Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 31st, 2022. In today’s article, our pal Mikhail has a lengthy lecture on Two Point Campus for you to attend. It’s actually a review, don’t leave. After that, we have a few new releases to look at. Nothing too special, but not all garbage either. Finally, the usual lists of new and expiring sales. Not the most thrilling of ways to see off the month of August, but we’d best enjoy these breathers where we can. Things are going to get wild pretty shortly. Let’s get to work!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Two Point Campus ($39.99)
I still remember when SEGA teased a lightbulb-related announcement a few years ago. While some of my friends had some weird speculation that it might be related to some Yakuza games, it ended up being Two Point Hospital from Two Point Studios. The business simulation game debuted on PC in 2018, and was eventually ported to consoles about two years later. It was a great game, but I really was curious about how it would be on Switch. Thankfully the port was mostly good. It likely was very successful on consoles because the studio’s new game, Two Point Campus, was simultaneously released for all consoles and PC earlier this month.
Just like Two Point Hospital, Two Point Campus is a business simulation game. It is a true follow-up to the former in many ways, but also brings a fresh new setting. In fact, I’m surprised at how much more I like Two Point Campus in its current state. Two Point Hospital with all updates and DLC is a very good package, but Two Point Campus feels like a proper step forward for Two Point Studios.
Your aim is to build, arrange, decorate, and manage a university. This includes making sure you have enough money, happy students, hired staff, enough things for the students to do, facilities, and more with even outdoor decoration possible which is great to see. As you go through a year on campus, students with various traits slowly arrive at the university.
Considering Two Point Campus has been released simultaneously on consoles and PC, I was hoping it would feel great with a controller right from the get go. So far, I’m pleased with the interface on Switch and the UI scaling option which is useful in handheld mode, but I wish it had touchscreen support for panning and zooming. Touchscreen support will not be feasible for the actual management parts given the icon sizes, but I would’ve liked the option for camera controls at least.
While the outdoor building possibilities make this even better, the humor and audio design are superlative. The team went above and beyond with the music and radio elements here. These complement the charming writing very well. Hopefully the soundtrack gets a proper release physically later on when potential paid DLC or expansions are all out for the game.
Having played Two Point Campus on both Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, I’m very impressed with the Switch version. It is a step down from the more powerful consoles for sure, but perfectly suits the pick up and play nature of the game. The Two Point Campus aesthetic scales down well, and the biggest technical complaint I have is the load times. Hopefully these can be improved in a future patch.
If you’re completely new to the Two Point games, Two Point Campus is on Xbox Game Pass, and if you have that, I’d recommend trying it out before you buy it on Switch to see if this genre is for you or not. I took a chance on Two Point Hospital, and with how good Two Point Campus is on Switch, I can’t wait to see what Two Point Studios brings to the game in the future.
The big conundrum I have right now about Two Point Campus on Switch is that the physical Early Enrollment Edition is so lovely, but this is a game you want to have installed at all times to boot up and play. I’ll leave that decision to you, but can safely recommend the Switch version of Two Point Campus right now. I’ve had a ton of fun playing it, and will be putting in many more hours into it over the next few months. -Mikhail Madnani
SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5
New Releases
Commandos 3 – HD Remaster ($29.99)
You know, it was almost twenty years ago that Commandos 3 first released. It didn’t get a terribly warm reception at the time, mostly due to some decisions with control mapping and the low resolution it was presented in. To me, that means an HD Remaster has a decent chance of fixing those past problems and giving this game the chance to shine it deserved. You’ll lead your squad of six commandos as they invade Berlin to strike at the heart of the Third Reich, with twelve missions of real-time strategy to play and online multiplayer for up to eight players. The only thing that gives me pause is that the HD Remaster of Commandos 2 on Switch was… not great. Hopefully this one is better, but I haven’t been able to put my hands on it to say one way or another.
Rick Henderson ($7.99)
If you enjoyed Steredenn and are on the lookout for your next hit of side-scrolling shoot-em-up roguelite fun, I would like to introduce you to Rick Henderson. You can call him Ricky, or Hendy, or Sonny, even Dick if you’re really inclined to. Whatever you call him, he’s one of three pilots you can choose from, each with their own unique ship. You’ll play through an infinite number of procedurally-generated stages, upgrading your ship and battling more than forty different regular enemies and fifteen different bosses. A rather solid one of these if they are your thing.
Viki Spotter: Zoo ($4.99)
Viki Spotter is spotting again. This time she is spotting at the zoo. Compare the pictures and find the differences. Diner placemat fans rejoice. Be sure to finish it quick, there will probably be another one in a few days. Note that by putting that screenshot up there I have essentially given you a free demo.
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
If you’re interested in Dead by Daylight or its many, many DLCs, today’s list will be to your liking. If not… well, tomorrow is another day. Over in the outbox, the latest sale from Circle Entertainment is wrapping up. That publisher doesn’t do sales on any given game particularly often, so it might be prudent to grab anything you’ve had your eye on while you have the chance. Check those lists!
Select New Games on Sale
Mojito the Cat ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Pendula Swing: Complete Journey ($1.99 from $9.99 until 9/6)
Boreal Tenebrae ($1.99 from $6.99 until 9/6)
Elemetals Death Metal Death Match ($1.99 from $12.99 until 9/6)
Bit Orchard: Animal Valley ($1.99 from $6.99 until 9/6)
The Big Con: Grift of the Year ($9.74 from $14.99 until 9/12)
Dead by Daylight ($11.99 from $29.99 until 9/13)
Dead by Daylight Survivor Expansion ($23.99 from $29.99 until 9/13)
Dead by Daylight Killer Expansion ($23.99 from $29.99 until 9/13)
Dead by Daylight Ultimate Edition ($48.99 from $69.99 until 9/13)
Dead by Daylight, Various DLC Packs ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/13)
Out of the Box ($4.49 from $14.99 until 9/14)
X-Force Genesis ($2.00 from $7.00 until 9/14)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, Thursday, September 1st
Alchemic Dungeons DX ($3.99 from $7.99 until 9/1)
Ambition of the Slimes ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/1)
BombFall ($3.25 from $6.50 until 9/1)
Can Androids Pray:Blue ($3.49 from $6.99 until 9/1)
Can Androids Survive ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Crashlands ($9.74 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Fairune Collection ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Hatsune Miku PD MM Mega Pack DLC ($29.99 from $59.99 until 9/1)
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA MM ($19.69 from $39.39 until 9/1)
KAMIKO ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Kitty Maestro ($3.50 from $5.00 until 9/1)
Lanota ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Levelhead ($12.99 from $19.99 until 9/1)
Loot Monkey: Bling Palace ($3.50 from $7.00 until 9/1)
Mercenaries Rebirth: CotWL ($16.99 from $19.99 until 9/1)
Monkey Barrels ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Ninja Striker! ($1.99 from $3.99 until 9/1)
OPUS: Echo of Starsong FBE ($18.74 from $24.99 until 9/1)
OPUS: Rocket of Whispers ($6.74 from $8.99 until 9/1)
OPUS: The Day We Found Earth ($3.75 from $5.00 until 9/1)
Out of Line ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Pokken Tournament DX ($41.99 from $59.99 until 9/1)
Robo Revenge Squad ($17.00 from $20.00 until 9/1)
Rogue Star Rescue ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Slime Tactics ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Smashing the Battle ($3.99 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Smashing the Battle Ghost Soul ($10.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
SmileBASIC 4 ($12.49 from $24.99 until 9/1)
SubaraCity ($2.50 from $5.00 until 9/1)
Super Metboy! ($4.99 from $9.99 until 9/1)
Take Off: The Flight Simulator ($11.24 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Tandem: A Tale of Shadows ($7.49 from $14.99 until 9/1)
The TakeOver ($3.99 from $19.99 until 9/1)
Transiruby ($11.99 from $14.99 until 9/1)
Witch & Hero ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
Witch & Hero 2 ($2.49 from $4.99 until 9/1)
That’s all for today and this month, friends. Tomorrow is Thursday, and that means we’ll have a very full plate of new releases to look at. Ooblets and ANNO: Mutationem seem like the obvious highlights, but we’ll have to see what we’re dealt in the end. We’ll also have whatever sales roll in, along with any big news items. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday, and as always, thanks for reading!