This Week in Games

Summer Showcase Slamfest - Save Room For Aincrad

Welcome back, folks! I took up the challenge of playing Kirby: Return to Dream Land Deluxe over the weekend. It is as charming as you'd expect. Also deeper than I expected. I'm used to the Copy abilities in a Kirby game having varied move lists; they've done that since Kirby Super Star. To an extent, that went on to inform the controls in Super Smash Bros. What I didn't expect was that every copy ability in Return to Dream Land has been further expanded into a bespoke Smash Bros. movelist unto its own. There's a ton of versatility to even the most otherwise straightforward of abilities like Burning Kirby, all in a game where most enemies are dispatched in no more than two hits. It's a bit disappointing how there's so little discussion of that. Anyway, as I write this, I likely won't be able to play Kirby all that much this week because this week is a heavy one. So let's dive in!

Summer Games Fest and Xbox Showcase Roundup

I'm combining these two because they both happened over the weekend, but also because once you chop out the American titles in the listing, there are far fewer games to talk about. One of my readers last week shared some sympathies in last week's comments that the Summer Games Fest news was going to "make my life hell." Half right! I don't necessarily have to weave prose about Haex. But there were some major hits regarding Japanese games, and boy, were they big.

Longtime readers know I couldn't care less about the smoke and mirrors that are Summer Games Fest. I feel like US$250,000 to pay someone money to stand on stage and hawk your game is money better spent paying your developers to actually make the game. As for Microsoft... It's unfair to assume that there's absolutely no good coming out of Microsoft. Forza is one of the premier racing games out there, and I honestly prefer it to Gran Turismo. By sheer volume, Microsoft has plenty of talented folks walking in its halls. But there's a reason the so-called "Microsoft tax" exists. These guys trampled anti-trust laws in ways that have caused genuine harm to the industry, and that's before you get into the literal thousands of employees laid off in the wake of that irresponsible acquisition made purely in an attempt at elbowing the competition out of the industry.

Koei Tecmo and ω-Force are bringing forth the final video game adaptation from the esteemed Attack on Titan series. This game covers the final arcs of the story, mostly involving protagonist Eren going all the way to the end zone of being an irredeemable monster and his friends having to take him down. I admit that I'm rather detached from Attack on Titan; not that I don't think it isn't excellent, it's just a bit too dour and unrelenting for my taste. But there's a reason folks love this series. The trailer mostly focuses on flashy cinematics; never having played one of these games, I'm not even sure how they handle stuff like the 3D maneuver gear. There's no release date yet for Attack on Titan 3, but it looks impressive.

Shift-Up is back with another Stellar Blade game, subtitled Blood Rain, and this one—surprisingly—doesn't star previous protagonist Eve. Rather, it stars a new character, Evie. (Maybe the third game will introduce a heroine named Evelyn?) Much of what you know and expect from Stellar Blade is here: flashy combat, killer music, fanciful and expansive wardrobes. The twist is that Evie is more of a bare-knuckle brawler than a sword-user like Eve was. I have no strong feelings against Stellar Blade; just because its combat is a watered-down NieR:Automata doesn't really invalidate the game. I just furrow my eyes a bit at artist Hyun-Tae Kim resorting to generative AI for his games. C'mon, man, you're one of the most talented artists alive, and you need The Plagiarism Machine What Kills The Planet to design costumes for you? As usual, if an artist couldn't bother designing a game on their own, I find my desire to play the resulting game diminished.

I normally disregard rumors, so I didn't pay much attention to the claims that Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy VII fame would be coming to Street Fighter 6. But she's in! One of the most famous pugilists in all of Final Fantasy is somehow now in one of the most famous fighting games of all time. It's bittersweet, considering how long Tekken fans held out the hope that Tifa would be invited to the Tekken roster. Noted fighting game streamer Maximilian Dood (who is also a massive Final Fantasy VII fan) even got a chance to speak with Final Fantasy VII Remake director Naoki Hamaguchi, where they learned that Tifa was a hot commodity. We might never know what led to Street Fighter 6 getting the nod over Tekken, but Tifa's announcement has far eclipsed the other three characters introduced for Street Fighter 6's fourth year of DLC. Tifa will drop sometime in early 2027, while fellow newcomer, the Filipina fighter Yasmine, drops on August 3.

We already talked about Tifa, so uh... might as well rip the other bandage off and talk about the newly-revealed third and final part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy: Final Fantasy VII Revelation! (I would've wanted "Reunion" as the subtitle, but apparently the Crisis Core remake used that one.) This chapter covers the third and final disk of the original Final Fantasy VII, with the dreaded Weapons awakening in the wake of the threat of Sephiroth's Meteor. Cloud and the gang have some new friends to help, including the ever-cool Vincent Valentine (voiced by the beloved Matt Mercer—welcome aboard!) and Cid Highwind.

As per the interview with Maximilian Dood, a new mechanic in Revelation is the "FITS." Working something like new Jobs for each character, the FITS modify each character's outfit (peep Tifa's new shirt or Cloud's new Warrior-esque armor) while also offering unique Limit Breaks to each character. The battles against the teased Weapons are massive show-stoppers, going beyond just the battle system and including unique new mechanics of their own. And in a surprise to many, Sephiroth has a new voice actor: Texas' favorite son, Travis Willingham. In the grand tradition of the character, he's also voiced Superman before, so we know he's good. This one drops on every platform in early 2027.

The new Virtua Fighter from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios has been renamed Virtual Fighter Crossroads. The newest trailer revealed a far more involved story than I would've expected; the old dream of Shenmue being a Virtua Fighter RPG might actually get realized here. The story seems to revolve around a fighter named Cielo living in the slums, fighting for money. After a run-in with the Chinese mafia, Cielo bumps into one of the Virtua Fighter mainstays: Pai Chan. Well, an older Pai Chan, who's taken up her late father's restaurant in the wake of his death. The narrative has quite a few hands working on it, including former Guyver 2: Dark Hero star and writer of the 2000s X-Men film David Hayter. Hayter also has an extensive career in voice acting in games, including the warrior Zangetsu from Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Yes, he's also the longtime star of the Metal Gear Solid games, but it wasn't Solid Snake I saw bloodily chopping a Zoanoid in the throat on local Puerto Rican television back in 2002.

Monster Hunter Wilds is finally getting an expansion! Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance takes your hunter to literal new heights, exploring a Wyvernian habitat floating among the clouds—filled with Master Rank hunts and Elder Dragons! You'll also find new abilities, like rocket-powered great swords. (That one rocket-gauntlet sure did look like one of Nero's Devil Bringer arms...)

I'm quite detached from Monster Hunter Wilds (nothing personal, I just haven't played it). But I have to wonder, is the game playable now? I know Wilds has been pretty rife with performance issues, which have put a tremendous damper on the entire game for even the most dedicated of Monster Hunter fans. I'd like to hope that Ascendance fixes that.

Next up, there's a new game from Bandai Nam—it's a Gunda—!!

I am saying this as neutrally as I can: Gundam: Rogue Orbit looks like a Gundam game made from the ground up to appeal to Americans. People smarter than me have pointed out that the game omits the "Mobile Suit" part that is usually in the title. The Gundam teased in the trailer looks monochromatic (no blue? No red? No yellow highlights? Not even for the V-fins?), and it seems our pilot is fighting mechanical aliens instead of other mobile suits. There's no discussion of a complicated war between the haves and have-nots, no navel-gazing about the misfortune of one's birth, not even the remark that this isn't an anime. It's just robots. They go pew-pew, they fire fin funnels, and it even has a kickass laser-sword. But it's just robots.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this! Gundam has always been an extremely political series about ideals being manipulated by demagogues and the path to hell being paved with good intentions. Even the goofy Mobile Fighter G Gundam, with its wuxia-inspired antics, underlined how the Gundam Fight hosted by the elites from the space colonies left nothing but trouble for the poor folks left to rot on Earth (especially since nobody was cleaning up after themselves). Gundam: Rogue Orbit seems to have ditched all that in favor of just "Wow! Cool robot!"-fueled Armored Core antics. It looks neat! But when you call a game "Gundam," I want Gundam. Yeah, Haro's there, he looks cute, but where's the meat? Where's the angst? This was a similar issue I had with Gundam Evolution: it's nice that the robots are there, but Bandai Namco's attempts at bringing Gundam games to audiences in America seem afraid to actually bring the Gundam parts, even something as simple as the musical cues from the many beloved songs or silly Tomino-isms like "I came here to laugh at you." I leave the door wide open to being proven wrong; this is, after all, just an announcement trailer. Who knows, maybe the weird alien-looking robots are being led by a guy in a funky mask with mommy issues. Gundam: Rogue Orbit comes out in 2027, after all. But man, even Armored Core 7 gave us some actual meat to go with our mecha.

Speaking of robots, beloved auteur Fumito Ueda (of The Last Guardian and Shadows of the Colossus fame) has revealed gen ATLAS, their newest project. This trailer chills me to the bone and has captured my imagination. The setting evokes the Villeneuve Dune movies (especially with all the throat-singing in the background)—but the image of the giant robot that helps our nameless protagonist evokes, er, "The Big Story Engine" from Bionicle. The adventures of a lone wanderer and a colossal robot in this endless wasteland look to be another masterpiece from Ueda, and I'm genuinely stoked to get a chance to play this game in the future. Let me watch this trailer again, I want to feel the music making my bones shiver again...

This one feels bad. We got another look at Stranger Than Heaven, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' new upcoming crime thriller. It was one thing to see Snoop Dogg involved with the game. Because we've already seen folks like K-son and Danny Trejo involved in previous games. This could be fun! But then there's the reveal that one of the characters is a CGI re-creation of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. And that... feels bad.

"But Jean-Karlo, isn't this the same thing as the use of the late Toshirō Mifune in the new Onimusha?" You're right, and in that regard, it's ghoulish! As much as I love seeing Mifune's handsome mug as he chops down demons, it's rather gross that his grave has been reopened for a game he could never have even imagined getting made—even if his estate agreed to it. I'm willing to stand by being wrong about my first impressions of that game. Tupac's situation is even worse, because Mifune at least has extensive connections to chanbara films, but Tupac was murdered. We can't even hide behind the excuse of his estate being cool with it because Tupac's estate is currently owned by former head of Warner Bros. Records, Tom Whalley, who stands accused of embezzling money from Tupac's trust. Actual grave robbery. Between hiring sex pests and virtual necromancy, just what the heck is going on at RGG Studios?!

We can smile again, folks: Resident Evil: Code Veronica is finally getting its remake, and it's coming in 2027! Code Veronica has been hotly anticipated for a remake; the rest of the Resident Evil games have been fun to explore in their reimagined forms, but Resident Evil 4 had aged extremely gracefully; it just felt weird to remake it when it still plays so well. Code Veronica really needs the remake. While the original is still fun, it was bridging a strange gap in the Resident Evil games between the older, slower games (the first three RE titles) and the more modern games starting from Resident Evil 4. Also, it stars the Redfield siblings, and everyone loves Claire as much as they love jokes about her brother Chris punching boulders.

Titled Resident Evil: Veronica, the game sees the Redfield siblings exploring a prison on Rockfort Island where BOWs have broken out (read: zombies). Their investigation brings them not only to Albert Wesker but also to the creepy Ashford siblings. A cheeky scene in the remake showcases a dragonfly; let's just say dragonflies are important to the Ashfords. The original Code Veronica was the first Resident Evil to have fully-3D environments (no pre-rendered backgrounds); RE: V instead runs on the RE Engine, so it just looks really, really good. We'll be waiting for this one next year, assuming Grand Theft Auto 6 doesn't take the whole damn game industry with it.

What about Xbox? I can't ignore two of their titles—they're too big. They had news about Halo: Campaign Evolved, a new remake of Bungie's original genre-defining shooter. It looks stellar; the Mjolnir armor has never looked cooler. (I might've been softer on Halo as a lad if the armor always looked this good.) Campaign Evolved also includes new missions in the form of Operation Meteorite, where the Master Chief and fan-favorite irascible Sgt. Johnson take on some new missions together. Speaking of Microsoft's beloved shooters, they also revealed Gears of War: E-Day, a Gears of War prequel that explores the beginning of the war between the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Locusts. Notably, the Xbox Showcase revealed that Gears of War: E-Day is an Xbox exclusive, after Microsoft spent so long putting its titles on other platforms. The thing is, Gears of War: E-Day had originally been billed for a PlayStation release... and it was the understanding of the team working on the title that the PlayStation version would actually be carried to term. They didn't learn this wouldn't be the case until the announcement was made on the stream. For the record, the PlayStation port had even been rated by the ESRB and everything. It wouldn't be the first time that a game with a planned port loses said port, but I do feel bad for the devs who put in all that time and effort for ultimately nothing at the last minute. That's that old Microsoft-style treatment of their talent that we know and love.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse was revealed a few months back at a State of Play, but we're seeing more of it here. Rose Belmont's grim and gothic adventures traipsing through the dungeons of Castlevania look as gorgeous as ever, with plenty of platforming and weapons on display. Best of all is the snazzy new art for the game by legendary artist Katsuya Terada. Terada has an extensive career; he also made a lot of promotional art for some of the Legend of Zelda games back in the day, but he's a regular superstar artist, and we're always happy to see him pop up anywhere. And Belmont's Curse comes out October 15, just in time for Halloween.

I bleed Sega sky-blue, so I should be stoked for the triumphant return of Crazy Taxi. Crazy Taxi: World Tour even brings back The Offspring's All I Want, plus teases at several cuh-raaaazy minigames. So it should be a slam dunk, yeah? It's sadly not. For one thing, Sega showed their asses and revealed that generative AI was used during Crazy Taxi: World Tour's development. How? The answer appears to be "the one that angers people the least," because Sega has been inconsistent in their statements regarding how it's been used. At first, they claimed that the assets generated were "subject to review," then they backpedaled and claimed that the assets were only used "as a reference." Apparently, Sega doesn't have concept artists. Pity that.

But even if they didn't use The Plagiarism Machine That Kills The Planet, their efforts aren't quite the cuh-raaazy experience folks had hoped for from a Crazy Taxi revival. Posted footage of the game looks rather limp; poor sense of momentum, poor sense of speed, the cab immediately stopping on a dime no matter how fast you were going... the impression one gets is of a mobile ad, not Crazy Taxi. What a shame.

We've got a two-fer for Persona! First off, we finally have a teaser for Persona 6. And... It's green! That's about as much as we can grok from it! Prior experience with Persona tells me that this teaser-trailer is likely not very indicative of the final game we'll get. (For reference: recall Persona 5's teaser and its stark declaration of "You Are A Slave. Want Emancipation?", and the final game being... Persona 5.) I saw someone else phrase it best: the Persona 6 teaser acts like Persona 6 won't get a dancing spin-off or feature a cute animal-mascot character. So you'll forgive me if I see this teaser with a graveyard and a spooky-looking chapel and think, "This'll be funny to look back on when we see the protagonist and his new Social Link fodder getting up to shenanigans." No release date yet for this one, presumably more to follow.

Persona had "ONE MORE!!!" in the tank for us, finally revealing Persona 4: Revival, a remake of Persona 4. We've been reunited with the delightful goofballs that are Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, Naota, and Teddie as they solve a string of murders taking place in the "TV World." The art style is dynamic, the music is banging, and Marie is there. This is about as good a remake of Persona 4 as you could hope for. This one feels a bit weird, considering Persona 4: Golden is right over there and is also a pretty definitive Persona 4 experience, up to that dreaded final photograph. But hey, folks love Persona 4, it'll be great to see this game reimagined.

I'm in a weird place with Persona. I genuinely feel like I've outgrown it, and a great deal of the writing in the games really irritates me as an adult. A lot of the scenes are nevertheless effective (Akihiko at the funeral is gut-wrenching), and the music will move me. But also: I've played better games that are about being true to yourself. The great parts of Persona are great; there's a reason people love these games. And Persona 3 was a huge part of my life when I was 18. But I haven't been 18 in a long time. Maybe I just have to step back into Persona 3 Reload and see for myself. I will say this, though: it's a pity Persona 4 won't be bringing back the older cast. Even with veteran VA talent Yuri Lowenthal apparently begging for a shot, he won't be back as Yosuke. Sad to hear, considering how much he loves the guy. Erica Fitzgerald, who had voiced Chie, was also rather disappointed by the news. It's an uncomfortable position, since these actors loved their roles as well as fans did the performances, but this also gives newer vocal talents an opportunity in the industry. For the third time: lots of complicated feelings with Persona.

Finally, Wo Long is getting a sequel! I previewed Wo Long: Fallen Kingdom a few years back. It's a fun game and honestly more of a mix of Sekiro with Koei Tecmo's own Nioh games than just a blanket "Souls-like." Its unique "Spirit" meter (a cross between your stamina and your enemy's footing) and Morale systems were fun twists on the formula, and the patented Koei Tecmo character design options are stellar. Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember promises to expand on that when it arrives early in 2027. I hope this one is a bit more evenly paced; those early bosses in Wo Long were real steamrollers...

Nintendo Direct June 2026

To quote Ohio's favorite son, Scott the Woz: Oh boy, it's a Nintendo fan's worst nightmare: Nintendo games!

It's been a good few months since Nintendo's last Direct. We've had Directs, but not a general Direct—mostly Directs for specific titles. My distaste for the way the community reacts to Directs is well-noted at this point. But also: I think we've been good? Sure, speculation has been rampant, but if you invested in a Switch 2, then you've been well cared for. Even the greatest of cynics has had to admit that Pokopia is a great title (a veritable must-have for the console). Kirby Air Riders has been the purest sugar rush. And the fact that the Switch 2 can run current third-party titles like Resident Evil Requiem means that there's a healthy amount of support for folks who don't need the absolute bleeding-edge of fidelity. If they could've kept the price to US$450, the Switch 2 would be just about aces, unless you live your life by whether or not a handheld has an OLED screen and Hall Effect actuators or whether a Mario game has been announced in the past half-hour.

Being the first Direct in a while, and coming in after a deluge of reveals from everyone else, meant that there were some heightened expectations, not helped by rumors like the alleged Super Mario Titans that were going around. This is why you disregard rumors. Sometimes, they're true; sometimes they're a waste of your time—time better spent playing games. It doesn't help that there were several games that were only announced in the Japanese Direct. But also: these games were mostly from established RPG franchises. I don't blame Nintendo for cutting them out from American Directs, because people will see a Dragon Quest and act like you've splashed your drink in their face. Anyway, Nintendo's Direct ran for almost a whole hour, so let's not waste any more time.

Speaking of those Japan-exclusive announcements, let's start with one of them. We're getting a Touhou game on the Switch! Not an exclusive one, mind (this one's also releasing on PS5 and Steam), but... we're still getting one! Doujin game-maker ZUN has toiled away at the Touhou series for decades now, but while many of their spin-offs have come stateside, the mainline games have been PC only. And few of them have ever been made available through legal means. No more! Teaming up with a few old buddies of his, he's formed a new team named Shanghai Alice Reprise (a spin on his old doujin circle's name, Team Shanghai Alice). And they've granted us Touhou Koumakyou - the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil New Classic.

There's a tale to this one. The Touhou games all take place in the mystical land of Gensokyo, a walled-off realm where yokai and other mystical entities live apart from humans. The priestess Hakurei Reimu and her layabout friend, the witch Marisa Kirisame, live their lives in Gensokyo until something weird inevitably happens and they have to fly off to solve some problem or other. Problems are usually solved through Spell Card Battles (read: vertical bullet-hell fights, also known as danmaku). They've met hundreds of unique goofy characters like this, and the result has been a hotbed of internet memes and lots and lots of hats. Bad apples, stolen precious things, math classes, and plenty more memes than you can shake a stick at have been the result. McDonald's of Japan even rendered tribute to some of the memes in an online ad. To say the least, Touhou has been a central part of online meme culture in Japan right up there with Gachimuchi and subtitled episodes of the Angry Video Game Nerd, to say nothing of its footprint at Comiket.

The original Embodiment of Scarlet Devil was released in 2002, and while it's the sixth game in the series, it can also be seen as the popular starting point for the series. Reimu and Marisa go off to get to the bottom of a mysterious scarlet mist that's blanketing the land, which leads them to the Scarlet Mansion. Along the way, they meet characters who would become fan-favorites: the tomboyish fairy Cirno, the asthmatic librarian Patchouli Knowledge, Sakuya the time-controlling maid, and the twin sisters of the Mansion. You'll dart through stages, grazing against bullets for bonus points. Oh, but you only reach the final boss if you don't play on "Easy." And if you're a bit strange, you can even unlock a secret boss at the end. All the while, you'll be listening to some kickass music, much of which has been re-arranged by ZUN themselves—though you can also listen to the original compositions, if you want. Embodiment of Scarlet New Devil Classic releases this September 9. Please watch warmly until it is ready.

In other news, we have some further details on Rhythm Heaven Groove, Nintendo's goofy and fun rhythm puzzle series. Over 80 mini-games were promised, along with up to 30 co-op mini-games that can be played with friends. Rhythm Heaven has long featured memorable set-ups (like a troop of flamingos in boot camp or a reporter interviewing a luchador), along with some killer music. They also feature the lovable artwork of Ko Takeuchi. Memorable mini-games include an RPG mode where you cast different spells depending on buttons pressed in a certain order, which seems way more engaging than it sounds. This one lands July 2.

CAPCOM is going all-in on the Switch 2. Onimusha: Way of the Sword was revealed for a Switch 2 release. I'm not entirely sure why CAPCOM or Nintendo deemed it necessary to wait for a Direct to announce that. It shouldn't be all that weird to see it on Switch 2, though; again, Resident Evil Requiem was released on the Switch 2, so the hardware is up to snuff. And the Switch 2 version even features unique motion controls via the Joy-Cons. This one comes September 25. Also from CAPCOM was the newly announced Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen. That Dragon's Dogma 2 is coming to the Switch 2 is news enough; that they toss in this being an expansion to the game feels tossed in as an afterthought. I know some folks didn't like Dragon's Dogma 2 as much as the first game, but it's an achievement in vision; I'm just happy it's also getting an expansion (which should also be arriving on other platforms). Look forward to it on October 9. Devil May Cry 5: Devil Hunter Edition also arrives on June 23, and promised to run at 60 frames per second in both docked and undocked modes. Speaking of games only now getting announced for Switch 2, Rayman Legends Retold, due out this October 1. Also, SHIFT UP's Stellar Blade is coming to Switch 2 later this year. 1980s-anime-inspired Orbitals was confirmed for release on September 3. Gorgeous game, gorgeous aesthetic, I'm just iffy on the co-op. Speaking of co-op is the goofy-looking Big Walk. I'm tempted to write it off as streamer-bait, the way Peak or R.E.P.O. are, but Big Walk emphasizes exploring and enjoying the quiet in its expansive worlds, with a modicum of puzzle solving. The lack of competitiveness appeals to me. It's even got cross-platform play. It releases on August 4. Lies of P: Complete Edition also comes to the Switch 2 on August 6 if you want the digital version (physical lands on October 2). I don't know anyone who plays Ninjala, but it must have some fans because Gung Ho has produced a sequel. Where the first struggled to escape under Splatoon's shadows, Ninjala 2 promises more crafting and a more action-oriented approach. There's still co-op, but it gives the impression of a Monster Hunter-esque crafting survival game. This one launches in Spring 2027.

Saints preserve us—finally, a licensed game based on an anime that isn't an arena fighter! In a very creative twist, Bandai Namco teamed up with Kairosoft to create One Piece: Grand Gourmet, a restaurant sim! Players will play as Sanji, the Straw Hats' Steve Buscemi-esque cook, as he manages his own restaurant. You'll collect ingredients to make dishes, then decorate your dining hall in the hopes of catching the eye of more of the 400-ish characters to come in and eat—all of them favorites from One Piece, from Captain Kuro to, uh... folks from the more recent arcs that I don't recognize. More guests mean more money, which means more dishes and better decorations. You can even enlist the help of some characters like Enel to zhuzh up a dish. It's a creative concept, it's a great use of an underappreciated member of the Straw Hats, and it looks to be a ton of fun! I'm looking forward to Grand Gourmet. It arrives on October 23.

Pokopia is getting an expansion, taking players underwater as they build new undersea buildings. It's a fun idea, and you don't even have to pay money for the new duds: it's free, and it arrives this August! ...But there's also a paid expansion pass available now that also covers a new underwater town, and this expansion pass also includes new Pokémon, new outfits, and what I presume are new building blocks. Provided the new town (Bubbly Basin) is only the first part of the expansion pass; two other new areas will be unlocked. The first is unlocked later this year, and the second will be released early in 2027. So we're at least getting our money's worth with Pokopia. The clip also ended with a tease from the Pokémon Manaphy, a sea angel-looking Pokémon that debuted in the Gen 4 games. I wonder what that's all about...

New info has finally dropped for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave. The setting has been fleshed out; we know it takes place on the continent of Dagda, a neighboring country to the setting of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. We also know the game takes place about 300 years after the events of Three Houses. As if to confirm that, we see Sothis again, and she's older now! More info was given for our four heroes: Cai is out to redeem his father, Queen Theodora seeks to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Leda is out for revenge, and Dietrich is out for a good fight. Each hero brings their own unique set of skills that they can unleash in battle; we see Cai shoot a ranged fireball that damages a few units and covers a range of tiles in magic fire. Fortune's Weave promises a wide variety of systems, including Shadows Over Valentia-style dungeon crawling. While I did enjoy Fire Emblem: Engage, Fortune's Weave looks to fix a number of the issues that the game had. We can look forward to it on September 17.

Speaking of issues, there is one issue that disappoints me about Fortune's Weave. I love that the game has such a wide variety of dark-skinned protagonists! The land of Dagda looks like a rich blend of Mediterranean cultures: Greek, Spanish, and some vaguely-North-African influences abound (and a very flamenco-themed version of the song Together We Ride plays during the Direct). I applaud Intelligent Systems for doing this. This is my favorite lineup of heroes in a Fire Emblem since Path of Radiance. But the coloring for some of the darker-skinned characters makes them look a bit ashy. This is a problem for some folks, mostly stemming from many not being used to coloring darker skin. It's an unfortunate trap that many fall into, and it's a shame that Intelligent Systems stumbled here. I don't think this means they're racists; I just think it's a genuine attempt that fell short. And I hope Intelligent Systems keeps on making such amazing and diverse characters; I genuinely love Leda. She has the air of a Tomomi Kobayashi character. (For the record: you can avoid ashy-looking dark skin by giving it more of a saturated hue.)

Nintendo's Great Ape is getting another first on the platform: the "DK Challenge." Subscribers to Nintendo's Online Pass can play through a variety of challenges based on the many games from Donkey Kong's history in exchange for collectible digital cards. In a way, this is Nintendo acquiescing to demands for an Achievement system, albeit with a limited-time program. You can also unlock new challenges if you own Donkey Kong Bananza. Bananza Emerald Rush expansion is getting a Super Mario Bros.-themed collab in honor of Mario's 40th anniversary, which includes costumes for Donkey Kong and Pauline. It's a bit weird to treat Mario and Donkey Kong as separate things, considering their history is tied so closely together. I'm a bit confused why they didn't include a cameo from the main man himself. (Other folks are far more astonished that we haven't had an actual Mario game announced yet, but I'm easy.) The collab will take part in four waves of content, lasting throughout the summer. The DK Challenge, meanwhile, ends on September 1.

I thought that seeing Poncle namedropped during the Direct meant that we'd finally be getting Vampire Crawlers on the Switch. No such luck, but we got something. It's Vampire Survivors-esque Jujutsu Kaisen: Survivaton is a competitive "bullet heaven" game where eight players choose a curse sorcerer and mow down waves of enemies, leveling up and gaining new curses all the while. Each time a player falls, a new Rule is imposed on the survivors. The final two survivors duke it out one-on-one until the victor stands alone. It's an interesting idea, but a fun one. I'm surprised Poncle worked on this, doubly so they used this for a Jujutsu Kaisen game, but grateful that Poncle got to flex their creativity. This one drops later this year.

Put another one on the board! Hell, put two on the board, if you're saucy! Fans have long demanded that Vanillaware's titles finally get put onto Steam. Vanillaware fans have also long bemoaned the imprisonment of Muramasa: Demon Blades, their Japan-themed action RPG. The original was a Wii cult classic, with an expanded PS Vita release that added four new playable characters. It's been gone for a dog's age... but in a delightful tiny miracle, it's back! Now titled Muramasa: Revenant Blades, the game compiles all six stories into one package. And it's also coming to Steam! The original two characters, Kisuke the Ninja and Momohime the princess, are joined by four other characters who channel the power of demonic blades as they mow down yokai and ogres. The trick is to not overuse your weapons: being surgical with your strikes allows your sword to draw power, and drawing a sword at full power unleashes a unique skill. Overusing your sword, however, might break it. The game also features George Kamitami's gorgeous art, which has never looked better. We have to wait until early 2027 for this one, but that wait is long worth it. Who knows, we might finally get that dream of Dragon's Crown being on Steam!

Monolith has finally parted the veil on the newest Xenoblade title. As teased, the new Xenoblade Genesis takes place in a more fantastical world, with the colossal Titans replaced with a world that curves in on itself. Our protagonist, who is as yet unnamed (though I've seen some folks call her 'Eleonor'), is a Vesselai: a fighter who can control the world's Anima with the help of Crystones. Our protagonist attends an academy, where war is sure to break out.

So, here's what we know: Tatsuya Takahashi, longtime writer of the Xenoblade games, had envisioned the original Xenogears saga as including not only a science-fiction component, but a fantasy component too. And we can see some of those influences here, from a familiar-looking "hologram" (who looks like Khan Wong, Fei Fong Wong's father) to a mysterious stone pillar, which might be a crashed ship? The story calls attention to the magical energy Anima, which is manifested in the elements, but at first blush, it seems identical to the Ether that Shulk and friends wield. It doesn't help that once a Crystone has been placed in the protagonist's sword, it summons a symbol that resembles one of Rex's swords from Xenoblade 2. There's lots to chew on here... but we won't get any answers until Xenoblade Genesis launches in 2027. Other details: the artists for this game are Mai Yoneyama and PALOW, whose work you might remember from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (they designed Ino and Masha the Lapidarist). I'm a bit sad to see Saito Masatsugu no longer involved, but I'm excited to meet the new friends. I have my work cut out for me.

Speaking of Xenoblade, Monolith has finally given us what we want: all three Xenoblade Chronicles titles are getting updates for the Switch 2, improving their graphics and performance! We can finally play a version of Xenoblade 2 that isn't jank! They've sweetened the pot by adding in extra goodies; we know that Xenoblade 2 is getting a new Mercenaries mode where you can play as the Blades themselves (as well as a new Blade and some new outfits for Pyra and Mythra). Xenoblade 3 is getting a new Hero, as well as a new survival battle mode. But neither of those updates will be out for a bit; Xenoblade Chronicles 2's update comes this July 30, with Xenoblade Chronicles 3's arriving on December 3. But Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition's update is out now, and it not only includes new outfits for the characters, but also includes jetskis: characters can now ride around on vehicles to speed up travel, and even take part in new racing minigames across the Bionis. They've also gone back and added voice acting to all of the heart-to-hearts, and that includes bringing back the entire Xenoblade Chronicles voice cast, sixteen years after the fact! There's no disguising that many of these actors are audibly aged, but the effort is appreciated, and it's just nice to hear everyone again, to say nothing of how much it must mean to the actors to have been brought back. See, this is why it's important to treat your voice talents well!

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort promises to be a fun party game, introducing new sports like, uh... thumb-wrestling. It's goofy, sure, but it's sure to be a hit at gatherings. Other new sports include skateboarding (compatible with the Switch 2 mouse!), power cruising (did you know "Jetski" is a branded trademark?), prop planes (note: don't tell Joseph Joestar), and jumping rope. This one launches on October 22. Speaking of party games, we have Hello Kitty Party Land due out this October 29, which will include plenty of Sanrio characters, mini games, and even board games. Consider it a cuter Mario Party, and one that I'm sure IronMouse will be happy to hear about (Cinnamoroll is in it!).

Final Fantasy Resonance bills itself as the first HD-2D Final Fantasy title... but in truth, it's Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius, the recently-shuttered mobile game. Not that it's a direct port: this is an adaptation of the first season of Brave Exvius's story, turned into a standalone game. Players will collect Visions of previous Final Fantasy heroes like Cloud Strife or Tidus and lead them in the war against the Veritas. It's a great way of giving people a way to experience the story that isn't via a Skinner box. But also: it's got a turn-based system. Not an ATB system, a turn-based system. To the people who've been caterwauling for the return of a turn-based Final Fantasy but haven't played SaGa, Octopath Traveller, Dragon Quest, Live-a-Live, Fantasian: Neo Dimension or Bravely Default: here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is. Mark October 22 on your calendars. Be there, or don't.

Speaking of turn-based RPGs, we finally have a proper look at Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World. It operates much like its predecessor, The Dark Prince: Bianca and Nera scout monsters from random encounters to recruit them into their ranks, with scouting having a set percentage of success. Certain attacks or monster skills can improve these odds. You can also fuse monsters to make newer, stronger monsters. We got a look at how the world works; the best I can describe it is akin to the DS Animal Crossing's "rolling log" style, with the world rolling underneath your character as you walk around. It's a striking visual style, but I'm not sure why they went with that. Also, we finally see little Deborah! Yep, that's her alright, and she even gives an impatient little "It's about time you got here!" when her sisters catch up to her. Look forward to this one on December 3.

We had a sizzle reel featuring FromSoft's upcoming The Duskbloods. Lots of spooky imagery, along with the reveal of an upcoming closed beta test this Sumer 2026. We also had an expanded look at the upcoming Splatoon Raiders, detailing how its in-game gadgets will function; more will be shared at a dedicated Splatoon Raiders Direct on June 30. Toby Fox was also nice enough to pop up (literally, as in "out of the ground") to reveal Deltarune Chapter 5's June 24 release date. We also have confirmation that Metafor: ReFantazio lands on the Switch 2 on November 12. That's cutting it oddly close to Grand Theft Auto 6's release date, which everyone is terrified of encroaching upon.

Remember when I mentioned how some games get passed over in the American Directs? We saw that in action with these next two games. Now, they are Japanese RPGs, and audiences in America get precious about those. But if you likely want to know about them. The first is Atelier Karia: The Night Kingdom & the Guide of Memories. This one is a sequel to Atelier Yumia (we can consider these the "Memories Trilogy," since that's the shared word in their titles). But curiously, Yumia isn't the star. An amnesiac named Karia is; who she is, we don't know, but she does idolize Yumia quite a bit. She's also appropriately goofy as an alchemist; we see her about to take a bite out of a newly-synthesized bomb as if it were an apple. The open-world mechanics return, but in a return to series tradition, Karia has a proper alchemy pot for her synthesis. No more vague dancing. This one arrives in early 2027.

We also have confirmation on the newest remaster for the Tales of... franchise's 30th anniversary: it's Tales of Eternia! This one's a long time coming, with the trailer itself acknowledging its 20-year absence. And we even get to keep its Japanese intro! Fans are worried as to whether this version will keep its Skits, since the original Tales of Eternia infamously removed them. Here's hoping! I never got to experience this one when it released, but it's certainly a looker; the late Mutsumi Inomata's beautiful character designs shine in this title. You can even gain access to them if you spring for the Digital Deluxe version, which includes a digital art book. Look forward to this one on October 16.

Good news for Kingdom Hearts fans! Sora's induction to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was infamously paired with releases of Kingdom Hearts games on the Switch, albeit these were Cloud versions. That is, versions of the game are streamed from a cloud instead of being installed onto your console. As you can imagine, these versions suck to play! And as you can also imagine, people didn't like them! Square Enix, in a rare moment where the powers that be can see the light of day, has decided to correct this by making proper versions of the first three games available on the Switch 2, available October 8. As for the cloud versions? They're getting tossed into the darkness, never to be seen again. Oh, but if you bought those versions, you can get a discount for the Collection proper. Your save files even transfer over.

There's some consternation over the promotional art presented for the collection, since it looks... jank. Some folks have pointed out that some of the art looks like it's been passed through a generative AI filter, which I couldn't put past Square Enix. Infamously, Donald Duck's artwork shows him with five fingers on one hand. You just can't see it because his infringing hand is behind Sora's head. It's inconclusive, since it's not beyond Tetsuya Nomura to intentionally obfuscate details that won't be shown in artwork (he's drawn art of characters without limbs because the missing limb wouldn't be in frame). But having to play detective with art is exhausting. Wouldn't it be easier if art were just made by the artists we love? What a concept.

Speaking of concepts, uh... Square Enix dropped some new footage from Kingdom Hearts 4 into the Direct. I have no idea what happened that we got this now for the Direct instead of the State of Play, but here we are. This is the world we live in. One world, one sky, and all that. Sora's adventures in a "realistic"-looking world continue, as we see him in a city devoid of Disney characters (don't worry, Goofy and Donald are... around). We see a cavalcade of new faces, many of whom seem to be Nomura's continued attempts at making Kingdom Hearts 4 also a stealth Final Fantasy Versus-XIII (do your thing, King). But we still don't have context for any of it, just the reveal that Kingdom Hearts 4 will also be on Switch 2 at launch.

For those wondering about the crunchier stuff in the game, we do see some footage of combat. And while it looks like Sora is fighting alone, it seems his Reaction Commands are expanded with what's called the Build System. It seems Sora can use the meter to trigger attacks that "Build" obstacles in battle that can be used to trigger further reaction commands; the fiery rock he summons in the clip can be used, for example, for a big eruption or other such stylish movements. No sign yet of the Drives from Kingdom Hearts 2, which people painfully miss, but I'm still interested...

And of course, we have the final reveal: a brand-new remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. We can split hairs about whether it's "overrated" or not (hell, my favorite Zelda games are Majora's Mask and the Oracle games), but I don't feel like it. It's a big game! Every time I sit down with it, I have more fun than I expect! An Ocarina of Time remake was also rumored to be in the works, so that's been dragged into the light. All we know about this one is that it releases later this year. It's a timeless tale of a young boy who lives in the woods with the fairy-folk and yet has no fairy. Soon, adventure will call for him, but for now, he sleeps. Fitfully, as nightmares of a scowling terror astride a great, black stallion race through his mind. But let him sleep for now. Heavy is the fate that awaits this child.

There are a lot of knee-jerk reactions since Link's face "looks funny" here, and concerns that this remake will scrub all of the charm out of Ocarina of Time. And I get it, that old Nintendo 64 game drips with charm. Part of it is Link's Leonardo DiCaprio-inspired looks, part of it is just the fact that Ocarina has so many memorable Twin Peaks-esque freaks that become Link's friends. But again: let Link sleep. All we have to go off of is the image of the kid curled up in his bed. It's not time to worry yet. Let's give these folks a chance before we decide they've disappointed us.

I feel that a lot of problems in the Zelda series stem from the games living in the shadow of Ocarina of Time's reputation. But then again, I can see how that reputation came about. Ocarina of Time was just a grand game in its time, and even now it just feels good to ride around in Hyrule Field. It was only with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom that the Zelda series broke away from long-calcified series conventions codified by Ocarina of Time. And while I'd prefer a proper port of the game that runs well, I look forward to meeting all the old gang again. Talon and Malon at the Lon Lon Ranch. The Zora in their domain. Saria, our ever-faithful friend. The dopey carpenters, the Business Scrubs... See, this is what I mean: I can write pages on how much better I think Wind Waker is or the brilliant efficiency of Majora's Mask or the charm of The Minish Cap. But you sit me down and say, "We're doing Ocarina of Time," and I can't say "no." Because I know I'll have a good time.

Our Look at Echoes of Aincrad

I've mentioned several anime-based titles that manage to escape the confines of being an arena-based fighting game, so let's talk about one more! I recently had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at Bandai Namco's upcoming Echoes of Aincrad, a Sword Art Online title that lets players finally explore the titular online game on their own. And we don't even have to risk microwaving our brains!

The experience is presented rather granularly; the "tutorial," as it were, is you playing the "beta" version of the game, with the game beginning in earnest upon Sword Art Online's release proper. You are a customizable player experiencing the game along with a group of newer characters. Rumors abound of an extremely skilled player named Kirito, but for now, you're just you. And you and your friends are trying to make the best of this dangerous world you've been trapped in.

I'll rip the bandage off: Echoes of Aincrad is Dark Souls. I don't mean that it's a "Souls"-like, I mean "it's Dark Souls." My uninformed presumption is that the Dark Souls engine was gussied up a bit for Echoes of Aincrad, but many of the systems are there. Your character has combos consisting of heavy and light attacks, attacks are mapped to your shoulder buttons, your attacks are limited by your stamina gauge, guards and parries are a factor, you have limited healing resources that are restored at "Rest Spots" at the expense of reviving all nearby enemies... It's Dark Souls. You've even got a unique spin on the mist gates that signify the bosses. Echoes of Aincrad does a fine enough job at differentiating itself. For starters, there's a very strong emphasis on playing with a party member. We spent very little of our limited time in-game on our own, and most of it was spent with someone backing us up. There are also a fair few systems that revolve around your sidekicks. You've got the usual parries and dodges, the ideal timing for which is telegraphed during enemy attacks. And believe me, it feels so good to nail the timing on them (and so humiliating when you miss and eat an attack instead). 

Echoes of Aincrad also expands on your parries and counters through your party members. If you dodge away after landing a riposte, your party member will cut in with a follow-up attack and even press the assault while you hang back and regain stamina. You even have limited control over your party member, and can instruct them to either let loose on enemies, attack the same enemy you do, or just hang back and keep safe. But the emphasis is on these characters being other players in this VR simulation—they can only go all-out for so long before they run out of stamina and need to hang back.

Another fun angle is the emphasis on dismemberment. It's already cool enough when you dispatch an enemy with a Heavy attack (the game emphasizes your finishing off of an enemy while they de-rez into cubes of data). But it's also possible to lop off an arm from stronger enemies—nerdcutting them off from a vital shield or side-arm. This same emphasis applies to larger bosses, giving you an edge as the cinematic fights weave on. And this being Sword Art Online, this means the settings and enemies that longtime fans are used to are also present. In our time with the game, we even had a tussle with Illfang the Kobold Lord. And if you really want the authentic Sword Art Online experience, there's a Permadeath mode.

My time with Echoes of Aincrad was sadly limited, but they were heartening. I bounced off of Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris a few years back. But even if it's a reskinned Dark Souls, Echoes of Aincrad might actually get me to play a Sword Art Online game. Look forward to it on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam this July 10.

Let's wrap up with some quick tidbits:

That'll do it for this week. Whew, one of the heaviest weeks I've had all year! I don't think we can really complain much about "not having anything to play." September and October are also going to be rather wild, given everyone is avoiding Grand Theft Auto 6 in November like the plague. But in the meantime, I'm thoroughly whupped—excuse me, I need a rest after all this coverage. Be good to each other, I'll see you in seven.

This Week In Games! is written from idyllic Portland by Jean-Karlo Lemus. When not collaborating with Anime News Network, Jean-Karlo can be found playing Japanese RPGs, eating popcorn, watching VTuber content, and watching tokusatsu. You can keep up with him at @ventcard.bsky.social.