Handheld Gaming News week 26

Hello there my friend, come on in and have yourself a nice cup of coffee! It’s time again for our weekly Handheld Gaming News. This past week has been a busy one again here on LadiesGamers, with many reviews. That’s what happens when the Nintendo Switch has such an influx of new games in the eShop every week!

There are several new reviews on the site, most of them for games with good scores! Be sure to check them out if you are wondering what to play next. And now, let’s look at this weeks news.

Patches for Switch version of Ys VIII

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was released this week on the Switch, after having been released earlier on PS4, Vita and PC. Even though you might find some issues in the game, NIS America already has some patches at the ready to fix it. Think of things like text refinements and adressing some crash issues.

I wonder why they didn’t wait for another week to release the game though. Paige is currently playing the game to review it, so expect her thoughts on here soon.

Yo-Kai Watch 4 has a release window in Japan

CoroCoro – a monthly Japanese manga magazine, has shown the clip to the next Yo-Kai Watch game that is still set to release in 2018. In Japan that is! The game will release on the Switch, while over here in the West we are still waiting the localisation of Yo-Kai Watch 3. Anyway, check out the trailer!

London Detective Mysteria heading West this fall

Otome games are gaining in popularity. XSeed Games has announced her first Otome game will come to the West on the PC and the Vita this fall. In London Detective Mysteria, players follow Emily Whiteley, a young woman who is attending a detective class at an academy in London. She will have a chance to find love while also solving the mystery behind a fire accident that led to her parent’s murder.

Mario Kart 8 and Nintendo Labo join hands

If you have the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit there’s a new way to play now, if you own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well. An update has been released for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that makes it compatible with the Toy-Con Motorbike.

After you download the update in Mario Kart, a new option will appear in the menu. It will allow you to choose the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Motorbike to play the game. Paige who has tested every part of the Variety Kit with her little sister will look into how it all works in an upcoming article.

Players are flocking to Pokémon Go again

Did you pick up Pokémon Go again after not looking at your critters for months on end? I must confess I had totally neglected them for quite a while. Since the gift-giving is added I’m totally back in the game again. And I’m not the only one: the game now has its biggest active player base since the game launched back in the summer of 2016.

I can tell you why I’m back: aside from getting the goodies that are in the gifts friends send you, I love how they give the location. So fun to see places from around the world!

New game music added to the playlist

Remember how I had my Gaming Music Playlist on my iTunes? The official Kirby Twitter account has announced that three albums worth of Kirby music is now available to download on various platforms including iTunes and Apple Music. 

The albums made available so far are Kirby Memorial Arrangements, the Kirby: Planet Robobot Original Soundtrack, and finally the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert. Nice!

Management changes at Nintendo

This week, the 78th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders took place in Kyoko. It was the last one for Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima. Shuntaro Furukawa is the new president of Nintendo now.

He is 46 years old, fluent in English and started working at Nintendo right after he graduated. He worked as an accountant for the company in Germany. By the mid 2010s, he rose up in the corporate office, working in global marketing, the executive department, and as an outside director of the partly owned The Pokémon Company. 

Meanwhile in Europe, Satoru Shibata has vacated his job as president of Nintendo Europe and is followed by Stephan Bole. 

A release date for Moonlighter on the Switch

Good news for us, waiting to see Moonlighter in action on the Switch. Amazon.com has it listed for September 25! Not too long to wait, plus we already have some good games coming this Summer, like Okami and Little Dragons Café.

This game is what the RPG with crafting elements is about:
During an archeological excavation – a set of Gates were discovered. People quickly realized that these ancient passages lead to different realms and dimensions. Rynoka, a small commercial village, was found near the excavation site – providing brave and reckless adventurers with treasures beyond measure.

Will, an adventurous shopkeeper that secretly dreams of becoming a hero. During the day he conducts his business in Rynoka village, putting items on sale, setting their price carefully, manages gold reserves, recruits assistants and upgrade the shop. When the sun goes down, Will leads a different life. You travel with him while defeating various enemies and bosses. While visiting other worlds, he collects valuable resources, weapons, armors, treasures and peculiar artifacts.

Layton’s mystery journey on Switch ads 50 outfits for Katrielle!

The Switch version of this game is promising to be the most extensive one: the game features the most puzzles out of the entire series, and over 50 of them have been remade from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch version.

The Switch version also includes NFC functionality with special keychain charms that unlock new outfits for Katrielle. Over 50 new costumes have been added in the game in total, including ones that were originally DLC in the Nintendo 3DS and smartphone versions. Thats unexpected, turning this puzzler into a dress-up game!

Fantasy Life Online is taking shape

It took them quite some time, but there’s finally more news on Fantasy Life online. It has a release window in Japan for this Summer. No news on a Western release yet.

There will be 12 different Life Classes, and the trailer below starts off with the battle types in Paladin, Mercenary, Hunter, and Wizard. Next is a look at the gathering Life Classes in Woodcutter, Angler, and Miner. Then we have the five crafting Life classes with Black Smith, Tailor, Carpenter, Alchemist, and Cook.

Progress works the same way as the original Fantasy Life, where you’ll meet rivals and masters of your Life Class. You’ll get to party with up to four players, including features only available in multiplayer. After clearing quests you can head back to build your own village with facilities such as cafes, homes, shops, and plenty more. Which is what really interests me!

Look at the trailer highlighting the features of the game:

Yo-Kai Watch World, a new Pokemon Go?

Level 5 has teamed up with Gung-Ho and has released Yo-Kai Watch World. It is a location-based game, much like Pokémon GO, where famous Yo-Kai characters appear “in the real world” around you. You have to fill the Yo-Kai Encyclopedia by visiting different locations and searching for signs of Yo-Kai activity. Using AR, your phone will display the Yo-Kai, at which point you’ll enter a battle phase.

Battles are semi-automatic and are won using special moves; victory allows you to befriend the Yo-Kai, and you can then train them, which results in even stronger Yo-Kai appearing. The trailer also hints that raid battles – where players join forces to take down powerful foes – will also feature.

It sounds interesting that your Yo-Kai can “possess” nearby players and travel with them to new areas for a short time; this may result in them returning with new Yo-Kai or bonus items. Like the Lure modules in Pokemon Go, you can plan Yo-Kai Trees to attract new Yo-Kai. I do wonder if the game isn’t too much like Go to be a success. But we will see!

Well, more then enough for one week, don’t you think? Thanks again for reading!

From a very hot Netherlands at the moment, I’m wishing you a very Happy Gaming Weekend!