Another month, another onslaught of games — it’s eShop Selects time for September.
Yep, we’re closing in on the end of the year, and with only three months left to go until 2024 hits us, our backlogs are full-to-bursting from this month alone.
With plenty of big names coming out in October — Mario and Sonic both have a 2D platformer coming out within days of each other — now is the time to scramble through the eShop and pick up some hidden gems. What should you be looking out for, though? Well, we’re here to help with that…
Honourable Mentions
This month was stacked in terms of releases — some more disappointing than others — but there are plenty of great titles that launched on the eShop. Below are all of the eShop releases we scored at least a 7/10, with our top three to follow…
Firstly, a couple of notes: Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster got a physical release in Europe and Asia, and as such isn’t included. Second, everyone is raving about otherworldly insect puzzler COCOON from the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside. However, we only got our review code on launch day, and as this list is based on games we have reviews for, it hasn’t been included this month. It sounds like a winner, though.
Publisher: Devolver Digital / Developer: Doinksoft
Doinksoft has followed up the breezy Metroidvania Gato Roboto with the equally fantastically named Gunbrella. While the game deserves to be on here for the name along, it certainly helps that this retro-style action-platformer has tons of style, grit, and meaty combat for you to soak up. The dystopian setting introduces an interesting upgrade mechanic for your unusual weapon, while your trusty gunbrella can be used to ward off enemies and make short work of platforming challenges.
All of this combines to make a rather fantastic, unique little game, and we reflected those thoughts in our 8/10 review. Next thing you know, these game devs will think of a knight who uses a shovel as a weapon. Wait…
When Trombone Champ launched on Steam in 2022 and unleashed a tidal wave of memes onto the internet, we were desperate to see it toot its way onto Switch. We had to wait about a year, but gosh darn it, it was worth it. Trombone Champ is still an absolute delight to play, even if you look and sound absolutely daft while trying to hit all the right notes.
That’s not really the point, though, is it? It’s the off-tune trombone playing, the ridiculous amount of lore, and the fact that it uses gyro and IR motion sensors. If you’re looking for a good laugh, you can’t do much better than blowing your own trombone. We gave Trombone Champ a honking 8/10 in our review.
Our highest-reviewed eShop game of the month sits top of the pack for us at NL, and while it may have been the obvious winner, come on — F-Zero is back, baby.
F-Zero 99 is a match made in heaven. Tough space racing blended with the battle royale formula that Nintendo has perfected with Tetris and Pac-Man leads to chaotic, addictive, and fun competitive racing. The retro-style visuals and classic music bring us back to a better time, and we hope this is just the beginning of F-Zero’s return — please, Nintendo, just don’t pull this one down like you’re doing with Pac-Man.
The best part? If you have Nintendo Switch Online, you can play this for free. So if you’re curious, check out our 9/10 review below and then dive in for a few races yourself. We’ll see you on Big Blue.
What was your favourite eShop game of September 2023? (216 votes)
30XX (Switch eShop)5%
Afterdream (Switch eShop)1%
Chants of Sennaar (Switch eShop)2%
F-Zero 99 (Switch eShop)51%
Full Void (Switch eShop)0%
Gloomhaven (Switch)3%
Gunbrella (Switch eShop)8%
Mineko’s Night Market (Switch eShop)2%
Raindrop Sprinters (Switch eShop)1%
Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition (Switch eShop)1%
Summum Aeterna (Switch eShop)1%
The Many Pieces of Mr. Coo (Switch eShop)0%
Thunder Ray (Switch eShop)1%
Trombone Champ (Switch eShop)14%
TY the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Bush Rescue Returns (Switch eShop)1%
Something else (comment below)7%
How we decide our eShop Selects top three: As we reach the end of every month, the Nintendo Life staff vote on their favourite titles from a list of games selected by the editorial team. To qualify for this list, these games must have been released as a digital-only Nintendo Switch eShop title in that particular month, and must have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we select the qualifying games based on their review scores.
Staff are then asked to vote for three games that they think deserve to sit right at the very top of that list; first choice gets 3 points, second choice gets 2 points, and third choice gets 1 point. These votes are then tallied to create a top-three list, with the overall winner taking that month’s top prize.
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Kate runs down her Switch wishlist and wonders if Nintendo has her phone bugged (or maybe just reads her articles)…
Oh, I have been spoiled this year. Suspiciously spoiled, in fact. With Ghost Trick, the Apollo Justice Trilogy, the Fantasy Life sequel, and the Paper Mario: Thousand-Year Door remake all either announced or released this year, it’s almost as if Nintendo is watching me, listening to me go on and on (and on and on and on) about my niche-ish favourite games of all time. Either I’m the luckiest girl and 2023 is just my year, or someone at Nintendo loves me very much.
[embedded content]To be fair, lots of people had this one
But now, I have somewhat of a first-world problem. What are you supposed to do when Nintendo clears out your wishlist in the space of a few months? I’ve spent the last decade pining for some of these games, and now they’re all just… gone. And if you know me, you know I love to pine. What am I supposed to pine over now?!
So, in the interest of giving myself a new wishlist, I’ve come up with some potential solutions if you, like me, find yourself suddenly getting everything you’ve ever wanted.
Find New Favourites
The Sony-published Bloodborne on Switch? More likely than you think. Maybe
The easiest solution, I guess, is to create a whole new wishlist. Maybe something similarly niche-ish, but beloved; one of those cult favourites that make you seem like a Cool Guy whenever you mention them. I mean, I won’t lie — having Fantasy Life as one of my Top 5 makes certain people think I’m some kind of genius tastemaker with specific-but-brilliant preferences in video games. And I do like feeling cool.
You say Breath of the Wild is your favourite Zelda game, people think, “Yeah, sure, it’s a really good game.” But you say Minish Cap is your favourite, and everyone thinks you’re a badass who goes against the grain. So edgy and correct of you!
So, let’s see. The kind of cult level I’m thinking is something like… the Yakuza games. Bloodborne. Fable 2. Games that can be a bit silly, a bit hard to get into, even… but you can convince everyone, if you really try, that they’re actually really quite good.
But those games are all a bit too mainstream these days. I still want a sprinkling of Kate-brand weirdness, so maybe it’s time to…
Promote Old Favourites
Not enough grumpy brooding noir detectives on the Switch, if you ask me
Oh, you thought my entire wishlist was now empty? Ha ha ha, no, you fool! I have more things I want. They just weren’t as formalised as the games I already mentioned.
So, perhaps it’s time to formalise them. Let them rise up the ranks to ‘Kate never shuts up about this game’ territory. I feel like the Queen (RIP) knighting a bunch of near-death celebrities.
So, let’s see. Let’s reach into this grab bag of long-lost wishes and find out what we have.
Ooh, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth? Haven’t seen you in a while! Oh, there’s something stuck to you — ah, of course, it’s just a Post-It note with ‘TRANSLATE THE SEQUEL YOU B*****DS’ written on it in blood. Let’s just call that a two-for-one deal.
What else is in here? Ah, Nonary Games, hello! There’s a note on this one, too: ‘Release the trilogy please’. Ooh. Potentially controversial, given that the third game, Zero Time Dilemma, looks like hot garbage, but sure. It’s nice to have all three games together at last. And, honestly, given how important these games were to the DS catalogue… it’s surprising that they still aren’t on Switch.
There’s more stuff in here, though. Hotel Dusk and Last Window, let’s just put those over here, and… Minish Cap remake? Go on then. Oh, this one’s really big, wha— a Professor Layton box set? That would be cool, wouldn’t it? This one here is another piece of paper, and it just says ‘New Animal Crossing‘, that makes sense… and, ooh, ‘Fallout on Switch’? That’ll never happen. But I wouldn’t say no.
That’s it. The bag is now empty. Wait, no, there’s a message stitched into the lining! It just says…
‘GIVE LEVEL-5 A BILLION DOLLARS AND LET THEM MAKE WHATEVER.’
Well, alright then.
Lean Into The Power
Imagine that Link is me, and you are the hat, whispering terrible ideas into my ear
Clearly, someone at Nintendo is listening to me. It’s the only answer that makes sense. But this means I have the ear of someone powerful enough to greenlight all the games I love… and now that I have all the games I love, I could use this power for EVIL.
I am the person that makes games happen, for a small fee.
Well, not evil, exactly. More like… capitalism. Although what’s the difference, am I right? Ha ha ha. Perhaps I can lend out my power to people who don’t yet have everything they want. What’s that? You want a proper F-Zero game on Switch? I can add that to my wishlist, which I’m assuming works a bit like the magical notebook in Death Note, and someone will somehow see it and get it done. That’ll be $20.
Soon, I will become even more beloved and respected than Nintendo themselves. I am the person that makes games happen, for a small fee. Perhaps the fee changes based on various factors, like how long the title is — if you want one of those anime games with three subtitles, that’s gonna cost extra to factor in the wrist pain it’s going to cause me. Or if you want something that’s going to be a pain for Nintendo to make, there will be a little extra fee for being difficult. I have to keep my overlords happy, you know.
Please call 1-800-NINTENDO-PLS to book me.
Get Even More Specific
GIVE ME CARBY OR GIVE ME DEATH.
Perhaps it’s foolish to keep my wishlist to games only. Perhaps… it’s time to get more granular up in this shiz.
There are lots of things I would like to see Nintendo do with the Switch, outside of just games. I’m not alone in most of these, and some are obvious — fix Joy-Con drift forever, add proper folders and themes to the Switch homepage, make the My Nintendo Rewards actually worth something…
But I think we can do better. Here are some ideas.
A mix-and-match Joy-Con shop where you can get basically any colour you want, and you can MAKE THEM MATCH [Japan has this already, Kate. Because Japan. – Ed.]
Charles Martinet’s new job at Nintendo is that he can now be hired out for Mario-themed birthday parties
Nintendo starts selling the Kirby car as an actual, viable vehicle
Isabelle from Animal Crossing can be hired as your Personal Assistant to help you get your life together
Nintendo Directs start being fun again, just like they were in the Iwata / Reggie era
I’m open to more suggestions.
Although… if Nintendo is watching my wishlist, maybe I have to start thinking of it like a genie wish. You know, where you wish for a ton of money, but the genie interprets that in a really mean way, and kills both your parents so you get their inheritance? I should be more specific, just to cover my ass.
Final Switch Wishlist
Ah, my husband. Hello
So, here is my final top-ten wishlist:
Miles Edgeworth duology on Switch, but the visuals are better than the HD re-draws, and also the original game is maybe 15% faster in the endgame, because boy does that last case drag on
A Nonary Games trilogy, including Zero Time Dilemma, but it comes with a note telling people that they can totally just play the first two, no hard feelings
Editor’s Note: As described in the text below, a glitch towards the end of Mineko’s Night Market prevented us from 100% completing the Switch review build.We’re told that the development team is working on fixes, and patches applied pre-launch resolved other issues we initially encountered.
While irritating, the bug didn’t affect our enjoyment up to that point, so we’re publishing this review based on our time with it prior to that late-game issue (approximately 16 hours). We’ll update the review should this problem not be resolved.
If you suffer from cat allergies (like this writer), the cats of Mineko’s Night Market might be the closest you can get to the real thing. And these cats won’t knock things off your desk. Announced back in 2018, this kitty-centric life sim from fittingly named Meowza Games has been delayed and delayed. But now the cat’s out of the bag, was it worth the wait?
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
The game intertwines a secretive (sometimes comedic) story with night market stall management. It’s easy to dip in and out of, and turns tedious tasks into purr-worthy play. Plus: cute cats! The cuteness came to a crashing halt with a bug that made the end unplayable for us, although we had a lot of fun up until then, so this review will focus on the stuff that happened before things went hairy furry.
You, the ‘Mineko’ of ‘Mineko’s Night Market’, follow your dad to a faraway town that’s lost its sprightliness, no thanks to the agents prowling the surrounds. Your job is ostensibly to run a market stall to support your dad. But you soon become embroiled in a plot to free cats trapped by the agents, and find the mythical Sun Cat Nikko – if he even exists. Along the way you’ll make friends, restore the town, craft items, and pat cats – a functionality that makes us want to update our ‘Best Cat Games’ article. When you pat them, they make a-dor-a-ble purring sounds, and they follow you. We challenge you not to squeal with delight when it happens.
But, once you compose yourself, you’ll see this game has much more on offer. You’ll want to sink your claws (and teeth) into the core story. It’s not wholly unique, but its mystery is one you’ll want to unravel like a ball of yarn. You do this by heading to different locations. Each day, you can bus to two areas and you’ll come back to find everything closed – whether you spend three or 30 minutes away. In new areas, bumbling agents have captured cats and you need to sneak around their flashlights to free the felines. There are some light puzzles here which are a (hair)ball of fun, but never agonising: you might have to distract agents or navigate one-way paths. Once you free the cats you get one step closer to uncovering the mystery of Nikko, plus full access to that area’s goods. Those goods can be crafted into new items, by way of minigames testing your speed and dexterity.
The ‘night market’ of Mineko’s Night Market is on Saturdays. Its mechanic is Moonlighter-lite; you set the prices yourself, and customers pay if they can afford it. There’s less mental mathematics than Moonlighter, though, and customer reactions aren’t as defined. As you increase profits, the market gains new stalls. The game has other tidbits, too. There are post-market ‘Main Events’ – including races (on cats!), cheesily bad plays, or parades. In between markets, you can sell at the General Store for a fixed lower price. Or you can donate your collectibles to museums, like in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Villagers also request items in exchange for craft recipes.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
Early game, you grind away like a cat at a scratching post. Your health is a single heart, replenishable by food which you can only eat three times. Your energy expires quickly, forcing you to prioritise profitable items and ration meals. But as you progress, you gain more hearts, unlock new areas, and even get a companion to help. We’re avoiding spoilers here, but believe us when we say things get better.
That is, up until we encountered a progress-stopping bug. It was right at the tail end, so we don’t know how the tale ends. The screen was all one colour, apart from the always-on menus and a single flashlight. At first we thought it was part of the puzzle but as we moved the screen was unreactive. At the time of writing, Meowza hasn’t fixed this particular bug, but we’re crossing our claws they do soon, so you can play to the end smoothly.
There are also some smaller knots to detangle. The game suffered from a fair bit of stuttering and slow load screens – up to 50 seconds. It froze after crafting certain items. Characters appeared where they shouldn’t, and, once, Mineko disappeared off-screen. The menus are a little finicky, with poor sorting and clunky navigation. We suspect it wasn’t made with Switch at front of mind, as some UI is inorganic to Switch controls. ‘B’ doesn’t exit menus, and ‘ZR’ is the sprint button. However, some glitches have already been fixed, and it’s encouraging to see this small team’s commitment to the game.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
Pencil textures, warm colour palette, and nature setting place the aesthetic at home in cosy-ville. Not to mention the small bodies and big heads, adorably animated with trots and waddles. The soundtrack ranges from jaunty to thrilling, always befitting the mood. And in terms of accessibility, the big text gets a big tick from us. It’s also been translated into eight languages!
Conclusion
For the most part, Mineko’s Night Market will be enjoyed by people who like to curl up with a compelling narrative and relaxing tasks. It’s fun gathering materials and discovering secrets. And did we mention you can PAT THE CATS?! Without sneezing! What a joyous, allergy-free delight. As for whether it was worth the long wait, well, we recommend holding off a little longer for another of its nine lives – one with some patchwork to address the snags on Switch.
Let’s check in with what went on last week, shall we? We took a look at Kirby and the Amazing Mirror for the Game Boy Advance to celebrate the announcement of its arrival on Nintendo Switch Online. It was a reasonably close battle, but ultimately Europe and Japan triumphed over North America with 58% of the vote. Seems folks weren’t quite enamoured with angry Kirby.
This week, we’re going to check out Yoshi’s Cookie on the Game Boy. Released back in 1992, the tile-matching title was quite a different approach from the norm for Nintendo, who had brought on developer Tose to handle the NES and Game Boy versions. The reception was mostly positive, though it’s safe to say that Yoshi’s Cookie remains somewhat of a niche entry in Nintendo’s vast catalogue.
So let’s get this show on the road, yes?
Be sure to cast your votes in the poll below; but first, let’s check out the box art designs themselves.
Europe / North America
Image: Nintendo
All told, every version of Yoshi’s Cookie showcases Yoshi, uh, eating cookies. In the western design, Yoshi is front and centre against a dark blue background and is ‘Mlem-ing’ the cookies from out of mid-air. The logo itself is nice and visible in the top left with a lovely little Yoshi egg in place of the letter ‘O’. It’s nice, though not the most striking of box arts, we have to admit.
Japan
Image: Nintendo
Japan’s variant takes on a brighter and arguably more comforting vibe. Yoshi is once again using his ruddy great big tongue to eat the various cookies, but in this one, he actually seems to be eating them out of a cookie tin in addition to the cookies falling from above. The white background makes the image really stand out, and we’re quite keen on the more ‘retro’ aesthetic of the whole thing.
Which region got the best Yoshi’s Cookie box art? (1,806 votes)
North America / Europe21%
Japan79%
Thanks for voting! We’ll see you next time for another round of the Box Art Brawl.
It’s Realms Deep this weekend – a celebration of retro shooters in both old and new ways. It’s hosted by 3D Realms, the legendary publisher behind series such as Duke Nukem. As part of the 2023 event, 3D Realms and friends once again hosted a show filled with world premieres, special guests in interviews and even some delays.
If you didn’t catch the four-hour livestream, there’s no need to worry as we’ve rounded up all the Switch highlights. Enjoy!
Every Switch Announcement At Realms Deep 2023
WRATH: Aeon of Ruin
This Quake-powered FPS was announced for Switch in September last year. Although it was originally due to arrive on the Switch in Spring 2023, it will now be leaving “early access” on PC on 27th February 2024. There’s no update on the console versions, but hopefully a Switch release follows:
Phantom Fury
Ion Fury‘s Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison is back in the “road movie-inspired” Phantom Fury. This game has previously been confirmed for the Nintendo Switch and multiple other platforms but has seemingly missed its release date. 3D Realms instead offered up a demo, which you can try out on Steam or check out in the below playthrough:
Kingpin: Reloaded
This Kingpin remaster and enhanced version of the crime-themed first-person shooter was announced back in 2020 and now at the latest broadcast, it’s been locked in for a 5th December 2023 release on PC now.
The Nintendo Switch and other platforms were part of the original announcement, but there’s no direct reference to them in the latest trailer.
The dark fantasy FPS GRAVEN will be exiting early access on 23rd January 2024 after a number of delays. There’s no update on the Switch release, but it was confirmed for the system back in 2021. You can check out the new trailer below:
Ion Fury: Aftershock
The latest announcement of the show was a release date for Ion Fury: Aftershock. This is an expansion to Ion Fury and is launching on 2nd October for PC. There’s no word on a console release date just yet, but if we hear anything, we’ll let you know.
You can get a full recap of Realms Deep 2023 on the official 3D Realms YouTube channel. Anything here you like the look of? Tell us in the comments.
If you’ve been wondering when we’ll be seeing more Mortal Kombat 1 reveals, it could potentially be at New York Comic Con 2023 in a few weeks.
In some new posts on social media, the game’s director and co-creator Ed Boon mentioned how a new patch would be rolled out early next week. As highlighted by fighting game website EventHubs, fans couldn’t help but notice the abbreviation ‘NYCC’ hidden within this message:
Unsurprisingly, this has led to a lot of speculation about a potential teaser or surrpise at Comic Con, with conversation about a possible “game play debut” for Invicible’s Omni-Man. Boon was quick to respond to this, claiming there wouldn’t be a “game play trailer” for this DLC fighter.
Noticeably he hasn’t completely ruled out Mortal Kombat 1 news at Comic Con, so there could still potentially be a reveal or update about the new fighting at this event. This new entry will also have its own tournament at the New York convention this year.
New York Comic Con 2023 runs between 12th October and 15th October. When the Kombat Pack launches in Spring 2024 it will include the Mortal Kombat fighters Quan Chi, Ermac and Takeda, along with Peacemaker (DC Comics) Omni-Man (Invincible) and Homelander from the hit series The Boys.
If we hear any updates we’ll let you know. What reveal would you like to see next from Mortal Kombat 1? Leave a comment below.
Electronic Arts kicked off its new replacement series EA Sports FC 24 this week and the good news is it’s finally delivered a solid experience on the Switch.
It’s all thanks to the much-needed Frostbite Engine upgrade which puts the Nintendo version of the game in line with other builds. While the gameplay itself now offers full feature parity with other consoles, you might still be wondering how the Switch release compares to the other next-gen versions in terms of performance and resolution.
The tech-focused YouTube channel ‘ElAnalistaDeBits‘ is back at it, this time with a side-by-side comparison of the Switch release of EA Sports FC 24 alongside the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions. As previously revealed, the game runs at 1080p docked, 720p handheld, and is 30FPS across both modes. In this video you can see the Nintendo version in motion.
In our own review of EA Sports FC 24, we said the Switch release was a port to be proud of. You can check it out below:
Will you be taking to the pitch in EA Sports FC 24? Tell us in the comments.
Over 15 years since its initial release on the Nintendo DS, horror FPS Dementium: The Ward is getting a re-release on the Nintendo Switch eShop, utilising the 2015 3DS remaster as its foundation.
While its creepy low-fi visuals and disturbing creature design have attracted a cult following over the years, Dementium remains a fairly niche title that, until now at least, has been fairly difficult to get hold of since the closure of the 3DS eShop earlier this year.
To go over the motivation behind its return and share some anecdotes of its origins — including Konami’s reaction to its initial pitch as a Silent Hill spin-off — we spoke with Atooi’s Jools Watsham, the game’s director and lead designer. We also delve into what’s been going on with the long-delayed Hatch Tales and how Watsham has managed to juggle game development with crowdfunding duties.
Nintendo Life: Dementium: The Ward was originally released back in 2007 for the DS, with a remastered version following in 2015 for the 3DS. Now that the game is coming to the Switch, what is it about this world that keeps drawing you back in?
Jools Watsham: Dementium: The Ward was the first independent game we created when we formed Renegade Kid. Our goal was to create an unsettling environment and a truly creepy experience for players. Many years went by when I didn’t have a chance to play Dementium: The Ward because I was tied up with other games.
Plus, it can be hard to look back at your old work; all you see are the mistakes you made. We were lucky enough to remaster the original DS game for the 3DS, which offered us the opportunity to fix many of the issues with the original release. This made me fall in love with the Dementium universe all over again, which makes it extremely exciting to bring those updated features and more to the Nintendo Switch.
Can you talk about your experience pitching The Ward to Konami as a potential Silent Hill project? Would this game have been significantly different from the eventual final product?
I attended GDC in March 2007 and scheduled a bunch of meetings with different publishers in San Francisco. Konami was one of the publishers I met with. It was a fairly brief meeting in a hotel lobby near the convention center. The person I met with from Konami was rather dismissive and said something to the effect of, “We wouldn’t give the Silent Hill IP to a team like yours”. It was quite surprising and very disheartening.
The person I met with from Konami was rather dismissive…It was quite surprising and very disheartening.
I imagine the game could have been quite different with the Silent Hill IP influencing it, but that would have depended on the budget given to development. Fortunately, soon after GDC we met up with Gamecock in Austin, Texas, and signed the game with them. I must admit, being able to continue to develop our own creations was much more satisfying than creating someone else’s brand.
Compared to the 3DS remaster, what gameplay tweaks and enhancements can Switch players expect from the new version?
We spent most of our time making sure the gameplay felt smooth and responsive on a controller as this was the first time the game was not tethered to dual-screen touch controls. All of the interactive screens that were on the lower screen of the 3DS had to be adapted to work as a single-screen experience for the Switch. Sitting back for the first time in a comfortable chair with a pro controller in my hands and a large TV in front of me felt amazing. Dementium: The Ward translated very well to a console experience.
We put a lot of polish into how the various screens are presented to the player and added some quality-of-life updates, such as highlighting the save locations on the player’s maps. Our goal was to make sure the game experience was as comfortable as possible while placing players in the most uncomfortable of situations.
Image: Atooi
How have you approached the visuals on Switch? How do you strike the balance between retaining the essence of the original and updating it for 2023?
From the game’s inception, we approached Dementium: The Ward as an atmospheric retro fps revival. We wanted to retain as much of the original game’s charm as we could while making sure it took advantage of the 16:9 aspect ratio and maintaining 60fps. The result is an extremely smooth experience that feels both familiar and fresh.
Can you walk us through the transference of the rights to Dementium and how you managed to regain them this year through Atooi?
This was a very difficult and delicate situation. As you may already know, my friend and co-founder of Renegade Kid, Gregg Hargrove, sadly passed away in 2018. While all of Renegade Kid’s 2D games were transferred over to Atooi, Gregg’s company, Infitizmo, gained the rights to all of the 3D titles. We felt this was the easiest and smoothest way to divvy up our work.
Last year, I approached Gregg’s widow to see if she had any plans for Dementium, as she became responsible for Infitizmo’s assets after Gregg’s passing. If she wanted to hang onto Dementium in memory of Gregg, I would have understood and let it be. She was happy to discuss options and we were able to come to an agreement in which everybody benefits from continuing the Dementium brand.
Recently, when people think of horror remakes, Resident Evil and its big-budget spectacle is at the forefront of the conversation. What do you think of these games and the approach taken by Capcom, and do you there’s a risk of losing something when horror moves away from the genre’s traditionally modest budgets and ‘makeshift’ roots?
I think there’s a place for big-budget horror, just as much as low-budget. I love a high-production horror movie. There’s a unique and special feeling with them. The important thing about any creation, regardless of budget, is the material and what you do with it.
“The long and short of it is that I made many mistakes in how I handled the communication with the Kickstarter community while we were having our own internal crisis with the identity of the game.”
In other Atooi news, you’ve announced a release date for Hatch Tales, a game that (from the outside, at least) seems to have had a rocky road to release. There’s been much criticism from Kickstarter backers over communication — could you go into some of the specific issues you’ve had on Hatch Tales?
Yes, it has been an adventurous development journey. The long and short of it is that I made many mistakes in how I handled the communication with the Kickstarter community while we were having our own internal crisis with the identity of the game. These types of development issues are common, but how to handle them when you have over 1,500 backers wanting to know what’s going on was a new and challenging experience for me.
We hit two major snags along the way. One was the emphasis of the level editor and the other was the kiddy nature of the personality of the game and the main characters. This, in turn, created a third issue with the schedule and budget, which snowballed into the need to make more games to bring in money to fund the continued development of Hatch Tales. It was a very difficult situation, and I am very happy to say we’re passed it now (phew!). We managed to solve the game’s identity crisis and get back on track to complete a game we’re very proud of.
How confident are you with the March ’24 release date?
Eggs-tremely.
Speaking with other devs over the years, it seems that despite the benefits, crowdfunding can have serious drawbacks, especially around design or timeline alterations that players typically wouldn’t be privy to. Is there anything you’d change with your approach were you to crowdfund future projects?
Honestly, I don’t know if my approach to game development is compatible with crowdfunding.
Image: Atooi
Petadachi is another announced project that looked intriguing — what’s the status there?
Yes, I love, love, love Petadachi and I’m very much looking forward to resuming the development of that title soon. It is on hold for now, but we plan to dive back into that delightful universe again in the near future.
You’ve previously mentioned the possibility of revisiting Dementium II and also creating a brand new third entry. Are these still possibilities or, perhaps, in the pipeline?
Nothing planned at this time, but yes.
Are there any recent horror games that you’ve enjoyed and could inform your approach to a potential new title?
The most recent horror title I played that stood out to me was The Mortuary Assistant. A very clever game. I have a few ideas for a new Dementium game that I have been kicking around for a while that I think will present a pretty fresh experience. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to experiment with that in the future.
What do you make of the recent resurgence of DS games on Switch with titles like The World Ends With You and Ghost Trick? Have you found it challenging moving Dementium over to a single-screen format?
I think it’s fantastic. Great games should live on for new players to enjoy. It did take a lot of work to adapt the two-screen nature of Dementium: The Ward over to a single-screen experience, but it was well worth it.
We noticed your horror movie watch list on Twitter for 2023 and there are some true gems in there – are there any particular horror films that have influenced your work?
Our main inspirations for Dementium were Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Doom. In regards to movies, modern classics like Scream really drove home the formula in a very creative and enjoyable way. The opening scene of Scream, where the “credible threat” is established definitely influenced my design for Dementium and the initial sighting of the Cleaver in the first corridor.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Thanks to Jools for taking the time to answer our questions. Dementium: The Ward launches on the Switch eShop on October 12th, 2023, while Hatch Tales will launch on March 28th, 2024.
When you think back on the significant controversy caused by Mortal Kombat back in the ’90s, it’s almost incredible that the series not only survived such choppy waters but managed to flourish into one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time.
Over the course of the next 30 years, Mortal Kombat would reinvent itself numerous times, shaking off the limitations of past hardware to introduce new and more disturbing ways to push the boundaries of video game violence to its absolute limits, and we’re all here for it.
With the recent launch of Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch, we thought it was about time we checked out the entire line-up of Mortal Kombat games on Nintendo systems to find out which ones are the very best, and which ones are best avoided. Not every installment has seen release on Nintendo platforms, but below you’ll find over 20 Mortal Kombat games, from Game Boy ports up to the latest Switch entries.
This kountdown is based on the User Ratings of Nintendo Life readers — that’s right, you lot! So if you think something looks a little bit off with the ordering, then you can potentially alter it in real time by applying your own ratings to each game. Simply tick the star icon on each entry below and give it a score from 1-10 (just make sure you’re signed in first!).
So without further ado, get over here and check out our komplete list of the best (and worst) Mortal Kombat games on Nintendo hardware…
Publisher: Midway Games / Developer: Virtucraft
Release Date: 12th Dec 2001 (USA) / 21st Feb 2002 (UK/EU)
In yet another attempt to extend the reach of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Midway Games opted for a GBA port simply called Mortal Kombat Advance. The problem with this one, however, is that it’s borderline unplayable thanks to the oversimplified controls and awful input lag. Add to this some poor AI for your opponents, and you’ve got a version of Mortal Kombat 3 that is best left on the cutting room floor.
Publisher: Midway Games / Developer: Digital Eclipse
Mortal Kombat 4 on the Game Boy is about as different from its N64 sibling as you can get; it trades the new 3D visuals for 2D graphics and removes all bloody visuals outside of the weird FMV fatalities. There are no weapons or combos to speak of, so the gameplay here is disappointingly basic and not up to scratch when compared to the N64 version. You’re best off giving this one a miss.
Publisher: Midway / Developer: Midway
Release Date: Nov 1995 (USA) / 1995 (UK/EU)
Much like other Game Boy entries in the franchise, Mortal Kombat 3 comes with some understandable compromises that nevertheless make this one tough to recommend. Several characters are cut from the console line-up, the violence has been significantly toned down, and even entire stages have been left out. If it’s the only option available, then it’s a perfectly fine fighting game, but hardly one to write home about.
Publisher: Midway / Developer: Avalanche Software
Release Date: 8th Dec 1997 (USA) / 12th Feb 1998 (UK/EU)
Sub-Zero is an absolute boss, so it’s no wonder that he’d be the one to get his own Mortal Kombat spin-off (though we’re still waiting for that Scorpion game). Even so, Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero proved to be a bit of a misfire for the franchise, attempting to translate the excellent fighting gameplay into more of a platforming adventure game. Very weird… The FMV cutscenes were pretty funny, though.
Publisher: Midway Games / Developer: Midway Games
Release Date: 25th Aug 2003 (USA)
Following on from Deadly Alliance, Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition expanded on the original as a Game Boy Advance exclusive. The game features half the cast of characters that were cut from Deadly Alliance, essentially making this release the “second half” of the game. It’s a bit cynical, in all honesty, but it remains a pretty solid game, regardless. If you like Deadly Alliance, you’ll like this one, but if you already own Deadly Alliance, then there’s little reason to buy Tournament Edition.
Publisher: Midway Games / Developer: Midway Games
Release Date: 22nd Nov 2002 (USA) / 14th Feb 2003 (UK/EU)
Although the Game Boy Advance version of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance will never be anybody’s first choice, the team actually did a commendable job of translating the 3D fighting mechanics onto the humble handheld. The action moves a lot slower thanks to the hardware limitations and there are significantly fewer fighters to choose from, but this is nevertheless a simple, accessible alternative to the console version if it’s the only option available to you.
If you thought Mortal Kombat on the SNES seemed rather incomplete, then you probably haven’t experienced the Game Boy version. It’s missing a whole bunch of content from the original release, but that’s not the biggest sin of this particular release. Input lag can be a bit of a nightmare here, and considering how slow the characters actually move on-screen, that’s quite an achievement. Best avoid this one.
Publisher: Acclaim / Developer: Probe
Release Date: Nov 1997 (USA) / 1997 (UK/EU)
If you can stomach the severe cutbacks made to the Game Boy versions of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II, then you’ve got a nice little two-in-one package here. That alone gives it some brownie points, but the overall experience is still incredibly rough. This is really only for the hardcore fans or collectors out there.
Publisher: WB Games / Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Mortal Kombat 1 on Nintendo Switch manages to deliver this superb game’s Story and Towers modes in a state that’s playable, but only if you’ve got plenty of patience. There are frame rate issues, big resolution dips, input and timing problems related to performance drops, missing content, game-breaking bugs in Invasion mode, long loading times, and unresponsive menus. If you are a huge Mortal Kombat fan whose only option is Switch, you may be able to press through all of this. However, if you have any other option, we suggest you stay away from this one.
The original Mortal Kombat is perhaps more well-known for its unfortunate shortcomings above all else. Thanks to Nintendo’s focus on family-friendly games at the time, the game suffered from a number of deliberate changes that make this entry difficult to recommend unless you’re able to bypass it with a Game Genie cheat code. Blood was replaced with sweat and the signature fatalities were toned down beyond recognition. Still, the core experience is still here, so that counts for something.
Publisher: Midway / Developer: Probe
Release Date: 27th Oct 1994 (USA) / 27th Oct 1994 (UK/EU)
To bring the game to the Game Boy there has (unsurprisingly) been some cutbacks, but what remains manages to keep the feel of the original and there’s much fun to be had from finding new ways to string together attacks. The music is not great, but the simple sound effects work effectively. Having to block using the start button is annoying, but the controls are otherwise excellent. Overall Mortal Kombat II is an early example of a decent portable fighter which will keep players entertained.
Now, a selection of the Nintendo Life team is looking ahead to our weekend gaming plans. Have a read through what we’ll be playing and then take to the comments to leave us some plans of your own.
Jim Norman, Staff Writer
How many weeks in a row can Jim keep the same gaming plans challenge. I am still steadily chugging my way through both Sea of Stars and Metroid Prime Remastered, reminding myself every couple of hours just how stacked the GOTY discussion is going to be this time around. I have also finally re-acquired Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (thanks to some of my wonderful friends) after losing my cartridge a year ago — time to check out some of those catchily-titled “Booster Course Pass Waves”, I think.
Mostly, however, I will be playing more Baldur’s Gate 3. Am I still completely intimidated by the hundreds of hours of playtime ahead of me? Yes, yes I am. But goodness me this game slaps.
Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer
Without sounding like a broken record at this point, I’m afraid I’m not playing a whole lot on the Switch at the moment. I’m dipping into a bit of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury every now and then, but that’s really it.
The thing is, I’m still playing Resident Evil 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 over on the PS5. I’m completely addicted to RE4’s Mercenaries mode at the moment; Capcom really nailed the inclusion of Wesker as a playable character, and the music is simply exquisite. I’m also going to be jumping into COCOON on Xbox Game Pass this weekend too.
Sorry, Switch.
Kate Gray, Contributor
This weekend! I’m going to be playing STARFIELD because, I don’t know? It’s no Fallout: New Vegas but it has the same satisfying shoot-a-boy thing going on, so it’s FUN. I just wish everything wasn’t so far apart. On my Switch, I’ve started playing Slay the Spire again. Mostly because of Moonstone Island. Am I allowed to mention Moonstone Island? The game I worked on? It came out last week and it’s been really fun. I’m not playing that though because I already did.
That’s quite enough from us, but what are you all up to? Drop the game that you will be maining in the poll above and then take to the comments to let us know what else you have on the cards.
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