SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!’, Plus the Latest Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for May 29th, 2023. In today’s article, we’ve got a couple of reviews to kick things off. Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! and Pulling No Punches are the games in question, and I’d be hard-pressed to think of two games more different from each other. After that, a fairly unremarkable set of new releases that rolled in over the weekend. Finally, there are some sales to check out. Let’s get to it!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! ($39.99)

Puzzlers at a premium price tend to be a hard sell, but it’s something the Puzzle Bobble (sometimes known in the West as Bust-a-Move) has always done rather well with. With how fun the core mechanics are and the variety of modes that tend to be included, it’s not hard to see why. There’s just something about this bubble-popping puzzler that works, and it’s so approachable that it remains fodder to this day for creatively-bankrupt publishers looking for something to rip off for fun and profit. At the same time, Puzzle Bobble‘s road is a long one, with many entries to its name. So what’s the selling point for this one versus simply buying the fine versions of the arcade games that Hamster offers in their Arcade Archives line?

Like Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, the main pitch here is multiplayer. You can play cooperatively with up to four people via local multiplayer, and that is indeed quite a lot of fun. Just the right mix of chaos and teamwork, and Puzzle Bobble‘s ability to pull in people who don’t usually play games means it’s easy to coax your family into joining. You’ve got a couple modes to enjoy this way, and it’s a nice addition to the included usual offerings such as versus mode and single-player. Even if you end up playing alone, there’s plenty here to do. Online multiplayer is unfortunately limited to one-on-one matches, but I suppose it’s better than nothing. Naturally, the presentation has also seen a major overhaul, and the requisite effort at a story has been made here. Some cute Taito cameos have been sprinkled in, and I appreciate that.

It’s pretty hard to mess up Puzzle Bobble, and thankfully that hasn’t happened here. It’s also rather difficult to add to it, however, and I think the fact that Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! has managed to do so fairly well is to its credit. For puzzle fans it’s an easy pick-up, built around a time-honored core concept and loaded with things to do. Those who like to play games with their family will also want to give this a look as it’s a surprisingly good party game, too.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Pulling No Punches ($9.99)

My cousin’s idiot husband Rob would hate this game. Well, you might too. Pulling No Punches is a fairly standard-sized beat-em-up made by a Brazilian indie developer that gets by mainly on its theme. Mechanically, it’s a sound enough brawler that runs into the usual problem of getting a bit repetitive in its back half. The art style is striking in how grungy it is, and it leans into the grotesque in many cases. It feels like one of those cartoons you’d find airing randomly in the middle of the night.

But really, the main thing here is the theme. This is a game made by Brazilians who clearly have some thoughts about how the government and society at large handled the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. There are probably things in here many of us can relate to. Or get angry at, depending on where you fall on this surprisingly charged matter. You’ve got a group of masked heroes beating the stuffing out of an array of maskless aggressors, a president recommending some bizarre solutions to the issue, and can pick up sanitizer and masks as power-ups. It goes way over the top and way off of the rails as it goes along, and while I broadly enjoyed the ride I suspect some might be turned off by it.

Pulling No Punches is certainly a parody, but it’s a raw, furious parody that does exactly what the title says. Scratching past that, there’s a competent four-stage beat-em-up here that will give you a couple of hours of fun, even if it starts to wear one down before it ends. The art style and premise are going to repel as many as they attract, but if nothing else I appreciate that the developers made the game they wanted to make without compromising.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

New Releases

Home Sweet Home ($9.99)

A simple life simulation-type deal. Clean up your house, take care of your cat, work to make money, that kind of thing. I don’t have much to say about this one, but it does once again cross my mind that EA never though to drop a Sims game on Switch. Feels like that should have been an easy dunk. This likely isn’t going to fill that hole, but it might be amusing enough.

Loco Parentis ($9.99)

Another horror game. Some kind of premise where you’re trying to help a girl find her mother in a spooky house. Probably some kind of weird twist in there. Not my kind of thing, but it doesn’t look like it has a lot going for it. This was a VR game over on PC, and as usual once that element is stripped out there isn’t a lot to recommend it by.

Paper Dominoes ($4.99)

Well, that’s dominoes alright. Play some dominoes without needing real dominoes. Is that worth five bucks? That’s up to you.

Super Hero Demolition ($0.99)

Some cheap junk from Entity3. You have to use the hero to destoy the object, dot by dot. There are different heroes to choose from with different powers to use, and you can upgrade them as you go.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

An interesting batch of games on sale today, with some new low prices on games that have held the line for quite a while. Games like ScourgeBringer, Piczle Cross Adventure, and The Knight Witch are great pick-ups at these sale prices, and there are plenty more besides them. Check both lists carefully and see what jumps out at you.

Select New Games on Sale

Pankapu ($2.39 from $11.99 until 6/11)
Piczle Cross Adventure ($3.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Yono & the Celestial Elephants ($3.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
PictoQuest ($2.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Double Kick Heroes ($10.99 from $21.99 until 6/11)
Old School Musical ($3.24 from $12.99 until 6/11)
NeuroVoider ($2.79 from $13.99 until 6/11)
ScourgeBringer ($7.64 from $16.99 until 6/11)
Hover ($4.99 from $24.99 until 6/11)
Ashwalkers ($11.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
Lost Phone Stories ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Dead in Vinland ($8.39 from $27.99 until 6/11)
Shape of the World ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Alt-Frequencies ($1.99 from $7.99 until 6/11)
Accidental Queens Collection ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/11)

DragoDino ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Bombslinger ($2.39 from $11.99 until 6/11)
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure ($7.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
Away: Journey to the Unexpected ($2.54 from $16.99 until 6/11)
Zombie Night Terror ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Splasher ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Astria Ascending ($21.99 from $39.99 until 6/11)
The Dungeon of Naheulbauk ($21.99 from $39.99 until 6/11)
Guild of Ascension ($9.34 from $16.99 until 6/11)
Healer’s Quest ($7.49 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Dungeon Rushers ($2.24 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Astrologaster ($4.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Anarcute ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Iris and the Giant ($6.74 from $14.99 until 6/11)
The Last Door Complete Edition ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)

Knights of Pen and Paper DE ($2.99 from $14.99 until 6/11)
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 DE ($2.59 from $12.99 until 6/11)
Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle ($4.49 from $22.49 until 6/11)
Ghost of a Tale ($11.24 from $24.99 until 6/11)
Linelight ($4.49 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Children of Zodiarcs ($5.39 from $17.99 until 6/11)
Before I Forget ($5.19 from $7.99 until 6/11)
Souldiers ($13.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
They Always Run ($13.99 from $19.99 until 6/11)
RUN: The World In-Between ($6.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Out of Space: Couch Edition ($3.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
My Farm ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
My Arctic Farm 2018 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
My Exotic Farm 2018 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
My Jurassic Farm 2018 ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/11)
Old School RPG Bundle ($7.49 from $29.99 until 6/11)

Jack Axe ($3.74 from $14.99 until 6/12)
Dungeons of Dreadrock ($2.49 from $10.00 until 6/12)
Moonrise Fall ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/13)
Ampersat ($2.49 from $9.99 until 6/13)
Replikator ($7.99 from $9.99 until 6/16)
Home Sweet Home ($1.99 from $9.99 until 6/17)
Inner Voices ($2.79 from $7.99 until 6/17)
My Time at Portia Deluxe ($6.39 from $31.99 until 6/18)
The Escapists GotY Edition ($5.39 from $26.99 until 6/18)
The Survivalists Deluxe ($5.39 from $26.99 until 6/18)
Moving Out Deluxe ($6.59 from $32.99 until 6/18)
Golf with Your Friends Deluxe ($5.39 from $26.99 until 6/18)
Dark Quest 2 ($5.49 from $10.99 until 6/18)
Dark Quest 3 ($9.49 from $18.99 until 6/18)
Batora Lost Haven ($18.74 from $24.99 until 6/18)
The Serpent Rogue ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Neon Abyss Deluxe ($8.39 from $27.99 until 6/18)
The Knight Witch ($13.39 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Ship of Fools ($10.49 from $14.99 until 6/18)
Greak: Memories of Azur ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Bravery and Greed ($13.39 from $19.99 until 6/18)
Alpaca Ball: Allstars ($4.99 from $19.99 until 6/19)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 30th

Arcade Paradise ($12.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
AVICII Invector ($4.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Carbage ($2.49 from $14.99 until 5/30)
Circa Infinity Ultimate ($1.99 from $10.99 until 5/30)
Cook Serve Delicious 2 ($1.99 from $12.99 until 5/30)
Cook Serve Delicious 2/3 Bundle ($2.99 from $24.99 until 5/30)
Cook Serve Delicious 3 ($1.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Delivery Driver The Simulation ($8.99 from $17.99 until 5/30)
Forklift The Simulation ($4.99 from $9.99 until 5/30)
Formula Retro Racing ($8.99 from $14.99 until 5/30)
Harmony’s Odyssey ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/30)
Hope’s Farm ($1.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Infinite Golf 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/30)
Lumote: The Mastermote Chronicles ($8.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Nachocado ($1.99 from $9.99 until 5/30)

Slime Rancher Plortable ($12.49 from $24.99 until 5/30)
Spy Chameleon ($2.99 from $9.99 until 5/30)
Super Sports Blast ($7.49 from $24.99 until 5/30)
Taxi Driver The Simulation ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/30)
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition ($10.49 from $29.99 until 5/30)
The House of Da Vinci 3 ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/30)
The Last Worker ($14.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL ($2.59 from $12.99 until 5/30)
Tiny Troopers: Global Ops ($14.99 from $19.99 until 5/30)
Xiomei & the Flame Dragon’s Fist ($13.49 from $14.99 until 5/30)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more sales, and perhaps some news and reviews. I just about got myself in trouble again this weekend by playing too much Zelda. Pretty rude how the universe doesn’t just give me a solid month free of obligations so I can properly get my fill. Oh well. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!