Emio Debuts, SwitchArcade Roundup Arrives

Hello fellow gamers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 5th, 2024. It's Thursday already! Time flies, doesn't it? We're diving straight into our reviews today. I've got two for you: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. Mikhail is also contributing his thoughts on Nour: Play With Your Food, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, and the TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK. After that, we'll cover the day's best new releases and round things off with our usual sales lists. Let's get to it!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99)

Sequels to long-dormant franchises are all the rage these days, it seems. Video games, always aping Hollywood. Nintendo's unexpected revival of Famicom Detective Club, a series mostly known in the West through a fleeting remake of the first two games on Switch a few years back, is a prime example. This new millennium sees the arrival of a completely new Famicom Detective Club adventure! That's pretty cool.

The challenge with reviving an old IP is striking the right balance between staying true to the original and modernizing the experience. Too faithful, and it risks feeling dated; too much change, and you alienate fans. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club largely maintains the style of the recent remakes, which themselves closely resembled the originals. It's a peculiar mix. The visuals are on par with modern games of a similar type, and the narrative pushes boundaries beyond what 90s Nintendo would have dared, even in Japan. However, the gameplay feels very old-school, a key factor in whether you'll enjoy it.

The game begins with the discovery of a deceased student, a paper bag bearing a smiling face over his head. This unearths a series of unsolved murders from eighteen years prior, all marked with similar calling cards. The urban legend of Emio, a killer promising eternal smiles, is brought to the forefront. Is a past killer back? A copycat? Does Emio even exist? The police are baffled, so it's time for the Utsugi Detective Agency to step in! By investigating locations and questioning suspects (often repeatedly), you'll uncover the truth the law couldn't.

Essentially, you'll explore scenes for clues, interrogate characters, and connect the dots to solve the mystery. Think of the investigative sections in Ace Attorney, and you're close. Depending on your preference for this style of gameplay, you might find parts tedious or frustrating. Some aspects could have been streamlined, and the game could benefit from clearer guidance in certain logical leaps. It's a classic point-and-click adventure, and by those standards, Emio doesn't commit any major offenses.

And that's where I'll leave it. I have some minor story criticisms, but overall, I found it engaging, suspenseful, and well-written. Some plot points didn't resonate with me as strongly as they seemed to with others, but I won't spoil anything. This is a story best experienced fresh. The positives outweighed the negatives, and when the plot picks up, it really picks up.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is atypical of Nintendo, but any potential team rust is certainly not evident. It might adhere too closely to the originals in its mechanics, and while the plot is mostly excellent, the pacing occasionally lags or resolutions feel less satisfying than hoped. Still, these are minor flaws in an otherwise enjoyable mystery adventure. Welcome back, Detective Club. Let's hope the next installment doesn't take so long.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate ($29.99)

The Switch is getting a nice collection of TMNT games, isn't it? We have the Konami classics in the Cowabunga Collection, the superb modern arcade beat 'em up Shredder's Revenge, the modern arcade experience Wrath of the Mutants, and now Splintered Fate, offering a more console-style experience. And more are on the way! It's a Turtle-tastic time! So, how does this one fare?

Pretty well, actually. If you've played it on Apple Arcade, you know the drill. But for those unfamiliar, imagine a TMNT beat 'em up blended with Hades. That's essentially it. Play solo or with up to four players locally or online. Mikhail and I played online, and it worked flawlessly. The solo experience is decent, but adding players significantly enhances the fun. That's TMNT in a nutshell.

The story involves Shredder and a mysterious power, leaving Splinter in danger. The Turtles must save him. When all you have is a katana, every problem looks like a Foot Soldier. Slash, dice, and bludgeon enemies, use tactical dashes to evade attacks, collect power-ups for your current run, and earn currency for permanent upgrades. Death means returning to the lair to start again. It's a roguelite beat 'em up, but with the Turtles, making it automatically better. It's not groundbreaking, but it does the job well.

Splintered Fate isn't a must-have for everyone, but TMNT fans will likely appreciate this unique take on the formula. The multiplayer is well-executed, and it's great to see this crucial TMNT element included in a game typically played solo. Those not fond of the Turtles can find better roguelites on Switch, but given the platform's intensely competitive roguelite scene, Splintered Fate holds its own. Not bad at all.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Nour: Play With Your Food ($9.99)

When Nour: Play With Your Food initially launched on PC and PS5, I was surprised it skipped Switch and mobile. It felt perfectly suited for touchscreens as an experimental food art experience. I played the PC version and enjoyed it, but it's not a traditional game for everyone. If you enjoy playful sandbox experiences and love food, you'll likely adore Nour: Play With Your Food, but the Switch version has some shortcomings.

For newcomers, Nour: Play With Your Food lets you interact with various food items across different levels, accompanied by interesting music and over-the-top silliness. It's a blend of an interactive app for food and art enthusiasts. You start with basic tools, but the sheer amount of content added surprised me. This is where I understood why touchscreen controls might be challenging.

The lack of touchscreen support on Switch is disappointing. Beyond that, Nour: Play With Your Food was resource-intensive on Steam Deck, and the Switch version shows some compromises to maintain decent performance. The long load times, both docked and handheld, are the biggest issue.

Nour: Play With Your Food is worth checking out if you enjoy food, art, and interactive apps. While the Switch version isn't ideal, Nour still works well on a portable device, and I hope its success leads to more DLC or even a physical release. Games like Nour and Townscaper are great complements to more involved RPGs and story-driven games. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Fate/stay night REMASTERED ($29.99)

Fate/stay night REMASTERED launched a month ago on Switch and Steam. I aimed to review it sooner, but a busy month and the game's considerable length delayed it. Before discussing the game, let me share a bit of my history. Years ago, a friend introduced me to Fate/Zero, one of my first complete anime series. I wanted more from the universe, but English-language games were scarce. I imported the PS Vita version of Fate/stay night Realta Nua, and since then, I've played various Fate and Type-Moon titles.

This led to my excitement over Aniplex's localization of Witch on the Holy Night and Tsukihime's remake, but one game remained: Fate/stay night. Now, it's finally here in English on Switch. Is it worth it? Absolutely, with a few caveats.

Fate/stay night REMASTERED is a remaster of the 2004 visual novel, following Emiya Shirou, the Holy Grail War, and more. It's the best entry point into the Fate universe, perfect for those who've only experienced it through anime or other games. Even with quality-of-life improvements, Fate/stay night REMASTERED is a 55+ hour experience, making the price astonishingly low. It's a remaster of an older game, but the sheer amount of content makes it one of the best value releases on the eShop this year.

For those who played the original Japanese versions, Fate/stay night REMASTERED significantly enhances the experience. English localization is obvious, but the 16:9 support is a welcome addition. More effort went into this than I initially anticipated. Comparing it to the PS Vita version, the developers did an excellent job making Fate/stay night look great on modern screens, though it doesn't match the stunning visuals of Tsukihime's recent remake.

I appreciate the touchscreen support on Switch. I played much of Fate/stay night REMASTERED on my Switch Lite (now sadly broken) and then synced it to my Switch OLED. It's perfect on Nintendo's hybrid system. Hopefully, it gets more platform releases (iOS, PS5) so more people can experience it.

I also played it extensively on Steam Deck, working flawlessly. Play it wherever you prefer; it's that good.

The only drawback is the lack of a physical Switch release. I hope it does well enough to warrant one.

Fate/stay night REMASTERED is essential for visual novel fans. I still can't believe it's in English on Switch and Steam. The low price makes it an even easier recommendation. While not as visually impressive as Tsukihime's remake, Fate/stay night REMASTERED is worth your time. I'm glad I finally played it in English after years of owning the Japanese PS Vita version. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 5/5

TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK ($49.99)

Having limited VR experience, I missed out on some great games. My VR-owning friends often mentioned TOKYO CHRONOS and ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos, praised for their stories and VR immersion. I hadn't experienced them until the TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK arrived on Switch via Izanagi Games.

The pack lets you choose which game to play first. TOKYO CHRONOS follows high school friends in an alternate Shibuya, dealing with lost memories, killers, and more. The narrative will feel familiar to visual novel players, but it's not bad. The visuals are good, and I'm curious to try the VR version for the novelty.

ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos, however, is superior, boasting better production, music, writing, voice acting, and characters. It transcends the visual novel format at times, which I appreciate. Elevating a visual novel usually creates a more memorable experience, especially when combined with significant plot points. ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is the standout, but the pack is worth buying if you're okay with the demo's controls and movement.

Beyond some narrative shortcomings, the Switch version has camera movement issues. They're not game-breaking, but distracting. The Switch features, including touchscreen support and rumble, compensate for this.

TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK is a great Switch experience, thanks to touch controls and rumble. I'm glad I finally played these stories without needing a VR headset, and I hope to see more from this team. If you enjoy sci-fi stories, try the demo. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5

Select New Releases

Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku ($49.99)

The title perfectly describes the game's content. It's Fitness Boxing featuring Hatsune Miku. It includes 24 songs from Miku and friends, plus 30 more from the Fitness Boxing series. Plenty of tunes to work out to. The mechanics seem similar to other games in the series. Get it if you want Fitness Boxing with Hatsune Miku.

Gimmick! 2 ($24.99)

I reviewed this yesterday, but in short: a faithful sequel to the original, building on its foundation with improved presentation, and as challenging as you remember. If you enjoy challenging platformers, check it out.

Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost ($29.99)

Tired of switching between rhythm and bullet hell games? Touhou Danmaku Kagura Phantasia Lost combines both. It's a bit of an odd mix, but the Touhou theme unites them. Fans of the series will likely appreciate it. The music is at least good.

EGGCONSOLE Hydlide MSX ($6.49)

Another Hydlide version in EGGCONSOLE. This one falls between the PC-8801 and NES versions. Hydlide superfans will want it, but others might not find it significantly different from the PC-8801 release.

Arcade Archives Lead Angle ($7.99)

Hamster's offering something different this time. A 1988 Seibu Kaihatsu release, a sequel to Empire City 1931. It's a gallery shooter, decent enough for fans of the genre. Shooting gangsters is a rare theme these days.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Not many exciting sales today, but No Man's Sky is always a good deal. Other noteworthy games are frequently on sale. The same applies to the expiring sales. I'll leave the decision-making to you.

Select New Sales

No Man’s Sky ($23.99 from $59.99 until 9/17)
The Last Campfire ($1.99 from $14.99 until 9/17)
XALADIA: Rise of the Space Pirates X2 ($8.09 from $17.99 until 9/18)
Scars of Mars ($15.99 from $19.99 until 9/18)
Die for Valhalla ($3.59 from $11.99 until 9/25)
Moonlighter ($3.74 from $24.99 until 9/25)
Thea: The Awakening ($5.39 from $17.99 until 9/25)
Children of Morta ($5.49 from $21.99 until 9/25)
Dungeon of the Endless ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
Yes, Your Grace ($2.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
Hypnospace Outlaw ($4.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
Nowhere Prophet ($2.49 from $24.99 until 9/25)
Soccer Story ($7.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
Family Man ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)
South of the Circle ($6.49 from $12.99 until 9/25)
Wingspan ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/25)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, September 6th

Ambition: A Minuet in Power ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey ($2.39 from $15.99 until 9/6)
Fear Effect Sedna ($1.99 from $19.99 until 9/6)
Galak-Z The Void Deluxe ($2.99 from $14.99 until 9/6)
Kingdom Rush ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Kingdom Rush Frontiers ($5.49 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Kingdom Rush Origins ($8.24 from $14.99 until 9/6)
My Time at Portia ($4.49 from $29.99 until 9/6)
PowerWash Simulator ($17.49 from $24.99 until 9/6)
Skulls of the Shogun ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/6)
Suhoshin ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/6)
The House of Da Vinci 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4 ($9.99 from $19.99 until 9/6)
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD ($10.49 from $29.99 until 9/6)
Violet Wisteria ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/6)
What the Fork ($4.49 from $17.99 until 9/6)

That’s all for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with more reviews, new releases, and sales. By the way, my blog, Post Game Content, is returning soon! Check it out if you enjoy reading my thoughts on games. Have a great Thursday, and thanks for reading!