This week in the Nintendo eShop: Kirby kicks some serious bot on the 3DS, Iola rises from the Underworld on the Wii U, and Wario plunders the Wii U Virtual Console.
For those of you who still believe Genesis does what Nintendon’t, you’ll be happy to know that select Sega 3D classics are currently on sale in the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Games like 3D Gunstar Heroes and 3D Out Run are available at the slightly reduced price of $3.99 from now until June 20th. Sadly, none of the games included in last month’s Sega 3D Classics Collection made the cut.
Don’t forget that a huge Nintendo eShop sale is also scheduled to go down next week during E3 in celebration of the digital storefront’s five year anniversary. Currently, very little information is known about the sale other than the fact that it’ll run from June 14th through June 21st; it’ll include popular Nintendo franchises; and it’ll reward My Nintendo members with an unknown mystery bonus for purchasing select games during the event.
Wii U download software
Olympia Rising (PlayEveryWare Games, $4.99) – Take control of Iola, a young warrior thrust into the depths of the Underworld as she desperately tries to claw her way back to the mortal realm. Olympia Rising earned its humble beginnings on Kickstarter back in 2014 with its unique blend of Greek mythology, pixelated graphics and classic 2D platforming. Together, these three elements culminate into a fun and challenging experience, highly reminiscent of the platforming legends of the NES era. There isn’t much in the way of replayability, but the story, characters and visuals are more than enough to keep players satisfied during its tightly focused six hour adventure.
Wii U Virtual Console
Wario: Master of Disguise (Nintendo, $9.99) – Taking a break from dreaming up wacky collections of microgames, Wario finally returns to his 2D platforming roots. With the help of a stolen magic wand, Wario transforms himself into a master thief, using various disguises to help him pilfer anything and everything that isn’t nailed to the ground. While I wish I could commend its focus on puzzle solving, and fully recognize the attempt that was made to creatively utilize the DS hardware, the game severely lacks polish. The platforming is rarely fun. The touch-based mechanics feel somewhat forced, and the environments are bland and boring. It’s not necessarily a terrible game, and for ten bucks there is some fun to be had here, but you’re probably better off investing your money into any of Wario’s other misadventures currently available in the eShop.
Wii U special offers and deals
Trine Enchanted Edition ($8.99 | 40% off) until 6/23
Trine 2: Director’s Cut ($11.99 | 40% off) until 6/23
Job the Leprechaun ($0.99 } 66% off) until 6/30
FreezeME ($9.99 | 28% off) until 6/23
Grumpy Reaper ($2.49 | 50% off) until 6/30
Wicked Monsters BLAST! HD+ ($4.99 | 37% off) until 6/30
The Rivers of Alice: Extended Version ($5.99 | 25% off) until 6/16
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($7.99 | 20% off) until 6/16
Art of Balance ($6.70 | 25% off) until 6/23
Rock ‘N Racing Off Road ($2.99 | 50%off) until 6/23
Life of Pixel ($4.99 | 50% off) until 6/23
Land It Rocket ($0.99 | 33% off) until 6/23
Stone Shire ($4.99 | 37% off) until 8/1
Explody Bomb ($0.89 | 10% off) until 6/23
Hold Your Fire: A Game About Responsibility ($0.99 | 50% off) until 6/23
Epic Dumpster Bear ($4.99 | 33% off) until 6/30
Puzzle Monkeys ($1.49 | 50% off) until 6/30
Astral Breakers ($2.99 | 40% off) until 6/16
Emojikara: A Clever Emoji Match Game ($1.99 | 33% off) until 6/16
The Perplexing Orb ($1.99 | 50% off) until 6/16
Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available on Wii U consoles.
3DS retail
Kirby: Planet Robobot (Nintendo, $39.99 | available 6/10) – The wait is finally over! The little pink ball of fluff is undeniably one of the most successful, adorable and beloved franchises in Nintendo’s arsenal of characters. In his latest adventure, you’ll be kicking bot and taking names as you harness the power of a mysterious mech to stop ruthless invaders from mechanizing Kirby’s home world. While a little on the easy side, expect more of the charming, classic gameplay you know and love from the series.
3DS download software
Puzzle Labyrinth (CIRCLE Entertainment, $5) – Etrian Odyssey minus the deep RPG mechanics, Puzzle Labyrinth is a first-person 3D dungeon crawler that tasks the player with solving puzzles and finding items in an effort to navigate and escape a selection of mazes. Boasting 60 stages filled to the brim with devious traps and cunning monsters, fans of strategy games are sure to find plenty to love. While the depth of monster battles seems questionable from the promotional material I’ve seen, I personally dig the simple black and white aesthetics, as well as the way it harkens back to more traditional text based adventure games.
Dan McFox: Head Hunter (Lightwood Games, $2.99) – Described by the developers as an action puzzle game, help a dashingly handsome fox dressed in a tux identify as many suspects as possible from a lineup of criminals in just under a minute. With over 60 different cases, online leaderboards and StreetPass challenges, there’s seemingly plenty of content to keep aspiring rookie detectives fighting crime well into the night. Make no mistake though, as the game doesn’t play nearly as interesting as it sounds. Less Zootopia and more Bootopia, Dan McFox is essentially nothing more than an uninspired repackaging of the classic board game Guess Who?, best exemplified by its unappealing art direction and shallow gameplay mechanics.
3DS add-on content
Fire Emblem Fates – Heirs of Fate End: Lost in the Waves (Nintendo, $1.99) – In this sixth and final chapter of the Heirs of Fate series, the next generation assaults their ultimate foe. If you can complete the map with Shigure and his allies all alive, you’ll acquire the Point Blank skill scroll. Remember, you can purchase the entirety of Map Pack 2 at the discounted price of $7.99.
Hyrule Warriors Legends – Free Companion Fairy (Nintendo, Free) – The new Fairy companion Lazuli is being distributed via SpotPass as a special gift to all players of Hyrule Warriors Legends! You’ll also receive a whopping 500,000 Rupees and various food items to feed your growing army of fairies, including five delicious weird eggs, lon lon milks, odd mushrooms, deku nuts and magic beans. If like me you didn’t receive your items automatically while your 3DS was in sleep mode, be sure to boot up the game and manually check for new SpotPass data in settings menu.
3DS HOME menu themes
Kirby: Planet Robobot : Robobot Armor Activate! – $1.99
3DS special offers and deals
3D Super Hang-On ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Space Harrier ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Ecco the Dolphin ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Streets of Rage ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Streets of Rage 2 ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D After Burner II ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Out Run ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
3D Gunstar Heroes ($3.99 | 33% off) until 6/20
Goosebumps: The Game ($14.99 | 50% off) until 7/11
Big Hero 6 Battle in the Bay ($9.99 | 50% off) until 7/11
Disney Frozen: Olaf’s Quest ($9.99 | 50% off) until 7/11
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? ($4.99 | 83% off) until 7/11
Retro City Rampage: DX ($4.99 | 50% off) until 6/23
AeternoBlade ($4.99 | 66% off) until 6/30
Witch and Hero ($2.79 | 30% off) until 6/30
The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and his Square Mind ($7.99 | 38% off) until 6/16
Tappingo ($1.99 | 33% off) until 6/30
KAMI ($1.99 | 33% off) until 6/30
The Keep ($7.99 | 38% off) until 6/30
Rytmik Ultimate ($9.99 | 44% off) until 6/30
Musicverse: Electronic Keyboard ($3.99 | 50% off) until 7/2
Soccer Up Online ($2.99 | 25% off) until 6/30
Word Puzzles by POWGI ($7.99 | 20% off) until 6/16
Sadame ($9.99 | 33% off) until 6/16
The Magic Hammer ($2.99 | 40% off) until 6/30
Toy Stunt Bike ($2.99 | 40% off) until 6/30
Parascientific Escape Cruise in the Distant Seas ($3.99 | 20% off) until 6/23
WAKEDAS ($1.99 | 33% off) until 6/23
Music On: Electric Guitar ($0.99 | 50% off) until 7/12
Check Nintendo’s website for the full list of deals available on Nintendo 3DS systems.
amiibo
Kirby (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 6/10)
King Dedede (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 6/10)
Waddle Dee (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 6/10)
Meta Knight (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 6/10)
Isabelle, Summer Outfit (Nintendo, $12.99 | available 6/10)
Animal Crossing amiibo cards [Series 4] (Nintendo, $5.99 | available 6/10)
What games will you be downloading this week? Will you be picking up the full set of Kirby amiibo alongside his latest adventure? Be sure to let us know in the comments!
Written by Matthew Weidner
When it comes to playing and writing about video games, Matthew aspires to be the very best, like no one ever was. Writing for Nintendo Wire and the thought of one day finally achieving a perfect, no death Super Meat Boy run fills him with determination.
