We’ve known for a while now that Soldam: Bloom Declaration was going to be released outside Japan, and it seems like we’re now pretty close to that point. Today, the Japanese version was updated to version 1.1, and among some other changes, the game is now fully playable in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Although it isn’t confirmed yet, this likely means that the game will be released on the European and North American Switch eShop pretty soon. If you don’t want to wait, simply download the game from the Japanese eShop and make sure to update the game to its latest version.
Konami seems committed to improving Super Bomberman R even after its launch, as is evident by the continuous patches and updates the game has been receiving. The next patch, which will bring the game up to version 1.3, is slated to be released this Friday. The biggest change will be the addition of a brand stage. Other than that, tweaks will be made to the game’s difficulty setting, as well as other general improvements and fixes.
Character growth and progression is always one of the key features of an RPG, and Dragon Quest XI has just revealed how you’ll be able to develop its characters. The latest issue of Shonen Jump (kindly translated by Gematsu) reveals that this system is called “Skill Panel” – each character has a Skill Panel that has unique skills and abilities and is shaped differently for each character. You can use Skill Points, which can be obtained via leveling up, to unlock panels, which in turn give you skills. The unique twist is that you can only activate panels which are adjacent to panels you’ve already activated, meaning that it’s crucial which “path” you take through the panel.
Here are some of the unique skills that the characters can learn:
Hero – “Giga Slash”: Mow down the enemy using a lightning blade
Camus – “Steal”: Steal items from monsters
Veronica – “Awakening”: Increases the power of spells
Senya – “Melody of Fire”: A flame of protection guards you
Silvia – “Flute of Fascination”: Charms monsters using flute sounds
Martina – “Vacuum Kick”: Hits the enemy with a powerful kick
Row – “Aesthetic Enlightenment”: Attains enlightenment and increases spell effects
The official (Japanese) ARMS Twitter account has released two neat little things today. First is a brief video showcasing the Toaster Arm and its fiery capabilities in action:
炎のアーム「トースター」！
チャージすると発火ギミックが起動！燃えさかるコブシは、相手を一発でダウンさせるハンパネーパンチを生みだします！
旧型「ファイアパンチ」を進化させた、最新モデルです。 pic.twitter.com/Vo9VhY8k1P— ARMS（アームズ） (@ARMS_Cobutter) April 20, 2017
Head past the break for a really cool GIF that shows off Minmin’s animation, created using an “action figure”:
The Zephiel Grand Hero Battle in Fire Emblem Heroes has begun. Players have got until April 24th to beat the level 30 and level 40 version of this fight to unlock the 3-star and 4-star version of Zephiel, respectively. As always, you must not lose any of your units in battle and Light’s Blessing can’t be used.
If you need some extra characters to help you with this, the Battling Zephiel Summoning Focus is now live. The featured 5-star characters are Hana, Nowi, Reinhardt and Frederick. Their anti-armor capabilities will definitely be useful in the battle against Zephiel.
This week’s 3DS eShop charts are as follows:
Software
1. Pokemon Yellow
2. Bye-Bye BoxBoy!
3. Super Mario Bros. 3
4. Pokemon Red
5. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
6. Super Mario World
7. Zelda: A Link to the Past
8. Mario Kart 7
9. Pokemon Blue
10. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo
11. The Legend of Zelda
12. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
13. Super Mario Bros.
14. Pokemon Sun
15. Brave Dungeon
16. Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
17. Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
18. Zelda: Oracle of Ages
19. Blaster Master Zero
20. Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Videos
1. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe – Ready for Launch!
2. Mario Sports Superstars Launch Trailer
3. Nintendo Direct 4/12/17
4. Bye-Bye BoxBoy! Launch Trailer
5. Super Mario Maker for 3DS – Overview Trailer
6. Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition Nintendo Direct 4/12/17
7. Pokemon Sun/Moon – Special Demo Version Video
8. Mario Sports Superstars – Soccer Trailer
9. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World TV Spot
10. Sonic Forces – Nintendo Direct 4/12/17
11. Splatoon 2 – Nintendo Direct 4/12/17
12. Nintendo 3DS Headlines 4/12/17
13. Mario Sports Superstars – Baseball Trailer
14. Mario Kart 7 Video
15. Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch Presentation Trailer
16. Pokemon Sun/Moon – Top 7 Features
17. Nikki’s Tour of Swapdoodle
18. Blaster Master Zero Trailer
19. Pokemon Rumble World Trailer
20. Dragon Sinker – Overview Trailer
Source: 3DS eShop
Capcom updated the Japanese website for The Great Ace Attorney 2 with three official character profiles. Supporting characters Haori Murasame, Soseki Natsume, and Satoru Hosonaga are all fully detailed.
Here’s a summary, courtesy of Gematsu:
Haori Murasame
– Female student at Teito Yuumei University
– Susato Mikotoba’s close friend
– Arrested on a quiet beach, which became the scene of a crime
– She is enrolled in the same study lab as the victim, an exchange student from Great Britain
Soseki Natsume
– Novelist
– Returns home from studying abroad in the British Empire
– Currently the author of the serial novel “I Am A Cat”
– He has attracted attention as an up-and-coming novelist returning home from Great Britain
– During his coverage witnessed an incident
– He is an acquaintance of Ryunosuke Naruhodo from past events
Satoru Hosonaga
– Imperial police detective
– Witnessed the incident while carrying out a mission at the beach
– In order to provide a perfect testimony, he stands in court replicating his appearance at the time of the incident
– A professional undercover detective, he is an acquaintance of Ryunosuke Naruhodo from past events
To celebrate Fire Emblem Echoes’ launch in Japan, two new themes are now available. Both are 200 yen each. In the videos below, you can get a closer look at the themes, music and all.
We’ve heard that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features improved loading times. In a new video from NomComms, we’re able to see just how much they’ve improved.
With the initial boot, the time it takes to start up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is nearly half of the Wii U version. Going into tracks themselves also shave off several seconds.
Watch the full video comparison below.
Another lengthy gameplay video has been posted for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Get a look at 127 more minutes of footage below.
