As part of this year’s MAR10 Day celebrations, Nintendo’s music app for Switch Online subscribers has today added the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury soundtrack.
This title was released on the Switch in 2021 and more recently received a free Switch 2 update. The album includes 106 tracks in total and has a runtime of 2 hours and 34 minutes.
The composers involved in 3D World include Mahito Yokota, Toru Minegishi, Yasuaki Iwata and Koji Kondo, with Daisuke Matsuoka and James Phillipsen helping out with Bowser’s Fury.
Image: Nintendo
Once again, you’ll need to have an active Switch Online subscription to listen to this album on the Nintendo Music app.
If you haven’t already revisited this two-in-one release on the Switch 2, it contains visual and frame rate optimisations, HDR for Bowser’s Fury, and a few other updates.
What do you think of the latest album to join Nintendo Music? Let us know in the comments.
If you haven’t already seen our own review here on Nintendo Life, we’ve given this latest entry in the series eight out of ten stars. While there are some performance wobbles, it’s likely to keep hunters busy for a long time on the Switch 2:
“A well-told story, an intriguing world and some excellent mechanics ultimately overshadow the usual (for this series) balancing issues and performance wobbles. If you want to collect ‘em all within a charming Monster Hunter setting, this game will keep you busy for a long time.”
So, what did other sites have to say about the third title and the Switch 2 version? Here’s the round up:
Nintenduo – 87/100 “Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the definitive leap forward for the subseries: a more mature story, memorable characters, and a beautiful world that place it among the best JRPGs on Nintendo Switch 2. Its rock paper scissors combat system still holds back gameplay with a lot of potential, but its ambition, art direction, and storytelling make it an essential experience.”
Vooks – 4.5/5 “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection sets a high bar for future adventure RPGs, offering a beautiful, stylised design, incredible storytelling, and combat that is approachable and satisfying without sacrificing tactical depth and complexity. It’s a fantastic evolution of the Stories formula, delivering a richer narrative, deeper world interaction, and more reasons to explore the Monster Hunter universe from a different perspective.”
Pocket Tactics – 8/10 “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the most engaging game in the series so far, with great battles, a riveting narrative, and a fantastic new feature in the form of habitat restoration. Handheld performance on Nintendo Switch 2 has its iffy moments, and some of the side missions can muddy the pacing as you wait for the main plot to progress, but outside of that, this is an absolute beast of a game just waiting for you to take it on.”
Nintendo World Report – 6.5/10 “Monster Hunter Stories 3 tries to be an epic RPG, but it’s bogged down by so many systems and ideas that it starts to take on water as you progress deeper into it. The story wound up being a highlight, but even the streamlining of monster dens couldn’t solve the heavy-handedness of monster collection and enhancement.”
Siliconera – 8/10 “Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels like it prioritizes story, characters, and combat in a way that makes the game feel even more like a JRPG. It’s another strong entry in a series of great Monster Hunter spin-offs for certain.”
If you want to try out this game before it arrives, there’s also a demo you can download right now for the Switch 2 from the eShop. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches on 13th March 2026. Will you be getting it? Let us know in the comments.
Today’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie Direct gave us one final look at the upcoming movie sequel, which lands in movie theatres on 1st April 2026. And while the trailer didn’t give us many new details, it did give us our first look at Wart in-action (after that poster teaser).
The trailer up top is a mix of old and new footage, recontextualised and expanded upon. But the big news came afterwards, with Illumination CEO Christopher Meledandri revealing three new voices joining the cast.
First up, Wart will be voiced by Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán, perhaps best known from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love. He’s also the voice of Ricardo Díaz in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Now try and get that image out of your head.
Next up, the Honey Queen, leader of the Honeyhive Galaxy, will be voiced by Issa Rae, the creator of he HBO show Insecure who’s appeared in American Fiction, The Hate U Give, and Barbie, as well as voiced Jess Drew’s Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Last, and perhaps the most surprising reveal of the lot, Yoshi has a voice, and it’s Donald Glover! Also known as singer Childish Gambino, Glover is the creator of the celebrated show Atlanta, and is perhaps best known from Community, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Simba in the modern Lion King movies. How do you feel being the voice of a popcorn bucket character, then?
Well, never would’ve guessed any of those names. And with only a few weeks to go to see the whole thing, we’ll see if they’re up to the task.
Nintendo is also planning various content to be released on the Nintendo Today! app. From tomorrow, you’ll get a digital collectible card just by opening the app every day, and there are 40 to collect.
You can also get digital wallpapers for your phone if you check in at the movies with the app, as well as take photos with exclusive digital photo frames. Very cute.
Nintendo and Illumination are going all-out, then, and who can blame them?
Let us know what you think of the voice cast in the comments below.
Resident Evil Requiem launched in a pretty solid state on Switch 2 a couple of weeks ago now, but that hasn’t stopped Capcom from tinkering away with the hybrid version behind the scenes, as it has today received a small patch.
The ver. 1.1.1 update is now available on Switch 2, fixing an issue that would prevent game progression and improving “overall playability”.
Yep, that’s it. Okay, so perhaps this isn’t the biggest update we’ve ever seen, but any improvements are always a welcome sight. The full patch notes were shared on the official Resident Evil website, and we have gathered all two bullet points together for you to check out below… just don’t go in expecting a long read.
Resident Evil Requiem Ver. 1.1.1 (9th March 2026)
– Issues which blocked player progress under specific conditions have been fixed. – Multiple fixes to improve overall playability have also been implemented.
Well, there you have it! The update adds to an already stellar game at lunch. “Resident Evil Requiem sets a new benchmark for a series that has been pretty consistently great for the last decade or so,” Ollie Reynolds wrote in our review. “By combining classic survival horror with the more action-focused gameplay of RE4, the result is an experience paced to perfection.”
What do you make of Requiem on Switch 2 so far? Let us know in the comments.
A Pokémon-meets-Minecraft life sim has been at the top of our ‘Pokémon spin-offs we’d love to see’ list for, well, forever, and last week, TPC finally made it happen.
If you have taken one look at any of the Pokémon Pokopia marketing, then you’ll know how adorable it is. This is a game that sees you hop into the shoes of a humanoid Ditto, setting out to rebuild a fallen region by creating creature habitats and making friends along the way.
It’s a delightful little concept, one that we were particularly enamoured with in our 8/10 review. “Pokémon Pokopia is the freshest Pokémon experience in a long time, bursting at the seams with charm and content that rewards both curiosity and creativity,” Alana Hagues wrote. “It’s an easy game to get swallowed up in, even with a few gameplay and progression issues that need ironing out.”
We’d wager that a bunch of you lovely lot have been getting to grips with this one over the weekend, so it’s time to share with us what you make of the spin-off so far with a review score of your own.
You can leave your Pokopia rating in the poll below. And if you’re still in the early stages of crafting and you’re not completely settled on a score yet, you’re more than welcome to leave your gut reaction now, then come back and change your vote at any time!
What score would you give Pokémon Pokopia (Switch 2)? (214 ratings)
10 – Outstanding37%
9 – Excellent34%
8 – Great15%
7 – Good4%
6 – Not Bad2%
5 – Average2%
4 – Poor1%
3 – Bad1%
2 – Terrible0%
1 – Abysmal3%
Thank you for voting! What has been your favourite Pokopia moment so far? Let us know in the comments.
Nintendo has suffered yet another key loss as developer Goro Abe has confirmed he has left the company to become a professor at the Osaka Electro-Communication University, working within its Department of Digital Games.
Abe-san was well known for his extensive work on the WarioWare series, having directed or co-directed every entry since the original on GBA. His departure comes shortly after the retirements of both Hideki Konno and Kensuke Tanabe, two more powerhouse names at Nintendo.
Writing on X, Abe-san said the following (machine translated:
I retired from Nintendo at the end of February. Starting in April, I will be working as a professor at Osaka Electro-Communication University. I will be working in the newly established “Game and Social Design” major. I plan to work on game-related research and game production, so I hope to be able to interact with a wider range of people than ever before.
The latest entry in the WarioWare series – WarioWare: Move It! – launched for the Switch in 2023 and garnered reasonably positive reviews. We here at Nintendo Life gave it a score of 8/10 and called it “another great entry in this long-running franchise that brings back the motion-controlled mayhem whilst giving you plenty of ways to enjoy its loony fun with family and friends”.
What do you make of Goro Abe’s departure from Nintendo? Let us know with a comment in the usual place.
It’s fair to say that, at the time of writing, Capcom is on an absolute roll with Nintendo Switch 2. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection arrives against that backdrop, but also as a continuation of a franchise spin-off that began as a 3DS exclusive. Nintendo systems have benefited from plenty of Monster Hunter games since the days of Nintendo Wii; this latest title is a welcome addition and, for that matter, yet another monstrous IP on Nintendo’s latest platform.
As mentioned in our preview, it’s worth noting that if you’re new to Monster Hunter Stories but like the concept enough to dive into this new entry, you can do so with confidence. There are some nice nods and lore references for long term fans, but everything is presented in a way to accommodate all players; both previous games are also available on Switch, however, if you want to go allin. That means once again that Capcom delivers its own blend of monster – or Monstie – collecting with all the trappings of large RPGs – massive spaces to explore, more optional content than you can shake a stick at, too many menus and a whole lot of likeable characters.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
You take up the role of a Prince or Princess that leads a team of Rangers, with a limited customization suite to add extra personality. It’s a setup that works well, with the vast majority of voiced storytelling cutscenes being in-engine, right down to your armour occasionally making things look silly. What comes is a tale wrapped in some heavy themes – ecological preservation, warring nations and historical sins coming back to haunt society. That said, around serious moments you’ll also find a lot of levity and optimism, staying true to the series’ style.
The story itself, in conventional RPG fashion, acts as an occasional cut-in amongst plenty of exploring, side quests and party-building. A strength in this series, continued here, is that the ongoing cycle is kept interesting by taking you across a number of varied biomes, just like most of the main-series games, each with their own people and monsters to encounter. Each area is a mini-RPG in itself, in a sense; if you’re going deep you can strive to revive each ecology by finding Monstie eggs to hatch and then release back to the wild. If you’re planning to revive every ecology fully, it’ll take a while.
A key part of that mechanic, and the broader game, is to visit dens to obtain eggs which you then hatch. These are found all over the world, or if you win an encounter against a monster there’s a chance they’ll ‘retreat’ to their den. Either way this is how to “catch ‘em all”, Monster Hunter-style, and either diversify or evolve your party of up to 6 Monsties, or chase other goals such as those ecology revivals. Thankfully this is greatly streamlined to encourage collecting, with dens being small spaces where you can be in and out in a minute, rather than battling through sprawling mini-dungeons. This improves the flow compared to earlier Stories games, and there’s a lot to Monstie management overall, so those that love to evolve and customize parties will have a blast.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Outside of egg collecting, fetch quests and ‘hunt this monster for reasons’ sidequests, the key hook is the combat. Turn-based encounters have four characters – you, a chosen companion from your group (they all have different strengths), and two Monsties that can be swapped out depending on a fight’s ideal strategy. It’s a rock-paper-scissors system with charge-up abilities such as riding your little monster companions for powerful attacks, bonuses for breaking monster parts and more; it’s very well implemented, both easy to understand and complex to master, making players think about their plan of attack rather than spamming certain moves. In the endgame, it’s absolutely essential to have the right team combinations to even stand a chance.
Alas, this entry does carry a similar complaint to its predecessors, especially as it may be a title attractive to younger or less experienced gamers. The required grind, especially to get past the endgame, can be tedious if you don’t want to do so excessively. There aren’t difficulty settings, and failed attempts give useful tips but no other concessions.
There are some occasional difficulty spikes throughout the game where you go from easily clearing a major fight to getting smacked around within 30 minutes at the next story beat. The previous games did this and, well, it suits the grind-lovers at the expense of those that want to enjoy the story without hunting every kind of egg and maxing out their team.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
That said, the journey is worth it overall. It’s a lovely space to be in. The cast are charming – amplified further in side stories you can undertake – and the development team’s dedication and love for the series shines through. Whether it’s beautifully orchestrated music, top notch cutscene work (with strong voice acting) or just the sheer nuance and depth of the environments, it’s an impressive effort and worthy of praise.
To move onto performance on Switch 2, it’s worth noting that there were no updates during the review window, continuing the same benchmark we saw in the preview. We have an unlocked framerate that only hits 60fps in specific enclosed spaces or battles, and likely spends most of the time in the overworld wobbling between 30-45fps. This happens often with RE Engine titles but the overall feel is a little disappointing, and two biomes in particular really struggle due to extensive environmental detail. It does look pretty good at times, moreso when docked, but these downsides are worth keeping in mind.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Does it affect gameplay much in an RPG like this? Not really. Should it be better? Yes. This isn’t as lush as other games that use the same engine on Switch 2, but it runs worse, likely due to the large open spaces and hangovers from the way the technology was used by the development team in the previous two games. If you are keen to play the game and want to enjoy it on Switch 2, the performance is functional for the genre. I do hope, though, that Capcom can tidy it up with some optimization and frame cap options.
Conclusion
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is another strong entry in this series, and deserving of a place at the top table alongside a number of other excellent RPGs on Switch 2.
A well-told story, an intriguing world and some excellent mechanics ultimately overshadow the usual (for this series) balancing issues and performance wobbles. If you want to collect ‘em all within a charming Monster Hunter setting, this game will keep you busy for a long time.
The latest UK Charts data has been released, and while many had perhaps assumed that Pokémon Pokopia would easily nab the top spot, it’s actually settled for the silver medal behind Resident Evil Requiem.
According to The Game Business’ Chris Dring, Pokopia was “seriously undersupplied” at retail, meaning the physical sales are not even half of what Pokémon Legends Z-A managed. Indeed, a quick check on sites like Amazon, GAME, and The Game Collection yield no results for Pokopia at all, while others like Smyths and Currys are sold out for home delivery, with only a tiny selection of stores carrying stock.
Back to Resident Evil Requiem for a moment, the platform split for the game on its own has the Switch 2 above Xbox this week, though only by a small margin. Meanwhile, the Generation Pack for the Switch 2 has slipped to land at number 10. It’s a Biohazard extravaganza, however, as multiple high-profile RE games make the top 40 in the wake of Requiem’s launch.
Here’s the full top 40, with platform breakdowns for games available on Switch, Switch 2, and other consoles:
Hello chums, and welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Before we get into this week’s brawl, let’s see how things panned out last time. To celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, we threw all major Pokémon generations into the ring from Gen 1 all the way up to Gen 9. In what will no doubt come as no surprise, Gen 1 – consisting of Red, Blue, and Yellow in the West – won comfortably with 37% of the vote. Gen 2 was second with 17% and Gen 6 came third with 15%.
This week, we’re off to the land of the GameCube to check out Tales of Symphonia. Released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 in the West, it received positive acclaim and got its own remastered version for the Switch in 2023. The Western design for the box art is the same this time, so we’ve got a good ol’ duel as North America and Europe take on Japan.
Let battle commence.
North America / Europe
Image: Namco
This is a lovely cover, huh? It showcases the game’s main protagonists, all of which look a little mad about something. The background also hides a bunch more stuff, making the overall composition extremely eye-catching, if maybe a touch too busy.
Japan
Image: Namco
Japan’s design is a little lighter, not just in terms of colour, but the facial expressions on the characters, too. They look a bit happier, right? The art style is a little more, shall we say, abstract in nature, and honestly this might just push Japan toward a win. It’ll be close though.
Which region got the best Tales of Symphonia box art? (1,938 votes)
North America / Europe85%
Japan15%
Thank you for voting! We’ll see you next week for another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Apart from Mystery Gifts and events, the new relaxing life-sim Pokémon Pokopia for Switch 2 also allows you to visit Cloud Islands, which are separate from the main game experience.
To give players a sample of what’s to come in this new adventure, The Pokémon Company has joined in on the fun – releasing a code for the developer’s Cloud Island. The code you’ll need to input in your game is: PXQC G03S
Image: The Pokémon Company
Before you can visit this island, you’ll need to make sure you have an active Switch Online membership and…spoiler alert…the Mysterious Goggles, which can be obtained at the Pokémon PC shop for a small sum of Life Coins.
You can then enter the code above and visit this island! Just keep in mind it contains possible spoiler content.
Image: The Pokémon Company
There’s also a special event currently taking place “More Spores for Hoppip”, which you can find out more about in our previous story here on Nintendo Life. And in case you missed it, there’s a Ditto rug currently available via the Mystery Gift menu.
Have you visited this island yet? How is your experience in Pokémon Pokopia going so far? Let us know in the comments.
