Latest Interviews
September2021
Video SUDA51 On No More Heroes And The Future Of Travis Touchdown
Grasshopper has bigger plans
The recent launch of No More Heroes III completed the journey of series protagonist Travis Touchdown, capping off a trilogy of games (plus a spin-off) that began back on the Wii. Fans of iconic game director SUDA51 had waited a while for this one, and apparently thi
Quick Beats Grant Kirkhope On How Batman Inspired Banjo-Kazooie
"I’ve used [those chords] a gazillion times, it’s in everything I write"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling...
Feature Banjo And Final Fantasy On The Radio? VGM On Classic FM Was Only The Beginning
WeLoveGameMusic head on campaigning with the VGM community
It's September, and the VGM Fest is coming to an end soon — but we still have time for a few more celebratory interviews and features before we put video game music back on the shelf for a while. Today, we've got a chat with Richard Stokes, the lead at We Love Game Music, who tells us all...
Quick Beats Pulstar, Mega Man, And Final Fight Composer Talks Joe Hisaishi And The Beatles
"I wish I had done one of the Mario games. Maybe Mario Party"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter...
We talk with the Hades composer, and Zagreus himself
We recently spoke to award-winning composer Darren Korb as part of our Quick Beats series, where he kindly answered ten quickfire questions about his musical tastes. However, that small snippet was just part of a much larger conversation we were lucky enough to have with Supergiant Games' in-house...
Quick Beats Save Me Mr Tako! Composer Talks Flyrule, Ravel And Star Wars D6
10 quick Qs for Marc-Antoine Archier
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Quick Beats Sayonara Wild Hearts Composer On K-Pop, Nintendo Classics And Morricone
"Morricone was and still is so inspiring"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we've been speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick...
Feature 'Bossa De Hyrule' Reimagines Zelda Music With Laidback Brazilian Beats
Dungeon bossa
Just prior to Nintendo Life VGM Fest kicking off in mid-August, we were contacted by Steven Morris — a musician and prolific producer of VGM covers — about a recent project he had undertaken to fuse music from the Legend of Zelda series with the relaxing tones and chilled beats of bossa nova. The result is Bossa de Hyrule, a...
Quick Beats Sonic Mania Composer On Portuguese Rap And His Musical Hero
"Jun Senoue bought me sushi once"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. We...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer And Inti Creates Founder Talks Backdraft And Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Ippo Yamada
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Feature WayForward On BloodRayne Betrayal: Fresh Bites And Bringing Back Bailey And Baker
"Bringing Laura and Troy back made a ton of sense"
WayForward is a studio that's no stranger to looking back, whether towards its own games — with re-releases of the Shantae series, for example — or revamping other developers' past work — as is the case with the team's upcoming remake of Nintendo's Advance Wars GBA duo, Advance Wars 1 + 2:...
Feature Sayonara Wild Hearts Composer On Creating The First 'Pop Album Video Game'
"I want to keep growing as a composer"
It seems as if video game music continues to grow and reach new heights with each passing year. Incredible soundtracks are no longer limited to big budget titles and the work of long-established names, as the Indie space and the growth of tools and knowledge has introduced a fresh generation of composers. One...
Quick Beats Donkey Kong Country Composer Talks Aquatic Ambiance And Get Lucky
"There have been some amazing songs over the last decade"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter...
*creeeeeeeeeeak*
Audio design is an underrated part of a video game's soundscape, though you almost definitely have appreciated a particularly good noise at some point in your gaming career — whether it's the creak of a Resident Evil door or the sound of Sonic collecting a ring, audio design helps create the right mood for a game. Our Nintendo...
Quick Beats The Composer And Solo Dev Of 'The Garden Path' Talks Arcade Fire And Young Thug
"Music has never been better"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today...
"[Jeremy] insisted I make a cave level with waterfalls like Yoshi"
Last week a Kickstarter campaign went live for Goodboy Galaxy, the first brand new, commercial release for the Game Boy Advance for 13 years. A colourful 2D platformer with running, gunning and a space-faring good boy called Maxwell, it's a beautifully animated and incredibly...
Quick Beats Final Fantasy Composer And VGO Founder On Road Trip Music, Rock, And The '80s
Put on some Van Halen
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's quick...
August2021
Quick Beats Final Fantasy And Vagrant Story Composer Hitoshi Sakimoto Talks YMO And Dua Lipa
"It’s been played often"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today we're...
Quick Beats Mega Man Composer Manami Matsumae On Ocarinas And Bohemian Rhapsody
"I saved up my allowance to buy Queen's Jazz"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick...
Feature The Garden Path's Solo Dev On Hollow Knight And Final Fantasy Influences
"I'm a big fan of lo-fi music and lo-fi games"
We're bending the rules a little bit for today's Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival interview — this game isn't actually out yet. Scandal! But hopefully you'll forgive us, because The Garden Path — which recently finished its Kickstarter campaign, hitting the
Quick Beats Celeste Composer Lena Raine On Her Love For Ghibli, Hurdy-Gurdies, And Her Cat
The cat is called Bobbin
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'. Today's...
Feature Video Game Orchestra Founder Talks Live Music And Composing For Final Fantasy
The Woodwind Waker
When I was younger and more full of bad decisions than I am now, I used to go to gigs and watch rock bands sweatily flailing around the stage in cramped, smoky bars. Nowadays, I'd much rather sit in a concert hall and close my eyes while a bunch of talented orchestral musicians play a fancy version of the Skyrim soundtrack (which...
Quick Beats Shovel Knight Composer On Q*Bert, The Prodigy, And Magical Bongos
10 rapid-fire questions for Jake Kaufman
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features 'Quick Beats'...
Quick Beats Hades Composer Talks Weird Al, The Beatles, And Radiohead
"I would aspire to write something as cool or as beautiful as that"
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Feature Mega Man, Shovel Knight, And Save Me Mr Tako Composers On Getting 'That' Retro Sound
A roundtable on writing retro tunes in modern times
As any self-respecting subscriber of the Gaming Historian knows, one national survey conducted in 1990 found that more American children could identify Mario than Mickey. That sounds about right to this writer, who was one of those children. What truly astonished us, however, was witnessing...
Feature How Fire Tonight Took A Decades-Old Synth-Pop Song, And Made A Game Out Of It
Flamey-o
Information Society in 2019, looking extremely cool You might think that there would be more video games based on songs, and yet, there really aren't. At least, I can't think of any, but then again, I am writing this at 10am on a rainy Friday morning, so my brain isn't exactly at its peak. But Fire Tonight, named after Information...
Lena Raine talks Chrono Trigger and wanting to write "a really rowdy anime opening"
Lena Raine's meteoric rise over the past few years has taken her from working in Quality Assurance at ArenaNet, all the way to being nominated for a BAFTA and an award for Best Music at The Game Awards — pretty impressive for someone who's technically only nine...
Quick Beats Streets Of Rage Composer On Musical Heroes And The Series He'd Love To Work On
10 rapid-fire questions for VGM legend Yuzo Koshiro
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we're speaking to a range of composers and musicians for a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these shorter features...
Quick Beats 'Journey' And 'Abzu' Composer On Star Wars, Neil Young And Podcasts
Rapid-fire composer quizzing with BAFTA winner Austin Wintory
Throughout the Nintendo Life Video Game Music Festival we'll be speaking to a range of composers and musicians with a mixture of in-depth interviews and shorter, sharper (and perhaps a little goofier) Q&As where we ask just ten rapid-fire personal questions; we're calling these...
Feature Tee Lopes Talks Sonic, Streets Of Rage, And Making Music On A PS1
"Video games were a portal that allowed me to discover music"
Fans of certain beloved Sega franchises should be very familiar with this composer's name by now. Tee Lopes started out on the VGM scene releasing remixed and reimagined versions of some of gaming's most beloved music, with a special focus on one blue hedgehog in particular, and his...
Feature Doki Doki Literature Club Creator On Revisiting The Club Members In 'Plus'
"The characters stick with you because they feel like friends"
It's not every day that a visual novel has the chance to shock and awe the world like Doki Doki Literature Club did on PC back in 2017. The game proved to be a hit, but console gamers were left waiting for some way to experience the tale this anime dating sim tells. Flash forward to the...
News Surprise! Super Chill City Builder 'ISLANDERS Console Edition' Drops On Switch eShop
Getting city with it
Islanders Console Edition, the minimalist city builder from developer Grizzly Games, is heading to Switch... right now! Yes, as revealed in today's Indie World Showcase, the relaxing 2019 game has been shadow-dropped on Switch eShop by publisher Coatsink and is available to buy as you read these very words for the reasonable...
Feature Ex-Nintendo Employee On 'Holy Grails', Meeting Heroes, And Preserving A $10K Kirby Card
"As a fan, I was mortified at the thought of destroying any of it"
We were recently contacted by a reader with details of a treasure they had found — an incredibly rare Kirby e-Reader card created exclusively for an in-person E3 2002 competition. Not only was it a limited card created for an industry-only event nearly two decades ago, but also a...
July2021
Feature Introducing Chrono Faction, A Premium Collectible Card Game Coming To Switch
Will feature no micro-transactions or F2P mechanics
In May we shared a tease from developer Mojo Bones for its next release, Chrono Faction. Heading to Switch, it'll be the studio's first project on Nintendo hardware since the enjoyable Siesta Fiesta on 3DS way back in 2013. It's a very different game, however, as it's a CCG (collectible card game)...
Feature thatgamecompany On Sky: Children Of The Light And Seeking Humanity's 'Brighter Side'
"I realised that our game is not meant to be played by one group, but by everybody"
The Switch eShop had a notable recent arrival, with thatgamecompany making its Nintendo debut with Sky: Children of the Light. It's a studio that achieved notable acclaim in a period of PlayStation exclusivity, with titles such as Flower and Journey
June2021
Nintendo veteran Yoshio Sakamoto on Samus' return on Switch
"Samus Aran and her cool warrior persona, the exploration element, and the various elements of surprise." According to series overseer Yoshio Sakamoto, these tenets are the consistent components of any game that carries the name 'Metroid'. As producer on the freshly announced Metroid...
News Devs Discuss Their Upcoming Switch Games 'Dreamscaper' And 'To The Rescue'
A quick chat about roguelite dreams and good bois
As part of its E3 presentation, publisher Freedom Games showed various upcoming Switch releases, including roguelite action game Dreamscaper — which was featured in the Nintendo Indie World Showcase way back in December 2019 — and To The Rescue, a dog shelter simulator
May2021
Feature Toys For Bob On Crash 4 For Switch And The 'Dream' Of Smash Bros.
"If I had any influence, I sure would love to see that"
Nintendo Switch has lots of major exclusives and its share of awesome download titles, but the little hybrid system can still hold its own and join in with major multi-platform titles. A recent example is Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, which arrived earlier in the Spring; in our review we...
Feature Save Me, Mr. Tako! Dev On Japan, 'Franglais', And Parting Ways With Nicalis
"Since it was delisted and not transferred, I can’t legally use the original version"
In late 2018, controversial indie publisher Nicalis released wunderkind indie developer Christophe Galati’s tribute to the Game Boy Tasukete, Tako-San! / Save Me, Mr. Tako! on Switch to mixed r
Feature Turning 'Peaceful' Into 'Frantic' With Animal Crossing's Speedrunning Scene
Legging it through New Leaf
There’s an entire generation of players who hold dear fond memories of dipping their stubby toes in the coarse sand of Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s beaches. There was a calm warmth that came with the villagers that called your slowly built-up town home. The game was a beacon of creativity where you could let the...
April2021
Feature The Origins Of BAFTA-Nominated 'Before I Forget' And Its Approach To Dementia
"One of our goals has always been to tell stories that aren’t often told within video games"
The Nintendo Switch, through its popularity and also its extremely varied and diverse gaming audience, has attracted some fascinating video games to the eShop. The system is a home for experimental and challenging games, and Before I Forget - a title that...
Feature Developers Respond To The Recent Twitter Furore Over The Definition Of 'Game Dev'
A little more context than 280 characters can cope with
Last week, a Twitter debate broke out over the exact definition of a 'game developer' and to whom that term can be ascribed. Should the title be extented to anyone contributing to the development of the game or be reserved solely for those with direct creative input? Are QA staff 'developers'...
Feature "I Was Actually Inside Jerry Bruckheimer's Office, Accused Of Being A Megalomaniac"
The Last Worker director on ambitious ideas and striving to do cool things on Switch
Recently, publisher Wired Productions unveiled its own ‘Direct’ in which it revealed a sizeable number of games, five of which are coming to Nintendo Switch. One that caught the eye, in part because its teaser was also visually arresting and rather vague, was...
Feature Final Fantasy Veterans Discuss Their Upcoming JRPG, Astria Ascending
"Maybe remote collaboration is the best way after all!"
Announced initially in Famitsu in March and unveiled for worldwide release shortly after, Astria Ascending is a JRPG in the classic mould that has a bevy of veterans from the genre — and the Final Fantasy series in particular — involved, including narrative by Kazushige Nojima (whose...
Feature Bringing SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match Of The Millennium To Switch After Two Decades
"We hope that re-releasing this SvC title will serve as an opportunity for more"
For anyone old enough to remember the initial 1999 release of SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, its recent surprise arrival on Switch was a real event. This crossover fighter is part of a celebrated series that pits the finest combatants from the stables of...
March2021
Feature Subnautica Switch Dev - "It Wasn’t Always Our Intention To Release Them Together"
Unknown Worlds on its upcoming simultaneous Switch launch
First announced for Switch in a bumper Indie World Showcase from Nintendo back in August 2020, we were delighted to hear that developer Unknown Worlds and Bandai Namco are bringing not only the original Subnautica to Switch this year, but also its sequel, Subnautica: Below Zero. The latter...
Feature Can't Buy Super Mario 64 On Switch Anymore? Psst! The N64 Original Is Better
EON discusses Super 64: PAL Edition
As you'll no doubt have heard, Super Mario 3D All-Stars — the 3D Mario collection that bundles Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy in a single Switch cartridge (or download) — will no longer be available to buy
Feature Plants Vs. Zombies Producer On Bringing EA's Frostbite Engine To Switch
"From the onset, we maintained that this was not just going to be a simple port"
From a fan's point of view, EA's support of Switch has had its ups and downs since Nintendo's hybrid console launched four years ago. Solid releases such as Burnout Paradise Remastered and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered show that the publisher isn't averse to...
Feature Clockwork Aquario Developers On The Restoration Of Westone's Lost Arcade Gem
We speak to the team, including Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa
For video game fans who have been playing in arcades and at home for several decades now, the topic of preservation has become a pressing one in recent years. As ageing technology inevitably fails and we sadly begin losing the creators who were there at the dawn of digital...
"We inspire each other way more than any outside influences could"
Last month, Swedish developer Tarsier Studios released Little Nightmares II on Switch and other platforms. The sequel to the team's previous horror-themed puzzle-platformer (which arrived on Switch in 2018 as Little Nightmares: Complete Edition), this second adventure follows Six and...
Feature Panic Button And Respawn On The Challenge Of Bringing Apex Legends On Switch
"Any port of a live service game is a true miracle"
The free-to-play battle royal, Apex Legends launches on Switch this week on March 9th, and we were thrilled when we learned the master porters, Panic Button assisted Apex developers Respawn Entertainment with the mission. To learn more about the interworkings of Panic Button, the challenge of...
Feature Capcom On Monster Hunter Rise's Rampage, Wirebug Exploration And Alien Wyverns
"This is the first time that we're using the RE engine for a Monster Hunter title"
Our readers may have felt a bit left out after the Monster Hunter series skipped Nintendo platforms with Monster Hunter World back in 2018, but all of that is about to change as the latest entry in the series, Monster Hunter Rise is hitting Nintendo Switch on March...
February2021
Feature Hyperkin Explains How The RetroN Sq Is Bringing The Game Boy To Your Living Room
Update: Pre-orders go live on Amazon
Update: Pre-orders are now available! Original Story [Wed 22nd Jan, 2020 14:00 GMT]: Hyperkin has been one of the biggest names in 'new' retro products for quite some time now, thanks to products like the RetroN 5 and Supa Boy. The company is back with a new device – the
Feature Curse Of The Dead Gods Devs On Early Access, Switch Challenges, And Hades Comparisons
"One can only be flattered by such a comparison"
Fans of the roguelike and roguelite genre have had some real gems to enjoy over the last couple of years, with excellent games like Dead Cells and last year's award-sweeping Hades serving up some incredibly satisfying run-based dungeon-crawling on Switch.
Feature Blessed By Hermes - A Peek Inside The Hades Speedrunning Community
We speak to Supergiant Games and two prominent Hades speedrunners
When you think of speedrunning in games, where does your mind go? Is it Super Mario 64? Breath of the Wild? Dark Souls? Undoubtedly, the 'classics' are popular choices with speedrunners, but there are plenty of others which defy expectation;
January2021
Feature "You Have To Rewire Your Brain To Accept The Absurdities I'm Going To Lay Out"
The legendary Mat Dickie talks wrestling, Switch and dealing with critics
While Wrestling Empire is no critical darling, sole developer Mat Dickie is used to that reception, having been making his own professional wrestling games since 2000. Despite unusual visuals and unpredictable gameplay, these titles have achieved a cult following – it's not...
Feature Cyber Shadow Dev On 8-Bit Classics And How We Can Thank Yacht Club For The Switch Launch
"I can’t comprehend how it happened, must be dark magic"
It's true that there's no shortage of retro-inspired, nostalgia-drenched Switch games to enjoy these days. It's something of a golden age for anyone who loves the pixel aesthetic, tight controls, incredible chiptunes and purity of classic NES games from the '80s and early-'90s. Now there's a...
Feature Limited Run Games On The Process of Bringing Scott Pilgrim To Physical Shelves
"It has been requested on an almost daily basis"
Fans of the Scott Pilgrim series far and wide have been begging the series creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Ubisoft, Oni Press, and physical game publishers like Limited Run Games to release a physical edition of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game ever since it was delisted from online storefronts back...
Feature Dicey Dungeons' Terry Cavanagh And Chipzel On Inspirations, Characters, And The Crystal Maze
"The game made me feel like I was on a '90s game show"
Roguelite deckbuilder Dicey Dungeons surprise-launched on Switch in the middle of December and has been keeping us busy over the holidays with its addictive blend of eye-catching art, cheeky humour, brilliant soundtrack and — of course — dice-based dungeon crawling. We recently caught up...
Feature Banjo-Tooie Turns 20 - The Rare Team Tells The Story Of Bombs, Bugs And Bottles
"Bottles got what was coming to him"
Nowadays, there's nary a game that doesn't finish with a post-credits tease to tee up a sequel or spin-off. There's always a tantalisingly loose thread or Easter Egg hidden in the DLC hinting at a further instalment. It would be a very bold move, though, to name your sequel and directly reference it in a game...
Feature Horace Developers On Die Hard, Britishness, And Finding The Right Genre Label
"Maybe a AAA SNES game?"
The term 'hidden gem' is one that, unfortunately, crops up all too frequently these days. With wave upon wave of quality titles hitting digital storefronts every week, more games than ever risk getting carried away by the tide before you've had the chance to pick them up. Horace — ostensibly a 16-bit-inspired platformer,...
Feature Playing The Name Game - The Art Of Finding The Perfect Title
Game name: Origins
There was a time when naming your company's latest video game was simple. Just programmed the first golf game for your 8-bit system? Great! Slap Golf on the cover and print 200,000. Likewise Tennis, Baseball and so on. They were simpler times, and the following 16-bit console generation wasn't much more complicated. Anyone for...
Feature How Nintendo, Pokémon And Japanese Culture Shaped Global Tastes Through Pure Invention
Author and translator Matt Alt discusses his recent book
The Back to the Future movies might be best known for their seat-of-your-pants time-hopping sense of adventure, whip-smart structure and American nostalgia, but they also serve as a socio-economic lens on the time in which they were made. Marty McFly, for example, might not return to exactly...
Feature Moon Studios On Ori And The Will Of The Wisps' Journey From Xbox To Switch
"A lot of us questioned if this wasn’t just a foolish dream"
The previously unannounced appearance of the remarkable Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Switch eShop last month was a huge and very pleasant surprise. Of course, the really big surprise came last year when Microsoft permitted developer Moon Studios to bring its predecessor Ori and the...
December2020
Round Up Nintendo Life 2020 - A Year In Interviews
So many questions
Throughout 2020 we here at Nintendo Life have spoken to many game developers and industry types, large and small, who have brought their work to Switch. Whether those games have gone on to sell millions or gotten a little lost in the abyss of the Switch eShop, it's always fascinating to get behind-the-scenes insights about what...
Feature No More Robots Boss On How Switch eShop Is Pushing Publishers To Game The System
"I had to grit my teeth and try a 'can't beat them, join them' approach"
Since Switch launched back in March 2017, we've spoken to developers several times about the eShop, its discoverability problems and the tactics being employed to get noticed and sell games on Nintendo's digital storefront. At launch, the eShop was very much in line with the...
Feature Lego Super Mario Lead Designer On 3D-Printed Prototypes, Aborted AR And Meeting Koji Kondo
Qs around the blocks
Jonathan Bennink, the lead designer on LEGO Super Mario, has spent an astonishing four years working out how to align Nintendo’s IP with the Danish firm’s perennially popular toy bricks. In an exclusive interview for Nintendo Life, he talks about how the two companies collaborated to create an interactive Lego Mario...
"If it’s not 60 FPS, it’s not Burnout"
When word broke that 2008's Burnout Paradise would be returning to consoles in remastered form, Switch owners got nervous when there was no mention of Criterion's seminal open-world racer releasing on Nintendo's platform. It took nearly two years, but a Switch port did eventually materialise and we've been...
Feature The Making Of Streets Of Rage 4, By The People Who Made It Happen
"With that reality came pressure, but so much joy and excitement as well"
It took twenty-five years, but Streets of Rage 4 finally delivered a cracking sequel to Sega's beloved pugilism series, no small feat given just how many gamers hold the franchise in enormously high regard. Nintendo Life caught up with the teams at DotEmu, Guard Crush Games...
Feature Fallout Creator On The Outer Worlds, Working Partnerships, And The Games He Plays These Days
"I’m playing a lot of Minecraft. I find it very relaxing."
Eleven years is a long time. As the last few months have proved, an awful lot can change in a short period, and that's doubly true when it comes to game development. Following over a decade of working on separate projects as different companies, you'd be forgiven for thinking that 'getting...
Feature Sam Barlow On Bringing Telling Lies To Switch, His Directing Style, And His Next Project
"Being an intense, memorable experience up front is more important than replayability"
For many gamers the term 'FMV' may still be loaded with memories of shlocky 'cinematic' clips crammed into games in the early 1990s. The memory space of the CD-ROM enabled developers to 'wow' people who had invested in their first personal computer with compressed...
Feature Switch Developers Open Up About The Impact Of COVID-19
We speak to Dotemu, Image & Form, SMG Studio and Playtonic Games
Most of you reading this will have encountered some sort of social restrictions over the past month or so due to the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently experiencing. While security measures designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus vary on a per-country basis, necessary...
Feature Now Is A Great Time To Support Your Local Retro Computer Museum
Preserve And Protect
In 2020, the majority of our interactions with video games is virtual – games are easily accessible and available online 24/7. However, there are plenty of people who have fond memories of the more physical side of games, whether that be browsing racks in dedicated video game shops, visiting sensory-overload arcades or getting...
"It’s very much like being in quarantine and lockdown all the time"
Last month music label Materia Collective put out the original soundtracks to both Yooka-Laylee and its sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on a host of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. The music from both of Playtonic Games' love letters to platformer
Feature NES Creator Masayuki Uemura On Building The Console That Made Nintendo A Household Name
"Back then, we didn’t know if it was going to be popular or not"
There's no denying that the NES – or Famicom as it was known in its native Japan – is one of the most important pieces of video game hardware ever made. Not only did it turn Nintendo from an outsider player to industry leader, it laid down the foundations of an industry which...
