Game Topz (gamtopz@gmail.com)

This is sort of a weird position to be in with a Game of the Week. I’m enjoying the heck out of this week’s pick and want to recommend it, but at the same time it has some issues that definitely stand out. Also weird, and possibly a first for this column, is that this week’s pick is technically still an Early Access release, which is common on PC but out of the ordinary on mobile. So in that context some of the issues I have with it can be forgiven, since this isn’t even the final finished version of this game. But at the same time, the world of mobile moves so fast are mobile players really going to wait around to see what the final finished version is all about, whenever that day comes? The whole situation is… complicated, but forget all that because Peglin from Red Nexus Games is enough fun that I just don’t care. Peglin , in simplified terms, is what would happen if Peggle had a baby with a roguelike dungeon crawler, and it’s very much as awesome as that sounds on paper. The gam...

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 28th, 2023. In today’s article, we mop up the remaining releases of the week. There are quite a few, as is seemingly the norm for Fridays of late. After that, we have a very healthy batch of sales to check out. And that’s pretty much the lot for today, friends. Let’s get to it and wrap up our week! New Releases Nuclear Blaze ($14.99) This game’s claim to fame is that one of the people behind Dead Cells is behind it. It’s a game where you’re a firefighter sent into the mother of all blazes that has started at a secret military facility. You have to combat the fire, look for survivors, and maybe even figure out what caused it while you’re at it. There are a few different modes to play just in case you want a lighter or zestier challenge. I’ll have a review of this one soon in case you need more to go on. Dormitory Love ($34.99) Visual novel time! Six handsome hunks to romance, and as you can guess it’s a dor...

Following Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden ($12.99) , a standalone sequel in Square Enix’s new trilogy of turn-based RPGs with a tabletop and card game aesthetic. Since Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is similar to Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars in many ways including its iOS port issues, this review will be a bit different. I will focus on what sets Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden apart from the first game and why it is a great entry point. It remains my favorite game in the Voice of Cards trilogy, and I’ve had a lot of fun revisiting it on iPad and iPhone over the last few weeks. Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden , like Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars , is a very straightforward turn-based RPG mechanically that is elevated by its tabletop and card game aesthetic. This entry is set on islands in an ocean with ancient spirits, and the structure sees you rotating some party members and visiting said islands. The...

Vampire Survivors (Free) is being adapted into a premium animated TV series by Story Kitchen and Poncle ( via Deadline ). This announcement is the first big bit of news after Vampire Survivors: Tides of Foscari , the second DLC expansion went live on PC, Xbox, and mobile platforms. Poncle founder Luca Galante will be partnering with Story Kitchen for this adaptation with the team looking for a writer currently and it being shopped to animated TV network buyers in the future according to the Deadline report. I’m interested to see how this plays out because the recent DLC trailer is amazing. There’s a lot of potential with the playable characters people have spent dozens of hours with over the last year on mobile, PC, and Xbox. If you haven’t played Vampire Survivors yet, read my Steam Deck review of it here , DLC review here , and iOS review here . We featured it as our Game of the Week as well when it launched. You can get Vampire Survivors on the App Store for iOS here and ...

Dead Cells () on PC has gotten its 34th big update bringing in new weapons, speedrun mode, additions to bosh rush, training room improvements, and more. This update follows the Return to Castlevania DLC release as the game’s first big update since, and I can’t wait for all of it to hit mobile hopefully soon. The mobile version recently got the Boss Rush Mode and the indie crossover update titled the Everyone is Here 2 . Today’s Dead Cells Clean Cut update also lets you use the Return to Castlevania bosses in the training room. You can also change your head to Bobby with most outfits with the Clean Cut update. Check out the key art for the update below: The full patch notes are here for PC. It will roll out on consoles soon, and as usual, there isn’t a time frame for mobile. Playdigious has been amazing with bringing over updates in a timely manner, and I expect this to follow in the near future after the Castlevania DLC hits. Until them, read my interview with Playdigious co...

There were two games set to release on Apple Arcade today with Cornsweeper and Grand Mountain Adventure+ () . The former has been delayed to ensure the final game meets the vision of the developer. App Store Great Grand Mountain Adventure+ . Grand Mountain Adventure+ is out now on Apple Arcade. It is an open world skiing and snowboarding experience. The standalone game is available for free right now with a few in app purchases for expansions, skins, and more. The Apple Arcade version without any in app purchases is out here . Check out a screenshot from it below: Stitch. brings in a daily Shikaku puzzle with the Mythical Creatures category today. Cooking Mama: Cuisine! celebrates Mother’s Day with new limited-time ingredients beginning today. Crayola Create and Play+ adds in the Cosmic Pizza activity today letting you bring in Spring with a new quest and also adding in Mother’s Day content. Rockstar Rouge joins Sonic Dash+ beginning today as well. SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit c...

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 27th, 2023. It’s another Thursday with well over twenty new releases, which frankly doesn’t seem all that tenable to me, but what do I know? I have summaries of all of those new games for you, plus the usual lists of new and expiring sales. That’s about it really, but I’m hoping it’s more than enough to give you some reading enjoyment today. Let’s get to it! New Releases Mugen Souls ($39.99) Oh hey, Mugen Souls . This is a Compile Heart/Idea Factory RPG that originally came out back in 2012. I’m not sure why they’ve handed it off to eastasiasoft for this Switch version, but it doesn’t really matter much. It’s still the same old Mugen Souls , a game that developed a cult following thanks to its cute characters and mildly competent gameplay. This port includes all of the latest updates and extras, so it’s as good a way to play the game as any. There are lots of reviews and impressions for this game out there if ...