Author: sick skills

Yoshi is just days away from returning in the new Switch 2 exclusive Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. After all of the news, previews and other information and footage surfacing online, we’re wondering who will be checking it out on release.

If you haven’t already taken a look at our preview here on Nintendo Life, below is a brief sample. You can also see this new entry in action in our video above.

“Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is much of what made the series so cute and accessible in recent entries, but there is a surprising amount of depth under the hood.”

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will launch on 21st May 2026 for $69.99 / £58.99 in stores, and $59.99 / £49.99 digitally (or your regional equivalent). So, will you be getting Yoshi’s new adventure next week? Vote in our poll and leave a comment below.

Will you be getting Yoshi and the Mysterious Book? (1,016 votes)

1. I’ve already pre-ordered20%
2. Day one6%
3. As soon as possible9%
4. Maybe, I’m still thinking about it13%
5. I’m not so sure5%
6. I’m waiting for the reviews13%
7. I’m saving or waiting for something else7%
8. I don’t even have a Switch 2 yet6%
9. No, I’m not interested20%
10. Something else (comment below)  1%

Welcome back, lovely people, for another trip to the Nintendo Life Mailbox.

Got something you want to get off your chest in our monthly letters page feature? 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.

Let’s sit back with a warm beverage and go through our dispatch box…

Nintendo Life Mailbox – May 2026

“Very inspirational” (***STAR LETTER***)

Dear NintendoLife,

The Miis in Tomodachi Life always look like they are having the best life. You could say they are “Living the Dream.” They go through the ups and downs of life in a rapid pace, from breakups to making new friends. Even when they are down in the dumps, they always recover and get back up. Very inspirational.

I had broke up with my girlfriend recently, and it really hurt. Tomodachi Life taught me how to recover, by doing something you love (Playing Tomodachi Life) and talking with others. It really inspired me to recover and get back up, because if the Mii’s can do it, I can. I didn’t think Tomodachi Life would have been so inspiring.

ParakerriRush

Glad to hear you’re doing well. Video games, eh? They’re pretty good. Important to remember the ‘talking with others’ bit, too. – Ed.

“weird pimp sim in a blimp”

21 April marked 10 years since the passing of the former performer and artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or formally speaking, that Love Symbol thing for which no Unicode equivalent exists).

Prince was unapologetically himself: a pop powerhouse; an irresistibly bombastic iconoclast who rewrote the rules of what popular music meant and who it was for; a proud, purple peacock.

…A bit like Waluigi really. Or at least, like what Waluigi could be if he were allowed to realise his true potential.

For the sad fact is, we’ve never had a dedicated Waluigi game.

Wario has had plenty, ranging from his rapid-fire micro-game series to 2D (and even 3D) platformers. Luigi has had his mansions, as well as New Super Luigi U — part of an entire year dedicated to the Green Machine. But Waluigi? Squiddly nowt.

Now, you could argue that Waluigi is really just an extra to make up the numbers in sports games, there for the sake of four-player symmetry and nothing else. And you’d be entirely right. But also missing the point. Because this isn’t about what Waluigi IS, but what he COULD be, given the chance.

If someone asked you, “what would a Tingle game look like?” and you replied “It would would be a sort of weird pimp sim in a blimp featuring the characters from the Wizard of Oz”, they’d think you were mad. But they’d also let you make that very game and it would go on to sell… averagely and never get a Western release. But the point is, it got green-lit.

So I ask you, “what would a Waluigi game look like, should one be miraculously purple-lit?”

Let your imaginations run wild.

I feel it would probably have some musical component, partly because I can’t break the Prince connection, but also because Nintendo has a habit of making music a core part of their games’ aesthetics (Zelda, Mario, Donkey Kong, and even Splatoon follow this pattern). However, in order to justify its existence, it would have to touch on a gameplay-style that Nintendo hasn’t yet put its twist on.

It struck me that Nintendo has never really done a Souls-like. So how about it Ninty? A musical Souls-like in which Waluigi is armed with an array of instruments which act as his arsenal: overwhelm enemies with sonic blasts from Walguigi’s flying-L guitar which he summons with Townsendian windmills (naturally the guitar doubles up as a literal axe); melt off foes’ faces with ripping sax solos; batter your opponents into oblivion as you take them for bongos.

…Either that or they finally release Project Giant Robot but the robot is now an enormous animatronic Waluigi and it plays like Doshin the Giant except set to Jashin mode all the time and it’s called ‘Project Washin Machine’ and your goal is to destroy as much of the city as possible before a super-sized Donkey Kong comes and punches you to pieces.

…Those are just a couple of my ideas. I have more, but I fear I’ve already breached the character limit. So I here I am, humbly soliciting ideas from you, the Nintendo Life writership and readership.

The world is dark. The news is grim. Discord and darkness abound, and I feel we could use a Year of Waluigi to turn this ship around.

Yours purpley,
Waaaaaxz

I would very much enjoy Waluigi taking on the ‘big bad’ mantle in the next 3D Mario. Bowser and family need a break, and who better to keep King Koopa’s throne warm? I’m picturing the wiry purple goblin-dude draped over it, possibly holding a suggestive, glowing staff.

Alternatively, Dr. Waluigi. But he’s an orthodontist and each level is a different Mushroom Kingdom regular coming in for dental work. – Ed.

“the ultimate feature”

I think GameShare is an undervalued feature.
If you think about it, it’s really hard to play many games in 51 Clubhouse Games without GameShare.
Now, what would make GameShare the ultimate feature is if Nintendo brought in GameShare support for Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3.
I don’t have Splatoon 2, but if Nintendo brought in GameShare support for Splatoon 2, I would buy Splatoon 2 (but not the Expansion Pass because i have Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack) the day support launches.
Also, if Splatoon Raiders is good and has GameShare support that would be great and I would probably buy it.
Ben

It’s definitely a handy tool for anyone who’s still rocking some Switch 1s in the house, though I haven’t yet had much use for it myself. I’d like to see Nintendo design a game around it – something that relied on multiple screens. It’s got potential.

Straight Wii U ports seem possible, too, where the docked Switch 2 streams the GamePad screen to another system in your hands. I’d love to see Nintendo Land playable in some form on Switch. And bring back Affordable Space Adventures. – Ed.

“quite frankly”

“What’s your favorite Mario game?”
“Super Mario RPG.”
“No, what’s your favorite mainline Mario?”
“Why would you clump SMRPG with the likes of Mario Party?”

It seems to me that more people are assuming that “mainline Mario” is a thing, even though I haven’t seen a definition of what “mainline” even means.

“SMRPG isn’t mainline because it wasn’t directed by Miyamoto.”
“Then Super Mario Galaxy is just a spin-off.”
“SMRPG isn’t mainline because it isn’t a platformer.”
“Then Super Mario 64 isn’t mainline because it’s more of a sandbox game. And Super Paper Mario would be mainline.”

I get it—SMRPG is a very different experience than Super Mario Bros. I think a taxonomy that makes more sense would be having two main groups—Mario “adventure” games and Mario “play” games. Mario “adventure” games tend to be single-player focused and have some kind of a story while “play” games usually focus more on multiplayer. This would make 2D Mario, Mario RPGs, and 3D Mario all types of “adventure” games and Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Mario sports as types of “play” games. Yet this system isn’t perfect—Mario Pinball Land would classify as an “adventure,” but its gameplay feels more arcadey.

I feel that there has to be a better way to classify these games. If SMRPG is just a spin-off, then SM64 is also just a spin-off. Both are radically different takes on the Super Mario Bros. formula, and quite frankly, SMRPG had more actual platforming.
Fan of Mario RPGs

Any genre label’s usefulness rests upon how quickly it communicates general meaning to the widest audience. Criticism of ‘Metroidvania’ is 100% valid in that it requires specific knowledge (in this case, the exploratory, ability-limited search-action structure of Metroid and Iga-era Castlevania games) to make any sense. It’s jargon that persists because it’s handy shorthand for those who use it most.

Likewise, most game fans (and even non-gamers, I’d argue) would understand ‘mainline’ Mario to be a 2D or 3D platformer. It signifies Mario games where jumping is the primary verb – where he’s a ‘Jump Man’, if you will.

Lumping everything else together as ‘spin-off’ is just a byproduct of defining the traditional jumping games, not a useful label in itself. That’s why we separate our Mario RPG and Mario Sports and Mario Partys into their own lists, plus further subdivisions. If I were new to gaming, I’d be annoyed if I asked a pal to recommend a Mario game and they made me buy Jamboree.

Then again, I find Mario Party as fun as shingles. – Ed.

“happy camper”

I gotta say, I wasn’t expecting to be a Nintendo adult! I was raised on PlayStation and my first experience with Nintendo was with the GameCube. Of course, decades later things changed to put it lightly and here I am thinking the Switch 2 is one of my all time favorite consoles.

There’s something relaxing and joyful and fun about playing Nintendo games I didn’t realize until getting older. And in an already difficult world, having something that brings you joy no matter its imperfections means so much.

Now if we can get Doom: The Dark Ages, a Sleeping Dogs port and a Kid Icarus Uprising remake, I’ll be a very happy camper.
Antonio Denis (ATD)

Agreed on all fronts. The variety is the real joy, with all the gloomcore survival fare and pastel-coloured cosy confections you could ask for, and absolutely everything in between and out to the sides. And Nintendo games spanning multiple decades. Not a bad offering. – Ed.

Bonus Letters

“I wish I could swap pikmin like I can trade Pokémon. I have doubles and my friends don’t have the same ones and I can’t share ” – alex

I wish I could swap Louie for someone more pleasant. A Waterwraith, perhaps. – Ed.

“I’m not as bothered by how Ganon broke free each time.” – YarrCaptainJuan

No one’s ever really gone sacred realm evil something something. – Ed.

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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’s Contact page and 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!

It’s time for yet another edition of Box Art Brawl, and we’re going virtual.

Before we strap a plastic peripheral to our faces, however, let’s take a look at last week’s showdown, where a trio of covers for Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind went head-to-head. Despite some close competition from Japan, it was the North American design that came out on top, snapping up 44% of the vote. Japan came in second with 37%, leaving Europe to claim the remaining 18%.

This time, with a bunch of new titles joining the Nintendo Switch Online Virtual Boy collection, we’re taking another look at the library and picking out a pair of covers for Galactic Pinball. It’s pinball on the Virtual Boy, what’s not to like (aside from the headaches)? Naturally, there’s no EU design to showcase this week, so let’s meet the two contenders…

North America

It’s colourful, it’s bright, it’s… pinball? Honestly, while there’s certainly some pinball paraphernalia on display here, it’s not quite as flipper-filled as we’d expect. A bumper and a rail can only do so much heavy lifting when the most iconic part is obscured by the VB logo. Still, it’s not too bad on the eye.

Japan

The Japanese cover dares ask the question: what if Picasso painted a pinball machine? It’s a bit all over the place, but there’s no denying that it’s interesting to look at. And hey, there’s a certain charm to those mid-’90s 3D graphics, isn’t there?

Which region got the best Galactic Pinball box art? (722 votes)

1. 

   North America71%

2. 

   Japan29%

Thank you for voting! We’ll see you next week for another edition of Box Art Brawl!

Hamster Corporation launched its new retro series Console Archives for the Switch 2 earlier this year, and it apparently wants this library to be even bigger than its Arcade Archives collection.

During a chat with Famitsu recently, Hamster’s CEO and founder, Satoshi Hamada, noted how Arcade Archive’s “target of 800” retro releases should just be a “point” passed by Console Archives at some stage.

While this amount of releases might be hard to believe, if any company can actually achieve this goal, it’s probably Hamster, as it has already released more than 500 titles for its Arcade Archives series and adds new retro games on a weekly basis.

Here’s what Hamster’s CEO had to say, according to a translation by Nintendo Everything:

“Arcade Archives had a target of 800, and we’ve already done over 500. For Console Archives we want to beat that. Actually, now we feel like 800 titles should just be a point we pass along the way. Just in terms of the number of titles, there are a lot more home console games than arcade games, so we want to make a series where we can go further.”

Hamster’s Console Archives library was launched in February 2026 with the release of Cool Boarders and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Just earlier this week, it added the “simulation war game” Master of Monsters: Disciples of Gaia.

You can see the other games for this expanding retro series in our guide here on Nintendo Life.

Have you purchased any Console Archives games yet? What else would you like to see Hamster add to this library and Arcade Archives? Let us know in the comments.

Including Mario, Mario Kart and Animal Crossing sets

• by Liam Doolan
• 10 hours ago

Canadian peripherals company Dbrand has built its brand around an irreverent, sarcastic social media presence that’s landed it in hot water on several occasions. But despite multiple missteps and apologies in recent years, it’s still producing quality skins and accessories for consumer tech – and still raising eyebrows with its marketing.

The firm’s latest Switch 2 product is the Joy-Lock Controller Holder, which, in characteristically provocative fashion, the marketing claims is “80% cheaper than a Pro Controller, yet somehow even more comfortable.”

A bold statement, there, but bearing in mind that Nintendo’s standalone pad will set you back £64.95 / $89.99, anything approaching that level of comfort for a fraction of the price is worth consideration. For 90 bucks, you could get a game and Dbrand’s “more comfortable” accessory. But is there any truth to the spiel?

First things first. Although the Holder itself comes in at $19.95, you’ll want a pair of Joy-Lock Grips for them, too, which are also $19.95, although you get a $5 discount if you buy both. So, unless you already have some Killswitch sheaths, the real cost here is $34.90 for the precision plastic into which you’ll slide your Joy-Con. (There are some $10 stick grips available, too.)

Arriving in small foam beds inside handsomely printed black card slipcases, I was sent both the holder and grips for testing, but I wanted to first see how the holder held up on its own. As something small enough to throw in your bag with a slimline case, it could easily enhance the Switch 2 tabletop experience.

As you can see below, you can use the holder sans grips, but that really pushes Dbrand’s Nintendo-beating comfort claims into the realm of the bovine. I haven’t yet had massive issues using the larger Joy-Con 2 solo for extended periods, but joining them together without additional grippage, if anything, made them feel worse.

Slide them into those grips, however, and things start feeling more like a real pad, with a nice curved ridge to rest your middle fingers on. The grip material is coarser than the smooth holder or the Joy-Con themselves, but slippage during intense play isn’t a worry. Each grip has a trio of shiny stripe details that look pleasant, too.

The Joy-Con’s LEDs shine through into the holder, and colour detailing in the magnetic interiors matches the default red/blue. It’s a sturdy bit of plastic, comparable in build quality to Nintendo’s gear. The hinge is strong enough to withstand accidental opening and closing, with six positions to choose from by pulling the prongs apart, ranging from straight-down perpendicular to a 45-degree(ish) boomerang split.

I found just a notch or two out from perpendicular ideal; holding it ‘straight’ felt similar to using the official Grip that comes with the console (the one that makes your ‘controller’ look like a square puppy). Nothing massively wrong with that, but anyone with a Switch 2 already has one. We’re still not in better-than-Pro-Controller territory.

Pull those prongs apart with a gentle tug (steady), though, and…hmm. Yes, it feels more like a regular pad. Yes, it’s fairly comfy. But no, Nintendo or any firm producing a quality standalone pad won’t be losing sleep over this.

For testing, Pentiment didn’t seem the software to put the holder through its paces, but it held up fine during tense Pragmata hack-and-shoot sessions, likewise when crossing worlds with Sonic and company. The comfort claim aside, it functions as you’d expect and offers some welcome flexibility.

The issues here come more from the button arrangement on the Joy-Con than any inherent flaw with Dbrand’s accessory. Cracking the hinge open a couple of notches and comparing the Pro Controller (see above), you can see that the right stick is much closer to the edge of the Joy-Con, around a centimetre from where my thumb would rest naturally. Moving my thumb to a comfortable position on the stick pushes my palm from the edge, which compromises grip – and that’s the problem. However you hold it, you always feel that control is slightly compromised in some manner.

Obviously, your hand size, digit length, and therefore your mileage will vary, especially if you’re a young gamer or someone with smaller mitts. If this were just $20, it would be easier to recommend if you’re desperate for a pad-like feeling without breaking the bank; for $35, it’s not quite comfortable enough.

And with prices shooting up across the board, whether for consoles, add-ons, storage, or software, more players will be scrutinising whether they really need to invest in a Pro Controller when the Joy-Con they own get the job done. The Joy-Lock Holder isn’t bad at all for what it is, but it’s not enough of an improvement over Nintendo’s regular grip that comes with the console. Unless you’ve already got some Joy-Lock grips, this halfway-house solution won’t stop you dreaming of a proper pad.

Conclusion

If you’re determined to avoid the $90 premium for a Pro Controller, there is merit to Dbrand’s offering here. It’s not a bad product; the build quality is good, and even if the comfort levels aren’t as advertised, it works well enough.

The problem is that the grips required to achieve acceptable comfort bump the price up closer to standalone pad alternatives. Crucially, while Dbrand’s comfort claims were never to be taken seriously, I can’t imagine a solution like this ever approaching the ergonomics and comfort of a proper gamepad. You’ll always be hampered by the position of the Joy-Con’s buttons.

Ultimately, if you bought a Switch 2, it came with an official grip in the box that essentially performs this function. Dbrand gives you a mite more flexibility, but not 35 bucks’ worth. If it charged your Joy-Con, it might be a different story; as is, this is worth consideration if you already own the Joy-Lock grips. Otherwise, I’d recommend investing a little more in a standalone controller.

The sample used in this review was provided by Dbrand. The Joy-Lock Controller Holder and Grips are available from Dbrand’s website.

IO Interactive’s marketing of 007 First Light is now in full swing ahead of Bond’s anticipated return on other platforms later this month.

To help build some excitement, the studio is now showcasing its “amazing” ensemble cast, and it’s got this underway with a brief chat with Irish actor Patrick Gibson – aka the guy who will be playing 007 in his new video game assignment.

Gibson has also shared a lovely message with Bond fans and gamers alike:

“Strap in, I’m as excited as everyone else to play, I hope people enjoy the game, I think there was a lot of love and passion put into it, and for fans of gaming and the character, I hope it delivers everything that they expect. I’m very excited to hear people’s reaction.”

Of course, while the marketing for this new James Bond game is now well and truly underway, Switch 2 owners will have to wait until “this summer” to get their hands on this new adventure.

Fortunately, IOI’s boss has already promised to do everything he can to get the game out on Nintendo’s hybrid hardware within this particular window.

Will you be checking out 007 First Light? What do you think of the new video game version of James Bond? Tell us in the comments.

Ahoy! You’ve made it to the weekend; give yourself a pat on the back.

It’s been a little quieter this week after Nintendo’s recent financial report and Star Fox announcement, but there are still a few things worth highlighting. First up, a new limited ‘Choose Your Game’ Switch 2 bundle was announced for the US, which should allow Nintendo to shift a good few consoles before the price goes up.

It’s also been confirmed that the Legend of Zelda movie will now release slightly earlier than planned – make your minds up, will you? Either way, even if the original date was kept locked in, the movie is now less than a year away. Welcome news, indeed.

What isn’t so welcome, however, was the announcement that Metroid Dread developer MercurySteam is laying off some of its staff. It sucks that this keeps happening, and we wish the very best for anyone affected.

Reviews this week included Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (8/10), Sektori (9/10), STARBITES (4/10), and inKONBINI (6/10).

Ollie Reynolds, Reviews Editor

Now that the review’s live, I can finally start raving about Sektori and proclaim that, yes, I’ll be playing it extensively this weekend. It’s bloomin good, man.

With news of the impending sequel, I also plan on playing a few rounds on Aliens: Fireteam Elite on PS5. It’s shallow yet endlessly entertaining, and I love it.

Jim Norman, Features Editor

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has been my ‘goldfish game’ for weeks now. I have it open and turn to look at it every now and then, beaming at whatever my weird little guys are up too. It has been wonderful, though I am craving something a little more hands-on.

Perhaps it’s time to finally check out Kid Icarus: Uprising, or maybe I’ll bite the bullet on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. What a conundrum, eh?

Gavin Lane, Editor

Having been away for a few days, I’ve resisted starting Indy for the sole reason of playing it alongside my kids on the sofa, as if we were seeing a new film.

I’m not sure if watching their old man pottering around the Vatican will be enough to keep them engaged, but if nothing else, they’re going to love the start bit and hearing the Raiders march. Helluva weekend ahead. Have a good one, folks.

Mai Ladyman, Video Producer

After an eventful time with the rest of the Hookshot team, I am feeling more inspired to revisit some classics.

I’ll likely spend some time with Pokémon Blue and Yellow along with a secret game I can’t mention (yet!). Either way it’ll be a weekend of disconnecting but reconnecting to some much needed nostalgia.

Alex Olney, Senior Video Producer

I’ve got three lovely days to play games this weekend, but the reality is I’ll almost certainly not be able to play as much as I’d like.

But my plans? Definitely want to keep going with Indiana Jones and the Big Circle (chortle!), proverbially bash my head against a Sektori-shaped brick wall, and perhaps even a bit of Reanimal if the feeling takes me. Wish me luck!

Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor

Now that I’ve made some good progress in MIO, I’m really enjoying it. The platforming is absolutely sublime and sometimes pretty darn challenging. I’m hoping to blast through the rest of the game this weekend so I can move on or keep the slate clean.

However, Final Fantasy XIV has just opened up its free log-in campaign, and part of me would like to catch up before the MMORPG hits the Switch 2 this summer, or at least before the next expansion hits. So I may well be returning to Tural briefly. Have a good weekend, all!

Gonçalo Lopes, Contributor

While I still need to clear some of Asura’s Wrath fancy DLC chapters, this weekend will mostly go down in history for being shmup heaven. Forty eight glorious hours spend among Söldner-X2: Final Prototype – Definitive Edition, bring down the Bydo empire in R-Type Dimensions III, succumb to synaesthesia from sessions of Sektori and play for the first time Hudson Soft’s Vertical Force. I hope my neighbours like explosions, laser sounds, and thumping electronic soundtracks.

Game of the week is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. For people of a certain age group, Harrison Ford is the best of the best. From blade running, intergalactic space smuggler rogue and archeologist college professor with a tomb raider side gig, he did it all with ease. There has never been a video game that puts the player in his literal shoes until MachineGames delivered this essential Indy masterpiece. With Vatican city behind, time to discover the local charms of Gizeh.

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Those are our plans for the coming weekend. Now it’s your turn to tell us yours, so make sure to get busy with our poll, and let us know all about your weekend gaming plans in the comments!