Originally published on Switch Weekly

Issue #397

September 1, 2024

There’s a new Zelda game out this month

Hello again, Chris here with issue #397 of Switch Weekly ( the second this week funnily enough…).

First up, I have a small little favour to ask — if you could tap/open a couple of links from today’s issue, or even hit reply and say hey that would really help send a positive signal to the email gods ( mainly Gmail ) that the newsletter is legit (I’ve had a lot of spammy emails sign up this past week and it will likely impact delivery — so any favourable action from you should help counter things). Also, I’ll be be doing some list cleanup soon, so it’s always helpful to know if you’re still keen to receive Switch Weekly.Thanks so much!

Right, beyond some inside baseball newsletter nonsense, Nintendo held a double-bill Direct on Tuesday, putting together an Indie World and Partner Showcase. It was…. fine? The Balatro crossover stuff looks like a great way to pull people back in, the new Neva game from the team behind GRIS seems to continue their fine pedigree, PowerWash Simulator getting Shrek DLC is amusing, Peglin looks like a rad roguelike ready to fill a Peggle shaped hole in my life, and I’m excited to play the likes of Metal Slug Tactics, The Plucky Squire, and more. Lots to like here, just nothing particularly striking. What did you think?

Finally, there’s just over 25 games coming to the eShop this week — with the likes of Bakeru, Fitness Boxing with Hansune Miku and the Miles Edgeworth Ace Attorney games kicking off September’s release slate. Full list below.

Catch you here next week, or over on the Discord (hit reply if ya want an invite).

Cheers ,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing : Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

▶ Indie World Showcase + Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase – August 2024 — Here’s the 40 minute double-bill if you missed it live back on Tuesday. Some decent announcements, lots of RPGs, and a lot of ” huh, why is that only coming to Switch now ?”. If you’d rather skim a list — Nintendo Life have you covered .

Nintendo of America // YouTube

It’s raining classic RPGs, and Nintendo took away our umbrella — Thoughts on the RPG titles revealed in the latest Nintendo Direct, including Suikoden, Dragon Quest III, and Trails in the Sky.

Aidan Moher // Astroblade

Tetris Forever includes 15 classic versions alongside documentary footage

Samuel Axon // Ars Technica

REVIEW Emio: The Smiling Man – Famicom Detective Club — High-praise from Oliver here, who calls this new entry ” a whirlwind adventure that keeps you on your seat from the opening scene to the very end ” adding that ” it’s one of the best games Nintendo has ever published “. Jay Castello, writing for Polygon , noted that it’s a captivating murder mystery, but one that doesn’t quite stick the landing.

Oliver Brandt // Vooks

▶ The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — Into the Still World, a Journey Continued — Yet another look at the upcoming Zelda game, including details on new abilities.

Nintendo of America // YouTube

Nintendo Museum thoughts and concerns

Berube & Hilhorst // Nintendo World Report

INTERVIEW Civilization VII’s Creative Director talks new ages, frenzied drama & being on Switch day one — A chat with Ed Beach.

Francisco Dominguez // Nintendo Life

Animal Crossing tracks the rise of the original cozy life sim — This is an excerpt from Kelsey Lewin’s new book about the series.

Kelsey Lewin // Game Developer

REVIEW Gori: Cuddly Carnage — This ” hyper-violent, comic book spin on the character platformer is fun and easy to get to grips with ” but ” performance issues plague the experience throughout “.

Ken Talbot // Nintendo Life

▶ The continued story of Melee’s development — A detailed follow-up to the excellent original development documentary with fresh details about Nintendo’s much loved brawler.

David V. Kimball // YouTube

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated.
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores .

⭐️ = Ones to Watch · 📦 = Physical release · 🎮 = Demo available

Mon

2

⭐️🎮 Bakeru — Charming 3D Goemon-esque throwback action adventure platformer in which you journey across Japan’s prefectures. First released in Japan last year, now coming West.

Tue

3

Holyhunt — A punishing, 8-bit style roguelike shooter game.
⭐️ Shashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography — I backed this on Kickstarter — it’s a slice of edutainment about teaching you Japanese through virtual photography.

Wed

4

Billy’s Game Show — Stealth horror ala Five Nights. M for mature.
Mining Mechs — 2D action game about digging underground.
V-Hunter Puzzler DX — Take on sinister monster in this turn-based grid puzzler.

Thu

5

Animal Water Pang! — Suika-esque puzzler.
Badminton Time — Joy-Con swinging arcade sports game, with online.
Egg Console Hydlide MSX — 1985 RPG with fairy mythology.
⭐️📦 Fitness Boxing feat. Hansune Miku — Exercise to over 20 Hatsune Miku tracks. ( Physical release )
Flick Erasers Battle Royale — It’s an arcade battle royale featuring erasers fighting on top of tables. Has online.
Scotland Yard: Hunting Mister X — London detective game for up to six players, based on the board game.
Shield King — A 2D action survival gme set in a ‘mist’ world.
⭐️ Shogun Showdown — Japanese-inspired turn-based combat game with rogue-like and deck-building elements.
Super Shaking Girl!!! — Action game about shaking soda.
The 257th Element — Expect science, humour, and love in this Japanese visual novel.
The Backrooms: Survival — Survival horror with roguelike element set in narrow, tight corridors.

Fri

6

⭐️📦🎮 Ace Attorney Investigations Collection — A double pack of Miles Edgeworth in HD. ( Physical release )
Aero the Acro-Bat 2 — 1994 SNES platformer returns on Switch.
Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection — Yes, that’s the actual name. Three 8-bit 80s Famicom classics, now in English.
Ultimate Holidays — Played Summerhouse ? It’s kinda like that. Small-scale builder about creating postcard-worthy locales.
What Happened: Through Worlds — A 3D first-person grappling platformer.

Sun

8

Gold Digger: The Simulator — 3D mining sim.

⚡️ Quick Links

Remember Croc? He’s back ! In remaster form. ( Turns out plenty of y’all remember … )
The physical release of The Plucky Squire is expected next February .
An Epic Mickey: Rebrushed demo is now up on the eShop.
Breath and the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom seem to break away from the usual Zelda timelines . GOOD.
Pauline is playable in the upcoming Super Mario Party Jamboree.
Nintendo made Tears of the Kingdom load seamlessly by predicting when you would jump in a hole .
▶ This mod makes all the moons in Odyssey harder to get.

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There’s a new Zelda game out this month

🎮 Upcoming Releases

⚡️ Quick Links

Nintendo’s financial results reveal Switch 2 hits 10 million units sold

Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES in America

The NESBOOK is a Nintendo Entertainment System Companion Coffee Book