Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for November 15th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got a few reviews for you to check out. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Gynoug, and Chess Brain are in the spotlight today. After that, we wade into the latest releases to hit the eShop. They’re… not a strong bunch, but hey, it’s a Monday. Finally, we check out the latest sales and look at which discounts are expiring. Let’s get to business!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ($14.99)
As licensed properties go, Star Wars has had a lot of luck with video games. They haven’t all been hits, but a lot of them have been. Better still, those hits have covered a relatively wide variety of genres. Even among those stronger titles, a few rise to the very top of the pack. Tie Fighter. Battlefront II. Republic Commando. And of course, Knights of the Old Republic. Developed by Bioware for the Xbox, the game offered players an excellent story and a faithful Star Wars RPG experience. Indeed, many people consider Knights of the Old Republic to be one of the best pieces of Star Wars media, full-stop.
While the game didn’t remain an Xbox exclusive for long, it has somehow remained an Xbox console exclusive up until last week. As it has done with several other Star Wars games in the past, Aspyr has ported Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to the Switch. This isn’t the company’s first rodeo with porting this game, having done so in the past for Mac OS X and iOS. Perhaps that’s the reason why this game seems to hold together a little tighter than some of Apsyr’s other Switch ports did at launch. At least in my playthrough of the game, I didn’t run into anything unexpected other than a couple of UI differences that I think a person go either way on.
So how does this eighteen-year-old game hold up? Surprisingly well, I would say. The battle system can be a little confusing if you forget you are playing an RPG, the visuals certainly show some age, and if you’re used to open world adventures you may find this game’s areas rather small. Some of the annoying minigames are still just as annoying. But get past those little things and you’re left with a rollicking Star Wars adventure full of memorable characters, interesting plot twists, and plenty of chances to show off your Light or Dark Side inclinations. This is one my favorite Star Wars stories of all-time, and even knowing what happens at every beat I can still get sucked into it.
If you’ve somehow managed to come this far without playing Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic, you’ll definitely want to dig into this. It’s a great port of an all-time classic RPG, one that handily stands the test of time. For Star Wars fans, it may well serve as the same oasis now that it did back in 2003. Even those who have played the game before may find a return trip worth embarking upon, particularly with how nicely it plays on the Switch.
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
Gynoug ($6.99)
This horizontal shoot-em-up released for the SEGA Genesis in North America back in 1991 under the title Wings of Wor. It was developed by Masaya, with many of the same people involved as Gleylancer, Target Earth, and the Langrisser games. You play as an angel warrior who needs to defeat the demons that threaten the world. In general structure, it’s about what you would expect for a shooter of its vintage. Fly through increasingly grotesque and bizarre stages, blast the heck out of enemies, avoid obstacles, pick up power-ups, defeat creepy bosses, and do your best to avoid dying.
While the gameplay lacks any particularly unique elements, the overall visual design is distinct and the rather spirited soundtrack featuring some tunes from Noriyuki Iwadare (Lunar, Grandia) certainly doesn’t hurt. Ratalaika Games has applied its usual wrapper for the experience here, allowing you to make use of save states and rewind, adjust some visual filters and video options, and play using a selection of handy cheats in case you just want to tour the game without having to worry about its rather challenging nature. Gynoug didn’t exactly tax the Genesis hardware back in the day, and Ratalaika’s emulator handles it just fine.
In most respects, Gynoug is a rather plain horizontal shoot-em-up. The art design and music elevate it somewhat, but it’s hard to imagine a more meat-and-potatoes mechanical experience. For its part, Ratalaika Games has done a nice job of presenting the game with this offering. You’ve got all of the expected options, and a few more besides that. If you’re looking for a good way to play Gynoug/Wings of Wor, this will assuredly satisfy your needs. For those completely unfamiliar with the game, it’s a decent enough shooter, though I can’t say that it’s much more than that.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Chess Brain ($3.99)
If you’ve got a few bucks and an hour or two, QUByte almost always has a chess puzzle game for you. Chess Brain is another one, once again focusing on the movement of one particular piece. You need to guide the King to the designated space on each board without bumping into any enemy pieces. The primary gimmick of this particular game is that you need to plan your entire sequence of moves at once, which means you need to anticipate where the opposing pieces will be when you reach them. If you make a mistake, it’s not a big deal. You’ll be able to take back the necessary steps and try again. It’s not too tough to slowly brute force your way through any of the game’s thirty stages, but it’s awfully satisfying to get it right on the first try.
I’d probably be more excited about Chess Brain if there weren’t already so many games of this type on the eShop. As it stands, having to plan out your full route at once is something different but not really enough to keep the game from feeling very familiar. How much of a problem that is comes down to the individual, but if you’ve gotten your fill of chess puzzles, this one probably won’t change your mind. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for an evening’s worth of light brain teasers that won’t break your piggy bank, you will likely be pleased with what Chess Brain offers.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
New Releases
Emoji Music ($9.99)
This appears to be a rather basic rhythm game where you guide your character on the track and, I think, hit the buttons to the beat. There are twelve stages, with each having its own associated song. You’ll also be able to unlock twelve emoji, which I suppose is where the title comes from. Not sure what you use those emoji for, but you can unlock them.
FishWitch Halloween ($19.99)
But… Halloween was two weeks ago? Sigh, alright. Well, this is a twenty dollar match-3 puzzle game with a Halloween-mermaid-fish theme going on, and I think that’s a tough sell right from go. You play the stages and earn money and diamonds that you use to decorate your little cove and buy power-ups with respectively. Pretty much the same deal as about a hundred free-to-play mobile match-3 games, but this one commands a rather stiff up-front price. Do what you will with it.
Forklift Simulator ($9.99)
This is exactly what it says on the tin. Drive a forklift, move stuff around, complete missions. It says it has realistic physics but I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high on that point. It also claims realistic sounds and I feel like that is a more reasonable possibility.
Sky Races ($3.49)
Roughly two weeks ago, Benjamin Kistler released a Unity Asset Store template flip called Air Racers. Three days later, Pix Arts released the same Unity Asset Store template flip but under the title of Air Stunt Racing. Today, Gametry is releasing that Unity Asset Store template flip under the name Sky Races. Well, at least they changed the UI font. Really just no filter as far as eShop approvals go these days. No filter at all.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
There are lots of interesting things in the inbox today, but there are a few things I want to highlight. Dispatch Games is having a deep sale on its trio of titles, with Psyvariar Delta, Penguin Wars, and Soldam all at very low prices. Rare sales on solid games. Touhou Spell Bubble is a fantastic puzzle game and you can grab it at half-price, which is an unprecedented sale for that game. I know many balked at buying a puzzle game for $54.99, but I hope more will jump in at $27.49. The latest 2K Games sale is wrapping up soon, so grab what you want or wait two weeks for the next one. Have a look at both lists, naturally.
Select New Games on Sale
Animal Fight Club ($2.59 from $3.99 until 11/17)
It’s Raining Fists & Metal ($4.54 from $6.99 until 11/17)
Hyper Sentinel ($1.99 from $7.99 until 11/19)
Super Cable Boy ($8.99 from $14.99 until 11/19)
The Mystery of Woolley Mountain ($3.99 from $12.99 until 11/19)
Business Tour Deluxe ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/19)
Silk ($1.99 from $12.99 until 11/19)
Forklift Simulator ($8.99 from $9.99 until 11/19)
Haustoria ($5.84 from $12.99 until 11/19)
Under Leaves ($2.99 from $12.99 until 11/20)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($4.99 from $12.99 until 11/21)
Moon Raider ($3.99 from $9.99 until 11/22)
Touhou Spell Bubble ($27.49 from $54.99 until 11/25)
Bridge Strike ($1.99 from $6.99 until 11/29)
Crazy Zen Mini Golf ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/29)
Space Ribbon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/29)
Pop the Bubbles ($3.99 from $7.99 until 11/29)
Santa Tracker ($1.99 from $2.99 until 11/29)
Pinball Lockdown ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/29)
Super Space Snake ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/29)
Chill Panda ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/29)
West of Loathing ($6.38 from $11.00 until 11/30)
Soldam: Drop Connect Erase ($1.99 from $7.99 until 12/1)
Penguin Wars ($3.74 from $14.99 until 12/1)
Psyvariar Delta ($7.49 from $29.99 until 12/1)
War of Stealth Assassin ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/1)
Venus: Improbable Dream ($7.99 from $9.99 until 12/3)
Fury Unleashed ($7.99 from $19.99 until 12/3)
Shopping Mall Parking Lot ($5.99 from $11.99 until 12/3)
City Driving Simulator 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 12/3)
Warplanes WW1 Sky Aces ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/3)
Gynoug ($5.59 from $6.99 until 12/3)
Plumber Puzzles ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Shark Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 12/3)
Sports & Adventure Pinball ($8.99 from $14.99 until 12/3)
They Came From the Sky ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Kakuro Magic ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Animal Up! ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Kropki 8 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Sudoky ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Wordify ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Solitaire Klondike Minimal ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Solitaire Spider Minimal ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Kakurasu World ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/3)
Slither Loop ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Chess Minimal ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Suguru Nature ($1.99 from $9.99 until 12/3)
Futoshiki Math ($1.99 from $6.99 until 12/3)
Shikaku Shapes ($1.99 from $6.99 until 12/3)
Hitori Logic ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Gradiently ($1.99 from $4.99 until 12/3)
Lines XL ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
CMS ($2.99 from $14.99 until 12/3)
Squeakers ($1.99 from $2.99 until 12/3)
Infectra ($1.99 from $3.99 until 12/3)
Rock ‘N Racing Bundle: OR & GP ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/3)
Rise: Race the Future ($9.89 from $16.49 until 12/4)
Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/4)
Chaos on Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/4)
Goodbye Deponia ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/4)
Deponia Doomsday ($1.99 from $19.99 until 12/4)
Castaway Paradise ($7.99 from $19.99 until 12/5)
Anna’s Quest ($4.99 from $19.99 until 12/5)
Harvest Life ($3.99 from $19.99 until 12/5)
The Forgotten Land ($2.99 from $14.99 until 12/5)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16th
Bargain Hunter ($8.74 from $12.49 until 11/16)
Big Dipper ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/16)
BioShock 2 Remastered ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/16)
BioShock Infinite: Complete ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/16)
BioShock Remastered ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/16)
BioShock: The Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 11/16)
Borderlands Legendary Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 11/16)
Borderlands: GotY Edition ($11.99 from $29.99 until 11/16)
Borderlands: Handsome Collection ($15.99 from $39.99 until 11/16)
Captain Backwater ($7.99 from $9.99 until 11/16)
Carnival Games ($9.99 from $39.99 until 11/16)
Circle of Sumo ($2.99 from $9.99 until 11/16)
Croc’s World 2 ($1.99 from $5.99 until 11/16)
Dyna Bomb ($1.99 from $3.99 until 11/16)
Forest Guardian ($2.74 from $10.99 until 11/16)
Ghost Sweeper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/16)
Ghost: Elisa Cameron ($2.99 from $9.99 until 11/16)
Guards ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/16)
Into a Dream ($5.59 from $13.99 until 11/16)
Knight Squad ($3.74 from $14.99 until 11/16)
Knight Squad 2 ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/16)
LA Noire ($24.99 from $49.99 until 11/16)
LEGO Harry Potter Collection ($12.49 from $49.99 until 11/16)
Lost Words: Beyond the Page ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/16)
Merrily Perilly ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/16)
Metaloid Origin ($3.49 from $6.99 until 11/16)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 11/16)
Override Mech City Brawl ($7.49 from $29.99 until 11/16)
PGA Tour 2K21 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 11/16)
Potata: Fairy Flower ($4.20 from $12.00 until 11/16)
Potion Party ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/16)
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind+ ($3.89 from $12.99 until 11/16)
Rusty Spout Rescue Adv. ($3.49 from $6.99 until 11/16)
Sheepo ($7.69 from $10.99 until 11/16)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/16)
Tales from the Borderlands ($19.99 from $24.99 until 11/16)
The Outer Worlds ($23.99 from $59.99 until 11/16)
The Skylia Prophecy ($3.49 from $6.99 until 11/16)
Time Tenshi ($10.49 from $14.99 until 11/16)
Trine Ultimate Collection ($9.99 from $49.99 until 11/16)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds ($15.99 from $39.99 until 11/16)
WWE 2K18 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 11/16)
XCOM 2 Collection ($12.49 from $49.99 until 11/16)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with looks at several new releases, with a couple of them looking a little interesting. We’ll also have whatever sales and news come along, and there may be a review if things line up just so. I do have to visit the doctor tomorrow to check about something, but I don’t foresee it impacting the article. I hope you all have a great Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
