Issue #505

October 25, 2026

Miyamoto honored, Switch 2 jailbreaking takes a step forward

Hello, issue #505 of Hanafuda Report here with your Nintendo digest for the week.

Now, some interesting developments over the past few days around Switch 2 jailbreaking. As I understand it, this software-only jailbreak is an early attempt at opening things up, but it comes with plenty of caveats and it’s been widely noted that AI tools helped find some of the bugs. Those caveats? Well first up, it requires a specific game, second, Nintendo has reportedly pulled that game from the eShop, and third, it has to be re-run after every reboot. Jailbreaking on the original Switch was a big pain point for Nintendo, so it’s one to watch.

Moving on, there’s just over 15 games in the list below for the coming week, with the likes of Minecraft (the Switch 2 edition), The Séance of Blake Manor, and Steins;Gate Re:boot landing on the eShop. More below as ever.

Finally, just like the recent 500th issue of Hanafuda Report, today’s is also another important one for me. This issue marks a decade of publishing my free weekly Nintendo newsletter. I sent issue #1 on October 23rd, 2016. I can’t quite believe I’ve been doing this for ten years now! Thank you all so much for reading, it remains a pleasure to share with you my thoughts each week, shine a light on the best Nintendo stuff the web has to offer, and note which games are worth checking out. ❤️ If you’ve enjoyed these weekly digests and would like to supoprt them, you can do so right here starting at $2 a month. Thanks again!

Cheers,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing: Big Walk

REVIEW Nintendo Switch Sports Resort successfully builds on the Wii sports formula — “everything that a Wii Sports successor on the Switch 2 needs to be“.

Josh Coulson // TheGamer

▶ Is Switch Sports Resort the Wii Sports sequel we wanted? — A review round-up from yours truly.

Hanafuda Review // YouTube

Nintendo veteran Shigeru Miyamoto to receive Japan’s Order of Culture award

Sophie McEvoy // GamesIndustry.biz

Shigeru Miyamoto explains why AI won’t make human creativity obsolete

Andy Robinson // VGC

▶ I started a newsletter because of the Switch. 10 years later… — It’s been a decade of Switch Weekly and Hanafuda Report. To mark the occasion I look back over the original Switch reveal. Join me!

Hanafuda Report // YouTube

REVIEW Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

Alex Seedhouse // Nintendo Insider

Switch 2 supposedly jailbroken via software-only exploit

Liam Doolan // Nintendo Life

Nintendo Switch 2 ROMs reportedly being dumped online for the first time

GoNintendo

Masahiro Sakurai expresses concern over how AI might flood the market with ‘unplayable’ games

Peter Glagowski // Nintendo Wire

Some Pokemon and Nintendo mobile games have age rating raised in Europe in gambling crackdown

Donald Theriault // Nintendo World Report

Nintendo expands Switch online’s Game Boy library with three more titles — That’s Avenging Spirit, Mole Mania and Revenge of the ‘Gator

Liam Doolan // Nintendo Life

REVIEW Final Fantasy Resonance — “Resonance, more than anything else, understands what made early Final Fantasy so endearing and enduring“.

Jordan Rudek // Nintendo World Report

▶ Nintendo’s sexist Zelda ad from 1998

Hanafuda Report // YouTube

How Delta 2.0 turns the foldable iPhone Duo into a modern Nintendo DS

Daryl Baxter // Springboard

REVIEW Village in the Shade: A farm sim that plays with cosy tropes in clever ways

Ryan Gaur // Nintendo Life

Computational analysis ‘solves’ what Mario 64’s infamous plaque says, and it’s not ‘L is real 2401’

Chris Scullion // VGC

Homebrew ‘InkBoy’ project looking to bring Game Boy games to e-paper displays

Kris Moyse // Time Extension

How much Fire Emblem is too much Fire Emblem?

Luis Paez-Pumar // Defector

30 years later, I’m finally learning to play the Ocarina (and you should too)

Omar Hafeez-Bore // Nintendo Life

It’s dangerous to go alone — “I spent nine years playing Breath of the Wild wrong“.

Paul Shkreli // Boss Fights

15 years ago, ‘Return to Dream Land’ ushered in Kirby’s golden era

Paul Cecchini // Nintendo Life

Upcoming Releases

⭐️ = One to Watch

📦 = Physical Release

🔑 = Game Key Card

🎮 = Demo Available

Tue

27

⭐️2️⃣📦🔑 Village in the Shade — A painterly farming sim set in a Japanese mountain village. (Game key card on Switch 2, but there’s also an original Switch physical release.)
📦 9 R.I.P. Sequel — Otome visual novel. (Physical release)
⭐️2️⃣📦 The Séance of Blake Manor — A supernatural detective mystery, set in 1897 Ireland. M for mature. (Physical release)
⭐️2️⃣🔑 Minecraft — It’s the Switch 2 edition, which comes with the Mario-themed content.

Wed

28

2️⃣🎮 Anomalith — Survival third-person shooter set in Japanese liminal spaces.
2️⃣ SNØ: Ultimate Freeriding — A downhill skiing game with endless procedural mountains to explore.

Thu

29

🎮 Pardon My French Toast — 3D platformer in which a slice of toast uses different spreads to get various abilities.
2️⃣📦🔑 Hello Kitty Party Land — Sanrio party game with over 45 minigames. (Game key card release or Switch 1 physical)
2️⃣📦 STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT — Another remake of this popular sci-fi visual novel. Also on the original Switch. M for mature. (Physical release)
Kowloon’s Gate Suzaku — Surreal walking sim prequel to the 1997 original.
The Last Cat in the Universe — A short, narrative driven set on a decaying space station.
Meiji Tokyo Renka Twilight Kiss — A romance fantasy game in which you can travel back in time to fall in love with historical figures.

Fri

30

📦 The Cat in the Hat: Rainy Day Mayhem — Dr. Seuss creations play 18 minigames. (Physical release)
Goodboy Galaxy — A rather vibrant sci-fi 2D platform adventure.
Pinballoid Crush — Pinball, but with adventure and strategy elements.
⭐️2️⃣ Queen’s Domain — A retro-fantasy action RPG.

Release dates are for Europe & U.S. markets unless otherwise stated.
Data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores.

Quick Links

An update means Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 now takes up 91.3GB of your Switch 2 storage.
Samsung’s microSD Express cards are on sale right now if you need some more Switch 2 storage.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition recently dropped on Switch 2.
A demo for Monster Hunter Wilds is now up on the eShop. Save data carries over to the full game, out in early December.
Super Mario 64 becomes a ‘living diorama’ in this Apple Vision Pro fan project.
I spotted this person on Instagram who makes lovely Zelda-themed ceramics.
Darkest Dungeon II now has a Switch 2 Edition.
This iPhone Duo case turns Apple’s new foldable into a Pokedex.
ICYMI I shared some thoughts on the current gaming landscape and how Nintendo’s offering is increasingly attractive.

This newsletter remains accessible and sustainable thanks to the ongoing support of Hanafuda Club members. They get exclusive access to the Club Lounge, a place to discuss all things Nintendo with other likeminded readers.

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Thanks to: Seany!, Perfect Flyer, FrozenTrout, GeeDuhb, MindFad, Paul Pace, Evelynn, CapnGoat, m12y, Sylverstone Khandr, zioibi, BrittOmnRex …and others.

Upcoming Releases

Quick Links

Roguelite Sci-Fi Shooter Moros Protocol Now on Switch 2

Star Fox Adventures is the Hanafuda Club Games Club pick for October

007 First Light is shaken, not shipped as Switch 2 version slips to 2027