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A second content update is planned for Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island
Wander what it will be
We previously reported on the first content update for Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, check it out here.
However today Spike Chunsoft has confirmed via a Pr E-mail that a second content update is planned for a Summer 2024 release. You can read their full update down below.
Second Content Update Coming Soon
A second update is in development, targeting a Summer 2024 release. This update will introduce even more new content and functional improvements. Stay tuned for further announcements regarding release and content details.
While that’s all they have to say for now you can bet that we’ll be here to report on the news whenever it does drop.
Fortnite co-creator Donald Mustard says game's success was "humbling"
A True Victory (Royale)
Fortnite has been going strong for seven years it’s easy to forget a time when it wasn’t one of the biggest names in gaming. Coming out of nowhere during the 2017 boom of battle royale shooters Fortnite’s colorful look and quirky style captured the interest of millions and hasn’t let go since.
One must wonder what it was like viewing Fortnite’s growth from behind the scenes, well we have some insight as co-creator Donald Mustard sat down with Games Radar to give his perspective on the series’ growth, you can reads his thoughts down below.
…such a humbling experience the more I reflect on it - and even the whole time, it was an amazingly humbling experience to see that something that I’ve been able to work on with, not just with a bunch of people, a lot of the core team who made Fortnite were people I had been working with for years even decades. We have something we collectively built together and in our heads thought ‘what if we did that thing, wouldn’t it be cool’. and to see that resonate and resonate and resonate with hundreds of millions of people is staggering. And then to be able to experiment in the way that we did.
at the time […] we were just making stuff up. Even the way that we structured the pacing of a battle royale match in our world, it was largely designs to give you most of your time where you were handing out with your friends and not engaging in combat.
“The fact that it kind of worked on the scale it did is astounding and wonderful. I will cherish it forever. I have had so many unique experiences with my own family and my own friends, my own kids, playing Fortnite but then being able to talk with so many people that have been able to be entertained by it. It’ll be a cherished thing for the rest of my life. And I can’t believe I got to experience it.”
The Kickstarter for Lady Death Demonicron has reached it’s funding goal and is now set to come to Switch. The project is a collaboration between Coffin Comics and Art of Play studios.
This new retro-styled beat-em-up brings Coffin Comic’s Lady Death universe to the world of gaming with a brand-new canon story penned by original creator Brian Pulido as well as Coffin Comic’s Mike Maclean and Art of Play’s Ash Nicholls.
Inspired by 90’s greats like Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and Mortal Kombat; Lady Death Demonicron promises to be a 15-level sword-slicing, magic-wielding, side-scrolling love letter to both the genre and the comic series.
If you’re interested in learning more about the game or are even considering chipping in to help reach one of the game’s many stretch goals we’ve included the link to the Kickstarter down below.
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered pinup poster removal confirmed to be mistake, will be fixed in next patch
We'll keep you posted
A few days ago we reported on how the latest patch for Tomb Raider I-III Remastered removed pinup posters from Tomb Raider III. At the time we had no clue if this was done intentionally or not but now we have an official response from the game’s developers.
Aspyr have officially commented on the matter and have clarified that this was a mistake made when updating the game’s textures and the posters will be restored in the next update. You can read the full statement down below.
Thank you to the Tomb Raider community for your continued feedback and support for Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft.
In the recently released Patch 2, we made several texture and graphical updates to the HD version. As part of these updates, the posters in Sleeping With The Fishes (The Lost Artifact) were inadvertently removed in the HD version of the game.
This has been resolved and these textures will be restored in Patch 3.
There’s no word yet on when Patch 3 will go live but when it does we’ll be sure to let you know.
Tengoku Struggle -Strayside- "Kikunosuke" character trailer
What shape will you take?
Aksys Games revealed new details about Tengoku Struggle -Strayside-, the comedic fantasy otome adventure from the team that created Olympia Soirée that’s now available on Switch. Today we get a look at Kikunosuke.
Once the master thief Benten Kozo, Kikunosuke is now a shapeshifter with a voracious appetite. Will he keep things in check on the round-up with Rin? Or will his Desire win?
Hell’s prisoners have escaped to the Human Realm and you must capture & return them. Select a few prisoners to help you - but remember, these are the best of the worst…
It is year XX of the Reiwa era. Through an agreement between the Human Realm and the Hell Realm, Asakusa was transformed into a tourist attraction where the living can meet the dead. One day, the Spider’s Thread was dropped from Heaven down into Hell, allowing many of Hell’s prisoners to escape.
King Enma thus orders his novice Hell Guardian daughter, Rin, to capture the escapees along with Goemon Ishikawa and a few other trustworthy prisoners. When they descend to the Human Realm for their mission, their investigation leads them to an event held by a former prisoner of Hell, Shinobikuni, where she reveals a pardoning app that will forgive people for their sins. What is Shinobikuni’s goal? And what will become of the humans who were promised entry into Heaven?
This is a story that encompasses Heaven and Earth—what fate awaits this world?
Ver. 18.0.1 of Nintendo Switch firmware has just gone live and you can check out the full patch notes for the update down below.
- Fixed an issue where some wireless access points cannot be found when setting up a new wireless network.
- If you’re unable to update to Version 18.0.1 because of the issue, temporarily change the security settings for your wireless network to use only “WPA2 (AES)” so you can connect wirelessly to download and install the system update.
- After updating to Version 18.0.1, restore your network’s security settings to its previous settings.
- General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.
No town is complete without a cafe, and now it’s finally time for one to open in Aviary Village. This is a milestone for the village, so we’re holding a grand opening celebration with a collaboration that features a special guest: the beloved Sanrio character Cinnamoroll!
Starting on April 27th (all times PDT), fly over to Aviary to help Tiptoeing Tea-Brewer mark the grand opening of the cafe with a friendly visitor—none other than Cinnamoroll himself. This friendly puppy once had a life in the clouds—not unlike Sky children.
Since his arrival to life on the ground, he’s become an expert in how to make a cafe lively and inviting, and he’ll be in Aviary Village as part of a special three-week collaboration that welcomes Sky kids to the newest gathering place in the kingdom.
Complete themed Daily Quests as Cinnamoroll explores the area, take snapshots with the colorful decor, and of course, stop by the cafe counter to try some of the freshly baked Light pastries that Tiptoeing Tea-Brewer will be preparing for everyone.
Last year as we sat down to plan all the possibilities for Aviary Village, we realized that a cafe would have to be in its future.
But this new, permanent corner of Aviary Village is more than just a place to get a quick recharge (of Light rather than caffeine) before heading on your way.
The cafe is where you can say hello to friendly faces—perhaps a Spirit, perhaps a fellow Child of the Light. It will also be a place for anyone to request or offer help. Interested in advice for navigating the Trial of Fire? Hoping to guide someone past the Dark Dragons in Wasteland? Looking simply for someone to do Daily Quests with? You may find just the person to team up with while waiting for your order at the cafe.
The Aviary Village cafe is more than just a building, and we’re excited to make its opening a memorable and festive celebration!
While you’re spending time with Cinnamoroll and with friends during the three weeks of the cafe’s grand opening, keep an eye out for event currency! Five can be gathered each day through a themed Daily Quest, putting in an order at the cafe, and taking pictures with Cinnamoroll himself.
As part of this collaboration, a selection of special cosmetics will be offered during the event, from accessories to capes, plushies, and more!
The Sky × Cinnamoroll Pop-Up Cafe event begins at 00:00 April 27th and continues until 23:59 May 17th.
A new feature will be heading to Fortnite with the game’s next update (h/t VGC). This feature will allow players to mute certain emotes in the game that might be seen as overly confrontational.
You can see Epic Games’ full statement on the matter below.
Players who choose this will see a player using the Emote standing still, with no Emote sound…The new setting can be found under ‘Social Privacy’ and will default to only show these Emotes from friends in your party. You can change this setting any time, so you can see these Emotes from ANY player or not at all.
As far as which emotes will be impacted, the list is as follows:
This new toggle option will go live with Fortnite’s v29.30 update which is set to launch this Tuesday.
Run-and-gun platformer Schizollama targets Switch release
Llama llama Ding Dong!
Chaosmonger has announced that Schizollama will see the light of day after all. If you don’t recall, this project was put up on Kickstarter but was unable to meet it’s goal but it seems Chaosmonger have found a way to make the project work after all.
The 2D pixel art run-and-gun platformer is now in active development and planned for release on Switch. Featuring procedurally generated levels, upgradable weapons, and lots of humor Choasmonger studios hopes this will be a game that can entertain all ages.
While a specific release date has not been finalized yet we do have an overview for the game that you can read below.
You will fight by choosing one of the three llamas mercenaries, hired by a corporation for a single objective: to once and for all end the feud with the alpacas. How? By exterminating them all, of course.
The game’s visuals are created using pixel art to achieve a retro-arcade look (think late 80s / early 90s games). Overall, the game is inspired by both classic titles such as Metal Slug and Turrican, as well as modern games like Broforce and Pizza Tower.
Filled with tons of funny splatterish elements, fast-paced action, various upgrades, weapons, and a lot of humor, the game promises to entertain all generations of gamers.
A group of highly-trained mercenaries is hired by a wise old llama to join an almost impossible mission. The aim of which is to exterminate every alpaca out there. The reason? Well, first of all, they are disgusting beasts, second, they are often confused with llamas, therefore is better for everybody if only one species survives. Aboard a drilling-machine, the llamas will travel a bizarre journey all around the world, digging their way out, collecting funky substances, and fighting an army of alpacas and their beastie allies.
Key Features
- 9 different areas divided into 40 procedurally generated levels
- 3 main characters to choose from
- 6 kinds of alpaca soldiers
- 7 kinds of alpaca’s heavy machinery
- 9 bosses
- 18 foe beasts
- 6 weapons
- 23 upgrades
If you know your Indie gaming history then you know the Shantae series had a rocky start. The very first game released on Gameboy Color at the very end of it’s lifecycle condemning it to obscurity and it’s sequel on the Gameboy Advance was cancelled when it was nearing completion. Despite the odds, Shantae fought on to not only become WayForward’s mascot but a beloved indie series with several titles under her belt and with that success even her earlier titles are getting the chance to shine again.
Thanks to Wayforward’s partnership with Limited Run Games the original Gameboy Color game was reprinted and the cancelled Gameboy Advance sequel is also getting a shot at redemption under the name Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution. While this is all great news for the series a recent Interview with WorthPlaying revealed that these re-releases were even more successful than previously thought.
Below is a snippet of an Interview between WorthPlaying, Shantae’s creator Erin Bozon, Shantae series’ director Matt Bozon, and Limited Run Games’ VP of Marketing Alena Alambeigi.
WorthPlaying: Speaking of the older hardware, obviously we’ve got newer hardware like the Analogue Pocket, but there’s been a resurgence in retro gaming. What’s it like for you guys to see this resurgence, this interest, in your 20-year-old game? People are coming to Limited Run, making pre-orders, saying, “We want to buy this cartridge”, sight unseen?
Erin: You know, ever since the first one, that only did so poorly and only released 10,000 copies, and then hearing people wanting to buy it, complaining about how expensive the first game was, and then having Limited Run come along and say, “Hey, we’ll do a reprint of that first game so more people could play it,” that’s always your dream when you’re making a game. You want the most people to get to play it. We’re just so thankful and happy that more people are able to go back and play the older games, and we love that people are still into them. I mean, for us, it’s like a dream come true.
Matt: I think you said it best. I’m not sure I have anything more I could add to that.
Alena Alambeigi: I wanted to add too, like you said, the first Shantae game came out, and it reviewed very well, but it didn’t sell very much. I think partially, maybe, because it was the end of the life cycle of the handheld, right?
Erin: The time wasn’t great for us.
Alena: Between then and now, the series blew up, and when we sold the original print of Shantae …
WorthPlaying: The Limited Run re-release of the original Game Boy Color Shantae …
Alena: Yeah, it sold more through us than it did back in the day.
WorthPlaying: Wow!
It seems that the re-release of Shantae GBC outsold the 10,000 copies of the original release though it’s not stated by how much. Given the fact that the game released on digital platforms as well as the reprinted cartridges this was not impossible but still surprising. If anything, this news is a testament to how much the series has grown, that it’s obscure first release can break 10,000 copies in the modern day.
WorthPlaying then goes on to ask if WayForward would be interested in making more original Gameboy Advance titles in the future and Matt Bozon says that it’s certainly something he is interested in.
It’s crossed my mind before. I’ll just tell you when we opened everything back up and started playing with the tools and things, it really did bring back like, “Oh, this is actually really fun to do.” It’s so nice when you have a tiny team of just a few people, and you know that you’re working directly on the things that the audience is going to experience. It doesn’t have as many layers of abstraction and other people, but then on the other side, you don’t have as much collaboration. You get a lot of nice collaboration with larger teams, and we don’t have huge teams, I’m talking like a dozen people. If you have several animators, you’re going to get great ideas. Programmers working on different bosses are going to feel differently. It’s pretty nice. You get a lot of benefit from a lot of team members bringing ideas. But boy, it’s fun to make a game. I mean, you guys know if you’ve made any. Anyone out there who does a homebrew project or something kind of like a game jam-type experience, it’s very fun to just work with a small group. So yeah, I miss it. I don’t know. I can see doing it again someday.
Matt then ends the interview by reminding all that the physical release of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is available for pre-order until April 7th and that anyone interested should pre-order now as there are no plans to reprint the game.
There were some other interesting tidbits that we didn’t mention so we’ll link to WorthPlaying’s full interview down below if you want to check it out for yourself.
MARS 2120 delayed to second half of 2024, documentary on game's development announced
A delayed launch
QUByte Interactive have announced that MARS 2120 has been delayed to the second half of 2024. Originally slated for release on March 28th of this year the game has been pushed back for better optimization.
Alongside the delay a 4-part documentary entitled “Journey to MARS” chronicling the game’s development has also been announced. The first episode of Journey to Mars is coming sometime in April 2024, you can watch the trailer for the series above.
You can read further details on MARS 2120 down below.
In MARS 2120, humanity has successfully colonized several planets in our solar system, allowing people to escape from an increasingly dire situation on Earth. However, this colonization has come with great risks. After the UN receives a distressing call from Mars, it falls to Sergeant Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte and an elite team of space marines to answer the call and rescue the first colony.
To reach them, you’ll have to traverse harsh landscapes, battling formidable and mysterious enemies using a combination of ranged and melee attacks, along with elemental abilities. How you eliminate your enemies is up to you, as the game offers players a nonlinear approach to both combat and exploration. Inspired by genre pioneers such as Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, MARS 2120 is an action-packed metroidvania that delivers satisfying combat alongside a cinematic touch. Will you survive?
EarthBound USA Documentary available for purchase April 5th
A SMAAAASH!!-ing Success!
It’s been announced that Earthbound USA will be available for digital purchase April 5th.
While the beloved independent documentary about EarthBound’s impact on the Western Market was only available for digitally renting or physical purchase those who want a digital copy will be able to get theirs through services like iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and VUDU.
EarthBound, USA is a movie about discovering the power of online community, butting heads with corporate goliaths and your own looming adulthood, and dealing with your fan site becoming the cult behind one of the most infamous cult-classic videogames of all time, all set in the Wild West of Web 1.0.
EarthBound USA began life in 2013 as a passion project started by writer & director Jazzy Benson. Inspired by the internet folklore surrounding EarthBound ’s U.S. fanbase, and from hearing the insider stories behind Starmen.Net’s legendary petitions and letter-writing campaigns, Jazzy aimed to create a documentary that evokes the atmosphere and environments of a passionate fan community growing up online from one decade to the next.
This independent feature-length documentary of epic proportions was a featured component of Fangamer’s “You Are Now EarthBound” Kickstarter in 2014. Over the years the production staff grew from one to seven people, and the team worked to track down the story of EarthBound ’s release and revival by speaking with the unique voices that experienced it firsthand. Interviews with the game’s creator, former Nintendo employees, members of the 90s gaming press, and the webmasters and community behind Starmen.Net, have been combined with period-appropriate sets, quirky performances, and fast and surprising narrative techniques to present over 20 years of history and personal connections.
ARK: The Animated Series "Creatures of ARK" Video Feature
Fawn over these Fauna!
Paramount Plus have posted a new video to their YouTube channel promoting ARK: The Animated Series.
Entitled “Creatures of ARK” this 5 minute video discusses some of the wildlife found on the ARK in the style of a nature documentary, you can watch the full video above.
Paramount+ today announced that the first six episodes of ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES, an all-new original series based on the hit adventure video game ARK: Survival Evolved, are available to stream now exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada. The series will debut in all other Paramount+ international markets starting Friday, April 19. Part two of the season will debut with seven new episodes at a later date.
The animated series voice cast includes Oscar® winners Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)and Russell Crowe (The Loudest Voice), Gerard Butler (Plane), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Oscar nominees Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) and Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy), Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time), and Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious franchise).
An animated adaptation of the hit video game featuring Yeoh, Butler, Crowe and Diesel, ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES is a sweeping saga spanning eons of human history. When 21st century paleontologist Helena Walker (Madden) finds herself resurrected on a mysterious primeval island populated by prehistoric beasts, she must learn to survive with new allies from throughout time, while trying to uncover the true nature of their strange new world.
A production of Lost Continent Entertainment and Lex + Otis, ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES is executive produced by Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, alongside Marc Diana, Doug Kennedy, Jay Oliva, James Baldanzi, Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent for ONE Race Films; Gerard Butler and Alan Siegel for G-Base Entertainment; and Russell Crowe. Stieglitz, Oliva, David Hartman and Sebastian Montes serve as directors, and the series is co-written by Marguerite Bennett and Kendall Deacon Davis. ARK: Survival Evolved is an original creation of game developer Studio Wildcard.
Hollow Knight: Silksong listing spotted on Xbox store
No April Fools!
Hollow Knight: Silksong has been the white whale of the Indie game scene for quite some time. Every time a Nintendo Direct or some other type of showcase drops fans are always hoping for news on the Hollow Knight sequel and are often left disappointed. Today of all days however, it seems we have new info about Silksong that might suggest new info is coming soon.
As reported by Wario 64, it seems that Hollow Knight: Silksong now has a listing on the Xbox store.
As Wario 64 makes mention of in their post, listings for Silksong already appear in places like the Nintendo eShop or Steam but this listing seems to be brand new.
Adding further fuel to the fire is Xbox Portfolio Sr. Content Planning Manager Nick Zuclich bringing attention to the listing as well. While this could just be Zuclich teasing a highly anticipated game it’s also possible he is teasing news for Silksong may be imminent, but that’s diving into speculation territory.
Whether news on Silksong comes next week or next year you better believe we’ll be here to report on it.
Nintendo Switch 'Cake Time' and 'Bringing The Fun' commercials shared
Bringing the Family Together!
Nintendo of America have posted two more Nintendo Switch commercials to their YouTube Channel.
The First, seen above, focuses on a shy boy bonding with his family over Mario Kart.
The second, focuses on a boy and sister bonding over baking a cake in real life as well as in the newly released Princess Peach: Showtime! You can watch that commercial down below.
