The new “free-to-start” battle game Pokémon Champions launched for the Switch this week and critics have now had their say.
Starting with our own review here on Nintendo Life, we said this new title was the most accessible but flawed competitive Pokémon has ever been, awarding it five out of ten stars:
“The core mechanics of online competitive Pokémon battles remain as solid as a Steelix…But as it stands, the convoluted monetisation, disappointing performance, and inexplicable bugs make this another lacklustre Pokémon experience to add to the pile.”
“While it is a functional way to let you pit Pokémon against others around the globe, its lackluster offerings out of the gate don’t inspire much excitement at the moment…While being “free” gives it some allure, you really need to send your own Pokémon over from Home to properly take advantage of it, which means you already have better, more complete games at your disposal…right now Champions feels like it might need an evolution of its own if it wants to be the very best Pokémon battler out there.”
“There’s a lot of work to be done, but Pokémon Champions could end up in a better spot over time. Nipping the bugs in the bud is a great start, and there are already promising updates on that front. But it also needs a fundamental shakeup, and more modes need to be added to prevent folks from leaving.
“With some better options for party diversity, a bigger Pokédex, and custom modes, Pokémon Champions could be a great side game for huge Pokémon fans. For now, it’s a flawed experiment.”
“Pokemon Champions has a fantastic onboarding process for players unfamiliar with the ins and outs of competitive battling, but it still feels like it needs work. It would massively benefit from smoother performance, a review of its puzzling monetization, and a toning down of its grind, which, while more straightforward than the mainline games, requires sizable time investment just to unlock everything.”
“Assuming The Pokemon Company continues to support Champions with balance patches, new features, new Pokemon, and new items on a regular basis, it could live up to its potential as the premier avenue for Pokemon Battles.Right now, though, Pokemon Champions provides two different experiences for seasoned players and newcomers respectively–and unfortunately for newcomers, it’s an uneven one that will require a lot of their own dedication and time to improve. Perhaps the barrier to entry for competitive Pokemon can never be smashed entirely, but Champions wears it down, and those willing to push through it will find one of the most thrilling competitive games on the other side.”
Have you downloaded Pokémon Champions? How are you finding it so far? Let us know in the comments.
Update []: Supergiant Games has issued a reminder about the Hades II update, which will be dropping alongside the Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions of the game next week on 14th April 2026. The full patch notes will be shared on release.
“HADES II for Xbox and PlayStation launches digitally worldwide on April 14, in just a few days! Here’s exactly when in your local time. We’ll also have our latest patch for those who already own the game. See you in the Crossroads!
“These latest versions will include some bonus content and quality-of-life improvements we’ve been working on. We’ll have full patch notes on April 14. Versions of the game that are already available will get the update that same day.”
Here are the release times for Xbox and PS5 versions of the game, which should also provide an idea of when this latest game update will drop:
Image: Supergiant Games
Will you be checking out Hades II new update when it arrives next week? Have you played the game on Switch or Switch 2 yet? Let us know in the comments.
Original Story:[Fri 27th Mar, 2026 06:15 GMT]:
Hades II developer Supergiant Games yesterday announced it would be bringing the Princess of the Underworld to Xbox and PlayStation platforms on 14th April 2026. If you’re wondering how this is relevant to Nintendo, well, according to the team, there’ll be an update released for all platforms on the same date.
As revealed on the official company blog, if you already have a copy of the game, you can expect this patch to arrive on the “same day”. While no patch notes have been shared at this stage, fans on Switch and Switch 2 can apparently expect some “bonus content and quality-of-life improvements” for the roguelike.
To celebrate all of this, Supergiant has also shared a brand-new animation mixed in with some gameplay footage:
Hades II originally launched on the Nintendo eShop last September and was followed by a physical release in November. This also included a free upgrade path with performance and resolution enhancements.
Here’s a bit about it from our review, where we awarded this title an “excellent” nine out of ten stars:
“Supergiant Games is five-for-five with Hades II, a huge, triumphant sequel that manages to diverge mechanically and offer more challenges and variety than its predecessor. It helps that it’s nearly faultless on Switch 2 in particular.”
Hades II has also received some updates since then, including the addition of True Ending Enhancements.
Will you be returning to Hades II next month to try out the new update? How are you finding the experience on Nintendo’s platforms so far? Let us know in the comments.
In case you missed it, Ubisoft’s 2D roguelite The Rogue Prince of Persia gets a physical release on Switch 1 and 2 this week.
The standard edition is available for $34.99 USD (or your regional equivalent) and the Immortal Edition (including a copy of the game, SteelBook, a poster and three lithography prints) will set you back $49.99 USD. As previously confirmed, the Switch 2 version is a Game-key Card.
Image: Ubisoft Image: Ubisoft
If you haven’t already tried out this game on the Switch or Switch 2, here’s a bit about it from Ubisoft. You can also check out our review here on Nintendo Life:
“In this fast-paced roguelite, the Huns have invaded Persia, wielding dark magic to create utter destruction. As the Prince, you’ll master fluid and acrobatic combat and parkour to right your wrongs and save the kingdom. With each failure is a chance at rebirth as you explore different paths, choose new weapons, and forge your own playstyle in an infinitely replayable loop. Discover and unlock over 100 weapons and medallions, and upgrade your build between runs to help you go farther in your next run.”
Will you be adding this one to your collection? Have you already played the eShop release? Let us know in the comments.
Mossmouth’s excellent retro compilation UFO 50 was one of our games of the year when it finally arrived on Switch back in August 2025. The 50 games of the fictional LX system have gobbled up hours (and hours) of our time in the months since, and just when we thought we were free from its clutches, Fangamer had to go and drag us in all over again.
You see, the outlet recently launched the UFO 50 ‘Deluxe Edition’, a long-awaited physical release for Switch which, alongside a boxed copy of the game, throws in a bunch of tie-in merchandise to boot.
However, the Deluxe Edition extras aren’t your usual ‘Collector’s Edition’ paraphernalia of trading cards and pin badges, waiting to be lost in an office drawer within weeks of opening. No, UFO 50’s bonus goodies are every bit as nostalgia-inducing as you would hope.
The good folk over at Fangamer were kind enough to send us a copy of this very Deluxe Edition, and we thought it only right to show you lovely folks some of the goodies contained within.
So, join us on this unboxing tour! We’ll start with the DE box itself, which is modelled on the game’s LX home console, for a touch of world-building right from the jump.
Aside from the physical copy itself (more on that in just a second), the pièce de résistance of this release is the ‘UFO Companion’, an official, 116-page guide to the collection, packed with tutorials and secrets for each and every game.
Like the in-game menus and reference materials, everything in here is entirely dedicated to the bit. There’s no tongue-in-cheek ‘we know this console isn’t actually real’ winking to be found in here. If historians stumbled across this book hundreds of years from now, they’d assume it was a real guide for real games from the ’80s — albeit one in phenomenally good condition, god bless modern printing.
Image: Jim Norman / Nintendo Life
If it’s even more world-building you’re after, the bundle also throws in physical copies of one of the game’s ‘design documents’, an excerpt of the LX Star Newsletter (mentioned briefly in-game), a promo poster for the console itself, and a paper copy of the Bug Hunter disk.
Fangamer has kept the contents of both the design doc and newsletter a secret online, and since both contain details that not everyone is going to want to see, we’ve adopted a similar approach in the pictures below. Nothing’s getting spoiled on our watch!
Then we have the main event: the physical case. It’s quite the looker, we’re sure you’ll agree, but the real kicker here is a reversiblecover, featuring the LX staple, Barbuta. This flip-side even features authentic ‘crease’ marks printed on the reverse to really up the nostalgia. Talk about attention to detail, eh?
And finally, what kind of self-respecting Deluxe Edition would launch without a boatload of stickers? UFO 50 is no exception, of course. Aside from individual stickers for each of the compilation games (perfect for marking your progress in the guide), the release also comes with the following adorable sets.
Image: Jim Norman / Nintendo Life
There you have it! It’s quite the collection, no? The UFO 50 Deluxe Edition is now available on the North American Fangamer website for $59. Alternatively, you can pick up both the standard physical release and the Companion Guide separately on the European store for €39/€26, respectively.
Our thanks to Fangamer for sending a copy of the UFO 50 Deluxe Edition!
Have you picked up a copy of your own? Let us know in the comments.
Level-5 has returned to the livestreamed showcase scene with its first ‘Vision’ showcase of 2026, providing an updated look at all the titles it is currently working on.
Overall, the details were kept pretty vague in this one — more than a few games had a noncommittal “in development” label attached rather than a release date — but given how many delays the studio has seen in recent years, we’re not all that surprised with the approach.
Below, we’ve collected together every announcement from the Vision 2026 April showcase, and attached all the info you’ll need to know what’s going on in the world of Level-5. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Level-5 Vision 2026 April Showcase – Full Stream
If you want to check out the full presentation before diving into the individual details, you’ll find it below. We’ve linked it to start at the 4:53 mark, so you don’t need to sit through the livestream preamble.
Every Switch Announcement
Here’s every announcement from the presentation in the order they were made…
Pufflings: Journey Through a Fantasy World (Mobile) – Winter 2026
Yo-kai Watch Series: The Great Detective Nekomata (Mobile) – TBA
A sequel to Yo-kai Watch: Wibble Wobble, The Great Detective Nekomata looks part Yo-kai and part Detective Pikachu, as a deceased cat is thrust back into the world of the living to help solve crimes.
Now there’s a sentence we didn’t expect to write today…
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Mobile) – Summer 2026
This mobile version of last year’s Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time features full cross-save and cross-play support, so you can continue all your Switch (2) progress on mobile, and team up with other console players to take on dungeons.
Snack World: Reloaded (Switch 2) – TBA
The 2017 RPG (or its 2020 Switch version) is getting a remake on Switch 2 in the shape of Snack World: Reloaded, complete with new visuals and storylines.
Inazuma Eleven RE, DECAPOLICE and Holy Horror Mansion were announced at various points over the last few years and, well, they’re still in development. Perhaps not the most concrete news (we barely got a glimpse of the first two), but at least there’s some new Holy Horror gameplay.
Inazuma Eleven: Cross (Mobile) – June 2026
Another day, another Japan-exclusive Inazuma Eleven mobile title. Will this one come West? Probably not.
Hey, if you happen to find yourself in the region, pre-registration opens today!
Yes, that’s right, after a stellar launch year, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is scoring a Switch 2 physical (in Japan, at least). The physical includes all updates up to and including the Rising Bond DLC and will launch in Japan on 11th June.
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam (Switch 1&2) – 2026
The new trailer introduced us to a bunch of Steam Bison residents that Layton and Luke will meet in the upcoming title, showcasing a little more gameplay and revealing that legendary composer Joe Hisaishi is behind the new theme.
The Japanese voice cast has now finished recording, and Level-5 has released a special Q&A with them, discussing their work on The New World of Steam and the series at large.
Which title from the Vision 2026 April showcase are you looking forward to the most? You can let us know in the following poll, then take to the comments to share your thoughts on the presentation as a whole.
Which Level-5 Vision 2026 game are you the most excited for? (915 votes)
Puffings: Journey Through a Fantasy World (Mobile)0.1%
Yo-kai Watch Series: The Great Detective Nekomata (Mobile)3%
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time (Mobile)2%
Snack World: Reloaded (Switch 2)4%
Inazuma Eleven RE (Switch 2)2%
DECAPOLICE (Switch 2)11%
Holy Horror Mansion (Switch 2)5%
Inazuma Eleven: Cross (Mobile)0.3%
Professor Layton and The New World of Steam (Switch 2)71%
We’ve been hoping to see more Switch 1 games lumbered with the Cloud Version label ditch that format and make the jump to Switch 2. And it looks like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy might be the next one to come.
Eidos Montreal’s action game came out back in 2021, and while it was extremely warmly received on other platforms, the game was a bit of a mess on Switch because of its Cloud Version shackles.
Now, the link to the ratings board doesn’t technically work, but you can view a screenshot taken by u/venom_daemon via the link below:
So, if this rating is true, that’d hopefully mean Guardians of the Galaxy will be getting a true “native” version on a Nintendo system for the first time. As it rightfully deserves.
Hitman: World of Assassination, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil 8 are a handful of games that have shedded their Cloud Version labels in favour of improved, native Switch 2 ports. So we hope these beloved Marvel heroes can make the jump, too.
We certainly don’t recommend the Switch 1 version as it is now, so if you’ve been holding off on the game until a better handheld version comes to light, we can at least point you towards our sister site Push Square’s review so you get a good idea of what the game is like on PS5.
Do you want to see Guardians of the Galaxy on Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.
I’ve become a little wary of the plethora of gorgeous retro pixel-art RPGs that keep popping up in recent years. I’m talking about the games that are inspired by classics such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and EarthBound, or sell themselves as spiritual successors.
These often look the part, sucking me in with stunning colours, extravagantly detailed spritework, and the promise of the magic of the classics. Except they often completely misunderstand what made those classics great, going for a rehash of ideas or simple pastiche rather than do something original with the inspirations.
Forge of the Fae, from indie developer Datadyne, does name-drop a few of those SNES gems mentioned -hours with an early-game demo on Steam, I think it’s doing just enough to feel a little different, while still feeling like an old-school turn-based RPG you could play on a near-16-bit console.
I think it’s because Datadyne doesn’t just lead with those inspirations, instead championing Celtic myth and culture in a lush world filled with verdant, rolling hills, cosy towns, and snippets of steampunk. Breath of Fireis a part of it, too, but this is an RPG with more-mythical inspirations at the forefront.
Image: Nintendo Life
We’re going beyond your typical Gae Bolgs, Banshees, and Cu Chulainns here – there are Glens aplenty, waystones in faerie rings, Irish flutes and fiddles and bagpipes woven throughout the soundtrack, and a healthy dollop of working-class miner culture to boot.
Throughout the few environments I’ve seen so far, Forge of the Fae’s world is lovely, filled with soft, welcoming greens and sparkling blues. Tiny springs drip down cliffs and cave walls everywhere you look, and when you run through a field of flowers, dandelion spores float up into the air. In the Glens, there are spots where you can see the sunlight breaking through the trees, lighting up patches of grass.
Even the more built-up areas like the warehouse, shaded in darkness and suspicious characters, and the city of Taliesin, lined with cobbled streets, steam-puffing machinery, and disgruntled protesters felt both magical, realistic, and a little bit homely – if I were from a steampunk Irish-inspired world.
It’s enticing to explore, too, with treasure chests tucked behind trees and a handful of puzzles where you need to hop across gaps and navigate screens to reach other useful items. There are a handful of different cave and mining dungeons in the early hours of the game, but the devs manage to make them feel fresh by adding different enemy encounters and layouts to them.
So, this is a game about working people, magic, and steampunk. Fiora, the main character, is a brilliant engineer who works with magical crystals to help power her inventions. She’s even created a mechanical faerie that follows the party around and helps with environmental puzzles. She’s not great with people, but she has managed to make a few close friends who trust her dearly. And I got to meet and play with all of those friends during the demo.
In classic RPG tradition, Forge of the Fae swaps your party around as characters leave, split up, and rejoin at numerous points. The demo opened up with Macklin, a young miner and son of an innkeeper who has a particular beef with the mining company; he’s chipper, naive, and loves to eat.
Then there’s Ceili, the spunky owner of a bakery who’s infectiously bubbly but also has a temper. She’s my favourite, with some excellent eye-rolling and huffing animations to boot.
So far, the characters do feel a little cookie cutter, but I also don’t have a real sense of their backstories. Mac’s has at least been hinted at, but this only covers roughly a third of the game, so I’m sure there’s a little spice to each of the party to come.
Fortunately, they all play different roles in combat, which is probably the highlight of my playtime here. Fiora is all about setting up traps and prepping the party for high damage, while the party’s father figure Roark is a defensive powerhouse who can cast defensive spells and take a few tanky hits.
Again, nothing too surprising; this is traditional turn-based combat as you know it, at least initially. But Forge of the Fae does add a handful of extra gears — quite literally in one case — to the formula that help to set it apart.
First up are Adrenaline Points (AP). These allow each character to access their Surge skills. You build these up by taking hits from enemies, and can charge up to three bars of AP, which alters the strength of the surge.
Image: Nintendo Life
Mac, for example, can increase his ability to stagger an enemy for one turn with one charge. Two charges grant him more stagger power, while three adds knockback, which is basically a guaranteed stun on the enemy, even a boss.
The very final boss of the demo, I used this to my advantage, stacking that stun with the rogue Sullivan’s poison and bleed skills and mysterious mage Draeya’s ability to borrow her companion’s elemental properties. With all of this combined, I took down the boss’s health by over three quarters in just a single turn.
I’m already thinking about how to combine Surges like Fiora’s weakness-enhancing abilities and Draeya’s elemental skills, and I can see just how deep this might go, especially with the ARC Crystal System. This gear-based system, invented by Fiora, allows characters to equip crystals to give them access to magic spells.
Image: Nintendo Life
Each character has an innate element — Fiora is fire, appropriately — and with a crystal equipped, not only do they get a matching spell, but depending on the placement of the crystal, it’ll apply elemental properties to a skill to form a Combo Skill. I only had access to a handful of crystals and one slot on each character, but again, the potential seems to be limitless. Sullivan’s poison skills, one of which cost 0 SP (yes, really) were invaluable, and I can already see how Fiora’s already-busted trap skill will do a huge amount of damage with some extra firepower.
Lastly, if you spend a lot of time out exploring, then you’ll also get to see how the world changes between day and night. You can see the sun setting as you run around the Glens, drenching the world in amber before the darkness embraces. It doesn’t just change the visual design, though – it also affects combat.
During the day, enemies are regular strength and you recover SP for every standard attack that connects. At night, that SP regeneration is removed and enemies are much tougher, so deciding when to get into fights and when to run is crucial.
There are just enough little perks and tweaks, then, that Forge of the Fae has some real potential to stand out from the crowd. I think SP regeneration is a little harsh right now — especially when so many skills cost well over a third of your SP bar — and even though items for healing (which you can also craft) are aplenty, you’ll still burn through them quickly.
Fortunately, we’re still around a year from release on Switch, and I really hope that Datadyne leans into those Celtic roots even more. I’ve seen the faeries lash out at nighttime, I hear the plights of the miners and the scepticism of magic and waystones, and I’ve jigged to the catchy music. I think it just needs a bit more personality, and hopefully, that’s waiting in the full release.
Thanks to PR Hound for the opportunity to check out Forge of the Fae. The game is coming to PC (the Steam demo is available now) and all consoles, including Switch, in 2027. Let us know if you’ve been charmed in the comments below.
We’ll be honest, the 2017 RPG Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl was not on our ‘Switch 2 Remake’ bingo card, but surprise, that’s exactly what’s happening.
As revealed in today’s Level-5 showcase, Snack World: Reloaded is in the works for Switch 2, boasting a complete overhaul of the original game with new visuals, mechanics, and a fresh storyline from the perspective of the anime’s protagonist, Chup.
Details are pretty light on the ground at the moment, but Level-5’s Akihiro Hino confirmed that development on the project is “going well”, so hopefully we don’t have too long to wait before we get to see what this one is all about — though, knowing Level-5, it may well be years down the line.
We had a great time with Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold on Switch back in 2020, calling it “a beautifully presented helping of dungeon crawling, garnished with generous amounts of humour and charm” in our review. Let’s hope that things are even better in the remake.
Will you be checking out Snack World: Reloaded when it eventually arrives on Switch 2? Let us know in the comments.
Today’s Level-5 Vision 2026 Showcase… certainly happened. And while fans of Professor Layton are probably happy, the same can’t be said for those who are waiting for updates on other Level-5 games.
Part way through the showcase, president Akihiro Hino introduced a sizzle reel-type video featuring three of the studio’s upcoming titles: Inazuma Eleven RE, a remake of the first Inazuma Eleven game; Decapolice, an upcoming detective RPG; and Holy Horror Mansion, the next project in the Yokai Watch series.
The former two have been slated to releasein 2026, but for Inazuma Eleven, no date was reiterated (but a Switch 2 version was confirmed). As for Decapolice, well, that’s now sitting on an “In Development” in the trailer, but on the official website, it’s still saying 2026. Fortunately, RPG Site has spotted that the upcoming RPG’s release platforms have changed, and it now shows Switch 2 instead of Switch.
No doubt disappointing news for those who haven’t upgraded to the new console yet, but there might still be time. Decapolice has been delayed multiple times, so another one wouldn’t surprise us, but there’s conflicting information out there.
Holy Horror Mansion (which never had a release date) got the most footage in the reel, but also ended its section with “Still a ways to go…”. Sooo 2027? 2028? We have no idea.
Of course, game development is tough right now, and if you’re a Level-5 fan, you’re probably used to endless delays or vague dates at this point.
But fan frustration is seemingly at a tipping point following the showcase, particularly as president Hino has been one of the bigger proponents of GenAI in video games in recent months, going as far as to call it an “efficiency improvement” and even defending using it in game development.
Today’s Level-5 showcase might not have been overflowing with release dates, but it did give us a new look at Professor Layton and The New World of Steam, with the confirmation that it’s still on track for 2026 (thank god).
The new trailer is our best look yet at the upcoming puzzler, diving deep into Layton and Luke’s adventures in Steam Bison and introducing a bunch of side-characters we’ll meet along the way — keep an eye out for the Don Paolo cameo! Things stay pretty cutscene-focused for the most part, but there’s a nice little bit of gameplay slotted into the middle, showcasing even more of those all-important puzzles.
We also got a reminder of the game’s main Japanese voice cast (we already know about Yo Oizumi and Mio Imada, let’s not forget) and the confirmation that the theme song is being penned by none other than composing legend Joe Hisaishi, renowned for his work on Studio Ghibli titles like Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.
While Level-5 president Akihiro Hino wasn’t able to provide a firm release date, he confirmed that the game is “nearing completion” and announced no change to the current 2026 release window.
We’ll be keeping an eye out for more information over the coming months, while Level-5 continues “focusing on the visuals and overall presentation” as well as the itty bitty job of localisation.
What do you make of the new trailer? Let us know in the comments.
