoS ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Last Kids on Earth & tSoD ($23.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
DreamWorks Dragons DoNR ($15.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
DreamWorks Spirit LBA ($23.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Zoids Wild Blast Unleashed ($15.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Crayola Scoot ($5.99 from $29.99 until 4/25)
My Friend Peppa Pig ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
PJ Masks Heroes of the Night ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Blaze & the Monster Machines ACR ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
The Addams Family Mansion Mayhem ($27.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Trollhunters DoA ($15.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Ice Age Scrat’s Nutty Adv. ($15.99 from $39.99 until 4/25)
Collapsed ($5.25 from $15.00 until 4/28)
Save Koch ($2.00 from $20.00 until 4/28)
Astro Bears ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/29)
Death Squared ($2.24 from $14.99 until 4/29)
Classic Solitaire ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/29)
Highway Haste ($7.99 from $19.99 until 4/29)
Truck Simulator ($6.99 from $13.99 until 4/29)
Construction Site Driver ($6.99 from $13.99 until 4/29)
Empire Invasion ($5.19 from $12.99 until 4/29)
City Stunt Driver ($6.49 from $12.99 until 4/29)
Party Games 15 in 1 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/29)
Classic Pool ($1.99 from $7.99 until 4/29)
Worm Run ($2.39 from $2.99 until 4/30)
Axlotl ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/30)
Alteric ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/30)
Spiral Splatter ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/30)
Energy Cycle Edge ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/30)
Save the Ninja Clan ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/30)
Where Are My Friends? ($2.39 from $5.99 until 4/30)
Arietta of Spirits ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Ghosts & Apples ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/30)
Flip Over Frog ($1.99 from $7.50 until 4/30)
Sky Ride ($1.99 from $7.00 until 4/30)
Goonya Fighter ($11.59 from $14.49 until 4/30)
Surgeon Simulator CPR ($5.19 from $12.99 until 5/1)
.cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/1)
Cattails ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/1)
Dungeonoid ($2.09 from $6.99 until 5/1)
#pinocchio, Super Puzzles Dream ($2.39 from $5.99 until 5/1)
Burn! SuperTrucks ($1.99 from $7.99 until 5/1)
FootGoal! Tiki Taka ($1.99 from $4.99 until 5/1)
Halloween Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/1)
Werewolf Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/1)
Mummy Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/1)
Pirates Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 5/1)
Sports Pinball Bundle ($2.69 from $8.99 until 5/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 12th
Agent A: Puzzle in Disguise ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Aragami: Shadow Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 4/12)
Bridge Strike ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/12)
Buck Bradley Comic Adv. ($1.99 from $6.99 until 4/12)
Cast of the Seven Godsends ($2.59 from $12.99 until 4/12)
Circa Infinity UE ($1.99 from $10.99 until 4/12)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/12)
Cop Car Police Sim Chase ($2.24 from $14.99 until 4/12)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/12)
Down in Bermuda ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Dry Drowning ($9.99 from $24.99 until 4/12)
Embracelet ($3.59 from $11.99 until 4/12)
Fly Punch Boom ($4.49 from $14.99 until 4/12)
Gem Wizards Tactics ($1.99 from $12.99 until 4/12)
Kingdom Rush Origins ($10.49 from $14.99 until 4/12)
Lacuna ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Last Encounter ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/12)
Little Bug ($1.99 from $12.99 until 4/12)
Mainlining ($2.99 from $14.99 until 4/12)
Monster Harvest ($9.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/12)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV Sim ($1.99 from $4.99 until 4/12)
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/12)
Pinball FX3 Core Collection ($3.49 from $9.99 until 4/12)
Pinball FX3 Williams Vol.4 ($3.99 from $9.99 until 4/12)
RIOT: Civil Unrest ($3.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
She Sees Red Interactive Movie ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/12)
Solo: Islands of the Heart ($3.99 from $19.99 until 4/12)
Sparklite ($7.49 from $24.99 until 4/12)
Super Mombo Quest ($10.33 from $15.90 until 4/12)
Super Street: Racer ($12.49 from $39.99 until 4/12)
The Long Reach ($2.99 from $14.99 until 4/12)
The Walking Vegetables ($2.59 from $12.99 until 4/12)
The Wild Case ($7.49 from $9.99 until 4/12)
Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure ($7.49 from $29.99 until 4/12)
Vaporum ($7.49 from $24.99 until 4/12)
Willy Morgan & Curse of Bone Town ($12.49 from $24.99 until 4/12)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, more reviews, and maybe even some news. Games like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Nobody Saves the World, and more are just on the horizon. Quite a strong week of releases ahead, all things considered. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more hidden bricks to find in LEGO Star Wars. I hope you all have a magnificent Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
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