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  • Crossing Language Barriers, Sibling Rivalries and Scaring Wildlife – Player’s Voice Inbox April 2018


    10/04/2018

    At the start of every month we share the best fan messages that land in the UK Player’s Voice inbox. From broad explanations about entire games, to laser focused examples of exemplary moments, we love finding out what the Nintendo gamers of the UK are enjoying on their Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS family systems, and then sharing them with the world! To learn more about how to contact us, and what you can win, please read the Player's Voice competition article.

    Now that you know what’s going on, here are the top letters we received throughout March 2018:

    The language of Super Mario Odyssey by Hannah Rogers *Star Letter*

    “I’ve really had fun with Super Mario Odyssey lately, and it’s been a great icebreaker for me. I travelled to Sweden to meet a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, and she was really excited to play. She had a family friend over when I came to visit, he was about 7 or 8 and didn’t speak any English. We were able to enjoy the game together as though there was no language barrier at all! We all went absolutely insane when we first captured a T-Rex, [and when we] dressed up like a clown! A very accessible and enormously fun game.”

    Sibling rivalry in ARMS by Rowan Beaton *Star Letter*

    “ARMS is definitely one of the most underrated gems on Nintendo Switch. I got it when it first came out back in June [2017] and it's become my go to game for showing people what an incredible machine the Switch is. My hope is that more people [discovered] what a fun game this is during the global test punch at the end of March and [bought] it, as it is totally worth it.

    My favourite thing about ARMS though is playing against my sister. She is away at university and doesn't often play games with me. But when she's home we have ARMS battles where we play matches using a different fighter and arena each round. Of course, we have our favourites (mine's Ninjara) but I'm looking forward to her coming home for Easter vacation as there has been a load of new fighters added since we last played. Who knows? One of them might become my new favourite!”

    Scaring wildlife and popping beach balls in Golf Story by Chris Redfearn-Murray *Star Letter*

    “After finally [finishing] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this month I have opted for a more relaxed jaunt across greenery of the more manicured variety. Golf Story offers everything I had hoped for – solid golf mechanics, of course, but also vibrant and varied areas to explore, upgradeable stats and equipment, a compelling story, and entertaining characters.

    A debut release from Australia’s Sidebar Games, Golf Story is a top-down adventure game at its core, coated in light RPG and sports layers. Those with no interest in golf should still take a look, as the sport itself is certainly a secondary concern after exploration and plot development. Even when you do wield a club it’s rarely to help pencil in a scorecard for an official course; more often you’ll be refining your understanding of the swing mechanics while progressing some wonderfully daft story element, be it scaring off pesky wildlife or popping unloved beach balls. The mechanics are solid if unremarkable, but some outlandish unlockables and whimsical minigames should delight even the most die-hard of retro golf gamers.

    Ultimately, this story of golf is a charming one of determination, passion and triumphing against adversity. It’s a delightful throwback to the slower-paced RPG and adventure titles on Nintendo systems of yore - and a fitting exclusive for Nintendo Switch.”

    Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove – my favourite indie game by Sam Hughes *Star Letter*

    “The game I'm enjoying right now is [my favourite] indie game of all time: Shovel Knight Treasure Trove. This game is an instant classic with its amazing soundtrack, level design and mechanics, including the addition of three whole campaigns to keep you occupied for hours (and a fourth being added soon). Personally, I have spent around 60 hours on the Nintendo Switch version of the game alone, however I also do own the Nintendo 3DS version which I have also put nearly 50 hours into, leaving me with a combined total of over 100 hours in the Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, and Specter Knight campaigns alone. The different character's unique abilities and individual stories are extremely entertaining, especially doing things such as rail grinding with Specter Knight and blowing everything up with Plague Knight's different bomb combinations.

    I can highly recommend this game to anyone, even if you have no particular affinity to retro games; I don't, my first games system was a Nintendo DS! You are doing yourselves a disservice if you don't play this!”

    Mario Party: Star Rush and the joy of Toad by Ryan Moore

    "I just wanted to share with you our enjoyment and fun we have had (and are still having) with the brilliant Nintendo 3DS title Mario Party: Star Rush.

    I actually bought this title for myself as a long time Mario Party fan (I bought the first Mario Party [game] on day one), but Mario Party: Star Rush has [turned out to be] such a great source of endless fun. I've played it with my wife and we [have] had many good natured fallings out, but it was with my little daughter that the unexpected moments occurred. We played it on a plane to go on holiday, and when she was recently in hospital Mario Party: Star Rush [having] her favourite character Toad as presenter made her feel better, and brought her a lot of comfort. We played so many different modes, and I even brought her [a] Toad amiibo to visit her and join the game. She is home now, thank goodness, but we still play Mario Party: Star Rush most days. What amazing value, too! One cartridge for 4 of us to play! Although I have had to buy her [her] very own copy now… Thank you for making such a fun game that has given us so many hours of laughs and fun, and [we] look forward to many more."

    Kirby Star Allies – the game you’ll always enjoy by Nicholas Charlton

    “Kirby Star Allies is a unique, breath-taking experience on Nintendo Switch. The mechanic of befriending enemies inspired me to get creative and try creating so many incredible friend abilities. The final boss was such a lovely surprise and one of the best final bosses I have played in a long time. The game also includes two mini games filled to the brim with fun: chop champs where you try to cut down a tree to build a house in a certain amount of time and star slam heroes where you knock a meteor into space. No matter your situation, you will always enjoy Kirby Star Allies. There are very many secret collectibles that improve the replay value of the game greatly. Overall, it is one of my favourite games available on the market.”

    The big numbers of Disgaea 5 Complete by William Harvey

    “Disgaea 5 Complete is a game like no other.

    Rigging up a chain of exploding penguins and forming an enormous tower out of people to smack your opponents about or, even more ridiculous, to act as a focusing lens for a devastating laser. [These] are just some of the crazy things you can do.

    Dozens of unique characters and classes to make use of.

    A level cap that goes to a whopping 9999.

    Character's base stats can increase to 10,000,000 by simply repeated levelling, and those stats can be increased further.

    This would seem excessive if this was not very necessary to fight the bonus boss, plus there is an achievement for inflicting 10,000,000,000 damage.

    So yeah, a very interesting game with plenty of mechanics to make use of that ramps up the concept of post-game to absurd levels.

    Thankfully as the 5th game in the series they have added some ways to make this easier, with nether research and the squads allowing for gaining exp and other resources with characters that are not being currently used (since the maps do have a limit on how many units you can dispatch). This is arguably one of Nintendo Switch’s largest games with hundreds and thousands of hours worth of things to do. Not necessarily size wise, but definitely content wise, keeping in mind it, and all of its dlc, has been crammed into a switch cartridge.

    I still haven't finished the main story yet despite getting it for Christmas.

    Simply incredible.”

    Learning the Ropes in Metroid: Samus Returns by Ray Stokes

    “This week I have been given an education in the importance of the opening moments of a game.

    Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS family systems is the first side-scrolling Metroid game in over 13 years which, for people like myself having never played a ‘classic’ like this before, was a non-stop thrill ride.

    As I landed on Planet SR-388 I had my first slew of challenges that at first seemed small and simple, but were long lasting. My first teacher? A low hanging ceiling that was too small to crawl under. I had to shoot my way through. Next I was greeted by the planets residents, one falling from the ceiling and another leaping to meet their unwanted guest. Using what I’d learned from my rocky enemy before them, they were gone in a flash.

    Injured in the chaos I pushed forward, after receiving a shred of health for my troubles. A metallic red brick now stood in my way. Text appeared as I approached, leading me to realise my main brick-bashing-button also had a missile feature. Bang! And the brick was gone. Abilities like free aiming and ledge climbing also came at a rapid pace and within less than 10 minutes, I had what I needed to succeed in my mission.

    Destroy walls and carve new pathways, make mistakes and learn from them, experiment with different weapons and abilities wherever you can. These lessons are a constant from the beginning and lasted with me until the very end.”

    Smart gaming with Dr Kawashima’s Devilish Brain Training: Can you stay focused? by Oliver Hassam

    "Dr. Kawashima’s Devilish Brain Training: Can you stay focused? for Nintendo 3DS family systems, perhaps surprisingly for a videogame, has managed to focus on specifically improving my short-term memory skills through the various ‘mini-games’ that Devilish Brain Training has to offer. In particular Devilish Calculations – where the player must remember answers from previous calculations while a new calculation is displayed. However, perhaps most importantly, when I play Devilish Brain Training, I am having fun trying to set a new record, whilst at the same time enjoying clean, stereoscopic 3D animations and [feeling] that I am improving my brain power!

    For those that played the Nintendo DS original and its sequel More Brain Training, Devilish Training is nostalgic, and for new players to the series I think it gives a different taste of what videogames can offer, and is an often-overlooked gem.”

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - an open-air masterclass by Oliver Smith

    "Gaming experiences that encapsulate the expansive, immersive and beautifully crafted nature that this title provides come once in a lifetime. Thirty years since the establishment of the Zelda franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild innovates and refreshes the conventional expectations while also keeping true to its original foundations that have helped the series receive high acclaim. Whether it be the visceral narrative of a post-apocalyptic Hyrule, the 'open-air' concept, the ever changing weather patterns or the cooking and climbing abilities, it feels like you're living in an environment that is constantly adapting as your journey to self-discovery and confidence develops. There's truly nothing more satisfying than gliding from a high peak and intruding on a Bokoblin encampment with bomb arrows at your disposal!

    This added to the Nintendo Switch's portability allows for a truly mesmerising, all-consuming gaming experience in the palm of your hands, an unprecedented achievement in its scope and diversity. As a university student, it is difficult to dedicate time to accessing games, but Breath of the Wild offers unique exploration and interesting adventures on a daily basis. Every bus journey to university is another opportunity to complete some shrines or find more Korok seeds, yet another benefit to the game's accessibility and convenience factor. Its narrative of Link's journey to the four Champions and eventual defeat of the Calamity Ganon is emotional and brilliantly executed and, as an aspiring creative writer, is very exciting to experience.

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a true masterclass in open-world gaming!"

    If you’d like to share your letter with us for a future Player’s Voice feature, write a short 100-250 word description of the title you’re currently enjoying – this can describe a particular moment or feature, or simply talk about the game in general – and send it to us via email at nintendocommunity@nintendo.co.uk with the subject line "Player’s Voice". Alternatively you may enter via post by addressing your entry to "Player’s Voice, Nintendo UK Community Team, Nintendo UK, The Quadrant, 55-57 High Street, Windsor, SL4 1LP". If you’re entering via post, please remember to include a contact method so we can reach you should you win!

    Please read the original competition story for more information, and hopefully we'll be publishing a letter from you next month!