Category: Nintendo News

The relaxing life sim Pokémon Pokopia for the Switch 2 has got off to a roaring start, with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo today announcing global sales of the title have already surpassed 2.2 million units.

Pokopia managed to achieve this in just the “first four days” since its launch on 5th March 2026. Additionally, it’s been confirmed one million of these units were sold in Japan during this time frame.

Specifics haven’t been shared about the sales in other regions just yet, but the game is currently in the top spot in the eShop charts in locations such as the US and UK. There have also been reports about this new title being undersupplied for retail, and its early success has reportedly caused a surge in Nintendo’s share price.

This is a respectable start for Pokémon Pokopia when you consider it’s a Switch 2 exclusive and it’s technically a spin-off of the mainline series. In comparison, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was reported as shifting 5.8 million copies in its first week, based on the combined Switch and Switch 2 game sales (approx 3.89 million sales to date on Switch 2).

Compared to other Switch 2 exclusives with over a million sales, Kirby Air Riders has sold 1.76 million units, Donkey Kong Bananza has shifted 4.25 million units and Mario Kart World is right out in front with over 14 million sales. The Switch 2 has now sold more than 17 million units worldwide.

If you haven’t already played Pokémon Pokopia it’s well worth a look. In our review here on Nintendo Life, we called it the “freshest Pokémon experience in a long time, bursting at the seams with charm and content that rewards both curiosity and creativity”.

Did you buy this game in its first four days of availability? Let us know in the comments.

Edgar Wright-ing the Edgar Wrongs

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• by Jim Norman Yesterday, 6:30pm

Surprise, farmers! Natsume has today planted the first seed for its upcoming all-new Harvest Moon game, Echoes of Teradea, confirming that it’ll sprout onto both Switch 1 and 2.

We don’t have a release date just yet, though the dev has shared a fair amount of information about what we can expect from this one, teasing new love interests, exploration abilities and more.

Echoes of Teradea boasts all of the usual farming, animal rearing and general life building that we’ve come to expect from the series, wrapped up in a story about a mysterious fog-filled forest and its giant guardian wolf ruler. Awooo, indeed.

Here’s a rundown of the game’s key features and a handful of screenshots from Natsume’s big reveal:

• Ten New Love Interests: Woo five all-new bachelors and five all-new bachelorettes! Marry whoever your heart desires!
• New Exploration Abilities: Jump to hidden locations and climb ladders and vines to reach new heights and gather resources.
• Animal Companion System: Bring your pets and animals on the road to adventure together! Each animal companion and mount has special abilities to help you explore uncharted territory.
• Untamed Wilderness: Evade and escape wild animals like wolves, bears, and tigers! Keep your wits about you and don’t let yourself get caught, or you’ll lose items you’ve collected and end up back at your farm!
• Island Life: Obtain nautical charts to locate remote islands to treasure hunt and befriend rare animals that you won’t find on the mainland.
• Make Everyone Happilia: Help villagers and contribute to the development of Teradea to gain Happilia!

Natsume president and CEO Hiro Maekawa teased that more details about Echoes of Teradea will be released “in the coming months”, including news about pre-order bonuses and special editions.

We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for all the newbies and will keep you updated with each release.

What do you make of Echoes of Teradea so far? Let us know your initial thoughts in the comments.

Physical distributor First Press Games doesn’t exactly have the most glowing of reputations these days. One quick Google search will bring up a host of results delving into whether or not the company is effectively scamming its customers.

Well, it seems like Chained Echoes developer Matthias Linda has had enough. Posting on Kickstarter, Linda confirms that he is now severing ties with First Press Games entirely and is preparing a lawsuit, citing a 2-year delay for the physical release of the game. Only standard copies on PS4 have been fulfilled so far, but that’s it.

Here’s what he had to say:

I hope you are all doing fine. I have new information regarding the physical copies. It’s been a bit over 2 years since the physical copies were supposed to be released by First Press Games and so far in 2026 nothing has arrived except the regular Playstation 4 edition. Because of that I had to make a decision:

I am terminating my business relationship with FPG and I am preparing a lawsuit.

This decision wasn’t easy and came after careful consideration. Please understand that for legal reasons I can not go into further details.

While Linda is unable to go into too many specifics for legal reasons, he is offering two potential routes for Kickstarter backers who opted for a physical copy. The first is fulfilment from another publisher – though this understandably incurs another potentially lengthy wait – while the other is a simple refund.

So if you’re a backer who’s currently stuck in limbo waiting for a physical copy, then do check out the full post over on Kickstarter. Linda provides an email address for those wishing to get a refund, along with the necessary details you’ll need to provide in your claim.

What a mess, huh? Leave a comment down below and let us know what you make of all of this.

I’ve seen lots of games try to emulate top-down Zelda over the years; some to great success and others, well… not so much. Minishoot’ Adventures – NIntendo Switch 2 Edition falls into the first camp, and although it’s not as grand in scale as your average Hyrulian quest these days, it nevertheless nails the feel of a great Zelda.

The twist here is that Minishoot’ Adventures combines twin-stick shooting mechanics with more traditional Zelda tropes. You’ve got a wide open space in which to explore various areas, plus a load of interesting dungeons to pillage, keys to uncover, hearts pieces to boost your health, and enemies to vanquish. When you do run into some bad guys, you’re treated to short bursts of bullet-hell mayhem, either via organic encounters or specific combat segments in which you fend off waves of enemies.

As you work your way through the world, you’ll gain red crystals that act as experience, filling up a little diamond-shaped vial in the top corner of the screen. Each full vial grants you an additional point to use against upgrades for your ship. This includes a faster boost, increased damage, a more potent rate of fire, and more. In a world of almost overwhelming choice when it comes to character customisation, it’s refreshingly straightforward, and each upgrade makes a real difference to your chances of survival.

That said, Minishoot’ Adventures can be pretty tough at times. I ran into a roadblock when I came up against a huge boss flanked by standard enemies, all of which jump long distances and shoot out waves of bullets upon landing.

The good news is that if you’re not familiar with twin-stick mechanics, there are three difficulty options on offer. ‘Explorer’ is a good option for newcomers that slows down enemies and bullets, while ‘Advanced’ is geared toward those who want a challenge. ‘Original’, of course, sits somewhere in between, and this is the option I went with. Various aiming modes can also help make the experience more approachable, ranging from full manual control of your ship and weapons to automatic aiming and shooting.

Visually, Minishoot’ Adventures maintains a strong and consistent art style throughout. Its environmental design is basic with minimal textures, helping to ensure rock-solid performance with seamless navigation and practically zero frame drops. Any potential drawbacks in terms of detail (or lack thereof) are balanced out by the wonderful use of colour, giving each major biome a wonderful sense of place. Add in some gorgeous overworld and combat music, and the overall presentation is basically faultless.

Coming in at under 10 hours, I felt satisfied with what I’d played, yet I still wanted more. Despite how good I think the core experience is, there’s a lot of untapped potential waiting to be unleashed. More NPCs, more quests, a more engaging narrative… all of this would go a long way, and I sincerely hope to see a sequel in the future. This, however, is a bloomin’ great start.

The release of Pokémon Pokopia has seemingly led to a surge in Nintendo’s share price following its early critical and commercial success.

According to Bloomberg (thanks, VGC), the game being sold out in numerous outlets across the US and UK has caused a bit of a positive uplift amongst investors after a few months of downturn. Nintendo’s share price has jumped up by around 15% over the last two days, going from 8,503 JPY on 9th March to a current total of 9,932 JPY.

Hideki Yasuda, senior analyst at Toyo Securites, points directly to Pokopia as a driving factor, stating “The Pokémon game was a dark horse. It was totally off people’s radar, making its popularity a positive development.

Of course, Nintendo still has a way to go if it wants to reach the heights of 2025, during which its share price hit 14,400 JPY, a record for the company.

Pokopia is proving to be a great release for Nintendo, however, and developer Omega Force has done a fantastic job with the game, leveraging its expertise from Dragon Quest Builders. Nintendo also has a solid lineup of games over the coming weeks, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Switch 2 Edition scheduled for later this month, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream in April, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book in May.

A lot of folks are understandably keen to see what the rest of the year looks like for the Switch 2, but we think it’s safe to say that many have greatly underestimated how popular Pokopia would be.

What are your thoughts on this recent surge for Nintendo’s share price? Leave a comment in the usual place and let us know.

One of our very favourite underrated gems on Switch, PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, got a surprise sequel last month with the arrival of The Mermaid’s Curse. To celebrate the launch, Famitsu sat down with series director Takanari Ishiyama and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii (the former also worked on Dragon Quest X) for a good old natter about game writing.

While most of the chat was dedicated to Paranormasight and each writer’s approach to narrative and game scenario, the sworded topic of localisation was also brought into the limelight after Ishiyama wondered whether his specific word choices in the Japanese release would have nearly as much impact when translated overseas.

After decades of Dragon Quest translations, Horii seems like precisely the kind of person to comment on such worries, and comment he did. “When it comes to English, the flavour tends to get lost in many ways,” the legendary game designer said (translated by Automaton), “things inevitably end up sounding simplistic.”

It all comes down to the foundational differences between the languages, according to Horii, and while voice acting has certainly helped with the players’ understanding of tone, something is still lost along the way. “I’ve come to accept that English is a simple language, so there’s no helping it,” he said.

Ishiyama pointed to the wide range of Japanese first-person pronouns, compared to the English “I”, as an example. As explained by Automaton, while the likes of ‘ore’, ‘boku’, ‘washi’ and ‘watashi’ might be used in Japanese to reflect the speaker’s age, gender etc., everything is simplified down to “I” in English.

Of course, such changes haven’t stopped us from enjoying these games in the English language — quite the opposite, in fact — but it’s always interesting to hear about things that are lost in translation, especially from a pair of game designers as accomplished as these two!

Are there any translation tweaks that you wish had made it into an English release? Let us know in the comments.

After what’s felt like a lifetime, Capcom finally confirmed Mega Man: Dual Override, the latest entry in the iconic side-scrolling action series. Scheduled to launch on Switch and Switch 2 in 2027, there’s not a whole lot we know about the game at this early stage, but what we do now know is that Mega Man 11 voice actor Ben Diskin won’t be returning to voice the Blue Bomber.

Speaking in a thread on Bluesky, Diskin confirmed that he was asked to come back for the upcoming title, but Capcom was unwilling to provide a union contract. Despite offering assurances that Diskin’s voice wouldn’t be for AI development in the future, Diskin felt that due to the volatile state of the industry right now, he couldn’t take the risk.

Here’s a look at Diskin’s full statement:

“With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man.

“I was asked to return for Mega Man: Dual Override, but only on the condition I work without the protections of a union contract. I was told there are “full A.I. protections in place that guarantee in writing that [my] voice will never be used for A.I. development” but was also told “with certainty, from [Capcom], that the project will not go union.”

“While I certainly appreciate the acknowledgement of the concern around AI, working without a contract I can realistically enforce isn’t something I can risk. The only way to enforce non-union contracts like this involves personally taking giant companies like Capcom to court and suing if I thought they’d used AI. I don’t have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight.

“In my heart, I want to believe Capcom would never use AI… But in my HEAD, I’m aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money. The video game industry is facing record layoffs and huge amounts of uncertainty. I need a union contract to feel safe. (Also, as an aside, I don’t think it makes sense to strike for over 11 months to get enforceable AI abuse protections and then turn right around and go back to work without them.)

“I truly wish Capcom was at least willing to speak with SAG-AFTRA about doing this game union.
I expressed that I’d even be willing to work on a LOWER-budget union contract if it meant this flipped. It genuinely wasn’t about the money for me.

“It’s been an honor voicing Mega Man in Mega Man 11, the best-selling game in the series’ history and watching Mega Man reclaim his rightful place as a gaming icon. I hope Mega Man: Dual Override is even more successful than 11 and that everyone enjoys all the hard work the devs are putting into it.

“Good luck out there, Mega!” I just wish I could have been there with you.”

Diskin’s message has been met with unwavering support from fans and fellow voice actors. Yuri Lowenthal, who has provided voice work for games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Persona 3 Reload, and Mortal Kombat 1, responded to simple say “You are the best of us, Ben”.

So we’ll have to wait and see who Capcom has lined up to replace Diskin. It’s likely we won’t hear anything for quite some time given the game’s rather vague 2027 release window, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we can.

What do you make of all of this? Share your thoughts with a comment down below.

Capcom’s new IP Pragmata got a demo not long ago and it seems the word about it is spreading. Following the downloads for this ‘Sketchbook’ trial reaching one million combined downloads across all platforms last month, we’ve now got an update.

The demo has now hit a whopping two million downloads, and to top it off, it’s also had two million wishlists.

“Hugh, look – I can’t believe millions of people are excited for our game!” PRAGMATA has reached 2 million wishlists, and 2 million demo downloads. Thank you so much for all your support.

It’s not clear how exactly this will all translate to the actual game sales, but it sure is looking promising for the new IP. We ran a poll after the previous update about demo downloads, and 42% of respondants said they would be getting the Pragmata, with 41% still on the fence about this new game.

The update on demo downloads follows Capcom’s news last week, revealing Pragmata would now arriving a little earlier than expected on 17th April 2026.

Have you downloaded this demo on the Switch 2 yet? Will you be getting the full game? Tell us in the comments.

Marvelous has issued a reminder today that it will be ending support for the Online Mode in Fashion Dreamer next week. The title was originally released for the Switch in 2023.

Although this mode is coming to an end, the Solo-Play Mode will continue to be available after this date. There’ll also be some adjustments made to this particular mode. This includes the distribution of creative keys, adjustment to e-points, and additional muse parts, photo poses, photo frames, furniture, walls and floors.

“Thank you for playing Fashion Dreamer. Support for Online Mode is scheduled to end on the following date: 17th of March, 2026 2AM UTC Solo-Play Mode will continue to be playable after Online Mode support ends.”

This update will be applied when you select the Online Mode after support for the Online Mode has ended. You can get the full rundown in the official notice below:

The same developer involved with this title and the Style Savvy series is also responsible for a Switch dressmaking game known as Magical Craft. This was originally released in Japan in 2025, and a rating for the title was more recently spotted on the ESRB.

Did you ever play this game’s online mode? How do you feel about this service being discontinued? Let us know in the comments.