Tunic
Image: Finji

We did it folks! We made it through the barrage of game releases — more commonly known as 'September' — and we live to write another day! Though October is looking just as packed... *gulp*

Here at Nintendo Life, we've played through the unofficial Super Mario Bros. 5 fan game made entirely in Super Mario Maker 2, gotten silly with life sims and lauded Lord of the Rings RPGs of old. It has also been an exciting week as we found out not only that Cuphead would be getting a physical release, but we got our first look at Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's newest 'mon Wiglett — he's quite the weird little fella!

After getting a hands-on sneak peek at Sonic Frontiers, perhaps we will be turning to some of the hedgehog's former adventures in preparation this weekend. Or maybe, after sharing our thoughts on Tunic and reviewing Let's Build a Zoo, we'll be checking out both of those!

Well, below, you can find out what our wonderful writers will be playing as they've shared their weekend gaming plans. As always, we want to hear from you all too! Have a read and then be sure to share your video game schedule in the comments below — enjoy!

Alana Hagues, staff writer

I bought a Splatoon 3 OLED as a birthday treat for myself – and my goodness that screen really makes a difference, doesn’t it? I’ve been dipping into Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (again) and the colours really pop on the OLED — I know it doesn't run amazing in handheld mode, but my in-bed Xenoblade gaming has improved tenfold. Have I run out of things to do yet? Of course I haven’t. I can’t put it down even though I’m in the postgame!

Otherwise, I’m getting ready for some of the big October releases. I’m going back to Bayonetta and finally checking that one off my backlog, and also revisiting Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. And, in terms of new stuff, I’m going to give Let’s Build a Zoo a spin. Spliced animals? What a horror show! But I’m in all the way.

Jim Norman, staff writer

There is an awful lot that I am hoping to play this weekend. The amount that I will actually play may be a different discussion — one which is entirely dependent on how I am feeling about my bank balance.

Let's be optimistic here. I really want to sink my teeth into Tunic and Shovel Knight Dig. Two very different games admittedly, but nonetheless, ones that have instantly grabbed me with their visuals — seeing either one of these on the OLED? Chef's kiss.

I'm also yet to really crack open my copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, so it would be great to get some totally tubular action in if I find time between these new purchases. Ol' reliable as I am becoming, there will undoubtedly be some Splatoon 3-ing in the meantime - consider me well and truly hooked.

Ollie Reynolds, staff writer

I’m not sure how much time I’ll get this weekend to play games, but I’ll try and sneak in a bit more Bayonetta 2 here and there if possible. I’m getting close to wrapping it up now, so I’m keen to just get it done. Otherwise, there’s not a whole lot else I’m looking to dive into! I’d like to buy Return to Monkey Island soon, but I’m going to replay the first two games first to refresh my memory a bit, so that’s on hold for the time being.

Gonçalo Lopes, reviewer

While my journey in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 edges ever closer to its conclusion, it is hard to ignore the fact that the eShop absolutely exploded this week. Shmup junkies like myself are more than covered with Moon Dancer and both versions of Bullet Soul being among the finest representation of the genre. 16-bit shovelling action is guaranteed with Shovel Knight Dig, oppressive souls-like Metroidvania is covered by Moonscars, zen city building will be happening in Dorfromantik, and hypnotizing trains are in motion with RAILGRADE. All that while the physical box of The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is teasing me for my JRPG time slot. 48 hours simply won’t cut it this time!

Game of the week is Tunic. It was a long and hard wait for this gem to land on the Switch but it was well worth it; it is truly something quite special.

Kate Gray, staff writer

This weekend, I'll be... mostly working on my side projects. Woo! But also, AI: The Somnium Files is about to get knocked off Game Pass, so I'm going to try to finish it before then. And since I finally finished 13 Sentinels (wooooo!) maybe I can get started on Danganronpa, which I bought in one of the recent sales. I've played it before, but I want to play it again.

As ever, thank you for reading! Make sure to leave us a comment below with your weekend gaming plans!