SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Lunar Lander Beyond’, Plus The Latest Releases and Sales
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 29th, 2024. It’s a new week! As usual, we’re starting with some reviews for you to enjoy. I take a good look at Lunar Lander Beyond from Atari, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants from GameMill, and Dadish 3D from Thomas K. Young. After that, we have some new releases to check out, including the curious Sunday drop of El Shaddai. We wrap things up in the usual fashion by listing the latest and expiring sales of the day. Let’s get to work!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Lunar Lander Beyond ($29.99)
I think Atari is in somewhat of a tricky position with its older IPs. A lot of time has passed between when they were at their peak relevance and now. Due to the tumultuous history of Atari, the gradual evolution that those games might have gone through over time was missed. That leaves the company trying to ride a fine line between making games new players who have never heard of any of these near-fifty year old brands will enjoy and keeping them faithful enough for there to be any real connection to the classics. While I have certainly enjoyed the Recharged line, I suspect they aren’t picking up many new fans. The upcoming Yars Rising has already caught flak for seeming to have little to do with the original games at all.
Lunar Lander Beyond falls somewhere in the middle. It is certainly of the same lineage as Lunar Lander, even if it feels more like the game’s grandchild Gravitar than the original. You’ll be thrusting your little ship around, performing various tasks, and trying to make any number of safe landings. Really, when I write it out this does seem more like Gravitar than Lunar Lander. Well, what can you do? There’s a mission-based structure here, and you’ll have multiple pilots and ships at your disposal, each with their own characteristics. The pilots in particular are randomly generated, and their innate traits can greatly influence how easy or difficult any given mission will be. You can’t just lean on one favorite though, as they will become exhausted if they don’t get ample rest. Pushing them too far can lead to hallucinations and total breakdowns.
As you play, you’ll earn new ships and ship parts that you can use, and these too tend to be better for some missions than others. Well, that’s the idea anyway. In reality, this whole system gets unbalanced in a hurry. It doesn’t matter that much, but it does make it feel like some of this stuff is extraneous. In almost every case time is the key factor, so once you find the set-up that works best towards that end, you can cruise on through. But you know, it’s not an unpleasant cruise by any means. It’s not as rough as Gravitar in terms of difficulty, but it’s challenging enough to keep you engaged. The presentation is decent, and if a person really wants to drain every last drop of entertainment from the game they’ll get a good amount of game here. Those just going for a one-and-done playthrough might find the experience a bit slight, though.
Lunar Lander Beyond is… fine. I wish I could say it’s more than that, or that it has the capacity to do more than preach to the Atari choir, but I don’t think it’s quite there. Some of its attempts to add some complexity to the concept don’t really click, and while the graphics and sound are pretty good, it feels like the core gameplay can’t fully live up to the level of ambition seen in other aspects. Still, if you have the requisite fondness for Atari and/or thrust-based spaceship games, you’ll likely enjoy your time with this well enough.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants ($29.99)
I’m not sure what to say about the fact that we apparently hit on the sole acceptable concept for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games more than thirty years ago, but it is what it is. And what this is is a rather well-done port of the Raw Thrills arcade Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game based on the 2012 CG animated series and released in 2017. Like most Raw Thrills games, it was well-suited to modern arcades. Flashy, easy to pick up, multiplayer-ready, and generally agreeable. Something to bash the buttons on while you wait for the movie to start, about as deep as a puddle, and not very memorable in the least.
In terms of basic gameplay, Wrath of the Mutants takes a lot of cues from Turtles in Time. Like, it even has that move where you throw the enemy into the screen. The controls aren’t quite as tight, the stages aren’t quite as varied, and there isn’t much strategy involved. But you know, it’s decent. For what it is and when it released, it’s downright decent. But a couple of things happened between 2017 and now. Konami went all-in and got a huge collection of classic TMNT games out on all modern platforms, which includes the outstanding Turtles in Time in both arcade and Super NES flavors. Even more importantly, Shredder’s Revenge came out. It used a similar strategy to Wrath of the Mutants by looking back to Konami’s offerings for inspiration, but it did one better by building on them in some truly amazing ways.
So we have a little problem here, I suppose. I’m very happy to see any modern arcade game get a home port, because that is less common than it should be these days. And as I said, this is an alright game. I’ve played far worse Turtles games. This is a good port, too. It adds more levels to the game, almost doubling its length. While it lacks support for online multiplayer, you can play with all four of the brothers via local co-op if you have a few friends or family members willing to jump in. It’s only about an hour long, but that’s longer than the source material in this case by a good chunk. Surely this is a win?
If you are a fan of the arcade game and just want to play it at home, then yes, Wrath of the Mutants is a full win. Buy it, be happy. For everyone else, it’s impossible to deny the fact that both Shredder’s Revenge and the Cowabunga Collection are available on the Switch at comparable prices and offer considerably better takes on this exact concept. Indeed, given how many exceptional beat-em-ups there are on the platform, it’s very hard to recommend this one. It’s okay, but “okay” doesn’t really cut it at this stage.
SwitchArcade Score: 3/5
Dadish 3D ($14.99)
I can safely count myself as a Dadish fan. I’ve picked up each game in the series as they’ve released and thoroughly enjoyed them, even if they can be really frustrating at times. After four games, it felt like there wasn’t much more space for developer Thomas K. Young to explore with the concept. Silly Shaun, you forgot about the third dimension! Turns out that affords you a lot more space to work with. And so here we are, with Dadish 3D, a game that does exactly what it says on the tin. I’m honestly amazed at the degree to which the developer was able to realize Dadish‘s look and feel in 3D.
You’re working your way through fifty largely linear courses, trying to rescue your wayward children and maybe finding some stars along the way. Fast food is dangerous, and so are things like sawblades. I mean, obviously. You might have to do the occasional light bit of puzzle solving, and there are going to be some bosses as well. Those bosses are puzzles themselves, in the main. If you take a hit or fall into the abyss in its many forms, you’ll have to start the stage over. But they aren’t terribly lengthy affairs, packing their challenges densely enough to make you sweat without requiring you to repeat too much should you fail. You also have unlimited lives, which is the style these days. You can bang your radish head against the wall as much as you need to.
It’s not all warm and sunny, however. The shift to 3D platforming back in the day was not without its road bumps, and Dadish 3D hits a few of them. It can be very difficult to gauge distances and even heights at times, which can lead to the occasional missed jump or impact with a hazard. While the camera mostly behaves itself, there are definitely moments where it can obscure things and get you killed. The peppy pace of the courses do their work here to keep it from getting too exasperating, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t cursing the game out for the wrong reasons at times. I also feel like it’s just a little too meat-and-potatoes, which is characteristic of Dadish but came off as slightly more of an issue here.
Dadish 3D takes the series into the third dimension with a surprising level of competency, and while it isn’t without its flaws it’s a really strong little 3D platformer for those looking for one. “Little” is a key point here, as it feels very pick-up-and-play thanks to its concise, well-paced stages. There are some growing pains here to be sure, particularly with the camera and gauging distances, but I have faith Dadish will overcome them in future installments.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
El Shaddai Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster ($29.99)
Daijoubu da, mondai nai. El Shaddai fell flat on its face back when it first released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 back in the day, but over time it attracted a cult following thanks to its extremely distinctive art style, story, and gameplay. Is it in a better position to rack up sales and kudos now than it was back in the day? I guess we’ll see. I’ll be delivering my review of this one soon, so keep your eyes open for that. And also so you can see the things in front of you. Close them sometimes to re-moisten them. Top Tips from Shaun!
The Bin Bunch
Supermarket Shopping Simulator ($5.99)
Kanjozoku 2 – Drift Car Games ($11.99)
Recycle Master ($0.99)
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
More sales popped up over the weekend, with the latest batch from NIS America standing out. Labryinth of Galleria for half price? Wow! There are lots of good deals in there, especially if you love RPGs. Don’t forget to check the outbox too, because there are some good games in there as well. I’ll leave those lists to you.
Select New Sales
Stolen Realm ($15.99 from $19.99 until 5/1)
Class of Heroes: AE ($17.99 from $19.99 until 5/3)
Class of Heroes 2G: RE ($17.99 from $19.99 until 5/3)
Class of Heroes 1 & 2: CE ($31.49 from $34.99 until 5/3)
Choo-Choo Charles ($13.99 from $19.99 until 5/4)
Snakebird Complete ($11.99 from $14.99 until 5/6)
GrimGrimoire OnceMore ($24.99 from $49.99 until 5/6)
R-Type Final 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
Process of Elimination ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
Saviors of Sapphire Wings/Sword City ($19.99 from $49.99 until 5/6)
LA-MULANA ($7.49 from $14.99 until 5/6)
LA-MULANA 2 ($9.99 from $24.99 until 5/6)
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? ($8.99 from $19.99 until 5/6)
Prinny 2: Operation Panties, Dood ($8.99 from $19.99 until 5/6)
Crystar ($24.99 from $49.99 until 5/6)
Labryinth of Galleria: Moon Society ($24.99 from $49.99 until 5/6)
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories ($19.99 from $59.99 until 5/6)
The Cruel King & the Great Hero ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/6)
The Liar Princess & the Blind Prince ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/6)
Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief ($14.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
Disgaea 1 Complete ($17.49 from $49.99 until 5/6)
Disgaea 7 Complete ($76.99 from $109.99 until 5/6)
Ys VIII Lacrimosa of DANA ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
Yurukill: The Calumniation Games ($19.99 from $39.99 until 5/6)
Running Fable ($2.79 from $7.99 until 5/9)
Alpaca Wonders Why ($2.79 from $3.99 until 5/11)
The Gap ($15.99 from $19.99 until 5/12)
Chernobyl: Origins ($1.99 from $14.99 until 5/12)
Star Gagnant ($22.80 from $38.00 until 5/17)
Witch Explorer ($9.99 from $19.99 until 5/17)
OSHIIRO ($3.29 from $10.99 until 5/17)
GyroGunner ($5.76 from $7.20 until 5/17)
Illusion ($5.35 from $10.71 until 5/17)
Zombies, Aliens and Guns ($4.79 from $5.99 until 5/17)
PGMS Biggerman.io ($2.74 from $5.49 until 5/18)
PGMS Cat and Castle ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/18)
PGMS Hunter of Devil ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/18)
PGMS Lunlun Superherobabys DX ($4.24 from $4.99 until 5/18)
PGMS Fish Tornado ($2.49 from $4.99 until 5/18)
Train Life: A Railway Simulator ($5.99 from $29.99 until 5/19)
Fishing Star World Tour ($14.99 from $29.99 until 5/19)
Zombiewood: Survival Shooter ($7.99 from $9.99 until 5/19)
Wildshade Unicorn Champions ($15.99 from $39.99 until 5/19)
Garden Life: Garden Party Edition ($29.24 from $44.99 until 5/19)
Animal Hospital ($15.99 from $39.99 until 5/19)
Asterix & Obelix: Heroes ($11.99 from $29.99 until 5/19)
My Fantastic Ranch ($7.99 from $39.99 until 5/19)
Rims Racing: Ultimate Edition ($6.99 from $69.99 until 5/19)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, April 30th
Arise: A Simple Story DE ($2.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Aspire: Ina’s Tale ($1.99 from $12.99 until 4/30)
Astral Ascent ($18.74 from $24.99 until 4/30)
ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/30)
Badland: GotY Edition ($1.99 from $5.99 until 4/30)
Bang-On Balls: Chronicles ($9.99 from $24.99 until 4/30)
Beautiful Desolation ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Blazing Beaks ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/30)
Chasm: The Rift ($6.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Electrician Simulator ($11.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Everdream Valley ($12.49 from $24.99 until 4/30)
Flame Keeper ($4.99 from $11.99 until 4/30)
Gamedec: Definitive Edition ($2.99 from $29.99 until 4/30)
Golf Club Nostalgia ($1.99 from $9.99 until 4/30)
Last Bloody Snack ($2.99 from $9.99 until 4/30)
Metamorphosis ($1.99 from $24.99 until 4/30)
NBA 2K24 Black Mamba Edition ($24.99 from $99.99 until 4/30)
NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition ($8.99 from $59.99 until 4/30)
Pinball FX: South Park Pinball DLC ($4.99 from $9.99 until 4/30)
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
Red Wings: American Aces ($1.99 from $11.99 until 4/30)
Tools Up! ($1.99 from $19.99 until 4/30)
What Lies in the Multiverse ($1.99 from $14.99 until 4/30)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with more new releases, more reviews, more sales, and maybe even some news. It’s actually a holiday today, but I am nothing if not tireless in my delivery of the SwitchArcade Round-Up. I hope you all have a marvelous Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!
