Latest Features
Talking Point What Do You Wish You Knew Sooner In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Wait, you can fast travel??
Having been out for the best part of a month now, we think it's fair to say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is going to be one of those games where we never stop discovering new things. In our playthroughs so far, these discoveries have had us grinning cheek to cheek on a pretty consistent basis, but that...
Vatar you going to do about it?
If you're of a certain vintage you may just about remember being thoroughly impressed with the graphical prowess of Starbreeze Studios' Enclave when it first released on the original Xbox all the way back in 2002. Starbreeze was about to have a great big Vin Diesel-shaped success in the form of The Chronicles of...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 10th)
Switchin' it up
Things just start to quieten down after the release of Tears of the Kingdom and then before you know it, BAM, you walk head first into summer showcase season. This means that it has been a reasonably busy week at Nintendo Life. We broke down everything announced for the Switch in the Summer Game Fest Opening Showcase (which wasn't...
Soapbox The Shame Of Revisiting My Abandoned Pokémon Ranch
See you, PokéCowboy
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, on the 15th anniversary of the game's release, Ethan heads back to the ranch... It’s a guilty feeling that Animal Crossing fans know all too well — the shame that comes...
Round Up 27 Switch Games Announced At Guerrilla Collective Showcase 2023
Terra Memoria! Quest Master! Nova Lands!
The summer of video game announcements has begun. Guerrilla Collective Showcase 2023 has kicked off what looks to be a bonanza, and in the absence of E3 this year, Summer Game Fest will also be kicking off proceedings tomorrow. But today, it's all about the indies. And Guerrilla showcased tons of stand-outs...
Soapbox Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Busier Hyrule Is Making Me Miss BOTW
The call of (Breath of) the Wild
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Ollie wants to explain why Breath of the Wild will remain his go-to open-world Zelda, despite Tears of the Kingdom's improvements... I’ve been playing The Legend...
Talking Point Which Version Of Zelda: Link's Awakening Is Your Favourite?
Three decades of dreamin'
Link's Awakening turns 30 today, having launched in Japan on 6th June 1993. Despite the very modest hardware that hosted it, the developers turned out a full-featured, full-fat Zelda adventure on Game Boy which left a mark on the series. It was in Link's Awakening that trading sequences were introduced, not to mention...
Round Up SGDQ 2023 - The Best Nintendo Speedruns
Thank you, chef
Games Done Quick's second speedrun marathon of 2023 is over, and what an event it was. Held much earlier than previous years, Summer Games Done Quick 2023 kicked off on 28th May and concluded on 4th June, raising a staggering $2,239,204 (and counting) for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. Jam-packed with hundreds...
Poll Will There Be A June 2023 Nintendo Direct?
What are Nintendo's post-Zelda plans?
June is here, which means that multiple publishers are just about ready to showcase their gaming plans for the months — and years — ahead. We like to think of it as 'Gaming Christmas', if you will — lots of game news goodies coming all at once (as opposed to actual Christmas when there's not a lick of game...
Talking Point Is Tears Of The Kingdom The Scariest Zelda Game Ever?
The horrors of Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is pretty darn scary. I don't mean in the same sense that Majora's Mask is unsettling for its whole run-time, and there certainly isn't a moment like that cutscene in Twilight Princess. But even now with my ridiculously overpowered, full hearts Link, Tears of the Kingdom has me on the...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - May 2023
Our picks for the best Switch eShop games in May
Welcome, welcome. Yes, it really is June already, which means it's time for another eShop Selects! But wait, what was that? Other games came out this month? Yep, we know Yes, we know most of you have been playing a certain open-world wonder on Switch for the majority of May. But that's why this...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 3rd)
Would you kindly tell us?
Well, folks, another week has come and gone. In terms of straight-up news, it was undoubtedly a bit of a quiet one... until it wasn't! Yes, at the tail-end of the week, Nintendo decided to announce Everybody 1-2 Switch!, a sequel to the polarising launch game, 1-2 Switch!, launching on June 30th, 2023. Not only that, but...
Talking Point From The Sublime To The Ridiculous - Is Anybody Excited For Everybody 1-2-Switch!?
Everybody 1-2-Switch? Nah, you're alright
It's a strange thing to see Nintendo swing so wildly from one extreme to another, at least in such a short timeframe. Coming hot on the heels of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the company has gone and quietly — very quietly — announced Everybody 1-2-Switch!, the follow-up to 2017's launch...
Soapbox Returning To The Great Plateau In Zelda: TOTK Felt Like Coming Home
A truly GREAT plateau
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim argues that Breath of the Wild's starting area is still fantastic in Tears of the Kingdom... There are a lot of fantastic places that you can revisit in The Legend of...
Soapbox Pokémon Desperately Needs A Rival, But Who's Big Enough To Take It On?
Time to steal some of Pikachu's pie
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Lowell considers how Pokémon could do with a rival to keep it hungry, and who might be able to step up... When Pokémon Sword and Shield brought Pikachu and...
Talking Point Could Nintendo Squeeze Another Zelda Game Out Of TOTK's Open World?
Lorule love? Termina time?
Prior to release — and especially before a couple of presentations gave us a better idea of what to expect in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — there were doubts as to exactly how different it would be from its immediate predecessor. & Kingdom. This made us chuckle. Reusing Breath of the Wild's open-world Hyrule...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 27th)
Is there any game other than Zelda?
Welcome one and all to another edition of What Are You Playing and with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom still firmly set in our minds, we think you can see where this week might be going... again... Over on Nintendo Life, the Zelda content has been coming thick and fast. We dived deep into the game's...
Soapbox Modern Zelda Dungeons Are, In Fact, Divine
We owe the Beasts an apology
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim spreads some love for the modern-day Zelda dungeon. Be aware that he discusses Tears of the Kingdom below (not in detail, but he references a specific dungeon), so...
Feature 21 Amazing Shield Fuse Combos In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Shield with it
It was back in Eiji Aonuma's 10-minute gameplay demonstration for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that we first got a glimpse at the possibilities of shield fusing. The series producer took a Puffshroom, stuck it to Link's shield, and faced a Construct head on, sending up a cloud of smoke around them both. At the time, this...
Soapbox Zelda: TOTK's Shrines Are Brilliant At Making An Idiot Feel Like A Genius
I did it, mum!
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Ollie wants to share his love for Tears of the Kingdom's shrines and the newfound freedom they afford players... I'm really not a very clever man. Okay no, that's not entirely true;...
Feature Nintendo's Satellaview Blazed A Trail For Today's Season-Based, Ephemeral Games
Total BS-X
The most considerable game industry development in the last decade has been the rise of live-service games. When MMOs first launched, the idea of an always-online game was considered a novelty, but today most AAA studios are making live-service titles, and most non-live-service games from those companies have online features. The modern...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 20th)
Zelda, yeah?
Well folks, another week has come and gone, and it certainly feels like there's been a lot to talk about regarding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, right? First up, of course, we received full confirmation from Nintendo that the latest Zelda game managed to sell an incredible 10 million copies in just three days. That's...
Feature 26 Tweaks That Make Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Better Than BOTW
There's a change in the wind
Given the sheer amount of time that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom had been in development, it was obvious that the game would make a number of quality-of-life improvements over its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. We won't lie, there were moments in the run-up to its release in which we wondered just how...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Tearing up?
"What do you mean? I've barely scratched the surface!" It's been one whole week since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched, and most of us have spent it in a glorious Zelda stupor, a little awestruck and baffled at its enormity and how — even hours into it and with a sound knowledge of Hyrule's layout from Breath of the...
Feature The Best Builds We've Seen In Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom So Far
Ultra handywork
It was in the second official trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (the one that closed out the February 2023 Nintendo Direct) where we first got a snippet of Link driving around on what appeared to be a hand-made vehicle. We couldn't make sense of it. Are these cars dotted around Hyrule? Will someone make them for...
Soapbox Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom's Incredible Opening Is One Of Nintendo's Best
Sheik it up
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Jim dives into that opening... Despite having been counting down the days until The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's release over the past four years or more, nothing could have...
Feature 7 Things From Zelda: TOTK's First Hours That Had Us Grinning Like Mad
Take my breath (of the wild) away
We're pretty sure that most of you reading this will have spent a good chunk of the weekend tucking into this delightful little indie effort that launched last Friday. It's a follow-up to a little-known open-world adventure that, as we understand, was much loved by the few who bothered to play it back in 2017...
Soapbox Obstinate And Addictive - Playing Final Fantasy For The First Time In 2023
OG fantasy
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Henry experiences his very first Fantasy... I admit it – I’ve never played Final Fantasy. It wasn’t on my radar as a kid, and by the time I was paying attention, it had jumped to...
Soapbox If Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Isn’t Switch’s Swan Song, It Really Should Be
The most poetic end possible for a legendary console
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Lowell ruminates on the perfect end to a glorious Nintendo generation... When looking back at a console’s lifespan, there’s always a game...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 13th)
No prizes for guessing what we're playing
It's real. It's happening. This is another edition of What Are You Playing and we can finally, finally, say it: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out!!! It will come as no surprise that we have gone a little Zelda-mad this week. We saw how the game's trailers were lighting up Piccadilly Circus,...
Poll What's Your Game Plan For Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?
Roll credits? Collect everything? Visit EVERYWHERE?
If you are anything like us (and since you are reading this article, we assume that you probably are) then you will have been thinking about the release day of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for a good long while now. It took a little while for the marketing campaign to get into full...
Anniversary LostWinds First Launched 15 Years Ago Today
Let's Toku 'bout it
Today marks the 15th anniversary of LostWinds in North America, a launch title for WiiWare and (in this writer's opinion) one of the console's finest bite-sized games. The title was developed and published by Frontier Developments out West, though Square Enix took care of publishing duties for LostWinds' Japan release in...
Soapbox Game & Watch Still Scratches A Very Particular Itch, And I Need More
An itch the Switch can’t fix
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Nile is pining for something a little smaller and simpler on his commute... Not too long ago, my niece taught me something heartening about the staying power of old...
Feature Nintendo eShop Selects - April 2023
Our picks for the best eShop games in April
Whoosh! What that was? April, mate. Which means it's time to look back on the gems that glittered on Switch eShop during the most foolish of months. As if your wishlists weren't already groaning with the sheer number of great games you're waiting to pick up, we're here with our monthly reminder of ones...
Feature Best Royals In Nintendo Games - Who's Your Favourite?
Dauphindom
Nintendo games are filled with royals and, for the most part, they are significantly less controversial than any real-world monarchs. You won't catch HRH Princess Zelda yawning during a Hylian military parade, or King Boo claiming he's physically incapable of perspiring (although that might make sense in his case). Nintendo Land tabloids...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 6th)
Tears of the countdown
We are so nearly there, folks. We have hit our final What Are You Playing discussion before all of our entries become "Tears of the Kingdom, duh" from next week — relish the variety in our plans while you can! This week has been a bit of a 'calm before the storm' in the world of Nintendo, but that doesn't mean that we...
Feature "What If The Celebrated Detective Was Actually A Bit Of A Bumbling Fool?"
How lockdown led to comedy-mystery 'Loco Motive'
Creating an engaging and humorous point-and-click adventure can be a hefty challenge at the best of times, but for developer Robust Games, the endeavour provided a much-needed release from the isolation that the nationwide lockdowns spawned during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Since its initial...
Feature How Metroidvania 'Afterimage' Crafts A Gorgeous Visual Identity In A Crowded Genre
"It has to be the cats!"
We've gushed plenty of times over the stunning-looking Metroidvania Afterimage by developer Aurogon Shanghai. From its beautiful animation style to stunning watercolour backgrounds and hand-drawn characters and world, amidst the bustling genre of Metroidvania, it stands out in the best possible way. The blend of colourful...
Poll Who's Your Favourite Champion In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild?
No time for losers
Everyone's going down with Zelda fever at the minute, as previews for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrive and get us in the Hylian mood once again. By all accounts, the follow-up to the beloved Breath of the Wild is shaping up to be a sprawling sandbox with even more opportunities for experimentation and exploration...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 29th)
On the Zelda home straight
Welcome back to another edition of What are you Playing, where we give you a brief rundown of the week in Nintendo before discussing what gaming we're all up to this weekend. The big news this time around is (deep breath) there are less than two weeks to go until Tears of the Kingdom!! This week, we shared our thoughts on...
Feature Cassette Beasts Dev On Doing What Pokémon Doesn't In A Zelda-Inspired Overworld
"We wanted to do something with a bit more maturity"
“How can two people make a monster-collecting game that does stuff that Pokémon doesn’t do?” This question was at the forefront of Jay Baylis and Tom Coxon’s early discussions on what would later become Cassette Beasts, a creature-collecting RPG with an emphasis on good tunes that...
Hands On Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Indulges Your Idiocy In The Very Best Way
This just in: Bokoblins hate apples
To say there’s been hype surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom would not just be an understatement, but a fairly poor opening line to any sort of hands-on feature. On an unrelated note, Nintendo recently invited us to go and have a go at The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom at their...
Soapbox Torna - The Golden Country Is One Of The Best DLCs Of All Time
Future established
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they've been chewing over. Today, Alana proclaims that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has one of the best pieces of DLC ever in Torna - The Golden Country, and ponders what that could mean for Xenoblade Chronicles 3:...
Talking Point What Is A 'Traditional' Zelda Game, Anyway?
And does Breath of the Wild fit the mould?
Despite the overwhelmingly positive reception to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it launched back in 2017, there are undoubtedly those who yearn for a return to what they deem to be a more “traditional” Zelda experience. With its open world, shrines, weapon degradation, and ‘rune’...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp?
Hot takes deployed
We had to wait a while for this one, and we don't just mean due to the 'global events' (also known as the Russian invasion of Ukraine) that caused Nintendo to delay Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp for a year. Nope, ever since Fire Emblem took off in the West, the Advance Wars series has taken a back seat to turn-based tactical...
Feature Paranormasight Devs On Urban Legend, CRT TVs, And Potential Sequels
"We’re looking at a completely blank slate in terms of future developments"
Square Enix's stuffed slate of releases over the past year has given us some stellar titles, but among some of their biggest releases, this year's Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo should not be overlooked. Revealed during a Japanese Nintendo Direct in February...
Community 22 Switch Games We Missed, As Recommended By You
Part VI - Return of the Gem-i
It's been over six months since our last round, so it's time for another batch of NL 'reader recommendations' with Part 6 of our Games We Missed series. We asked you recently to send us your nominations for Switch games we weren't able to review for one reason or another that you think deserve highligh
Poll What Do You Think Of The New Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Font?
Font-tastic? Or font-al?
Has it sunk in yet that almost every single mainline Final Fantasy game between I and XII is now available on the Switch? That's thanks to this week's release of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, which was long, long overdue. Back when the games launched on Steam and mobile between 2021 and 2022, lots of people were...
Talking Point Which Is Your Favourite Nintendo Controller? Every Nintendo Pad Ranked
Note pad
Nintendo has always been one for pushing the boat out with its hardware designs, and no more so is this the case than with its controllers. Yes, those of the NES and SNES were pretty conventional by today's standards (though they were remarkably innovative at the time) but in the ensuing years, the Big N's controllers have had us waving...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 22nd)
Our not-so-final fantasies
Who would have thought that in the run-up to the release of Tears of the Kingdom, we would have so much Switch news to talk about in the space of a week? Nintendo was really firing on all cylinders this time around, as we got an official release date for Xenoblade Chronicles 3's final DLC, four new games added to the