I havereviewed a lot ofPicross games over the years. I’d call it one of my favorite types of games or puzzles, with its thoughtful logical design and ability to be both relaxing and mentally taxing. I knew nothing about Tents and Trees going into playing this game on Switch. Apparently this is a type of puzzle I didn’t previously know about, but the basics of it evoke the nonogram stylings of Picross. It scratches a slightly different itch, though, and thanks to a delightful presentation and an incredible amount of puzzles, Tents and Trees is incredible.
Every puzzle is a grid, starting from 6-by-6 and going all the way up to 19-by-19 (and maybe beyond in daily puzzles). Trees are peppered throughout and your task is to place tents throughout the grid so every tent only touches one tree while the tent is not touching another tent. Like Picross, each row and column has a number that represents how many tents will go in each one. It took a little for me to wrap my head around the particulars, but once it clicked, I was engrossed. The puzzles are designed to only have one solution and if you hit any brick walls, a solid hint system can help you along. You can even save state your puzzles, both to come back to later and also revert to that save state if you make a huge mistake. My only tiny complaint is that the initial setup for every puzzle starts to get a little bit workmanlike as you figure out the tricks and intricacies of the puzzles. It gets a little rote over time to laboriously check off all the diagonals (this will make sense when you get into the game) to start off every puzzle. Especially since the game lets you auto-complete rows, part of me wishes they also automated more of the mechanical aspects of solving puzzles.
The chill presentation belies how deadly some of the later game puzzles can get, especially when you start introducing columns and rows missing numbers. The serene interface is made even better by both touch and button controls that work well and can be swapped on the fly. It’s hard to accurately communicate just how good everything about this feels to interact with. Different themes and music tracks unlock as you play puzzles, too. An achievement system and a handful of daily puzzles deepen the base game, which already has more than 500 puzzles to begin with. On top of all that, you can even mess around with solving puzzles communally thanks to a four-player local co-op mode.
If you’re looking for more Picross on Switch that’s more than just your standard issue Jupiter releases, Tents & Trees is amazing, making for a novel twist on a logic puzzle game staple. With the excellent style and the ample daily puzzles, this is one I’ll be revisiting for a long time.
Justice League Cosmic Chaos is the DC superhero I didn’t know I needed. The latest from publisher Outright Games continues to cement them as one of the best makers of kid-oriented licensed games. I can personally vouch from playing the likes of DC League of Super-Pets and My Friend Peppa Pig with my children that they shepherd developers to make friendly, approachable games that are fun to play at a variety of ages. However, PHL Collective, the developer of Cosmic Chaos who previously made the Star Fox-ish League of Super-Pets game (and also the rad eight-player local sports game Clusterpuck 99), have raised the bar with their take on Diablo-esque gameplay with Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. This colorful cartoony adventure is a blast, making it a bright spot in a comic book video game world shaded over by the lumbering future of Games-as-a-Service titles like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
To start, the voice cast is incredible, with the playable trio being expertly voiced by Nolan North (who previously played Superman in LEGO content), Vanessa Marshall (who previously played Wonder Woman in the HBO Max show Harley Quinn), and Diedrich Bader (who previously played Batman in the underrated Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon among other reprisals). The delightful surprise for me was Dana Snyder (Master Shake in Aqua Teen Hunger Force) as Mr. Mxyzptlk, who brings the perfect energy for the goofy villain (note: the late Gilbert Gottfried was planned to reprise the character that he brought to life on Superman: The Animated Series, but he passed away before he could. The game is dedicated to his memory, as well as recently passed comic artists Neal Adams, Alan Grant, George Pérez, and Tim Sale). The story, which involves Mxy asserting himself as the mayor of Happy Harbor, is a breezy goofball of a romp. Other Justice League members get taken over by the mind-controlling Starro and it’s up to the team of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to save the day.
The main story is only available in single-player, as you swap between the three characters on the fly. They have a repeatable basic attack and dodge, as well as a variety of secondary and special abilities. The latter abilities are on timers that recharge after use, even when you’re not controlling the character. The combat is relatively simplistic hack-and-slash gameplay at face value, but more nuance lies underneath the hood. Swapping between characters constantly is the optimal way to go, unleashing their different powers as they recharge. Additionally, later on in the game elemental affinities come into play, so Superman’s heat vision can melt down ice foes quickly. On top of all that is a skill tree that unlocks as you level up and upgrades as you collect and use resources. Even beyond that, each hero can have three accessories that augment their power further. Oh and as you rescue members of the Justice League, you can summon them to assist you. It does get repetitive over time, especially because the enemy variety wears a little thin, but the game consistently offers you enough new twists on what you can do to keep it fresh.
Beyond Mxy’s machinations is a boatload of side quests featuring countless DC villains. Happy Harbor isn’t that big of an overworld, but more diversions are nestled there than I first expected. Generally you’ll find some access point that takes you to another location, sometimes just an underground base and other times you just get transported to Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira. The references go deep, especially in the delightful unlockable costumes. Collecting comic books throughout lets you unlock the likes of a dopey Matches Malone Batman outfit or the trippy Batman Zur-En-Arrh costume.
While it’s a little disappointing that the main story is not multiplayer, Cosmic Chaos does have a really cool mode called Instant Action, where two players can just jump right into the fray. As someone who has long been frustrated by multiplayer games requiring a long lead up to actual multiplayer (here’s looking at you, Secret of Mana), this is a welcome addition. It also adds a little bit more longevity beyond the already sizable story mode. What might wear you out from playing all that there is here is the fact that the Switch version is not that visually impressive. It runs well enough, but if you’re coming here looking for a graphical showcase, you’ll leave disappointed. Thankfully the rest of the presentation is great, like the virtuoso voice-acting performances from a list of greats or the animated cutscenes that give you a glimpse of what this game could possibly look like on better hardware.
If you’re looking for a DC superhero game that relies more on arcadey gameplay, whimsical callbacks, and a playful atmosphere, Justice League Cosmic Chaos is incredible. I had a great time playing through this, both by myself roaming around Happy Harbor trying to save the day while getting distracted by side quests and in co-op with my kid in the smart Instant Action mode. With the bar raised for future games from Outright Games, here’s hoping that Cosmic Chaos is the start of a new era for kid-oriented licensed games.
John and Neal take to listener mail once again to dig into the possibility of a major Gamecube Remaster. Keeping on that topic, the fellas explore their most desired remake from Nintendo 64 and Nintendo DS.
After spending most of February on very specifically themed episodes, we've built up quite a bit of listener mail. Alex joins John and Neal to answer your burning questions about the eShop, Gamecube remasters, and so much more!
Meg’s Monster is a peculiar game that might be billed as a JRPG but it’s more of an experimental, narrative adventure. You control Roy - the titular monster - as he stumbles upon a little human girl named Meg who, for some reason, has fallen into the underworld. When Meg starts to cry, she appears to trigger the early stages of the apocalypse so Roy makes it his mission to save her from harm and get her to safety.
The plot is charming, with a localization much better than Japanese developer Odencat’s previous Switch work Fishing Paradiso. The cast of characters in the underworld are sometimes hard to keep track of, but the focus is always on Roy and Meg. Their relationship drives things forward in a way that reminded me of Sully and Boo in the Pixar movie Monsters Inc. Everything builds to a tear-jerking finale that makes the handful of hours this linear adventure takes a rewarding experience.
The aspect of Meg’s Monster that caught my eye was how the turn-based combat works, as Roy has an absurd amount of hit points and is for the most indestructible. However, Meg hates seeing her new monster pal get hurt so battles become a balance of defeating the enemy while also making sure Meg is happy. It’s an excellent way to bring the story and gameplay together, but since the battles are all scripted, it never feels as engaging as I hoped it would be. A lot of fights rely on deus ex machina story contrivances and while occasionally some light strategy and puzzle solving is required, it felt more like an accessory to the story than a main driving force.
It’s a good thing the story of Meg’s Monster is engaging because even if the gameplay cleverly ties into the narrative, it doesn’t amount to much. As long as your expectations are managed and you’re expecting something closer to a visual novel than a JRPG, Meg’s Monster should be an enjoyable read as long you’re ready for some bittersweet emotion.
Fresh off the release of A Legacy in 3D: The Story of Star Fox, John and Neal sit down to discuss the understated importance of Star Fox to Nintendo as we know it. They quickly get sidetracked with Metroid Prime Remastered but its mostly about Star Fox!
30 years after it launched on Super Nintendo, Star Fox's impacts are still evident throughout Nintendo's 3D games. Join host John Rairdin for a journey through the making of Star Fox as told by its original developers, Dylan Cuthbert and Giles Goddard. Featuring an array of special guests and a never-before-seen glimpse into the development of X, the Game Boy title that inpired Star Fox. Produced in collaboration with the Video Game History Foundation.
As we did recently with the Game Boy games on NSO, Neal and Jordan are back once again to rank the six Game Boy Advance games currently available and share two of their most anticipated titles. Following the same debate-style format of the GB ranking, Neal’s going to critique Jordan’s list, and then Jordan will do the same back to Neal. *Nintendo Switch click*
Jordan Rudek's Top 6
6. Kuru Kuru Kururin
Neal’s Take: Bro - just go play Kuru Kuru Kururin. It’s really cool! I think it might be a little overrated just because of its spot as a game that never came to America, but it’s a very clever and unique spatial puzzle game of sorts where you maneuver a rotating stick through various obstacles.
5. Mario Kart Super Circuit
Neal’s Take: Properly rated. I have fond memories of playing this in multiplayer when it was new, but I’m never going back to this game. It does have some neat ideas, like being able to avoid a red shell if you just keep racing perfectly, but it’s soundly my least favorite Mario Kart.
4. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Neal’s Take: Put some respect on the e-Reader levels that are included in this package. Wacko naming scheme and unnecessary voiceovers aside, this is a peculiar portable version of a masterpiece with incredible extra levels that are only available on Nintendo Switch Online (and soon-to-be formerly Wii U and also if you have a bunch of cards you had to swipe into a Game Boy Advance accessory). This is not the definitive version of Super Mario Bros. 3, but this is a cool release.
3. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$
Neal’s Take: WarioWare is maybe the best Game Boy Advance game ever made and is so good that the only WarioWare game that topped it needed a big ridiculous cartridge to even come close to matching the simplistic brilliance of Nintendo’s first stab at microgames. Especially on the heels of the disappointing Switch entry in the series, playing through WarioWare GBA on Switch is a breath of fresh air…even if it’s 20 years old.
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Neal’s Take: We’re not so different here. I don’t think Minish Cap is the best 2D Zelda (though maybe a hopeful replay on Switch will make it so), but it’s one of the best, made stronger by being so unique from a lot of the other 2D entries in the series. I don’t need Nintendo to give me Link to the Past 2 again; I need them to take me to some weird tiny village with kinstones - or whatever the unique equivalent of that is in 2023.
1. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Neal’s Take: I will be 100% honest: I only put Mario & Luigi 4th on my list for controversy. This game totally rules. It’s goofy and funny and the closest to an actual sequel to Super Mario RPG we will ever get. Though even still, I’d hesitate to place this in my own top spot because I think the rest of the series improved upon it and it’s very hard to go back to this early GBA RPG, especially when the 3DS remake is the same but way better.
Most Anticipated (Announced): Golden Sun
Most Anticipated (Unannounced): Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Neal Ronaghan's Top 6
6. Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Jordan’s Take: I can’t disagree with this given Super Circuit’s position on my list. I remember being real disappointed when I brought this game home and realized how cumbersome it would be to play it in multiplayer. It’s probably the worst Mario Kart, and while that doesn’t necessarily make it a bad game, per se, it’s deserving of the ranking here.
5. Kuru Kuru Kururin
Jordan’s Take: Taking a fairly simple concept and making a game out of it, Kuru Kuru Kururin is certainly charming and fun in spurts. It just doesn’t have the staying power of the other titles on this list. I completely agree with Neal that it’s well worth busting out to see if it hooks you.
4. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Jordan’s Take: Looking at the six games that Nintendo brought to NSO, it’s pretty hard to fault anyone for how they arrange the ones that Neal and I have in our top four. They’re all great and hold up quite well. Having not played the remake of Superstar Saga, I don’t have the same point of reference, but I do think the game should be higher here. It’s funny and full of heart, and it definitely helps to fill that void left in Super Mario RPG’s wake.
3. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Jordan’s Take: Awful naming convention aside, SMA4: SMB3 (ugh) is a wonderful addition to the line up, largely in part due to the e-Reader levels that Neal mentioned. The more than two dozen extra levels are clever and challenging, featuring collectables that encourage replayability. On top of that you’ve got an incredibly enjoyable game in Super Mario Bros. 3, even if NSO already has two other versions of it (Super Mario Bros. 3 on NES and Super Mario All-Stars on SNES).
2. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Jordan’s Take: The only game on our lists that happens to fall into the same slot as runner-up, I fell in love with Minish Cap while sailing the high seas–on a large cruise ship with an extravagant buffet. When I wasn’t gorging myself there, I spent our sea days in my cabin playing through The Minish Cap and loving every minute of it. Owning it for the first time thanks to the 3DS Ambassador program, my first experience with the game was a memorable one. It isn’t spoken of with the same reverence as other 2D Zelda games, but it probably should be.
1. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$
Jordan’s Take: There’s no denying the absurdity and hilarity of WarioWare, but I’ve always had the most fun with Wario and his micro games in a larger multi-player setting, like with Smooth Moves on Wii or even Mega Party Game$! on GameCube. Mega Microgame$ is indeed awesome, but for me it doesn’t have the appeal of Superstar Saga and The Minish Cap. That said, it’s by far the best WarioWare game on Switch, so definitely play it for that reason.
Most Anticipated (Announced): Metroid Fusion
Most Anticipated (Unannounced): Mother 3
Whose top six list looks just like yours? Check out these Game Boy Advance titles now on Switch, and then let us know which games you’re hoping to see on the service in the future!
Special guest Super DQP joins the panel to discuss the edgiest of 3D Zeldas. Does Twilight Princess find its own identity or is it merely Ocarina of Time again? Does the HD version improve things? Could the dungeons possibly be the best in the series?
With the latest Nintendo Directly safely in our rear-view mirrors, we wanted to share some thoughts on the new consoles added to the NSO service. First up, Nintendo’s little portable that could: the Game Boy. Riffing on Skip and Shannon: UNDISPUTED, a popular sports debate show, we’ve got Neal Ronaghan and Jordan Rudek lined up to share their top 5 Game Boy games currently available, an honorable mention, and two anticipated titles. Neal’s going to critique Jordan’s list, and then Jordan will do the same back to Neal. *Nintendo Switch click*
Jordan Rudek's Top 5
5. Gargoyle's Quest
Neal’s Take: I’ll be honest–I toyed with putting this before Link’s Awakening on my own list, largely because Gargoyle’s Quest is truly that damn good.
4. Metroid II: Return of Samus
Neal’s Take: I respect this, largely because I have a renewed appreciation for this game after talking to true blue Metroid II superfan Justin Berube a few years ago about it. It’s a janky old Game Boy game, but what it tries to do is impressive even if it slips a little bit courtesy of the samey surroundings and lack of a map. Hunting down individual Metroids is a different feel than the rest of the 2D Metroid games, but the isolating tone still comes through, especially in the stark silence that hits you in the end game.
3. Tetris
Neal’s Take: On a system where I have better versions of Tetris at my fingertips, I find it very hard to go back to Game Boy Tetris. Why play the first Tetris when I could instead play the best Tetris in Tetris Effect? I unlocked some core memories booting this game up, but the time for this 1989 wunderkind is over.
2. Super Mario Land 2
Neal’s Take: This was the first Game Boy I personally owned. I played this front to back dozens of times as a kid and every time it’s rereleased or I stumble upon my Game Boy copy, I hurriedly rush to replay it. What a wonderful video game.
1. Link's Awakening DX
Neal’s Take: I find your lack of Wario Land 3 disturbing. Link’s Awakening as a Game Boy game is far more impressive than Link’s Awakening as a Switch game because to me, the glory of this game is how it takes the limited controls and visuals of the Game Boy and makes it sing to the level of a home console Zelda game. The story is wildly good and the clever ways it makes use of the Game Boy’s button layout rules. Also when it’s Game Boy graphics and not painterly toy visuals that run at an inconsistent framerate on Switch, the simpler puzzle designs are charming and not limiting.
Honorable Mention: Game & Watch Gallery 3
Most Anticipated (Announced): Oracle of Ages
Most Anticipated (Unannounced): Pokémon Crystal
Neal Ronaghan's Top 5
5. Kirby’s Dream Land
Jordan’s Take: Not putting KDL in my own top 5 hurt because I’m so fond of the series as a whole, but the fact that Kirby’s signature copy ability isn’t present makes returning to the original game a bit of a drag. Since I did grapple with it being on my own list, I can admit that the charm and simplicity do hold up today, just not enough for me.
4. Gargoyle’s Quest
Jordan’s Take: We’re nearly in alignment on this one, and I’m actually happy to see Gargoyle’s Quest get a higher rating than I gave it. For an early Game Boy title, it’s incredibly unique, and the combination of action-platforming and a Zelda II-esque overworld complete with random battles make for a very fun experience.
3. Link’s Awakening DX
Jordan’s Take: I’m baffled that what some consider the best 2D Zelda game is outside Neal’s top 2. This is the desert island game about a hero stranded on a seemingly deserted island, and it still holds up incredibly today. It’s the must-play title of the current GB NSO offerings, and it may stay that way as long as the service exists. Without question, Neal takes a year of Luigi-sized L here.
2. Wario Land 3
Jordan’s Take: The third Super Mario Land game was the first Wario Land game, and I think that’s still the best one; it doesn’t get bogged down in Metroidvania trappings and unclear objectives. Playing Wario Land 3 today, I’m reminded that ricocheting off objects that Wario dashes into simply feels bad (man). With the best Wario impression I can muster: “This game stinks, and anyone who puts it in their top 5 does, too.”
1. Super Mario Land 2
Jordan’s Take: Super Mario Land 2 was a massive improvement over the first game, and that alone could be enough to award it the crown for this initial batch of Game Boy games on Switch. It feels like a console game, and that’s a quality that only a few Game Boy games possess. I wish it had a few more worlds to explore, but I can’t fault anyone for putting this at the top spot.
Honorable Mention: Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Most Anticipated (Announced): Pokemon Trading Card Game
Most Anticipated (Unannounced): Catrap
Whose top 5 list looks just like yours? Check out these Game Boy titles now on Switch, and then let us know what your list looks like in the comments below!
Nearly five years after the launch of Octopath Traveler comes its sequel, aptly named Octopath Traveler II. First revealed during Nintendo’s early 2017 Switch unveiling, the first game came out in the summer of 2018 to voracious love from yours truly and a smattering of positive and negative sentiments elsewhere. At the end of the day, that first game sold very well, kicking off Square Enix using the HD-2D engine for Triangle Strategy, Live A Live, and the upcoming Dragon Quest III remake. Returning to the game that started off this trend feels meaningful though, especially since so much has changed about the HD-2D engine, the gaming landscape, and the world.
I’ve had the chance to play through the first chapters of all of the eight new characters (and even the second chapter of one character because of a neat twist) and so far this game feels like a refined and polished iteration in the young series. I’m intrigued by the potential of how the game will unfold from here while also enjoying the changes that I’ve seen firsthand so far. Here’s eight takeaways from my handful of hours of Octopath Traveler II so far.
The Combat Tweaks Make A Good Battle System Even Better
Octopath’s turn-based battles liberally borrowed from Shin Megami Tensei’s Press Turn system (with some more company-adjacent influences like Bravely Default) and for the most part, everything hones in on finding enemy weakpoints and exploiting those weaknesses to stun (or break) them. The biggest adjustment in the sequel is the addition of Latent Powers, which are special abilities triggered when a character receives enough damage or breaks an enemy. Each character has a unique one, whether it’s Throné the thief acting twice or Osvald unleashing a super-powered magic spell. They factor into the strategy of battles, deepening the pool of tactics you can draw from.
Day and Night Mechanic Visually Is Neat And Also Impact Gameplay
At the press of a button (in most situations), you can change the time from day to night and vice versa. Aside from the visual flair of the sun rising and falling to impact the look of the world, enemies are more powerful at night and certain NPCs only show up during one of the two times. It’s better to grind levels at night because of that. Also, the Path Actions from the first game are now double the fun with the day/night cycle. Previously, each character only had one Path Action; now they have two. So Ochette the hunter can provoke NPCs during the day, fighting them and taking their lunch money, while at night, she can befriend an NPCs, bringing them along as a fighter in battle. Every character has this duality and it does a good job of making sure you almost always have every type of Path Action at your disposal wherever you are. Having eight options at one time is a little daunting, but once you settle into it, it’s nice to have the versatility.
Chapter Ones Are Less Onerous
In general, it seems like the first chapters for every character are more streamlined than they were before. They are still story-heavy, functioning as tutorials for the abilities of each hero, but diving into chapter ones is less of a burden than it was in the first game. Also, you have the option of reflecting on a hero’s origins later on in the game as opposed to dropping everything right when you meet them. Ideally, you still want to assemble all eight before you go deeper into other stories, but the game is slightly less rigid with how you go about that.
Chapters Are Less Formulaic
The one major difference to how the first chapters go is Osvald’s, who I chose as my starting character. Osvald is a scholar locked in prison after being framed for the murder of his wife and kid. His first two chapters tell the story of how he breaks out of prison, making for a compelling early adventure and also a unique way of going about these origin stories.
Beyond that, you have multiple options of how to go about the stories as well. For Throné, she’s hunting down the leaders of her thieves (who are named Mother and Father for some reason) and after the initial chapter, you can pursue either leader in different places.
The Promise of Crossed Paths
In the preview segment, I haven’t experienced Crossed Paths at all, but it’s one of the parts of the game I’m most curious about. Adding to the variety of the chapters you can tackle are story segments that involve two characters. Put both characters in your party and go to the prescribed town to, uh, well I don’t know quite what yet. It might function as a standalone chapter or it might be a cutscene. Time will tell, but I like the idea of making these characters interact more. There are also travel banter segments that just seem like the character conversations in Tales games. Those are fine, albeit nothing substantial so far.
Sailing Has My Attention
At the center of Octopath Traveler II’s world is a big body of water that splits up the land masses. I began my story in the northeast with Osvald’s story and proceeded around the map clockwise getting the gang together. I reached a point where I was trying to figure out how to go from Throné’s origin city of New Delsta to the island where Ochette the Hunter lives. There was an underground waterway that I determined had to have a secret exit to get to Ochette’s area. At a certain point, it dawned on me that I can cross the water. So I went to the port section of New Delsta’s overworld and hopped on a ferry to Ochette’s island. Early on, you can ride canoes in smaller waterways on the overworld but it seems like later on you get your own ship. I don’t know how deep the sailing will be, but I’m intrigued because it looks like it might jazz up the exploration after I felt like the exploration dried up over time in the original game.
Visuals Look Great; Music Is Good
The soundtrack for the original game was one of my favorite things about it. It’s been almost five years and I still listen to it from time to time. I’m not thrilled that my takeaway after a few hours is that the music is merely good. I don’t want to conflate that as the music being bad. It’s solid, but the original game’s music wasn’t just solid. It was incredible. Time will tell and maybe I’ll find this game’s version of the sublime Frostlands track.
Visually, you can tell the HD-2D engine has had a lot of revisions since 2018. The camera is more dynamic and the settings seem less washed out by the bloom lighting. I’ve seen a number of novel visual tweaks, especially in any kind of flashback sequence. Castti the Apothecary is an amnesiac and in the few bits of her memories I’ve seen so far, there’s some neat tricks used to make her memory seem faulty.
Favorite Characters So Far
Osvald’s prison break was a fun sequence, so that magic wielder is one I’m glad is at the top of my party. Beyond that, I love having a thief with me to steal items from NPCs so Throné and her thieves guild warfare is another early favorite. Ochette talks to a giant lion in her homeland and I love building up a team of animals to use as accessories for combat so she’s an early mainstay. My fourth party spot is up for grabs currently, though I have a sinking feeling I’ll need to stay balanced as I work my way through the game so there might be a bit of a rotating cast. That being said, Hikari the Warrior Ninja Guy has some interesting potential as he can challenge NPCs during the daytime to then use their abilities in battle. I have not found a true weaklink character yet, which is encouraging because I remember quickly picking favorites in the first game. Time will tell as I work my way through their stories, though.
The surprise announcement and release of Metroid Prime Remastered during the Nintendo Direct on February 8 brought up a few questions alongside the delight of the shadowdrop. Retro Studios was announced as the developer of the remaster, but what does that mean for the development of Metroid Prime 4, which Retro started development on around early 2019.
It appears that Nintendo and Retro Studios had some help to bring out Metroid Prime Remastered, most notably from Iron Galaxy Studios, a developer who worked on Switch ports for Skyrim, Diablo III, and Overwatch (as well as their own original games like the Rumbleverse and Divekick). In addition to Iron Galaxy, the following support studios were also all listed in the credits for Metroid Prime Remastered: Airship Images Limited, Atomhawk Design, CGBot, Gamesim Inc, Liquid Development, Original Force LTD, Shanghai Mineloader Digital Technology, and Zombot Studio.
In looking through the new credits for Metroid Prime Remastered, which notably do not include the original credits for the GameCube or Wii game (but do offer a broad credit to the teams who worked on those games), it's notable that a handful of the credited developers started at Retro Studios after the January 2019 announcement that Retro Studios was taking over development of Metroid Prime 4. Additionally, some of the credited developers left Retro Studios within the past two years. It is unknown the exact breakdown of what Retro staff is working on what game and when, but there's a decent chance that some of the new hiring at Retro Studios in the past few years might have been to support Metroid Prime Remastered as much as they were done to support Metroid Prime 4. For example (according to their respective LinkedIn profiles), Lead Producer Marisa Palumbo was only at Retro Studios from October 2020 to October 2021, Senior Art Director Jhony Ljungstedt started at the company in February 2020, and Art Producer Beverly Garland started in July 2020.
Metroid Prime Remastered is now available on the eShop and is releasing in stores physically later this month. Metroid Prime 4 is still in development with no announced release window.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to be the very last "big hitter" for Nintendo this year. Assuming of course you very specifically define "big hitter" as something that isn't Kirby, Metroid, Xenoblade, F-Zero, Star Fox, most Zelda games, Mario sports games, Donkey Kong, Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, Yoshi, Pikmin, anything by Platinum Games, or any HD remake of a Gamecube game. Other than those.
Alex joins John and Neal for a new release focused episode. From Nintendo icons like Pocket Card Jockey and Fire Emblem, to a brand-new Xbox exclusive in Hi-Fi Rush, there are a lot of great games to talk about. But first, we take a look at the state of Amiibo. Do these small plastic folks still have a place in Nintendo's future?
We are about a month out from Octopath Traveler II. The expected prologue demo should be arriving shortly, I’d imagine. The original had multiple demos, as did HD-2D follow-up Triangle Strategy. Even though Octopath Traveler II is not being published by Nintendo of America like its predecessor, I still think we’ll see a prologue demo before release. Even the Square Enix-published Harvestella had one.
But today we are here to rank the next two characters: Ochette and Castti. In case you missed our previous rankings, the merchant Partitio got a score of 2 out of 8 Octopaths, while scholar Osvald nailed a lofty score of 7 out of 8 Octopaths in the first one. Thief Throné landed 6 out of 8 Octopaths, and cleric Temenos wound up with 4 out of 8 Octopaths in the second set of rankings. As mentioned previously, if I’m committing to the bit fully, I need to fit these final four characters into 1, 3, 5, and 8 Octopaths. So hopefully I am stoked or disappointed about some of these.
Ochette is a hunter, and since my starter in Octopath 1 was Haanit, I’m a little biased from the start. She lives among beastlings on an island in the south of the game’s world. Part of the island has been conquered by outsiders, which gives me pause as the idea of colonization in video games is usually handled with the grace of a buffalo. That being said, I’m a big sucker for her Path Actions, which go between two ends of the spectrum based on her day and night actions. During the day, Ochette can Provoke people and beat the snot out of them. At night, she Befriends them (as long as they’re pampered with an item) and can bring them along in battle. I appreciate a character who is ready to punch people in the face when the sun is up, and then aims to be their besties as the moon rises. Ochette’s story is all about finding some legendary creatures to help prevent some apocalypse. I hope that you oscillate between fighting those creatures and loving them. Mostly because I’m scared the final two characters are going to be nightmares (I know there’s info on them out there; I’m just putting my head in the sand), I’ll give Ochette 8 out of 8 Octopaths.
Next up is the apothecary Castti. She’s an amnesiac lost at sea who is trying to figure out what the heck is happening. Castti is extremely good at apothecarying, which according to her Path Action, makes her very good at soothing people at night. During the day, she has the Inquire action because well, she can’t remember anything so of course she’s going to be asking people 20 questions to figure things out. There’s a good chance Castti’s story has some good twists but as of now, amnesiac stories are tropey and played out. Sorry to your memory, lady, but I’m giving you 1 out of 8 Octopaths.
Since this list is getting near completion, here’s a recap of who has gotten what ranking. Any you agree with? Am I doing Castti and Partitio dirty? Do I hate names with multiple Ts? (ignore the fact Ochette has two Ts)
Zach joins John and Neal for a fund round of Jeopardy (Play along at home and let us know how you did). But first the gang covers recent news out of both Ubisoft and Microsoft. Is the situation as dire as it seems?
We've got a lot of great Nintendo related anniversaries this year, and this month we've got the anniversary of possibly the worst Nintendo Direct of all time. So that's neat.
I have reviewed a lot of Picross games from developer Jupiter, who have been making these games for decades. Their run of Picross-e games on 3DS and then Picross S games on Switch have been consistently good, though with nearly a dozen different Jupiter-made Picross games on Switch, the format of completing progressively larger Picross puzzles in a nearly identical setup and structure has worn a little bit thin. That’s what makes Picross X: Picbits vs. Uzboros, their latest release, a fascinating project. It’s Jupiter’s attempt at jazzing up their stable Picross formula, and while I appreciate the effort, it scratches a different itch than I want out of Picross.
The focus isn’t on taking your time to complete 5x5, 10x10, and 15x15 puzzles in succession. Here, it’s all about tackling varieties of smaller puzzles, typically 5x5, as fast as you possibly can. These short, timed rounds require you to think quickly and act fast. Surrounding that is the subtitle, as I guess you’re controlling “Picbits” and going against the Uzboros. At the end of each round, you’re graded on the puzzles you completed, how fast you completed them, and more to give you a score that turns into damage to an Uzboros. You can switch between button and touch controls, though the speed of the game made me feel like touch controls were the only way to be successful. Each of the game’s many stages also has bonus challenges that typically revolve around using (or not using) abilities. Those abilities do things like increase your score and temporarily prevent mistakes. I found myself really only bouncing between them to make sure I could complete the bonus challenges. Stages also have different twists, whether it’s something like bombs appearing on the grid so you need to make sure you solve it before they explode, or a stage where you have to finish the unused squares as well as the used ones to complete it.
You can also play all of this cooperatively locally or online. I didn’t play too much of the multiplayer, but it’s definitely a novel concept. A lot of what Jupiter has done to toy with cooperative Picross has been interesting over the years and this is an evolution of the basic co-op they’ve included in recent Picross S games. A degree of visual customization crops up here as well, as you can unlock different themes and icons to decorate your play experience. The retro Game Boy aesthetic is particularly charming.
I found myself wanting to go back and play other traditional Picross games as I played Picross X, though. That isn’t to say Picross X is a bad game, far from it. It’s a creative attempt at mixing up the formula for the series. It’s just an attempt that didn’t land as well for me as I had hoped. Here’s to Jupiter continuing to creatively iterate on Picross while also returning to the old style and giving us a new allotment of traditional puzzles every now and then.
I felt a major sense of deja vu recently. "Nintendo has nothing for this year!" "Switch is going to be barren after May." "We only know of five games Nintendo's bringing to Switch!" "When's new hardware?"
Those kinds of sentiments fill the Nintendo discourse every time the calendar changes years. There's mass panic about what Nintendo has on tap as people fret that only a few games are known. In the case of 2023, we have four games known with release dates dotting the first five months of the year. Fire Emblem Engage hits on January 20, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches on February 24, Bayonetta Origins on March 17, and the big one - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom set for May 12. Outside of that, Pikmin 4 is a nebulous 2023. That's it confirmed for 2023. Beyond that, we just have hopes for Metroid Prime 4 and Advance Wars on Nintendo's ledger.
But here's the thing: this kind of knowledge has been the norm for basically every year of the Switch. Technically at the start 2017, we didn't know of any Switch games beyond Breath of the Wild, though by the time we hit Nintendo's full-throated reveal in mid-January 2017, we had a good handle of what 2017 was set to be. But beyond the debut year of the console, we start off every year knowing the specifics of the couple of months ahead with many surprises looming over the course of Nintendo Directs throughout the year.
Going back to 2018, we entered the year knowing only about the near future: Dragon Quest Builders, Bayonetta 1 and 2, and Kirby Star Allies. Those games all came out before the end of March. We also knew about Octopath Traveler. That was it. Labo, launching April of that year, was unknown to start the year. The spring releases of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Mario Tennis Aces were all revealed in a Direct Mini later in January. I guess technically we knew Sushi Striker was a game, but it wasn't until later in 2018 that it was revealed to get a Switch version in addition to the 3DS version announced in 2017. As of that moment to start 2018, we did not know of the holiday releases of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Let's Go.
2019 was a similar story, with only a smattering of games known to kick off the year. New Super Mario Bros. U and Yoshi's Crafted World were both known. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which wouldn't hit until the summer, were also both known. Luigi's Mansion 3 was revealed in a Nintendo Direct the previous fall. But beyond that? Folks we didn't know about Super Mario Maker 2 to start off 2019! Note: I tossed in the half point because technically the games that would become Pokémon Sword and Shield were announced alongside Pokémon Let's Go in 2018, but the games themselves weren't officially revealed and named until 2019.
2020 was a high watermark for mystery (or a low watermark for knowledge?) in terms of Nintendo's year-long lineup, and this was before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered the course of the year. To start 2020, here's what we knew: Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be out in the first few months and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition would be out sometime later. That's it. We didn't even know about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - a March 2020 release - until after 2020 began. Paper Mario: The Origami King, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Mario Kart Live, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity all were mysteries to start 2020., though all of them eventually released that year (and Super Mario 3D All-Stars unreleased in 2021).
Like 2020 the year before, 2021 also had minimal knowledge going into the year, though in this case it was probably because of the pandemic that we had less specific details about the year ahead. The trio of games known as 2021 started were Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Bravely Default 2, and New Pokémon Snap. We didn't know the Famicom Detective Club remakes were coming west yet. We did not know of Skyward Sword HD or WarioWare: Get It Together or Metroid Dread or Mario Party Superstars. We still had plenty of time not knowing what Nintendo's holiday lineup would be.
2022 should hopefully be more fresh in your mind, but even to me I was surprised that, for example, we kicked off the year not knowing that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 would come out in July. We didn't know Nintendo Switch Sports (an April release) was a thing. Live A Live was still just a little-known Super Famicom game 12 months ago. We knew about Pokémon Legends Arceus, Triangle Strategy, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land. We also knew about Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta 3.
That takes us to 2023, where we don't know a ton about what will happen as the years wear on for Nintendo. Maybe Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp finally comes out. Maybe F-Zero makes some return (Captain Falcon Yakuza let's go!). Perhaps Metroid Prime shows signs of life. What's that Mario fella up to? I'd play a Mario Odyssey follow-up, for sure.
All of this is to say that it's January 6, 2023 right now. We have a long year ahead of us that is set to kick off with Fire Emblem, Kirby, Bayonetta, and Zelda. Beyond that, we'll probably have more clarity within the next few weeks. And then more clarity by the middle of the year. And then finally more clarity with some more surprises to close the year. Nintendo keeps things close to the chest. Just hang out and enjoy the ride. Keep calm and game on. Stop worrying about tentpole releases after Zelda and just let whatever floats your boat wash over you. And if you're not into Fire Emblem or Zelda or Kirby, then I don't know, check out an indie game or play an old game. Enjoy yourself.
For close to a decade, I’ve kept a running list ranking my favorite games of the year. I add new games as I play them, idly tinker with it once every month or two, and sometimes make big swings when a game turns sour over time or I find myself returning to it more than I expected. It’s a fun exercise that sometimes shows up in content form here on Nintendo World Report. Starting with last year’s list, I accepted defeat and added in a Top 10 “Games I Wish I Played” because I have two children now and a full-time job outside of this and honestly I’m impressed I even played as many games as I did to begin with. So here’s a list of my Top 5 Switch Ports/Collections, Top 25 Games, and Top 10 Games I Wish I Played.
If I was basing this solely on the impressiveness of the port, Portal would be in this spot, but I had to go with the game that meant more to me here. I only first played Klonoa on Wii, courtesy of that remaster, and it blew me away. It’s just such an incredibly charming platformer with excellent music and style. It also helps that the story has such a left-field twist that worked extremely well for me when I first played it. Being able to replay that game on Switch rules and also being able to play the second game in the series is also a bonus. I’m a little torn as to which game I think is better, so I’ll cheat and say they’re both great.
The arcade machine I gravitated to at the arcade as a kid usually involved some version of these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game so being able to have those games on hand on my Switch rules, even more so because the quality of this collection is off-the-charts fantastic. This might have reminded me how much those old arcade games were just quarter-munchers, but they’re so radical to play. Even aside from the brawlers, it’s a good assortment of games, topped by the Game Boy Metroidvania Radical Rescue and the notoriously hard original NES game that is more playable here than it ever has been before.
Real talk: most of the games in this collection are bad. It’s a lot of primitive console ports of arcade games and early games that are more impressive for the fact they exist. The supremely cool part of Atari 50 is how it’s packaged as an interactive museum. The timeline is presented first, encouraging you to learn the context of these games before playing them. It’s a reminder of how integral Atari was to gaming as we know it, even if the company themselves have been a non-starter for the past 20 years. Also, all of the new takes on old games are really cool. The world needs more vector graphic games.
2. Dicey Dungeons (on Mobile)
I adored Dicey Dungeons on Switch when it hit the platform in late 2020. When I heard it was ported to mobile, I bought it immediately and then just tore through it again. Maybe this is a cheat of a pick but Dicey Dungeons is amazing.
One of the most earnestly heartwarming surprises of the year, Chrono Cross is playable on modern platforms alongside a localization of the Japanese Satellaview release Radical Dreamers. I hold Chrono Cross in high esteem; it’s arguably my favorite RPG on PlayStation. I consider it a masterpiece with a lot of ambitious rough edges. Just because it sits so well for me doesn’t mean it will sit well for everyone but there’s just something about this game that delights me. A weird thing to say considering the tone of the “kill your darlings” story. The music is maybe the best soundtrack ever. The battle system is weird, but enchantingly unique. The massive amounts of potential characters is daunting, but I truly love the way that aspect is integrated throughout the game. And Radical Dreamers? Well, it’s an old visual novel but there’s some good music and lore tucked away inside of it. It’s a great localization of a weird thing.
Top 25 Games of 2022
Programming note: I got COVID at the end of 2022 (still not close to 100% as I’m writing this) so I’m going to speed-run the back of this list.
25. Elechead - An extremely neat platformer with a very clever hook. 24. Toodee and Topdee - An extremely neat platformer with a very clever hook. Listen this and Elechead are different games but they’re both neat and clever. 23. A Little to the Left - Chill and heartwarming puzzle game that is that great mixture of serene and brain-wrinkling. 22. Fishing Paradiso - An under-the-radar game that combines charming slice-of-life writing with low-stakes retro fishing. 21. Tunic - I’m likely lower on this than most, but when Tunic clicked for me, it was incredible. It’s packed with table-flipping concepts, but then it just gets bogged down by Soulslike combat I don’t enjoy. 20. Sonic Frontiers - Embattled as it is, I really enjoyed exploring the world in Sonic Frontiers. Going into cyber space? Not so much. This is a wild mix of highs and lows. 19. Nobody Saves the World - If I could bottle up my feelings on this game in the first few hours, it’d be in my top five. This game is still very good, but once the discovery of new transformations runs out, it starts to slide. Still awesome on the whole. 18. Retro Bowl - Somebody made Tecmo Bowl with a franchise mode. That made for one of best sports game weekends of my life. 17. Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope - I’m about halfway through this game but as it stands, I like it more than the first one. I like the Rabbids weirdness of it and how it feels like a cracked version of Mario. 16. Harvestella - I love Harvestella for what it tries to do more than what it actually ends up doing. It really is a JRPG through the lens of a farm/life sim. It’s not always excellent, but when it soars, it really soars. Also the story, as overwritten as it is, is way stronger than expected. 15. Vampire Survivors (on Steam Deck) - What a smart dumb game. 14. Pick Pack Pup (on Playdate) - The best Playdate game I played. It’s a unique take on match-three with an adorable aesthetic. 13. MLB The Show 22 - I’m still amazed this is functional on Switch. What a port and what a game. 12. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes - I’m a sucker for Warriors games featuring worlds I like. Especially when they manage to make levels feel like light tactics. 11. Dorfromantik - Carcassonne but for single player and also it’s just super chill.
There is not that much game in Mixolumia, but despite that, I think about Mixolumia often. The diamond play area twists (literally)the Tetris-esque puzzle game on its ear and opens up strategic planning and accidental excellence. It was rewarding to both execute a plan and place blocks and have it set off a chain of exploding chaos because blocks fell the right way. The music is also tremendous.
9. Poinpy (on Mobile)
If you have a Netflix account and haven’t played Poinpy on your mobile device, what are you doing? The dude who made Downwell (and then worked at Nintendo for a minute) made another game. It’s on your phone and you probably can get it for virtually free (depending on how you view your Netflix sub). It rules. It’s like Downwell but you go up and also the visuals are bubblegum cute and not pixel grunge.
The sublime feeling of figuring out a puzzle in Freshly Frosted and watching the conveyor belts spill out rules. Maybe the best video game vibe of the year. This is a devilishly hard puzzle game, but I think it does enough to prod you along the way if you hit any walls. Most folks might not remember the developer’s (Quantum Astrophysicists Guild) previous game Tumblestone, but it’s the same style as Freshly Frosted. They take a well-worn concept and twist it into something awe-inspiring.
I had my doubts about Shovel Knight but then I played it and those doubts went away. It’s basically a pick-up-and-play Shovel Knight game. It’s Shovel Knight: Arcade. It’s Shovel Knight, but Downwell. The procedural generation is so good and the element of choice going between each stage gives you enough agency so you never feel totally screwed. It also does a very good job of building you up with abilities and options to help you out along the way.
I mentioned earlier in the Cowabunga Collection portion about how I always loved playing the Turtles arcade games. Well, they made a new one and it owns so hard. While the old arcade beat-’em-ups had some quarter-munching habits, Shredder’s Revenge does not have that same punishment. Instead, it’s just a celebration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their video game history. The fact you can play with up to six players locally or online is incredible and the added nuance with some of the power-ups and moves adds a little bit more to the brawler fray.
Ask me next week and I’ll flip the spots of these games. On one hand, I love how self-contained Arceus is, letting you explore that world to its fullest focusing more on your player character as an active participant in the world. Messy as the visuals may be, it’s cohesive. The Pokemon live in these worlds and you get to sneak around and try to catch them. Collecting the full Pokedex in Arceus is awesome.
On the other hand, Pokemon Violet’s full Pokedex is something I likely won’t end up finishing, but credit where credit’s due I’m the farthest I’ve been in finishing a mainline Pokedex since like 1999. I love how expansive Paldea is and even if the visuals are broken and soupy, I can explore a fascinating world packed with tons of Pokemon. It also helps that the new Pokemon are some of the strongest in a generation I can remember and the three-pronged story paths coalesce into one of the most fulfilling finales in a Pokemon game ever. At the end of the day, I put a combined 125-150 hours across both games in 2022. They both rule.
Neon White isn’t the easiest game to explain, but maybe the simplest way to showcase how this game wound up on our top 5 list for 2022 is that it’s a game that makes speedrunning fun and approachable for virtually anyone who picks up the controller. This stylish game that is self-proclaimed as being “for freaks” is a first-person parkour game where your goal is to complete deviously designed levels as quickly as possible, with each level lasting less than a minute (ideally). The novel twists on top of that basic premise helps to make it more compelling, like the smart card-based combat and movement mechanics where you have a small hand of cards that represent weapons you can use to kill enemies. You can also discard a card to gain a maneuvering boost, whether it’s a double jump or a stomp. Maybe the only place where Neon White stumbles is its story, but even in that case, the social link system tied to other characters opens up both mildly interesting lore and, more importantly, side content that offers even more twists on the foundational brilliance. Toss well-implemented online leaderboards and an earworm soundtrack into the fray and you have a game you can lose hours in.
This is the best RPG I’ve played since Chrono Cross. And not Chrono Cross in 2022, I mean dating back to Chrono Cross’ original release 20+ years ago. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a masterpiece and the only reason it isn’t number one is because it just so happened that another series I love put out an all-timer. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 takes everything I liked about Xenoblade 1, 2, and X and combines it into an absolute dream of an experience. I still think the story in 1 is better, but 3’s story is packed with twists and turns and gut punches. The voice cast is incredible and the side missions, specifically the hero quests, are incredibly good and compelling. The battle system takes the best aspects of 2 and shaves off the gacha nonsense. The class system is in-depth and somehow manages to not overwhelm you with like 20 classes split among six characters that are always on screen at the same time. Exploring the world is just plain fun, especially since the battle system can be toyed around with in ways that can help you outsmart battles against tougher foes. Just a dazzling, incredible game. I can’t wait for the story DLC.
Kirby and 3D have been illustriously separate over the years. Rumors of a 3D Kirby game started up in the GameCube era and faded away as the closest we got to Kirby in a 3D space was Kirby Air Ride and Kirby’s Blowout Blast. Finally, HAL Labs was given some extra time to take the recent run of 2D Kirby excellence that they’ve had to take the pink puffball to the third dimension and boy howdy: it’s amazing. While it isn’t quite the open world folks might have assumed, it feels more like Super Mario 3D World, letting you bounce around isometric worlds, finding secrets, exploring with power-ups and being dazzled by incredible set pieces. Bosses are crazy fun, capped off by a masterful finale. The side missions where you have to use power-ups or Mouthful Modes to quickly complete a challenge are a good change of pace to the longer normal levels as well. They also feed into how you can evolve the copy abilities, adding in much needed variety considering the overall copy ability count is lower. There’s also the fact that an entire fake language was made for this game and they made a song with the fake language. Why did they go this hard? I have no idea, but it made for the best game of the year.
Top 10 Games I Wish I Played in 2022
10. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion9. Dragon Quest Treasures
I’m not going to beat myself up over either of these because they came out in December, but I do want to play both.
8. Hundred Days
I played a demo of this on Steam way before a Switch version was confirmed and it just seemed like such a cool idea of mixing wine-making with puzzling.
7. Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Everyone seemed to think this ruled when it came out on Steam and I’d probably have fun with it.
6. Card Shark
I did play the sizable demo, but it was just a victim of me being busy. I felt pretty satisfied after the demo but one of these days I really want to keep doing sick card tricks to get at the aristocracy.
5. Live A Live
I played the demo and was, well, kind of nonplussed. I think I respect Live A Live for what it tried to do in the ‘90s as opposed to what it is now, but I aspire to give it another shot someday.
4. Bayonetta 3
Bayonetta 1 and 2 stinking rule so even if the story ends like garbage in Bayonetta 3, I feel like I need to play it. Platinum knows how to make a ridiculous action game.
3. Cult of the Lamb
I’m thrilled to see the creator of The Adventure Pals see success with a game where you lead lambs to slaughter. The mixture of dungeon-crawling and town sim always seemed fun.
2. Nier Automata
I feel like I owe it to Matt to play this.
1. Rogue Legacy 2
Rogue Legacy 1 is so good and Rogue Legacy 2 being in Early Access means it likely has some excellent refinement that made previous Early Access successes (like Hades) as polished as they were. I really need to sit down and play this...
Pre-orders are now live on the Switch eShop for Octopath Traveller II, which means we’re getting precariously closer to knowing if Square Enix truly learned from the feedback from the original. Following up on our last preview, I will once again judge the pair of characters Square Enix is detailing in their latest update. In case you missed it, the merchant Partitio got a score of 2 out of 8 Octopaths, while scholar Osvald nailed a lofty score of 7 out of 8 Octopaths.
First up is the thief Throné Anguis, a member of the Blacksnakes guild who hails from the Brightlands. Her story appears to get at the heart of what makes a thieves guild tick, as the organization is run by a man named Father and a woman named Mother. This thieving family deals in the shadows, tying into Throné’s abilities that are largely amplified by the nighttime. Her daytime path action is a pedestrian Steal command, whereas she can knock marks down with the Ambush path action at night. I’m always a fan of thieves in these types of games because it’s fun to just pilfer the pockets of everyone, so Throné gets 6 out of 8 Octopaths.
Temenos Mistral is the other new character revealed recently. This cleric from the Crestlands works at the church as a humble inquisitor until one day, an incident rocks the Order of the Sacred Flame and sets Temenos on a quest to find out what exactly happened to rock the foundation of the church. As an inquisitor, Temenos has some amount of charm, which shows up in his path actions. By day, he can guide people around and by night, he can beat the crap out of people to coerce information out of them. All in a day for a servant of the lord. I’m intrigued by Temenos, but I need to find out more about his Sacred Flame. For now, he gets 4 out of 8 Octopaths.
A new element of Octopath Traveller II is the concept “Crossed Paths,” where a pair of playable heroes have a shared story. Throné and Temenos team up to seek out a treasure nestled away in Temenos’ church. I assume they’ll go at night because both of them have a lot of nighttime benefits.
I feel I might have backed myself into a corner because I’m running this bit into the ground by making sure only one of each rating happens for the different characters. As of now, I have used 2 (Partitio), 4 (Temenos), 6 (Throné), and 7 (Osvald). That leaves the lowest rating and the highest rating, as well as two middle-of-the-road ratings. I hope one of the characters in the remaining four wows me. Conversely, I hope someone seems a little lamer than Partitio.
Until next time, remember to tip your RPG makers and join me in getting ready for Octopath Traveler II on Switch on February 24, 2023.
Picross X: Picbits vs. Uzboross is releasing in North America and Europe on December 19 following the August release in Japan. The game launches at $19.99 (or equivalent pricing) and will have a 25% discount until January 3.
The hook for Picross X involves quick-paced 5x5 puzzles and a more cartoony art style. More than 100 puzzles with different twists and rules are included. Co-op is available with up to eight players.
Additionally, Jupiter's past Picross library on Switch will also be on sale until January 3, including the 2021 release Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition. Additionally, their 3DS library is on sale, likely the last time those games will be discounted before the 3DS eShop shuts down in 2023.
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