Today’s Nintendo Direct, a live video stream that Nintendo broadcasts to make special announcements, brought in lots of 3DS eShop and downloadable-content news.
Bill Trinen of Nintendo of America’s Treehouse division, best known as the English voice of game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, talked Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC. Trinen said that the game’s first DLC map, “Champions of Yore,” is currently available as a free download. Come March 6, the price will go up to $2.50. On that day, “Champions Pack” — the first Fire Emblem map pack, which includes all three “Champions of Yore” maps — will go up from $4 to $6.
“New downloadable content will continue to become available for Fire Emblem: Awakening in the weeks and months ahead, including today,” said Trinen, who also announced two new maps: “Champions of Yore 3” and “Golden Gaffe,” which both cost $2.50.
Nintendo product public relations man Kit Ellis had some eShop announcements. First, he detailed Pokémon developer Game Freak’s upcoming rhythm-based platformer, HarmoKnight.
HarmoKnight has the player running across a level set to music. You attack and jump while keeping time with the beat of the music. The game has more than 50 levels across eight worlds. Nintendo even showed off a Pokémon-themed level. HarmoKnight will be available March 28 on the eShop with a demo available for download on March 14.
Ellis announced Kersploosh!, also for the 3DS eShop. In this game, you control a stone that is dropped down a well. Players navigate the stone as they try to avoid obstacles strewn throughout the well to maintain speed. The idea is to reach the bottom and make a splash in as little time as possible. Kersploosh! arrives on the eShop on March 7.
Nintendo also announced Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, which is “coming soon.” It’s a puzzler in which players guide mini Marios through a path to reach a goal. It also has unlockable minigames and a puzzle creator.
Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger, a tower-defense game, arrives April 11. Players defend villages from approaching enemies by placing characters on the map to fight them off.
In Virtual Console news, Harvest Moon GBC and Legend of the River King, both originally for Game Boy Color, are coming to the Nintendo 3DS eShop. No release date was announced.
A demo for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate arrives Feb. 28.
Nintendo is definitely putting more effort into the downloadable side this generation.
You can check out the full Nintendo Direct video and a trailer roundup in case you weren’t up early enough to catch it live.
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