SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring ‘Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku’, Plus New Releases, Sales, and Good-Byes

Farewell, dear readers, and welcome to the final regular SwitchArcade Round-Up for TouchArcade. Next week, I'll share a special edition with a few embargoed reviews, but this marks the end of my regular contributions after several years. While I'd hoped to continue covering the Switch's lifecycle, circumstances necessitate a change of course. This week's roundup is packed with content: two reviews from Mikhail, two from Shaun, new release summaries, and the usual sales lists. Let's enjoy one last ride!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU ($49.99)

Following Imagineer's successful Fitness Boxing series, culminating in the surprisingly enjoyable Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star, their next collaboration was a welcome surprise. Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU cleverly integrates the popular vocaloid, adding a dedicated mode for her songs alongside the standard tracks. My experience over recent weeks, alongside Ring Fit Adventure, revealed a surprisingly impressive title.

For newcomers, the Fitness Boxing series uses boxing and rhythm game mechanics to deliver daily workouts, engaging mini-games, and more. Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU leverages Miku's popularity, offering a unique fitness experience. Note: this is a Joy-Con-only game, incompatible with Pro Controllers or third-party accessories.

The game features adjustable difficulty, a free training mode, warm-up routines, progress tracking, reminders, and even system-wide alarms. Unlockable cosmetics provide additional motivation. While I can't yet comment on DLC, the base game surpasses Fist of the North Star in most aspects, except for one minor drawback: the main instructor's voice feels oddly out of sync with the game's overall tone, leading me to lower its volume.

Imagineer delivers another solid fitness title with Fitness Boxing feat. HATSUNE MIKU, successfully integrating Miku's appeal. While a capable fitness game in its own right, it serves best as a supplement to other routines like Ring Fit Adventure, rather than a standalone solution. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Magical Delicacy ($24.99)

Magical Delicacy, from sKaule and Whitethorn Games, initially flew under my radar until an Xbox Game Pass announcement. Playing it on Switch, I found it a delightful blend of Metroidvania and cooking mechanics, though not perfectly executed. The game's strengths lie in its exploration, charming story, and pixel art, but some inventory and UI issues detract from the overall experience.

Players assume the role of Flora, a young witch on a wholesome, magical adventure. The exploration aspects are surprisingly well-executed, despite some frustrating backtracking. Crafting and inventory management, however, present minor challenges exacerbated by the initially confusing UI.

Visually stunning, with beautiful pixel art and music, the game offers customizable UI scaling and text options, ideal for handheld play. I believe Magical Delicacy would have benefited from early access or post-launch updates to refine its minor flaws.

The Switch version plays smoothly, aside from occasional frame pacing hiccups. Good rumble support enhances the experience. Having played the Xbox Series X version, I prefer the portability of the Switch version.

Despite its potential, Magical Delicacy feels slightly unfinished due to inventory and backtracking issues. Nonetheless, it's a strong title, particularly well-suited to the Switch, and a few quality-of-life improvements would elevate it to an essential purchase. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Aero The Acro-Bat 2 ($5.99)

Many attempted to replicate Sonic the Hedgehog's success in the 16-bit era, but few saw sequels. Aero The Acro-Bat is one of the lucky few, and its sequel, while not a massive success, isn't a bad game. It refines the original, albeit losing some of its unique charm in the process.

Is Aero The Acro-Bat 2 a bad game? No. Its success didn't warrant a further sequel, but Sunsoft's financial situation at the time likely played a role. The game's quality isn't to blame; it's as good as the first, offering a polished platforming experience.

Surprisingly, this release isn't Ratalaika's typical emulation wrapper. Instead, it features a tailored presentation with box and manual scans, achievements, a sprite sheet gallery, a jukebox, and cheats. The only drawback is the omission of the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version.

Fans of the original Aero The Acro-Bat will appreciate this sequel, and even those who found the first game lacking might find this one more enjoyable. Ratalaika's improved emulation wrapper is commendable. A solid release for fans and retro platformer enthusiasts.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Metro Quester | Osaka ($19.99)

Building upon the original Metro Quester, this title feels more like an expansion than a sequel. It features a prequel story set in Osaka, introducing a new dungeon, character types, weapons, skills, and enemies. The new setting incorporates water traversal using a canoe. The core mechanics remain largely unchanged from the original.

For those familiar with Metro Quester, this offers more of the same satisfying turn-based combat, top-down exploration, and strategic gameplay. Caution and planning are crucial for success.

Metro Quester | Osaka provides ample content for fans of the original, and newcomers may find this a better entry point. While an expansion pack, it expands upon the existing systems in interesting ways. Patience is key to fully appreciate its depth.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Select New Releases

NBA 2K25 ($59.99)

NBA 2K25 arrives with improved gameplay, a new "Neighborhood" feature, and MyTEAM enhancements. The game requires a significant 53.3 GB of storage space.

Shogun Showdown ($14.99)

A Darkest Dungeon-inspired title with a Japanese setting. A decent entry in the genre.

Aero The Acro-Bat 2 ($5.99)

(See review above)

Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection ($9.99)

A collection of three previously unlocalized Famicom games, offering a varied selection of genres. (See previous review)

Sales

(North American eShop, US Prices)

Notable sales include Cosmic Fantasy Collection at 40% off and Tinykin at its lowest price yet.

Select New Sales

Sales Ending This Weekend

This concludes my contributions to the SwitchArcade Round-Up, and also my eleven-and-a-half-year tenure at TouchArcade. I'll continue writing on my blog, Post Game Content, and Patreon, but this marks the end of this particular chapter. Thank you to all the TouchArcade readers for your support. I wish you all the best.