SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires’, Plus the Latest News, Releases, and Sales

Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for February 21st, 2022. In today’s article, we’ve got a couple of reviews for you. Koei Tecmo takes another swing at the Warriors ball with Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires, while WayForward brings us way back with River City Girls Zero. There are a couple of new releases to check out, and that’s just what we’re going to do. A little news? Yes! We finish things up as we always do, with the lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s get into it!

News

‘Capcom Fighting Collection’ Coming June 24th

Okay, yes, Street Fighter 6. But let’s be honest with ourselves: that isn’t coming to the Switch. You know what is, though? Capcom Fighting Collection. It features ten classic Capcom arcade games, with full online play for all of them using rollback netcode. The list of games includes: Darkstalkers, Night Warriors, Vampire Savior, Vampire Hunter 2, Vampire Savior 2, Hyper Street Fighter 2: The Anniversary Edition, Super Gem Fighter, Cyberbots, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, and for the very first time at home, Red Earth. An extensive museum is included among a variety of other extras. Capcom Fighting Collection is set to release on the Switch and other platforms on June 24th of this year, and it does appear to be getting a physical release.

Reviews & Mini-Views

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires ($59.99)

There’s a certain core enjoyment that can be had with just about any Warriors game, regardless of its problems. A person can have some fun with the Switch version of Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. I won’t deny that. I had some good times with it here and there. But the bits I enjoyed can by and large be found in other, better Warriors games on the system. There are a lot of issues with this game, and they add up to something that is very difficult to recommend with much vigor.

The two biggest problems come down to content and technical performance. While both of these problems were expected to an extent, that doesn’t make them unimportant to the result. The Empires releases have typically served as expansion content to the main Warriors games, an extra scoop of ice cream with a slightly more strategic flavor. As such, they tend not to have as many of the core features of the main games, and that is indeed the case here. Most notably, the main campaign from the base game isn’t here, and the large open-world map it touted has been sliced into smaller chunks. Naturally, there are some additions here. But it doesn’t sum up to equal what was lost, making its full-price ask a tough one.

Then there are the performance issues. I had a good time with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and it had its fair share of problems in this regard. Well, imagine the worst parts of that game but extrapolated out to cover most of the gameplay experience. That is the Switch version of Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires. You wouldn’t expect a game that ran like an absolute donkey on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to fare well on the Switch, and Warriors sure wasn’t going to be the one to buck that trend. The amount of graphical detail has been dramatically reduced compared to other versions, the framerate is all over the place, and the resolution regularly degrades into a messy blur. It’s just not a pleasant time, and I think literally every other Warriors game on the system looks and runs better.

Combine the game itself feeling somewhat undercooked in terms of modes and features and the atrocious technical performance, and you have a rather bitter pill for any Switch-owning Dynasty Warriors fans that choose to swallow it. I won’t say you can’t mine some enjoyment out of this version of the game, but you’re going to have to be more forgiving than you’ve had to be with any prior Warriors game on the platform.

SwitchArcade Score: 2.5/5

River City Girls Zero ($14.99)

Judge the package, or judge the game? I suppose I’ll do a little of both here. The 1994 Super Famicom game that served as storyline inspiration for WayForward’s River City Girls makes its way both to the Switch and to the West in one stroke with River City Girls Zero. As it did before with Shantae, Limited Run Games has assisted with the development of this and have done a pretty good job of the emulation and localization. It’s wrapped in a nice package with a really nice intro video, a couple of new songs, and some decent extras including a full scan of the Japanese manual. I wish we had more versatile save states here, and perhaps a rewind feature, but overall it’s a good presentation of the original game.

As for the game itself, it’s alright. It’s incredibly verbose for a beat-em-up, and that’s either going to interest you or push you away. You’ll spend nearly as much time reading through the story dialogue as you will cracking heads, and the story is pretty interesting as beat-em-ups go even if it is pretty corny. The action is serviceable if not outstanding. It’s not as fun or speedy as the fighting in River City Ransom, and there isn’t a ton of depth to it. But it’s not completely shallow, either. You can swap between four characters, and each of them has their own special moves. Each also has their own life bar, and you can keep fighting as long as you don’t let any of them run out.  A couple of Mode 7-style motorcycle stages help break up the brawling. The game is very difficult, especially past a certain point in the story, but not insurmountable.

It’s always nice to see a game that never made it out of Japan back in the day get a wider release, and even nicer when it’s handled well. The actual links with River City Girls, both in terms of story and gameplay, are tenuous but River City Girls Zero makes the most of them. The mechanics do the job decently, and the story side of it certainly distinguishes the experience from most other brawlers of its era. It’s no Streets of Rage or even Final Fight, but those who are invested in the characters will likely have a good time.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

New Releases

Puzzle & Dragons ($4.37)

SwitchArcade Highlight!

I’m a pretty big fan of Puzzle & Dragons, particularly in its free-to-play mobile form. It has really fun collaborations, it feels like there’s always something to tackle, the monetization squeeze isn’t too bad, and the core gameplay is unique and very compelling. I’ve had some good times with previous home versions too, even if they weren’t quite as good. This is the IP’s second bow on the Switch after Puzzle & Dragons Gold, which didn’t exactly get people’s motors running. Will this one fare better? We’ll have a review very soon to let you know our opinion on the matter.

FPV Simulator ($7.99)

Benjamin Kistler has another low-effort release for us today. It positions itself as a first-person drone simulator, but it isn’t much of a simulation at all. You get seven tutorials to get you familiar with the controls, and six tracks to play in either Time Trial or Free Flight modes. As usual for Mr. Kistler’s works, this is cobbled together from Unity Asset Store bits and bobs and really isn’t worth your time or money.

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

A few neat things in the list that accumulated over the weekend. Sumire for a fiver is an easy pick-up if you don’t already own it. Pako Caravan is a good bit of fun for a couple bucks and change. If you somehow don’t have Cuphead already, there it is for fifteen dollars. You’ll also want to scan the outbox to see if there is anything there you want. It’s big enough that you’re sure to find something interesting in there.

Select New Games on Sale

The Game of Life 2 ($20.99 from $29.99 until 2/25)
Coast Guard: Beach Rescue Team ($4.79 from $11.99 until 2/25)
Merek’s Market ($16.99 from $19.99 until 2/25)
Brawl Chess ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/25)
Art Sqool Deluxe ($1.99 from $13.99 until 2/25)
Detective Driver: Miami Files ($4.79 from $11.99 until 2/25)
Gas Station: Highway Services ($4.79 from $11.99 until 2/25)
City Bus Driving Simulator ($4.79 from $11.99 until 2/25)
NASCAR Heat Ultimate Edition+ ($29.99 from $39.99 until 2/25)
Vitamin Connection ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/26)
Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders ($3.99 from $12.99 until 2/26)
Cuphead ($14.99 from $19.99 until 2/26)
Lydia ($1.99 from $4.00 until 2/28)
Journey of the Broken Circle ($1.99 from $8.00 until 2/28)
Event Horizon: Space Defense ($1.99 from $6.99 until 2/28)

Tactical Mind 2 ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Aborigenus ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Farabel ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/28)
Girabox ($1.99 from $2.49 until 2/28)
Diabolic ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/28)
Swaps & Traps ($1.99 from $8.99 until 2/28)
Treadnauts ($10.04 from $14.99 until 3/1)
To Be Or Not To Be ($6.29 from $6.99 until 3/1)
Funny Bunny Adventures ($1.99 from $4.99 until 3/1)
Vampire The Masquerade SoNY ($5.19 from $12.99 until 3/6)
Vampire The Masquerade CoNY ($3.99 from $19.99 until 3/6)
Eufloria HD ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/7)
Sumire ($4.99 from $9.99 until 3/7)
Project Nimbus: Complete ($6.79 from $19.99 until 3/7)
Northgard ($13.99 from $34.99 until 3/8)

Evoland Legendary Edition ($4.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Genetic Disaster ($2.99 from $14.99 until 3/8)
SGC: Short Games Collection #1 ($13.99 from $19.99 until 3/8)
Cargo Crew Driver ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/11)
Pako Caravan ($2.39 from $7.99 until 3/11)
Extreme Car Driver ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/11)
Multilevel Parking Simulator ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/11)
Truck Simulator 2 ($5.99 from $11.99 until 3/11)
Cattails ($7.49 from $14.99 until 3/12)
Azurebreak Heroes ($1.99 from $6.99 until 3/12)
Sorceror Knights ($1.99 from $14.99 until 3/13)
Dragon Hills ($5.60 from $8.00 until 3/13)
Aliens Drive Me Crazy ($4.20 from $6.00 until 3/13)
Find The Balance ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/13)
Hardway Party ($2.49 from $4.99 until 3/13)
Instant Farmer ($1.99 from $2.99 until 3/13)

Sales Ending Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 22nd

8-Ball Pocket ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Adventure Llama ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Aery: Little Bird Adv. ($3.49 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Aery: Sky Castle ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Angel’s Punishment ($1.99 from $24.99 until 2/22)
Archaica: The Path of Light ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
BeatTalk ($11.79 from $17.99 until 2/22)
Big Dipper ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Bridge Constructor Portal ($3.74 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Bright Paw ($6.49 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Carebotz ($3.79 from $18.99 until 2/22)
Chill Panda ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Colorful Colore ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Crazy Zen Codeword ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Crazy Zen Mini Golf ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)

Dead End Job ($4.24 from $16.99 until 2/22)
Deadlings ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Debtor ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Demon’s Tilt ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Doodle Derby ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Deluxe ($44.99 from $74.99 until 2/22)
Drawful 2 ($4.49 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Dwarf Journey ($2.99 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Event Horizon ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Fisti-Fluffs ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Flying Hero X ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Fort Triumph ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
FunBox Party ($1.99 from $2.49 until 2/22)
Geki Yaba Runner AE ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Grood ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)

GUNKID 99 ($2.99 from $6.99 until 2/22)
In Between ($2.39 from $11.99 until 2/22)
Into a Dream ($4.99 from $13.99 until 2/22)
It Came From Space & Ate Our Brains ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Jurassic Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Kosmonavtes: Academy Escape ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Kosmonavtes: Escape Reality ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Last Encounter ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Legendary Eleven ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Life of Fly 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia ($4.99 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Little Racer ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Madorica Real Estate ($8.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Merrily Perilly ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Metamorphisis ($7.49 from $24.99 until 2/22)

Moon Raider ($349 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Murder Diaries 2 ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Mushroom Quest ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Okinawa Rush ($12.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Panmorphia ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Panmorphia: Enchanted ($1.99 from $3.99 until 2/22)
Paradise Lost ($7.49 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Pew Paw ($1.99 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Pinball Lockdown ($1.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Pixel Heroes Mega Byte & Magic ($11.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Potion Party ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Pumpkin Jack ($13.49 from $29.99 until 2/22)
Pyramids Slot Machines ($4.79 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Red Wings: Aces of the Sky ($1.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Regency Solitaire ($8.39 from $11.99 until 2/22)
Retro Tanks ($2.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)

Rigid Force Redux ($6.66 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Safety First! ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Santa Tracker ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Silver Chains ($9.99 from $24.99 until 2/22)
Skull Rogue ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)
Slime-san ($3.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Space Cows ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Space Ribbon ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
Steampunk Tower 2 ($2.49 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Suicide Guy Collection ($5.49 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Super Blackjack Battle 2 TE ($1.99 from $7.99 until 2/22)
Super Dragonfly Chronicles ($2.09 from $6.99 until 2/22)
Super Impossible Road ($9.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Super Treasure Arena ($1.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Tactical Mind ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)

Tanky Tanks ($2.99 from $5.99 until 2/22)
Techno Tanks ($2.49 from $4.99 until 2/22)
The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters ($4.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
The Coma: Recut ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
The Great Perhaps ($2.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
The Inner World ($2.39 from $11.99 until 2/22)
The Inner World: Last Wind Monk ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
The Jackbox Party Pack 6 ($16.49 from $29.99 until 2/22)
They Bleed Pixels ($1.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Tied Together ($2.99 from $14.99 until 2/22)
Truberbrook ($7.49 from $29.99 until 2/22)
Under Leaves ($1.99 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Under: Deapths of Fear ($4.99 from $9.99 until 2/22)
Vambrace: Cold Soul ($6.24 from $24.99 until 2/22)
West of Loathing ($6.60 from $11.00 until 2/22)
Windscape ($4.99 from $19.99 until 2/22)
Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe ($2.59 from $12.99 until 2/22)
Woodle Tree Adventures ($1.99 from $4.99 until 2/22)
World Soccer Pinball ($1.99 from $2.99 until 2/22)

That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a few more new releases including Monark and Sol Cresta, a review or two, some sales, and perhaps a little more news if things go that way. I hope you all have a great Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!