Nintendo Spotlights Latest Games in Direct, EGC Star Trader Review

Hello fellow gamers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024! Today's update starts with some exciting news, followed by a review and a look at a new release. We'll wrap things up with our usual sales lists. Let's dive in!

News

Nintendo Direct/Indie World Showcase Recap

As predicted by some industry insiders, Nintendo surprised us with a last-minute Nintendo Direct! The 40-minute presentation featured a Partner Showcase and an Indie World Showcase. While primarily focused on third-party titles and indie games, it lacked any major first-party announcements or news about the next-generation Switch console. You can watch the full presentation above; a detailed summary of the key highlights will be available tomorrow.

Reviews & Mini-Views

EGGCONSOLE Star Trader PC-8801mkIIsr ($6.49)

This EGGCONSOLE release presents the usual dilemma: game quality and language barrier. Star Trader is an intriguing but not exceptional game. Falcom blends an adventure game structure with side-scrolling shooter segments, neither of which is particularly polished. The adventure sections feature pleasant artwork, and the shooter's attempt at narrative integration is noteworthy. Gameplay involves interacting with characters, accepting quests, and earning money to upgrade your ship. This is crucial for progressing through the shooting stages.

The shooting segments, however, suffer from the PC-8801's limitations, resulting in jerky scrolling. Even with smooth scrolling, the gameplay might not be outstanding. The game's structure is unclear, but Star Trader is more interesting conceptually than it is in execution. This leads to the language issue. The adventure sections are text-heavy, requiring player input for optimal outcomes. Without understanding Japanese, players miss half the game and struggle to earn enough credits for ship upgrades. While some brute-forcing is possible, the experience is significantly hampered.

Star Trader offers a glimpse into gaming history, showcasing a developer experimenting outside their usual genre. However, the significant amount of Japanese text makes it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly to a Western audience. While some enjoyment might be gleaned through experimentation, the overall experience is limited.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

Select New Releases

Crypt Custodian ($19.99)

This top-down action-adventure game follows Pluto, a recently deceased cat, banished from the afterlife and tasked with eternal cleaning duties. Explore, battle enemies with a broom, meet quirky characters, defeat bosses, and upgrade abilities. It's a familiar formula, but executed well. Fans of the genre should definitely check it out.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

For fans of colorful shooters with unique mechanics, consider the Dreamer series and Harpoon Shooter Nozomi. Also, don't miss out on 1000xRESIST—it's a must-buy! Other noteworthy titles on sale include Star Wars games, Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Haiku, the Robot, and the Tomb Raider remasters. Check out the lists below!

Select New Sales

(List of new sales)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 28th

(List of sales ending tomorrow)

That's all for today! We'll be back tomorrow with a recap of the Nintendo Direct, new game releases, sales, and more reviews. Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for reading!