REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– With each week, Nintendo continues to grow the number of fantastic digital titles available on the Nintendo eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Talented independent developers are showcasing their creativity through upcoming releases, representing a variety of styles and genres, and might even be inventing a few new ones along the way. Key upcoming releases include:
Moon came out for the DS in 2009. It’s been five years since the original game launched, and Renegade Kid will finally be returning to the title in the form of Moon Chronicles.
Renegade Kid couldn’t touch the Moon franchise until now as Mastiff originally held the IP’s rights. However, since the publisher’s five-year ownership period has expired, the studio is now free to do with it sees fit with the series.
But why wait five years in the first place? Why not create a new shooter entirely? Renegade Kid co-founder and director Gregg Hargrove told Polygon:
“[Renegade Kid has] a personal connection to the story and the idea, along with the characters. We could have just created a new story and made a first-person shooter. That’s not terribly hard to do since we’ve got the technology and we know how to.
“But we put a lot of effort into this one and a lot of effort into the story and thought it was clever. It had a lot of potential at being a different kind of story in a sci-fi genre. It’s kind of like our Star Trek universe.”
A bunch of details have come in for Nicalis’ 1001 Spikes. The latest information can be found below.
– Can play with four people throughout the main game
– Can work together to beat tough levels or be jerks to each other
– Single-screen competitive mode lets every player fight over a golden vase that spews coins
– Holding the vase earns you coins, and if you die by your opponent’s hand or the stage, you quickly respawn
– Tower of Nanner mode: vertical stages, 9 lives for each player, reach the top of the tower without everyone dying
– Can hurt each other in this mode as well, but doesn’t make much sense to do so since it’s cooperative
– Playable characters include Indiana Jones-ish dudes, Mr. Video Game (looks like a familiar plumber), and more
– Mr. Video Game dude throws fireballs and a similar musical theme plays when you use him
– Knight goes down to his underwear when he dies like Arthur from Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
– Ninja reminiscent of Ryu from Ninja Gaiden
– Belmont-inspired character wielding a whip
CommanderVideo included
– Each character has strengths and weaknesses
– Could be out in March/April
NintendoWorldReport has gone live with a new preview for Moon Chronicles. Details rounded up from the article are posted below.
– Built from the ground up for 3DS
– New engine designed to take advantage of the system’s advanced graphical features that few third party developers have bothered tapping into
– Bigger, cleaner textures, more complex geometry,
– Dlick specular mapping to make objects shine realistically in relation to ambient light sources
– 60 FPS
– Reticle on the Super Assault Rifle (Kane’s default weapon) has been improved
– Easier to keep a bead on small targets and score head shots on distant enemies
– Circle Pad Pro support
– Light customization options for both control schemes
– Story still told through text dumps like Metroid Prime
– Second season would not only further Kane’s story and could also potentially open up the series to more varied puzzles and gameplay elements than the original game’s engine could support
A slew of details have come in for Treasurenauts. You can find them rounded up below.
– Need to get tons of treasure in the different worlds and levels
– Can get a Wario Land-like reward depending on your total at the end
– Adventure mode: romp through the world at your own pace, collect treasure, defeat enemies
– Hardcore mode: time limit, no saving
– Playable demo had 3 playable characters
– Characters were only different aesthetically
– Final game will include a bunch of different characters, including some from Renegade Kid’s other games
– Character differences come down to three different weapons: sword, gun, bombs
– Each has its own uses and styles
– Need to make use of them to unlock every portion of the world
– World map is inspired by Super Mario World
– Map leads around to different levels that might restrict you in a Metroid fashion
– Ex: access the second world just after the beginning, but need a double jump to progress in it, which is gained after beating the first boss
– If you team up with another player in co-op, you can sequence break together
– Co-op includes Download Play
– Playable demo levels include one from the beach world, jungle world, curse stage, and a boss fight
– Beach world is from the first world
– Culminates in the boss fight with a giant Mama Crab
– The jungle world is the second world
– The stages all had branching paths that had ample amounts of treasure hidden, some requiring different weapons to access
– Curse level is the equivalent of a ghost house in a Mario game
– The world around you gets drearier and colorless as you play, with Spelunky-like ghosts chasing you around as time wears on
– Hit a crystal in the middle of the level to reset the room, bringing it back to normal
– Clock resets and the level is cursed again
– Tentatively targeted for May/June
– Adventure mode was added later on, hence the delay
Polygon has shared a batch of new details covering Shovel Knight’s Miiverse and StreetPass functionality. You can find up a roundup of information below, which also includes quotes from Yacht Club Games’ Sean Velasco.
– Wii U version allows players to leave hints for others
– Choose “The Digger’s Diary” from the GamePad, then leave advice on how to defeat enemies, find hidden gems, etc.
– Can also leave drawings of bosses in rooms just before the encounter
– Digger’s Diary name will probably change
“The cool part is that it’s room-based. Every time there’s a room where you don’t know what to do, or if you just want some more information, you can tap on this diary. [Maybe you’ll] leave a message for other players or get a message yourself, or maybe learn a little more the same way you would trade secrets on the school ground.”
– StreetPass Arena confirmed for 3DS
– StreetPass Arena name is also tentative
– In these levels, players will record five-second clips, which are then used against other player’s recorded gameplay during a pass
– Need to collect gems or hit the opposing Shovel Knight with whatever strategy you’ve recorded
– Can watch the recorded battle and revise your moves once the StreetPass battle is over
– Velasco compared it to a game of rock-paper-scissors, but with a little more strategy
“We’ve done it, and it’s just ridiculous. There are some goals that you’re all going for, but you don’t know what the other player is doing. You don’t know which gem they’re going to go for first. You don’t know if they’re going to use a weapon … It’s just craziness because you do it in these little five second rounds, and you do three rounds over and over. And then it’s just done.”
– Earn gold if you emerge from these battles successfully
– Can rework your strategy if you lose
“It’s a classic-style game, but we’re trying to do as much as we can with whatever modern tech we have.”
Retro City Rampage: DX has been dated for both North America and Europe.
In the US, Vblank Entertainment will launch the game on Thursday – yes, tomorrow! Europe’s release will follow on February 20.
As previously mentioned, Retro City Rampage: DX will set you back $10.
Kotaku recently had the chance to speak with Bravely Default producer Tomoya Asano and assistant producer Shinji Takahashi. The two commented on the game’s Final Fantasy ties and name, interest in localizing Bravely Second, and more.
You can find some excerpts from the interview below. Kotaku’s full piece is located here.
