Meanwhile, baseball fans can get a taste of MLB The Show 26 for free this week. The latest game trial (for North America only) gives players full access to the game for a set period. It’s available now and ends on 29 April, so jump in and try it for yourself.

In the world of Nintendo Music, this week’s addition to the streaming app brings a new playlist. If you’re a ’90s kid who loved the SNES, this one might be for you. It pulls tracks from the glory days of 16-bit era into one place, ready to listen to on the go.

There’s also a long list of new titles to tempt your digital wallet, inlcuding the Vampire Survivors spin-off, Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors. This one could be interesting. We’ll do our best to try it out and talk about it on our upcoming episode of the Pure Nintendo Podcast.

In the meantime, let us know which games you’re playing this week.

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 highlight

• OPUS: Prism Peak – Play as a weary photographer stranded in the Dusklands, traveling with a girl who has lost her memories. Together, you’ll uncover the mysteries of this land through your camera and find your way home. OPUS: Prism Peak is narrative photo adventure game where players use an old analog camera to capture the perfect shot through framing, timing, exposure, focus, and filters. Photography in this game reflects how closely you look at the world. Take in your surroundings, understand the desires of each spirit you meet, and uncover the world’s secrets. OPUS: Prism Peak is available now on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch systems.

Game Trials

• MLB The Show 26 – Step up and take control of how you leave your mark with this new Game Trial featuring MLB The Show 26! Nintendo Switch Online members¹ can access the free Game Trial period starting today at 10 a.m. PT until April 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you decide to purchase the game during or after this offer, you’ll keep all save data, so you won’t have to worry about losing your progress. Additionally, Nintendo Switch Online members can earn 100 My Nintendo Platinum Points² by participating. As an added bonus, you can purchase MLB The Show 26 for 25% off until April 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT!

Nintendo Music

• Playlists With Power – Charge up your day with the Super NES Selects playlists – available now on the Nintendo Music app! Enjoy tracks from some of your favorite games from the Super NES system, all together in one place. For more info, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/us/switch/online/nintendo-switch-online/nintendo-music/.

eShop sales

• Spotlight Sale – Don’t miss your chance to save on select digital games with the Spotlight Sale! Find great deals on a dazzling selection of exciting games for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Shop on Nintendo.com or Nintendo eShop on your device to purchase and download games so you can start playing them right away. Hurry – this sale ends April 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT! For more information and to view the full list of games, visit https://www.nintendo.com/store/sales-and-deals.

Also new this week on Switch 2

• Fruit Mountain Party – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
• MotoGP26 – Available April 29
• Total Chaos – Available April 29
• Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors

Also new this week on Switch

• 3-in-1 Animated Jigsaws Bundle
• Alice in Wonder Underland AIWU
• Amazing Facts World Culture True or False Quiz
• Amazing Lab! Science Experiments Quiz
• Angry Dog
• AquaDream
• ARTDINK GAME LOG: Aquanaut’s Holiday
• Auto Sport Racing & DRONE DELIVERY – FPV SIMULATOR – Available April 24
• AVILION forever – Retro JRPG
• BAD END: If you play, you’ll die? – Available April 24
• Birthday Boy – Available April 24
• Challenge Together! Elementary School Quiz
• Court of Darkness: Captivation’s Kiss – Available April 24
• Crayon Sea Friends
• Crypt Carnage – Available April 24
• CyberBlocker Complete Edition – Available April 29
• Dark Light
• Dark Secrets Mystery Files
• Dragon Is Dead
• EGGCONSOLE ADVENTURE OF RANDAR MSX2
• Elementallis – Available April 28
• Emoji Battlefield – Summer Vacation
• Floor 9 – Available April 24
• Food Truck Chef – Full Course Edition
• Forensic Science Mystery – Crime Scene Tap & Deduction Game –
• FPS Dinosaurs – Available April 25
• Frost Station – Available April 25
• Fruit Mountain Party
• GAME The Strongest Job Is Apparently Not a Hero or a Sage, but an Appraiser (Provisional)!~Dungeon and Mystery Girl~
• Goat Out of Hell: Lost Pets
• Guts ’n Grunts Sr. – Available April 24
• Indoor Baseball – Available April 24
• Joy Piano
• KAZUMA KANEKO’S TSUKUYOMI
• Kingdom’s Return: Time-Eating Fruit and the Ancient Monster
• Kitchen Wars
• Learn with Illustrations! English Prepositions 4-Choice Quiz
• Locked-Room Mystery : Hidden Truths in Everyday Life
• Magin: The Rat Project Stories – Available April 29
• MAID CARD GACHA : COLLECT, DISPLAY, COMPLETE
• Monster Meals
• Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth – Available April 27
• My Winter Drive
• Nagi no Koi
• Octo’s Balloon Challenge – Available April 26
• Outbreak Zombie Survival Collection
• Party Club
• Perennial Dusk -Kinsenka- – Available April 29
• Pirarucu’s Money Rush – Available April 26
• Reptilian Rising
• Rumbral
• Sky Escort
• Snail’s Knock Out! – Available April 26
• Toad’s Soul Hopper – Available April 26
• Traysia – Available April 24
• Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta – Available April 28

The post OPUS and MLB join this week’s Nintendo eShop roundup appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Along with this news comes an all-new trailer, showing off some of the character creation and gameplay mechanics. Splatoon Raiders seems to focus squarely on being a single-player outing, departing from the traditional all-out brawling aspect of the mainline games.

In the game, you play as a mechanic adventuring across the mysterious Spirhalite Islands. Despite being a solo adventure, a trio of swashbuckling musicians accompany you on your journey: Frye, Shiver, and Big Man. You’ll also be able to join with up to three players online and four via local wireless.

As the trailer depicts, you can customize your appearance and your weapon loadout before heading off to raid the islands for treasure. There’s a variety of mechanical gadgets and ink-splattering weapons on offer, which is part and parcel of the series. After all, what’s more fun that equipping a giant shooter to blast ink in all sorts of creative ways? You’ll use these weapons to splat scores of enemies called Salmonids, as well as conquer raids and salvage loot. Sounds fun.

No Splatoon game would be complete without new amiibo to add to our collections, and Splatoon Raiders is no different. Nintendo has also announced brand-new amiibo figures featuring Frye, Shiver, and Big Man. These amiibo will launch alongside the game on July 23.

Pre-orders for Splatoon Raiders are available now on the My Nintendo Store and Nintendo eShop. The Deep Cut amiibo is also available for pre-order on the My Nintendo Store.

Splatoon Raiders is priced at US$50 digitally and US$60 physically in the United States, and AU$84.95 in Australia.

Are you excited about this Splatoon spin-off title? Let us know your thoughts!

Source: Nintendo

The post Splatoon Raiders release date confirmed for July 23 appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

That’s right, we’ve been running and gunning with this motley crew since 1996. In fact, the first Metal Slug title debuted in arcades on April 19, 1996. There are seven numbered entries in the mainline series, with plenty of spinoffs, remakes, and even mobile editions. The series is best known for its classic side-scrolling action featuring countless enemies to shoot. Its certainly known for its ability to suck those quarters in at the arcade.

With the anniversary project, SNK is looking to “reignite and reboot” the Metal Slug franchise with several initiatives, including new games in development. A special retrospective video has been launced to help mark the franchise’s 30th anniversary. It showcases Metal Slug’s history, while teasing a new mission for fans to get excited about. Check out the video below.

What could this new mission mean? We haven’t seen a proper new entry in the series since 2009, so a Metal Slug 8 would be welcome. We’ll let you know once we have more information.

More information on the anniversary project can be found over on the official website and the team’s Twitter channel (can we still call it that?).

The post Metal Slug 30th Anniversary Project announced appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

I feel the same with this review of Dread Delusion. This is a game I enjoyed, but I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a good game or because it’s just the type of thing I’m inclined to enjoy. So, read on and decide for yourself if any of this sounds appealing.

Boiled down to basics, Dread Delusion is a first-person action/RPG with the flat, bitmappy graphics of ’90s FPS titles like…take your pick, I guess. The era’s visuals do not hold up well at all, but James Wragg—Dread Delusion’s sole developer at Lonely Hellplace—leans heavily into the aesthetics to create a rather stunning world.

Your adventure in this world begins in a cell. The RPG elements are introduced via some initial stat decisions, and you’re then released…with purpose. The land is in turmoil, and you must suppress a rebellion by defeating Vela Callose. You’d think the powers sending you on this mission would properly equip you for the task at hand, but no. You’re given nothing but a rusty old sword and a standard RPG upgrade system.

The RPG elements are what will hook certain gamers (if the visuals haven’t already). There are many routes through the game’s open world, and the one you choose will be determined by how you want to play. You can focus on stats like lockpicking to gain access to the areas you need, or you can just fight your way through. You can charm people to get what you want, or complete quests for them to win their favor. Play the game a certain way one time, then take a different approach the next. You’ll find that different decisions can lead you down completely different paths.

That’s important, because exploring this world is a large part of Dread Delusion’s appeal. Perhaps too large. Combat is never terribly satisfying even as you level up your weapon and gain new skills. Of course, this is in line with the ’90s first-person shooters on which the action appears to be based, but those games compensated by serving up that action relentlessly. Here combat comes in fits and starts. If swords-and-bows-a-blazin’ is your preferred approach, you’ll be let down.

Thankfully, exploration compensates by being continually interesting in ways you don’t expect. You’ll quickly find that objects appearing to be decoration will open to you with key (or at least helpful) objects. New areas can often be accessed in very clever ways. And man…the creatures/people you meet. These are some of the craziest designs I’ve ever seen. What would be grotesque with modern graphics comes off as simply bizarre as presented here.

There is a story of sorts tying things together as you work through the game. It’s mostly delivered via documents you find and people you meet, and it could change the decisions you make along the way. I’m sure I didn’t find everything on my first playthrough, but I wasn’t compelled to immediately hop back in to plug up the holes. It’s more about lore than narrative. That’s fine, of course; a lot of games are. But the lore here isn’t terribly effective.

So, I’ll go back to what is effective: the visuals and the audio. I’ve mentioned the visuals already, which are oddly jarring not only in how the crudely rendered elements relate to each other, but through the colors used, too. The screenshots don’t really capture how cool this effect is, so I encourage you all to find a video of the experience.

That video hopefully includes the ambient soundtrack, which is simultaneously haunting and calming. It wouldn’t be out of place underneath a planetarium narration about the vast emptiness of the cosmos. And the sound effects kind of make it feel like you’re exploring a ghost ship. Considering you spend most of your time on disconnected floating islands, I suppose you kind of are.

What I don’t understand is why Dread Delusion is only compatible with the Switch 2. Nothing in this game appears optimized for Nintendo’s newest hardware. But hey, I’m a consumer, not a developer. And, as a consumer, I have my own unique set of filters that allow things to drip through to enjoyability. They’re why I can visit Nobuhiko Ōbayashi’s House movie, but won’t set foot in Hugh Laurie’s House TV show. Understanding this about the gamers in my network, I wouldn’t recommend Dread Delusion to most of them. For those to whom I would recommend it, however, I do so with aplomb.

The post Review: Dread Delusion (Switch 2) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

On our last episode of the Pure Nintendo Podcast, we talked all about the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, delving into our thoughts on this huge release. We revisit the movie a couple of weeks later and the amazing box-office success. Plus, there’s some exciting news regarding the upcoming Zelda movie, which is now only just over a year away. How did that sneak up on us?!

We also dicsuss an upcoming survival-horror game in Kirk’s Corner as well as the games we’re playing this week. We have some. Enjoy the show!

Check out the podcast on YouTube abovel, or listen to the Pure Nintendo Podcast on your preferred platform.

• Spotify
• Apple
• Amazon

Pure Nintendo Magazine

Our next issue of the Pure Nintendo Magazine is on its way to you! If you missed this issue, subscribe now so you don’t miss out next time.

And if you’re in or around Brisbane, Australia (Jemma’s hometown), you can now find a copy of our latest issue on the shelf at the Comic Book Cafe. Huge thanks to Lawrence and the team for your support!

Finally, don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky and Instagram to keep up to date with our news and reviews.

Until next time, game on everyone!

The post Living the Dream with Tomodachi Life | Pure Nintendo Podcast E158 appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Prisoning is a creative experience. The whole thing begins with a short scene involving a game developer, Fletcher, talking to some sort of psychologist. It seems Fletcher is suffering from anxiety, so his inept counselor suggests a deep sleep to help him face his demons. Naturally, this altered state sets the scene for the playable portion of the game.

You take on the role of a pixelated version of Fletcher when he awakens naked in a 2D world. Why is he naked? Who knows. Probably so the game can earn an M rating. There are a few similarly interesting choices when it comes to humor, including the random use of swear words. It’s all fine and relatively harmless, but I feel like it could alienate some players with its juvenile approach. Other humor is used well, but I’ll get to that later.

The world is split into various rooms, each featuring enemies, save points, or collectibles. A short journey to learn the ropes leads to some clothing (thankfully) and a weapon for our hero. The weapon is a gun with unlimited ammo, making things relatively easy in terms of general enemies. Now that you’re fully equipped, it’s time for some further exploration. 

The Prisoning handles this side of things well. Some areas are inaccessible without unlocking certain abilities. Backtracking is kept to a minimum thanks to generous warp points. It’s always clear where you need to go thanks to the map. Each room has up to four access points coming from one of the four cardinal directions. Rooms only appear on the map after being visited, so any blank spots indicate an uncharted section worth revisiting. 

The controls are good. Fletcher can jump quite high, making platforming fun and simple. He can unlock abilities like double jump to help reach higher places. Shooting Fletcher’s weapon is also satisfying. With unlimited ammo, you can camp in most rooms, jumping and shooting to take out enemies within reach before proceeding. Some more pesky foes fire projectiles that aim directly for you. Take these out quickly, or avoid them by running past. Rooms aren’t locked, making general exploration relatively easy. There are no difficulty options either, so be prepared to move quickly through most of this game if you’re a platforming or run ‘n’ gun veteran.

Boss fights, on the other hand, are much more difficult. There are four in total, each with unique moves to learn and dodge. One downside is that Fletcher only has two hits before he perishes. This is indicated by his hat. One hit, and the hat disappears. Another hit, and it’s back to the last save point.

Save points are generously placed close to boss fights, making repeat attempts much more palatable. They still border on frustrating; I must have died over 20 times with each boss. Still, it feels great to beat them, a feeling I can equate to the likes of proper metroidvanias like Hollow Knight.

Graphically, Fletcher’s Quest looks nice in its 16-bit pixelated glory. Some background features are indistinguishable from platforms, making it unclear at times where to jump. But this is not a frequent issue, and could just be attributed to my poor eyesight. I mostly played this one in handheld mode, too.

The story is purposefully tongue in cheek. There are plenty of fun characters to interact with along the way. There are also several references to gaming tropes, such as the need to gather random items like lemons or chilis before proceeding. Because why not? Fans of the genre will get a chuckle. There are also references to other games that I assume come from this developer or publisher. I appreciate the tie-in, but as someone unfamiliar with the titles mentioned, it’s serving a very niche audience. Perhaps it will encourage players to explore the developer’s library.

The post Review: The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Aimon teaches you the way of the shop with a little chisel and sponge. You’ll start off with smaller objects gifted to you, and learn how to chisel away at the dirt and rocks encasing the objects. Once freed, you’ll learn how to clean the said objects of residue and sell them to travelling humans, mushroom folk, lizard people, frogs, and more. You’ll even learn how to upcycle items to sell for a greater cost. This process is fairly easy, but a little repetitive, and very slow before you upgrade your tools. I recommend doing so as soon as you can, especially the sponge. However, the process is done at your work desk, where each activity uses up a time slot. You have six to use in a day.

Chiseling is the activity I found myself doing the most, especially in the beginning of the game. It’s a mini-game in which you’re shown a pile of blocks resembling dirt and stone. The goal is to break off all the unwanted pieces by clicking or holding down A or ZR, leaving only the blocks resembling the object.

Some blocks break with one tap, others multiple. On some, only one side can break, and some don’t break at all. It’s like a little archeology puzzle which, although repetitive, I found fun. Depending upon the size of your discovery, the block sizes and shapes differ as well, making some excavations a little longer or more challenging than others.

Cleaning is done with the sponge, and feels the most tedious. You have to turn the trinket with the left stick, and move the sponge around with the right. You hold A or ZR to use the sponge. This is the activity I found quite boring, as the start of the game gives you a small sponge and a lot of residue.

However, even just the first upgrade to the sponge helped a lot in making that process go by more quickly. Plus, it’s not always a requirement for the trinkets to be clean. Sometimes customers will ask for their items to be clean, but otherwise they won’t care. However, giving a customer a clean trinket no matter what they asked for will give you more money.

Upcycling is what makes the game feel personal, especially during the current rise of cozy management games. This activity involves the pliers which are unlocked a little after the chisel and sponge, and are also upgradable. They allow you to connect one trinket to another, resulting in your own beautiful creations, whether they be weapons, tools, dolls, containers, or décor.

Some items are meant to be placed together, and fit perfectly, while others are standalone objects that can be used anywhere. This allows for a lot of creativity to restore pretty antiques or create weird and goofy sculptures or tools. As you upgrade the pliers, you unlock the ability to attach more items to one trinket, as well as the ability to rotate the items you add.

Selling is the final step in managing the shop. This is the easiest and most rewarding part of the process, as it not only grants you money, but also helps build connection with each race, giving you a higher possibility to receive tips. The window where you sell your items is also where you’ll communicate with most characters, meaning a lot of the story is developed here. You’ll get an icon at the bottom of your screen if a customer appears. They’ll tell you what they want, and if it’s an unimportant character and you don’t have the item or want to spend time slots looking for or cleaning it, you can tell them “no luck,” and they’ll leave. No negative feelings, no damage done to you or your shop.

If you don’t have an item a named character wants, you can tell them to come back for it later, as most of the time their requests feel more like quests with meaning rather than a shopping list. Selling items and talking to NPCs doesn’t require any time slots, and they’ll wait outside for you all night if you’re out of time slots but know you have what they need.

Along with running a business through this cart, you also have the opportunity to travel with it and decorate it. Markets pop up every couple of days, allowing you to travel from place to place, with the guarantee to sell anything you bring. You travel by using the map and calendar by your bed.

Decorating the shop is just as important as the rest of the game, as certain furniture you buy allows you to have more storage or space to work. You can also buy upgrades to the shop that allow you to display items for sale. Other than that, there are shelves, plants, and other décor you can buy to spice up the place.

Although Trash Goblin doesn’t offer a lot of variety in its gameplay, it still feels incredibly charming. The art style is cute, and it does a great job of setting the whimsical, fantastical area known as Silver City. The characters are dressed in armor and robes, and the backgrounds show beautiful trees and scenery. The game also feels very hands-on, allowing you to express your creativity through any upcycling you do. It offers around 20 hours of gameplay. And although the technicality of it felt repetitive at times, it was still a lovely time, and many of the characters’ stories made up for it. I’d recommend this game to anyone who enjoys low-maintenance games with strong character personalities.

The post Review: Trash Goblin (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Yono’s brother is an exorcist, but he’s gone missing. This prompts Yono to become an Onmyouji herself, and it’s not long before she’s called to put her skills to the test in the family villa. Thankfully for her (and, more specifically, us), a helpful tutorial is there to explain the mechanics…because this game requires some explaining.

Basically, you’ve got a top-down view of the various buildings on a room-by-room basis. Each room contains one or more doors to progress through, but behind those doors could be any type of yokai or other spirits, called monomoke. And unfortunately, you’re not given much to counter that threat. You need to figure out how to survive and progress based solely on what you pick up as you make your way through.

They apparently don’t teach exorcists that “the separation’s in the preparation.”

Items include a gun that you can shoot through doors, but your ammunition is limited and the gun isn’t effective against all mononoke. You can lay down a bear trap to eliminate some of the larger ones, but even that may not be enough. So, you have to be clever. Really clever.

For example, certain spirits can’t be shot, but you can guide them to light a fire, and you can then lure other mononoke into that fire. Some rooms are dark when you first enter them, and you’ll need a candle to find and uncover key items. Candles burn out, however, so it’s important to find a lantern or fire to reignite them.

Audio becomes very important, as you’ll eventually learn to pick up on the sound queues to determine what type of and how many enemies are behind a door. Some can be lured out by calling them, for example, and you may find an adjacent room with a spiked pit from which you lure them to their deaths.

There are numerous health pick-ups to be found, but your inventory is limited. If you’re carrying a gun and some ammunition, you may then have to decide whether to hold onto your candle or keep some food handy to replenish your stamina (which decreases as time passes). You can always drop items to pick them up later, but the game does grade you on how quickly you complete the levels, discouraging backtracking. Thankfully, some pick-ups will increase your inventory size.

So, the gameplay centers around learning the layout of the various environments, then figuring out the best way through based on the inventory items you pick up. This means trial and error will eventually win the day…depending on the game mode. WODAN, the developers, provided three. Harai presents predefined puzzles for you to solve as you progress through the story. Misogi, however, randomly generates the maps, tasking you with getting through the first time. Gyou does the same, but at a higher difficulty. These latter two modes raise both the stakes and the replayability.

Visually, SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist is right where it should be. The detailed pixel art does a fantastic job of presenting the numerous mononoke and the environments in a clean, appealing manner, while also providing an appropriately retro feel. It all does start to look the same after a while, but at least it’s never drab.

That carries over to the gameplay, which may be too slow for some players. Although there are some action moments (especially as Yono starts to unlock her own special powers), your ability to pause and plan is what will see you through. Personally, I liked that approach; my favorite roguelikes tend to be the ones that focus on strategy.

I can therefore recommend SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist to two groups: puzzle gamers who don’t mind a bit of action, and roguelike fans who don’t mind a lack of action. That may sound oxymoronic, but those players will know what I mean. I’ll also recommend the game to anyone looking to try something different from the norm. The gameplay here may get repetitive, but not as much as playing yet another platformer for shmup, right?

The post Review: SHINONOME ABYSS The Maiden Exorcist (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

The Switch 2 Edition brings a lot of new content, perhaps the most we’ve seen in one of these enhanced versions for Nintendo’s newest hybrid console. To start with, there are two new characters: Roslina and Luma. Rosalina plays like any of the other main characters, but Luma is special by making use of the Switch 2’s mouse controls. It’s an innovative approach that works well. 

Super Mario Bros. Wonder already has a large roster of characters on offer. Giving Luma unique abilities not only adds variety but makes sense – I’m not sure how this star-shaped character would stomp on those pesky Goombas anyway. Plus, we’re seeing more and more support for the mouse controls, and I dig it.

My previous niggle regarding character settings remains, though; why can’t Nabbit and Yoshi be played in the same style as everyone else? I’m all for accessibility options that allow any player to join in regardless of age or skill level. But also, make it an option. Why can’t I play as Nabbit with accessibility features switched off? Speaking of which…

There’s a new assist mode. This allows players to dive back into action after falling into a pit. Again, it’s great for accessibility, allowing everyone to enjoy Mario Wonder’s charm without feeling frustrated. However, this mode applies to all players in your local party. It’s either on or off for everyone. Why can’t it be set per person?

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff: the new content. There’s plenty to keep players busy. Firstly, the Koopalings make their triumphant return to platforming, taking over the Flower Kingdom and stealing the Bellabel Flowers. It’s up to Mario and co. to chase them through each world. 

This entails two parts: firstly, find Captain Toad’s tent. There’s one within each world. So, head over to Pipe-Rock Plateau, walk around until you find him, and then it’s time to take on Wendy. You’ll have to unlock the relevant area of the world in order to find Captain Toad by playing the base game; I was surprised to find a few levels I’d somehow missed. It reminded me just how fun Wonder is.

In Koopaling levels, each turtle sibling uses their stolen item to transform themselves and the level, similar to the Wonder Flower effect in other levels. The difference is that these take effect at the beginning of the level, adding plenty of chaos and enemies that lasts the entire outing. Once you reach the end, a boss fight awaits. These are more challenging than the boss fights of the base game, thankfully. They’re also creative and fun, with each Koopaling using a unique method to attack. One transforms into a ghost, another a giant fish, while a third is some kind of insanely huge marionette in the background. Little Magikoopas even control his strings from the foreground. It’s super cool and imaginative. 

Another new addition is the Toad Brigade. This is a series of challenges across multiple categories, such as collecting all coins, defeating all enemies, completing a level within a time limit, or even avoiding coins. The first few are easy, but they soon ramp up in difficulty, providing that challenge I’ve been looking for. You’ll earn water and badges for your trouble. And that satisfying tick of completion is a good incentive to have one more go.

The main attraction of this update is undeniably Bellabel Park. This is a new section of minigames for multiple players. And they’re heaps of fun; I haven’t laughed this much in ages. There are too many minigames to go through, but I’ll highlight a few.

Phanto Tag is a standout. This version of hide and seek starts with one person as “it”. Everyone else can disguise themselves as objects. Playing locally means you can see where they are of course; that is, until the lights go out. Then it becomes a frantic, fast-paced race to pass on the cursed Phanto before the time runs out. It’s hilarious. 

Donut Block Maker is another highlight. This is a cooperative outing where at least one player builds paths using donut blocks. The other players must make it to the end of the level using these paths. Optional mouse controls are on offer here, too. 

There’s a game where one player controls Captain Toad while another player controls a bird that allows the captain to jump. Cooperation is key here. Another outing sees players hurl electrical bolts at each other. Yet another uses bubble guns to blast opponents into the dangerous walls on each side. Each minigame is a creative way to play with friends, and I appreciate the variety. 

It’s also worth mentioning that some minigames can only be played locally, others only online. It’s a slightly odd setup, but at least it’s enjoyable.

Apart from minigames, you can also water flowers to earn new items. These include all-new double badges to give you extra boosts during levels. You can also find three types of flowers: instrument, greeting, and decorative. Instruments are my favorite, each one adding a Poplin to the cute little band. This little crew can be spotted wandering throughout Bellabel Park playing its tunes. It’s adorable. Greeting flowers add a new emoji to your collection when playing online. There are well over 80 to collect making this a real mission for completionists. Finally, decorative flowers can be used to, well, decorate the area. Sure, it’s unnecessary. But it adds a little more to proceedings. It all cont5ibutes to a genuinely full expansion that will bring a smile to fans. 

The post Review: Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition and Meetup in Bellabel Park (Nintendo Switch 2) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

On last week’s episode, we were playing Mario Wonder on Switch 2 while we got ready for Mario’s latest movie outing. This week, the Super Mario Galaxy Movie is here! We do our best to avoid spoilers while we talk about our overall thoughts, the characters, why reviewers don’t like it, how it’s performing, and some of the many cameos.

Plus, we have our usual Kirk’s Corner as we look at an interesting upcoming game, along with the games we’re playing this week. Enjoy the show!

It’s an exciting time for Nintendo fans, with this being the first full year of the Switch 2. There’s plenty to look forward to – and we certainly look forward to reporting on all things Nintendo each and every week in 2026.

Support us on the Pure Nintendo Podcast

Don’t forget to follow us on Blue Sky to keep up to date with our news and reviews, and support us over at Patreon.com/PureNintendo! Our next issue of the Pure Nintendo Magazine is on its way to you! If you missed this issue, subscribe now so you don’t miss out next time!

And if you’re in or around Brisbane, Australia, you can now find a copy on the shelf at the Comic Book Cafe. Thanks to the team there for their support!

Until next time, game on everyone!

The post Our thoughts on the Super Mario Galaxy Movie! Pure Nintendo Podcast E157 appeared first on Pure Nintendo.