by Hello dear readers, and welcome to the March 6, 2023 SwitchArcade recap. In today’s article, I have some reviews for you to start the week. First, Nintendo and HAL’s latest release in Kirby series, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe. Then it’s a tactical RPG Reapers of Redemption and adventure game Lucy is dreaming. Then we have some new releases to watch, including Castlevania DLC for dead cells. We close things off with the usual lists of new and expiring sales. let’s continue!
Reviews and mini-views
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe ($59.99)
Is there anything more reliable under the sun than, for example, Kirby game? Sure, there are unusual spin-offs, but they’re usually good fun. Yes, some of the base games are more fun than others, but even in the worst games, they’re fun to play. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a throwback to the 2011 Wii game that came late enough that many people missed it. As with many other Wii games, one of its major new features was the ability for up to four players to play together. Considering it’s been over ten years since the traditional one Kirby the game came to the home console, it was also a bit nostalgic. And hey, it was kind of okay.
Here we are in 2023 with Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, and is every inch the same game as it was in the original. The Super Inhale move is activated by a button instead of a move, some new copy powers have been added, an optional easy mode has been implemented, and there’s a cool new Magolor Epilogue to play with. The visuals of the game have been completely changed, and the character designs have been adapted to their modern versions. There’s also the new Merry Magoland theme park, which features several mini-games taken from various games in the series, and lots of fun unlockables. If I really wanted to get to the weeds I could list tons of little tweaks and tweaks made to the way the game is played, but suffice it to say that this is by no means a simple port.
Overall, I think it’s a better game than the original in almost every way. Perhaps not better enough to justify a purchase for someone who already owns the game and has a Wii or Wii U plugged in, but enough that it’s one of the two you should buy if you’re coming to it fresh. Well, that’s one question settled. Perhaps more importantly, is it even worth worrying about? I think if you’re looking for a fun platformer to play with your friends in local co-op then this is it Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe has a lot to offer. It’s fun to play this game together, even if it’s very easy, and the mini-games in Merry Magoland Park provide nice entertainment if you want something more partyy. I’m a little surprised that there’s no online multiplayer support in this release, but maybe I shouldn’t.
How Kirby game, it falls right in the middle of the package. Even with the upgrades, I don’t think it depends on the likes The Forgotten Realm, Superstar DeluxeOr Robot planet. But it’s also a bit more fun than that Star Allies or, let’s say, Piskoków team. Ultimates are a fun gimmick, the stage designs are all decent enough, and it’s fun to play around with the fairly solid move sets of each copy ability. It has the charm that games in the Kirby series usually have, offering relatively chilled gameplay with a few hard-to-get extras for those who want more biting. He doesn’t do anything to drop the ball in any serious way, but unless you’re playing multiplayer, he also lacks that special spark that the best of the bunch have.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe it’s a more effort-intensive rework than you might initially think, with a workable list of improvements, both obvious and subtle, to bring what was already a solid game up to modern series standards. As with many others Kirby offers a wide range of things to do and mechanics to play with, and the multiplayer option adds spice to those who can use it. In many ways, this is a very busy game and is unlikely to convince those who are not yet charmed by the pink puff. But that’s often the role Kirby takes, and it’s a role she wears as elegantly as her little red shoes.
SwitchArcade Rating: 4/5
Reapers of Redemption ($49.99)
My first impressions of this game were not good. The visuals are bland, and in this Switch version it’s really rough. Enemies are completely devoid of anything that would distinguish them from the deadly pieces of meat on their legs. The difficulty is brutally high at the start, and the weapon degradation system makes you feel like you’re not just fighting an uphill battle, you’re doing it on roller skates. Considering the pedigree of the people behind this game, including veterans Fire emblem series i Solid metal gearthis game performed shockingly poorly in the beginning.
I wish I could say that if you stick with it, you’ll be handsomely rewarded. But I can’t say that. All I can say is that it is does Better. Resources become less scarce, the tricky curve becomes a bit less sharp, and the plot actually starts to exist. If the first half of the game was as strong as the second half, followed by the second half, which accelerated accordingly, we could have something here. Instead, we have an assortment of interesting ideas that never really come together properly. I admit it’s better than having no ideas at all, but it’s also more disappointing.
I’ve played worse turn-based tactical RPGs than that Reapers of Redemption, and perhaps my disappointment was because I expected more. But I can’t help feeling that there could be something special here if the story was properly fleshed out and its various design choices worked better together. Instead, we have a game that presses you in many nasty ways, almost to the point where it seems to want you to stop playing. Given how many solid entries in the genre Switch has in its library, it’s hard to recommend one with real vigor.
SwitchArcade Rating: 3/5
Lucy Dreaming ($18.99)
If you like point-and-click adventure games, in particular the Lucasarts classics, you’ll want to give it a go Lucy is dreaming look. It’s a clever, genuinely fun game with lots of inventive ideas and one of the smoothest difficulty curves I’ve seen in a game like this in a long time. She exudes charm, both in her attachment to her ancestors and in her own deeply British sensibility. If you’re the type who loves to click things in adventure games just to see what a character will say, there’s plenty of rewards waiting for you here. I especially like the way the game’s two sides, the real world and Lucy’s dream world, alternate between puzzles more grounded and wildly abstract.
Lucy is dreaming is another great addition to the excellent library of point-and-click adventure games on Switch. The sense of humor is spot on, the story is engaging, the puzzles are fair and well-designed, the presentation is good, and the interface is as competent as you can get for a game of this kind on a controller. It manages to thread the difficult needle of being a love letter to the genre while being a game of its own, and as long as you don’t have a problem with adventure games, you’ll probably enjoy it as much as I do.
SwitchArcade Rating: 4/5
New releases
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC ($9.99)
Castlevania he’s back! Rather! The latest DLC for the awesome dead cells is a fully Konami-supported nostalgia trip to the castle of demons itself. Help Richter Belmont by exploring the iconic castle, battling its notorious inhabitants, and ultimately defeat Dracula himself. You can unlock and use fourteen different weapons from the series, including the Vampire Slayer’s whip, find tasty meat in walls, listen to a soundtrack full of Castlevania tunes, find Castlevania character outfits, and even play as Richter in a special bonus mode. There will probably be a review of this title soon, so stay tuned.
Junk Games ($4.49)
This is a terrible little beat-em-up game. It puts the numbers, with twelve stages and eight different characters, and you can upgrade your character in the process. But none of that matters if the gameplay isn’t up to snuff, and that just completely misses the point. The good news is that you’ll be buying a high-quality fighting game for four bucks instead Capcom Arcade Stadium.
Ala Mobile ($14.99)
Port of the mobile racer, it is a formula racing game with fifteen tracks to race, ten different teams to choose from and online multiplayer for two players. It promises “everything you could want from a racing game”, and that feels like a big swing. It seems quite popular on mobile, but it’s also seven times cheaper there. It’s almost worth dropping two dollars in there to see if you like it well enough to buy it here for fifteen.
Justice Inquiry ($1.50)
A visual novel with lots of text and only Japanese language support. Not much good unless you can read Japanese. Even if you can, I’m not sure it’s worth your time even if the price is low.
Turnover
(North American online store, US prices)
Not too much today, but there is a little sale Hatsune Miku puzzle games, Terarina shooters and excellent Dreadrock dungeon consider. This is your last chance to catch Nobody’s sky at the current discount, though I imagine it will return one day.
Select New games on sale
Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S ($8.54 from $14.00 to 3/12)
Hatsune Miku Tamagotori ($8.54 from $14.00 to 3/12)
Hatsune Miku puzzle ($8.54 from $14.99 to 3/12)
Right and down ($5.99 from $9.99 to 3/12)
Sotan ($1.99 from $4.99 through March 13)
Dreadrock dungeons ($2.49 from $10.00 through March 20)
Angry blasters ($10.29 from $14.70 to 3/24)
Gemini arms ($6.64 from $9.49 to 3/24)
Missile Dancer ($6.99 from $9.99 to 3/24)
Drift and drive ($7.79 from $12.99 through March 24)
Bandit Tales ($5.59 from $6.99 through March 24)
Scar of the doll ($6.59 from $9.99 through March 24)
Heroes of the Green Soldiers ($1.99 from $20.00 to 3/24)
Mysteries of light and shadow ($11.25 from $15.00 through March 25)
The sale ends tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7
Children of Silenttown ($14.99 from $19.99 to 7/03)
Divinity Original Sin 2 DE ($24.99 from $49.99 to 3/7)
The oldest souls ($6.99 from $19.99 to 3/7)
Odyssey of Harmony ($9.74 from $14.99 to 7/03)
Nobody’s sky ($44.99 from $59.99 to 3/7)
Years ($5.59 from $19.99 to 7/03)
A rolling car ($1.99 from $7.99 to 7/03)
Iron tails ($8.74 from $24.99 to 7/03)
Last bonfire ($2.99 from $14.99 to 7/03)
ToeJam and Earl back in the groove ($2.24 from $14.99 to 3/7)
UnderDungeon ($1.99 from $13.99 to 3/7)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more reviews, new releases, sales, and possibly some news. I’ve almost finished a little translation project I’m working on, and I can’t wait to get some evenings back before I start the next one. Have a wonderful Monday everyone, and as always, thank you for reading!
