Category: Nintendo News

While once previously slated for PC and PlayStation 4 only, indie developer GUTS Department has revealed the long-gestating 2D genre mashup that is Aegis Defenders will be launching on Nintendo Switch as well, arriving on 6th February alongside the other versions of the game.

Originally Kickstarted in 2014, the game has been thoroughly updated over the years through fan feedback and testing, so the version we’re getting on Switch will be (we hope) the best possible incarnation. The game – which mixes exploration, tower building and defense in a cute 16-bit art style – will also support split Joy-Con support so you and a friend can make the most of drop in/drop out co-op.

So we’re getting another modern take on retro, and we don’t have to wait weeks or months after other versions to play. Let us know what you think and whether or not you’ll be picking up Aegis Defenders next month.

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• by Mitch Vogel
• 3 hours ago

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• by Mitch Vogel
• 4 hours ago

The Metroidvania and Roguelike genres are two of the most popular among indie developers these days, so it’s not surprising to see that there’s several developers working to mix these two together in interesting ways. One notable example of this is Dead Cells, a previously PC-only game that combines these genres with a Dark Souls-inspired combat system. It’s made some waves in the community and seemed to be a perfect fit for the Switch, and now Motion Twin has announced that it is indeed coming to the platform.

No specific release date has been put forth yet, but we can expect to see it launch on Switch when the official 1.0 release goes live on the PC. Regular patches and content updates will then keep coming, though the developer isn’t yet ready to announce what kind of new content would be added for the larger updates. Speaking to IGN, here’s what the developer had to say about the Switch version:

The whole team got behind the idea of a Switch release quite early. Not only because two thirds of the team are Nintendo fans (who bought the Switch day one), but also because we easily get five to ten people asking about it every day.

We had the chance to show Dead Cells to them during the GDC 2017, and they instantly thought it would be a great fit for their system. The roguelite aspect of Dead Cells makes it very suitable for short sessions, which is also a unique strength of handheld systems… There’s just chemistry between the game and the Switch.

There also may be some Switch exclusive features on the way, though that will be implemented further down the road. Here’s what was said:

There is definitely room to improve the game experience through Switch specific features, for instance doing even more with the HD rumble; we could try changing the intensity of the vibration relative to the strength of an enemy’s attack, or by making the console rumble more on the right if you’ve been hit from the right hand side.

What do you think? Will you be picking this up for your Switch? What did you think of the PC build? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Fans of the Pokémon Trading Card Game who are keen to get their hands on the new Sun & Moon Ultra Prism expansion will have the chance to take part in pre-release tournaments, it has been revealed.

The pre-release schedule begins tomorrow (26th January) and you can find out where your nearest event is by visiting the official site.

Ultra Prism is the fifth expansion to the Sun & Moon Trading Card Game and the first to be focused on Ultra Sun & Moon, the 3DS update of the original Sun & Moon game. The expansion contains 173 cards – including 10 new Pokémon-GX and 6 new Prism Star cards. The latter are more powerful Basic Pokémon, Supporter cards, and Energy cards that a player can only have one copy of in each deck. 

The full roll-out of the Ultra Prism expansion begins in February. Let us know if you’re excited about this new expansion – and if you’ve been attending one of the pre-release events – by posting a comment below.

Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, editor Dom takes a look back on the forgotten first child of Nintendo’s mobile marriage and why its surprisingly the semi-social network even survived this long…

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The poor old Mii is a dying breed. Once envisioned as a personal analogue for Nintendo’s hardcore audience – and the influx of the mainstream that followed Wii’s success like a tidal wave – the cutesy avatars are slowly but surely dwindling in number. You can see still find them living bizarre lives in Tomodachi Life, engaging in epic quests in Miitopia or milling about in Mii Plaza on 3DS, but they’re far from the energetic haunts they once were. Even Nintendo Switch has kept them at arm’s length, using them for mere profile pictures at best.

Taking all of this into account, it was hardly a shocker to hear Nintendo officially announce that the Miitomo app, the big N’s debut first-party experiment in the monster-filled deep of the mobile market, will be put to the digital sword on the 9th of May – just over two years after its initial launch. It was a gamified app built with the best of intentions, but it was years behind the times and remained popular and relevant for less time than the average meme.

Thing is, Miis were never that cool to begin with anyway, and beyond the enduring appeal of StreetPass, they’ve always felt like an over-simplified attempt to give the social media generations a Nintendo-themed identity when playing something in 3D or with motion controls. Right down to their looks they were indicative of Nintendo’s appeal to that casual mainstream – all blocky haircuts and minimalist expressions – and when all that red hot hype for Wii finally cooled, the Mii’s appeal went stone cold with it.

I’ll give Nintendo its due – there were some interesting ideas at work in Miiverse, but being tied to console like Wii U was a slow death in itself. When its servers were finally switched off last November, the real sense of loss was for the social space itself rather than the bland avatars that roamed its ever lonelier rooms. So it was only a matter of time before Nintendo looked at all its current first-party efforts and officially-licensed successes and accepted Miitomo was never going to be one of them.

As a lifelong Nintendo fan, even I felt my initial curiosity begin to crystalize as I tried to find some sense of appeal in Miitomo’s remit. Everyone I knew had downloaded it and we were all genuinely excited to see Nintendo doing the impossible and developing a game outside of its own hardware. It certainly had its hype – 3 million users in 24 hours and 10 million within a month is nothing to sniff at. It was fun, for a brief time, but there was too much limitation and far too little innovation, and those numbers started to thin. It should have been a revelation; instead it was a stunted attempt to be one part AskFM to two parts Facebook. An oversimplified concept made worse by the intrinsic babyish-ness of the Mii itself. 

You could only pose/respond to questions; you couldn’t create your own content; you couldn’t even use GIFs. How I meant to use a form of social media if I can’t respond to someone’s post without my go-to deck of pictorial quips? And what about that friends list limitation which prevented you from adding too many contacts, something which surely flies in the face of social media in general? Okay, I may have gone full hipster there for a moment, but you get where I’m coming from. It’s no wonder everyone scarpered after a while.

Nintendo thought it was onto a winner – take the team that worked its magic on Tomodachi Life and attempt to capture the same lightning in a bottle (that just happens to be shaped like a social media timeline). Perhaps Ninty felt the brand association of the word ‘Mii’ and the use of social media would be enough of winning combination to ensure success. If only it had taken note of all those other social media apps that have unwisely attempted to usurp Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or the fact the Mii ‘brand’ lost its relevance years ago.

Whatever the reasoning truly was, Nintendo has finally taken off its rose-tinted glasses and seen Miitomo for what it’s always been – a cute little experiment that was destined to fail from the start. And we should count ourselves lucky – Miitomo’s inferior concept could have scared Nintendo off mobile gaming for good. Thankfully, it stuck it out and worked with Niantic to make Pokémon GO a success that’s still going in 2018, as well as giving us Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp – all more worthy downloads.

Godspeed, Miitomo. We hardly knew you. Mainly because we didn’t really want to.

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That’s Dom’s take on Miitomo, now it’s over to you. Let us know your thoughts on Miitomo, how long you played for, whether you ever went back, and if you’ll miss it when it disappears for good on 9th May. Go on, drop us a comment or two…

Wild Guns is one of the many gems to be found in the SNES library. Taking place in a future where the Wild West meets robots, it has gone down as something of a cult classic on the console thanks to its lovely visuals and engaging gameplay.

When Natsume announced some time ago that it was creating a remake in the form of Wild Guns Reloaded, many Nintendo fans were understandably put out that it wouldn’t be coming to Wii U. Thankfully, Natsume has fixed that wrong by revealing that the game is due for release on the Switch eShop this spring, reuniting the franchise with Nintendo hardware.

That’s some good news for Switch-owning action fans, then. Will you be downloading this when it arrives or have you already played it on another format? Perhaps only the SNES original is good enough for you? Let us know with a comment.

It’s Thursday, and that can only mean one thing: new stuff on the eShop day! Yes, it’s time for this week’s Nintendo Download and we’ve got a cavalcade of digital treats ready for serving on your Nintendo platform of choice. We’ve scoured the eShops for you and listed every new entry, its price tag and a link to each respective Nintendo Life review.

And there’s some big hitters this week, too – we’ve got plenty of retro slices (ranging from arcade shmups to Neo Geo deep cuts) as well as a helicopter rescue romp, a flight simulator (on Switch no less), a fantasy RPG and much more. So have a browse, log onto the eShop and start making the most of that pay day money! 

Switch eShop

CELESTE (Matt Makes Games, £17.99) – Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight, hand-crafted platformer from the creators of multiplayer classic TowerFall.

ZERO GUNNER 2– for Nintendo Switch (Zerodiv, €6.99 / £6.99) – Famous for its cool world and innovatively omnidirectional shooting system, ZERO GUNNER 2, is coming back as ZERO GUNNER 2-. Let’s blast off every enemy’s planes from various sides of your screen. Fans who have enjoyed Psikyo Shooting will definitely enjoy this new Zero Gunner 2. Read our review.

Super One More Jump (SMG Studio/Premo Games, £4.99) – Simple to learn one button controls. Hard to master levels. Test your muscle memory, concentration and sanity! Features: Now fully reworked & upgraded for the Nintendo Switch, including 100+ Hand crafted levels and insanely-hard challenge levels! Read our review.

STRIKERS 1945 II For Nintendo Switch (Zerodiv, £6.99) – The classic, long-run shooting game from the 90s has been perfectly remade! With its endless fun, STRIKERS 1945-2 is now available to enjoy again! Play it now!

FANTASY HERO ~unsigned legacy~ (Arc System Works, £8.99) – Save the world in “Fantasy Hero -Unsigned Legacy-“, by choosing from one of four heroes, and reclaiming what was lost to the Decoders! Set yourself on fire and charge head in and pulverize them with powerful throws or pick them off with projectiles, or send your robot in to do your bidding.

Tennis (D3 Publisher, €6.99 / £6.29) – A tennis game that can be picked up and played by anyone. Enjoy the game by yourself, or play against family and friends. With 8 characters and 6 courts available, feel the excitement that tennis brings. The game can be played not only with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, but also by swing the Joy-Con or touch the screen.

Dustoff Heli Rescue 2 (Invictus Games/Ratalaika Games, £13.49) – Jump into the hot seat of a combat helicopter and fly behind enemy lines under heavy fire as you search and rescue hostages! Play through 35 tense missions that include rescuing hostages, providing air support and more. Read our review.

ACA NEOGEO WORLD HEROES 2 (HAMSTER, £6.29) – Players are able to take part in epic battles between 14 historic figures such as Hanzo Hattori and Jeanne. Players can enjoy numerous battle strategies via the simple but deep game system featuring mechanics such as Throw Back and Projectile Bounce Back. Who’s the strongest in history? A new World Heroes Tournament begins now!

Island Flight Simulator (Joindots, £17.99) – Enjoy fantastic open-ended gameplay, touch down in the tropics and transport freight between 12 exotic islands in more than a hundred exciting missions. Only the most daring pilots will take the risk of accepting both highly lucrative and illegal missions from shifty clients.

Tachyon Project (Eclipse Games, £8.99) – Tachyon Project is an action-packed dual-stick shooter driven by a story. Through the story mode you’ll progressively unlock all the weapons, secondary weapons and perks available to configure your ship. You’ll need them to face the increasingly hard enemies you’ll find with over 30 different types. Read our review.

Arcade Archives Kid Niki Radical Ninja (HAMSTER, £6.29) – Kid Niki Radical Ninja is an action game released in 1986 by IREM. Destroy the enemies in your way and defeat the boss that appears in each stage as you head to the castle to save the captured princess. Enjoy the colourful stages and unique enemies as you battle along and aim for a high score.

ChromaGun (Pixel Maniacs, €19.99 / £17.99) Welcome to ChromaTec’s test lab! You’re here to test our newest military-grade color-technology: The ChromaGun (patent pending)! Use it to try and solve our test chambers. The basic principle is as easy as applying it is complex: Exit the chambers via the exit doors. But be weary of the WorkerDroids in charge of maintaining the chambers. Read our review.

LOST SPHEAR (SQUARE ENIX, €49.99 / £39.99) – The adventure of LOST SPHEAR begins in a remote town of Elgarthe where a young boy, Kanata, awakens from a devastating dream to find his hometown disappearing. Facing an ominous power that threatens the fabric of reality he must awaken the power of Memory to restore the ‘LOST’. To stop the world from disappearing forever, Kanata and his comrades set out to rebuild the world mustering different Memory and crafting the world around them.

Shu (Coatsink Software, €8.49 / £7.69) – When the great and terrible Storm destroys Shu’s village, he embarks on a desperate journey to survive. On his travels he’ll encounter stranded villagers; survivors of the devastation that need his help. In return for his assistance, these peculiar characters will grant Shu unique special abilities that he can use to traverse the treacherous path ahead. Their only hope is to work together, in search of sanctuary – and a way to stop the Storm. Can you outrun the end of world? Read our review.

Earth’s Dawn (known as Earth Wars outside EU) (One Of Eight, £4.00) – In the year 2020 the world has become a nest for the unknown hostile organisms (E.B.E.). No current weapons appear to make any impact on the E.B.E. leaving humanity powerless, and on the brink of destruction. However, humanity has now got one last hope for survival in the development of bioarmor which fuses the EBE’s body tissue with metal…

Switch Pre-Orders

Dandara (Raw Fury, €11.99 / £10.79 until 05/02/2018 23:59 local time Regular price €14.99 / £13.49, pre-order from 23/01/2018.) Pre-order until 05/02/2018, 23:59 local time – The world of Salt hangs on the brink of collapse. The citizens, once free spirits, now stand oppressed and isolated. But not all is lost, for out of this aether of fear arises a heroine, a ray of hope. Her name is Dandara. Welcome to a unique 2D metroidvania platformer full of mystical creatures and boundless exploration…

Aegis Defenders (Humble Bundle, €19.99 / £14.99, pre-order from 25/01/2018) – Pre-order until 08/02/2018, 14:59 CET Game description: Explore, build, and defend in this unique mashup of Action-Platformer and Tower Defense strategy. You play as a team of Ruinhunters searching for the one thing that can save their village – a legendary weapon known as Aegis.

Special Offers

Nintendo Switch

• Tachyon Project (Eclipse Games) now €7.99 / £7.19 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €9.99 / £8.99
• NBA 2K18 (2K) now €45.49 / £35.74 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €69.99 / £54.99
• NBA 2K18 Legend Edition (2K) now €49.99 / £42.49 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €99.99 / £84.99
• NBA 2K18 Legend Edition Gold (2K) now €82.49 / £65.99 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €149.99 / £119.99
• WWE 2K18(2K) now €22.49 / £19.99 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €44.99 / £39.99
• WWE 2K18 Digital Deluxe Edition (2K) now €29.24 / £26.09 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €64.99 / £57.99
• Bulb Boy (Bulbware) now €5.59 / £5.03 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €7.99 / £7.19
• Chess Ultra (Ripstone Publishing) now €11.24 / £8.99 until Thu 1st Feb, normally €12.49 / £9.99
• Sparkle 2 Evo (Forever Entertainment) now €2.49 / £2.24 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €4.99 / £4.49
• Tennis In The Face (10tons) now €3.99 / £3.59 until Wed 31st Jan, normally €4.99 / £4.49
• The Bridge (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild) now €5.99 / £5.39 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €9.99 / £8.99
• Violett (Forever Entertainment) now €4.99 / £4.49 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €9.99 / £8.99
• The Jackbox Party Pack 3 (Jackbox Games) now €19.19 / £16.02 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €23.99 / £20.03

New Nintendo 3DS

• Double Breakout (nuGAME) now €4.90 / £4.20 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €7.00 / £6.00
• Pinball Breakout (nuGAME) now €4.90 / £4.20 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €7.00 / £6.00
• RTO (nuGAME) now €7.19 / £6.39 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €8.99 / £7.99
• Super Destronaut 3D (Petite Games) now €1.49 / £1.34 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €1.99 / £1.79
• Triple Breakout (nuGAME) now €3.49 / £3.49 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €4.99 / £4.99

Nintendo 3DS

• Kutar Concert Staff (CIRCLE Ent.) now €0.69 / £0.69 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €0.99 / £0.99
• Kutar Jump Rope (CIRCLE Ent.) now €0.69 / £0.69 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €0.99 / £0.99
• Kutar Magic Ball (CIRCLE Ent.) now €0.69 / £0.69 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €0.99 / £0.99
• Kutar Quiz (CIRCLE Ent.) now €0.69 / £0.69 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €0.99 / £0.99
• Kutar Tube Rider (CIRCLE Ent.) now €0.69 / £0.69 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €0.99 / £0.99

Wii U

• 360 Breakout (nuGAME) now €4.90 / £4.20 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €7.00 / £6.00
• Double Breakout II (nuGAME) now €4.90 / £4.20 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €7.00 / £6.00
• RTO (nuGame) now €7.19 / £6.39 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €8.99 / £7.99
• Super Destronaut 2: Go Duck Yourself (Petite Games) now €1.49 / £1.34 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €1.99 / £1.79
• The Bridge (The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild) now €5.99 / £5.39 until Thu 22nd Feb, normally €9.99 / £8.99
• Triple Breakout (nuGAME) now €3.49 / £3.49 until Thu 8th Feb, normally €4.99 / £4.99
• Aqua TV – Oceanus (Extra Miles Studio) now €0.99 / £0.99 until Thu 15th Feb, normally €2.35 / £1.99
• Aqua TV – Thetis (Extra Miles Studio) now €0.99 / £0.99 until Thu 15th Feb, normally €2.35 / £1.99
• Aqua TV – Poseidon (Extra Miles Studio) now €0.99 / £0.99 until Thu 15th Feb, normally €2.35 / £1.99

DLC / Add-On Content

Nintendo Switch

• Chess Ultra: Easter Island chess set (Ripstone Publishing) – Free 
• Chess Ultra: Imperial chess set (Ripstone Publishing) – €9.99 / £7.99
• Pic-a-Pix Deluxe – Small Puzzles 1 (Lightwood Games) – €1.99 / £1.99
• Pic-a-Pix Deluxe – Mixed Puzzles 1 (Lightwood Games) – €1.99 / £1.99
• Pic-a-Pix Deluxe – Large Puzzles 1 (Lightwood Games) – €1.99 / £1.99

Other

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo 3DS

• Pokémon Crystal Version (Nintendo, Virtual Console) – €9.99 / £8.99
• Hello Kitty is a deejay (Sanrio, Theme) – €0.99 / £0.89
• Hello Kitty and her hobbies (Sanrio, Theme) – €0.99 / £0.89
• pretty postman (Sanrio, Theme) – €0.99 / £0.89
• Hello Kitty is a planet (Sanrio, Theme) – €0.99 / £0.89

That’s your lot for today’s Nintendo Download update for the EU eShop. Don’t forget to let us know what you’re going to be picking up this week…

Rising Star Games has today announced that Hello Kitty will be racing onto the scene on Nintendo Switch in Hello Kitty Kruisers, a multiplayer arcade racing game.

As you can see from the trailer above, the game features similar ideas to the classic Mario Kart formula, offering multiplayer racing action combined with items that can perform a variety of actions. Races take place on land, over water, and through the air, and you can either play in single-player or against up to three friends. You’ll also be able to unlock a selection of outfits and vehicles as you play.

Hello Kitty Kruisers was also released on Wii U back in 2014 and, it has to be said, we didn’t really find all that much to shout about when we gave it a 3/10 in our review. Hopefully some things will have improved this time around.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye out when the game launches, both digitally and physically, this spring in Europe and North America.