The promising-looking side-scrolling arcade brawler Wulverblade is headed to the Switch eShop next week, it has been revealed.
Originally confirmed as an early Xbox One indie release, Wulverblade - which is inspired by the likes of Golden Axe and Streets of Rage - is now making its debut on the Switch instead. You'll get to sink your teeth into it next Thursday.
You can read more about the game's development in our exclusive interview with creator Michael Heald here. Is this one on your shopping list? Let us know with a comment.
Comments 105
Looks amazing, will grab for sure.
Awesome, I've been looking for information for this game because it was originally scheduled for September.
This is the same problem with the Switch I had at release... All crappy re releases, games made for phones and poopy small budget games. I have almost everything worth playing for more then 10 hours and the E shop is nibelsnarfing dry. These games are phone/tablet bull and we need the 3rd party games. I'm tired of "waiting" for AAA games. Now, commence the babies who want to argue a factual point. There has not been ONE AAA or game people want announced randomly (like ALL other consoles) that is coming out within 2-3 months of the announcement. Even an AAA port of a HUGE franchise (besides Skyrim) would have been nice. Doom doesn't count.
Lots of games to play on the 13th....
Going on the list. I'll get it at some point: not now, though.
@DEZn00ts
Boohoo
@DEZn00ts I completely agree.
My poor wallet
I love the DA, and this particular genre isn't too crowded for now on the eshop, it could work well for them !
@DEZn00ts cool.
Day one for me. A viking game, im a viking myself, its sure im totally interessed by a game like that. Would like To play with 2 friends but it say 1 and 2 players only. The drawing looks awesome!!
@DEZn00ts your argument isn't go to get anywhere with this rather ridiculous level of anger behind it.
Sorry devs, but I'm busy with Stardew Valley now and with Mario coming at the end of the month, your games will have to wait.
Love, Justin233
Great! I've been waiting for this one!
@DEZn00ts
The only reason I would have confusion to your post is that you're posting it on a forum, for a game, that is releasing on the Switch first. It's not even on any other systems yet, not even PC, so I don't understand why Wulverblade gets your 'the Switch is a lean, mean porting machine' ranting.
And it may be that it's a small budget looking game, but those little games can have hours upon hours worth of fun in them. And they are about equal to the price of a meal I get at a restaurant.
At least with these games there is the factor of replayability.
@DEZn00ts why doesn't Doom count? All new consoles suffer such gaps early on and Switch isn't built for so called AAA games. However in the next few months there is Sonic Forces, Mario Odyssey, Skyrim, Doom, L.A. Noire, Xenoblade 2, WWE 2K18 and we've just had Fifa 18 and NBA oh and Wolfenstein 2 has been announced for next year. I've also had a PS4 since launch and I cannot remember 1 AAA game been announced and launched within 2-3 months.
Back to the game in question, I've been waiting for a good side scrolling beat em up for a long time and this looks like filling that gap
@Desa exactly! I spend more time on these types of games or the like of Streets of Rage (which I'm still playing occasionally 20 odd years after launch), Sonic Mania and many games on my mini SNES that I've played countless times over the years, yet many of these big 40-50 hour so called AAA games I will never play again
@DEZn00ts No profanity, this is going to be my last warning.
This has been high on my list since the preview about a month ago. Day one for me
i want this one. it is multiplayer right? i think i remember seeing that it was. 2-3 or something of that nature.
Besides epic music, it doesn't ring a bell yet.
Awesome news, day one. Though in serious need of a deal on eshop cards...
This looked really interesting and the interview that has a link in the article is promising. I remember spending lots of time with a friend playing Golden Axe, decades ago... The eshop sure has some average or even bad games, but the majority are really high quality indie games, so I don't see why people complains. Well, that's something wonderful about the internet: anyone can just throw it's opinions on anything.
@crackafreeze
yeah saw that when i watched the video.. i r dum.
looks like fun though. i liked castle crashers a lot as well as the old school dungeons and dragons/golden ax/etc.
After getting screwed on Earth Atlantis, I guess I'm taking another gamble next week...
@DEZn00ts why doesn't DOOM count?that was an announcement out of nowhere. So what if it came out last year. Ps4/xboxone had nothing but remasters for 15months when they launched. Switch has had a great release schedule so far with plenty of decent first party games and good games still to come plus we don't know what's coming after new year yet. Western third parties have to make a decision,thats not down to Nintendo. If all we can expect is half arsed efforts (FIFA18) when it come's to third parties then they can keep them. Bethesda have shown real effort and a want to get games onto the system which in turn I'm sure will lead to good sales. That's good third party I will support
@DEZn00ts Not sure why DOOM doesn't count. That's goalposting. Or why you're ignoring Wolfenstein 2. Which hasn't released on any console yet. Switch also just got 2k18 Basketball and will get WWE after not having seen a 2k sports game in more than half a decade. Octopath Traveler from Square Enix seems to be a big deal too.
Indie doesn't necessitate crappy phone or tablet game. Indies are the new midtier games that THQ, Hudson, and Midway used to occupy. Would love to see someone try to play Steamworld Dig 2 without buttons.
@DEZn00ts
Looks like somebody put on their cranky pants today.
@crackafreeze Yes it's extremely boring. The navigation is terrible and you have to navigate a lot since every time you die you have to farm many poweups in order to stand a chance against any of the bosses. It's really bad and could have used a better map system
I can imagine @DEZn00ts and @SLIGEACH_EIRE sharing a beer
But yeah seriously, I'll take 20 amazing, creative indie titles over 10 samey action shooty AAA games any day of the week. But especially next Thursday.
Really hope this turns out to be as good as it looks
@DEZn00ts
"we need the 3rd party games"
Speak for yourself. Nobody else.
"I'm tired of "waiting" for AAA games"
You were never promised AAA games. Buy a machine that plays them.
"Now, commence the babies"
Oh the irony.
"ONE AAA or game people want"
Again, what people? Speak for yourself
"Even an AAA port of a HUGE franchise (besides Skyrim) would have been nice. Doom doesn't count"
So you want AAA franchises but when they come they don't count. Brilliant.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Hey up, the guy who moans endlessly about lack of AAA games on Switch but won't buy a machine to play AAA games he allegedly wants and doesn't even own a Switch is in.
Its like posting on the Tefal website to complain about your toaster not frying eggs. Even though you don't own a Tefal toaster.
@Desa exactly ! Me and a bunch of my friends exclusively played Tetris for a year. A YEAR! We loved it. if you want AAA whatever that means, buy a PS4 and enjoy .
@electrolite77
Who invited you here to make so much sense. Isn't this the place for babies to come and moan completely of topic.
@electrolite77 You are on form today! Two very amusing takedowns. Nice work!
Loving the art style of this one and a cross between Streets of Rage and Golden Axe?What can possibly go wrong?
Besides I'm busy working my way through the latest box set of Vikings at the moment so if I get to feel like Ragna Lothbrok and let out my murderous feelings in a game rather than on my co workers then that can only be good right?
@DEZn00ts I actually only have a Switch for modern gaming and a 3DS/Wii U. So, I have never played most of the games coming out right now.So I say,bring on the ports.
@electrolite77 you have become my favorite person for the day and I had one crappy day! Good work bud!
@DEZn00ts shut the nibelsnarf up and stop complaining.
This is not my cup of tea.... but happy for those excited! You never know an amazing review might just sway my judgement
@Biff_ARMStrong man what a shame- was looking forward to it! I just didn’t like the black & white color thing.
@Joeynator3000 I miss something?? I didn’t agree with what he said at all but I certainly didn’t see any profanity...another post get deleted??
@andrew124 now THATS profanity folks!!! Lol 😂 😃
@joey302 I'm editing posts.
@andrew124 No profanity...
Hey everyone, Mike here from Wulverblade. I just want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Damien for covering our game and another MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone here in the comments section.
The community on this site is second to none, seriously. All your words mean the world. I've been working on this for 5 years with my good friends at Darkwind and its had every last drop of our hearts and souls go into it.
The story is what really makes this game special and we've spent 5 years keeping that from the world as we want you to experience it without spoilers. All the story elements will be all over the web in a matter of days of release, but I can hope that some of you get to experience it without knowing what's coming. Anyway, I'm rambling.
Thanks again everyone, you rock!!!!!
@fullyilly Nice post! And thank you for jumping into our Friendly community here. I am a positive person and would like to apologise - on behalf of the Nintendo Life Nice Happy Smiley And Not Grumpy People sub-community - for some negative grumpy comments from people here today - may they continue to enjoy their gaming wherever or on water they choose.
In the meantime - I'm stoked for Wulverblade Thank you for your hard work in bringing this to my most favourite console ever - Nintendo SWITCH.
@joey302 Yeah some people are having a problem with the projectiles blending in with the background. I don't have too much of a problem with that, there is only one basic enemy that shoots these white colored shots that blend in a bit. I didn't have a problem with that. My biggest problem is the poor navigation. It's a giant confusing maze with basically no map.
@Biff_ARMStrong hmmm 🤔 I guess I’ll wait on a big sale on it if Nintendo ever has one lol. The game caught my interest cause it reminds me of Steel Empire on the Genesis/3DS....except that’s in color. Did you buy it because you’re an old school shooter fan? If so there’s fortunately plenty of other good stuff on the Switch to check out.
@joey302 Yes, I bought it because I am a fan of oldschool shooters and Nintendo Life projected it as a spiritual successor to "In the Hunt" which I own for the Sega Saturn. This is NOTHING like "In the Hunt." There are no levels, it's the same maze that you go back and forth around that occasionally expands itself. Plus it all looks the same. On top of that it's a maze that has no detailed map. You constantly have to navigate since you need to take on deaths to learn the boss's enemy patterns. WHen you die it takes about 15-20 mins to navigate all over the map collecting upgrades. Only to die instantly and try again. It's terrible.
@cfgk24 Hey no need for apologies, the overwhelming feeling on this site is out and out friendliness! Thanks looking at the game!
@fullyilly I'm really looking forward to the game. I've been itching for a couch co-op beat-em up.
@Fake-E-Lee Thanks for the support and please don't think of it as me putting up with anything, I'm here to answer questions, I want to My only problem is actually shutting up, I can talk about Wulverblade endlessly, its been my life for 5 years ha haaa.
@roboshort Awesome, I hope you love it as much as we've loved making it!
@DEZn00ts Plenty of other consoles out there for you.
@Biff_ARMStrong again that’s a shame. I love In The Hunt too and also have it for Saturn and ps1! Would love to see that game come back! The way you describe Earth sounds like it’s an annoying game and too difficult! Oh well. Anyway if you haven’t done so already, check out Strikers 1945, Zed Blade, Metal slug games, Aero Fighters 2, Last Resort, Blazing Star, and of course the Namco Museum has a couple classic shooters in there. As a seasoned gamer & Switch fan that I assume you are, I’m sure you were already aware of these titles. But just in case...they are worth a mention. 😊
@fullyilly I WILL BE BUYING thank you for your tribute and love letter to the classics I love!!
@Joeynator3000 from one Joey to another Joey I totally agree. This isn’t IGN. And young kids read this site people.
@joey302 You rock, thanks!
Looks fun. Makes me think of a cross between Castle crashers and alien hominid. I will have to pick it up.
@fullyilly no problem & keep em coming! 5 Years? Holy cow!! See you in 2022! Lol
@electrolite77 EXACTLY! Couldn't have said it better myself, you are completely right and I 100% agree with you. Well said man.
Anyone knows if it will have a multiplayer online? Would be great!
@crackafreeze I can echo that. Earth Atlantis is a massive letdown.
@fullyilly I really hope that you also bring the game to the Japanese eShop if not at the same time as others, at least soon after).
In Japan we are (almost) always left out when new indie games come. We just don't get them or get them months or even years after other countries. I don't like that. Not a tiny, little bit.
What is the reason? Cultural differences? Localization? Lack of will?
I wasn't interested in this game when I first saw it during the Nindie presentation, but after reading this site's interview with the developer I couldn't help being amazed by the passion and hard work that was poured into the game. Knowing that it was made with so much love, I will certainly pick this game up when I have the chance!
@Fake-E-Lee Aaaaand that was another one on my To-Buy List😓😆
I think I'll make an effort and buy The Flame In The Flood AND Wulverblade.
I mean, look at it, I NEED this game.
I don't know if you read the interview but this game, even if it's apparently "just another side-scrolling beat 'em up" it literally reeks passion, love and devotion, and it actually shows from the trailers I've seen so far.
Man.
I can't take this anymore, for the sake of my wallet somebody stop the overflowing of all these huge games on the eShop🤣🤣🤣
@maruse I'm in Japan but will by it through the American eshop. NOJ has not pushed indies like NOA has. I hope that will change because a lot of indie games would appeal to the market more than realistic western titles.
@maruse We'd love to bring Wulverblade to Japan, it's a goal! To make it clear though, the cost for Japanese translation is around $7-10,000 and we also have to find a dedicated Japanese publisher too. The reason for that is that we have to be able to offer Japanese support and thus need someone who can speak the laguage. We really want to but we'll need the game to make a little money first as we're flat broke
@fullyilly Thank you for the honest answer. It's way more than I expected! I guess that means we won't get the game, at least for a very long time.
You could always try and contact Flyhigh Works. They're the ones bringing most indie titles to Japan.
... or you could release the game without localization and add it in a future patch down the road... one can always dream, right?
I can't wait to play it!
@roboshort I made a US account but they don't accept Japanese credit cards so... there is not an easy way to add funds. I'll just wait for the game to get released in Japan and if it never comes... so be it, I guess I'll never get to play it.
@maruse we've already been chatting to a contact in nintendo Japan and we really want to make it happen, we'll just have to see how things go
@fullyilly Great! I hope it's sooner rather than later!
It's great that you take time to answer people's questions and concerns. Not all developers bother doing that. That's awesome and I hope Wulverblade sells extremely well! If/when the game comes to Japan I'll be getting it for sure!
@maruse You can buy Nintendo gift cards on the US amazon.com since they accept Japanese credit cards.
@roboshort That's nice to know. Thanks!
The Switch has no games. The Switch has no games. LA LA LA The Switch has no games. My wallet hasn't seen this.
@fullyilly I've been looking for a great beat 'm up and your game got my attention from the moment I saw the trailer.
Love the music, artstyle, you being influenced by real historical events during that time; it just gives the whole game a lot of atmosphere. The interview you did with NL was also sublime -the passion! I was sold after that.
I still have two questions after all that if you don't mind; In the trailer there's being mentioned of a rich 8 level campaign, how long would you say an average person would take to complete it?
Can you do combo attacks, stringing different moves together -or even cooperatively?
@GrailUK
yeah. it's crazy how many games this thing has already. i get that a lot are ports and what not but that's fine with me since i never played them.
i'm picking this one up day 1 since i'm a huge fan of beat em up games. capcom should bring over final fight imo. i'd buy that for 5$.
@sword_9mm Yeah, they are seriously trying to get as many 30% cuts on to the eshop as possible (I don't blame em!) but do they have to just focus on the good stuff I want?
@fullyilly I've had my eye on this game since it was revealed. I live in the US, so don't know too much about British history other than as it pertains to America, so Wulverblade has my curiosity piqued, as I like history. It also looks like a great game to play, with some awesome sound effects & music (judging by the trailer).
@joey302 For whatever it's worth, I downloaded Earth Atlantis, & I think it's pretty fun. I like the overall atmosphere, the sketchy look, & the music is nice, too. Sure, it could use some improvements (such as the mini-map, the strange turning mechanic, & maybe make the areas that are passable stand out as compared to areas that you can't pass through) but overall, as far as fun factor goes, I'd rate it a 7 or 8.
And while I do enjoy the occasional shooter, they're not one of my favorite genres, So I rarely play them, let alone beat them. But for some reason, I intend (& have the desire) to play this game through to completion.
@carlos82 Exactly, the Switch has a F-Ton of games already. Almost none of which I would call weak cheap cell-phone type games. To be fair some Cell-phone games are console quality anyway. I mean Witness is on the iOS store. Oxenfree...I can go on and on. All excellent games..
@kevin74 A 7 or 8 is certainly not terrible. This has been a point of mine for some time now, where everyone has their own opinion and one’s reviews cannot be the only sole factor in making your decision in buying a game (or seeing/buying a movie for that matter). It all comes down to the individual. I still have an interest in Earth, but again I will wait on a sale down the road.
@fullyilly always nice to here from the developers and I hope it's a success for you. This is a type of game that I feel is sadly neglected these days, which means I'll be picking it up as soon as it comes out and introducing my stepson to the joys of co-op gameplay
@kevin74 it's not a popular part of history generally speaking and very few British folks know anything of their ancient pre Christian history either so this was a chance for me to make a game in my favourite genre and also show the world a slice of history that I find SO interesting. My bet is that most people won't take much interest in the history element but for the few that do they're going to love it!
@carlos82 thanks man! I can talk about my game aaaaaaall day long, so answering questions is all good. Shutting me up is the hard part
@retroxdp just wait until you start lopping off body parts and using them as weapons, that's an addition to the genre that we're especially fond of
I'm not a big fan of the genre, as I always struggle with being on the right 'height' on the battlefield to hit the enemies, but I think I will pick this one up.
An interesting setting, nice and enthusiastic dev, a bit of gore for that extra oomph and claws are the best weapons (okay, second best, shotguns (in Doom, Butcher etc.) are still in first place). I'm curious how the story will turn out.
@fullyilly we can use body parts for weapons? As of I needed another reason to buy this. I was a huge fan of the likes of Streets of Rage, Final Fight and Golden Axe growing up and anything else that vaguely resembled them, I read that you examined these closely to work out what made these in particular stand out. Do you think you managed to find that magic bullet so to speak and which of these games do you think yours mostly feels like?
@Amrulez yeah there are more games coming out every week then I have time to play (or afford), for me I have just as much fun with some of these smaller/indie games as many major releases. Me and my stepson have regular nights playing the various Neo Geo title's (especially turf masters) and this is an 11 year old with a PS4 and Xbox to play but he would rather play these with me. I miss the likes of Streets of Rage so I'll be getting this game and I have a quite a long list of others to pick up too
@DEZn00ts ...Are you serious? The Switch doesn't have AAA games? "Argue a factual point?"...
Well lemme help you out (takes breath). Try; Splatoon 2, Arms, Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokken Tournament, Mario + Rabbids, or Dragon Ball Z Xenoverse 2, not to mention Super Mario Odyssey this month, and there's rumors of WWE 2K18. And that's just if you choose big games and ignore the plethora of great e-shop/smaller titles (try; Golf Story, Octopath Traveler, Axiom Verge, Thimbleweed Park, Snake Pass, Sonic Mania, Thumper, Minecraft, Rayman Legends, Shovel Knight, Mighty Gunvolt Burst, Stardew Valley, Retro City Rampage DX, And those are just the ones I own).
You are very factually incorrect about the Switch not having games, big or small. ¯(ツ)/¯
@Order2Chaos Just wait until you experience the game in full, the music is phenomenal! We used live strings to put together a really gritty tribal feel. The music gives me goosebumps still now. It finishes off that atmosphere in a really magical way. It broke the bank but we used the Verbal Vigilante to score the entire game. These guys are amazing and worked on movies like the Hobbit, Dark Knight Rises and many, many others.
Regarding game length its a big game for this genre. The average side scroller is about 1-2hrs whereas Wulverblade's campaign is nearer 4hrs. But the game doesnt end with the campaign, there are the arena's which at shows have been MASSIVELY popular. We've had so many people ask us to release those as a standalone game but we stuck to our guns and kept the arena's as an extra mode.
Regarding combo's, yes. The combo mechanic is really fun and I'm looking forward to seeing what people do with it. Its not an out and out combo game like DMC as that felt to detracted from the classic retro feel that we wanted. We have two types of attacks, standard and heavy. Heavy attacks and heavy combos can only be achieved when you find a heavy weapon. These are additional to your standard attacks and used via a different button. These can then be strung into your standard combos to extend your combo ability. It took some SERIOUS work to get combos in and still keep that retro vibe feeling right. I personally LOVE how our combat engine feels now, its the element I'm most proud of. We had a lot of internal debate about this part of the game and spent a whole year refining the feel of it and testing it out with players at game shows to tailor it to what we feel to be just right. Added to that we have blocking, counters and counter combos too Oh and co-op combos are also possible too
@carlos82 Its a hard one to pin down to any one game but I'd say the feel of the impacts and attacks is probably closest to Final Fight. But it pulls so many elements from so many games in this genre. Its a real mixing pot that's created a very unique feel. I play Wulverblade for a good hour at least every day and have done for years now...and that's out of choice
@fullyilly Well that all sounds excellent. The combo system your describing has me salivating(a Bayonetta/DMC combo system would've been insane haha ;D). You are however enticing me to ask more;
Does it have the difficulty of the beat 'm ups of yore?
Do the 3 available characters fight -and feel differently?
Can you describe how the arena's work?
Why aren't you mentioned in the e-shop?!
oh hell yes
@Order2Chaos Ok, here are the answers...
Q: Does it have the difficulty of the beat 'm ups of yore?
A: Oh yeah, its tough. There are two modes, normal and arcade. Normal has save states and plays like modern games, you can keep coming back until you finish it. Arcade mode is how its supposed to be played. 3 lives, 3 continues, that's it
Q: Do the 3 available characters fight -and feel differently?
A: Very much so. Caradoc is your good all rounder, the one most folks will use. He's generally good in all areas. Guinevere is the fast one with quicker combos. She's the best in the air and can juggle air combos. Downside, she's not as strong as the other two. Brennus is the power house and grappler. He can attack downed enemies where the other characters cannot. He deals more damage and can take more damage but is much slower.
Q: Can you describe how the arena's work?
A: The arena's are wave based with ever increasing difficulty. They are FRANTIC once you get going and are so much fun. Trying to make it one wave further each time is stupidly addictive. Each arena is different visually and they have different elements you can use to your advantage.
Q: Why aren't you mentioned in the e-shop?!
A: I know, we're dying to get into the coming soon section! You have to have your store page vetted internally by Nintendo and that takes up to two weeks. We've had it fast tracked but sadly the game page likely wont show up in the coming soon section until 1-2 days before release. Shame but that's life I guess.
Thanks!
@crackafreeze There is a PHENOMENAL amount of text content in the unlocks. I'm a crazy history geek and went to town on the unlockable history, stories, lore and character bios...37,000 words worth...I know, I'm nuts, but I just got so into this story that I couldn't stop writing. My goal is to make a string of comics covering some of the characters backstories, but that will likely break the bank and will have to be reserved for a magical make believe day where I'm rolling in money ha haaa.
@fullyilly Everything you've said just further cements that this is a game that got a lot of love and care. Difficulty(arcade mode baby ), characters, music, etc. it all sounds great! I really can't wait till the 12th.
You're awesome, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions(and everybody else's), I wish you all the best.
@Order2Chaos My pleasure, thanks for showing such interest!
@Biff_ARMStrong hi I just read that a patch is incoming for Earth Atlantis! It mentioned a quicker and easier way to get your weapons back- no mention of a map though- they obviously must’ve been getting negative feedback on the weapons though! FYI 👍
@joey302 Wow! Okay well if that's true that would help the game drastically
@Biff_ARMStrong 😃😃😜😜👍👍😊😉lol I may just have to buy it after all ha ha
@joey302 I wouldn't go that far, That still won't make the game great or anything. It needed levels and more of a fun arcade style gameplay. The map you play on is awful. Don't get it, it's boring
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