Keeping in line with past traditions, Amazon Japan is again offering a pre-order bonus for a Nintendo title. This time, it’s for Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World. Those who reserve the game are entitled to a free acrylic key ring.
Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World launches in Japan on January 19. North America and Europe follow on February 3.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade was one of the most visually striking games on Wii. The action game possessed a unique style, and was heavily based in Japanese mythology.
Glixel recently caught up with Muramasa’s creator, George Kamitani, as part of an interview opportunity. When asked about what inspired the title, he explained:
“I had consecutively done fantasy titles so I wanted to do something different. The concept for Muramasa: The Demon Blade came from the idea of presenting a ‘ninja Princess Crown’ concept to the person who created the arcade game Ninja Princess at Sega. The story for Odin Sphere was inspired by Shakespearean theatre so if I was going to make a Japanese version, I felt that the setting should be inspired by kabuki, so I collected a lot of kabuki scripts. I also referenced a lot of Japanese classical literature, but the old language was very difficult. And I was somewhat nervous to use Japanese mythology, so there’s more Buddhist theology in the game.
Visually, I was influenced by block prints from the Edo period, and I imitated the ink-wash painting style using bright, vibrant colors. I was also influenced by the classic Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi anime where there’s a certain comical element to the background. I tried to create an authentic environment that’s different from a realistic style.”
After releasing on Wii many years ago, Muramasa: The Demon Blade came to the Japanese Wii U eShop in 2015. Unfortunately, it’s still not out in the west.
Chronova Games has set a date for Mega Maze, which we first heard about last August. The Wii U eShop title is planned for January 19 on the North American Wii U eShop. The game will cost $3.99.
We’ve included a new trailer for Mega Maze below.
Source: Chronova Games PR
Lots of Dragon Quest news was shared during NHK’s recent 30th anniversary program. We got a new, brief look at Dragon Quest XI with tidbits of information, a message from character designer Akira Toriyama, and more.
On the topic of Toriyama, the television program actually gave a look at some scrapped enemy designs he drew up. Here’s a look:
– Arthur Sion / Arthursion
– Hentekorino (Henteko means weird in Japanese)
– Lizardman
– Halloweenman
– Boss #2
Trio of devs share preliminary Switch thoughts – power, NVIDIA development, what they’re excited for
Well before NX was known as Switch, GamesTM spoke with three developers about the system. The UK magazine previously caught up with DrinkBox co-founder Graham Smith, Rebellion Developments co-founder Chris Kingsley, and Zen Studios VP of Publishing Mel Kirk. Now that we’re starting to get an idea as to what Switch actually is (though much more so next month), GamesTM once again posed some questions to these game makers.
You can read the full Q&A about Switch in this month’s issue of GamesTM. However, we did pick out some excerpts below. Smith, Kingsley, and Kirk shared some thoughts about Switch’s power, developing with NVIDIA hardware, and what they’re most excited about.
Believe it or not, it was almost two years ago when Satoru Iwata first mentioned NX, Nintendo’s next gaming system known as Switch. Now the moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost here. Towards the end of next week, Nintendo will finally tell us everything we need to know about Switch. What’s the final release date? How much will it cost? What are the launch games, and other titles in the production? These important questions will be answered, among others.
Many people assumed that Nintendo would be hosting some kind of event to unveil Switch last year. Yet instead of that, we were teased with a brief announcement trailer. Since we’re about two months away from launch, so Nintendo really needs to fill us in on pertinent details.
The Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 is what we’re all looking forward to. But even after that, Treehouse Live is returning to give us extensive look at new games. Hands-on events will also begin around the world. It’s almost like E3 in January! Actually, it might be crazier than E3. I know that on my end, there will be a lot more to cover.
So for this week’s Let’s Talk, this is our general pre-Switch reveal discussion thread. We’ll have another one of these next week. Do you have any final predictions? Any last-minute hopes and dreams for the week ahead? Just want to share your excitement overall? You can do all of that in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What do you want to see at Super Nintendo World?
Ratalaika Games may not be a name that everyone is familiar with, but they’ve been porting a few games to the eShop since last year. Across Wii U and 3DS, you can find releases such as Defend your Crypt, Blasting Agent: Ultimate Edition, and Twin Robots. Plantera is also due out very soon and could be the neatest of the bunch.
Aside from Wii U and 3DS, Ratalaika Games might be setting its sights on Switch development as well. On its website, the system is specifically mentioned as a platform the company ports to.
We also followed up with Ratalaika directly on this to find out if any active Switch projects are on the way. The response was interesting, as CEO Adrian Vega told us that information cannot be currently disclosed due to the company having partners in Europe/Japan, and he is not authorized to speak about games that have not yet been announced to be in active porting to consoles. We were further told that he may have something to share at the end of this month.
The main takeaway here is that Ratalaika is definitely interested in Switch. Even if we don’t see any titles from them immediately, you can definitely expect new ports down the road.
Shift DX won’t require much space when it hits the North American and European 3DS eShop next week. To download it, you’ll need just 316 blocks. That amounts to 39.5 MB.
Koei Tecmo could be collaborating with Nintendo on another Warriors game for Switch, if the latest speculation is to be believed.
On Wii U, the two companies worked together to bring Hyrule Warriors to Wii U. The game was then ported to 3DS last year as Hyrule Warriors Legends.
YouTuber OBE1plays first claimed that Koei Tecmo is developing a new Nintendo-themed Warriors game for Switch. Apparently, the project is not a retread of Zelda, nor is it based on Star Fox. Laura Kate Dale, who has been posting Switch rumors over the past few months (many of which have proven accurate thus far), wrote last month that Koei Tecmo pitched a Star Fox Warriors title at some point, but Nintendo turned it down.
Following OBE1plays’ report, Dale wrote on Twitter that she’s heard similar things about Koei Tecmo’s Switch game. She as well says it isn’t related to Zelda or Star Fox.
A new wave of Mario toys are coming to McDonald’s Happy Meals. These are actually already out in Japan, but are on the way to the UK beginning on January 11.
Nintendo Life has now shared a commercial for the UK promotion as well as images of the toys. If that wasn’t enough, you can see the Happy Meal box and coloring sheet activities below.
