SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘G-Mode Zanac’, ‘Bonkies’, ‘Chill Panda’, and Today’s Other New Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 29th, 2021. As is often the case with Fridays, a bunch of games that weren’t on the schedule suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There’s also a flood of new sales to look at, in case the new releases weren’t enough. So that’s what we’ve got: summaries of all of the new games, and lists of the incoming and outgoing sales. Let’s get to work!

New Releases

G-MODE Archives29 Zanac ($4.99)

SwitchArcade Highlight!

Here’s another in G-Mode’s line of ports of classic mobile games. This is just the second of this series we’ve seen release outside of Japan, and it’s easy to see why it was picked. Not everyone remembers Zanac from back in the day, but those that do generally have very fond memories of Compile’s groundbreaking shoot-em-up. It’s a predecessor to the celebrated Aleste series of shooters, and it’s very enjoyable. Keep in mind that this is a port of a mobile port, and as such is missing some levels and other features. In addition to the original mode that replicates the mobile version, there’s an arranged mode that improves the graphics and restores some scoring elements. It’s still missing some levels but the arranged mode offers a good shooter experience, while the original mode is an interesting historical piece.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne ($59.99)

Well, that’s a title. Not much they could do, I suppose. It’s based on a Japanese light novel series that also became a popular manga and anime, so the game bit of the title is just that ‘The Prophecy of the Throne‘ stuff. Anyway, this is an alternate story that takes place somewhere in the first season of the anime, but don’t worry as the original author was involved to make sure it was all authentic. The gameplay is a mix of visual novel scenes and tactical turn-based strategy battles. Reviews on it aren’t that hot, but they’re not awful either. As such I will give the highly helpful and totally original advice of recommending this to fans of the series. Nice, totally earned that five cents I’ll get for this paragraph!

Bonkies ($14.99)

‘Bonkies‘ is a really fun word to say. Just say it out loud. Isn’t that a great mouth-feel? BONKIES. BONNNNKIES. BONKIEEEEES. Spectacular. This is a couch co-op multiplayer party game where you and your friends play as jetpack-sporting monkeys with mechanical arms who are building things. Don’t tell PETA. Up to four players can join in, but there’s no online play so make sure they’re in the room with you. There’s a single-player campaign here but as is always the case with these kinds of games, you’ll have a billion times more fun with other humans. Cooperate to carry heavy things, drop stuff on each other’s heads, whatever. Besides the monkeys, you can unlock a number of other helpful creatures. Definitely worth putting into your usual party rotation, but I wouldn’t bother if you don’t have people to play with. Bonkies.

Crossbow: Bloodnight ($4.99)

That title sounds like something someone would make up to parody a certain type of game, but here we are. Wow, look at those monsters in that screenshot. They look just like Shamblers from Quake. Anyway, you play as Bob Crossbow or something, and you need to battle monsters using your awesome crossbow. It’s a first-person score attack arena shooter with admittedly more juice put into it than you would expect to see given the price. The controls work nicely, and the graphics… well, they’re not fantastic, but they’re better than you usually see in this kind of thing. It seems a bit light on content, however. Only six different enemy types, all of your attacks revolve around that crossbow, and there’s only one arena to battle in. But hey, it’s five dollars. You don’t generally get more than a Blockbuster Night out of that much money.

Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle ($4.99)

Another Vera Blanc adventure has been ported over to Switch by the nice folks at Ratalaika Games. Follow the heroine through another mystery, using her mind reading ability to get the edge. This time the story centers on a ghost in a castle who is believed to be responsible for a number of deaths and suicides. But you know there’s more to it than that, so get on the trail already and figure out the real story. There are multiple endings to discover based on your choices, giving the game a little bit of replay value. There are also some minigames, but if you don’t like them you don’t have to deal with them. That’s the right way to do that kind of thing, I think.

Cooking Festival ($10.99)

Another time management food serving game from the folks at BoomBit. It plays more or less identically to the dozen or so other food serving games on the eShop, so if you like those and want another one, this one is for you. There are several hundred stages to play through, with multiple cities and some interesting customers. You can upgrade your dishes as you go, getting new ingredients to create new flavors. I’m almost entirely burnt out on this kind of thing and I still have like four or five in reserve from when Baltoro was giving them away, so this isn’t of much interest to me. Perhaps you’re in a different place.

Caves and Castles: Underworld ($4.99)

Ah, today’s games are making me so tired. Um, anyway, this is a match-3 game with a light city building element. Kind of like Homescapes and its ilk. Here you’re rebuilding a castle and its grounds using stuff you gather from the underground. Said gathering is done by matching gems during a puzzle segment. It’s like that. You get some story scenes that tell some kind of tale that is probably just engaging enough to keep you from falling asleep but not engaging enough to remember three minutes after you stop playing. Seems fine for what it is I guess, but you can probably find better for free on the App Store.

Chill Panda ($9.99)

Well well well, if it isn’t my favorite Mega Man X boss. I guess this game has a nice story behind its development. Apparently it was made by a child psychologist to help kids manage their feelings and keep healthy. There are lots of activities to engage in, and it’s all very relaxing and simple. If you really need to break your chill, you can go surfing or bang on some drums. This one is meant for the younger kids so I don’t know what an adult would get from it, but it might be something nice to put in front of the tots if they’re feeling restless.

Space Blast Zom A Matching Game ($7.99)

It’s a Puzz Loop knock-off. Well, it’s not like this is the first game to do that. Indeed the odds are good you know this type of game better under names like Zuma or Luxor. Shoot the marbles to make matches and try to keep the line from reaching your launcher. Looks like there are some extraneous power-ups in here too. Anyway, that’s what it is. On to the next game.

Burn! SuperTrucks ($7.99)

Wow, that is one dubious title graphic. Oh well. So this is another cheap truck racing game. This is a surprisingly popular genre on the Switch, which is incredible because thus far I can’t think of even one of these on the eShop that turned out good. That includes this one. There’s a championship mode, a training mode, and a time trial mode. No multiplayer of any kind, unfortunately. Controls are pretty weak, the physics feel off, and… well, you know how this sort of thing goes by now. No need to stretch this out.

The Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt ($39.99)

I know what you’re thinking: this game came out a long time ago, what is it doing in the New Releases section? Well friend, the one that came out before was the Complete Edition. This is just the core game without the expansions included, allowing you to get in on the game for a cheaper price if you want. I can’t exactly recommend it, as the expansions are super-good and it will cost you a bit more to pick them up as separate DLC. But if you only have forty bucks and want to get your Witcher on, this is now an option.

Daylife in Japan – Pixel Art Jigsaw Puzzle ($3.99)

It’s a jigsaw puzzle game where the puzzles are all animated pixel art representations of Japanese scenes. You can play the puzzles on five different difficulty levels. The authenticity of such scenes may be dubious, but I doubt anyone is going to base their college report on a Switch jigsaw puzzle app, so it’s probably not a big issue. I guess it’s at least something different from the usual mix of generic photos we see in games like this. Not much more to say about this one.

Crashnauts ($14.99)

This 2D arena shooter has enjoyed a positive reception since it hit home computers a while back. Up to six players can join in via local multiplayer, but there’s no online mode. You’ll want to get as many people in as possible, as while there are AI bots it’s considerably less fun to play against them. Choose your character from four fantastical races and use a variety of weapons to take down the other players. The maps are a little bigger than you sometimes see in games like this, so you’ll have to scroll around a bit if you want to explore them fully. Pretty good stuff.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

A few things to note in today’s large list of new sales. 2K Games has sales pretty often, but the games are for the most part good enough to keep an eye on anyway. Note that Civilization VI is also having a sale on its DLC, so check that out if you’re interested. Hamster is running another Arcade Archives sale, and as usual there’s a solid chance some of these games will never be on sale again. Beyond that, it’s a lot of the faces we see turn up every couple of weeks. The weekend outbox isn’t very big, so make sure you have a look at it to see if there’s anything you want.

Select New Games on Sale

XCOM 2 Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 2/4)
BioShock Remastered ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
BioShock 2 Remastered ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
BioShock Infinite: Complete ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/4)
BioShock: The Collection ($24.99 from $49.99 until 2/4)
Borderlands: GotY Edition ($14.99 from $29.99 until 2/4)
Borderlands: Handsome Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/4)
Borderlands Legendary Collection ($24.99 from $49.99 until 2/4)
Sid Meier’s Civilization VI ($19.79 from $59.99 until 2/4)
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/4)
WWE 2K Battlegrounds ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/4)
WWE 2K18 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 2/4)
PGA Tour 2K21 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 2/4)
NBA 2K21 ($19.79 from $59.99 until 2/4)
Carnival Games ($9.99 from $39.99 until 2/4)

Nirvana Pilot Yume ($2.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
Disjunction ($14.39 from $15.99 until 2/4)
OMG Police: Car Chase Simulator ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
MindSeize ($19.19 from $23.99 until 2/4)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/4)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/4)
Through the Darkest of Times ($9.99 from $14.99 until 2/4)
ACA NEOGEO King of Fighters ’99 ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
ACA NEOGEO Zed Blade ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
ACA NEOGEO Top Hunter ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
ACA NEOGEO Samurai Shodown III ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
ACA NEOGEO Football Frenzy ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
Arcade Archives Double Dragon ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
Arcade Archives Renegade ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)

Arcade Archives Omega Fighter ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
Arcade Archives Kid’s Horehore ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
Arcade Archives Armed F ($3.99 from $7.99 until 2/10)
Monster Slayers ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/10)
UnExplored ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Oniken: Unstoppable ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/10)
Odallus: The Dark Call ($3.59 from $11.99 until 2/10)
Nefarious ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Fall of Light: Darkest ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Blacksea Odyssey ($3.24 from $12.99 until 2/10)
INK & HackyZack ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Heroes of the Monkey Tavern ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/10)
Gear.Club Unlimited ($2.98 from $14.90 until 2/10)
Super Chariot ($1.99 from $14.90 until 2/10)
Letter Quest Remastered ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/10)

Slain: Back From Hell ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/10)
Frost ($3.89 from $12.99 until 2/10)
Slayaway Camp: Butcher’s Cut ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Super Blood Hockey ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Black Paradox ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Bleed Complete Bundle ($4.19 from $27.99 until 2/10)
Reverse Crawl ($3.24 from $12.99 until 2/10)
Skelly Selest ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/10)
Glass Masquerade Pack ($3.29 from $21.99 until 2/10)
Golem Gates ($7.49 from $24.99 until 2/10)
Bluecoats North & South ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/10)
Snakeybus ($7.19 from $11.99 until 2/10)
Horror Bundle Vol.1 ($4.56 from $30.49 until 2/10)
Pixel Art Bundle Vol.1 ($5.69 from $37.99 until 2/10)
Indie Darling Bundle Vol.3 ($7.56 from $50.49 until 2/10)

Couch Co-Op Bundle Vol.2 ($6.89 from $45.99 until 2/10)
Verlet Swing ($5.09 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Valfaris ($11.24 from $24.99 until 2/10)
Demon Pit ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/10)
Straimium Immortaly ($4.07 from $11.99 until 2/10)
XenoRaptor ($4.49 from $14.99 until 2/10)
Daylife in Japan: Jigsaw Puzzle ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/11)
Lost Artifacts ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/11)
Super Tennis Blast ($9.89 from $14.99 until 2/11)
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/11)
Monster Energy Supercross ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/11)
Summer Catchers ($5.99 from $11.99 until 2/15)
JCB Pioneer: Mars ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/16)
House of Golf ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Flying Hero X ($7.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)

Sword of the Necromancer ($13.49 from $14.99 until 2/17)
My Universe: Fashion Boutique ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
My Universe: School Teacher ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
My Universe: Cooking Star ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Chess Minimal ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Slither Loop ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ($22.49 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness ($17.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Sky Mercenaries Redux ($7.35 from $15.00 until 2/17)
Futoshiki Math ($3.49 from $6.99 until 2/17)
Shikaku Shapes ($2.49 from $6.99 until 2/17)
Sinless ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Kakuro Magic ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Agatha Christie: ABC Murders ($20.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Green Hell ($12.49 from $24.99 until 2/17)

Asterix & Obelix XXL ($20.99 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Kakurasu World ($1.99 from $2.49 until 2/17)
Steel Rain ($7.34 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Animal Up! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Cyber Complex ($7.34 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Aeolis Tournament ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Wordify ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/17)
OmoTomO ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Rescue Tale ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Kuukiyomi: Consider It! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Adv. of Elena Temple: Definitive ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Thief Simulator ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Zombieland: Double Tap Road Trip ($9.99 from $39.99 until 2/17)
Street Outlaws: The List ($9.99 from $39.99 until 2/17)
Dark Veer ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)

Agony ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Phantom Doctrine ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
The Childs Sight ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Q-YO Blaster ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Gunpowder on the Teeth: Arcade ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Tap Skaters ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Kropki 8 ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Urban Trial Tricky ($5.24 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Sudoky ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Grave Keeper ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Terrorhythm TRRT ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Cryogear ($9.74 from $19.89 until 2/17)
Omen Exitio: Plague ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Millie ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Zombillie ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)

Goosebumps The Game ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Big Buck Hunter Arcade ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Rapala Fishing Pro Series ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Risky Rescue ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Teddy the Wanderer: Kayaking ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Teddy the Wanderer: Mountain Hike ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Diggerman ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Dungeons & Aliens ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
American Ninja Warrior: Challenge ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Clock Simulator ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Strikey Sisters ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Surfingers ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Hard West ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
Grab Lab ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Bedtime Blues ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)

IHUGU ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Fishing Universe Simulator ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Bad Dream: Coma ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Bad Dream: Fever ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Merchants of Kaidan ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Syberia 3 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 2/17)
Nickelodeon Kart Racers ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/17)
Startide ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Realpolitiks ($2.49 from $24.99 until 2/17)
Shut Eye ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Tiny Hands Adventure ($2.39 from $7.99 until 2/17)
Persian Nights: SoW ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Phantaruk ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Star Story: Horizon Escape ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
NoReload Heroes ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)

Goetia ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Glaive: Brick Breaker ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Hollow ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/17)
The Mahjong Huntress ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
My Brother Rabbit ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/17)
Violett ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Cartoon Network Battle Crashers ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/17)
Sparkle ZERO ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Sparkle 2 EVO ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Sparkle 3 Genesis ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Sparkle 4 Tales ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/17)

Lines XL ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/17)
Frederic: RoM ($2.39 from $5.99 until 2/17)
Frederic 2: ESB ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Qbik ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/17)
Blue Fire ($17.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Conduct Together! ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Project Starship ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
Alder’s Blood ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Many Faces ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/18)
The TakeOver ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/18)
Skatemasta Tcheco ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/18)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Galak-Z: The Void Deluxe ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/30)
Grand Prix Racing ($4.49 from $5.99 until 1/30)
Hyper Sentinel ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/30)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade, Assorted ($1.99 from $7.99 until 1/30)
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Heavy Burger ($2.49 from $9.99 until 1/30)
Real Heroes: Firefighter ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix 2-in-1 Packs ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix 4-in-1 Pack ($7.99 from $15.99 until 1/30)
Retro Classix Collection: Data East ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/30)
Skulls of the Shogun: Bone-A-Fide ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/30)
Air Bound: Jump ‘n’ Run ($4.49 from $5.99 until 1/31)
Baila Latino ($8.99 from $9.99 until 1/31)
Captain Cat ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/31)
EQQO ($3.60 from $6.00 until 1/31)

Figment ($3.79 from $19.99 until 1/31)
Journey of the Broken Circle ($4.80 from $8.00 until 1/31)
Little Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/31)
Metamorphosis ($7.49 from $24.99 until 1/31)
Mystery of Woolley Mountain ($1.99 from $12.99 until 1/31)
Path to Mnemosyne ($2.99 from $9.99 until 1/31)
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/31)
Super Battle Cards ($1.99 from $5.99 until 1/31)
SUPERHOT ($14.99 from $24.99 until 1/31)
The House of Da Vinci ($4.99 from $9.99 until 1/31)
Tools Up! ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/31)
Top Gun Air Combat ($7.49 from $9.99 until 1/31)

That’s all for today, this week, and this month, friends. Normally we’d be entering into a slow period but February is actually quite bananas for Switch releases. Super Mario 3D World, Bravely Default II, Persona 5 Strikers, Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection, and Capcom Arcade Stadium are the biggest names, but as usual you can expect a ton of lower-profile titles to appear as well. So… yeah. I hope you made some headway on your Christmas bills last month, because February will show no mercy to your budget. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!