It’s that time again, time to look at this weeks gaming news. This week, we have news about Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory coming to Switch, Pokémon Presents: new game announcements, special edition New Horizons console are back, Aurion based on African mythology, Graph Gaming AC themed clothing, Jump Rope Challenge for free, Two Point Hospital now gets a Sandbox Mode, Railway Empire ads new DLC, Best Friends Forever Delayed and Chibig Studios is working on improvements for Summer in Mara.
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory coming to Switch
Just yesterday Square Enix had a nice announcement for the fans: the next game in the Kingdom Hearts series is going to be an action rhythm game that will include over 140 songs from the series for fans to enjoy. Not only that, but asides from coming to PS4 and Xbox, this time it’s coming to the Switch too! And soon too, to be released in 2020!
Depending on the stage a special guest character will appear, including Disney characters. And, of course, songs available in Kingdom Hearts: Memory of Melody will include songs from the respective Disney franchises that are part of the Kingdom Hearts universe. Check out the trailer below:
Pokémon Presents: new game announcements
Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company, unveiled a broad range of new video games, apps, and more during a Pokémon Presents video presentation. Find the full presentation below, plus we’ve listed all the news this Present brought us!
Pokémon Smile: a free app on mobile to encourage your kid to brush their teeth
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Expansion Passes: The Isle of Armor: The first new adventure unlocked by the Expansion Passes takes place on the Isle of Armor, an island of the Galar region. Many Pokémon make this island their home, living freely amid the lush nature. The island is also home to a dojo for Pokémon battles, where players and their Pokémon will train hard to become even stronger under Mustard, the dojo’s master.
Pokémon Café Mix, a free to start puzzle experience on Switch and mobile that will be available soon. The player will be the owner of a café that Pokémon visit, where they will work alongside Pokémon to prepare drinks and dishes for Pokémon customers by completing puzzles. Pokémon on the café’s staff have special Café Skills that can be used to help complete puzzles.
New Pokémon Snap, where trainers go on an adventure to unknown islands overflowing with natural sights such as jungles and beaches. They can research various Pokémon in their natural habitats.
Pokémon Go: the next Go Fest, that used to be held around the world, is going to be completely digital this year. Everyone can join in from home! Plus, Mega-Evolved Pokémon will appear in the real world in Pokémon GO!
Special edition New Horizons console are back
Did you start out your Animal Crossing live on the special edition Switch console? If you missed out you might still be in luck when you live in Australia or New Zealand. Nintendo has announced that more stock is arriving over there from 10th July, to be exact.
A limited new shipment of the #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons inspired #NintendoSwitch system is coming soon!
Featuring unique Joy-Con controllers, a special Nintendo Switch dock, and custom design on the back, it will be available at selected retailers from 10/7. pic.twitter.com/QWyvc4j38z
— Nintendo AU NZ (@NintendoAUNZ) June 17, 2020
Aurion based on African mythology
More and more frequently we find ourselves looking at Steam games, mostly because lots of games take the route of going from Steam to handheld systems, like mobile or the Switch. One of our writers pointed out that they can be handheld too, played on a laptop, good thinking CJ! 😂
What caught my eye this week is a game that was released a few years ago, Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan. A 2D side scrolling action game with hand-drawn art that blends the love of anime with African fantasy. Now that’s a background you don’t see often, based on African mythology. No elves, no orcs, no dwarves, no prophecy, no good versus evil but a very different take on the genre.
The reason it stood out to me is that Aurion is a story of perseverance. Developers Kiroo Games 1st video game studio in Central Africa in Cameroon.And it literally took them 12 years just to build a team and find the funds to make the first Afro-Fantasy RPG of the Gaming History. Pretty special! Their game is now in discount on Steam (find it here) and you can check out how the game came to be over the 12 years below.
One of the founders of Kiroo Games, Madiba Olivier, ads his thoughts against the background on the current world situation:
“We think Aurion has a lot to offer to more gamers around the world, who don’t know that the game exists yet. More than the fun gameplay, Aurion is a story written for everyone with a self-existential quest. We really shared our soul inside the game. As Cameroonian we have a unique view of the stakes of the world as we understand a lot culture because of our own colonial story and our geopolitical position. That’s something you will feel a lot in Aurion”
Graph Gaming AC themed clothing
Clothing manufacturer Graph Gaming has revealed a new range of official Animal Crossing: New Horizons themed clothes for the North American market. Looks very nice, I wonder if they ship internationally too!
Check them out on their website.
Jump Rope Challenge for free
Do you feel that you haven’t had enough exercise these past few months due to the lockdown? Nintendo has you covered with a free to download challenge, Jump Rope. Nintendo of Europe has announced already that players who have downloaded the game have now surpassed 200 million in-game jumps! If you are partaking, then you’ll know the goal is to do 100 jumps per day to get fit!
You can only download the game till the end of September and play it with up to two persons. Due to the fact that you need to use the joy-con separately you can’t play it on the Switch Lite.
Two Point Hospital now gets a Sandbox Mode
If you have Two Point Hospital on your Switch (or PS4 or Xbox), you can now get a free update for the Sandbox Mode. This update lets players create their own hospital and set their own challenges. As the game itself is already huge fun (as Paula concluded in her review here) this is great news!
Railway Empire ads new DLC
Paula is currently reviewing Railway Empire on Switch, an edition that already includes the main game (with all added content and improvements since its initial launch), alongside the Mexico DLC, Crossing the Andes DLC, and The Great Lakes DLC.
Now there’s even more DLC available for $ 9.99 each: Germany DLC, France DLC, and Great Britain & Ireland DLC. Even if we can’t commute due to working from home, at least we can travel virtually!
Chibig Studios is working on improvements for Summer in Mara
We have made it no secret that several of us are enjoying Summer in Mara a lot, sprouting several guides as we go along (which you can find here). But the game could be better, as the people at Chibig know too. On Steam they stated that they are working as fast as they can to make some changes to the gameplay.
This is their list. We will have to wait and see how fast they can work, and how fast the improvements come to the Switch!
GENERAL
– Fix the bugs!
– Improve some feedback to guide the player: like add more arrows and tip text in some quests.
– Improve Koa’s controls.
– Balance the time pass and questlines.
GAMEPLAY
– Add fast – travel to any island you have visited.
– Add craft tables in other points outside Koa – island (like restaurants or workshops).
– Improve the sailing experience.
UI
– Add some extra option to configurate the camera (fov, sensitivity)
– Add window mode options.
– Add Koa position to Qälis map.
Best Friends Forever Delayed
Best Friends Forever, coming to Switch, is the first dating SIM game where your pet helps you find love. This unique game was originally slated for a release date of June 18th, but was delayed. The only mention from the developers of why the delay was “due to circumstances beyond our control.” The game now has a new date of August 27th, 2020.
I believe you can pair joy cons with the lite, you just need to purchase them separately.
That Kingdom Heart looks great! I wish they’d port the rest to the Switch.