SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Infernax’ and ‘Rise of the Third Power’, Plus the Latest Releases and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 15th, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got a pair of reviews for you to check out. And hey, I really liked both of them. That’s a nice treat. There’s the excellent Metroidvania adventure Infernax, and the fascinating JRPG-style game Rise of the Third Power. In the new release bucket, there’s River City Girls Zero and Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. Heads are getting knocked around either way you choose with that duo. We finish things up the same way we always do, by having a look at the lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s get going!

Reviews & Mini-Views Infernax ($19.99)

The developers of Infernax are upfront about their sources of inspiration: series black sheep Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. Naturally, they probably didn’t aim to repeat the things about those games that people dislike, and indeed Infernax doesn’t lean nearly as much on opaque hints and bastard enemies that knock you into pits. Not that those things aren’t here to some extent, but things feel considerably fairer. This is a tough game, and if you stubbornly cling to the Classic Mode difficulty like I did you will probably spew a bit of colorful language in places. But it’s all totally surmountable if you’re observant and patient. If you get stuck, there’s usually something you can do while you compose yourself.

Evil threatens the land, and you play as the brave warrior that must put a stop to that. You’ll have to travel around a reasonably large map, heading into various dungeons and battling bosses to inch closer to the end of it all. You’ll pick up various sub-quests along the way that you can complete for additional rewards, and you’ll also get access to new items and abilities that will unlock more of the map. There’s a bit of non-linearity allowed, and you can certainly find some extra trouble if you go looking for it. There are also decision points where you’ll have to make a binary choice. These choices will affect what ending you arrive at, so you’ll have to replay the game if you want to see it all.

Infernax just feels good to play. The mechanics are solid, and the fundamentals are done properly. You don’t have a massive array of moves and attacks to choose from, but what you have in your toolbox works well for handling the enemies you’ll be facing. Exploring the countryside took me back to my younger years wandering the mysterious world of Simon’s Quest, especially with the day-night element in play here. Those who enjoy exploratory 2D platformers and aren’t afraid of taking on one with a little bite should definitely play Infernax as soon as possible.

SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5

Rise of the Third Power ($19.99)

Developer Stegosoft Games turned out a rather nice JRPG-style game a couple of years ago in the form of Ara Fell. It was a clear throwback to 16-bit JRPGs, and while I can’t say that I loved it, I certainly liked it. I’m happy to say that the team’s latest effort, Rise of the Third Power, is even better. It makes a number of improvements in terms of pacing and its overall design and the result is a very smoothly-flowing game. I wish the combat had a little more to it than it does, but it’s not bad so much as it is rote. As with Ara Fell, the real strength here is in the characters and the writing. There’s a very unique vibe to the world of Rise of the Third Power, and I really dig it.

By grounding its setting and keeping the scope of its story more personal (albeit with major consequences), Rise of the Third Power gets to really focus on each of its eight main characters. The nature of the plot means things are always moving, and as such the time just seems to fly away while playing. Its mechanics aren’t quite as impressive, but the combat system does seem to have had a lot of thought put into it in terms of trying not to waste the player’s time. Basically, this is more of a game for those looking to get into a good tale than those who want to crunch on some chewy, innovative mechanics. If you’re okay with that, you’ll definitely want to check this one out.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

New Releases River City Girls Zero ($14.99)

It’s not every day that a previously unlocalized game from nearly thirty years ago gets an official Western release, though I suppose it is happening more often lately. Originally released in 1994 on the Super Famicom under the title Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, this game served as a major inspiration for River City Girls. I suppose that’s why it’s being titled River City Girls Zero, but other than the slick new intro and the fact that they are both beat-em-ups, you shouldn’t expect too many similarities between the two. This is a fairly straightforward brawler with some interesting Mode 7 motorbike rides to break up the action. I’ll have a review of it fairly soon, but if you’re familiar with Technos Japan’s 16-bit brawler catalog then you won’t be surprised by what you get here.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires ($59.99)

On paper, this is already a somewhat dubious value proposition. The Empires games have always served as a more strategic off-shoot of the main Warriors games, adding a management system to the over-the-top battles. They often have the feel of an expansion, and they’re usually priced as such. As you can see, this one is full-priced. I wish I could say it justifies that, but it still feels like the same old expansion content. As the Switch never saw a port of Dynasty Warriors 9, this is the first time this particular entry has put the system’s hardware to the test, and… well, it’s not pretty. Like, even by the standards of Warriors games on the Switch, this is very, very rough. I’ll have a review soon, but I can tell you right now that I wouldn’t recommend this game.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Hey, the BloodRayne games are on sale. They’re not very good, but if you have a fondness for them it never hurts to save a few bucks. Capcom has a couple of ways to scratch your kick-and-punch itch for cheap, and Thalamus has its line of classic-inspired games on offer. The outbox is mostly the usual suspects, but you might want to look through anyway. That is what we tend to do here, right? Give those lists a look, as is our tradition.

Select New Games on Sale

BloodRayne: ReVamped ($16.99 from $19.99 until 2/19)
BloodRayne 2: ReVamped ($16.99 from $19.99 until 2/19)
Angelo & Deemon: OHoaQ ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Colorfall ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/21)
Royal Tower Defense ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/21)
Among Pipes ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/21)
Fantasy Checkers ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/21)
Gangsta Paradise ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Fantasy Tower Defense ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/21)
Perfect Traffic Simulator ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
The Legend of Ninja ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/21)
Fall Gummies ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/21)
S.N.I.P.E.R. Hunter Scope ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/21)
AnimaLudo ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)

Ultra Street Fighter 2 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 2/21)
Farm Together ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
Zoo Dentist ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Sky Games ($7.77 from $14.99 until 2/21)
Trash Quest ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Crazy Trucks ($4.99 from $14.99 until 2/21)
All in Casino Girls ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/21)
Checkers for Kids ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
Aloof ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/21)
A Fold Apart ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/21)
BeatTalk ($11.79 from $17.99 until 2/22)
Super Impossible Road ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Madorica Real Estate ($8.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Bright Paw ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Under: Depths of Fear ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)

Fisti-Fluffs ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Nirvana Pilot Yume ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/23)
Cyber Protocol ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/23)
Clumsy Rush ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/23)
OMG Police: Car Chase TV ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/23)
SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off ($4.94 from $14.99 until 2/24)
Alpaca Ball: Allstars ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/28)
Port Royale 4 ($34.99 from $49.99 until 2/28)
Gordian Rooms: Curious Heritage ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Assault ChaingunS KM ($7.99 from $9.99 until 3/1)
Missile Dancer ($7.99 from $9.99 until 3/1)
Gemini Arms ($7.59 from $9.49 until 3/1)
TETRA ($9.19 from $11.49 until 3/1)
De: Yabatanien ($11.19 from $13.99 until 3/1)
World of Solitaire ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/7)

Moorhuhn Kart 2 ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Moto Rush GT Deluxe ($1.99 from $15.99 until 3/7)
10 Second Ninja X ($1.99 from $11.99 until 3/7)
Cecconoid ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Lumo ($1.99 from $19.95 until 3/7)
Bezier: Second Edition ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Rogue Aces ($1.99 from $12.99 until 3/7)
LOVE: A Puzzle Box ($1.99 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Destructivator SE ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/7)
Knights & Guns ($3.74 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Death Ray Manta SE ($1.99 from $10.00 until 3/7)
Word Forward ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/7)
Tropico 6 ($29.99 from $49.99 until 3/7)
Toby: The Secret Mine ($2.39 from $11.99 until 3/7)
Lost Grimoires 3: TFW ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/7)

Pizza Bar Tycoon Complete ($2.09 from $6.99 until 3/7)
My Universe: My Baby ($11.99 from $29.99 until 3/7)
My Universe: Pet Clinic ($19.49 from $29.99 until 3/7)
Monster Prom: XXL ($4.95 from $15.99 until 3/7)
Path of Sin ($2.09 from $14.99 until 3/7)
Word Chef ($4.79 from $5.99 until 3/7)
Pinball Frenzy ($3.19 from $3.99 until 3/7)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 16th

#Funtime ($4.43 from $14.99 until 2/16)
#Xmas, Puzzles Dream ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/16)
Almost There: The Platformer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Boxing Champs ($2.85 from $9.50 until 2/16)
Breakpoint ($2.22 from $4.99 until 2/16)
Cozy Grove ($11.19 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Cyber Shadow ($13.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Deadly Days ($2.08 from $18.99 until 2/16)
Deleveled ($3.45 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Encodya ($8.99 from $29.99 until 2/16)
Figment ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Fracter ($3.11 from $6.99 until 2/16)
Gnome More War ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/16)
Grand Guilds ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Gurgamoth ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)

High Noon Revolver ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/16)
Instant Tennis ($2.48 from $9.95 until 2/16)
Jessika ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Later Alligator ($13.49 from $17.99 until 2/16)
Leisure Suit Larry WD Saga ($9.74 from $64.99 until 2/16)
Leisure Suit Larry WDDD ($3.99 from $39.99 until 2/16)
Leisure Suit Larry WDDT ($7.99 from $39.99 until 2/16)
OlliOlli: Switch Stance ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Power Racing Bundle 2 ($3.39 from $16.99 until 2/16)
RazerWire: Nanowars ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Roundguard ($7.91 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Shakes on a Plane ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/16)
Space Otter Charlie ($9.68 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Street Cleaner: The Video Game ($10.50 from $15.00 until 2/16)
The Ambassador: FT ($5.18 from $14.99 until 2/16)

The Bridge ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)
The Innsmouth Case ($2.24 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Towertale ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/16)
Tumblestone ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/16)
Urban Flow ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/16)

That’s all for today, friends. I have a hospital appointment tomorrow to run a few tests and make sure I’m still a going concern for the time being. I should be back in time to put together something for you all, but just in case something goes ca-ca, you know the reason why. Provided I am back, we’ll have a couple of new releases to look at, plus whatever news and sales roll in. I hope you all have a great Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!