Yesterday, Nintendo finally gave us our first look at Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, thanks to a Nintendo Direct and a brand new trailer. And while Yoshi — and some other Mario series cameos — stole the spotlight, there’s one piece of additional news that fans in certain countries can get excited about.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is coming out on 1st April 2026, two days earlier in the US “and many additional markets globally”. The new date was shown at the end of the trailer yesterday, with Nintendo confirming the news online.
The UK and other parts of Europe are also getting the movie on the same day. Originally, the sequel was due to arrive on 3rd April, so we’ll take an extra few days before the Easter weekend! Japan will have to wait a little longer, as the film’s launch is closer to the end of the month — 24th April.
We’ve got a rundown of everything you need to know about The Super Mario Galaxy Movie below, but know that this goes way beyond just being about Galaxy; Odyssey, World, and Super Mario Bros. 2 all feature heavily in the new trailer. So expect an extravaganza
Are you excited for the Mario movie sequel? Will you be going day one? Let us know in the comments.
If last weekend’s Mario Movie Direct wasn’t enough for you, Nintendo has today announced that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will be getting a Direct presentation of its own later this week.
As revealed on Nintendo Today!, the presentation will kick off on Thursday 29th January at 2pm GMT, and promises to clue us in on all kinds of hot new details about the long-awaited 3DS sequel throughout its 20-minute runtime.
Here’s the precise time that the Direct will get underway in your region:
North America: 6am PST / 7am MST / 8am CST / 9am EST
UK/Ire: 2pm GMT
Europe: 3pm CET / 4pm EET
Asia/Oceania: 11pm JST / 10pm AWST / 1am (Fri) AEDT
Join us on Jan. 29 at 6 a.m. PT for the Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Direct! The presentation will last roughly 20 minutes and provide more info on the upcoming Nintendo Switch game.
Although Living the Dream was first announced a while back, we’re still without a release date, so fingers crossed this week’s Direct can enlighten us on that and a bunch of other fun features.
Will you be tuning into the Tomodachi Life Direct? What do you hope to see? Let us know in the comments.
So, the third entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy officially has a final title (or subtitle, as is more likely), according to an interview with director Naoki Hamaguchi over at GameSpot.
It’s a pretty significant milestone, and as stated by Hamaguchi-san, the team had it down to two potential titles during Paris Games Week at the end of October 2025. He said that the final decision was ultimately up to creative director Tetsuya Nomura, who served as co-director on Remake alongside Hamaguchi and Motomu Toriyama.
Here’s what Hamaguchi said:
“It was up to Mr. Nomura to decide which it is. And yes, after returning from Paris Games Week, he did choose one, so I can say the title has been locked.”
Imagine having such a crucial decision rest on your shoulders. The power!
Of course, this news has merely reignited our curiosity as to what the title will actually be. ‘Reunion’ certainly sounds plausible, but then that’s already been used for Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion and the recently-announced Life is Strange: Reunion.
We’re also not too sure when Square Enix will decide to fully reveal the game given that it will also need to coordinate the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S. Phew!
Still, that certainly won’t stop us from speculating. So we’ve compiled a poll below with some possible (and not-so-possible) subtitles for the third entry, so go ahead and choose which one speaks to you the most. And if you have a completely different idea, then be sure to let us know with a comment.
What will be the final subtitle for Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3? (971 votes)
This comes via key financial data (thanks, RPG Site) in which Age of Imprisonment is listed with a note stating ‘Over 1 million copies sold worldwide’ when translated. Seems pretty clear to us!
The game launched on 6th November 2025 exclusively for the Switch 2 and tells the story of the Imprisoning War referenced in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It still has a little ways to go to surpass Age of Calamity on Switch at 4 million copies sold (at least!), but we have to keep in mind the much larger install base of the Switch compared to Switch 2.
Overall, it’s a great start for the game, and it thoroughly deserves to see sustained success.
Plans to make Age of Imprisonment came to fruition quickly for Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, with producer Yosuke Hayashi pitching the idea after playing Tears of the Kingdom during the weekend immediately after launch.
We gave the game a score of 9/10 in our review and called it the “best entry in this spin-off franchise to date”.
Have you bought Age of Imprisonment on the Switch 2 yet? Do you plan to in the future? Let us know with a comment.
If you needed bonus proof that there’s still an appetite for big ol’ ports on Nintendo Switch 2, this week’s UK charts show exactly that.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade has burst onto the scene at number two this week as the only non-Nintendo title to make the top five. While it couldn’t trouble Mario Kart World at the top spot (no surprises there), it has bumped Animal Crossing: New Horizons down into third — interestingly, the Switch 1 version of ACNH has gone back to being the most popular this time, taking 65% of sales.
“Aloha!” as we say here in Scotland, and welcome to an impromptu Nintendo Life Burns Night celebration, with me, an Irish fella.
Now, for those unaware, and to get things off in a high-brow sort of way through the illusion of learning, Robert Burns was a Scottish poet, now the country’s national poet no less, who lived from 1759 until 1796. Just 37 years. However! In this tragically short lifespan, he managed to imprint himself permanently on the Scottish psyche through his powerful works which contributed greatly to the Romantic movement, don’t you know.
The fact that Burns wrote in a Scots dialect (although he did use a watered-down version, making his verses and lyrics much easier to parse for non-native speakers) made him incredibly popular and personal to the Scots, and in death he’s become a figure of inspiration for socialist and liberal movements, in particular.
Of course, we probably all know Auld Lang Syne, his poem which became lyrics sung on New Year’s Eve to “ring in the bells” as folk say up here in Scotland (they kidnapped me in 2007 and made me live here, please help). But other works — and we’re getting to the end of the learning bit now, class, so stay strong — include very well-known stuff like A Red, Red Rose and Tam o’ Shanter.
Image: Nintendo Life
Yes, Tam o’ Shanter. That’s right. If this rings a bell, gamers, it’s because back in 2010 Nintendo helped celebrate Burns Night with a special Animal Crossing item. Burns Night — which happens every 25th January (Burns’ birthday) and which I’m currently enjoying immensely, thank you — sees some folk in Scotland read and/or perform from a selection of the poets’ works, eat lots of haggis, neeps and tatties (that’s turnip and potatoes to you), and, well, some people may even like to have small thimble of whiskey, too. Then straight to bed!
If you happened to have been playing Animal Crossing: City Folk, or Animal Crossing: Let’s Go To The City as it was known o’er here — sorry, went all Burns there — back in 2010, you’ll have got to celebrate your very own Burn’s Night by nabbing a very exciting (mild sarcasm detected) “Tam o’ Shanter” hat. Aye, a wee Scottish tartan bonnet for putting oan the in-game heid eh a bonnie wee lad/and or lassie. (Apologies to all my Scottish friends for that sentence.)
The coolest thing about this particular hat, as you’ll no doubt already know, was that it gave your character a shaggy new Scottish hairdo as an extra to boot, and this celebration of Scotland’s national bard has also gone on to feature in both Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (hey, that just got an update!).
So, seeing as it’s Burns Night and all that, and seeing how I’m currently in Glasgow, the unofficial capital of Scotland, why not join me, in…well…it’s not exactly the same as raising a glass to the great man, but why not hop into your copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (or New Leaf), stick yer hat oan, and join me in some deep breathing exercises as we consider Robert Burns, and his many, many excellent poems. But most especially Tam o’ Shanter, as it’s the one holding this vaguely game-related article together.
With me? Right! Can’t find your Tam o’ Shanter? To nab the headgear in New Horizons, you need to get it from Gulliver as a reward for helping him find his communicator parts. No worries, you can just jump into the game’s custom designs portal to look for (or design!) some Scottish and tartan-themed gear. If you’re wondering, you got the hat from Pelly or Phyllis at the Post Office in New Leaf.
Once you’ve got your hat on, and have your plate of haggis (that’s sheep liver, lungs, heart, etcetera, all mixed up with delicious oatmeal, or there’s a veggie option available!), grab yourself a thimble of something delicious and we’ll offer up a toast to Rabbie Burns, and to Animal Crossing, I guess, on this latest Burns Night.
And to close out, here’s a little excerpt from Tam o’ Shanter, in which we contemplate the transient nature of joy, man’s inability to control time, and the nature of mortality. Annnnnnnd relax:
But pleasures are like poppies spread, You seize the flow’r, its bloom is shed; Or like the snow-falls in the river, A moment white–then melts forever . . . . . . Or like the rainbow’s lovely form Evanishing amid the storm.– Nae man can tether time or tide; The hour approaches Tam maun ride; That hour o’ night’s black arch the key-stane, That dreary hour Tam mounts his beast in; And sic a night he taks the road in, As ne’er poor sinner was abroad in.
Now, I’m off over to Wikipedia to get this Animal Crossing malarkey added to the site’s official list of cultural references for Robert Burns.
Gabh cùram!
Image: Nintendo Life
Enjoying Burns Night? Got any favourite verses to spit? Drop ’em in the comments!
Apart from Yoshi and a bunch of other surprises in the trailer, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto also gave a quick history lesson on Yoshi’s origins in the video games.
Following this, Chris Meledandri provided an update on Illumination’s side – mentioning how animation on the movie has been “fully completed” and it has now moved into post-production, with the teams focused on the sound design and the music.
The film’s directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have also collaborated with composer Brian Tyler, Nintendo, and the designers at Skywalker Sound. Tyler has integrated themes from the Galaxy games into the movie and is recording the score with a 70-piece orchestra.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie arrives in cinemas this April. You can find out more about it in our guide here on Nintendo Life.
What did you think of Yoshi’s reveal? Let us know in the comments.
Welcome back, lovely people, to the Nintendo Life Mailbox! We’re still in the first weeks of a new year, and we can all now officially confirm that it’s…another year. Hmm.
Enough dwelling – there’s more than enough of that to do when you click elsewhere on the web. Let’s talk video games, shall we? Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings.
Each month, we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.
So, let’s see what you’ve got to say…
Nintendo Life Mailbox – January 2026
“[redacted] for his birfday” (***STAR LETTER***)
I still don’t have a Switch 2. I totally want one, but they’re SO expensive (living in Japan but playing games from all over the world I’ll have to buy the extra expensive “international” version, not to mention a new gigantic SD card since I’m 100% digital, a new Pro controller, etc.). And according to my spreadsheet, I’ve completed 85 out of 148 or so games on my Switch. I’d love to play fancy new games (or upgrades to older games) on Switch 2, but I’m not exactly in a hurry. In fact, when it was originally released I decided that I’d wait until fancy new colors or an even fancier limited edition of some sort got released.
Well, fancy new colors got released this week, and I absolutely love them. But… it’s not a set, and buying a Switch 2 plus extra Joy Cons goes back to my initial complaint.
So like, how much longer do you think I should wait?? My son is demanding that I buy him [redacted] for his birfday, but out of spite I refuse to put that thing on my Switch, so I’d rather buy a Switch 2 and let him have my original to do with as he pleases. Yes, I know, I’m a terrible father. His birfday is approaching very rapidly, though, so I kind of want to use him as an excuse to just take the expensive plunge, but if I DO buy a Switch 2 and a day later Nintendo announces a limited edition Xenoblade 4 Switch 2 I’ll never forgive him because obviously it will be his fault. To summarize concisely: Me want buy fancy non-standard Switch 2 but when is happen you think does??? Kurt Asbestos
Well, excuses-wise, it definitely won’t be getting cheaper anytime soon – and there’s a good chance the price will go up. Given the global challenges around production and distribution on top of the general economic strife, Nintendo won’t be in a rush to put out the inevitable upgraded version, either.
Personally? I don’t see them doing some crazy variant for a while. They might put a Triforce on it or something, but I can’t imagine them doing a white one (for example) until they’ve got at least another holiday season ticked off. It would just anger recent adopters still stinging from the hole in their wallet.
Seriously, what monster contemplates putting a Light Purple Joy-Con into a non-matching Light Blue mag slot anyway? – Ed.
Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life
“2026 has started”
2026 has started (by the time of the next reader letters issue) and I have 3 Nintendo predictions for the year:
1. Tomodatchi Life Living the Dream gets a direct. 2. The 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda isn’t too big of a deal with Zelda news being saved for later in the year for the lead up to the Zelda movie. 3. Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow (and maybe Gold, Silver and Crystal) finally get a Switch release that is much more confusing and annoying than just adding it to Game Boy Nintendo Classics or selling them (be it an NSO price hike around the same time, a 3rd tier of NSO or some other new annoyance). Aidan
“Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Pokémon: Let’s Go, Furret! and Let’s Go, Porygon2! is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 in Summer 2026.
“Pokémon: Let’s Go, Furret! and Let’s Go, Porygon2! will also be available on Nintendo Switch, and the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Furret! and Let’s Go, Porygon2! special DLC pack — Pokémon: Let’s Go, Furret! and Let’s Go, Porygon2! – Dazzling Crystal — will be available for both platforms later in the year. Pre-orders will open after this broadcast and come with a limited-time bonus: the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue for Nintendo Game Boy, available exclusively with this DLC set until February 27th, 2027. Please look forward to future announcements.” – Ed.
Image: Gemma Smith / Nintendo Life
“‘more serious’ platforms”
Where are all the new colour variations for the Joy-Con 2?! You know times are strange when ‘more serious’ platforms like the PlayStation and Xbox are churning out different controllers on a quarterly basis, whilst Nintendo leave us in the dark with the boring grey duo… Same for the Pro Controller 2! I’d personally love to see some colours pay homage to the NGC; Indigo, Platinum, and Orange, with coloured buttons to boot! Moochy
I wouldn’t mind seeing some more interesting colours, but I’d be happy if we could just get through the generation without drift.
Oh, and ‘Orange’ is so vulgar; it’s Spice, darling. – Ed.
“whip out something ridiculous”
Hi there NL gang,
I’m beginning to think that with every Switch 2 Edition Nintendo conjures, there is a unwritten rule that each title must be longer than the other!
*Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV* *Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World* And god forbid… *Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabell Park.* I mean, seriously though, where *do* you draw the line when it comes to something like this? Does Nintendo even care if we need to take a breath midway through announcing them?!
But I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, those three games above _are_ fairly lengthy titles in their own right. So I think we’re safe… and of course now that I’ve said that, they’ll whip out something ridiculous like *Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition = Lubba’s Fury* …There’s just no escaping it! Nintoz
It has become an office joke around these parts. They start to look like equations if you stare at them long enough. ‘Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Bowser Jr.’s Big Bash’, anyone? – Ed.
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
“great plastic”
Hello Nintendolife!
I’m a big Zelda fan and I love collecting items from the series. Unfortunately, Nintendo hasn’t released new amiibo for quite some time, despite there being so many interesting characters that could be made into these great plastic figurines.
I’d like to leave you an idea for a poll on the site… Franc001
Okay, let’s do it. (The Mineru’s Contruct amiibo is still to come, remember.)
Which Zelda character would you like Nintendo to release as an amiibo figure? (688 votes)
Beedle6%
Fi4%
Fierce Deity Link10%
Ganondorf (Ocarina of Time)3%
Ganondorf (Wind Waker)7%
Great Deku Tree5%
Groose2%
Hero’s Shade1%
Hestu3%
Impa4%
Kass4%
King of Red Lions9%
King Rhoam0.6%
Skull Kid12%
Tingle9%
True Form Midna7%
Zelda (Ocarina of Time)3%
Zelda (Echoes of Wisdom)9%
Something else (leave a comment)0.7%
Not a bad selection! A comically enormous Deku Tree amiibo would make me grin, but I’d like a Sprout, too. And a Mido. And a Deku Scrub. An… – Ed.
Bonus Letters
“It’s really cheesy, and not the good kind of cheese.” – L27
All kinds of cheeses are good, my friend. Except that Wensleydale with the fruit in it. Horrific idea. – Ed.
“it’s probably a steaming pile of dung.” – WoomyNNYes
Hey, if it looks like dung, and smells like dung, and tastes like…
Oof, probably should have stopped after the first two, in hindsight. Anyone got a Tic Tac? – Ed.
“Has research been conducted on this?” – Davis
I’m surrounded by people in lab coats brandishing clipboards as we speak. Several of them are wearing glasses. Spared no expense. – Ed.
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
That’s all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.
Got something you’d like to get off your chest? A burning question you need answered? A correction you can’t contain? Follow the instructions below, then, and we look forward to rifling through your missives.
Nintendo Life Mailbox submission advice and guidelines
Letters, not essays, please – Bear in mind that your letter may appear on the site, and 1000 words ruminating on the Legend of Heroes series and asking Alana for her personal ranking isn’t likely to make the cut. Short and sweet is the order of the day. (If you’re after a general guide, 100-200 words would be ample for most topics.)
Don’t go crazy with multiple correspondences – Ideally, just the one letter a month, please!
Don’t be disheartened if your letter doesn’t appear in the monthly article – We anticipate a substantial inbox, and we’ll only be able to highlight a handful every month. So if your particular letter isn’t chosen for the article, please don’t get disheartened!
How to send a Letter to the Nintendo Life Mailbox
Head to Nintendo Life’sContact pageand select the subject “Reader Letters” from the drop-down menu (it’s already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email, and beautifully crafted letter into the appropriate box, hit send, and boom — you’re done!
We are back, back, back with another edition of Box Art Brawl!
We went tactical last week, as we matched up a pair of covers for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift on the DS, and it’s got to be said, the results were the most one-sided we’ve seen in a long time. The bright European / Japanese version took home a staggering 90% of the vote, leaving the bland North American variant with a measly 10%. Oof.
With a new Yoshi game on the horizon, we’re throwing it back to one of the delightful dino’s most beloved entries (in the handheld space, at least), as we take a look at Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island. Those with a good memory might remember us tackling the game’s SNES original way back in 2020, but the GBA version comes with a pair of covers all of its own, so let’s take a look at them.
The European and North American cover will be instantly familiar to those who remember the SNES layout. It sees Yoshi and Baby Mario merrily making their way across the island as a giant Nep-Enut emerges from the water behind them. It’s clean, it’s colourful, it’s iconic.
On the flipside, the Japanese design opts for something far less level-based. Baby Mario and Yoshi still take centre stage, but they are instead surrounded by a bunch of other Yoshis, all decked out in different pastel colours to stress the multiplayer potential. The pink background might not tell you quite as much about a typical level structure as the NA/EU cover, but it is really rather cute.
Which region got the best Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island box art? (1,407 votes)
Europe / North America59%
Japan41%
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another Box Art Brawl.
The Dragon Ball series is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary, and as part of a special ‘Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri‘ event this week, Bandai Namco has shared some video game announcements.
First up, there’s “breaking news” regarding the latest game in the works. It’s the official announcement of the new game project “AGE 1000“. This title, which will get an official name at a later date, has been in development for “about 6 to 7 years now including the initial concept phase”. It features a new “never-before-seen world and characters” from legend and series creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in 2024.
“Toriyama-sensei has been heavily involved in this AGE1000 project, in its world-building, characters, and many other aspects.”
AGE 1000 is currently “set for 2027”, although no platforms have been revealed at this point in time. As for the details about this story, the team was willing to say much at this stage, but ‘AGE’ refers to the year in the Dragon Ball world. There’s already plenty of speculation about the game as well.
Dragon Ball fans can expect more information about this game at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2026, which kicks off in April.
Image: Bandai Namco
In some other Dragon Ball video game news, Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft have announced new “major” DLC for DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO. More details about the Switch and Switch 2 release will be revealed in the future. For now, here’s a brief description and trailer:
Super Saiyan Bardock, Super Android 17 (GT), Great Demon King Piccolo, and more will be joining the lineup of playable characters! Plus, customizations for skills and outfits, new stages, and a new single player mode are planned to be added!
This fabulous DLC is scheduled for release on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and STEAM® in summer 2026, with more details on the Nintendo Switch™ and Nintendo Switch™ 2 release to come!
Ahead of this new DLC, there’ll also be some free updates. This includes ‘Mission 100’ mode (“where you use your favourite characters to challenge and clear various missions”) and ‘Survival Mode’. The ‘Mission 100’ mode will arrive on 26th January 2026 on other platforms, and ‘Survival Mode’ is currently scheduled for Spring.
This new DLC will arrive later on the Switch and Switch 2, with DLC 1 also scheduled for Winter 2026 and DLC 2, DLC 3, and Extra DLC arriving in Spring 2026. You can see the full roadmap in the image below:
“Please note that the release schedule for both the major DLC and the free update on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 will differ from other platforms. We appreciate your patience.”
Image: Bandai Namco
When more details are shared, we’ll provide an update.
