SwitchArcade Round-Up: Today’s Nintendo Direct, Full Review of ‘EGGCONSOLE Star Trader’, Plus New Releases and Sales

Hello again, readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024! Today's update starts with some breaking news, followed by a review, a new release spotlight, and our regular sales updates. Let's dive in!

News

Nintendo Direct/Indie World Showcase Recap

As predicted by some industry insiders, Nintendo surprised us with a last-minute Nintendo Direct! The 40-minute presentation covered both Partner and Indie World Showcases. While lacking first-party titles and any Switch successor news, it still held some exciting announcements. You can watch the full presentation above, and we'll provide a detailed summary of the highlights tomorrow.

Reviews & Mini-Views

EGGCONSOLE Star Trader PC-8801mkIIsr ($6.49)

This untranslated EGGCONSOLE release presents a familiar dilemma: is the game enjoyable, and is it playable without Japanese language skills? Star Trader is an interesting but not exceptional game. Falcom blends adventure game elements with side-scrolling shooter stages, but neither aspect shines. The adventure sections feature appealing artwork, and the shooter's attempt at narrative integration is unique. Gameplay involves interacting with characters, accepting quests, and earning money to upgrade your ship. These upgrades are crucial for success in the shooter segments.

The shooter segments, however, suffer from the PC-8801's limitations, resulting in choppy scrolling. Even if the scrolling were smoother, the gameplay might not be stellar. The game's design is unclear, but Star Trader proves more intriguing than truly enjoyable. This leads to the second question: the text-heavy adventure sections require player comprehension for optimal progress. Without understanding Japanese, you'll miss half the game and likely struggle in the other half due to insufficient credits. While brute-forcing is possible, it won't be a pleasant experience.

Star Trader offers a glimpse into a developer's less-familiar work, but its historical interest is undermined by the significant amount of Japanese text. While some enjoyment might be found through experimentation, a strong recommendation is difficult to give.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

New Releases

Crypt Custodian ($19.99)

This top-down action-adventure game follows Pluto, a recently deceased cat, banished from the afterlife for a mishap and sentenced to eternal cleaning duty. Explore, battle enemies with a broom, meet quirky characters, fight bosses, and enhance your abilities. It's a familiar formula, but well-executed. Fans of the genre should definitely check it out.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

For fans of colorful shooters with unique mechanics, consider the Dreamer series and Harpoon Shooter Nozomi. For a must-buy, pick up 1000xRESIST. Other notable titles on sale include Star Wars games, Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Haiku, the Robot, and the Tomb Raider collection. Check out the lists below!

New Sales

Return ($10.49 from $13.99 until 9/2) Summer Daze: Tilly’s Tale ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/9) Please Fix the Road ($5.99 from $9.99 until 9/9) Ticket to Ride ($26.99 from $29.99 until 9/9) King ‘n Knight ($9.59 from $11.99 until 9/9) Spiritfarer ($7.49 from $29.99 until 9/9) Harpoon Shooter Nozomi ($6.98 from $9.98 until 9/16) Like Dreamer ($5.99 from $11.99 until 9/16) Cosmo Dreamer ($4.10 from $8.20 until 9/16) Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate ($8.99 from $59.99 until 9/16) Gluck ($5.59 from $6.99 until 9/16) Love Love School Days ($4.19 from $10.49 until 9/16) Ugly ($6.79 from $19.99 until 9/16) Replik Survivors ($3.44 from $4.99 until 9/16)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 28th

1000xRESIST ($15.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Citizen Sleeper ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Genesis Noir ($4.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Haiku, The Robot ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Heads Up! Phones Down Edition ($1.99 from $39.99 until 8/28) Legend Bowl ($18.74 from $24.99 until 8/28) MythForce ($14.99 from $29.99 until 8/28) Paradise Killer ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Battlefront Collection ($28.00 from $35.01 until 8/28) Star Wars Bounty Hunter ($14.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Episode I Racer ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Academy ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Jedi Outcast ($4.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars KotOR II: Sith Lords ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars Republic Commando ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/28) Star Wars The Force Unleashed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Super Mutant Alien Assault ($1.99 from $9.99 until 8/28) Suzerain ($4.49 from $17.99 until 8/28) The Pale Beyond ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Times & Galaxy ($17.99 from $19.99 until 8/28) Tomb Raider I-III Remastered ($22.49 from $29.99 until 8/28)

That's it for today! Join us tomorrow for a Direct recap, new game coverage, sales updates, and more reviews. Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for reading!