Age of Imprisonment – Unite Against the Demon King Trailer

Nintendo has dropped a new trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. The game launches in less than two weeks, on November 6th, and it doesn't seem like Nintendo's marketing knows what to do with it...

It's like they want to throw out as many games before Christmas as possible, where there is something coming every two weeks now. But the focus is clearly on Kirby Air Riders, which has gotten two hours of Nintendo Direct content and a whole demo. Meanwhile, there is complete radio silence about Metroid Prime 4 and they are only doing some social media posts for Age of Imprisonment.

They haven't even unmasked any of the other three sages yet, only Ardi's face was revealed. What's the big deal? Who's supposed to get excited to play as those characters when we don't know anything about them? Even the cannon fodder looks more interesting so far (see down below).

Maybe Nintendo should have taken more time with this. Introduce us to the new characters one after another. Release a demo, like they did with Age of Calamity. And launch the game in January, where nothing else is coming out in that month, because it's January...

Today's trailer also seemed chaotic. There this is weird cut in the middle, where the dragon tear drops and then the tone completely shifts, almost as if those are two different trailers mashed together. I'm also sad that they are still going with the Tears of the Kingdom main theme. It's a beautiful theme, no doubt, but Age of Calamity had its own theme, which was absolutely fantastic. And that doesn't seem to be the case this time.

At least the game sets itself apart on other ends. We can see some new bosses, where one of them is a more humanoid form of the Gibdo Queen, which looks really cool. And there is an early form of Colgera, which has red hair like Ganon. We saw some similar foes in the previous trailer and maybe they are all meant to be early evolutions of the Scourges, but it still gives me hope that they will be playable eventually.

In any case, I'm really liking the new creature designs so far, that's something that goes absolutely beyond what they did with the previous games. The same goes for supporting units:

This comes from the official website, which Koei Tecmo has updated today and now features the Mysterious Construct and the Korok dude in the character sections, where the latter is called Calamo. But it doesn't stop there, we also get another entry with the above guys, labeled as "warriors of all kinds". You can also spot some of the in the trailer after the cut in the middle.

We've already seen that you can take over secondary units this time, but it looks like they are doing a great job of making them look very unique and not just something that came out of the random character generator for Breath of the Wild. I'd love to know how they get handled by the game and maybe they will drop some more info about this soon, but likely we will have to find out ourselves.

Some of their weaponry looks very similar to the save data bonus, the High Guard's Sword and Claymore. So, maybe those are for equipping these type of characters?

Nintendo Music: Metroid II - Return of Samus Added

After Zelda II now comes Metroid II. And there isn't really much to say here. While I have a soft spot for the game, there is only one catchy tune here to listen to: the SR388 Main Theme. Most of the rest is just atmospheric noise.

The soundtrack of the remake was much better on that regard and I'm hoping they won't wait years before they add this one. Same with Metroid Dread. And now that Metroid Prime 4 is coming in less than two months, you would expect the soundtracks for Echoes and Corruption, maybe even Hunters. But maybe they are going to tie this to the corresponding Nintendo Switch Online releases, starting with Metroid Prime 2... Maybe next month?

But what needs to be added first and foremost is Super Metroid. I can't believe that this isn't part of the library yet...

Nintendo Dropping the Bananza Ball

Imagine that the next big Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch 2 releases. You've been looking forward to it for years and while it may have some rough edges, it's a fun and innovative title overall, a strong contender for game of the year... But months after release Nintendo announces paid DLC for the game, which costs as much as Hollow Knight: Silksong and doesn't really add any substantial content. Instead, it's a simple game mode, where your goal is to collect as many Rupees as possible within a time limit.

That mode is fun in theory, but not really worth the additional price point. But to add some incentive to play (and buy) it, there will be time-limited events, which can score you exclusive armor pieces, which you can't get otherwise. It's a practice used by many mobile and free-to-play games to create "FOMO" and incentivize player retention, except that this won't be for some mobile game, like Super Mario Run, but for a full-priced title, which requires an arguably overpriced DLC on top.

Sounds like something that Nintendo would never do? Well, they are doing it right now, with Donkey Kong Bananza:

To be fair, the DK Island & Emerald Rush DLC from the latest Nintendo Direct looks quite neat, but it is something that you would expect from a free update, similar to Luigi's Balloon World in Super Mario Odyssey, not something that costs an extra 20 bucks. And to make things worse they have also announced time-limited events for it, which is the only way of getting certain statues (and potentially even certain outfits in the future). The first of those "Chip Fevers" will happen between October 28th and November 4th, so only for a week.

I don't have a Nintendo Switch 2 yet, but I've planned on getting one soon for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. And Donkey Kong Bananza has been on the top of my list of other games to buy for the system, even above Mario Kart World. Now... I'm not so sure about that anymore, because I'm absolutely sick of such event nonsense, where you're obliged to play the game on certain dates. "Play the game now or miss out later!" At the same time I like my games to be "whole", so it's hard for me to ignore.

This is a singleplayer game first and foremost. And with those there should be no such obligations. You should be able to buy and play all of it whenever you want, without potentially missing out. And maybe they will repeat these events. Maybe they will update the DLC in a couple of years, so that you can still get the exclusive rewards after the events are over. If that happens, I won't have much of an issue with it. But as of now this is looking scummy. 

Next they'll add a monetized gacha system to Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, since this has been working out nicely for Fire Emblem Heroes...

Hollow Knight: Silksong – DLC Ideas

Team Cherry isn't done with Hollow Knight: Silksong. In their interview with Bloomberg, they've stated that they already have ambitious plans to add more to the game. The original Hollow Knight also got four content updates, where the Godmaster expansion effectively became a whole boss rush game within the game.

After completing Silksong, here are some ideas of how the new title could be expanded in various ways. Beware of spoilers for the late game!

Silksong Journal, Entry 14

My first journey through Pharloom has come to a closure. I've collected the last missing things for the 100%, completed the Hunter's Journal, gotten all mementos, and then faced the final final boss... very often. Needless to say that this post will contain spoilers for all that, so read at your own risk!

Silksong Journal, Entry 13

Slowly but surely, I'm nearing the end of the game, where I've been diving into Pharloom's past to collect all four old hearts, filling out the Hunter's Journal, and returning to some of the mini-game activities. So, I'm technically ready for the final final boss, but I'm also somewhat stuck at 99%.

Silksong Journal, Entry 12

Just like its development, Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn't want to end. But I mean this in a good way, where this is by far one of most extensive Metroidvanias so far. The third act really turns everything on its head, making it feel like a whole new game has started. Combine this with having obtained the last ability needed to reach places, it gave me reason to re-explore all of Pharloom, where there truly was something new to discover everywhere.

My goal was to get most of the optional content done, where I have arrived at 96%. I've fought a number bosses, followed a familiar face all over the map, did some deliveries to the farthest corners of the world, searched for the last fleas, participated in a variety of mini-games, found the missing Crest and silk skills, and upgraded my needle one last time.

Age of Imprisonment – Sages Named

In one month Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will see its release already and they haven't really shown that much of the game yet. Well, there was a demo at the Tokyo Game Show and maybe we will also see a public demo on Nintendo Switch 2 this month, like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity did before...

But today there was an update to the official website with new screenshots and character art. The big reveal were the names of the four sages, where we don't have the official localization yet, they roughly translate to the following:

• Argusta (Goron)
• Kia (Zora)
• Krafika (Rito)
• Ardi (Gerudo)

Update: by now we also have the official translations from Nintendo of America:

• Agraston
• Qia
• Raphica
• Ardi 

For the latter they have added an artwork with her mask off, but the other three still remain as we know them from Tears of the Kingdom, where I suppose that this will change eventually.

Anyway, I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't go with the sage names from Ocarina of Time (and The Wind Waker) – Darunia, Ruto and Nabooru, as well as Medli / Medlo. After all, this is an Imprisoning War and we have Rauru as well. But I suppose they didn't want to create more confusion and make it perfectly clear that this isn't to portray the era of Ocarina of Time in any way or form. And of course it helps to make these characters feel distinguished. On the other hand it would have been nice if the Divine Beasts were named after them, since their designs came from the sage helmets. 

They've also introduced a new character, Ranaria / Lenalia, who acts as Zelda's maid and is wearing the same dress as her, though it's probably not as flattering... This maid reminds me of Impa from Oracle of Ages & Seasons. You can already see how this is meant to be a kind-hearted comic relief character, but probably won't end up on the playable roster. But it's nice to see the distant past fleshed out like this.

Overall, it feels like they were really trying to make this title stand on its own legs. While it's still derived from Tears of the Kingdom, there is so much new material here that this has the potential to truly become its own story and to be recognized a such, unlike the Hyrule Warriors games before it. And that's exciting.

Silksong Journal, Entry 11

After aimlessly wandering through all of Pharloom without knowing what to do, the game eventually had mercy and offered me a different path for its supposed ending, one that involves something a little too close to Hornet's former home. Thus, I was able to enter the game's third act, which lets you experience the kingdom of Pharloom in a different state. Here I saw parts of the Citadel, went back to Bone Bottom, the Wormways, the Deep Docks and even further below...

Silksong Journal, Entry 10

Last time I have beaten the game... But following in the footsteps of its predecessor, there is more to the world of Silksong than it appears, and I was now trying to find out what needs to be done to potentially experience a different ending. This journey of self discovery brought me into the Putrified Ducts and into the Slab. I also settled a score at Bilewater, fought some of my comrades, and found a new home for the fleas.

Silksong Journal, Entry 9

Back to a big screen, I've completed the Threefold Melody quest and reached the top of the Citadel. This means I've explored the rest of the Whispering Vaults and the Cogwork Core, as well as the High Halls and finally the Cradle, with a detour into the Wisp Thicket in between. And technically I have now beaten the game, but as with the first Hollow Knight it's rather questionable and there is still more to discover.

Silksong Journal, Entry 8

This week I was visiting a Zelda community gathering, so my progress is rather limited, but here and there I'm using a quiet hour to play some more Silksong. The screenshots in this post will have a different format than usual because of this. 

Another ramification is that I mainly focused on side quests, so the only new area that I have explored is the Memorium. The main goal was finally upgrading my needle a second (and third) time, however. For this I had to complete the "Great Taste of Pharloom" quest, where to delicacies were still missing.

Hero of Law

Usually, I'm not much into ROM hacks and randomizer stuff, because I hardly can keep up with the official releases, but this week I'm on a Zelda community gathering. And here I could witness this absolutely marvelous crossover between The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Ace Attorney.

It was made by Newer Team and you can find everything you need to know on the game's website. I can only advise to give it a try, where it's a short game and you will be in a for a fun evening.

Talon got killed and Princess Zelda found him on a visit of the Lon Lon Ranch, where it looks like Malon did it with a Poacher's Saw. Link in his finest Zora Suit becomes her defense, while Ganondorf Dragmire poses as the prosecution, which is absolutely hilarious.

Any fan of Ocarina of Time will immediately know who actually did it, but of course it's about delivering proof by using evidence and all given statements. Like in your regular Ace Attorney game. It's a bit weird to have Link talk as much, but he also often just delivers his thoughts, where a lot of it is funny.

Overall, this ROM hack is absolutely impressive. The soundtrack is also a banger. If nothing else, go download it for a treat, also on the Hero of Law website. 

Nintendo Music: Zelda II - The Adventure of Link Added

They've skipped August for their not-so-monthly Zelda soundtrack addition in Nintendo Music, but we've gotten Zelda II - The Adventure of Link today. While this game is among the least popular from the Zelda series, its soundtrack always has been awesome with some very catchy tunes, like the Palace theme, which has been prominently featured in all Super Smash Bros. games since Melee.

It's also worth checking out the Famicom Disk version, because there are some notable differences, starting with the title theme, which makes better use of the soundchip. The Battle song is also completely unique, where it may sound strangely familiar to you. That's because it was later remixed as the mini-boss battle theme in The Minish Cap.

Silksong Journal, Entry 7

Next on my list of detours was Mount Fay. Once you have the Clawline, you can reach this icy area from the Slab. And I climbed the whole thing for my biggest achievement in the game so far. Spoilers for this whole area ahead. In addition, I visited the Sands of Karak and finally challenged an old advisory.

Silksong Journal, Entry 6

Oh, behold the glory of the glorious Citadel! After getting to the second act of Hollow Knight: Silksong, I've had some of my best times with the game so far, but also some of my most frustrating ones. By now I have reached a certain point right at the center of the Citadel and explored most of the Choral Chambers before that, with detours into the Underworks, the Slab, and the Whiteward. I also got caught up in a variety of distractions all around Pharloom, where I have been playing courier quite a bit...

Silksong Journal, Entry 5

After running a number of errands all around Pharloom, it was now time to reach Hornet's initial goal: the Citadel. There are two major options for you to get there, the path of the pilgrim and the path of the sinner, where I've been trying my luck with both, starting with the former on the Blasted Steps. But eventually I also ended up in the Bilewaters and the Mist. Spoilers for all these areas ahead!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ~ amiibo Announced

It's a thing for Metroid, it's really thing. There have been few Metroid releases over the past ten years, but most of them got their own amiibo, which always included that game's version of Samus in her default suit, as well as the most prominent enemy. And Metroid Prime 4: Beyond won't be any different, except that they'll also throw Samus on her new bike on top, which even has a name: it's called "Vi-o-la".

That one is probably going to cost a bit more, I'm guessing 30€. The Kirby Air Riders amiibo actually cost 50, which is insane. We have arrived at a time, where a single amiibo costs as much as games used to.

What's also interesting are the release dates. For some reason, the first two, Samus and Samus on her bike, will actually launch alongside Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment on November 6th. And then Sylux gets released on December 4th, the launch date of Metroid Prime 4.

We don't know yet what they will do in the game, but I'm not expecting much. Curiously, there is only one Metroid title that didn't get its own amiibo after their introduction in 2014 and that's Metroid Prime: Federation Force, but it's also the one that made the best use of them with all those paint jobs for your mechs. It even proactively supported the Metroid amiibo that came out one year later for Samus Returns (see here).

Samus Returns rightfully got some criticism for locking an entire difficulty mode behind one of its amiibo, where Metroid Dread hasn't repeated that mistake, but its functionality also wasn't exactly great... There you got an extra Energy and Missile Tank for scanning the new ones, which would be missing otherwise.

Ideally, Metroid Prime 4 will not only support its own amiibo, but all the ones that came before, including those for Smash. Maybe there could be skins for your bike that are unlocked via amiibo, like a Dark Samus design.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Launching December 4th

Yesterday's Nintendo Direct gave us the release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and it's still coming in 2025, as promised back in June last year, but barely. It's going to launch on December 4th, to be exact, and that's not the only launch shown in the latest trailer...

There were comments about how Samus's new suit looks like a sports car... and now we know that this was fully intentional: the big reveal was that Samus will be driving a long motor bike in the game. Yes, she is joining the club!

With that also comes the largest world in a Metroid so far, seemingly going more in an "open planet" direction. And unlike the Master Cycle Zero in Breath of the Wild, which got added via DLC, this game was designed around this feature, having clear sections that are meant to be traversed via the speed bike.

And this is where it's getting... bland. When you have these huge, open deserts with nothing but sand or snow, it looks very uninspired, like something from a generic JRPG that only cares for its character models. Anyway, this likely serves as a way of traveling from one area to the next, instead of using your space ship (which is gone anyway) or the usual elevators. And the idea itself is actually quite nice, it's just that the execution clashes visually with the rest of the game.

At first I also thought that this might be a different mode altogether, kind of like the boat or train rides in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, meaning that there are separate bike sections and normal gameplay sections. But it looks like you can change to your bike whenever you want, it's just that based on the location one way of traversing will be preferred over the other.

But the second Samus hopped off her new bike and the game went back into her visor view, it looked so much better. It's like they had to tremendously scale down the details in those open areas. The rest of the trailer looked really cool, just like your typical Metroid Prime.

Now, the "bike across the planet" part is what really sets this game apart from the original Metroid Prime Trilogy, what makes this the next generation of 3D Metroid. And I can't say that I'm convinced... I just hope that it will be so much fun to play that I won't really care.

Age of Imprisonment: Save Data Bonus

Remember when you had pre-ordered Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on the eShop and all you got was a "Lucky Ladle"? Remember when your save data from Breath of the Wild unlocked a measly Training Sword in that game?

Well, those days are over... According to the official website for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, having save data of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on your Nintendo Switch 2, will unlock an Eminent Guard’s Sword and Eminent Guard’s Claymore respectively, looking like something you actually want to have. The Japanese website even features their artworks, which you can see above.

And those are completely new weapons, in an ancient Zonai design. In the memories in Tears of the Kingdom we usually only saw the soldiers wielding a spear, which was never featured among the game's actual weaponry, but it's nice to see that they are also coming up with new toys and not just recycle the weapons from Breath of the Wild for the fourth time.

The Japanese website notes how those might be sold separately at a later date, which indicates that you won't be able to obtain these normally, just like the Lucky Ladle and Training Sword in Age of Calamity. But don't be fooled, they gave the same hint about those weapons and to this day I was not able to obtain the Lucky Ladle, because I went with a physical copy and they never actually sold it separately. I guess it's just a required legal note in case they want to do it, but with these pretty weapons there might be actual demand.

Though, every Zelda fan should be able to get those just fine, because why wouldn't you have played Tears of the Kingdom and Age of Calamity before this one? Luckily, there is no digital pre-order bonus from what we know so far, which I appreciate very much.

However, what about an Eminent Guard's Spear? Will this be a thing in the game? Or some later DLC reward? And who's going to use these weapons? The Construct Link?

Age of Imprisonment: Box Art & Treasure Box Set

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will launch November 6th, in less than two months. Naturally, we got the game's box art at this point already. And... it's fine, but far from great.

I liked the one for Age of Calamity much better, but I suppose they couldn't do the whole "surrounded by a red army of doom" visual a second time. There are also way too many characters on the cover, where the masked sages don't hold any real value as of now. I'm sure the game will flesh out their personalities, give us their names, and show us their faces. But we had none of that in Tears of the Kingdom, so they are not in the same position as Mipha, Daruk, Revali and Urbosa were, where these were beloved characters long before Age of Calamity came out.

At least the Korok deserves to be on the cover, because that little scrub has a lot more personality from the one scene we saw of him than all the other sages combined (to be fair, we probably have seen the Sage of Lightning already and she looked also interesting).

Then we get a good look at Construct Link, who looks like a Ninja Turtle. But here you can see that it's clearly meant to represent Link in some form, and not Fi, where I'm guessing that this Construct will house the Spirit of a hero from a past Hyrule. It will be interesting to learn what this is all about and why it got introduced to us with Fi's theme.

In Japan the game is published by Koei Tecmo again, where they will have the usual "treasure box" version. It even includes a scarf again, the one that is worn by Construct Link and the Korok, who are also featured quite prominently here with an acrylic stand and mouse pads. The Korok gets a key-chain on top and then there is a poster of the game's boxart. Nothing too exciting, but it does show how important those new characters are going to be. 

Age of Imprisonment Launching November 6th

A new trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment got dropped during yesterday's Nintendo Direct and provided us with lots of new footage, as well as a release date: it's November 6th already. That was quite surprising, since it was originally scheduled for "this winter", so not even necessarily 2025. And November is still fall in my book.

Anyway, the trailer offers some very interesting insights details, so let's talk about those. Easily the biggest reveal was the introduction of a new Korok character, the most stylish one in history. He wears a scarf (with the same design as Rauru's) and a second leaf like a pompadour. We can see him throwing different elemental fruits, lots of them at once, and then strike with a Forest Dweller's Sword.

This guy looks like he's going to be a highlight. Hestu was great in Age of Calamity, but he was a bit clunky and this new Korok will be certainly more on the swift side of the roster. Also, it's crazy to think about how they have designed a completely new Korok as a playable character for this game, while the first Hyrule Warriors couldn't even offer us a playable Makar.

They've always liked to create some original characters with these games, like Lana, Cia, Linkle, Terrako or Sooga, but this time the majority of the roster might be made out of new faces. There will be the four masked sages, the Korok, and also the Construct Hero that we saw already at the end of the previous trailer.

Turns out that this one can even fly for some aerial combat sequences, which reminds me of how DOOM: The Dark Ages did something similar this year. And he can swap from this flying mode back into his human form, where you can see him sky diving into the Depths, though this could have been a cutscene. But I want this character as a DLC for Tears of the Kingdom! Make it some endgame bonus, like the Ancient Hero's Aspect, but let the player go crazy.

They have also confirmed the "Sync Strike" mechanic, which is similar to how the Fire Emblem Warriors games do it. They even showed Sonia as an example, where she stands on the battlefield with a longbow, but for some reason they shy away from showing her as an actual playable character. Yet, at the same time, during the training mission with Rauru, it looks like you can swap to some generic Hyrulean soldier:

It's the fourth character in the selection on the left of the screen. It has been a common wish for the Hyrule Warriors games that you can also play as the captain units, but I personally didn't need this. But maybe these will be something like temporary units, who might join you for a battle or two, but are not part of your main character selection. This way we could even have Sonia as a playable character, without her creating a gap in the roster later on, given that this games truly follows the canon events.

We can even see one of these commanding units in action with a Gerudo Warrior, who fights alongside the Sage of Lightning. But in this case it really could be just for the Sync Strikes and nothing else, where you might be able to perform them with any stronger ally unit nearby, not just the ones you take control of. It could also be that this is an important character, similar to Captain Buliara, who happens to be playable as well, but she looks strikingly unremarkable.

What's even more interesting are the new foes shown in the trailer, who look to be mini-bosses for the different sages:

There is this witch character, who looks like a Gerudo, but with tentacle arms. The Zelda Musou X account features a different reel, where you can see how she is summoning lots of mud and surrounding herself in it. She is opposed by the Sage of Water in both scenes.

Meanwhile, the Sage of Fire is taking on some weird hybrid of Lynel and Hinox and fire monster, which is sitting on a Gloom Rock. It looks awfully familiar and completely new at the same time, quite the creation. I usually love the designs they are doing for the Hyrule Warriors games and I'm happy that they are getting much more creative with the enemy design here.

In Age of Calamity we mostly got the Malice variants of  all stronger foes, but this trick won't work again here, since Tears of the Kingdom already drenched everything in Gloom. There were also new elemental variants, like the Fire Lynel, and the Bomb Barrel Moblins, of course. But getting completely new monsters in a Hyrule Warriors is something else, where the closest is probably Harbinger Ganon. But that could have been a playable character as well, similar to Astor, which doesn't really look like an option for this Gloom Rock beast.

But maybe it is? So far there is no indication, but I'd love a villain campaign for this game, where you play as Ganondorf and his henchmen. How awesome would it be if he had something like a group of "Anti Sages"? 

Zonai Devices are also explained, where it's crazy how you can combine their effects. In the trailer you can see how Zelda uses a Shock Emitter on a fan, which creates this huge lightning tornado. Looks like these devices were intended to be a lot more potent than what they are in Tears of the Kingdom. However, it doesn't really look like something that's much fun to engage with. You take these devices out of an inventory and then carry them around, which prevents you from using your normal attacks. I'm usually the type of player who tends to ignore such options unless they become necessary.

You can also play in split-screen and use Game Share to play with someone, who only has a Nintendo Switch, which is very interesting. You can see how the resolution got cropped significantly for this, where it's probably similar to playing in splitscreen from a technical standpoint, but it also needs to be streamed to the other Switch at the same time. From my experience with both Hyrule Warriors and Age of Calamity, this is not something that I would recommend. 

Nintendo Direct September 2025 Roundup

Sadly, I wasn't able to watch today's Nintendo Direct live due to a conflicting appointment, but I pretended to when I arrived at home and avoided spoilers beforehand. It was the first major Nintendo Direct after the launch of the Nintendo Switch and with that came a lot of expectations. But it mostly aligned with my own from two days ago, so I got what I wanted out of this. Though, sometimes you have to be careful with what you wish for...

The 40th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. was a big part of the Direct, where it started with lots of stuff outside the games, which is now Miyamoto's thing, including a first look at the new movie. The big surprise to me here was that it's going to be The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. After the ending of the first film, I would have expected a "Super Mario World Movie" instead, but I suppose Yoshi will still play an important role and the psychotic Luma was so popular that they decided to skip right to this instead.

They will also release a collection, but not of the New Super Mario Bros. games, but Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, as a perfect companion to the movie. This is still coming to Nintendo Switch and looks better than the 3D All-Stars collection from five years ago, but not by much, where it seems to be a low effort remaster. Maybe Tantalus was working on this?

Curiously, there was no DLC for Mario Kart World announced, but for Donkey Kong Bananza instead. Didn't see that coming... But maybe they are making a whole new world for Mario Kart World and this will take time. This is where they could throw in all the crossovers, including Link and Samus riding on bikes.

Speaking of, we finally got the release dates for both Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, as hoped... And they both are coming out this year, on December 4th and November 6th respectively. And I hate it. I absolutely hate it! Don't get me wrong, Prime 4 in December is fantastic. What throws me off is getting Hyrule Warriors before that and with only one month in between.

Warning, absolute first world problem incoming: I want to play both of these games when they come out, take my time with them, enjoy them, and blog about them. But Age of Calamity took me about two months to complete and Warriors games are super beefy in general, so it will definitely clash with Metroid Prime 4. This week was already miserable enough, because I just want to play Hollow Knight: Silksong, but I don't find much time for it. And now I feel like I need to take a small sabbatical or reduce my working hours for the last two months of 2025 just to keep up.

Plus, all three games are big Game of the Year contenders for me personally. I usually only have one or two "must play" games per year, which is more than enough. And all of this could have been avoided if Age of Imprisonment actually came out in winter, as they had said it would. Some early 2026 release, like February 5th 2026, would have been perfect, instead of shoehorning this between Silksong and Prime 4.

But February is where they have more important things to release... like the Nintendo Switch Online Virtual Boy... Really? Reeaaally? Generally, I love the idea of having these games as part of the NSO service, but why don't they offer them without the 3D and the ugly red colors? They require you to have this atrocious peripheral (or a cardboard alternative) and this feels more like a joke, where this will sell for the memes only. I mean, it had flopped for good reasons... At least it will make the Virtual Boy and its games a lot more "accessible" in 2026.

What's also funny is how they keep treating Kirby Air Riders like the next Super Smash Bros., just because Sakurai is making it. Does it really need two full presentations of its own? It certainly has some fans, but far from the reach that Smash Bros. gets. But I guess Sakurai just loves doing this sort of stuff.

What's not so funny is how Nintendo is creating generic video game patents around Pokémon, so they can sue companies like Pocketpair, while at the same time they are making a Minecraft rip-off starring Pokémon. It doesn't get any more hypocritical than this.

The bouncer this time was Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, starring Alucard from the Castlevania franchise. And it looks absolutely glorious – I can't wait to pull for its characters in Fire Emblem Heroes. I wish I was joking with that one... As said in my predictions, the mobile game is nearing the end of its storyline, where 2026 may open the final book. So, it makes sense that Intelligent Systems is pushing out one more main game to be featured in this.

I'm personally always intrigued by the Fire Emblem games, I like their worlds and characters quite a lot. The soundtracks are also among the best Nintendo has to offer, if not the best. But their gameplay is so slow and time-consuming that I usually drop them in the middle, because there is always something more interesting to play. I have never finished Engage and never even started Three Houses... It's a shame, but at least Heroes is designed to be played in-between and lets me take a glimpse at those worlds. So, I still play that, even though the power-creeping has become beyond ridiculous. Be sure that some of those characters from Fortune's Weave will be walking nukes that auto-win any battle they enter.

Oh, and for some reason they keep making amiibo... Didn't look like the new ones for Tears of the Kingdom were selling, they are all over the stores, but you may blame this on the hype being over. But we're getting three different amiibo on vehicles here, which is interesting. I actually like how you can swap out the riders with the Kirby Air Riders amiibo.

As usual, I will write separate posts about the more interesting topics, which is the new footage for Age of Imprisonment and Samus on a bike.

Nintendo Direct September 2025 Predictions

We have September. This means it is time for a Nintendo Direct, where one was announced today for this Friday. This shouldn't be all too surprising after the leak by NateTheHate, but Nintendo generally likes to hold Directs in September and we're long overdue for some news. The unusual part is that this will take place on a Friday and that it's an entire hour long, which will make this one of the longer Nintendo Directs.

The reason that it's on Friday is probably because they wanted it close to September 13th, the 40th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. on the Famicom. This may even become a big part of that one hour, where we might get a first trailer for the second Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is coming to cinemas in about half a year. And then maybe some other things...

Donkey Kong Bananza came out only two months ago, though. This game was made by the Super Mario Bros. Odyssey team, so I don't expect any major Mario news in terms of games. Maybe something on the side-scrolling side, but Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn't that old either... But I love the idea of a "New Super Mario Bros. Collection" for the Switch or Switch 2, which has remastered versions of New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and New Super Mario Bros. 2.

Oh, and there is Mario Kart World, of course. This game should receive major updates and DLC, in the very least a 200cc mode. Maybe some of it will even have to do something with the 40th Anniversary, like special costumes or whatever. And if they are adding new courses, it will be interesting to see how they are expanding the world.

But what I mainly want out of the Nintendo Direct is more information about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Show us some more things and then please tell us when these two games are coming out, so I can plan vacations. To be honest, I'm so absorbed by Hollow Knight: Silksong at the moment that I don't really want to think about future games right now. Just give me the release dates and we're good.

Otherwise, I'm not really sure what makes sense at the moment. They won't announce a new Zelda game already, because we just got new Zelda games the last two years. So, it's way too early and we're getting Age of Imprisonment anyway. Maybe there will be some remake or remaster, but if that's the case, then it will probably not be made by GREZZO. The internet is really begging for an Ocarina of Time remake and I wouldn't mind to see one, but if one was in the making, then it would have to be made by some unknown studio.

I also see people asking for a new Animal Crossing or Super Smash Bros., but I've explained back in June why this likely won't be happening anytime soon: 

• Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch 2
• Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Switch 2 

The short version is that their usual developers are busy with other projects – Splatoon Raiders and Kirby Air Riders. Once those games are out and a couple of years have passed, then we can expect new entries on those franchises. I also don't think that "Nintendo Switch 2 Editions" of the current games with exclusive contents would make much sense, because they still have to be backwards-compatible in online play with Nintendo Switch players. Some free updates would be nice, though, where they may even add new contents to both the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions.

This will generally be interesting to see what others games may receive Nintendo Switch 2 Editions or free updates, if any. I'm hoping that Metroid Prime Remastered will get something to rise up those resolutions and also offer the new mouse controls. And Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity should definitely get a free performance update, even though it already runs a bit better on Switch 2 by default.

As for other Nintendo franchises... I'm not sure, but Fire Emblem feels like the biggest contender for something new, or in the very least a remake. Intelligent Systems is working like a conveyor belt anyway and Fire Emblem Heroes will enter its tenth year in 2026, which may become its last year in terms of receiving new story content. So, they will certainly want to have one last new Fire Emblem game to feed of from, before the inevitable end of their live service. Or maybe I'm wrong and this will go on forever, where it won't really matter...

So, overall I'm expecting nothing much from the usual suspects, besides what already has been announced anyway. But like with Kirby Air Riders, Nintendo might revive some franchise or spin-off series that hasn't seen something new on the Nintendo Switch so far. A new Wario Land game, for example, would be really cool. And I'm still waiting for that Pilotwings crossover with Dodo Airlines.

Another possibility is a follow-up to the Nintendo World Championships. I'm sick of the NES games and would love to see a Game Boy Edition instead. 

Silksong Journal, Entry 4

After liberating Bellhart, I was mainly absorbed in side quests, back-tracking through the lower spheres of Pharloom, fulfilling some wishes, and fighting some optional bosses, including one that has given me a hard time previously. I also took a brief look at the Sinner's Road...

Silksong Journal, Entry 3

Well, I didn't get as far as over the weekend as I had hoped... The weather was too nice and the bosses were too hard. My goal was to reach the Citadel, and I came close by taking a look at the Blasted Steps, but I'm not there yet. Since my previous entry, I was busy with clearing the rest of Greymoor, exploring the Shellwoods and the Hunter's March, before finally freeing Bellhart for some much needed progress. Spoilers ahead for all these areas!

Silksong Journal, Entry 2

Today I've been playing for a couple more hours, where for the most part I've been going back and forth on the horizontal, instead of gaining some altitude, but I've reached a higher area eventually. My journey went to the Deep Docks, the Wormways, the Far Fields, and finally Greymoor. Keep that in mind when reading.

Silksong Journal, Entry 1

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure this will be a good idea, but I'm going to give it a try nevertheless. Usually, I only do these logs for new Zelda games, but I have done one for Metroid Dread about four years ago, where Hollow Knight is very close to home and checks all those boxes of what I love about the Action Adventure genre.

Silksong Launching September 4th

Hollow Knight: Silksong is real and coming out... in two weeks already! Today's "special announcement" by Team Cherry was actually the launch trailer for the game, where at the end they give the release date, surrounded by droning void. I was expecting more, to be honest, like Ari and William talking about the game a bit, but at least they didn't shadow-drop it on us, so we get some time to prepare. I won't be able to take vacation for this one, however.

There is an interview with Bloomberg, where they talk about what has been taking them so long. I had speculated about the state of Silksong over a year ago and I wasn't all too worried back then, saying that they have the luxury to take all the time the they need. And this happens to have been exactly the case. With such a small development team things take longer, of course, but they were also having fun, always coming up with new ideas and being able to quickly implement them into the game. Thanks to the success of Hollow Knight they also had the financial means to polish the game for as long as they wanted. They kept their team small and that money together, so they didn't have to rush things.

However, I was completely wrong about one thing. I thought that they might go the route of Tears of the Kingdom, where once the game is shipped, this will have been it. It will be everything they sought it to be. But this isn't the case. They had to make a cut eventually to get the game finished, but they are already having ambitious ideas for add-ons. So, the story of Silksong might continue for quite some time and we're in for a ride.

And according to the trailer, we're already looking at a meaty meal. 40 bosses are about as many as Hollow Knight had at the end with all its expansions, including the ridiculous boss fest, Godmaster. There are many more normal foes as well, over 200. And we're actually getting multiple towns this time, an elaborate quest system and much more sophisticated game mechanics, which also added a lot to the development time.

The demo featured at gamescom is actually quite similar to the one from 2019, featuring the same "levels", only running in a more recent version of the game. But it's a testament to how much more polish the games has received in those six years. The devil is in the details.

Silksong News Incoming

Team Cherry has just announced an announcement for Hollow Knight: Silksong, coming this Thursday, in less than 48 hours. I had a feeling that they will do their own thing once they are ready, so I rarely ever expected any major news about the game to drop during a Nintendo Direct, Xbox Games Showcase, or whatever. But it will be very interesting to hear what has been taking them so long.

Anyway, we might also get a glimpse of the game later today during the gamescom Opening Night Live, because Geoff Keighley has put on his clown nose (which is generally a reference to Hollow Knight fans expecting some Silksong news at any gaming-related presentation). And there will be a new playable demo of the game featured at the gamescom, which opens its doors in Cologne tomorrow. I won't be there in person, but I'm excited to finally see more of the game nevertheless.

If this truly comes out in 2025 still, then this could become a major Game of the Year contender for me and many others. 

Age of Imprisonment: Call to Arms Trailer

Nintendo aired a Partner Showcase today and I honestly didn't expect to get something out of it, but here we are. We have received a new trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment in the middle of the Direct. Well, it technically makes sense, since the game is developed by Koei Tecmo – a third party and one of Nintendo's partners. But at the same time they are emphasizing that this time we're truly getting a "canonical tale", meaning that this game is supposed to represent the events of the Imprisoning War as they were happening in the past of Tears of the Kingdom.

After Age of Calamity we can't be truly sure of that, but they must have heard the disappointment surrounding that release, where we didn't really get to experience the Great Calamity as it originally unfolded, but more of a time travel cop-out. It made sense for that game, however, because it allowed for a richer variety in cast and for your companions to stay alive. But the only one who won't make it to the final confrontation of the Imprisoning War is Sonia, but maybe she'll become a ghost afterwards and you will still be able to play as her somehow...

There hasn't been any footage of her being playable yet, but she appears together with Rauru in the middle of the partnering montage – the new mechanic for Hyrule Warriors. We get another glimpse with the Sages of Fire and Wind, showcasing what potential this might bring. The Sage of Fire has mastered what will later be known as Daruk's Protection, but he is able to pass it on to his colleague.

We also get to see the face of who will presumably become the Sage of Lightning, Nabooru or Naboris or whatever she may be called. They do all have the classic Champion weaponry already, like the Scimitar of the Seven and the Daybreaker in this case, which is crazy to think about for how many generations these weapons were passed on (though, they probably have made thousands of copies over the ages, since they keep breaking). And overall she seems to fight quite similarly to Urbosa, but at least her face looks very different. There is great sadness in her eyes, which is certainly fitting with whole Ganondorf situation.

It would be funny if they kept revealing the sages trailer by trailer, but this would also mean that we're getting three more, which is unlikely. We do not have a release date yet, though, so there is time to unfold things...

Maybe the next actual Nintendo Direct will explain more, especially when it comes to all the mechanics. They've also shown the Sage of Wind carrying a Flame Emitter, where this raises some questions. Like, are these Zonai Devices something that is found on the stages and can be used by anyone? Will you be able to access these devices at any time using capsules?

They have also brought back the Bomb Barrel Moblins from Age of Calamity, which I find amusing, and there seems to be a new type of floating enemy made out of Gloom:

When I first saw these beings, they immediately triggered a resemblance in my head from something else in the series, but I couldn't really put my finger on it... Then I realized that they do look a little bit like Null from Echoes of Wisdom, but this might be a coincidence. I doubt that they are going to connect the Gloom to that story, though it certainly would be an interesting one.

But they are clearly referencing a different tale from the Zelda series at the end of the trailer. A new Zonai-infused rendition of Fi's theme could be heard at the end, as we're closing in on some secret shrine in what looks like a cave, but it could also be somewhere in the Depths.

We can see how a new type of Construct gets assembled there, one that's different from Mineru's and looks a lot more humanoid. This could mean a number of things, but since they are playing Fi's theme here, I suppose that this is Construct is going to become some sort of hero replacement. Or maybe it will allow Fi to take a physical form again and join the action, while the Master Sword is on standby.

Zelda was able to speak to the Master Sword in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. We could even hear Fi's trademarked alarm sound in those moments and also her music during the second time. So, it makes sense that this gets finally explored more here, where Zelda takes the Master Sword into her care and is going to spend a lot of time with it going forward.

But this new version of Fi's theme playing in this Zonai environment truly gave me the chills. There is something truly special of connecting the games on a deeper level. Well, you get a ton of silly costumes based on older Zelda games in both Breath and Tears, but that's not same as when you meet Skull Kid in Twilight Princess, for example. Or Wolf Link in Breath of the Wild always brought this weird sensation with him when you hear those classic Twili teleportation sounds... It's kind of like that here.

However, let's say that this Construct is meant to truly serve as a replacement for the hero, to become this game's "Link" so to speak, then this would only support even further that they are truly sticking to the canon here and not just bring in Link and the others from the future. Of course, this Construct was never shown in the Dragon's Tears memories, but those haven't shown us a lot of things... like the names and faces of the unknown Sages.

By the way, I doubt that this has anything to do with the Ancient Hero / the Ancient Hero's Aspect. To me, that is the hero who has first fought Calamity Ganon, long after the events of the Imprisoning War. That's like a whole other generation of Sages / Champions that we have yet to see and probably will never see.