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Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 11th, 2024. In today’s article, we’ve got the nicest bunch of new releases we’ve seen in a little while. Ace Combat 7! Muv-Luv! Princess Maker 2! Parasol Stars! Tinkle Pit? We summarize all that is worth summarizing, then roll on over to the usual lists of new and expiring sales for the day. Let’s get to the games!
Oh hey, an actual recent-ish Namco game on Switch that isn’t licensed fare. That doesn’t happen often. This is a port of the rather excellent 2019 game that released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. I’m not sure how well it has made the transition, but I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. But yes, if you’re looking for fighter jet combat and plenty of dramatic storytelling, you can’t really go wrong with the Ace Combat games.
All the Muvs, all the Luvs. This gets you the whole Muv-Luv saga in all its bonkers glory in one nice package. This visual novel series starts as a rather generic rom-com but ends up being something quite different and a lot more interesting halfway through the first included game here. The games are also available separately, but really, you’ll want the whole thing if you’re getting any of it. This is a much beloved part of the visual novel canon, and it’s well-worth digging into if you enjoy this genre and somehow haven’t played it yet.
It’s the third game in the Bubble Bobble series! No, not that one. No, not that one either. The other third one! The one on TurboGrafx-16! With the umbrellas! It’s a good game. I think it’s better than Rainbow Islands, but not so good as Bubble Bobble. An entire continent disagrees with me. Well, now you can find out yourself. It’s a pretty typical Ratalaika wrapper release, but some work has been done to make it feel a little less like a plain brown paper bag. I’ll be reviewing this one soon, but if you already know how you feel about Parasol Stars, you can probably work out the rest of the equation on your own.
A remake of the popular child-raising simulation game from 1993. This one is based on the 2004 Refine release, with some visuals redrawn by Takami Akai here and there to clean things up. It also has a new opening animation done by Yonago-Gainax, so that’s nice. At its core, however, this is still the classic game that captured the attention of many players back in the day. Do your best to raise your daughter so that she’ll grow up to be a fine, upstanding, happy adult. Do it badly and… well, a lot can go wrong. I’ll be reviewing this soon as well, so look forward to that if you want more details.
Wow! Popful Mail! I imagine most of us in the English-speaking world know this game through its SEGA-CD incarnation if at all, and sadly I have to ask you to slow the train down if you’ve just seen the words “Popful Mail" and are running to the shop. Like other EGGCONSOLE releases, the in-game text here is just as it was in the original Japanese release, which is to say that it is in Japanese. And there is a fair bit of text here. This is also the original PC-8801 version of the game, and the SEGA-CD version was more of an enhanced port that had a lot of features you won’t find here. I’ll be reviewing it early next week to let you know the fully skinny, but if you can’t read Japanese, carefully consider before buying.
Here’s a nice obscurity. In 1993, Namco released this game as a celebration of sorts of the company’s history in video games. It’s a maze game where you’re trying to defeat the enemies, and you do that by… okay, do you know those vacuum cleaners with the retractable cords? You step on the button and whoosh, the cord comes flying in at the speed of sound? Imagine a game where you attack enemies with that, and that’s Tinkle Pit. It’s a lot of fun, and also the name has had me giggling for about thirty years now.
You know, when I think of MAGES, I tend to think of visual novels. Not grindy action-RPG beat ’em ups, for sure. But that’s more or less what this is. It’s been out on PC for a few years, and I would characterize the general reception to it as “meh". Since it is MAGES, you at least get a half-decent story to go with the action. Not really enough to save it, but it’s something.
One of those slightly spooky mystery adventure games. You’re a child wandering around a distorted, dream-like version of his house. Talk to various characters, collect items, solve puzzles, and explore. Try to find out what’s really going on, if you think you can handle the truth. Jack Nicholson thinks you can’t. Prove him wrong.
We’ve seen a few kinds of brewing sims over the years, and here’s one dedicated to the practice of making moonshine. A little extra spice, since it’s technically not legal and all. Build your base, make your moonshine with your recipes of choice, and so on. The reviews for it over on PC are a bit soft, but I imagine if you have a sufficient interest in the topic you’ll likely be able to overlook some flaws.
This is a turn-based puzzle game with seventy-eight levels to play through and two different characters to use. It’s alright, but it does feel more like a five-dollar game than a ten-dollar one. I leave it up to you and your wallet.
A rather affordable visual novel with multiple endings and some choices to make along the way. The story sees the main character moving from a big city to a small town, getting swept up in all manner of drama almost immediately. I’d put that seven bucks towards Muv-Luv as far as visual novels go today, but you do you.
If you dig digging games, you might dig Gluck. You’re trying to restore the water supply by exploring the underground, but in order to do that you have to pose as a miner. And that means doing actual mining work, collecting and selling ores to upgrade your equipment, allowing you to progress farther. We’ve seen plenty of games like this, but not so many that one more isn’t welcome.
Continuing the festival theme of its recent releases, SAT-BOX today has a shooting gallery game for up to four players. It is very firmly in the mini-game camp, so don’t expect much longevity or variety out of it. For a fiver it might be some good quick fun for gaming parties, though.
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There’s a big indie game sale going on in Japan right now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some spill-over from that by the time I talk to you again. For now, we have a nice little list with things like Ender Lilies, Rainbow Moon, and Golazo! 2 on it. There’s also a really big list for the outbox, and I imagine you’ll want to go through that just to be on the safe side. Do that thing we do!
Select New Sales
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights ($10.49 from $24.99 until 7/24)
Thunder Ray: Origins ($9.99 from $19.98 until 7/25)
Golazo 2 ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Electronics Puzzle Lab ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
My Incubi Harem ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Master Maker 3D Ultimate ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Sunny Cafe ($9.89 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Synthetic Lover ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Another World Mahjong Girl ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
RunBeat Galactic ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Sea Horizon ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Rainbow Moon ($9.89 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Sophia the Traveler ($7.19 from $8.99 until 7/29)
Terraformers ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Terraformers New Frontiers ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, July 12th
Abarenbo Tengu & Zombie Nation ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/12)
Akai Katana Shin ($23.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Blaster Master Zero 3 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Clea ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Clea 2 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Corbid! A Colorful Adventure ($7.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
CosmoPlayerZ ($7.69 from $10.99 until 7/12)
Deathsmiles I-II ($27.99 from $39.99 until 7/12)
Demon Turf ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Doomsday Hunters ($10.79 from $17.99 until 7/12)
Dorfromantik ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Dragon Blaze ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Elderand ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Erra: Exordium ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Final Exerion ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Football Manager 2024 Touch ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/12)
Gal Guardians Demon Purge ($13.74 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Grabitoons ($5.59 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Gunbird2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Gunvolt Records Cychronicle ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/12)
GyroGunner ($5.76 from $7.20 until 7/12)
Hades ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Hell Blasters ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Jorel’s Brother & TMIGitG Complete ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Later Alligator ($4.49 from $17.99 until 7/12)
Layer Section/Galactic Attack S-Tribute ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Little Kitty, Big City ($19.99 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Luminous Avenger iX 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Manitas Kitchen ($9.09 from $12.99 until 7/12)
Master Key ($10.00 from $12.50 until 7/12)
Megaton Musashi W: Wired ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/12)
Moon Dancer ($13.29 from $18.99 until 7/12)
Neko Journey ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Notebook Artillery ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/12)
Pretty Girls Rivers ($2.39 from $5.99 until 7/12)
PuzzMiX ($3.19 from $3.99 until 7/12)
Redemption Reapers ($21.59 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Retro City Rampage ($4.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Saga of the Moon Priestess ($3.89 from $5.99 until 7/12)
Samurai Aces III: Sengoku Cannon ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Shakedown Hawaii ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Space Mercenary Defense Force ($3.74 from $4.99 until 7/12)
Star Gagnant ($22.80 from $38.00 until 7/12)
Strikers 1945 III ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Surmount ($10.04 from $14.99 until 7/12)
The Battle of Polytopia ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
The Kids We Were ($7.99 from $15.99 until 7/12)
The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
TOEM ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Treachery in Beatdown City: Ultra ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love ($2.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Viviette ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
We Know the Devil ($1.99 from $6.66 until 7/12)
Witch Explorer ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Yohane the Parhelion BitD ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Yonesawara Hospital ($9.00 from $18.00 until 7/12)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, plus whatever sales and major news items roll in over the course of the day. I’ve been playing more Breath of Fire recently. Just in the right mood for it. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
Select New Releases
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition ($59.99)
Oh hey, an actual recent-ish Namco game on Switch that isn’t licensed fare. That doesn’t happen often. This is a port of the rather excellent 2019 game that released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. I’m not sure how well it has made the transition, but I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. But yes, if you’re looking for fighter jet combat and plenty of dramatic storytelling, you can’t really go wrong with the Ace Combat games.
Muv-Luv/Muv-Luv Alternative Remastered Double Pack ($64.99)
All the Muvs, all the Luvs. This gets you the whole Muv-Luv saga in all its bonkers glory in one nice package. This visual novel series starts as a rather generic rom-com but ends up being something quite different and a lot more interesting halfway through the first included game here. The games are also available separately, but really, you’ll want the whole thing if you’re getting any of it. This is a much beloved part of the visual novel canon, and it’s well-worth digging into if you enjoy this genre and somehow haven’t played it yet.
Parasol Stars – The Story of Bubble Bobble III ($9.99)
It’s the third game in the Bubble Bobble series! No, not that one. No, not that one either. The other third one! The one on TurboGrafx-16! With the umbrellas! It’s a good game. I think it’s better than Rainbow Islands, but not so good as Bubble Bobble. An entire continent disagrees with me. Well, now you can find out yourself. It’s a pretty typical Ratalaika wrapper release, but some work has been done to make it feel a little less like a plain brown paper bag. I’ll be reviewing this one soon, but if you already know how you feel about Parasol Stars, you can probably work out the rest of the equation on your own.
Princess Maker 2 Regeneration ($39.99)
A remake of the popular child-raising simulation game from 1993. This one is based on the 2004 Refine release, with some visuals redrawn by Takami Akai here and there to clean things up. It also has a new opening animation done by Yonago-Gainax, so that’s nice. At its core, however, this is still the classic game that captured the attention of many players back in the day. Do your best to raise your daughter so that she’ll grow up to be a fine, upstanding, happy adult. Do it badly and… well, a lot can go wrong. I’ll be reviewing this soon as well, so look forward to that if you want more details.
EGGCONSOLE Popful Mail PC-8801mkIISR ($6.49)
Wow! Popful Mail! I imagine most of us in the English-speaking world know this game through its SEGA-CD incarnation if at all, and sadly I have to ask you to slow the train down if you’ve just seen the words “Popful Mail" and are running to the shop. Like other EGGCONSOLE releases, the in-game text here is just as it was in the original Japanese release, which is to say that it is in Japanese. And there is a fair bit of text here. This is also the original PC-8801 version of the game, and the SEGA-CD version was more of an enhanced port that had a lot of features you won’t find here. I’ll be reviewing it early next week to let you know the fully skinny, but if you can’t read Japanese, carefully consider before buying.
Arcade Archives Tinkle Pit ($7.99)
Here’s a nice obscurity. In 1993, Namco released this game as a celebration of sorts of the company’s history in video games. It’s a maze game where you’re trying to defeat the enemies, and you do that by… okay, do you know those vacuum cleaners with the retractable cords? You step on the button and whoosh, the cord comes flying in at the speed of sound? Imagine a game where you attack enemies with that, and that’s Tinkle Pit. It’s a lot of fun, and also the name has had me giggling for about thirty years now.
Ogre Tale ($19.99)
You know, when I think of MAGES, I tend to think of visual novels. Not grindy action-RPG beat ’em ups, for sure. But that’s more or less what this is. It’s been out on PC for a few years, and I would characterize the general reception to it as “meh". Since it is MAGES, you at least get a half-decent story to go with the action. Not really enough to save it, but it’s something.
Night Reverie ($14.99)
One of those slightly spooky mystery adventure games. You’re a child wandering around a distorted, dream-like version of his house. Talk to various characters, collect items, solve puzzles, and explore. Try to find out what’s really going on, if you think you can handle the truth. Jack Nicholson thinks you can’t. Prove him wrong.
Moonshine Inc. ($19.99)
We’ve seen a few kinds of brewing sims over the years, and here’s one dedicated to the practice of making moonshine. A little extra spice, since it’s technically not legal and all. Build your base, make your moonshine with your recipes of choice, and so on. The reviews for it over on PC are a bit soft, but I imagine if you have a sufficient interest in the topic you’ll likely be able to overlook some flaws.
Prune & Milo ($10.49)
This is a turn-based puzzle game with seventy-eight levels to play through and two different characters to use. It’s alright, but it does feel more like a five-dollar game than a ten-dollar one. I leave it up to you and your wallet.
Sunlight Scream ($6.99)
A rather affordable visual novel with multiple endings and some choices to make along the way. The story sees the main character moving from a big city to a small town, getting swept up in all manner of drama almost immediately. I’d put that seven bucks towards Muv-Luv as far as visual novels go today, but you do you.
Gluck ($6.99)
If you dig digging games, you might dig Gluck. You’re trying to restore the water supply by exploring the underground, but in order to do that you have to pose as a miner. And that means doing actual mining work, collecting and selling ores to upgrade your equipment, allowing you to progress farther. We’ve seen plenty of games like this, but not so many that one more isn’t welcome.
Let’s Aim! Shooting Gallery ($5.00)
Continuing the festival theme of its recent releases, SAT-BOX today has a shooting gallery game for up to four players. It is very firmly in the mini-game camp, so don’t expect much longevity or variety out of it. For a fiver it might be some good quick fun for gaming parties, though.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There’s a big indie game sale going on in Japan right now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some spill-over from that by the time I talk to you again. For now, we have a nice little list with things like Ender Lilies, Rainbow Moon, and Golazo! 2 on it. There’s also a really big list for the outbox, and I imagine you’ll want to go through that just to be on the safe side. Do that thing we do!
Select New Sales
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights ($10.49 from $24.99 until 7/24)
Thunder Ray: Origins ($9.99 from $19.98 until 7/25)
Golazo 2 ($2.99 from $14.99 until 7/25)
Electronics Puzzle Lab ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
My Incubi Harem ($3.49 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Master Maker 3D Ultimate ($2.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Sunny Cafe ($9.89 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Synthetic Lover ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/26)
Another World Mahjong Girl ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/26)
RunBeat Galactic ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/26)
Sea Horizon ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Rainbow Moon ($9.89 from $14.99 until 7/26)
Sophia the Traveler ($7.19 from $8.99 until 7/29)
Terraformers ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Terraformers New Frontiers ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/1)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, July 12th
Abarenbo Tengu & Zombie Nation ($5.99 from $11.99 until 7/12)
Akai Katana Shin ($23.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Batsugun Saturn Tribute Boosted ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Blaster Master Zero 3 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Bloodstained Curse of the Moon 2 ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Clea ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Clea 2 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Corbid! A Colorful Adventure ($7.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
CosmoPlayerZ ($7.69 from $10.99 until 7/12)
Deathsmiles I-II ($27.99 from $39.99 until 7/12)
Demon Turf ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Doomsday Hunters ($10.79 from $17.99 until 7/12)
Dorfromantik ($11.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Dragon Blaze ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Elderand ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Erra: Exordium ($15.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Final Exerion ($10.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Football Manager 2024 Touch ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/12)
Gal Guardians Demon Purge ($13.74 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Grabitoons ($5.59 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Gunbird2 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/12)
Gunvolt Records Cychronicle ($11.24 from $14.99 until 7/12)
GyroGunner ($5.76 from $7.20 until 7/12)
Hades ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Hell Blasters ($3.74 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Jorel’s Brother & TMIGitG Complete ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Later Alligator ($4.49 from $17.99 until 7/12)
Layer Section/Galactic Attack S-Tribute ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Little Kitty, Big City ($19.99 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Luminous Avenger iX 2 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/12)
Manitas Kitchen ($9.09 from $12.99 until 7/12)
Master Key ($10.00 from $12.50 until 7/12)
Megaton Musashi W: Wired ($24.99 from $49.99 until 7/12)
Moon Dancer ($13.29 from $18.99 until 7/12)
Neko Journey ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Notebook Artillery ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/12)
Pretty Girls Rivers ($2.39 from $5.99 until 7/12)
PuzzMiX ($3.19 from $3.99 until 7/12)
Redemption Reapers ($21.59 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Retro City Rampage ($4.99 from $14.99 until 7/12)
Saga of the Moon Priestess ($3.89 from $5.99 until 7/12)
Samurai Aces III: Sengoku Cannon ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Shakedown Hawaii ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Space Mercenary Defense Force ($3.74 from $4.99 until 7/12)
Star Gagnant ($22.80 from $38.00 until 7/12)
Strikers 1945 III ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Surmount ($10.04 from $14.99 until 7/12)
The Battle of Polytopia ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/12)
The Kids We Were ($7.99 from $15.99 until 7/12)
The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
TOEM ($3.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Treachery in Beatdown City: Ultra ($5.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
Undead Darlings: No Cure for Love ($2.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Viviette ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/12)
We Know the Devil ($1.99 from $6.66 until 7/12)
Witch Explorer ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/12)
Yohane the Parhelion BitD ($20.99 from $29.99 until 7/12)
Yonesawara Hospital ($9.00 from $18.00 until 7/12)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases of the week, plus whatever sales and major news items roll in over the course of the day. I’ve been playing more Breath of Fire recently. Just in the right mood for it. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
![[DK]](/data/avatars/s/57/57999.jpg?1720990206){kind=avatar}
