Time for this weeks Handheld Gaming News. But before we go into that: Happy Easter! And what a remarkable date for that, as its also April Fools today. I bet the Easter Bunny can pull a few pranks today.
A bowl of little chocolate eggs is tempting me, but I’m going to stop picking at their little wrapper for now to give you the latest!
Here’s the news that stood out to me:
Poignant Story The First Tree on Switch
Developer David Wehle has partnered with publisher DO Games to bring his narrative, exploration game The First Tree to PS4, XBox and Switch later this year. The player will jump into the role of a fox, while two stories unfold at the same time.
The first story is about a fox who is eagerly trying to find her missing family, while the other involves a son trying to reconnect with this father, far away in Alaska.
It will be a short game (about an hour and a half) focused on story with some light puzzle solving and platforming. People who played the Steam version remark on how the story really touched their heart.
Dragon Quest Builders 2: God of Destruction Malroth and the Empty Island
That’s the translation of the Japanese title for Dragon Quest Builders 2. In this week’s issue of Jump magazine with a first look at the male and female protagonists of the block-builder RPG sequel. In this sequel you will start with a vast empty canvas, as the island you are stranded on has no towns or buildings whatsoever.
Code: Realize sequel is out on Vita
Code:Realize ~Future Blessings~ Is out on the PS Vita. The special edition for the Vita game includes a full-color 17×24 printed cloth banner featuring the gentlemen of Code: Realize, set of nine 1.5″ metal buttons with chibi character art, eight exclusive 4×6 bromide character cards, and a custom slipcase to unite your ~Future Blessings~ game with the first game ~Guardian of Rebirth~
At the same time, Code: Realize ~ Bouquet of Rainbows~ Is out on PS4. The PS4 edition has both ~Future Blessings~ and ~Guardian of Rebirth~ on a single disc.
All Level 5 games will go to Switch
Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino recently spoke with Nikkei Trendy. Asked how the company plans to support Switch in the future, Hino responded, “Basically, in the future our main titles will all be released on Nintendo Switch. The idea is that what we have created for 3DS will move over to Switch. The first title on Switch is The Snack World, coming to Japan on April 12.
Asked to talk about the 20th anniversary of Level-5 and the company’s developments for 2018, Hino said, “First, I want to properly announce a completely new title for the 20th anniversary. At the moment we may be exhausted because of the release rush from last years push-backs, but since it’s the culmination showing how hard we’ve truly worked these past 20 years, I definitely want to do it:”
Hino previously teased that Level-5’s 20th anniversary title would be an MMORPG-scale game set in the modern day.
Harvest Moon Light of Hope has co-op gameplay
Natsume has revealed what additional content will be found in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition, the version of the game appearing on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. In addition to four planned add-ons, which can be purchased alone or in a season pass, the console versions of the game will include cooperative farming with a second player and allow people to meet and romance Soleil.
Soleil is a Gem Sprite that becomes the second player in Harvest Moon: Light of Hope Special Edition’s co-op. When another player joins up, they can use Gem Sprite magic to tend to crops and livestock or help with gathering and harvesting. As players get closer to Soleil, the Gem Sprite will take on a human form and become a romance option.
Waku Waku Sweets Happy Sweets making localized
An unexpected localisation has made it to the 3DS this week. Waku Waku Sweets is a 4 year old game that will surely interest cooking mama fans. It originally launched in Japan in December 2013. If you haven’t had enough of the Easter chocolate sweets: in this game you can create over a 100 sorts of desserts via minigames. People even have the opportunity to compete against other chefs in the game.
The game is available in the American and European eShop, at the moment at a reduced price.
Pocket Camp Zipper’s Wonderland Event
Another event has come to Animal Crossing Pocket Camp. This time, Zipper honours you with a visit, and asks to celebrate spring with him. Do this by growing rare heart shaped roses and collect rare eggs known as scrambles. You can purchase red coronary heart rose seeds from Lloid and you can earn red and orange coronary heart rose seeds through finishing requests.
The furniture that you can earn is seasonal, and can only be earned in this event. It’s on until April 9, and is divided in two halves. The second event will start on April 4. So not much time to complete it all!
Illustration pen for the Switch
Manufacturer GameTech is releasing a special illustration pen accessory for the Nintendo Switch. The illustration pen will launched on April 20th in Japan. It comes with a transparent rubber disc attacthed to the tip for quick and comfortable drawing and has a rubber grip. It’s also compatible with smartphones, but won’t work on the 3DS or WiiU.
Research tasks for Pokemon Go
Pokémon Go has a new addition: Field Research tasks and Special Research tasks are added. The Field research tasks are the more common of the two. People can pick one up by visiting a PokéStops and spinning the circle. Two examples of Field Research missions provided were catching specific types of Pokémon or taking part in a certain number of gym or raid battles.
The Special Research quests are ones provided by Professor Willow. Each type of task will provide varying degrees of rewards, based on difficulty and whether you are experiencing a Research Breakthrough. Research Breakthroughs happen when you have earned seven Field Research stamps, with Pokémon GO players able to earn one stamp each day for the first Field Research task they accomplish. One possible Research Breakthrough reward is an opportunity to encounter a Legendary Pokémon.
That’s it for this week my friends. As ever, thanks for reading. And happy gaming this week!