Greetings, fellow gamers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024! Today's update starts with some breaking news, followed by a review and a fresh game release. We'll wrap things up with our usual sales reports. 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, a blend of Partner Showcase and Indie World highlights, focused primarily on third-party titles. No first-party reveals or Switch successor news, as expected. You can watch the full presentation above; a detailed summary will follow tomorrow.

Reviews & Mini-Views

EGGCONSOLE Star Trader PC-8801mkIIsr ($6.49)

This untranslated EGGCONSOLE release presents a familiar dilemma: Is the game enjoyable in itself, and is it playable without knowing Japanese? Star Trader is an intriguing but not outstanding title. Falcom's blend of Japanese adventure game mechanics and side-scrolling shooter elements doesn't fully succeed in either genre. The adventure aspects boast appealing artwork, and the attempt to integrate a narrative into the shooter segments is novel. Gameplay primarily involves dialogue, quest-taking, and using earnings to upgrade your ship—crucial for progressing through the action sequences.

The shooter sections, however, suffer from the PC-8801's limitations, resulting in jerky scrolling. Even with smoother movement, the gameplay might not be exceptional. The game's structure is unclear, but Star Trader is more fascinating than it is truly good. This leads us to the language barrier. The text-heavy adventure sections demand player input for optimal results, making it nearly unplayable without Japanese comprehension. While brute-forcing might be possible, it significantly diminishes the experience.

Star Trader offers a glimpse into a developer's less-familiar work, but its significant Japanese text content severely limits its appeal to Western audiences. It might offer some minor entertainment for experimentation, but a strong recommendation is difficult.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

Select 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. Explore, fight with a broom, encounter quirky characters, battle bosses, and upgrade abilities. It's a familiar formula, but executed well. Fans of the genre should definitely check it out.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

For fans of colorful shooters with unique mechanics, the Dreamer series and Harpoon Shooter Nozomi are worth considering. Don't miss out on 1000xRESIST—it's a must-buy! Other notable sales include Star Wars titles, Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Haiku, the Robot, and Tomb Raider games. See the lists below for details!

Select New Sales

(List of new sales)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 28th

(List of sales ending tomorrow)

That's all for today! We'll be back tomorrow with a Direct recap, new releases, sales updates, and more reviews. Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for reading!