Nintendo Life | Latest Updates
Forced out. Zynga has announced that it will be shutting down servers for the free-to-play shooter Star Wars: Hunters on 1st October 2025. In a blog post shared on the official website, the developer shared that "We understand this news may be disappointing and want to assure you that this decision was not made lightly. Your passion and dedication to the game and its community have meant the world to us...", confirming what would be coming to the game. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Update: Confirmed for August. Developer M2 and publisher Taito have today announced that the '80s arcade compilation title Operation Night Strikers will also receive a Switch release at some point this year. This one was initially announced for Steam back in November, but a blog post on the Taito website confirmed that the Nintendo hybrid will also be included in the collection's release plans — it feels like a good fit, if you ask us. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Drop it like it's not. Ah, yes, hello. Here I am, yet again, wandering around the same part of the world map over and over. I’m surprised I haven’t managed to cull the White Tiger population near the city of Muse in Suikoden II, because I've been here for almost an hour and I’ve probably killed over 200 of these things. All for one darn rune. 'Why do I do this to myself?' I ask as I continue going through the motions: walk in a circle until I get into a random battle; make sure the enemies are tigers; run away if they’re little clockwork robots, or press fast-forward and auto-battle if they are tigers; defeat them; check the loot; roll my eyes when I don’t get a Double-Jab Orb (formerly known as a Double-Beat Orb which... uh, don’t think about the name too hard); rinse, repeat. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Knight and pay. If you're anything like us, then you probably have a rather large soft spot for Shovel Knight, Yacht Club Games' delightful series of throwback platformers. If you're even more like us, then that'll probably mean that you'll really dig this new range of Shovel Knight clothing. The new collection from Insert Coin Clothing is now available to pre-order and you have to believe us when we say that we're crazy about the campfire jumper. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Here are the full patch notes. Square Enix has announced that the Final Fantasy series has surpassed a whopping 200 million sales worldwide, five million of which have come from 2023's Pixel Remasters. To mark the occasion, the studio has released a new patch for all six games in the collection, bringing the Switch editions up to ver. 1.2.0. The patch doesn't address anything too drastic in the titles, though there are a good number of balancing tweaks and bug fixes to help things run that bit smoother. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
A new day dawns. Atelier has always been one of the more niche JRPG franchises out there, but it started to gain much more widespread appeal with the significant success of the Ryza trilogy over the past few years. Now that Gust has closed the book on Ryza’s adventures (for now, anyway…), it’s come time to see if they can maintain that momentum and successfully pass the baton to a new leading lady to act as the face of the franchise. We’d say that it’s been largely successful in that endeavour. Beyond the title, Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & The Envisioned Land may not be immediately recognisable as an Atelier entry, but it’s a really good JRPG that justifies the liberties it takes in playing with series conventions. Eschewing the low-stakes, slice-of-life approach of past releases, Atelier Yumia goes for a somewhat grittier and more grounded approach to its storytelling. In this world, alchemy is a forbidden and mostly forgotten art blamed for the catastrophic downfall of the Aladissian Empire centuries ago. Now, only the ruins of that once powerful and advanced civilization remain, and lone alchemist Yumia joins with the Order of Eustella to assist the organisation on a research expedition to uncover answers about the empire's history and mysterious destruction. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Let's rock, let's rock today. While it was rumoured for more months than we care to remember, the wait for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's 11th July release date still feels like a long one. Fortunately, Spotify is here to make things a little bit easier. The streaming service has given us our first look at the upcoming bundle's soundtrack, and it looks every bit as rocking as you would hope. Alongside some returning classics like Motörhead's 'Ace of Spades' and 'Amoeba' by Adolescents, 3 + 4 will also feature a boatload of new tracks including ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar's 'Collard Greens' and Wavves' 'King of the Beach'. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Spoiler shields, activate! We are mere days away from the official release of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on 20th March and now, as has been the case with so many first-party releases during the Switch generation, the game has reportedly leaked online. That's according to a new moderator post on the XCX subreddit, warning that the game has been dumped online, and users won't be allowed to share any further chatter about its new content until launch day. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Fingers crossed for an early summer release. All eyes are on Nintendo's 2nd April Direct for more official news of Switch 2, but until then, the rumour mill is working overtime to gather as much information as it can about the upcoming console launch. The latest chatter comes from Famiiboards member LiC (also shared to the GamingLeaksAndRumours Reddit), and it's all to do with a series of North American shipments believed to be carrying a boatload of Switch 2 units. Get your pinches of salt at the ready, folks (thanks for the heads up, wccftech). Read the full article on nintendolife.com
"More accessible and enjoyable". Earlier this year, Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket rolled out its trading feature and certain aspects didn't exactly go down well with the playerbase. This feedback was taken on board, and the development team has now returned with information on how exactly this experience will be changed. Most notably, is the removal of trade tokens - with this update scheduled to be implemented by the "end of autumn 2025". Read the full article on nintendolife.com
"The Chapter of Seign". Following the arrival of Marisa's story at the end of last month, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has now rolled out "The Chapter of Seign". This is the second chapter and will set you back $7.99 / £5.99 (or your regional equivalent). Once again you'll need the main game to access this new prequel story content. This DLC is also accessible via the game's Season Pass and Digital Deluxe Edition. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Cross-save is also expected, but Switch owners will have to wait. The addictive must-play roguelike Vampire Survivors has received all sorts of updates since its arrival on the Switch eShop and this trend is set to continue in 2025. With thid in mind he creator Poncle is already teasing the next free update (Version 1.13) as "probably the biggest free update" the team has ever done. It's due to arrive in March, and while we don't know exactly what to expect just yet, it will apparently be worth the extended wait: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The first update of 2025. Nintendo has announced it will be rolling out Splatoon 3's first update of the year this week - bumping the game up to Version 9.3.0. This update will include adjustments to weapons, Splatfest changes, and all sorts of bug fixes. You can see the official patch notes courtesy of Nintendo's support page below. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
It could also become the "biggest console launch ever". Switch 2 is on the horizon and analysts are predicting it to be the "biggest-ever console launch" in the industry's history as well as the "pricest" Nintendo machine to date. Bloomberg has spoken to multiple analysts who "regularly communicate the company" and its "software and hardware partners" and it's believed it could come with a price tag of "$400 or more". The US tariffs might also "complicate the picture and pressure Nintendo's margins". Read the full article on nintendolife.com
And we've got some footage. M2, the emulation wizards who are responsible for multiple Sega Ages titles, Virtual Console ports, and the excellent Castlevania Advance and Dominus Collections, has shared a brand new trailer for its upcoming game, Night Striker Gear, which is coming to Switch in 2025. The clip was shared on Bluesky by ohfivepro (via Time Extension), with a timestamped version of the stream viewable on YouTube, and this is our first look at the game. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Totally Tactical! We're almost three months in, and we haven't had a single Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game lined up for Switch in 2025 — which, after the trio we got last year, feels like a long time. One that we'd expect to see make its way over at some point, however, is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown, an upcoming turn-based title from developer Strange Scaffold (Sunshine Shuffle, An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs) which will be skating onto PC on 22nd May. You read that right, Tactical Takedown sees the Turtles go turn-based. Playing against the usual heroes in a half-shell hack-and-slash gameplay, Strange Scaffold's upcoming release is more about strategy than slashing. In it, you'll help Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey on a mission to take down the Foot Clan (what are the odds?), with a campaign for each hero. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Including all ports and DLC. The upcoming 'Definitive' Switch version of Xenoblade Chronicles X has gotten us all excited about not just the Wii U gem coming in from the cold, but about the wider series in general. Tetsuya Takahashi's baby has grown and flourished throughout the Switch generation to such an extent that 'Operation Rainfall', the fan-led campaign to pressure Nintendo into bringing Xenoblade Chronicles (among other RPGs) to the West, feels much longer ago than just 13 years. The four games in Monolith Soft's series are jewels in Nintendo's crown. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Expelled! On Your Tail! MLB The Show! The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it's bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy! Switch eShop - Highlights On Your Tail (Humble Games, 13th Mar, $29.99) - In this narrative life sim, you’ll play as the intrepid young detective Diana and explore the charming seaside village of Borgo Marina, where mysteries lie behind its idyllic exterior. Search the streets and shops for leads and collect Clue Cards to help unmask the thief who’s menacing this once-peaceful town. When you’re not solving mysteries, you can enjoy a personal seaside vacation by hitting the beach, hanging out with friends, playing games in the arcade, fishing and more! Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Though FutureLab's denying the rumours. After years of content updates and DLC, developer FuturLab has today revealed PowerWash Simulator 2. If that wasn't news to scrub up for, it seems like it'll be cleaning its way onto Switch 2. As the name suggests, this is a full-blown sequel to the 2022 clean 'em up (is that a thing?), which will see you blasting the dirt off an entirely new range of mucky memorabilia. This one brings in a new campaign, with bonus locales to scrub, fresh, soapy cleaning equipment, a squeaky-clean home base, and more. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
42 tracks, including six bonuses. Knight Shift Games' Elsie is getting a digital soundtrack release and it's available... now! The roguelite action-platformer in the Mega Man X mould released back in 2024 with Playtonic on publishing duties and Eric Benaim's soundtrack was one of the highlights noted in our 8/10 review. Ollie called it "killer", in fact: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
It's wild out there. After last week's stellar debut, you might have assumed that Monster Hunter Wilds sales would have slowed down a little in Japan. Slow down they have, but Capcom's latest is still a long way from having its throne usurped. According to Famitsu's latest numbers, Wilds shifted an additional 101,058 on PS5 in its second week, keeping it firmly in pole position. That's despite an admirable effort from Suikoden I & II HD Remaster, which managed to sell 38,884 on Switch and 10,482 on PS5 in its chart debut — in any other week, that might have even secured the win. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Grab your scissors, Mario. First announced back in May 2024, the second Nintendo Store in the US is scheduled to open on 15th May 2025. Nintendo San Francisco (sorry, Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO) will join the firm's flagship store in New York and give West Coast fans somewhere to pick up Ninty-related swag, clothes, and other merch. Plus, you know, games and Switches. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
And it's around the corner. Publisher PM Studios and developer Pocket Trap have announced that Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is coming to Switch on 28th May 2025. Plus, a free demo will be available on the eShop... today! Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo stakes its claim to being the "world's first yoyovania", boasting over 1000 unique screens, more than 40 equippable badges to provide buffs and skills, and 20 passive abilities to assist in exploration. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Only alchemy could make a title that long. The catchily-titled Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is set to land on Switch next week on 21st March, but ahead of that, Koei Tecmo has revealed a new gameplay trailer and the promise of an upcoming free demo. We'll start with that freebie. The demo is heading to the Switch eShop on 17th March and will let you play through the prologue to an early quest, 'Pioneering the Ligneus Region'. And yes, all your save data will carry over to the full game if you're planning on picking it up a few days later, which is always nice to see. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
That's a lotta Rings. If you cast your mind back to last year's arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in cinemas, you might remember that SEGA created an all-new Genesis cart as a neat bit of promotion. The cart itself didn't contain anything too special (character images, posters and a small minigame), but it was a working cart and it was rare. So you know what that means... Yep, one of these promotional carts has now popped up on eBay with an eye-watering $28,000 price tag attached. The seller, grj409, is also accepting a "best offer" if that beefy listing isn't hit, though something tells us that our humble bid of a fiver won't cut it. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Get ready for Tanuki Kabuki. We had a great time with the stunning metroidvania Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus when it launched on Switch last year and now, it seems, the adventure is set to get even bigger. Announced during yesterday's Humble Games Showcase 2025, developer Squid Shock Studios shared an all-new trailer for the metroidvania, showcasing its upcoming 'Tanuki Kabuki' DLC. This one is set to arrive on Steam at some point in 2025, with a Switch release to be announced "at a later date", and it will be available as a content update for all owners of the game. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Best deals and cheapest prices. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is coming to Switch on 20th March and its release marks the arrival of one of the most anticipated Wii U ports on Nintendo's hybrid console. The series has gone from strength to strength on Switch, with XC2 and XC3 bringing new fans into the Xenoblade fold as well as wowing critics. The arrival of this one completes the set on Switch, but this is so much more than an also-ran - we're incredibly excited to see XCX get the Definitive Edition treatment! Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Switch 2 release when? Ahead of Nintendo's Switch 2 Direct next month, the rumour about Bethesda's 2006 action-RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion getting a "remake" has popped up once again. After leaked evidence dating back to 2023, the latest update suggests it could be arriving "sooner" than fans think. This information comes from the podcaster 'NateTheHate' with VGC also claiming the remake could be here "as soon as next month": Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The physical Switch version is out this month. The cute social sim Hello Kitty Island Adventure arrived on the Switch earlier this year and was well-received, even if it did borrow a fair bit from certain powerhouse games within the genre. It seems the hard work has paid off for Sunblink, with the team announcing the title has now surpassed 500,000 sales across Switch and PC in just 30 days. Sales will likely be bolstered with the upcoming physical Deluxe Edition. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
You can download the demo right now. The Picross experts at Jupiter have this week announced a new crossover release officially titled Picross S Doraemon & F Characters Edition. It will be launching for the Switch eShop later this month on 26th March 2025 and pre-orders are now live. This new crossover entry will set you back $10.99 (or your regional equivalent) and has a file size of 211 MB. To top it off, there's a demo you can download right now! Read the full article on nintendolife.com
And some surprises... Humble Game Showcase 2025 aired earlier before and as usual, there were a bunch of Switch-related game announcements. We've even got some DLC - so here's a quick recap in case you didn't catch the show: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Brave and with heart. If you're a fan of the absurdly charming platforming series Dadish, then you'll be pleased to know that developer Thomas K. Young's next game, Be Brave, Barb, is bringing even more immaculate adorability to the Switch eShop today. Much like the dev's previous titles, Be Brave, Barb is a sweet platformer with a twist of comedy. In this one, you play as Barb (naturally), a somewhat nervous cactus (again, naturally) on a quest to find her lost book of positive affirmations (naturally-er). To help Barb along her way, you'll have to flip gravity to overcome platforming challenges and defeat enemies, all while navigating big topics like anxiety and self-acceptance. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Bundles of joy. We've given this list an early spring clean with several new additions and tweaks. Enjoy! Switch is many a gamer's go-to console for revisiting retro classics, at home on the TV, or wherever you happen to take the handheld hybrid. Squeezing in nostalgia trips between the big new releases has never been easier, and there have been a host of exceptional collections and compilation packages on Nintendo's system that bring together bundles of retro games, often with new features, bells, and whistles. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Be warned. Back in April 2024 you may remember a flurry of excitement when Landfall's Content Warning released for PC. A first-person co-op horror game which involves capturing footage of scary events and uploading it to 'SpöökTube' for likes and clout, it was made free to download for 24 hours at launch and its blend of quirky comedy and genuine scares proved to be a hit. Switch has seen its fair share of shocking clones recently, the latest of which appears to rip off Landfall's game. Out tomorrow (13th March), Content Warning: Scary Filming is... well, let's just compare the key art, shall we? Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Every McCloud has a silver lining. With the Star Fox series skipping the Switch generation, we've seen more than a few imitators step up to fill its space. But none have appeared quite as Star Fox-y as Wild Blue, an upcoming "modern take of the beloved on-rails adventures of the 90s" from Giles Goddard's indie game studio, Chuhai Labs (Cursed to Golf, Halloween Forever). The reveal at today's Humble Games Showcase 2025 didn't showcase all that much gameplay, but reading the description and checking out some screenshots reveals more than a little Lylat System sparkle in its DNA. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Says Clovers offers a "fresh start". Hideki Kamiya has spoken pretty openly about his decision to leave PlatinumGames in late 2023, but in a new interview with Japanese outlet Game*Spark, he dived even deeper into what prompted his departure from the Bayonetta studio. Kamiya cut his teeth in the games industry at Capcom's Studio 4, where he worked under Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami, "a person who has been absolutely indispensable to my career," Kamiya told Game*Spark (translated by Automaton), "both as a creator and as my superior". Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Pikmin Bloom and Monster Hunter Now are also going. It's official — Niantic, the developer of Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now, has sold its gaming division for a staggering $3.5 billion to Scopely, "a world leader in mobile games". This acquisition comes just a few weeks after reports emerged that Niantic was in talks to sell. The deal also includes the community-building apps Campfire and Wayfarer. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
And he reckons Miyamoto will make it happen. Surprise! Takaya Imamura is back with another dream for the future of Star Fox. But this time, instead of calling for a Switch port of Star Fox Zero or Assault again, the legendary Nintendo artist has his heart set on the big screen. At least, that's what he told former NOA staffers Kit and Krysta in a recent YouTube interview. When asked what he'd like to see from a future Star Fox game, Imamura-san took the opportunity to talk about a movie adaptation instead. "A film," the artist candidly replied, "and I would love to be a part of that". Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Full Moon. Moon Studios, the developer behind the Ori series and the upcoming action RPG No Rest for the Wicked, has announced that it is now "fully independent" after purchasing the publishing rights to its next game from the recently sold Private Division. In a new YouTube update on No Rest for the Wicked's next patch, studio co-founders Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol confessed that Take-Two's sale of Private Division was "unexpected news", but the team saw it as an "opportunity". Having negotiated with the former publisher, Moon Studios was able to buy NRFTW's publishing rights, granting the studio full independence. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
"The most complete final version of the trilogy". Inti Creates has kicked off 2025 with the announcement of a new Azure Striker Gunvolt Trilogy Enhanced collection. It will be releasing for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 on 24th July 2025 and contains the following games along with all of the DLC: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Tooty is here! There hasn't been a new Banjo-Kazooie game for many years now, but there are still plenty of fans out there eager for more. With this in mind, First 4 Figures has shared a sneak peek of its new statue - recreating Banjo's sister Tooty, who is captured by Gruntilda in Rare's original Nintendo 64 adventure. Pre-orders open on 18th March 2025, with a $10 discount included if you sign up to the newsletter. No price or release date have been revealed just yet. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The first update of 2025. Nintendo has announced it will be rolling out Splatoon 3's first update of the year this week - bumping the game up to Version 9.3.0. This update will include adjustments to weapons, Splatfest changes, and all sorts of bug fixes. You can see a rough machine translation of the Japanese patch notes below (note: This post will be updated with English patch notes when they go live). Read the full article on nintendolife.com
3DS games optimised for the current gen. In case you missed it, Natsume announced in January it would be releasing a "cozy bundle" for the Nintendo Switch featuring the 3DS titles Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley and Harvest Moon: Skytree Village. This new package, now optimised for Switch, comes with updated UI, updated controls, and higher resolutions textures and effects". In a new announcement today, Natsume has confirmed this bundle will arrive digitally and physically in June 2025 and also shared the first screenshots of each title. So, here's a look: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Out today on Switch. Today marks the release of Beyond the Ice Palace 2, and no, you're not imagining things — this is a sequel the 1988 Amiga, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum platformer. Taking the shape of a Soulslike Metroidvania, Beyond the Ice Palace 2 sees you take up the chains of the Cursed King who has broken from from imprisonment. Touting some brutally difficult combat and platforming and some excellent pixel art, it takes the classic formula established 37 years ago and brings it up to a more modern standard. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
50 games under 20 bucks. We've swept and bolstered this list of great Switch games on the cheaper end of the spectrum. We've also added the lowest-ever sale price to each entry, in case you'd rather wishlist 'em and wait for a bargain. Nintendo Switch's huge library can be overwhelming, with quite literally hundreds of incredible options on eShop. There's always something to tempt you amongst the good, the bad, and the ugly, whether there's one of those enormous sales on or not. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
"I will not stop being who I am". Playdead, the studio behind indie hits Limbo and Inside, has demanded compensation and reimbursement from studio co-founder Dino Patti on claims of copyright infringement — an act that Patti describes as "bullying" from fellow co-founder Arnt Jensen (thanks for the heads up, Game Developer). The pair split shortly after Inside's release in 2016, with Patti leaving to form Somerville studio Jumpship and, this week, the feud between the two has gone public. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Now it's really blossoming. Adglobe and Live Wire's critically acclaimed Metroidvania Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist has received a free update, and its adds a few brand new features to the already fantastic game. In version 1.1.0, which is now live on Steam and is coming to consoles soon, you'll be able to take part in Boss Rush Mode. You unlock this once you've defeated every single boss in the game, and it can be accessed from the Memories menu at any rest point. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Desert Island Dekus. As we approach the end of the 'Switch 1' generation (at least, we hope we're approaching the end), we're starting to get all whimsical about the last eight years. In truth, the Switch has brought us some of our favourite games of all time, and the list of certified 10/10 bangers to have landed on the console is enough to keep us occupied for years — something our ever-growing backlogs can attest to. But rather than focus on the sheer mass of brilliance that now lays out before us, we've decided to be a little evil and cut our libraries down to size. Hypothetically, of course. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Spilling the TT. For years, LEGO has found great success in teaming up with third-party studios to develop its tie-in game titles. However, it seems that collaborations with the likes of TT Games, 2K and Epic may soon come to an end, as a LEGO executive has suggested that the company wants to take things in-house in the future. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, LEGO chief exec Niels Christiansen stated that the company is looking to build its digital departments alongside its classic, physical manufacturing. “We can definitely say as long as we’re under the Lego brand we can cover experiences for kids of all ages, digital or physical," Christiansen told the outlet, " is something we’re building up". Read the full article on nintendolife.com
How to walk in Liberl, with friends. GungHo Entertainment and Nihon Falcom have shared a brand new trailer for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, the upcoming remake of the first Trails / Kiseki game, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. This time around, we've got a brief introduction to all eight of the main playable characters, as well as confirmation of their voice actors. Alongside that, the official website has been updated with character profiles, artwork, and screenshots of each character. Read the full article on nintendolife.com
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