SwitchArcade Round-Up: ‘Castaway’, ‘Elrentaros Wanderings’, Plus Today’s Other Releases, News, and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 16th, 2024. It’s the end of another week, and we’ve got several games to check up on as we sweep things up. But first, we dip into a little news, as a treat. After that, we go through the new releases in our usual fashion, then wrap it all up with the lists of new sales and expiring discounts. Let’s get to the weekend!

News

Grab a ‘Splatoon 3’ Theme in the Latest ‘Tetris 99’ Maximus Cup

Hey, it’s Maximus Cup time again! The theme this time around is Splatoon 3, or rather the Expansion Pass content if we must be very specific. And we must. The rules are all the same as usual. The event runs from… several hours ago to the end of this weekend, and you have that much time to earn 100 event points by playing. Should you pull off that Herculean task, you’ll be able to keep the theme and use it at your leisure. Or bury it in a pile with your other unlocked themes while you keep using the classic Game Boy one. Your call.

Select New Releases

Elrentaros Wanderings ($39.99)

I had really high hopes for this RPG, given it was coming from a new team headed by the creator of Rune Factory. I wish I could say Elrentaros Wanderings lived up to those hopes, but it’s… definitely not there. I’ll be doing a review soon and I’m still organizing my thoughts, but it’s a hard game to recommend from what I’ve experienced so far. It feels like the developer didn’t have the budget to meet its ambitions, and had to thin out the broth way too much as a result. It’s a very grindy affair and there just isn’t much here to make that grind enjoyable.

Castaway ($7.99)

I mean, Nintendo had to approve this itself, so if it doesn’t care then I won’t. This is a relatively short action-adventure game that is taking some obvious cues from The Legend of Zelda, with the Game Boy games in particular almost certainly serving as the main visual reference. The price is low enough to take a punt on it if it looks interesting to you, and I’ll likely be doing just that since I haven’t had a chance to play it yet myself.

Farewell North ($23.99)

This is a game where you play as a border collie that is on an adventure with its human to try to restore color to an archipelago inspired by those of Scotland. As you go, you’ll unlock memories and hints as to what happened to drain the color from this world, and while I haven’t played this one I have a very bad feeling that the ending is one of those ones where you’ll need a box of tissues. Our pal Mikhail will be offering up a review of it as soon as he can.

The Sirena Expedition ($5.99)

A short little one-hour trip down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench where a mysterious facility exists. What is its purpose? Who built it? Can you find the answers to these questions? Do you want to? A bit of a horror-tinged puzzle platformer with an interesting low-res vibe. Might be worth the plunge.

Rewind or Die ($11.99)

A horrific comedy? Comedic horror? It’s a game where you play as a video rental store clerk in the 1990s, and while whether or not you are even supposed to be there today is an unanswered question, it is a fact that you’ll have to contend with doing your job while a serial killer is on the loose. Tricky puzzles, over the top gore, multiple endings, and an important lesson for those handling tape-based media: rewind… or die.

Mute Crimson DX ($14.99)

This is a precision platformer where you play as a ninja who has to save his city from monsters. You’ll have to run and jump your way through nine worlds, showing off your moves against a variety of traps, enemies, and bosses. There are some secrets to find along the way as well, provided you have the skills to uncover them. If you like this genre, this is a very good game. It’s tough, but satisfying.

Turn to Mine ($9.99)

Go do a little space mining in this puzzle game. Collect the crystals and try to destroy enemy drones before they get you first. This is a pretty unusual game mechanically speaking, as you’re sometimes guiding your miners as though it was a real-time strategy game. Puzzle game fans looking for something different from the norm might enjoy what it has to offer. Not bad!

Murder Is Game Over: Streaming Death ($4.99)

Here’s a follow-up to the Murder Is Game Over mystery adventure, this time putting you on the case of a social media star who died under mysterious circumstances in a remote seaside village. But of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Search the village, interview suspects, find the clues, and try to figure out what really went on. Someone is guilty, and it’s up to you to stop them before they have the chance to do it again.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Sure, some fun sales in there. You can go through and see what strikes your fancy, as there are a lot of oddball games in the list. Not much in the weekend outbox, but Snufkin and Egglia are rare enough discounts at this point that you might want to consider them.

Select New Sales

Fireside ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/23)

Sally Face ($8.99 from $14.99 until 8/23)

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy ($13.99 from $39.99 until 8/26)

Namco Museum ($4.79 from $29.99 until 8/26)

Overboss ($13.49 from $14.99 until 8/29)

Super Sean 007 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29)

Operation Steel ($5.99 from $9.99 until 8/29)

Satay Shop Tycoon ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/29)

April’s Diary ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/29)

Crashout Xtreme ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29)

Pogo Joins the Circus ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/29)

A Cat & His Boy ($1.99 from $2.99 until 8/29)

Spy Bros. ($4.79 from $7.99 until 8/29)

Midnight Fight Express ($11.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Surmount ($9.89 from $14.99 until 8/30)

Mineko’s Night Market ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Thunder Ray ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/30)

#BLUD ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/30)

The Last Worker ($3.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Roxy Raccoon’s Pinball Panic ($6.99 from $9.99 until 8/30)

Forager ($6.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Slay the Spire ($8.49 from $24.99 until 8/30)

Moonscars ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Space Mercenary Defense Force ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/30)

Unpacking ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Void Bastards ($8.99 from $29.99 until 8/30)

Enter Digiton: Heart of Corruption ($2.39 from $7.99 until 8/30)

Supraland ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Empire of Angels IV ($6.79 from $19.99 until 8/30)

Alpha Particle ($3.39 from $9.99 until 8/30)

Hell Well ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/30)

8th Millennium: WAtPG ($7.49 from $29.99 until 8/30)

Super Woden GP ($5.99 from $11.99 until 8/30)

The Last Dragon Slayer ($3.74 from $14.99 until 8/30)

Hopping Girl Kohane EX ($16.74 from $24.99 until 9/4)

Evil God Korone ($3.35 from $3.95 until 9/5)

Yggdra Union: WNFA ($19.99 from $24.99 until 9/5)

Cat Quest II ($3.74 from $14.99 until 9/5)

The Sinking City ($5.99 from $49.99 until 9/5)

Mom Hid My Game! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5)

Mom Hid My Game! 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5)

My Brother Ate My Pudding! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5)

Hide & Dance! ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/5)

Eldgear ($12.99 from $19.99 until 9/5)

Fairy Elements ($8.99 from $14.99 until 9/5)

Genso Chronicles ($9.74 from $14.99 until 9/5)

Super Toy Cars Offroad ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/5)

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/5)

Port Royale 4 ($17.49 from $49.99 until 9/5)

Magical Drop VI ($14.99 from $29.99 until 9/5)

Burst Hero ($5.99 from $11.99 until 9/5)

Sales Ending This Weekend

BIT.TRIP Collection ($2.49 from $9.99 until 8/17)

Bug & Seek ($11.99 from $14.99 until 8/17)

Luna & Monsters Tower Defense ($2.56 from $12.99 until 8/17)

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley ($16.99 from $19.99 until 8/17)

Turn to Mine ($7.99 from $9.99 until 8/17)

Why Pizza? ($2.49 from $4.99 until 8/17)

Blood Lines: Magicians’ Chase2 ($8.39 from $11.99 until 8/18)

Egglia Rebirth ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/18)

The Gap ($13.99 from $19.99 until 8/18)

Venba ($9.74 from $14.99 until 8/18)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. We’ll be back next week with more new releases, more sales, more reviews, and some news. It seems like the hotly-anticipated typhoon that was supposed to hit today has changed course, so that’s nice. One fewer excuse to stay inside playing video games, but I’ll figure something else out. I hope you all have a good weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!