Reviews Featuring ‘Bright Memory’, Plus ‘Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium’ and Today’s Other Releases and Sales – TouchArcade
Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for July 21st, 2022. As we continue our journey through this scorching July, the new releases just keep on coming. Our pal Mikhail has a review of one of today’s releases, in fact. Check out his look at Bright Memory: Infinite Gold Edition, then head into the new release summaries for the day which feature titles like Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium, River City Saga: Three Kingdoms, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2, and many more. After that, it’s sales time. The list of new sales is bigger than I was expecting, so don’t blow all your cash on new games. Let’s get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Bright Memory: Infinite Gold Edition ($19.99)
Bright Memory: Infinite from FYQD Studio and Playism has been an interesting game to follow over the years. Bright Memory was an ambitious but short experience that blended fast-paced action games and FPS together for what many consider a gorgeous tech demo on PC and mobile. Developer FYQD Studio built on that with the sequel Bright Memory: Infinite that debuted on PC and is now out on PS5, Xbox Series X, and also surprisingly Nintendo Switch.
I say surprisingly Nintendo Switch, because you don’t see many games skip PS4 and Xbox One versions while still releasing on Nintendo Switch given the technical differences between the hardware. That’s what made me more curious about the Switch version of Bright Memory: Infinite which I’ve been playing alongside the PC and PS5 versions for the last week.
Bright Memory: Infinite is a fast-paced action game and FPS hybrid with a story that I didn’t care much about in my playthroughs. The narrative is definitely not the highlight of Bright Memory: Infinite. What makes it worth getting, is the combat and technical spectacle. Despite the short runtime, Bright Memory: Infinite feels like a big budget shooter in many ways with gorgeous visuals, responsive combat, and interesting traversal.
You quickly learn to strategize in your playstyle on the fly with blending dodging, deflecting, melee, ranged, and more. It also helps that in addition to aim assist that is an option if you want it, the Switch version has gyro support. This isn’t present on PS5 despite the controller hardware supporting the feature in other games.
Bright Memory: Infinite looks gorgeous, but it also could’ve done with more varied environments. I’m actually impressed at it running as it does on Switch at all given the console target platforms. The PS5 version has 60fps with ray tracing and a separate 120fps mode while the Switch version has a 30fps target both docked and handheld with gyro support. It looks good on Switch and runs better than I expected given how other ports that aim for visual fidelity this good end up running. The team did a very good job with the port, but I hope the few visual glitches I ran into can be addressed in future patches.
Bright Memory: Infinite Gold Edition is the only version available on the eShop, and this includes the base game and all the paid cosmetics from the PC version including the New Year, Bikini, Skinny Jeans, and other DLC. This is an FPS, so paid cosmetics aren’t as useful, but you do see them in cut-scenes. These cosmetic packs include an outfit for Shelia and skins for the various weapons in the game.
Having played Bright Memory: Infinite on Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and PS5, I’ve come away very impressed with the Switch version despite its obvious downgrades compared to more powerful platforms. The Steam Deck version runs and looks better than Switch overall, but it isn’t as stable as it should be despite the verified branding. The gyro support helps a lot, and the load times aren’t bad. The big caveat with this release is its length. Having seen the reaction to Bright Memory before and then Bright Memory: Infinite on PC, I ready for a short game. Regardless of where you get this, the time you put into it will be worth it as long as you enjoy FPS and action games.
The Switch and PS5 versions of Bright Memory: Infinite ship with the cosmetic DLC included from the start, which definitely helps compared to the PC version that has them sold separately, but it is worth keeping in mind that you should expect about 2 hours for the campaign here and a story that isn’t really anything special. If that is ok with you, Bright Memory: Infinite is an impressive release for a one-man studio with its visuals and fun combat. It might be worth waiting on a discount, but if you’ve wanted something to satiate your desire for a new short FPS on Switch, Bright Memory: Infinite will give you that. -Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
New Releases
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (Free, $39.99)
SwitchArcade Highlight!
Capcom’s latest collection of arcade classics offers up thirty-two titles from the archives. You can download a free version that includes SonSon with the remaining titles available a la carte for $3.99 each, or you can go all-in and get everything for $39.99 via the bundle. While there is a fair bit of overlap here with other Capcom collections on the Switch, there are still plenty of unique titles to dig into. Plus, it’s all wrapped up in that Arcade Stadium interface with rotating challenges, extra features, and so on. No online play, but that’s really the only knock on an otherwise excellent compilation.
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms ($29.99)
Kunio-kun and his pals are back in another beat-em-up that will feel very familiar to fans of River City Ransom. This time, it uses the Three Kingdoms setting from the classic Chinese novel as a backdrop for the brawling. But brawl you will, along with a lot of the other things you expect from this series, like buying new moves and items. I’ll have a review of this one soon, but if you’ve played any of other the Arc-developed Kunio brawlers you should have a general idea of what to expect.
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 ($29.99)
The original Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance was a big hit back in the day, so it was natural that a sequel would follow. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 didn’t quite take off the way the original did, but I think that was less to do with the quality of the game than it was just a matter of release timing. We’ll see if it can find better luck with this new release on Switch. Anyway, it’s fairly straight-forward hack-and-slash dungeon crawling, flavored in satisfying ways with the Dungeons & Dragons license. It’s no Diablo or Torchlight, but it’s pleasant enough.
Bright Memory: Infinite Gold Edition ($19.99)
If you’ve read Mikhail’s review up above, you already know what this one’s all about. For those of you who skip to the summaries, this is a short but fairly spiffy first-person shooter with some melee combat added in for extra spice. I’m not sure what makes this version the Gold one, but I’d imagine it includes DLC that wasn’t in the version that hit other platforms a while back, or something to that effect. If you want more details, I recommend scrolling up and checking Mikhail’s thoughts on the game.
Arcade Archives Chack’n Pop ($7.99)
Previously seen as part of the Taito Milestones Collection, Chack’n Pop is now available as a separate Arcade Archives release. Originally released in 1983, this game sees you playing as the titular Chack’n as he tries to take back the hearts stolen by the evil Monstas. It’s a rather tricky game, as your only means of defense are some fiddly and dangerous bombs, and need to move between the floor and the ceiling frequently. Probably most famous for some of its characters being reused in Bubble Bobble. Not one of Taito’s finest, but there’s still some fun to be had here.
Coromon ($19.99)
There’s no hiding where this game draws inspiration from. It’s another Pokemon-inspired indie effort, and it’s decent enough. As these things go it’s no Nexomon, but it might keep you busy while you mark off the days until Pokemon Scarlet/Violet launch later this year. Critic reviews for its PC version were middling, but the fanbase has certainly taken well to it. It seems like it’s best enjoyed by those with happy memories of the earlier Pokemon generations.
Farm Manager 2022 ($15.99)
It feels like a hot minute since the last release from Ultimate Games. This one goes back to the usual simulator well, presenting various facets of the farming experience for you to enjoy. Manage your employees, livestock, harvest, equipment, and more to keep your farm running ship-shape. As is generally the case with ports from Ultimate Games, the UI here really feels ill-suited for the handheld screen. If you’ve got the farming itch and don’t mind wrestling with an interface clearly meant for a mouse and keyboard, you might want to give this a closer look.
Japanese Escape Games The Hotel of Tricks ($9.99)
An escape room game set in a spooky, curiously empty hotel. You need to find items and use them to solve puzzles and riddles in order to escape from the various rooms and get out before it’s too late. Very generic as this kind of thing goes. Maybe some of you are looking for that today, though.
Aery – Vikings ($9.99)
More Aery for the Aery fans. This time it’s Viking-flavored. I assume there is a healthy audience out there who buys each and every one of these chill flying games, so here’s another serving for you. You get thirteen stages and a completely new story to play through.
Severed Steel ($24.99)
It’s on the shorter side for the price, and it can feel very unpolished in places. Yet there is something to Severed Steel, with its wildly exciting bullet-time action and rambunctious spirit. Not for everyone, but if it is for you this may be the best game you’ve played in ages. If you’ve enjoyed other parkour/style-based first-person games like Mirror’s Edge and SUPERHOT, you may want to roll the dice on this one. It really is something else. I can’t vouch for the Switch port specifically yet as I haven’t had the chance to go hands-on with it, so you may want to wait for some word on how it made the jump.
Wally and the Fantastic Predators ($14.99)
If you’re looking for a roguelite with personality to burn, you’ll want to give this some of your time. Your buddy sees you’re down, so he makes a dungeon for you to explore in order to cheer you up. You’ve got a Daily Run mode with new twists each day, a local co-op feature for two players to enjoy, ten dungeons to delve into, plus a ton of different weapons, upgrades, and so on to mess around with. Reviews for this one couldn’t be sunnier for its PC version, and I suspect all the roguelite lovers on Switch will enjoy it just as much.
Bricky to Me ($3.99)
An affordably-priced puzzle-platformer with procedurally generated stages. Hm, I don’t know if I like the sound of that. Well, there are more than sixty rooms to make your way through, and you have a boomerang to use on enemies and a kitty you can pet. If you’ve only got a fiver, I don’t see any other choices for you today amongst the new releases.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
Today we’ve got fresh sales from 2K Games, Koei Tecmo, Arc System Works, and more. Mostly usual suspects, but plenty of good games to be found in there. Lots of interesting things in the outbox, including MLB The Show 22, Xeno Crisis, DLC for the first Capcom Arcade Stadium, and an assortment of Gunvolt games. Scan your eyes over those games and see what jumps out at you, but do keep in mind there is plenty more to come tomorrow.
Select New Games on Sale
P.3 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 7/27)
Buck Bradley 2 ($1.99 from $6.99 until 7/27)
Parasomnia Verum ($2.61 from $3.49 until 7/31)
GTA: The Trilogy Definitive ($39.99 from $59.99 until 8/1)
OlliOlli World ($20.99 from $29.99 until 8/1)
Garden Story ($13.39 from $19.99 until 8/1)
The Outer Worlds ($23.99 from $59.99 until 8/1)
L.A. Noire ($24.99 from $49.99 until 8/1)
BioShock: The Collection ($19.99 from $49.99 until 8/1)
XCOM 2 Collection ($9.99 from $49.99 until 8/1)
Deadcraft ($19.99 from $24.99 until 8/1)
Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires ($41.99 from $59.99 until 8/4)
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water ($31.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Ryza ($29.99 from $59.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Ryza 2 ($35.99 from $59.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Sophie 2 ($44.99 from $59.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Mysterious Trilogy DX ($62.99 from $89.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Sophie DX ($27.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Firis DX ($27.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Atelier Lydie & Suelle DX ($27.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
Blue Reflection Second Light ($38.99 from $59.99 until 8/4)
Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX ($22.49 from $29.99 until 8/4)
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection ($29.99 from $39.99 until 8/4)
My Hidden Things ($4.68 from $6.99 until 8/4)
Kubinashi Recollection ($8.39 from $11.99 until 8/4)
Megaquarium ($9.83 from $24.59 until 8/4)
Gensokyo Defenders ($5.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
Gensokyo Defenders Plus ($2.09 from $6.99 until 8/4)
Gensou Skydrift ($7.19 from $23.99 until 8/4)
Touhou Luna Nights ($14.39 from $17.99 until 8/4)
Touhou Hyouibana ($24.49 from $34.99 until 8/4)
Touhou Genso Wanderer LLR ($22.49 from $44.99 until 8/4)
Azure Reflections ($12.49 from $24.99 until 8/4)
Family Tennis SP ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/4)
Tiny Metal ($7.49 from $14.99 until 8/4)
Necrosphere Deluxe ($3.99 from $7.99 until 8/4)
Tokyo Dark: Remembrance ($9.99 from $19.99 until 8/4)
KORG Gadget ($24.00 from $48.00 until 8/9)
Chaos Code New Sign of Catastrophe ($6.69 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Of Mice and Sand ($6.69 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Kill la Kill -IF ($10.00 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia ($29.99 from $49.99 until 8/10)
Code Shifter ($4.50 from $14.99 until 8/10)
Mononoke Slashdown ($4.19 from $6.99 until 8/10)
Demon Gaze Extra DDE ($48.74 from $64.99 until 8/10)
Worldend Syndrome ($10.00 from $39.99 until 8/10)
Inferno Climber Reborn ($4.76 from $13.99 until 8/10)
Double Dragon ($3.49 from $4.99 until 8/10)
Double Dragon 4 ($3.50 from $6.99 until 8/10)
The Missing JJ Macfield ($7.50 from $29.99 until 8/10)
Alternate Jake Hunter DAEDALUS ($4.80 from $39.99 until 8/10)
Guilty Gear ($6.89 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Guilty Gear XX Accenet Core+R ($9.74 from $14.99 until 8/10)
Blazblue Cross Tag Battle ($5.00 from $19.99 until 8/10)
Blazblue Centralfiction SE ($19.50 from $49.99 until 8/10)
Ninjala Story Pack: Chapter One DLC ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Ninjala Story Pack: Chapter Two DLC ($0.99 from $9.99 until 8/10)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Friday, July 22nd
At Sundown: Shots in the Dark ($1.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Azure Striker Gunvolt Striker Pack ($19.99 from $39.99 until 7/22)
Capcom Arcade Stadium, Assorted Games ($0.99 from $1.99 until 7/22)
Cardpocalypse ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/22)
Castaway Paradise ($2.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
City Stunt Driver ($5.19 from $12.99 until 7/22)
Clan O’Conall & Crown of the Stag ($5.24 from $7.49 until 7/22)
Construction Site Driver ($5.59 from $13.99 until 7/22)
Crysis 2 Remastered ($17.99 from $29.99 until 7/22)
Crysis 3 Remastered ($17.99 from $29.99 until 7/22)
Dungeon Bricker ($2.79 from $3.99 until 7/22)
Faeria ($4.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Flaskoman ($2.24 from $4.99 until 7/22)
Ghost Grab 3000 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 7/22)
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/22)
Gunvolt Chronicles LA iX ($7.49 from $14.99 until 7/22)
Gunvolt Chronicles LA iX 2 ($19.99 from $24.99 until 7/22)
Hitchhiker: A Mystery Game ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Into the Dead 2 ($13.99 from $34.99 until 7/22)
Madness Beverage ($6.74 from $14.99 until 7/22)
Masagoro ($9.09 from $12.99 until 7/22)
Mighty Gunvolt Burst ($3.99 from $9.99 until 7/22)
MLB The Show 22 ($29.99 from $59.99 until 7/22)
MLB The Show 22 DE ($49.99 from $99.99 until 7/22)
MotoGP 20 ($3.74 from $24.99 until 7/22)
PigShip & the Giant Wolf ($4.99 from $7.99 until 7/22)
Pillars of Eternity: Complete ($12.49 from $49.99 until 7/22)
Sine Mora EX ($5.99 from $29.99 until 7/22)
Sockventure ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Speed Dating for Ghosts ($2.09 from $6.99 until 7/22)
Switch ‘n’ Shoot ($2.29 from $4.59 until 7/22)
Tangledeep ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Tangledeep Dawn of Dragons DLC ($2.50 from $5.00 until 7/22)
The Forgotten Land ($2.24 from $14.99 until 7/22)
The Fox Awaits Me ($22.49 from $44.99 until 7/22)
Truck Simulator ($5.59 from $13.99 until 7/22)
Umurangi Generation SE ($12.49 from $24.99 until 7/22)
UnMetal ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Vesper: Zero Light Edition ($7.99 from $9.99 until 7/22)
What the Dub?! ($3.99 from $7.99 until 7/22)
Wintermoor Tactics Club ($7.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Xeno Crisis ($9.99 from $19.99 until 7/22)
Yaga ($9.99 from $24.99 until 7/22)
Zenge ($2.00 from $4.00 until 7/22)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with the remaining releases for the week, with the most notable being that excellent HD-2D remake of Live A Live from Square Enix and Nintendo. There should also be a very big list of new sales to check out, and if there’s any earth-shattering news we’ll toss that in too. I hope you all have a thrilling Thursday, and as always, thanks for reading!
