SwitchArcade Round-Up: ’10 Second Ninja X’, ‘Apple Slash’, ‘Xenogunner’, and Today’s Other New Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 30th, 2021. In today’s article, we look at the rest of the new releases for the week. Some decent games in here, but after the week we’ve had I’ll forgive you if you want to take a little breather. We’ve got summaries of all the new games anyway, along with the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales for you to have a good gander at. Let’s dig in!

New Releases

10 Second Ninja X ($11.99)

It’s ultra-challenging platformer time. Each level gives you exactly ten seconds to clear it, so you’d better find your feet fast. There are one hundred levels in total, with tons of different obstacles and hazards to overcome. Are you fast enough to get a three-star rating on every level? There are different character costumes to unlock, hidden minigames, online leaderboards for every level, marathon modes, and even some accessibility options for those who want to play their way. If you enjoyed stuff like League of Evil, N++, or Super Meat Boy, you may want to look into this.

Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure ($4.99)

Oh hey, I recognize this. I think this one came out a couple years back on Steam and as an NES cartridge. It’s from the same developer as Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, and it’s not too bad. You play as a handful of different characters in a side-scrolling platformer where you need to collect fish. There are more than ninety levels to play across six different worlds, and there are some secrets, branching paths, and cool bosses to battle. There’s also a two player battle mode via local multiplayer. Not the finest 8-bit platformer around, but fun enough for a fiver.

Apple Slash ($4.99)

Some good slashing fun, but gosh it is short. I don’t need my games to be long but it feels like this one barely gets going before it’s done. Oh well. You’re the Apple Knight and you basically just swing your blade around like wild, destroying enemies as you go. You can get new abilities, meet and make friends with various creatures, and travel around an ancient swamp full of foes to fillet. The price is fair and everything, I just was having such a good time with this game that I wanted it to continue. If you too want to have a good time that ends a bit too soon, pick up Apple Slash.

Xenogunner ($14.99)

This is a rather enjoyable run-and-gun side-scroller that focuses on intense boss battles. You know, kind of like how Treasure used to do with games like Gunstar Heroes or Alien Soldier. I’m not making that comparison to suggest that you should expect this game to be on that level, because it’s not quite there. But what is, really? The point is that this is a slice of old-school fun that 2D action fans will likely have a good time with. I’ll have a review of this one for you soon, but I liked it.

Horror Tales: The Wine ($14.99)

Horror tales! The wine did not match the meal! SEND IT BACK NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. That’s how I imagine fancy people spend their birthdays. Probably not with Dominos Pizza and an ice cream cake, anyway. Anyway, this game sees you exploring a Mediterranean island after a deadly pandemic swept through and caused it to be abandoned. While it may look beautiful enough on the surface, the island is full of danger. Chief among them is a mysterious stalker that hunts you as you explore. Solve the puzzles, try to sort out the island’s riddles, and most importantly stay alive. Not my bag at all, but it may be yours.

Dungeon of Crawl ($4.99)

A low-cost dungeon crawling RPG seems like a thing people would want, yes. This one has fifteen levels to play through, set across five different regions. Each of those regions has its own enemies, weapons, and boss to encounter. You can pick from four different character classes, which will naturally affect how you need to approach combat situations. There’s also apparently an arena mode if you just feel like jumping in and beating up on some baddies. It looks like it costs, in my opinion, and while you might have a bit of fun with it I think this is very much a case of getting what you pay for versus something more robust like Vaporum or Operencia.

Papa’s Quiz ($9.99)

Friends, I hate to come off as a scold at times in these summaries, but I have to point out: you can’t just go ahead and use pictures of stuff you don’t own the rights to in your game, even if it seems perfectly reasonable. Oh well. This is a quiz game for up to eight players via local multiplayer, and you can use mobile devices as extra controllers if you need them. Answer over 3000 questions in 185 categories, battle over which category to play, and do a little dance when things go your way. You can customize your avatar with all kinds of odd accessories and clothing items and give them whichever name you like. It’s fairly hard to mess up a quiz game, at the very least. Just maybe replace some of those category photos before the lawyers come knocking, yeah?

Cuccchi ($7.99)

There are some weird games in today’s list, aren’t there? In this one, you’ll be diving into the paintings of Enzo Cucchi, an Italian painter with a distinctive impressionist style. Here, his paintings have been transformed into spaces you can move through and in some cases interact with. There are seven different areas in total, and you need to try to find fifty-one collectibles hidden across them. If you can pull it off, you’ll unlock an archive gallery that shows off the original paintings. I would say this is more for fans of Mr. Cucchi’s art than people looking for an enjoyable game, but it’s a unique effort that I can’t help but respect anyway.

Alone With You ($9.99)

Your space colony has completely failed, and you are the last survivor. In this lonely aftermath, you wander the remains of the colony by day and revisit its past via holographic companions at night. Solve puzzles as you piece together what happened, and learn about the lives and ultimate fates of the colonists. Converse with the holographic companions and build relationships with them by making the right dialogue choices, eventually leading to one of multiple endings. I don’t know that it necessarily succeeds as an adventure game, but it is a pretty neat story to experience. Worth a shot if you like the premise.

Bustafellows ($39.99)

This is a noir otome visual novel where you meet and attempt to romance five different and rather dangerous men. The heroine is a journalist who has the unique power to leap a short ways into the past, occupying someone’s body in that time. Useful! She’ll meet a handsome sketchy lawyer, a handsome hitman who kills other hitmen, a handsome plastic surgeon, a handsome autopsy specialist, and a handsome underground criminal boss. Wow, so much handsome, and only so many smooches to go around! Bustafellows is well-written and has some gorgeous art, so if you’re on the hunt for a high-quality otome game today this is a good call.

Super Squidlit ($9.99)

Just as Squidlit attempted to create a game within Game Boy specs, Super Squidlit limits itself to what the Game Boy Color could pull off. As such, it has a very authentic look to it that I rather like. For the most part, it’s a side-scrolling platformer. There are also some wild first-person RPG sections that use ray-casting to rather impressive effect. If you liked the original game, you’ll probably enjoy this one. If you haven’t played that game, it’s only two bucks and is worth checking out. Then you’ll be all set to enjoy this one!

Dream House Days DX ($14.00)

This is where I usually talk about how you can get this game cheaper and in a form that plays just as well on mobile, but this particular Kairosoft release was an odd one. Kairosoft briefly flirted with free-to-play versions of their games that had ads and IAPs out the wazoo, and this was one of them. Now, this is probably similar to the version you would get by buying the $4.99 IAP for removing the ads, but I wouldn’t rule out some balance adjustments. The idea behind this one is that you are building a sort of apartment complex, creating special rooms and collecting rent while helping tenants achieve their life goals. It’s a fun one, provided you’re not tired of the formula yet.

City Match – A Block Pop Puzzle Game ($6.99)

Basically just a block-bursting puzzle game like Toon Blast or Pet Rescue Saga. This one is going with a building demolition theme, but it doesn’t really run all that far with it so don’t spend too much time thinking about it. No button controls, so this one is for undocked play only. Very high chance it’s a hastily scrabbled-together Android template. You could buy this game for seven dollars, or you could download one of the thousand or so free ones on your mobile device and probably get a better experience. As a bonus, you would also keep your seven dollars.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Yes, it’s another one of those sales lists. Some good games in there, but nothing all that rare. Chasm, Hand of Fate 2, Titan Quest, Kingdoms of Amalur, and the Picross games would be my picks, but you had best check the list yourself to see what your eye picks up on. The weekend outbox doesn’t have a whole lot going on either, at least in my opinion, but do give that a once-over while you’re at it too.

Select New Games on Sale

Castle of No Escape ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/1)
Chasm ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Night Call ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/5)
West of Dead ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/5)
Dandara: Trials of Fear ($5.24 from $14.99 until 8/5)
Star Renegades ($14.99 from $24.99 until 8/5)
GoNNER ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/5)
Out There: Omega The Alliance ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/5)
B.ARK ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/5)
Atomicrops ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/5)
Uurnog Uurnlimited ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/5)
Kingdom: New Lands ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/5)
Mosaic ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/5)
El Hijo: A Wild West Tale ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/6)
Hand of Fate 2 ($9.89 from $29.99 until 8/6)

Absolute Drift ($5.39 from $11.99 until 8/6)
Little Big Workshop ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/6)
OS Omega ($11.19 from $13.99 until 8/8)
Piczle Puzzle & Watch ($6.99 from $7.99 until 8/9)
Super Dungeon Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Sentinels of Freedom ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/10)
Bite the Bullet ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Tower of Time ($16.24 from $24.99 until 8/12)
REZ PLZ ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Titan Quest ($13.19 from $39.99 until 8/12)
1979 Revolution: Black Friday ($2.99 from $11.99 until 8/12)
Ancestors Legacy ($15.99 from $39.99 until 8/12)
Bleed ($3.59 from $11.99 until 8/12)
Bleed 2 ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Vertical Drop Heroes HD ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Spectrum ($2.39 from $11.99 until 8/12)

Adventures of Chris ($5.99 from $14.99 until 8/12)
I.F.O ($2.79 from $3.99 until 8/12)
MX vs ATV All Out ($26.79 from $39.99 until 8/12)
Pipe Push Paradise ($2.74 from $10.99 until 8/12)
Omega Strike ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Glass Masquerade ($3.59 from $11.99 until 8/12)
Glass Masquerade 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/12)
The King’s Bird ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Uncanny Valley ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Aquatic Adv. of the Last Human ($3.89 from $12.99 until 8/12)
Joggernauts ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Mable & The Wood ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/12)
Hacky Zack ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Shikhondo: Soul Eater ($4.19 from $13.99 until 8/12)
Underhero ($10.19 from $16.99 until 8/12)

Don’t Die, Mr Robot! ($2.24 from $8.99 until 8/12)
Tamashii ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/12)
Signs of the Sojourner ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Unto the End ($17.49 from $24.99 until 8/12)
Three Fourths Home: Extended ($2.24 from $8.99 until 8/12)
Double Cross ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/12)
SpongeBob SquarePants: BfBB ($20.09 from $29.99 until 8/12)
Battle Chasers: Night War ($11.99 from $29.99 until 8/12)
Darksiders Warmastered Edition ($13.49 from $29.99 until 8/12)
Darksiders II Deathinitive ($13.49 from $29.99 until 8/12)
Darksiders Genesis ($17.99 from $39.99 until 8/12)
Ink ($2.24 from $8.99 until 8/12)
Paranautical Activity ($2.39 from $7.99 until 8/12)

Blue Fire ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/12)
Discolored ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/12)
Lost Artifacts ($2.99 from $9.99 until 8/13)
Legend of Keepers: CoaDM ($14.99 until $19.99 until 8/13)
SmileBASIC 4 ($16.74 from $24.99 until 8/17)
Water Balloon Mania ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Black Book ($21.24 from $24.99 until 8/17)
Birds and Blocks ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Croc’s World ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Croc’s World Run ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/17)
Pacific Wings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Airfield Mania ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/17)
Jewel Fever 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
Jewel Rotation ($1.99 from $5.99 until 8/17)
Yellow Fins ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)
16-Bit Soccer ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/17)

Picross S ($6.39 from $7.99 until 8/18)
Picross S2 ($7.19 from $8.99 until 8/18)
Picross S3 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Picross S4 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Picross S5 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Kemono Friends Picross ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
Picross Lord of the Nazarick ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/18)
The Explorer of Night ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Evil Inside ($10.99 from $12.99 until 8/19)
ReactorX ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Exodemon ($10.99 from $12.99 until 8/19)
Undead Battle Royale ($8.10 from $9.00 until 8/19)
Eight Dragons ($6.79 from $7.99 until 8/19)
The Lost Cube ($8.49 from $9.99 until 8/19)
AER Memories of Old ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Bullet Beat ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)

Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? ($19.49 from $29.99 until 8/19)
Nexoria: Dungeon Rogue Heroes ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
The Long Journey Home ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Creature in the Well ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Cybxus Hearts ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Robothorium ($10.04 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Bot Vice ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/19)
Silence ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Our Flick Erasers ($6.48 from $12.96 until 8/19)
Rev Up! RC Grand Prix ($9.28 from $13.26 until 8/19)
Dark Grim Mariupolis ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Edna & Harvey The Breakout ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Edna & Harvey: Harvey’s New Eyes ($4.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Super Star Path ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/19)
Zombie Scrapper ($1.99 from $2.99 until 8/19)

Kuukiyomi: Consider It! ($3.74 from $4.99 until 8/19)
State of Mind ($1.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Felix the Reaper ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Smart Moves ($2.39 from $5.99 until 8/19)
Void Source ($2.49 from $5.99 until 8/19)
Virtual Battle ($5.38 from $7.69 until 8/19)
The Dark Eye: Memoria ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Shift Happens ($1.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Voxel Shot ($1.99 from $8.00 until 8/19)
Voxel Sword ($1.99 from $7.00 until 8/19)
Voxel Galaxy ($1.99 from $7.43 until 8/19)
Voxel Pirates ($1.99 from $7.28 until 8/19)
Tetragon ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/19)
Chalk Dash Carnival ($1.99 from $7.09 until 8/19)

Desktop Rugby ($1.99 from $7.43 until 8/19)
Desktop Soccer ($2.84 from $7.11 until 8/19)
Desktop Baseball ($2.91 from $7.29 until 8/19)
Desktop Table Tennis ($2.96 from $7.41 until 8/19)
Desktop Bowling ($2.95 from $7.39 until 8/19)
Desktop Dodgeball ($2.98 from $7.45 until 8/19)
Desktop Basketball ($2.88 from $7.20 until 8/19)
Desktop Voleyball ($2.97 from $7.43 until 8/19)
Banners of Ruin ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/19)
Fire Tonight ($4.79 from $5.99 until 8/19)
Hoa ($13.49 from $14.99 until 8/20)

Sales Ending This Weekend

.cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
Ace Invaders ($4.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace ($11.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
AXS ($6.99 from $14.99 until 7/31)
BDSM ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Boris The Rocket ($10.04 from $14.99 until 7/31)
Carcassonne ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Catan ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Dragon Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 7/31)
HardCube ($2.10 from $7.00 until 7/31)
Lord of the Rings: Adv. Card Game ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/31)
Munchkin: Quacked Quest ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/31)
My Hidden Things ($4.68 from $6.99 until 7/31)
Mystery Mine ($1.99 from $3.99 until 7/31)

One Dog Story ($5.99 from $14.99 until 7/31)
Save Koch ($3.00 from $20.00 until 7/31)
Shinobi Blade ($4.95 from $9.90 until 7/31)
Speedway Racing ($2.99 from $9.99 until 7/31)
Titans Pinball ($2.00 from $2.99 until 7/31)
88 Heroes: 98 Heroes Edition ($5.99 from $29.99 until 8/1)
Anthill ($3.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Castle of No Escape ($1.99 from $4.99 until 8/1)
Conga Master Party! ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Crashnauts ($7.99 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Crayon Shinchan Kasukabe Runner ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Curious Expedition ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Decay of Logos ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Farm Builder ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Flipping Death ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Fly Punch Boom! ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)

Giga Wrecker Alt. ($9.99 from $24.99 until 8/1)
Happy Words ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Holy Potatoes! We’re In Space?! ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Holy Potatoes! What The Hell?! ($7.50 from $15.00 until 8/1)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($13.39 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Ninja Showdown ($2.99 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Pony World 3 ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/1)
Postal Redux ($4.49 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Promesa ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/1)
RICO ($7.99 from $19.99 until 8/1)
Say No! More ($10.04 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Stick It to The Man ($2.39 from $11.99 until 8/1)
Super Soccer Blast ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/1)
Super Sports Blast ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/1)
Super Tennis Blast ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/1)
Super Volley Blast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Super Soccer Blast: America vs Europe ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/1)
Trailblazers ($5.99 from $29.99 until 8/1)
Wuppo: Definitive Edition ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/1)

That’s all for today, this week, this month, and hey, this year of my life, friends. I’m definitely getting up there now, and all I really hope is that I can keep getting up there. This last year has been a hard one for me, and I still don’t even know what my condition is and how serious it will turn out to be. Still, for today I will have pizza, cake, and play some good games. That’s good enough for now. I hope you all have a great weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!