‘Air Twister’, ‘Heads Up!’, ‘9 Years of Shadows’, Plus Today’s Other Releases and Sales – TouchArcade

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for November 10th, 2023. In today’s article, we look at the remaining releases of the week. Not a whole lot in today’s list, but there are titles like Air Twister, Claire: Extended Cut, Heads Up! Phones Down Edition, and 9 Years of Shadows to consider. After summarizing all of those, we saunter on over to the lists of new and expiring sales. Yes, those certainly are some lists. Let’s get to business!

New Releases

Air Twister ($24.99)

It’s been out on Apple Arcade for a long while now, but if you’d prefer to play Space Harrier creator Yu Suzuki’s latest on your Nintendo Switch, that’s now a thing you can do. While this isn’t quite the stone-cold classic Space Harrier is, it’s a gorgeous and surreal trip whose vibrant visuals are matched by a wild rock opera soundtrack by Valensia. Sure, you can just play this on Apple Arcade if you have a subscription, but I certainly wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted to make this part of their permanent collection. Yu Suzuki games don’t come out every day, after all. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.

Claire: Extended Cut ($14.99)

Here’s a 2D horror game, something that was at one point a novel concept but is now fairly well-trodden ground. This one originally came out more than seven years ago on other platforms, and it got a somewhat middling reception then. I can’t imagine it fares any better in a more crowded field, but I suppose we’ll see. You’re visiting your mother in the hospital and things go ultra-spooky. Well, I can vouch that being in a hospital at night can be pretty rough. Being in a hospital during the day is, too. I don’t recommend it, if you can help it. As for this game, it’s not my cup of tea. Perhaps it’s yours, though.

Heads Up! Phones Down Edition ($39.99)

I’d imagine most folks reading this site are familiar with Heads Up!, as it’s been hanging near the top of the App Store rankings for the better part of a decade. Well, here’s one you can play on your TV. In case you aren’t familiar with it, it’s sort of a variant on Charades. Up to ten players can join in via local multiplayer, and this really is something you’ll need to play with others. It comes with more than ninety themed decks built in, which accounts for the rather significant price difference when compared to the IAP-filled mobile game. If you do game nights with friends or family members, particularly with those who don’t usually play video games, this is a winner.

9 Years of Shadows ($19.99)

So, look. I enjoy Hollow Knight as much as the next person, and it’s been interesting seeing the results of bringing design lessons from Dark Souls into the Metroidvania sub-genre. But sometimes you just want a good old-fashioned Metroidvania, the kind that didn’t have you in a cold sweat dealing with every room you come across. If that’s you, then you might want to look into 9 Years of Shadows. It feels very much on the ‘vania end of Metroidvania, and we don’t get as many of those these days as I’d prefer. I’ll probably do a review of this one soon, in case you need more nudging.

Pixel Game Maker Series Project Nosferatu ($14.99)

A top-down action-RPG that looks more like it comes from the Ys school than the Zelda one, and that’s not a bad thing depending on your tastes. The graphics aren’t exactly mind-blowing, but they get the point across. The combat is on the fast-paced side of things, and you can chain your sixteen different attacks into combos to dispatch the enemies more quickly. I’m actually a bit interested in this one, so I’ll take a closer look and let you know if it manages to impress.

Grace of Letoile ($14.99)

This KEMCO/Magitec release barely tickled my memories, but luckily I wrote a review of the mobile version eight and a half years ago that I was able to use as a reference. And, well, this isn’t a good one. Which isn’t surprising given it was made by Magitec, a developer which KEMCO hasn’t done much work with for a long while. The story is okay at best, the dungeons are terrible, and the gameplay systems just don’t work all that well. Even within the KEMCO pantheon, this is decidedly middle of the road. Only for the most loyal fans of the publisher, I’d say.

Sakura Alien 2 ($9.99)

Here’s the sequel already. That was quick. Anyway, it’s a Sakura visual novel. Specifically, this is one about the alien lady that seemed to borrow more than a little from Urusei Yatsura. Presumably there is another alien lady you can romance in this one, because how else are you going to up the ante? There are two different endings based on your choices, and you can more or less expect the game to play out the way all the other Sakura games do. A bit of saucy fluff, for those in need.

Slaughter: The Lost Outpost ($7.50)

This one is making its way over from mobile, I believe, where it kicked off a fairly successful series of third-person shooters. It feels like a budget PlayStation 2 game, the kind that you would see in a discount bin somewhere and boggle over the fact that you’ve never even heard of it before. Is that a good thing? A bad thing? I guess that depends on the individual. At seven-and-a-half bucks, I reckon it doesn’t need to be too impressive to satisfy some, however.

Burning Secrets – A Bara Visual Novel ($4.99)

Eastasiasoft’s latest visual novel is a fantasy-themed gay romance story about an adventurer who is on a journey to rescue an old wizard friend. There are multiple companions to court, and based on your choices you’ll arrive at one of a variety of endings. Well, you know how this sort of thing goes. It’s a fiver, so don’t expect it to be an epic tale or anything.

Bob the Elementalist ($4.99)

This is a puzzle-platformer with eighty levels to play. The main gimmick here is that you can use the four elements in various ways to help you make your way through each level. Nothing too fancy here, but if you’re looking for some straightforward enjoyment for a fiver, this will likely suit you fine.

The Bin Bunch

ForRace GT2D ($7.99)

Your Future 2 Future Prediction ($1.50)

Polyturbo Drift Racing Simulator ($9.99)

Village Tycoon: Farm City Simulator ($9.99)

Keep the Fire – Survival Simulator ($8.99)

Draw and Go! ($1.99)

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Not too much today for a Friday, but worth taking a look through the list anyway. DEEMO is great for rhythm game fans, you can never go wrong with Gunman Clive, and Blue Fire is a well-liked 3D action game. In a rare case for this day of the week, the weekend outbox is much larger than the list of new sales. There are a few decent games in there scattered amongst the, uh, other stuff, so do give it a look.

Select New Sales

Axiom Verge 2 ($15.99 from $19.99 until 11/16)
White Girl ($4.42 from $8.85 until 11/16)
Rainbow Yggdrasil ($9.45 from $13.50 until 11/16)
11111Game ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/17)
DEEMO -Reborn- ($15.00 from $25.00 until 11/20)
Arcadia Fallen ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/20)
The Legend of Shadow: Mask of the Force ($13.49 from $14.99 until 11/20)
Closer ($4.79 from $5.99 until 11/24)
Flashout 3 ($4.99 from $19.99 until 11/24)
Death Come True ($10.39 from $15.99 until 11/24)
The Crisis Zone ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/24)
Mechstermination Force ($4.79 from $11.99 until 11/30)
Gunman Clive HD Collection ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/30)
Super Punch Patrol ($1.99 from $4.99 until 11/30)
Onion Assault ($3.19 from $7.99 until 11/30)
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion ($5.09 from $14.99 until 11/30)
Blue Fire ($6.79 from $19.99 until 11/30)
G-Mode Archives29 Zanac ($2.49 from $4.99 until 11/30)
Tropico 6 ($24.99 from $49.99 until 11/30)
Ugly ($14.99 from $19.99 until 11/30)
Sherlock Holmes & Hound of the Baskervilles ($1.99 from $12.99 until 11/30)
Master Sleuth Bundle ($17.99 from $89.99 until 11/30)

Sales Ending This Weekend

Doomsday Hunters ($12.59 from $17.99 until 11/11)
Eventide 2: Sorcerer’s Mirror ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Ghost Files: The Face of Guilt ($1.99 from $14.99 until 11/11)
Lord Winklebottom Investigates ($12.34 from $18.99 until 11/11)
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid SE ($24.99 from $49.99 until 11/11)
The Witcher 3: Blood & Wine ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone DLC ($4.99 from $9.99 until 11/1)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ($19.99 from $39.99 until 11/1)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete ($29.99 from $59.99 until 11/1)
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/1)
Agatha Christie Collection ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot First Cases ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
Alfred Hitchcock: Vertigo ($7.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
ANIMUS: Revenant ($4.36 from $22.99 until 11/12)
Arkanoid: Eternal Battle ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)

Asterix & Obelix: Slap Them All! ($7.49 from $24.99 until 11/12)
Batora: Lost Haven ($12.49 from $24.99 until 11/12)
Beyond a Steel Sky ($11.99 from $39.99 until 11/12)
Blasphemous ($9.99 from $24.99 until 11/12)
Bravery and Greed ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
Bunker Life ($8.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Car+Toon Race: Rally Valley Champion ($1.99 from $10.99 until 11/12)
Counter Crossline: Crime War ($3.44 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Counter Delta 2: Eastern Crisis ($10.49 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Counter Delta: The Bullet Rain ($3.44 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Counter Recon 2: The New War ($5.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Counter Recon: The First Mission ($2.84 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Crime Busters: Strike Area ($5.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Dead Rain: New Zombie Virus ($4.06 from $10.99 until 11/12)
Dungeon Limbus ($2.84 from $14.99 until 11/12)

Escape Game Fort Boyard ($2.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
Flashback ($1.99 from $9.99 until 11/12)
Grand Mountain Adventure: Wonderlands ($13.99 from $34.99 until 11/12)
Haunted Zombie School ($3.44 form $14.99 until 11/12)
Haunted Zombie Slaughter ($5.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Haunted Zombie Slaughter 2 ($11.99 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Modern War: Tank Battle ($3.44 from $14.99 until 11/12)
My Time at Portia: Deluxe Edition ($3.19 from $31.99 until 11/12)
My Universe: Fashion Boutique ($4.99 from $24.99 until 11/12)
My Universe: Interior Designer ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
My Universe: My Baby Dragon ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
My Universe: Pet Clinic Cats & Dogs ($3.74 from $24.99 until 11/12)
My Universe: Puppies & Kittens ($7.49 from $24.99 until 11/12)
Neon Abyss Deluxe Edition ($6.99 from $27.99 until 11/12)
Oddworld: Soulstorm ($14.99 from $49.99 until 11/12)

Professor Rubik’s Brain Fitness ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
Roman Rumble in Las Vegum: Asterix & Obelix XXL 2 ($3.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
Scrap Riders ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
Ship of Fools ($7.49 from $14.99 until 11/12)
Syberia 1 & 2 ($1.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
The Knight Witch ($9.99 from $19.99 until 11/12)
The Quest for Excalibur: Puy du Fou ($11.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf ($11.99 from $39.99 until 11/12)
Thymesia: Cloud Version ($14.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ($8.99 from $29.99 until 11/12)
World Class Champion Soccer ($4.06 from $10.99 until 11/12)
World War: Combat Guardian ($8.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
World War: Prologue ($8.54 from $14.99 until 11/12)
World War: Tank Battle ($3.44 from $14.99 until 11/12)

That’s all for today and this week, friends. And what a week it has been for yours truly. I’m still trying to fully recover, but it does feel good to have my fingers on the ol’ keyboard again. I’ll likely spend the weekend continuing to recuperate and hopefully I can tackle next week with my usual verve. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and as always, thanks for reading!