The latest Nintendo Download update is here, bringing with it a fresh haul of new games, discounts, demos and content updates. There's bound to be something here that takes your fancy, so check out all the latest updates direct from Nintendo. Feel free to leave a vote in our poll, and a comment or two below with your potential buying choices...
Switch eShop
Jotun: Valhalla Edition (Thunder Lotus Games, $14.99) - Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a hand-drawn, action-exploration game set in Norse mythology. You play as Thora, a Viking warrior who died an inglorious death and must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Explore vast regions of Norse Purgatory to find runes to unleash the jotun, giant Norse elementals. Fight them using only your massive two-handed axe, the blessings of the Gods and your skills. Jotun: Valhalla Edition launches April 27.
A Robot Named Fight (Hitcents, $12.99) - A Robot Named Fight is a 2D action adventure roguelite focused on exploration and item collection. Take on the role of a lone robot tasked with stopping the entity known as Megabeast. Explore procedurally-generated labyrinths, uncover randomized power-ups and artifacts, find secrets, and blast meaty creatures in this deliciously gory adventure.
ACA NEOGEO GHOST PILOTS (HAMSTER, $7.99) - "GHOST PILOTS" is a shooting game released by SNK in 1991. The hero flies an old-fashioned seaplane in order to fight the two powerful nations invading their own country. Alongside giant military weapons, a mysterious combat unit arrives and makes for an intense battle.
Agatha Knife (Mango Protocol, $9.99) - Embark on this twisted adventure with Agatha, a child torn between her love for eating meat and her friendships with animals. Join her as she discovers religion and creates her own, Carnivorism, to convince the animals that the sacrifice of their flesh is the secret to their eternal happiness. Read our review.
Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story (Plug In Digital, $5.99) - Another Lost Phone is a game about exploring the social life of a young woman whose phone you have just found. This game is designed as a narrative investigation where you must piece together elements from the different applications, messages and pictures to progress. Scrolling through the phone's content, you will find out everything about Laura: her friendships, her professional life and the events that led to her mysterious disappearance and the loss of this phone.
Glaive: Brick Breaker (Blue Sunset Games, $9.99) - Glaive: Brick Breaker is a classic and popular arkanoid-type game with beautiful 3D graphics. Many power-ups, tons of different stages and dynamic gameplay.
Goetia (Forever Entertainment, $9.99) - The ruins of any village are the silent testament to its final moments. The ruins of Oakmarsh are no different. Their telling silence, the dust blanketing what was once a quiet village near Coventry. The name of a manor and the family that lived within.
KORG Gadget for Nintendo Switch (DETUNE Ltd, $48.00) - Award-winning music creation software KORG Gadget is now available for the Nintendo Switch. Plentiful instrumental gadgets combined with a simple and intuitive graphical interface enable speedy music creation. With this new music creation studio, one can create and perform music by actively twisting and turning the Joy-Con.
Late Shift (Wales Interactive, $12.99) - Late Shift is a high stakes FMV crime thriller. After being forced into the robbery of a lucrative auction house, mathematics student Matt is left proving his innocence in the brutal London heist. Your choices will have consequences from the very start, right through to the very end. One small decision could change the entire outcome in a choose-your-own-adventure style gameplay that can lead to one of seven conclusions.
Light Fall (Bishop Games, $14.99) - In this land of eternal night, you will rely on your Shadow Core to brave the many challenges and foes standing in your way. Do you have what it takes to survive in perilous Numbra?
Saturday Morning RPG (Limited Run Games, $9.99) - Saturday Morning RPG is a Japanese style turn-based RPG set in world heavily inspired by 1980s Saturday morning cartoons and pop culture. Players take the role of Martin 'Marty' Michael Hall, an average high-school student who has just been granted an incredible power - a power that ultimately leads him to attract the ire of the world's most notorious villain, Commander Hood!
Sky Rogue (Fractal Phase, $19.99) - Blow things up over land, sea, and air, on an infinite number of procedurally-generated islands. Choose one of a diverse set of aeros and kit it out with a dizzying array of weaponry. Go toe-to-toe with enemy aces or assault giant flying aircraft carriers and battleships, but watch out for volleys of missiles; when you die, you're dead. Read our review.
Sparkle ZERO (Forever Entertainment, $4.99) - The blue whale is the largest living organism on Earth today and can reach a length of 33 meters. Evolution comes a long way to develop such large and powerful organisms and that evolutionary journey always starts from much smaller creatures, like those the Blue Whale now eats; which can be up to 4 tons a day.
12 orbits (Roman Uhlig, $1.99) – 12 orbits doesn't require any prior knowledge, preparation time or additional controllers. Your left and right Joy-Con, or even the touch screen alone, are all you need for any number of players. The only limit is how close you'd like to be together. Available April 27
ACA NEOGEO STAKES WINNER (HAMSTER, $7.99) – "STAKES WINNER" is a realistic jockey action game released in 1995 by SNK. Use skills such as showing the whip, formation split and hyper dash, collect items on the course, and power-up your beloved horse in this multifaceted game. Ride with your horse through a variety of races as you aim to conquer the GI. Available May 2
Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (Bigben Interactive. $39.99) – Fun, exotic and for up to 8 players, Aqua Moto Racing Utopia brings all the intensity of jet skiing right to you! Available April 27
Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight (HAMSTER, $7.99) – Run with the ball or make a pass - you decide how to gain those 10 yards! Go, go, go for the touchdown! Available May 2
Bouncy Bob (SONKA, $3.99) – Defeat hordes of zombies and seal your fate with the push of one button! Beat your own score in Single Mode or invite your friends to play together in Multiplayer Mode. Available April 27
DragoDino (Plug In Digital, $9.99) – Fight your way to the top in DragoDino, an epic adventure set in an ever changing world! Available April 27
Hello Kitty Kruisers (Rising Star Games, $29.95) - Join Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends as they race on land, through air and over water. Race by yourself or with up to three of your friends. Unlock new outfits and vehicles for Hello Kitty and her Sanrio Friends, or challenge your racing skills in the all-new Adventure Mode!
Ninja Striker! (Flyhigh Works, $3.99) - Ninja Striker takes visuals and music inspired by the 8-bit era and fires them up with modern touches. Heavily stylized around Japanese themes, your goal is to advance forward with as much speed, flair and combo power as possible. You have double jumps, homing attacks and a special 'Shinobi Action' at your disposal; only by mastering each with sharp reflexes will you make it through your quest.
Save the Ninja Clan (Sometimes You. $3.99) – An evil ninja kidnapped your friends. You must collect scrolls in order to find your friends and save them. You will play as different ninjas as the journey progresses. Each ninja has a different ability: Green Ninja has a double jump, Purple Ninja has a sprint, and the Grey Ninja has a dash (with temporary invincibility). Available April 27
Snow Moto Racing Freedom (Bigben Interactive, $39.99) – Snowy races, spectacular stunts, split-screen and online multiplayer: experience all the intensity of extreme sports on your own or with friends. Fun and competitive, Snow Moto Racing Freedom is a blast in 40 races, where you do awesome stunts and play against up to 7 opponents. Available April 27
Super Saurio Fly (FraxelGames, $15.95) Players will move along the stages crossing different parts of the world by using Super Saurio's ability to fly, dodge traps and defeat other dinosaurs. The storyline puts the player on the role of Saurio, a cute and clumsy tiny pterodactyl whose eggs were stolen. Saurio will have to look for his eggs around the world and defeat the evil kidnappers . Available April 28
Switch DLC
Splatoon 2 Update Now Available – Nintendo has dropped some fresh (and free!) new content for the Splatoon 2 game on the Nintendo Switch system this week! After downloading a major new update (Version 3.0) to the Splatoon 2 game, players will have access to a huge amount of new content. This includes the addition of more than 100 pieces of new and returning gear, new songs, the introduction of a challenging new X Rank for the top-performing players in Ranked Battle, weapon balance adjustments and the return of Callie of the famous Squid Sisters. For more information about this free update, please visit the official Nintendo customer support site.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Version 1.4.0 Update – The Version 1.4.0 free update, which will be available later today, includes the ability to recruit and resonate the Rare Blade T-elos from the Xenosaga series after clearing the main game story. Get full update notes at the official Nintendo customer support site.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Expansion Pass: Rare Blade Pack – Expansion Pass owners can now receive the first additional Rare Blade from the Expansion Pass, Poppibuster! Learn more about the Expansion Pass here.
Switch activities
My Nintendo – Nintendo Labo Creators Contest – Make, Play and Discover with Nintendo Labo! Create your masterpiece using a Nintendo Labo kit and a Nintendo Switch system, then post a video or image of your creation to the My Nintendo – Nintendo Labo Creators Contest official site. The winning My Nintendo members will each receive:
- a Nintendo Labo Variety Kit or Nintendo Labo Robot Kit
- a Nintendo Labo Creators jacket
- a framed award certificate signed by Nintendo Labo developers
My Nintendo members can submit entries in three categories:
- Best Decorated Toy-Con – Enter by 10:59 a.m. PT on May 11
- Best Toy-Con Mod using Toy-Con Garage – Enter by 10:59 a.m. PT on May 25
- Best Original Invention Using Toy-Con Garage – Enter by 10:59 a.m. PT on June 15
You can also look at My Nintendo members’ contest submissions here. To learn more about the contest and submit your creation, please visit the My Nintendo – Nintendo Labo Creators Contest site.
Switch demos
The Bridge – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch)
Tumblestone – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch)
Wii U eShop
Unalive (RandomSpin, $1.99) - Unalive is an action adventure roguelike game. Randomly generated laboratory rooms. Collect unique items to improve your abilities. Kill bosses and stay alive. You have only one chance!
Sales and discounts
Sonic Forces (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch) – Join the uprising! Save 40 percent on Sonic Forces until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 7.
What are you downloading this week? (197 votes)
- A Robot Named Fight
- ACA NEOGEO GHOST PILOTS
- Agatha Knife
- Another Lost Phone: Laura's Story0%
- Glaive: Brick Breaker
- Goetia
- KORG Gadget for Nintendo Switch
- Late Shift
- Light Fall
- Saturday Morning RPG
- Sky Rogue
- Sparkle ZERO
- Unalive
- Jotun: Valhalla Edition
- 12 orbits0%
- ACA NEOGEO STAKES WINNER
- Aqua Moto Racing Utopia
- Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight
- Bouncy Bob0%
- DragoDino0%
- Hello Kitty Kruisers
- Ninja Striker!
- Save the Ninja Clan
- Snow Moto Racing Freedom
- Super Saurio Fly
- Nothing for me!
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So that's your lot for this week's North American Nintendo Download update. Be sure to drop a vote in the poll above and a comment below, sharing your potential buying choices...
Comments 76
Pre-purchased Saturday Morning RPG in the hopes of a sequel and a Saturday Morning fix.
And looking out for sales.
where are the Naruto games?
Isn't the PixelJunk Monsters 2 demo supposed to come out tomorrow for the Switch?
I'll be picking up sonic forces at that price.
Will look at the sales, and hope for Deadth road soon.
Gear Club Unlimited is also getting an update today in addition to some free and paid dlc.
SMRPG for me.
KORG Gadget, Sky Rogue, and I guess I'll check out Stakes Winner because I've been missing Derby Owner's Club for the longest.
Oh my. KORG is actually doing it. Depending on what kind of audio/MIDI import/export options they provide this could be the version to get (now if I wasn't already in so deep with the iOS version).
Interested in KORG and Light Fall.
In addition to countless discounts, now The Bridge has a demo? They really are trying to sell this sucker aren’t they?
Modern game systems are absolutely drowning in 2D Indie crap. To the outside eye, it could look like gaming never left the 16 bit era.
Where's Jotun Vahalla edition in the choice to vote?????
Nothing for me this week. Really like that drawing on top - maybe will check - Jotun: Valhalla Edition - after done with GOW. Really digging the Norse mythology.
Also, Amazon has a sale on the 200GIG micro SD for $55
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073JY5T7T/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sky Rogue for me.
Nothing for me. Nothing for the 3DS at all.
Just bought Gal*Gun 2 on Switch and some PS4/Vita games in the Golden Week sale, so I think I'm going to hold off on purchasing anything for a while. Hollow Knight or Y's VIII will probably be next, depending on which releases first.
Sky Rogue! I think I'm also gonna pick up Manticore. Should hold me till Everspace releases!
Where's Naruto?
Anyways nothing for me since I picked up South Park on Tuesday.
Ghost Pilots
Brick Breaker
Aqua Moto
Sky Rogue for me!!
Aqua Moto and Snow Moto are how much? LOL
And that description for Sparkle Zero....wtf is that
@Stargazer Interestingly, Aqua Moto Racing and Snow Moto Racing are actually $10 cheaper if you get them physically ($29.99 each).
I've had my eye on "A Robot Named Fight" ever since it was released on PC, but never got around to playing it. Guess I'll pick it up on Switch...eventually.
I'll have to look into Light Fall, & Saturday Morning RPG; they sound interesting. Korg I will get, when I get a Switch.
@StephenYap3 I had to double check the list because the first thing I thought of was Super Mario RPG lol
Im gonna hold off on Saturday Morning RPG until I can buy it for 29.99. It feels more fun that way
I'll grab the three arcade games for sure and then maybe a couple others. Not too bad.
Nothing for me this week but I will say this, the Switch Eshop is quickly becoming like steam in terms of number of releases each week. almost 20 just today. There's more than 600 titles on the shop and the switch is barely over a year old. In comparison it took the 3ds around 5-6 years to get 1200 titles and we're already half way there. I'm getting very concerned about the wave of releases constantly hitting the eshop
Everytime I read that Agatha Knife game description, I feel like the website is pulling an April Fool's prank.......
Jotun: Valhalla Edition is right up my alley, Norse mythology, usually am into games dealing with the subject. I will be downloading this.
I've been both a lover & hater of the Switch E shop. Lots of subpar games to sift through but there are gems that make it worth it!
I suspect this site’s favorable Sky Rogue review is helping its performance in this poll. It has a slight lead in the early voting (80 total votes so far).
I’ve been enjoying other airplane/flight games on Switch lately, including Manticore, Wings of Fury DX, and Rogue Aces. I likely will get Sky Rogue as well, based on what I read in the review yesterday.
KORG Gadget immediately draws my attention. I've heard good things about their software on DS and the like, but with a nice big screen this could be great for making music on the go.
I met the developers of Saturday Morning RPG at an anime conference a few years ago. They sell used games in the Dealers Room every year. I might pick up Saturday Morning RPG since they were cool dudes.
aye caramba that's a lot of games
"Switch activities"
Is that new? I think it's funny if you post a vid of your Labo creation you win a Labo kit. There's a joke in there about a horse and a barn.
Games that caught my attention -
Jotun - b/c the description sounds like a game I'm currently playing on another system, axe and all.
Sparkle ZERO - b/c you can never have enough Spore eating games.
DragoDino - b/c dragons and dinosaurs
Hello Kitty Kruisers - b/c Hello Kitty
There's certainly a genre for everyone in there. Not sure of the quality, but surely every genre is covered.
I'm bummed. All I wanted was the Naruto trilogy, but apparently it's not getting a NA release. ;_;
So much crap to sift through every week now
Korg for me. I've always loved the electribe line (personally use ER-1 and EMX-1). I haven't checked yet, but does this include DDD-1 samples? Love me some 12-bit nastiness!
@Agramonte
Thank you! Don't have a Switch yet, so I've been able to play it patient with memory and wait for deals such as this. Sending you good vibes for the heads up.
Again too many games to reasonably follow.
@Agramonte some sale. I bought it for $49.99 on Amazon in November 2017.
Death Road to Canada is now May 15th according to the eshop.
@Crono1973 they wouldn't keep selling them if people weren't buying them. There's a huge market for these games, most obviously.
@Desa All three Naruto games and the trilogy pack are live in the NA shop. Come ‘n’ get ‘em.
I have a bunch of overpriced cardboard that I should do something with.
@DrJiggle @imgrowinglegs @Gorfvic20 @SmaMan
Heads up for those interested in KORG Gadget, you can export from Headphone jack/HDMI audio only. No MIDI, wav., .mp3, etc. :-/
https://support.korguser.net/hc/en-us/articles/360000676863-Can-I-export-songs-
I might still get it, but only when it goes on sale.
eShop: boring boring boring, overpriced, boring (when did the eShop get so boring and crammed with filler? Thursdays used to be so exciting). Was excited for the KORG, but it is essentially pointless (as an on the go thing) since, "When you want to use songs externally, please record the audio from either the headphone output in the body of the Nintendo Switch, or from HDMI audio output." Might as well just have my laptop with me.
DLC: Splatoon2 update once again saves the day for Nintendo.
@masterLEON That makes it almost completely worthless as "this fun on the go thing" if I have to RECORD through the HDMI output. This is like Mario Maker on 3DS without the ability to share levels. My phone or laptop is better for doing this on the go.
@james_squared donate it all to a cat - they will love you for it - best use of that junk
@burninmylight np! 😊... Well I got my Switch at launch and I now just got this microSD card today for it - over a year later.
I have 1 gig left on the Switch - so depending on where most of your games come from you can probably not sweat it if you have one at the beginning or not
@dumedum hmm, was not really looking for one back then. Yeah, Probably get a better deal over black Friday in Nov. But extra $5 not that bad.
How is Light Fall? Not too many reviews up yet, but the ones there seem to say "Great game, but too difficult and too short." Those are both pluses for me - I love difficult platformers like DKC and Super Meat Boy, and lately I am preferring shorter games that I can actually finish.
@Dang69 I'm really looking forward to working with the Labo. I think it's a great concept.
@masterLEON Good to know. I've got a good enough sound setup that I'd still be able to make use of it.
Gonna be hooked on splatoon trying to rank up, Naruto and Gal Gun over the weekend.
<- Eagerly awaiting the review of Saturday Morning RPG
<- Will probably buy it anyways
@justin233
Thank you! I wasn't able to check the eshop today, so I was going by the list provided here. I appreciate it.
Is it possible for you guys to actually tell us at least what genre a games is? Best example I can give this week is Sparkle ZERO: I don't care about whale facts. I'd like to know what kind of game it is. I can read bad game descriptions on the eShop. At least there I (usually) have a video I can watch to get an idea of what the game is.
I guess Naruto isnt important enough for Nintendo Life to report..
Got Naruto Trilogy for 40 bucks. Im quite happy with the price!
The Xenoblade and Spla2oon updates are both pretty exciting. And after reading the review, I am gonna pick up Regalia.
I remember seeing "Ghost Pilots" a few times on "Nick Arcade."
@Kiyata Why not, it's not like they take up shelf space.
@GumbyX84 @MattFox Pretty sure they just copy and paste the list Nintendo releases. If it isn’t in the list, it isn’t posted.
@Desa No problem! Happy to help out.
@Dang69 If someone happens to have a laptop with a 3.5mm input, maybe not on recent laptops but older ones, they could use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to record. HDMI comes into play if they have a capture device, like an Elgato. And with Elgato it's even easier because by ticking a box in the options, the game capture software can automatically save a separate audio track along with the video recording. This'll likely be the way I end up recording.
But yeah, it's still an inconvenience to record if you're not already set up to do so.
@SmaMan Yup! As long as the sound's clean and there's no artifacts, we should be good to go.
I pre-ordered Agatha Knife with the discount and picked up Goetia for that great initial sale price. Light Fall, Jotun, Saturday Morning RPG, and Glaive are all going on my wishlist. I'm trying to be patient and wait for sales, since I already have a huge backlog on the Switch.
@Fake-E-Lee Just bought it. It's good! Just running and jumping on your own boxes feels really good. Got to Act II already after only an hour, so it does seem pretty short.
Sheesh... there's a lot of games I'd play in this list. Some I'd be waiting for a review for, but here's my full "interested" list:
A Robot Named Fight (I usually don't do rogue-anything, but I'm getting a strong Metroid vibe from this one. )
Another Lost Phone: Laura’s Story (Backlog hasn't allowed me to get around to the first one yet, but both intrigue me... A price drop would be great )
Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight (Holy hell I loved this game on NES and must own this)
Ghost Pilots (Getting a strong 1942 vibe and it doesn't look too over the top like some airplane games currently on Switch)
Glaive: Brick Breaker (Love Arkanoid style games but need a review. Hey NL, how about a review for Energy Invasion too?...)
Goetia (Point & Click, moody, mysterious, haunting... all the things I want in an adventure game)
Late Shift (This and The Bunker are intriguing buys for me as I don't usually do FMV games, but gonna wait for a sale)
Saturday Morning RPG (As a kid who grew up in the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons, it's my duty to play this. No guts no glory! )
@Fake-E-Lee Nice, it looks fun as hell. Thanks for advice
@Fake-E-Lee and @MeloMan Hey, publisher here! Super-pumped y'all are enjoying the game.
Finally some Hello Kitty love! Been waiting on this forever!
@james_squared great concepts and great fun aren't always the same thing. I extremely appreciate and respect LABO - incredible in what it does. But the software is so super shallow for the actual builds, that it's a bit insulting, no matter the age, and just kind of "there".
@masterLEON I look into elgato - thanks man. I do some simple music stuff (have a PA and mix for karaoke hosting - record vocals, mess around with a Roland JD-Xi-RD and VoiceLive Touch) and was hoping this would be a fun thing to play around with to start expanding my wheelhouse a little.
@Fake-E-Lee Yeah, probably not happening, lol. And now you've made me add another to my wishlist!
@fake-e-lee That's what I'm working on! We've got some cool stuff in the works. If you wanna chat with the guy that made A Robot Named Fight, there's a Discord you can join with the rest of the community: discord.gg/6Bs84xW. He always likes to hear from fans!
Gotta say: as a producer, I avoided KORG's lackluster outing. IT DOES NOT feature touch support, nor ANY kind of export system (partly due to Nintendo, partly to KORG).
I DID, however, pick up A Robot Named Fight. As a major Metroid fan, I can safely recommend it. Solid 7.5/10. It draws almost all inspiration from Super Metroid. Quite enjoyable.
So I picked up Lode Runner Legacy instead, after enjoying the heck out of the demo. It's pretty great.
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