Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for April 19th, 2021. In today’s article, we’ve got Mini-Views for three recent releases: TikiPod’s Astro Aqua Kitty, Crescent Moon and Ratalaika’s Ravensword: Shadowlands, and NISA’s Poison Control. We take a look at a handful of new releases as well, though it’s not a particularly impressive bunch. Things finish up with the usual lists of incoming and outgoing sales. Let’s get on with it!
Mini-Views
Astro Aqua Kitty ($14.99)

The original Aqua Kitty was an excellent homage to the classic Defender by Eugene Jarvis that added just enough to make it feel distinct. Astro Aqua Kitty takes things a lot farther, retaining the speed and multidirectional action of its predecessor while adding deeper mechanics and considerably larger levels. There’s a great deal of exploration involved in playing the game, which nicely complements the white-knuckle shooting action. It doesn’t go as far as being a Metroidvania or anything, but you’re going to have to poke around some fairly sprawling areas to complete the goals needed to move forward. As you look around, you’ll run into groups of enemies that will put your shooting and maneuvering skills to the test. As you battle enemies you’ll earn experience and level up, allowing you to build your strength as you see fit. While this new approach costs the game some of the pick-up-and-play energy that the original...