Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for June 6, 2023. We’ve got a little bit of everything for you today. Some news came in last night, for starters. I have a full size Atlus review Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection for you, and there are some new releases worth checking out. We finish as always with the new sales lists and their validity. Let’s get this show on the road!
news
A selection of new retro games are available on Nintendo Switch Online
Sometimes Nintendo gives advance notice when new games are going to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online retro game apps, and sometimes it just drops them on the spot. Today was the last one, and it’s quite a bumper crop. In the NES app, we have a freshly translated Namco version Tower of Babelnow goes under the name The Mystery Tower. In the Super NES app, it’s the classic Natsume harvest moon. It’s been in the Japanese app since last year, so it’s nice to see its English version available for fans in the West. Finally, the Game Boy app has two new offerings. Sunsoft’s Game Boy Color Blaster Master remake, Blaster Master: Enemy Belowis an interesting version of the classic game. Kirby’s Tilt and Dumber Originally you used a gyro sensor, which made you tilt your Game Boy to move the little puffer. And hey, it works like that here too! All of these games are pretty good, and all you need is the basic Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play them. So go, update and play!
reviews and mini views
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection ($79.99)
I love you Atrean Odyssey games I picked up the first one the week it was released on a whim, having not enjoyed a first-person dungeon crawler RPG in quite some time. I picked it up because I was in love with new gimmicks at the time, and the idea of drawing my own maps was extremely compelling. The visual design was appealing, and Yuzu Koshiro’s music was just as great as I expected it to be. at its core Atrean Odyssey It’s a great dungeon game, and one I can ramble on about at length. Part of this is indeed the map-making gimmick, which gives the player some ongoing ownership even if they keep dying and being sent back to their last save. The Nintendo DS has had many games that used its unique features in important ways, and this series is definitely among the best of the bunch.
The move to the Nintendo 3DS didn’t affect any of this, as it shared the two screens and touch feature of its predecessor. The series has continued to thrive on this platform, with three huge entries, two remakes and two spin-offs released. It looks like Atlus’ biggest franchise success outside of the MegaTen series, and the only thing that could stop it was if Nintendo’s next handheld gave up the second screen. Ah. Well, it’s embarrassing. To be honest I was just expecting Atlas to quit making the map and try to do it anyway, but the years have passed and nothing has come. Finally a message! The first three games, all beautifully remastered, come to the Switch a la carte or in one bundle. Not only does the series continue, but there is a new option to play the original games besides the now expensive DS carts. But how will the mapping work?
Well, there are a few things to say here. First, I don’t think there was a better way to implement the feature given the features of the Switch. Second, it’s just not as intuitive or fun as mapping on the Nintendo DS. Having the map always visible on the bottom screen while you walked around and fought on the top, a stylus tucked between the fingers of your chosen hand, ready to slide out at a moment’s notice to draw some walls or paint some floors, is just not something that can be replicated here, especially if you’re not playing in handheld mode . Indeed, I expect many people will simply give up on the process and let the game’s new auto-mapping features handle most of the work. OK, next question: Are these games still fun despite this?
The answer, of course, is yes. If you got into this series with the 3DS games, you might find the first two games to be a bit lackluster and unfriendly at times, but all three games are solid RPGs that will offer you dozens of hours of dungeon exploration. If you’re only going to get one, Atrean Odyssey III offers the most refined and complete experience of the original trilogy, but I’ll take the first two games over the weak any day even with their rough edges. The first game in particular includes a masterful number of stories in light.
If you find that the games default difficulty isn’t for you, there are some new options to take advantage of. The visuals are crisp as hell now, the frame rate is better than it was on the Nintendo DS, and the newly remastered soundtrack is outstanding. The new font… well, is it better than the font in the original version of the first game? All the mapping stuff aside, these are fine updates of the Nintendo DS games that, for better or worse, present them much more faithfully than the 3DS Untold games. And as I already said, I think they did their best with the mapping.
Provided you enjoy old-school turn-based RPGs, pure value for money Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection Hard to beat. If you’re only looking for one, then the third is probably your best bet. While I still think the real experience is best found on the Nintendo DS, these remakes are a good alternative for those who don’t want to dig out twenty-year-old hardware and some absurdly expensive second-hand games. I hope this lays the groundwork for a new game in the series, as revisiting those games has whetted my appetite for more adventures.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New releases
Loop8: Summer of Gods ($49.99)
A coming-of-age RPG set in rural 1980s Japan, featuring a time travel trick? Sign me up! Or that’s what I am was Tell me if this game was better. Unfortunately, it’s more tedious than interesting. The dialogue is exaggerated and boring. The fight is completely uninspired. It just doesn’t deliver on any of its promises. And I’m not the only one who seems to think so, as this game is getting some pretty nasty review scores across the board. I’m not going to tell you No play it, but you can’t say you weren’t warned.
Raiden III x Mikado Maniax ($29.99)
First, we had Raiden V on Switch. Then, the source Raiden. After this, Raiden IV. We are here everywhere, but now we have Raiden III. It was the first game developed after original publisher Seibu Kaihatsu went kaboom, and was instead created by MOSS, a developer that included members of the original Raiden Group. Given its time and place, you can understand why it shoots a little conservative, and its practical nature will either be comfort food for you or a little too bland. This version improves the graphics and adds a bunch of extras to help sweeten the deal, at least. I will have a review on it soon.
Dream Trail ($4.99)
Want to go on a virtual trip? Have you played the dozen other travel games from Ultimate Games yet? Here’s another one. I keep wondering where the breaking point would be for these. I guess we’ll check in after a week or so when the next one comes out.
Sales
(North American e-store, US prices)
A big Capcom sale is out, and it’s a lot of the usual stuff. Some highlights include new low prices for Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy CollectionAnd the Capcom Arcade Stadium DLC packs. Not too much outside of that, but I’ll let you walk around and see what appeals to you. Check out these lists!
Choose new games on sale
root ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/12)
Pocket Dungeon Shovel Knight ($9.99 from $19.99 through 6/13)
soccer kicks ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/19)
Chess balls ($1.99 from $2.99 until 6/19)
Collecting a suicidal guy ($1.99 from $10.99 until 6/24)
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate ($11.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Rise of the Monster Hunter ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Monster Hunter Rise Deluxe ($24.99 from $49.99 until 6/26)
Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak ($29.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak ($39.99 from $59.99 until 6/26)
Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Deluxe ($49.99 from $69.99 until 6/26)
Monster hunter stories 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Monster Hunter Stories 2 Deluxe ($24.99 from $49.99 until 6/26)
Dragon pattern: Apple is rising ($4.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Shinsekai into the depths ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
The devil never cries ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Devil May Cry 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Devil May Cry 3 SE ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Onimusha Warlords ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Ghosts n Goblins Resurrection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Okami HD ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man 11 ($9.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $14.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection ($9.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Phoenix Wright AA Trilogy ($9.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Chronicles of Ace’s Grand Prosecution ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection ($24.99 from $59.99 until 6/26)
Capcom Arcade Stadium Packs 1+2+3 ($15.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Bundle ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Capcom Fighting Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
30 years of Street Fighter ($9.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Capcom fighting bundle ($24.99 from $59.99 until 6/26)
Ultra Street Fighter II TFC ($19.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil 0 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
The enemy within 5 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
The enemy within 6 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil 2 Cloud ($29.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil 3 Cloud ($19.99 from $29.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil 7 Cloud ($29.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Resident Evil Village Cloud ($29.99 from $39.99 until 6/26)
Cyjin The Cyborg Ninja ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/26)
The magic of Steve Jackson ($12.49 from $24.99 until 6/26)
The Solitaire Conspiracy ($2.39 from $11.99 until 6/26)
Thomas was alone ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/26)
Here are the Kickmen ($1.99 from $3.99 until 6/26)
Sales end tomorrow, Wednesday, June 7th
Line area: cross wave ($14.99 from $49.99 through 6/7)
Choices that matter ATWL ($1.99 from $5.99 through 6/7)
Elections that matter ATSWE ($1.99 from $5.99 through 6/7)
Elections that matter ATSWO ($1.99 from $5.99 through 6/7)
Death end re;Quest 2 ($14.99 from $49.99 through 6/7)
Dusk Diver 2 ($34.99 from $49.99 through 6/7)
for The Warp ($4.87 from $17.99 through 6/7)
Here’s to being dragons ($4.49 from $17.99 through 6/7)
Mary Skelter 2 ($9.99 from $39.99 until 6/7)
Megadimension Neptunia VII ($8.99 from $29.99 through 6/7)
Redemption reapers ($29.99 from $49.99 until 6/7)
Super Neptunia RPG ($7.99 from $39.99 until 6/7)
The Story Table: The Crooked Crown ($5.99 from $19.99 until 6/7)
to be or not to be ($2.09 from $6.99 through 6/7)
The Warlock of Firetop Mountain ($2.99 from $29.99 through 6/7)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and maybe some news or reviews depending on a variety of factors, not the least of which is Jupiter’s position relative to Neptune. or something. I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
.