Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for December 21st, 2021. Another quiet day today, but we do have a couple of new releases to look at. I’ve also put together a review for the rather lovely puzzle game FILMECHANISM. Aside from that, we have a whole bunch of new sales for you to consider. Yes, there are more of them. I don’t know where they’re coming from either. Well, let’s get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
FILMECHANISM ($19.99)
Ah, puzzle games. So simple, but so complex. At least, the best ones are. Give the player a mechanic that is easy enough to understand, then throw a series of challenges at them, escalating ever so gently yet steadily until they’re pulling off absurd things they never could have dreamed of at the start. If this is done well, it’s almost invisible to the player. But there are a lot of ways things can go wrong. A cool core mechanic helps. But it’s the level designs where things come together or fall apart. Too slow of a ramp-up and the players will get bored. Too fast and they may well get stuck.
FILMECHANISM gets it right. Your character is a sort of camera-creature named Rec. You can move about and jump, like any average platforming protagonist. But Rec has an extra talent: provided you’ve picked up film, you can snap an image of the screen’s current layout. Then, whenever you need to, you can restore the image that film took. Rec will stay put, but any other things you’ve moved or messed with will go back to wherever they were when you took the snapshot. At first, you’ll only be dealing with one snapshot at a time. Sure, you have to decide when to take it, but there are really only so many options.
As things start to heat up, you’ll get more film. Great power, great responsibility. As each shot can be taken and restored individually, you will find yourself with more and more possibilities for solutions. There’s no punishment for failing, save for having to restart the stage. Each world also offers you three routes to the next one, with varying levels of difficulty. Naturally, you’ll eventually want to clear them all. There are more than 200 of them, which will keep you busy for quite some time. If you do get stuck, you can unlock a series of hints using the coins you earn from beating each stage. The coins are plentiful enough and the puzzle designs ramp up fairly enough that you should be able to get hints whenever you need them.
If you enjoy puzzle platformers, you’ll have a great time with FILMECHANISM. There’s no grand story here, and its aesthetic is cute but not exactly stunning. But the gameplay is excellent, with a strong core mechanic to build puzzles around and level designs that fully deliver on that promise. It nails its difficulty curve perfectly, making it well-suited to newcomers to the genre and veterans alike. It’s just that simple.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
New Releases
Creepy Balls ($6.99)
This feels a lot like a template flip, but I can’t be sure. Anyway, it’s a handheld-only puzzle game that basically rips off Tsum Tsum‘s gameplay and dresses it up in a vaguely Halloween-ish theme. You get 60 levels to play. I would suggest downloading Disney Tsum Tsum on your mobile device of choice instead and keeping your seven bucks for delicious Snickers bars or what-have-you.
Match Three Pirates II ($9.99)
You can probably figure most of this out from the title, but whatever. Shaun needs to fill out the article a bit. It’s a match-3 puzzle game with a pirate theme! There are a bit over one hundred levels to clear, and you’ll use the coins you get from clearing stages to buy pieces to customize your pirate theme park. Pirates love making pirate theme parks, you see. Not much separating this from free-to-play stuff on mobile other than it having less content and less polish. Also, you have to pay ten bucks for it instead of nothing.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There are a bunch of Capcom games on sale, but nothing we don’t see every so often anyway. Never a bad time to stock up, of course. The discounts from Marvelous/XSEED are rarer, and there are some great games in that bunch. Yes, this is where I tell you to buy Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin again. Do it. No More Heroes is also really good. Other points of interest include sales on Thalamus games like Bezier: Second Edition, Thomas K Young games like Dadish, and more. Give a good look through the list, as there are plenty of good titles in today’s batch. Oh, and check the outbox too. Bandai Namco games get discounted often enough that you probably don’t need to get on them right now, but you may want to think about picking some of them up to help you pass your holidays anyway.
Select New Games on Sale
S.N.I.P.E.R. Hunter Scope ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/27)
WarriOrb ($2.59 from $12.99 until 12/27)
Dune Sea ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/30)
Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S ($11.20 from $14.00 until 1/3)
Alpaca Ball: Allstars ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
What The Dub?! ($5.99 from $7.99 until 1/3)
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Shinsekai Into the Depths ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Phoenix Wright: AA Trilogy ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection ($44.99 from $59.99 until 1/4)
Onimusha: Warlords ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Monster Hunter Generations Ult. ($15.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Okami HD ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man Legacy Collection ($9.99 from $14.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man Zero/ZX Collection ($19.79 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Mega Man 11 ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil ($12.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil 0 ($12.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil 4 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil 5 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil 6 ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil Revelations ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Resident Evil Revelations 2 ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
No More Heroes ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
No More Heroes 2: DS ($14.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Sakuna: Of Rice & Ruin ($23.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Can Androids Pray:Blue ($2.79 from $6.99 until 1/4)
Heroland ($8.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Senran Kagura Reflexions ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/4)
Senran Kagura Peach Ball ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Fate/EXTELLA The Umbral Star ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Fate/EXTELLA Link ($24.99 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Story of Seasons: FoMT ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Story of Seasons: PoOT ($29.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Cloudbase Prime ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/4)
Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle ($29.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Knockout Home Fitness ($29.99 from $39.99 until 1/4)
Henchman Story ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/4)
Gal Metal ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Akiba’s Trip: H&D ($19.49 from $29.99 until 1/4)
Freedom Finger ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/4)
BurgerTime Party! ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Freedom Planet ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/4)
Corpse Party ($17.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Corpse Party: Blood Drive ($11.99 from $19.99 until 1/4)
Forest Guardian ($3.49 from $10.99 until 1/4)
#DRIVE ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/4)
GUNKID 99 ($2.99 from $6.99 until 1/4)
Sheepo ($4.99 from $10.99 until 1/4)
Potion Party ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/4)
Merrily Perilly ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Double Pug Switch ($2.19 from $5.49 until 1/4)
Into A Dream ($4.99 from $13.99 until 1/4)
Aperion Cyberstorm ($4.39 from $10.99 until 1/4)
Big Dipper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 1/4)
Lynn, The Girl Drawn on Puzzles ($7.19 from $7.99 until 1/6)
The Legend of Tianding ($15.99 from $19.99 until 1/6)
Unavowed ($10.49 from $14.99 until 1/6)
Beast Breaker ($7.50 from $15.00 until 1/7)
Keep Talking & No One Explodes ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/7)
Dadish ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Dadish 2 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Super Fowlst ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/9)
Super Fowlst 2 ($2.00 from $10.00 until 1/9)
Apparition ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/10)
Street Basketball ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/10)
Moorhuhn Remake ($5.59 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Moorhuhn Kart 2 ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/10)
Death Ray Manta SE ($2.00 from $10.00 until 1/10)
Bezier: Second Edition ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/10)
Lumo ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/10)
Cecconoid ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/10)
10 Second Ninja X ($1.99 from $11.99 until 1/10)
Destructivator SE ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
LOVE: A Puzzle Box ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/10)
Guns of Mercy: Rangers Edition ($2.69 from $8.99 until 1/10)
Finding Teddy 2: DE ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/10)
Food Truck Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
Pancake Bar Tycoon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
Frontier Quest ($9.59 from $11.99 until 1/10)
Cooking Tycoons 3 in 1 ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/10)
Elemental Knights R ($2.00 from $8.64 until 1/10)
Bring Them Home ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
Classic Games Collection Vol 1 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
2048 Battles ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/10)
Fatum Betula ($2.99 from $5.49 until 1/10)
Freecell Solitaire Deluxe ($1.99 from $8.99 until 1/10)
Must Dash Amigos ($1.99 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Super Trench Attack ($2.40 from $8.00 until 1/10)
Match Three Pirates II ($7.49 from $9.99 until 1/10)
Shmup Collection ($4.49 from $14.99 until 1/10)
Gigantic Army ($2.69 from $8.99 until 1/10)
Wolflame ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Satazius Next ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Armed 7 DX ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Rogue Aces ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/10)
Finn & the Ancient Mystery ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
Elli ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/10)
The Lost Light of Sisu ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/10)
UNI ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
Summer in Mara ($9.99 from $24.99 until 1/10)
Zombie’s Cool ($1.99 from $3.99 until 1/10)
Ellipsis ($1.99 from $4.99 until 1/10)
Uncharted Tides: Port Royal ($2.09 from $14.99 until 1/10)
Persian Nights 2: TMV ($2.09 from $14.99 until 1/10)
Paratopic ($1.99 from $5.49 until 1/10)
Zombie Scrapper ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
Spellkeeper ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/10)
Creepy Balls ($3.99 from $6.99 until 1/10)
Abyss ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
99Seconds ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
99Moves ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
Darts Up ($1.99 from $2.99 until 1/10)
Hocus 2 ($3.74 from $4.99 until 1/13)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 22nd
#RaceDieRun ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Active Life Outdoor Challenge ($29.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Adverse ($2.03 from $5.99 until 12/22)
Akuto: Showdown ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Arcane Arts Academy ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Badland: GotY Edition ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/22)
Barbarous: Tavern of Emyr ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Beautiful Desolation ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
BIT.TRIP Series, Assorted ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/22)
BRAWL ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Captain Tsubasa: RoNC ($19.79 from $59.99 until 12/22)
CHOP ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Coffee Crisis ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Deadlings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/22)
Death’s Hangover ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/22)
Deployment ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Dex ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth CE ($14.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival ($19.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Door Kickers ($3.99 from $11.99 until 12/22)
Doraemon Story of Seasons ($12.49 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Dragon Ball FighterZ ($9.59 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($7.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot ($35.99 from $59.99 until 12/22)
DungeonTop ($3.99 from $13.99 until 12/22)
Epistory: Typing Chronicles ($5.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
EQQO ($1.99 from $5.99 until 12/22)
Escape Doodland ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Fort Triumph ($11.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Geki Yaba Runner AE ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/22)
God Eater 3 ($9.59 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Golf Club Wasteland ($7.49 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Good Night, Knight ($4.79 from $11.99 until 12/22)
Gravity Rider Zero ($1.99 from $6.99 until 12/22)
HyperParasite ($1.99 from $17.99 until 12/22)
It Came From Space & Ate Brains ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Journey of the Broken Circle ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Jump Force: DE ($12.49 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Katamari Damacy Reroll ($7.49 from $29.99 until 12/22)
Koloro ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($4.99 from $12.99 until 12/22)
Little Nightmares CE ($7.49 from $29.99 until 12/22)
Little Nightmares II ($20.09 from $29.99 until 12/22)
Little Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Love Colors ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/22)
Lydia ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/22)
Metamorphosis ($7.49 from $24.99 until 12/22)
Mini Trains ($1.99 from $5.99 until 12/22)
Mr Driller DrillLand ($7.49 from $29.99 until 12/22)
My Hero One’s Justice ($9.59 from $59.99 until 12/22)
My Hero One’s Justice 2 ($20.99 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Mythic Ocean ($8.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Namco Museum ($7.49 from $29.99 until 12/22)
Namco Museum Archives Vol 1 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Namco Museum Archives Vol 2 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy ($15.99 from $39.99 until 12/22)
Ni no Kuni II: RK PE ($41.99 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Ni no Kuni: WotWW ($9.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 DE ($6.39 from $39.99 until 12/22)
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 ($17.99 from $59.99 until 12/22)
One Piece: Unlimited World Red DE ($6.39 from $39.99 until 12/22)
One Strike ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/22)
Pac-Man CE 2 Plus ($5.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
RAD ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Rimelands: Hammer of Thor ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Rune Factory 4 Special ($23.99 from $29.99 until 12/22)
Space Cows ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Super Dragon Ball Heroes WM ($8.99 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Super Hero Fight Club: Reloaded ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Sword Art Online FB Complete ($9.59 from $59.99 until 12/22)
Sword Art Online HR Deluxe ($7.49 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Taiko no Tatsujin Drum n Fun ($9.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Taiko no Tatsujin Rhythmic Adv. ($24.99 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Tales of Vesperia DE ($12.49 from $49.99 until 12/22)
Tharsis ($2.99 from $11.99 until 12/22)
The Hong Kong Massacre ($9.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
The Red Lantern ($19.99 from $24.99 until 12/22)
Timothy & the Mysterious Forest ($3.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Tiny Lands ($2.99 from $5.99 until 12/22)
Tools Up! ($2.99 from $19.99 until 12/22)
Unit 4 ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Urban Trial Playground ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Urban Trial Tricky ($1.99 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Utopia 9: A Volatile Vacation ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Welcome to Primrose Lake ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/22)
Wind Peaks ($7.49 from $14.99 until 12/22)
Wondershot ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
Wreckin’ Ball Adventure ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/22)
Zombie Blast Crew ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/22)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a few new releases to look at, and they appear to be a little better than today’s. Not fabulously better, but we’re four days from Christmas. No one is going to be bringing the heat this week. I’m sure we’ll somehow have more sales to check out, and if there is any interesting news I’ll have that too. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!