Category: Nintendo News

If couch co-op is your style of play, keep an eye out for Son of a Witch, arriving on the Switch eShop on 4th September. After three years of development the game will finally make its way to Nintendo’s device, where the friendly co-op gameplay will be able to shine.

In celebration of the announcement, a new trailer for the game has been released highlighting the magic-themed hack and slash nature across the solo, co-op and multiplayer modes. Similar to other roguelikes, Son of a Witch promises plenty of replay value and is wrapped up in an adorable package for all ages and audiences. 

Don’t be fooled by the looks, as the developer Bigosaur ensures a game filled with “deep mechanics” that reward constant experimentation. There are also 120 unique weapons and items to use, with a small selection on offer in each run. Lastly, there’s seven playable characters – all with different skill sets – and more than 20 bosses to beat and 30 pets to befriend. Below is a full list of the key features:

• Explore non-linear procedurally generated dungeons
• Fight your way through random encounters with monsters and a selection of 24 bosses
• Find shops, treasure rooms and challenge rooms
• Complete NPC quests to unlock playable characters
• Get help from one of 26 cute pet companions
• Drink random potions to power up or increase the challenge
• Identify and use powerful magic scrolls
• Every weapon has some unique ability or attack type
• Every item you find has its use or special mechanics
• Single player and up to 4 player co-op
• Three different play styles: melee beat’em up, magic shooter and archers sniping enemies from the distance
• Permadeath. A new world is created every time you start the game, so it’s always fresh and interesting to explore

The original creator of the Son of a Witch was inspired by games like Castle Crashers and The Binding of Isaac. 

Take a look at the game’s trailer above and tell us in the if you’re at all interested in playing this when it arrives on the Switch at the start of next month. 

Arc System Works has released a trailer for the new atmospheric puzzle platformer, The MISSING: J.J. and the Island of Memories. Developed by SWERY, the two-minute clip illustrates the Switch game’s rag-doll physics and highlights all of the horrifically violent situations players will have to face.

In the game, you take control of JJ who is searching to find an individual named Alex, who has seemingly gone missing on a visit to a secluded island. The task is to defy death, reincarnate yourself and utilise your “misery” to help solve the environmental puzzles. 

The title is “coming soon” to an array of current generation platforms including the Nintendo Switch. Take a look at the official launch trailer above and tell us in the comments if this would be a game you would like to play.

There’s been a slight delay with the launch of Gone Home on the Switch eShop. Following the announcement it would be available to purchase on 23rd August – aligning with the game’s fifth anniversary, the title has now been pushed back to 6th September in both North America and Europe. There’s currently no information about the Japanese release date, either.

Published by Annapurna Interactive and developed by The Fullbright Company, Gone Home is a short first-person exploration adventure set in 1995. You take on the role of a girl named Katie who explores her family home located in rural Oregon, which has seemingly been abandoned.

The title was originally scheduled to arrive during the Wii U generation but was never released. 

Have you previously played Gone Home? Will you consider this when it finally arrives on the Switch eShop? Tell us below. 

Here’s an interesting little nugget of information for you: amazingly, the Switch’s home menu uses “less than 200 KB” worth of resources, allowing for that speedy initial load time which still stands as one of the console’s great little features. To put that into perspective, that’s less than your average Word document. Amazing. 

The news comes from the Computer Entertainment Developers Conference being held in Yokohama, Japan, where a session on the Nintendo Switch operating system has been in full swing. Wall Street Journal tech reporter Takashi Mochizuki has been documenting the talk, sharing some of the more interesting facts online.

It turns out that the NES acted as a great inspiration for the Switch’s feature-light system; back then, turning on the console simply launched you into a game, and Nintendo hoped to recreate a similar feeling here. Animations have been purposefully kept as short as possible, and any additional actions such as responding to “are you sure?” menu screens – after choosing to close a game, for example – were kept to a minimum.

Other notes include the fact that the lack of any background music was yet another conscious decision to keep the system running as quickly as possible, giving more and more weight to the idea that Nintendo is going for simplicity and performance over a feature-filled design.

Opinions on the Switch’s user interface have been divided for some time, with some liking the minimalist, sleek design, and others wanting to see lots more bells and whistles. If these design foundations are any indication of Nintendo’s mindset, however, it would appear that those wanting additional features might be waiting a long time.

What do you think? Speed over features, or features over speed? Let us know your desires for the Switch’s operating system down below.

The introduction of a ‘Friendship’ system in Pokémon GO is one of the biggest changes since the game began; not only can you now trade monsters with other players (and fill those pesky gaps in your Pokédex) but it’s also possible to gain loads of valuable experience points by exchanging gifts and trading with one another, and when you get past level 30 – where earning enough XP to level-up becomes a bit of a grind – this really comes in handy.

Don’t believe us? Check out the stats below to see what we mean:

Friendship Level	Bonuses
Friend	Nothing (default status)
Good Friend	3,000 XP Ability to Trade and send / receive Gifts
Great Friend	10,000 XP Small Stardust discount when Trading Small Gym and Raid attack bonus +1 Raid capture balls
Ultra Friend	50,000 XP Medium Stardust discount on Trading Medium Gym and Raid attack bonus +2 Raid capture balls
Best Friend	100,000 XP Large Stardust discount on Trading Large Gym and Raid attack bonus +4 Raid capture balls

As you can see, it takes a while to earn ‘best friend’ status, but when you consider that a maximising your friendship level with just one person can bag you a whopping 164,000 XP (and that’s not including any bonuses you might get from using a Lucky Egg) it becomes clear that this is a quick route to easy XP. Now take into account that you can have 200 friends at any one time, and once you’ve become ‘best friends’, you can remove that friend and add another, continuing the process. The end result is loads and loads of lovely XP.

However, there are caveats. Not only is there a limit on how many gifts you yourself can open in a single day, and you can only send one gift to a friend in a 24 hour period. Even so, this is a much more effective means of gaining XP than catching monsters, leveling up Pokémon, spinning Pokéstops and taking part in raid and gym battles – plus, gifts are handed out pretty regularly at Pokéstops so as long as you’re doing plenty of walking, you shouldn’t run out of them. 

Of course, Niantic may well alter this system in the future (an easy way would be to reduce the number of gifts given out at Pokéstops, for example) but for the time being, it’s the best way to boost your XP level.

With that in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to give our readers a single place where they can easily find new friends to add.

If you’re not sure how to share your own friend code, allow us to help. Simply tap on your trainer icon on the main screen, and then tap the ‘Friends’ tab in the top-right corner of the screen. From here, you can see your current list of friends, as well as the ‘Add Friend’ icon. Tapping this will not only give you a box into which you can input codes for new friends, but also your own friend code. You can share this on social networks or copy the code and paste it elsewhere – such as in the box below!

Add Your Pokemon Go Friend Code

Before you share your code here, it’s worth noting that you’ll be sharing your username, recent activity and other basic info with other players. Furthermore, when giving a gift the other player will be shown the location where a gift was found. If you have any concerns about your privacy then you might want to think twice before posting (it’s worth noting that Niantic has disabled the friend system for all players under the age of 13).

We’ve already had 4,000 replies and counting on our forum, so if you are interested, add your code above and join the list!

So there you have – post your friend code above and get ready to bag some easy XP! 

If you’re a regular user of Amazon.com – specifically the US variant of the site – you’ll likely be aware that a 20% discount offer automatically applies to any video games pre-ordered with a Prime account. You might also be aware that this discount offer will soon be discontinued, with any orders placed after 28th August being charged at the standard rate.

Well, it appears that Nintendo fans are making the most of a bad situation by stocking up on any great titles that they expect to want in the coming months. As long as you place your orders by that date, Prime members will be able to make use of the 20% discount regardless of the game’s eventual release date, and some are using this little quirk to the extreme.

The current video game best-sellers list on the site has a number of Switch games in the top ten and, aside from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which is often sitting at the top of almost any chart going – this is mostly made up of games which are still months away from release. December’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is sitting on the top spot, with October’s Super Mario Party right behind it in second; Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! (available in November) is also up there in eighth place.

This is just the start, however, as Metroid Prime 4 has shot right up to the fifth best-selling spot despite not even having a release date yet – never mind any information, footage, or anything other than a logo to support it. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is also in the top ten, even though a date of 27th December 2019 is currently shown for it. It seems that buyers are more than willing to place orders over a year in advance to keep hold of that 20% discount.

Of course, it’s likely that those who are placing these pre-orders would be picking up these games when they’re released anyway, so this is a pretty smart move to keep their orders at a lower price. We just hope that they don’t forget about these orders years down the line, with money going out of their accounts for purchases they can’t even remember making.

Do you use Amazon’s pre-order discount? Are you sad to see it go? Let us know with a comment below.

A new book has appeared on Kickstarter, aiming to provide fans with a guide to the origins behind each design of the original set of Pokémon.

TItled ‘On The Origin: Kanto Edition’, this unofficial guide shows the inspirations behind each Generation 1 monster, combining vector art with comprehensive research to create an illustrated look into the real-world myths, cultures, and organisms that have shaped each Pokémon’s design. Each Pokémon has been given its own two-page spread with art and information specific to that character.

There are plenty of different reward tiers for backers, with goodies including printable images, PDFs, and more, and the book comes in softcover or hardback variants. The project is aiming to raise £15,000 for completion, with over £6,700 generated at the time of writing, and still has around 18 days to go to reach that target. If you want to have a closer look – and make a pledge, of course – you can check out the crowdfunding page here.

The page also features a short video which explains the creator’s background and how the book came into being – this one could be a genuinely interesting take on the franchise for those who really love their Pokémon.

Do you like the sound of this? Are you interested in the designs and influences behind the series’ collection of catchable critters? Let us know if you’re thinking of backing this project in the comments below.

Nintendo has shared a new video from the RedCube at Gamescom 2018, giving us an extended look at the upcoming Super Mario Party and introducing a brand new mode in the process.

Things kick off with a more traditional party game on a tropical-themed board. This board is split into four distinct areas – all based on different fruit – and the gameplay on show takes us through several in-game rounds. We get to see some four player mini-games, two-on-two games, and the high-five mechanic which rewards players for performing a high-five after a successful team effort. Adorable.

Perhaps the more interesting section of the video is the brand new mode, however. Starting at the 18:48 mark, we get to have an early look at River Survival, a co-op experience that takes us away from the usual board game setup and plonks players on a moving river.

All players have to work together to row their rubber boat along the river, connecting with balloons along the way to play through co-op mini-games. As you progress, players must choose which intersection to take, aiming to generate enough time through mini-game completion to reach the very end. It certainly looks like a great way to play with friends, and will no doubt act as a nice way to take a break from the main board game action.

Do you like the look of the new mode? Are you thinking of grabbing Super Mario Party when it launches on 5th October? Tell us below.

Cosmoscope, the studio behind Switch newcomer Morphies Law, has submitted a patch to Nintendo in order to fix some of the issues experienced by early players.

If you missed the news, Morphies Law recently ‘did a Fortnite‘, surprising everyone by launching on the system without any real warning; the game was shown off during the 2018 Indies Showcase, and was available on the console just hours later.

The premise is incredibly creative, and the game offers up an interesting twist on the shooter genre with its changing body mass mechanic. Players have noticed some frustrating issues early on, however – a fact that we confirmed in our review.

If you’ve been playing the game and faced the odd issue or two, here are the full patch notes currently under review by Nintendo. Assuming it’s approved, these changes should soon be implemented to improve the game’s performance:

– Changed online settings to enforce geographical proximity – this should alleviate the lag while we continue working on setting up dedicated servers, please let us know your feedback.
– Fixed spawn protection – now you’ll be invincible for 5 seconds or until you leave your base.
– Fixed gunshot sounds looping infinitely sometimes on death.
– Fixed loud sounds that would sometimes play before the map intro.
– Fixed XP gains for private games – it is now 75% of the regular online XP instead of 25%.
– Increased the daily cap on XP and Nuts that can be gained from offline/private/local games to 5000XP and 500Nuts.
– Fixed bug in Tanker Town where exiting tunnels at certain inclinations would sometimes kill you.
– Fixed the recharge time of weapon part “Sonic Punch” – it is no longer spammable.
– Disabled the ability to “unready” in private/LAN matches to avoid potential 5v3 scenarios.

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Did you grab a copy of the game on day one? How have you found the experience? Let us know how you’ve been getting on in the comments below.