Nintendo Direct Highlights and EGGCONSOLE Star Trader Review

Hello fellow gamers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for August 27th, 2024! Today's update starts with some breaking news, followed by a review, a new release spotlight, and our usual sales round-up. 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 covered both partner titles and indie games. While first-party announcements were absent, and any news about the next-gen Switch was notably missing, the showcase offered plenty to discuss. 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 untranslated EGGCONSOLE release presents a familiar dilemma: is the game enjoyable in itself, and is it playable without knowing Japanese? Star Trader is intriguing but not exceptional. Falcom blends adventure game elements with side-scrolling shooter stages, but neither aspect shines particularly brightly. The adventure sections feature appealing artwork, and the attempt to integrate a narrative into the shooter is unique. Gameplay involves interacting with characters, undertaking quests, and earning money to upgrade your ship – crucial for progressing through the action sequences.

The shooter segments, however, suffer from the PC-8801's limitations, resulting in jerky scrolling that detracts from the experience, even if the movement were smoother. The game's structure is unclear, leaving Star Trader more interesting conceptually than it is in execution. This leads to the second question: the text-heavy adventure sections necessitate understanding Japanese for optimal gameplay. Without this understanding, not only is half the experience lost, but successful completion of quests (and thus ship upgrades) becomes significantly harder. While brute-forcing might yield some progress, it won't be a satisfying experience.

Star Trader offers a glimpse into gaming history, showcasing Falcom experimenting outside their typical genre. However, the significant amount of Japanese text severely limits its appeal to Western audiences. While some enjoyment might be salvaged through experimentation, a strong recommendation is difficult to justify.

SwitchArcade Score: 3/5

Select New Releases

Crypt Custodian ($19.99)

This top-down action-adventure game follows Pluto, a recently deceased cat, who is banished from the afterlife and tasked with eternal cleaning duties. Explore, battle enemies with your broom, encounter quirky characters, defeat bosses, and expand your abilities. It's a familiar formula, but executed well. Fans of the genre should definitely consider this title.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

For fans of colorful shooters with unique mechanics, check out the Dreamer series and Harpoon Shooter Nozomi. Don't miss the sale on 1000xRESIST – it's a must-buy! Other noteworthy titles on sale include various Star Wars games, Citizen Sleeper, Paradise Killer, Haiku, the Robot, and the Tomb Raider remastered collection. Explore the lists below!

Select New Sales

(List of new sales)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, August 28th

(List of expiring sales)

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