Has it really been two years since Nook News began? Time certainly does fly, huh? Once again, thank you all for reading these weekly updates and we at NookGaming hope you look forward to future posts of Nook News! But with that said, let’s get onto this jam-packed instalment:
Visual Novel News:
MangaGamer has released Seventh Lair on the Nintendo Switch, with this being their first release on the platform. Seventh Lair is developed by NOVECT, the developers behind The House in Fata Morgana. The blurb follows:
The story of Seventh Lair follows the dejected Dark†Knight, a 27-year-old indie game developer living at the bottom of the social hierarchy. With his career hanging on by a thread and the regulars on his forums criticizing, trolling, and clamoring for his next release, he declares that his next game will premiere on April Fool’s. On the ill-fated day, both creator and fans are suddenly sucked into a fantasy world based on his game and forced to figure out how to clear his buggy, unfinished, monstrosity. As frustrations rise and tempers flare, the players’ raw emotions and experiences begin to leak out as they are denied the protections of their online handles. What truths lie behind the masks of their personas? Can they survive the game and each other? Or will they manage to find their way back to reality together?
Sekai Project has released Sunrider 4: The Captain’s Return on Steam and GOG. This is the continuation of the Sunrider saga, following the space adventures of Captain Kayto Shields. The blurb follows:
The Captain’s Return is the stunning continuation of the Sunrider saga as Asaga, Ava, Sola, Icari, Claude, and the other former members of the Sunrider crew resume their war against the forces of the Crimson Fleet. New characters will join the cast and a hoard of new and old villains will stand in the way of our heroes. From the shadows, an ancient evil has arrived to rule the galaxy! Beware captain: This will be your most dangerous mission yet!
Square Enix has announced the upcoming release of horror-adventure, PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo on Nintendo Switch, Steam, and mobile. These are listed as releasing on the 8th and 9th of March. Blurb to follow:
This unsettling tale takes place in the Sumida Ward of Tokyo, Japan, in the late 20th century.Unravel the hopes, dreams and fears of these unique characters who find themselves in the grip of deadly curses, as their motivations intertwine in a story that twists and turns. Lead the story to its conclusion by your own hand!
More Visual Novel News
- Ebi-hime’s yuri visual novel, The Fairy’s Secret has been released on Steam
- Otome visual novel, Glass Heart has been released on Steam
- Horror visual novel, Otome Legends has been released on Steam
- Free horror visual novel, The Missing Parts of Maria Gwozdek has been released on Steam
Gaming News:
Nintendo, as they tend to do, surprised us with a Nintendo Direct with a ton of announcements! There’s quite a number of them, so let’s break it down:
Pikmin 4 got a brand new trailer, revealing new types of Pikmin, an adorable dog companion, and an ominous section that shows enemies getting more aggressive at night.
Pikmin 4 releases exclusively for Nintendo Switch on July 21st.
SEGA might have Hatsune Miku’s Project DIVA series as their biggest rhythm game franchise, but there was a primate who predates her by quite a bit, and he’s about to make a comeback! Samba de Amigo: Party Central brings back the motion-based controls of the prior games to have you shake in time to the beat and brings with it 40 songs to tap your feet to.
Samba de Amigo: Party Cental arrives exclusively for Nintendo Switch this Summer.
Watch the announcement trailer for Samba de Amigo: Party Central
A cult classic Nintendo DS title is finding new life on modern platforms! Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a puzzle game where you have control over objects using your ghostly powers to solve puzzles and progress through an interesting story.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC this Summer.
Watch the announcement trailer for Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Level 5 made quite an impression during this presentation with their announcements. One of them was for a new game called Decapolice; a mystery game that also meshes in turned-based RPG combat with a stylish art style.
Decapolice launches for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in 2023.
Watch the announcement trailer for Decapolice
Another announcement from the studio was quite possibly the biggest surprise of the whole Direct. After a decade of waiting, Professor Layton is making his grand return for the tenth mainline instalment in the Layton franchise!
Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will be releasing exclusively for Nintendo Switch and currently has no release date.
Watch the announcement trailer for Professor Layton and the New World of Steam
Now let’s talk about DLC coming to already released games. First up is Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with the announcement of the next two parts of the Expansion Pass. Volume 3 will include a new hero called Masha, new challenge battles, and costumes. Volume 4 was teased to be a big story expansion, teasing older versions of fan-favorite characters, Shulk and Rex.
The third volume of Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s Expansion Pass will release on February 15th.
Watch the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass trailer
Splatoon 3 is going from strength to strength, but now it’s getting paid content! In the first expansion, return to where it all began: Inkopolis, and be reacquainted with some familiar faces. The second expansion was teased and could be new story content, but the teaser was quite vague.
Splatoon 3 expansion 1 releases in Spring 2023, with expansion 2 having no release date at this time.
Watch the announcement trailer for the Splatoon 3 content expansions
Fire Emblem Engage may have been released only last month, but expect some post-game content to help add to your playtime. A ton of new playable characters will be added, including Hector, Soren, and Camila in Wave Two, with Wave Three bringing with it Chrom and Robin, along with Veronica. What’s more, Wave Four of the DLC expansion will include more story content titled The Fell Epilogue.
Wave 2 of the Fire Emblem Engage DLC is now available.
Watch the DLC trailer for Fire Emblem Engage
Back to the game announcements, we finally have a solid release date for the remakes of Advance Wars and Advance Wars 2! These remakes will be releasing exclusively for Nintendo Switch on April 21st.
Watch the release date announcement trailer for Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
Want more classic games to play on your Switch? Nintendo has added a ton of new support with their online service now including both Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games! Game Boy games are available with the standard Nintendo Online Pass, with Game Boy Advance games requiring the Nintendo Online+ Expansion Pack.
Watch the announcement trailer for Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games on Nintendo Switch
While we’re still waiting for Metroid Prime 4, we’re getting another way to play the original reinvention of the classic Nintendo series! Metroid Prime Remastered completely upscales the original GameCube classic with a new coat of paint. What’s more, the game is now available to download digitally, with a physical release planned for February 22nd. Look forward to our upcoming review.
Watch the Metroid Prime Remastered announcement trailer
Last, but certainly not least from this Nintendo Direct, they ended it with arguably the most anticipated release of 2023: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! This new trailer showcased new mechanics, story details, and the sheer expanse of Hyrule you can explore.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch on May 12th.
Watch the trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
While it had a rocky launch, Overwatch 2 is hoping to get anime fans into the game with this pretty big collaboration. A One Punch Man collab is coming to the game on March 7th, allowing players to get a Saitama skin for Doomfist and a Mumen Rider skin for Soldier 76. These cosmetics can be unlocked during the third season of the game during a limited-time event.
Watch the season 3 trailer for Overwatch 2
Anime News:
Excited for the third season of Demon Slayer to release? Well, you’ll have the opportunity to watch the first episode early and on a cinema screen too! CrunchyRoll are organizing a theatrical premiere for the third season of the hugely popular series. This version will include the last two episodes from Season Two, while also including the extended first episode of the third season for the first time. Tickets are now available to order in the United States, with the film releasing on March 1st.
Upcoming Releases:
The festivities of Final Fantasy‘s 35th anniversary continue with this love letter to the franchise’s huge history! Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a rhythm game that includes almost 400 songs, 100 characters to level up, and a ton of unlockables to collect.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line launches for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on February 16th.
Want to play one of the most well-regarded entries in the Tales series without having to dust off your GameCube or PlayStation 3? Bandai Namco has you covered with a remastered version of Tales of Symphonia!
Tales of Symphonia Remastered releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on February 17th.
An anime/gaming aficionado, experienced content creator and lovable goofball. Name a game genre and Seamus has likely played it… yes, even that one. Follow him @TrueStorySeamus
