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The original Survival Kids on the Game Boy Color didn’t play around. I should know, as I beat it repeatedly in hopes of getting the best ending. There’s nothing like being a teenager and spending dozens of hours on a game to watch your avatar die on a makeshift raft because you didn’t prepare enough food for your  attempt to sail home. Survival Kids is one of the few original Switch 2 games debuting alongside the new console as Konami and Unity’s revival of the IP. While it is fine and clearly designed to be a kid-friendly game for actual children enamored by games like Raft with Tomb Raider mystique, it bears no resemblance to the past Survival Kids or Lost in Blue series.

While the original Survival Kids and Lost in Blue games involved children and teens in extraordinary situations attempting to survive and find a way home, Unity and Konami took a far different approach. This isn’t a pure survival sim with adventure elements and choices that matter. The kid, or kids if you are playing with a group, found a treasure map. They willingly headed out to the island chain represented there. The raft broke apart. After rebuilding it on the first island and going through the tutorial, it’s off to go island hopping, completing relatively simple puzzles to progress through areas, search for treasure, and find the Harmony Stones to let you return home. 

This time around, realism is abandoned for an idealized fantasy. I could absolutely see Square Enix going with a similar kind of premise for something like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Kids.” These one to four pre-teens found a map, built a sea-worthy vessel, found islands on the back of giant turtle-like beings called Whurtles, somehow uncovered ruins nobody else saw before, and are also going to undo a supernatural storm. I do think it is very good for smaller children, as it plays in the types of fantasies they might have and can be empowering. However, it’s not all that entertaining or good at engaging an older audience.

Gameplay is also incredibly simple in Survival Kids and, while there is crafting and food creation, it’s nowhere near as complex or critical as in games like the original or ensuing Lost in Blue installments. In those games, you needed to eat and stay hydrated to survive, crafting meant experimenting, item maintenance could be an issue due to durability, and actions strongly influenced if you died or how the story ended. Here, eating means greater strength when engaging in tasks or stamina for climbing, and you can cap that out at 10 easily and be fine. Food prep? Toss a bunch of fruits in a pot, no need for recipes, and you’re fine. Actual item or structure creation? Again, just toss logs, stones, or gathered materials into the right place and you’re good. Platforming? Literally not an issue or challenge. 

Survival Kids is an incredibly easy Switch 2 game, and it is all very surface level. While there are optional collectibles on islands, I felt no reason to go back to it. If you do falter when making jumps, as I had the Pro Controller battery die during one section, it’s absolutely fine. If your stamina does run out, food is so plentiful and the campsite hubs are always nearby, so it is easy to get a snack. If not, you’ll just be slower than usual. The crafting and switch toggling puzzles aren’t difficult. If you can find the pieces you need and get them to the place, you tend to be fine. Also, it’s executed in a way in which there are no complicated controls or need to manage any inventory. Again, all of this is fine for the intended audience, and young enough children will probably dig it. But people of any age more experienced with games will very likely get bored. It’s so repetitive.

Probably the main selling point is that this Konami and Unity Survival Kids game does act as a showcase for each Switch 2 multiplayer options. I did play with another person with split-screen local multiplayer and briefly online. In each case, it was absolutely fine. Since this is a game that could honestly be played alone or with others, cooperation didn’t feel super critical. It wasn’t like there was scaling difficulty or an of the actions were so taxing that I really needed assistance. It was more that things got done faster with another person. Local worked great. Online ended up being totally fine too. I didn’t get to test out GameShare, the most interesting option that involves other local people playing on their own Switch 2 systems while I shared the game. 

Survival Kids feels really generic on the Switch 2, and it features none of the personality of the Lost in Blue series. I think I might have enjoyed it more had it not been burdened by that pedigree. Had Konami and Unity released this as, say, “Treasure Kids: Search for Harmony Stones,” I think I’d maybe appreciated it more. I’d go in understanding it is a new IP made for kids who like the idea of survival games or puzzle adventures, but might not be ready for titles with greater challenges and in-game consequences. But here, we go in expecting a certain type of storytelling and adventure, then wind up with a repetitious, uncomplicated routine.

Survival Kids is available for the Switch 2.

The post Review: Survival Kids Switch 2 Doesn’t Feel Like Lost in Blue appeared first on Siliconera.

Typically in a nonogram game like Picross, completing the puzzle and seeing the finished image is all the reward we get for being diligent enough to figure things out. Albune’s Squeakross: Home Squeak Home does that, of course, but there’s a little something else to act as an incentive. Here, every solved situation adds to a catalog of customization elements for a cute little mouse’s home. It really makes the game feel special, as well as provides a reason to get through puzzles as quickly as possible.

In Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, every player is a mouse. We just moved into a new home. It’s empty at the moment. However, it won’t take too long to make that hole in the wall a comfortable place to live. That’s because every puzzle we solve provides us with a new type of furniture or decorative element to enhance our living space. What follows is a nonogram puzzle game like the Jupiter Picross series that gradually gets more difficult and offers more unique furnishings as rewards for challenging ourselves.

The impression I get from Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is that it is designed to encourage completion compared to other nonogram games like Jupiter’s Picross. Now, I always do finish every Jupiter entry I pick up. However, I play them at a more leisurely pace. Two or three puzzles before bed to wind down and relax. Maybe it’ll take me a full month, or even two if its a busy time of year, to gradually beat a game. The nature of Albune’s title makes each puzzle an item in essentially a catalog of items. So if you want more to do, you need to skip around and fill out puzzles.

Said puzzles are, well, standard nonograms, as Squeakross: Home Squeak Home doesn’t reinvent the wheel. A grid is placed before you. Numbers across the top and left side note how many squares need to be filled in to complete the puzzle, as well as how many are in a row. You need to use logic to do so. In a nod to this being a game filled rodents, boxes are filled in with cheese. You can also use notation to mark suspected spots with a “O” and definitively note a space shouldn’t be filled by placing an “X.” The hints at the top will use different colors to note if lines are done, could be filled in, or are almost done save for a missing “X.” 

After finishing a puzzle, you get the piece of furniture in your mouse’s room. In there, you can direct your mouse to go ahead and interact with anything you placed. You can also complete Nini’s Challenge for variants of items that look different and add more options. There’s quite a bit of diversity and even some themes that come up, and you get multiple rooms to decorate. Likewise, you can customize your mouse's appearance, changing how they look and what they wear. The character's personality and tendencies can even change. So it can almost feel a bit like a customizable pet you care for.

The thing that gets me is, while the puzzles are fun to complete in Squeakross: Home Squeak Home, when completed they don’t always look like the furniture items or accessories they unlike like ones found in Picross games. They’ll usually be somewhat close! However, right from the very start, I saw completed designs that didn’t make sense. This happens right away with a cardboard box on the first page, as well as with a cabinet. The pile of books? It does not look anything like a stack of novels. The basic nightstand? No clue how that turned into that! So while the game is fun and we are supposed to use logic, I felt like I couldn’t also rely on my knowledge of what, say, a dresser would look like to finish that. This doesn’t apply to every puzzle, of course, but it’s often enough that it irked me.

While I feel like the Jupiter nonograms in Picross feature some better executed puzzles and final designs, Squeakross: Home Squeak Home offers a fresh take on a nonogram game. The character and home customization really provide an incentive to solve puzzles. The quality of life features and controls work well, so you could easily play with a controller. It’s a cute approach to a classic puzzle genre with plentiful play incentives.

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is available on the Switch and PC, and a demo is available on Steam.

The post Review: Squeakross Is a Rewarding Picross-like Game appeared first on Siliconera.

The original Bravely Default and Bravely Second left me awestruck. The gameplay called to mind Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and more classic entries in that series, and the story’s direction grabbed hold of me in a way that nearly felt unhealthy. I spent hours getting every job, exploring every sidequest, and building up my characters as stayed until the very end. 11 years later, even though I did all this before, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster triggered the same response on the Switch 2,  and this Square Enix game remains a fantastic JRPG.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster begins with Agnes Oblige calling out for help, asking for warriors of light for salvation as the world crumbles around her and she falls into the cracks. Across the world, we see shepherd Tiz Arrior tending his flock with his little brother Til when the Great Chasm swallows up their village of Norende, leaving him the only survivor. When he returns to the ruins, he finds the Wind Vestal Agnes and the Cryst-fairy Airy who are on a journey to awaken the four crystals of the world to save it. The two end up ed by an amnesiac named Ringabel, who holds a book called D’s Journal that sometimes seems to predict the future, and the Eternian defector Edea Lee who is disgusted by the behavior of the Sky Knights.

I’m not going to say anything more about the story. I don’t want to spoil anything. But it is great, the characters are fantastic, and it holds up over 10 years later.

Like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a turn-based JRPG with a job system. As you defeat Asterisk holder bosses, you gain new roles for of your party to undertake. You can then, in turn, combine them by equipping a second command category and an ability that offers some sort of extra feature of buff or bonus. For example, you can make someone a Black Mage who also has the White Magic class of spells and equipped the Angelic Ward ability that might halve damage or a Ninja with Thief command and Raid ability that could increase everyone’s BP when a battle starts. 

Speaking of BP, that’s the element that sets Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster apart as a JRPG. You can either stock up on action points (Default), making a character defend against attacks in the process, or act up to four times in a single turn (Brave) by forgoing attacking the next three turns after that. Think of it as being both a strategic and quality of life gameplay element. In more standard encounters, you could direct all four characters to each use Brave four times in a row to attack (or create an “Auto” preset with that) to quickly grind for levels and job points to level up roles to get access to more abilities. That lets you wipe everything out in one turn. In the case of a boss fight or more difficult challenge, you could use Default to defend and stockpile turns or prepare for guards to drop, then respond with multiple attacks at once. You can gain greater control of a battle’s pace. I personally like to have one of my physical attackers (Edea or Tiz) Brave all at once, then have Agnes and Ringabel perform more nuanced attacks responding to situations ASAP. 

As in Final Fantasy or other Square Enix JRPG games, the adventure in Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster sends us around the world. There is the main campaign, as well as sidequest stories to follow. For the sake of clarity, Airy appears in the in-game menu to offer suggestions. There are party talk moments when the four discuss what’s going on or offer insight into the world. Campaign quest objectives are highlighted with orange markers, while sidequests use blue ones. The UI, redone for this release, is easy to parse. Not to mention the towns we visit are even more stunning in this version, thanks to enhanced textures that make the pop-up, fairytale designs really, well, pop. In general, every main character, major opponent, and enemy looks wonderful in HD with the updated models and textures. The opening movie and new voice acting is also wonderful and adds to the experience. 

The other changes to Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster on the Switch 2 feel like appropriate quality of life additions. While newcomers might not use the fast forward auto-play option as much, I it to using it a few times early on to see how it worked and get to a full party faster. It’s a great option! The 50% to 200% encounter rate is handy for grinding, and I love being able to have four possible presets for the auto-battle function that carries over when fights start. Because of the way I play, I didn’t need the “recommended level” for dungeons, but I expect that will be quite handy for others. I also think the way Souls appear every 24 hours in-town is helpful, since getting folks to help rebuild Norende or allies for attacks would be as easy as it was in the 3DS years. 

While the two new minigames are fun enough, rebuilding Norende still feels like the most valuable optional activity. The souls you gather from towns from other players allow you to assign those “townsfolk” to unlocking and upgrading tasks in the fledgeling village following the devastation at the beginning of the game. This adds more to a shop, additional Special Moves, and sometimes bonuses for just stopping by. It’s great to load up folks on a task to bring the timing down to 15-30 minutes when you’re active, then spread them out when you’ll be sleeping or away for 12-24 hours. 

I will say that I sort of feel like the Luxencheer Rhythm Catch and Ringabel’s Panic Cruise minigames in
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster are better introductions to the Switch 2 Joy-Con mouse controls than Nintendo's Welcome Tour. In Ringabel’s Panic Cruise, you’re actually using the left and right controllers in mouse mode to steer the ship, perform certain controls to hit altitudes, manage folks’ requests, swat flies, and maintain speeds. It’s interesting and a great showcase of the new feature! Luxencheer Rhythm Catch is a more typical type of rhythm game, with the mouse controls tasking you with catching note indicators with the energy line between your two lightsticks or moving in time with the (ittedly great) songs from the game’s soundtrack. Both can be genuinely fun and show what the console can do.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a remarkable Switch 2 JRPG, and the core gameplay, mechanics, and story remain fresh and relevant. It looks beautiful and runs wonderfully on the Switch 2. I’d even say the new gameplay additions serve as a better introduction to mouse controls for the hardware than the actual tech demo minigame collection Nintendo created. Anyone who picks it up to go with their new system won’t be disappointed.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is available on the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Is a Joy to Play on Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

One of my dating sim and visual novel pet peeves is being locked out of certain routes unless you go through others. It’s understandable at many times, since it usually involves one potentially spoiler character or a true route, so it’s typically not a big problem in the otome games I play. Except in Date Everything it can be, since there are over 100 love interests in the game and certain requirements force you into interactions with a few of the most grating individuals I’ve ever met with no “dialogue skip” options to speed through them. Combine that with it not running well on the Switch, and you may experience issues.

The first day we start working at an Amazon-esque company called Valdivian, we’re immediately put in a holding pattern due to being replaced by AI. In limbo, a mysterious individual from the company decides to send us the Dateviator glasses that brings inanimate objects and concepts to life as beings we can date. Why? It turned out we were the lowest paid person there. What follows is an opportunity to go around the house “awakening” the over 100 possible love interests there and becoming friends, enemies, or lovers with them.

Date Everything is a dating sim visual novel in which you roam around a house to find certain objects to awaken and date them. While this is often straightforward and involves walking up to an item or household element, putting on the Dateviators glasses, and sending out a beam, it can occasional involve a bit more interactivity. For example, you might need to turn something on or engaging in a certain activity for someone to show up. When you talk to these characters, you select dialogue options. Some responses may be locked away behind stats that go up after you gain a definitive love, hate, or friends relationship status with certain characters. All the while, a side-story about an evil corporation that invented the glasses, has a CEO trying to steal all glory and money, and a workforce being decimated by AI. The writing can be clever and funny for some characters or situations, but it also can feel very surface-level since most relationships max out after a handful of conversations and there are so many characters. 

Unfortunately, Date Everything doesn’t take a traditional visual novel approach to making dialogue options, and it can be an issue in the dating sim as a result. Rather than seeing a menu with two to four responses, each one is tied to an action button on the controller. The problem is, the button to confirm or advance text is often an option. So if you are clicking too quickly through conversations, you can accidentally make a selection you didn’t want. This happened to me quite a few times, and unfortunately I noticed A ended up being connected to a joke or mean response, which would send conversations in directions I didn’t want. 

The thing is, Date Everything may be an “open-house” sandbox in which you could pursue friendship, love, or hatred with individuals, but it also limits the player at every opportunity. Want to go everywhere in the house? You can’t. One location is locked away. Want access to every dialogue option in a conversation? Nope. Some are locked behind unreasonable stat requirements in the double digits. Want to talk to more than five people in a day? You’re not allowed. You’re limited to five conversations, which can be eaten up if someone you are pursuing needs you to check with other characters for a request tied to them and their route. Which also means you can’t only focus on one or two people you like, because the game forces you into other interactions. 

That’s another thing that bothers me about Date Everything, and that is that I felt forced to talk to everyone. Now, the voice acting here is incredible and I love the character designs. But man, do I hate a bunch of these characters’ personalities. Many of them are really gimmicky, to the point I found it off-putting. I didn’t want to talk to them. Especially since, as I mentioned earlier, some of these characters feel a bit surface-level and don’t get all that deep. There are exceptions, of course. Since there is no option to skip or speed through dialogue in those instances, you’re stuck talking to people you might not like. Also, since your stat boosts are tied to definitive relationship statuses with the individuals, you are actually forced to interact with them to the point they hate, like, or love you so that you can select certain choices in the conversations with folks whose company you do enjoy or reach an endgame state. 

There is one exception to this, and I hate it. I am so frustrated that there is one character whose route is locked into one outcome, and this happens pretty much immediately. Date Everything, but… wait! Not that one! What makes it worse is I adore that performer, in addition to finding the in-game individual to be one of the more fun and fleshed-out folks, so I ended up quite bummed that there was no opportunity for other options. 

Also, I’m not sure if these are just Switch issues, as that’s where I played Date Everything, but the lighting is just awful. Once you get to the afternoon and evening period, it’s hard to clearly see everything! By my third day in the house, I figured out I could turn on light switches and lamps in rooms, but by nightfall I realized it often barely made any difference. Which means sometimes I’d mistakenly click on characters if I wasn’t paying attention.

Other issues are ones that seem like they could be present on other systems, though my experience was limited to the Switch. The outlines of response prompts coming up early in conversations sometimes worried me that I pressed A to advance too quickly through dialogue and missed things. Characters’ portraits fluctuated between poses during conversations sometimes, especially with Parker, Harper, and Captain Jacques. There were occasional object pop-ins and pop-outs depending on how close I was to objects, with the dishwasher and fridge being prime examples. The game also referred to me using they/them in some conversations, such as with Curt and Rod, even though I set my pronouns as she/her. 

I appreciate the gimmick and the talent Sassy Chap pulled together for Date Everything. The character designs are inventive and look fantastic. It’s entertaining, especially when it discusses not-Amazon and AI. My issue is I really didn’t want to talk to all of these characters. At most, I wanted to see the full storylines for like 1/10th of them. But because it doesn’t feature typical visual novel quality of life features and basically forces you into conversations with cast , you’ll be stuck getting to know folks even if you don’t want to. Especially when it gets into the evening in-game and things get to be difficult to see. 

Date Everything will be available on the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on June 17, 2025.  

The post Review: Date Everything Feels Like You’re Forced to Date Everything appeared first on Siliconera.

Whenever a new system launches, debates also ensue about if it’s worth buying right away. Partially due to the quality of the console itself. But the titles that launch alongside it can also make or break a debut. While the Switch 2 launch library might not seem as exciting in some ways, I think it ended up being a really solid collection of games you can play for weeks, months, and in the case of some years to come. 

One criticism going in to the Switch 2 is the flagship launch title is Mario Kart World. As of March 31, 2025, the Nintendo IR site noted Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold over 68.2 million units on Switch 2, Mario Kart 8 sold 8.46 million on Wii U, Mario Kart Wii sold 37.38 million on Wii, Mario Kart 7 sold 18.99 million on 3DS, and Mario Kart DS ended up at 23.6 million on DS. Financially, it makes sense. Over multiple console and handheld generations, we see the demand at a glance. Also, given what happened with the Switch installment and room for growth, I think we’ll absolutely see a Booster Course or some other sort of ongoing update schedule. This is the company coming in with a title that will be huge at launch, enjoyed alone or with others, and probably ed for a few years.

Next is that we actually do have some entirely “new” launch window games for the Switch 2 that add incredibly lengthy experiences to the library. I played Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. That could easily be a 30-40 hour game just from the campaign and before you get into the daily life, find a partner and settle down, enjoy the post-game with a virtual family experience. Moreover, the Switch 2 experience even without the upgrade pack is making me reconsider only giving it an 8 when I wrote the Switch review, because it’s closer to a 9 on the new system. Deltarune Chapters 3 & 4 is something I’m going through now, and it’s also a solid commitment. FAST Fusion ended up being a great budget racer in the series with a lot of replayability and, honestly, the kind of challenge is that is sort of missing in Mario Kart World single-player sometimes. While I’m sure it won’t be game of the year material, Tamagotchi Plaza is going to fill that launch minigame collection hole that folks invest in when they want something silly and short to play with others. Even though Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time came out on other platforms a bit ahead of Switch 2, this is a 10/10 game that makes you feel like you’re only scratching the surface after 100 hours. It’s a huge “get” for a new console.

Besides, we also need to consider the value of the HD remasters and definitive editions of games coming to the Switch 2 at launch. While these are returning titles, I think three are exceptionally valuable here. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is an updated release of one of the most creative JRPGs Square Enix released in the last 10 years, and it is still absolutely captivating. It looks fantastic with the updated graphics. The single-screen version works great! Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut’s extra story and multiplayer modes are pleasant extras for what I consider my favorite entry in the series. (The story is so much fun.) Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is going to bring an underrated Shin Megami Tensei spin-off to modern systems for the first time so soon and, as I said in my preview, it’s a wonderful game that deserves this second change at a wider audience.

Even the bad games in the Switch 2 launch library offer their own type of value. Survival Kids isn’t a good Lost in Blue installment, but it is the type of title adults or older kids could play with younger children to get them adjusted to the console. It’s also one of the first examples of the GameShare mechanic, offering a bit of a proof of concept to show how sharing one game among multiple local consoles could work in a low-stress, no-consequence environment. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour isn’t all that much fun and should have been either $5 or free, but it does offer a lot of insights into why the company made certain design decisions via quizzes and tech demo minigame examples. 

As for the ports, they represent a really well-rounded bunch of genres. Whenever a new Nintendo console or handheld’s shown up, it’s often been accompanied by versions of titles that past systems couldn’t. With the Switch 2 launch games, we are both seeing that and getting titles that might’ve had issues on other handhelds like a Steam Deck getting a specific version tailored to this type of experience. Street Fighter 6: Years 1-2 Fighters Edition does that! It looks fantastic, even with compromises. Plus, it involved the motion control mode that could provide a workout. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is something of a wonder. It runs way better than I expected. Sid Meier's Civilization VII - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition fits the bill with integrated mouse controls. And, like many of the new titles, they’re lengthy games that take up dozens of hours. 

I’d even consider all of the upgrade pack games valuable of the Switch 2 launch library. In each case, titles are running better than ever. For those who might’ve skipped the Switch 2, it’s a wealth of proven games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that will work better than before. With paid expansions for Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Super Mario Party Jamboree, it’s adding major content updates with more to do. These are opportunities to maybe see how great games become even more wonderful with added power and adjustments behind them. 

The Switch 2 launch library is packed with great games. There might not be as many first-party endeavors immediately available, beyond Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but every other element is filled with lengthy, well-executed, and meaningful games that showcase the system’s capabilities and could keep us occupied for hundreds of hours.

The Switch 2 is available now worldwide. 

The post There’s Nothing Wrong With the Switch 2 Launch Games Library appeared first on Siliconera.

Astro’s Playroom on the PS5 set something of a standard for console “tech demo” launch games and showpieces. It educated while also acting as a genuinely pleasant and compelling platformer. Especially since it ended up being a free pack-in for the system. Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is the equivalent for Nintendo’s newest console generation and, while it is education and enlightening, it is nowhere near as enjoyable. Especially since it comes with a $9.99 price tag.

The setup for Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is one of the things I genuinely appreciate about this application. It’s set up in the same way as the sort of console experiences for this system ahead of launch. You pick an avatar for yourself out of a line of pre-generated folks waiting to get into a Nintendo Exhibit. Once your time comes, you head out onto a show floor organized on top of a giant Switch 2 and its peripherals. So the experience begins on Joy-Con 2 (L) Area, with more opening up as you collect stamps and unlock new difficulty levels for the minigame tech demos or additional locations. You can also chat with other attendees. The concept is sound, the design is great, and I love the style.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is broken down into two types of experiences. One involves short quizzes taken after reading an article describing either an element of the console or its one of its peripherals’ design. The other involves an interactive display of some feature tied to the device. So in Joy-Con 2 (L) Area, you can take quizzes about the construction of the controller, play Dodge the Spiked Balls: Survival Mode, and play Find the Strongest Rumble: Along a Line. The quizzes there cover things like the new rumble feature, while the activities show off the mouse-based elements of the new controller and HD Rumble 2. Once you do enough there to earn its stamps, you unlock Area B, which is Nintendo Switch 2 Console Area. 

The execution of everything is fine too. There’s a fast travel option that comes up after you reach Area B. The UI is clear, so it is easy to see how many stamps you collected. Since the minigames are all essentially tech demos, there are ample explanations and they’re usually quite educational. The quality isn’t something I’d call into question.

I’m just not a big fan of how Nintendo handled the content presented here. The information for the quiz sections is fascinating. I did feel like I understood the console, controllers, dock, and camera much better after going through them. They aren’t challenging either, so long as you pay attention. But while they’re novel, I would probably never gone through them if I didn’t need some easy stamps. They weren’t so interesting that I consider them required reading.

Likewise, the minigames present in Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour are nowhere near as joyful and fun as Astro’s Playroom. I think I might have had more fun with 1-2-Switch. I know I liked Nintendo Land better. None of the minigames here are memorable, and they all feel like tech demos manned by overly enthusiastic staff trying to manufacture a “good time” while nudging you along like, “Hey, see how this works here? Try this! Neat, right? Right?” Some are incredibly bland, like HDR Fireworks designed to show the difference between brightness in SDR and HDR. At worst, I felt like I did the thing and at least got a stamp out of it. At best, I thought the educational element of it ended up being worthwhile. Especially in Super Mario Bros 4K, which helped show how many pixels the original Super Mario Bros 1-1 level took up, the way HD Rumble 2 mimics sensations in Maracas Physics, and appreciated how Open the GL/GR Locks got me used to using the new buttons on the Switch 2 Pro Controller. 

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour works fine. It’s totally functional and educational. It just isn’t fun in the same way games like Nintendo Land and Astro’s Playroom are. Considering this is a product that costs real money, I feel like there needed to be more to it in order to make it worthwhile. If it was even $4.99, rather than $9.99, I might consider recommending it for the insights and experiences that can sometimes be fascinating. As-is, you’ll probably pick out the more novel elements and upgrades to the new system while playing better games like Mario Kart World. 

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is available for the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Is Disappointing appeared first on Siliconera.

Dash Food is one of the more fun surprises in Mario Kart World. Grab a meal, get a speed boost and maybe a costume! I have sacrificed first or second place in a race to ensure someone gets a snack when I know I’m missing one of their outfits. But there’s one tragedy here. You can’t dress up Cow in costumes in Mario Kart World, and it’s one of Nintendo’s greatest failings in an otherwise exemplary game. 

For my first full day with the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, I only used Cow. Cow is wonderful. I love everything about her. But I also know I missed so many opportunities when I did. Lots of other characters can get variants with new outfits via Dash Food, and it might be fun to use this early unlocking push to also get those costumes. 

I had fun doing it! Especially with characters such as Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina, as I knew all three had pretty decent wardrobes to start. However, as I did so, I also started to feel bad. Why?

Because Cow deserves costumes in Mario Kart World. 

Nintendo knew ahead of time Cow is a standout. Cow is the reason NPCs and certain enemies got to be playable characters in Mario Kart World. From the moment Cow ended up being confirmed, she’s been the talk of the town. Her not getting her own outfits is a travesty.

I found it especially disheartening once I started unlocking costumes for other Mario Kart World characters who are enemies or weren’t drivers before. Lakitu? He’s got two costumes. King Boo gets three extra variants. Poor Cow gets nothing. 

Now, I know there could be excuses (bad ones) for Cow being neglected and denied costumes in Mario Kart World. She’s a cow. Sure. But again, that doesn’t stop King Boo. There could be cute collars for her or a hat. 

Especially since we know Cow can wear a hat. She will don a crown, just like everyone else, once you come in first in Grand Prix or Knockout Tour to show your achievement for getting first place. Give her a straw farmer hat similar to Peach’s! Let her get a cute bow like Birdo! Give her a permanent tiara like the queen she is! 

Cow deserves to dress up and be pretty in Mario Kart World, and Nintendo should acknowledge that by giving her costumes in an update. Let her wear fun hats! Give her necklaces! Maybe she could wear a cape! Don’t limit her and those of us who love her!

Mario Kart World is available for the Switch 2. 

The post Give Cow Costumes in Mario Kart World, Nintendo! appeared first on Siliconera.

Mario Kart World feels not only influenced by entries that came before it, but what Nintendo always wanted the game to be. There are clear cues from mainline installments, in of course influences, modes, and vehicles. Mario Kart Tour feels equally important, given the idea of going around a whole region and the inclusion of so many character costumes. But it also feels like a type of title that highlights exactly what the company wants the Switch 2 to be, and that’s a powerhouse that encourages as many people as possible to come together. After spending four days essentially dedicating my life to racing, it feels like the ideal title to welcome in a new console generation.

Mario Kart World pairs staples with innovation. The hallmarks of the series are here. Grand Prix works as usual, with a person selecting a Cup that consists of four courses played one after another at 50cc, 100cc, or 150cc. It feels very much like the base version of Mario Kart 8 at times. Some of these might feature entirely new tracks, such as the Mushroom Cup with the original Mario Bros Circuit, Crown City, Whistletop Summit, and DK Spaceport, or may consist of ones that are “inspired” by past tracks like Flower Cup with Desert Hills, Shy Guy Bazaar, Wario Stadium, and Airship Fortress. The gimmick this time around is that after a race at one course is done, you actually drive along roadways and the map to the next, with that part of the trip being a part of the experience. It’s genuinely novel and I love the distinction between biomes. 

This design decision means the different courses in Mario Kart World tend to feel like real-world roadways, instead of manufactured tracks designed specifically for races. This is when I first started to feel the Mario Kart Tour influences, since I always felt those tracks seemed to sometimes feel like standard streets. This doesn’t mean whimsy is abandoned. There’s a lot of opportunity to do fun things here! Lots of jumps are available for tricks. It’s possible to drive along walls or grind along rails. Boosts appear. Item boxes and coins are plentiful. Roadsite dinners with food that provide a boost and maybe a costume are great. Plenty of secrets are strewn about as shortcuts, which can be investigated in Free Roam. 

Because everything is interconnected and there’s an effort to make tracks more exhaustive and expressive, that means returning  courses in Mario Kart World feel incredibly different. I’d say it is more like they are “inspired” by the classic tracks than 1:1 recreations as in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Mario Circuit, Moo Moo Meadows, and Choco Mountain felt the most different to me while I went through them, while Shy Guy Bazaar and DK perhaps seemed most familiar. I consider this more of a positive. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is wonderful and feels fantastic on the Switch 2, so someone in search of more traditional courses could go for that. Mario Kart World’s takes on tracks is much more inventive and interesting.

My one complaint is that the only challenge I experienced in Mario Kart World stemmed from the chaos of racing alongside 24 other people in Knockout Tour. The actual courses here never felt as challenging as any I experienced in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Kart Double Dash, or other installments. I’m not asking for something as broken as Super Mario Kart. I do think the tracks here can be incredibly creative and visually stunning. They’re a joy to explore in Free Roam. They just are too easy. I suppose the best example I can give is this incarnation of Rainbow Road. Typically, I might actually attempt to avoid item boxes as I race, for fear of getting a Mushroom or Golden Mushroom that will send me careening off the course. Here? There’s no fear. There’s no danger. That paired with Smart Steering on by default and 200cc’s absence made me wonder if Nintendo put too much effort into courting a younger or amateur audience this time around.

In Knockout Tour, Mario Kart World absolutely feels like a challenge. One that console handles without any issue, which feels like a triumph given 24 people are involved. I didn’t experience any lag. Matches ended up being plentiful. Loading was nonexistent. It’s hectic in a way that still doesn’t feel unfair. Yes, there is some rubberbanding early in a match when there are larger groups of characters. I experienced most of that when trying to get in the top 16 and 12 at the third checkpoints. But once you’re in the top eight, it feels more like a standard race and, if you’re lucky enough to be in the top four, it’s incredible. I managed it only twice, and both times it felt like my opponents were the actual best of the best Mario Kart players. 

I will say the new execution of tracks in Mario Kart World does feel like it favors every mode other than Grand Prix. The design is great for cohesive Knockout Tour rallies. It offers more to explore when evading or collecting in the Balloon Battle and Coin Runners modes. The layouts are exemplary for Free Roam. 

Free Roam is the absolute best, by the way, and I feel it and Knockout Tour are the two options that really sell Mario Kart Tour and it being the poster child for the Switch 2 game everyone needs. Driving through the tracks reveals all of these hidden secrets and challenges that you wouldn’t expect in each area. There are personalities, such as happening upon Nabbit and needing to chase the character down. Most importantly, it can be genuinely relaxing. I love to hop into Free Roam and drive around, exploring nooks and crannies, while listening to some music or putting on a stream or podcast in the background. It is so easy to play around with possible strategies in this mode and do recon on courses. If you’re trying to get extra costumes for characters, finding a spot with Dash Food and camping out is so stress-free here.

I will say I’m a bit split on opinions when it comes to the character costumes in Mario Kart World, some of which are directly lifted from Mario Kart Tour. I do appreciate their inclusion, since discovering them is super fun and the designs are cute. However, I’m a bit disappointed too. There are a lot of costumes from the mobile game omitted, and clear favoritism is shown. Why is Peach’s farmer look here, but Daisy’s isn’t? Why do only babies get their Sailor outfits? None of Pauline’s are present, and she only gets one Aero variant. Cow doesn’t get a costume, but Shy Guy does? The new Super Mario series NPC racers are a fun addition, especially ones like Cow and Dolphin, but all of the Koopalings got left behind in Mario Kart 8. Also, all vehicles are set appearances, though you can customize them with earned stickers, but we can’t adjust parts like body, wheels, and glider for more personal elements.

Mario Kart World is incredible alone or with others online or offline, and it really shows off what might make Switch 2 special. It’s fantastic in more traditional modes like Grand Prix and Battle or new ones such as Knockout Tour and Free Roam. It pays tribute to past games, but feels totally different and innovative in some fun ways. I do wish Grand Prix felt a bit more challenging and perhaps that Koopalings came back, but getting characters like Cow and happening upon new options with Kamek or Dash Food can be a fun surprise during a race. It feels like a must-have game for the new console, while still also leaving a place Mario Kart 8 Deluxe too.

Mario Kart World is available for the Switch 2. 

The post Review: Mario Kart World Is a Perfect Welcome to Switch 2 appeared first on Siliconera.

Unpacking set something of a trend with cozy puzzle games by offering ambient storytelling as we engaged in activities, and Instants builds on that in a similar way by adding scrapbooking to the mix. We’re organizing things yet again. However, this time it involves logic puzzles that requiring finding the correct order of events for images to create a chronologically correct scrapbook. How much you get out of the experience depends on the investment you put into it.

While Unpacking leaves character identities and finer details up in the air, we’re more certain of who we are and what’s going on in the puzzle game Instants. Our character enjoys making scrapbooks. Family and friends come to us to create collections based on supplied images, postcards, and memories. We can check and see who the “cast” involved are. It’s also possible to read cards and the backs of pictures for additional details. In each case, we need to put everything together to commemorate special moments.

If you want to go through Instants rather quickly, it is absolutely possible by ignoring the decoration element of the scrapbooking game. After all, it involves just dumping pictures in proper chronological places. Someone just in it for the logic puzzles can sometimes jam in all the pictures onto two or four pages without any additional decoration or fanfare. As you do, you’ll see lines appear that dictate accuracy in your recording. Green ones show the proper order is maintained. Any color other than green is an alert that you’ve gotten things mixed up and need to swap things around to ensure the pacing is preserved. 

Order goes from upper left to bottom right, so people putting four photos or items on a page will need to put the first in the upper left corner, the second in the upper right, the third in the bottom left, and fourth in the bottom right, and so on. From what I saw, Instants is very good at determining accuracy, just like Unpacking was with items, so I never had an issue when arranging items. Also, the Steam Deck and handheld gaming PCs are ed, so it’s easy to play on the go.

However, I think Instants is a game best played by someone who has a lot of free time and genuinely enjoys scrapbooking and organizing photo albums. There are a lot of creative elements for decorating and labeling pictures in the album. The assignments tend to involve special moments, families, or occasions. As such, it really leans into trying to go all out and have fun with it. Since I went through it for a playtest, I couldn’t take that type of time with it. But I actually am going back through it at a much slower pace, which is the ideal way to play, and genuinely having fun decorating the virtual books.

Instants takes the same sort of puzzle approach as indie darling Unpacking, and it works for this cozy game! Someone in it for the challenge can speed through, taking in visual and written clues to find right answers. People who want to take their time and absorb themselves in the simulation can ease into it. Especially since there are a lot of decorative elements and you aren’t limited by number of pages. It’s quite pleasant and offers a peek into people’s lives.

Instants is available on the Switch and PC via Steam. 

The post Instants Scrapbooking Game Relies on Context Clues and Logic appeared first on Siliconera.

Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, Boruto, and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are all series that highlight the growth of young ninjas placed in extraordinary situations throughout the course of the manga and anime series. However, in the case of this sequel series’ second part, I’m starting to think it might be even better at highlighting that development. The way in which Boruto matured from the first half to the second is so striking, and the recently released second volume of Two Blue Vortex especially highlights different ways in which he’s grown up over the course of all these chapters.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 2 of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga below. 102s59

Throughout the first volume of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga, we already started to see Boruto Uzumaki’s development. He’s working alongside Sasuke Uchiha to train. He’s understanding what’s happened in the world. He’s accepted needing to stay on the outskirts, even if it also means rushing in to help the people who falsely consider him an enemy. His thoughts on Kawaki’s motives and willingness to find a solution that could result in a situation that mirrored Naruto and Sasuke’s show it as well. But now that the second volume is here, it’s even more obvious how much he’s changed over the time-skip.

A big part of that comes up at the very outset of the second volume. We see an immediate parallel between his early training with Sasuke after the events in the first part of the series and the second. As the Divine Trees attack, he witnesses what happened to his master attempting to protect him. He made a commitment upon seeing his absorbed body. Especially since Sasuke asked him to protect Sarada. So at the very beginning, we’re seeing the level of respect he has for this man and the commitments he’s willing to make. 

Part of assuming that responsibility also shows the level of courage Boruto now possesses as of Two Blue Vortex. We always knew Naruto’s son was brave. However, at this point he’s willing to go to Konohagakure and risk attacks and capture so he can find Sarada and tell her what happened to her father. He is aware of the possible consequences. However, his relationship with the Uchiha family, assumption of the duty assigned to him, and respect for her and her father means he’s willing to risk it all. It’s quite telling.

So is the tact and intelligence he displays while there. Shikamaru Naru, the acting hokage following the incident involving Naruto, becomes aware of the effect of Eida’s Omnipotence and the fact that everyone’s memories has been tampered with. This is partially due to listening to Sumire Kakei and Amado Sanzu. He doesn’t behave rashly, and instead communicates in a mature fashion with Shikamaru. He takes the time to explain things, even if it might not make a difference. He’s never rash, showing how much he’s grown as an individual and over the course of the series. 

This extends to an encounter with Mitsuki. Mitsuki is enraged, due to Omnipotence and Kawaki’s influence. Boruto understands. He’s aware of it. He doesn’t behave in a hostile manner or go on an all-out attack in response. Instead, he’s extraordinarily kind in this encounter. He helps explain, even though Mitsuki is rightfully experiencing all sorts of emotions. He takes a chance and trusts him. 

In a way, I feel like these latest two volumes of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga are offering even more insight and explanation into how unique Boruto is compared to his father. His growth as an individual is extraordinary. I’d say he’s more mature at this age than Naruto ever was, partially due to the circumstances. But it’s also due to who he is as an individuals. It really helps define this second part of the series and character.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are available now, and Viz Media hasn’t shared a release date for the third volume of the manga yet.

The post Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Manga Volume 2 Shows Boruto’s Maturity appeared first on Siliconera.

June 6, 2025 is a big day for HoYoVerse and Zenless Zone Zero, what with the title making its Xbox debut, version 2.0 debuting, and a number of major storyline additions and quality of life adjustments arriving all at once. We’ve already seen the company make major adjustments, such as TV Mode adjustments and adding two more Ether Agents. To go over what went into this latest leap to a new version and platform, Siliconera spoke with Zenless Zone Zero Producer Zhenyu Li about the development process, characters, and its influences. 

Jenni Lada: Did any real-world cities shape the new Waifei Peninsula region in Zenless Zone Zero 2.0?

Zhenyu Li: When deg Waifei Peninsula, I drew a lot of inspiration from my home region, Guangdong, and its local culture. In Failume Heights, you'll find many establishments commonly seen in Cantonese communities, such as Yum Cha Sin, pawnshops, and traditional restaurants. These give the entire city a more authentic, lived-in atmosphere. Additionally, many of our team grew up watching Hong Kong films, so we infused Waifei Peninsula with a cultural fusion reminiscent of Hong Kong cinema. We hope this approach allows Zenless Zone Zero Season 2's unique artistic design and cultural flair to be appreciated by players worldwide.

There are quite a few Factions in Zenless Zone Zero that don’t have a full three for a complete squad yet. For example, Obol Squad, Stars of Lyra, and most recently Mockingbird. How do you come up with timelines internally for adding ? Will we end up seeing Factions that don’t ever end up with more than one or two in them?

Zhenyu Li: We don't have any specific restrictions on the number of in each faction, so there are no predetermined upper or lower limits for faction sizes. Future changes in faction numbers and whether new will will all depend on the needs of our narrative pacing and content.

When coming up with Thiren designs, how do you determine which types of animals and combinations can and can’t happen?

Zhenyu Li: We want Zenless Zone Zero to be a game without limitations. When creating Thiren characters, we don't set predetermined standards for what "can" or "cannot" be done. Instead, we focus on whether the character design fits the plot and background needs, whether their image can leave a lasting impression on players, in short, whether they're fun. As long as we strike a balance between aesthetics and plausibility, any kind of Thiren could potentially appear in the game.

26 of the confirmed playable characters in Zenless Zone Zero are women. Any chance we’ll start seeing more guys, especially ones who are five-stars?

Zhenyu Li: There will definitely be more male Agents in the future, including S-Rank ones. While we can't reveal who they all are just yet, we'll continue to introduce different characters as new versions of the game are released and the story unfolds.

The Defense role character pool in Zenless Zone Zero is rather low right now, with Caesar as the only S-rank Agent. Is there any particular reason for this and will we see more Defense units in the future?

Zhenyu Li: Defense characters generally have unique roles in team composition and combat. For example, Caesar provides shields for the team while also boosting the squad's overall damage. Because of this, we're careful when deg Defense Agents to ensure each one offers a distinct experience, rather than duplicating mechanics or playstyles. As gameplay expands further in Season 2, we'll introduce more Defense characters with unique mechanics, guided by both our design principles and player .

Zenless Zone Zero is filled with a lot of fashionable characters. What sorts of inspirations do you look to when deg costumes?

Zhenyu Li: We want every character in Zenless Zone Zero to be vibrant, three-dimensional, and unique. Before deg each character's appearance, we first consider their personality traits, using their background to guide the visual design direction. This ensures that every character's appearance reflects their compelling inner qualities and leaves a strong impression on players from the moment they appear. 

For costume design, we generally follow two main principles: First, each character's outfit must be inspired by modern clothing, tailored to fit both their image and background while aligning with Zenless Zone Zero's urban setting and overall artistic style. Second, each character's attire must reflect their faction's background, with the costume design enhancing character recognition.

There’s been a lot of fine-tuning in Zenless Zone Zero since launch in of how missions proceed and combat, and it’s clear the influence Honkai Impact 3rd had on it in some ways. What are some of the most notable changes in 2.0 based on both before and after the 1.4 update?

Zhenyu Li: In version 2.0, we aim to bring players a completely fresh experience. From a narrative perspective, we've reimagined Waycraft to better align with Zenless Zone Zero's urban fantasy setting while incorporating modern social values. We remain committed to our “people-first” approach to storytelling, focusing on the perspectives and actions of ordinary individuals rather than heroes. In of gameplay, version 2.0 expands on core mechanics and deepens the experience of existing content. In Lemnian Hollow, we've enhanced the sandbox-style combat stages, integrating Zenless Zone Zero's unique gameplay features. Players can look forward to 3D combat stages that offer greater freedom, broader exploration opportunities, and smoother, more dynamic combat experiences. 

To this expanded gameplay, version 2.0 also emphasizes infrastructure upgrades and innovation. First, alongside the combat stage improvements, we've enhanced basic systems and features, like UI and new 3D navigation maps, to ensure convenience and seamlessness for players. Second, we've deepened the links between existing game content: for example, the new temple management gameplay connects interactive experiences across various shops in Failume Heights, allowing players to immerse themselves more fully in New Eridu's self-contained city life and explore it through a clearly structured gameplay loop.

What kind of “this shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does for me” type of team of characters do you like to put together in Zenless Zone Zero when not trying to prioritize Factions and Elements?

Zhenyu Li: If I didn't have to worry about power level, faction, or stats, I'd probably just follow my curiosity and try out some interesting combinations—like a team of all characters over 160cm tall, an all-Thiren team, or even an all- team.

With games like Genshin Impact, we almost sort of have an idea of how long the main campaign might last due to regions tied to it. Do you internally have any sort of timeline on how long you expect the main Zenless Zone Zero story might run or how many arcs it might include?

Zhenyu Li: Zenless Zone Zero is a unique game that reflects our development team's own narrative approach and methodology. Rather than relying on area-based progression, Zenless Zone Zero leans toward a story-driven narrative, with each area naturally complementing the unfolding plot as narrative elements are presented to players. Our goal is for Zenless Zone Zero's storytelling to consistently surprise players, steering clear of predictable paths set by established settings. In fact, the main story only offers one possible thread—each player's understanding, experience, and emotional connection to the game is truly their own. We don't want to predetermine the story's direction; instead, we want players to freely imagine and explore Zenless Zone Zero's world, ensuring that their journey is always filled with unexpected moments.

Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and 2.0 is available now.

The post Interview: Preparing Zenless Zone Zero 2.0 and Its Characters appeared first on Siliconera.

Keita Takahashi games have a habit of spreading joy and positivity. Wattam emphasized friendship and working together. Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure toyed with the concept of time management. Katamari Damacy made tidying up a little more silly and embraced chaos. To a T is the developer’s unique look at coming of age and growing up while dealing with unexpected challenges, all while overcoming them throughout the game. The story and soundtrack are fantastic, as you’d expect, but some of the execution isn’t exactly on-point. 

Teen is a young adult who is not only dealing with growing up, as they just turned 13, but with being shaped like a T. Their arms are perpetually extended at their sides. While this means certain accommodations need to be made in their everyday life, such as a service animal that assists with some tasks and special tools for accomplishing daily tasks, it presents a sudden unexpected advantage. On our avatar’s birthday, they discover they can fly by spinning quickly and moving about. What follows feels like an anime series, right down to segments being broken down into episodes prefaced by the PREP’s “Perfect Shape” main theme and punctuated by the Rebecca Sugar track “Giraffe Song.”  

The story and its execution are perfect. Even though we can completely customize Teen’s appearance, they still feel like a defined character with fourth wall-breaking moments of exposition, identifiable struggles, and a kind heart. The narrative isn’t preachy, even though it emphasizes inclusion, accessibility, acceptance, and individuality. It’s just plain pleasant. I do wish that some narrative segments didn’t only offer set outcomes, even if you managed to perfectly execute inputs. Also, the repeated use of the opening and closing themes, while designed to mimic an episodic show, can break up the flow of the story. I loved both tracks, and I’m still hearing PREP’s tune in my head at random moments throughout my day even after not playing in quite some time, but it accentuates exactly how short some of these story segments can be in a negative way. Once I started skipping them, which is an option, I found it helped with the pacing.

The aesthetic in To a T is also great, though this is common for Keita Takahashi games. It resembles titles like Katamari Damacy and Wattam, with similar facial features on characters, unexpected anthropomorphic NPCs, occasional weirdness, and vibrant color palettes. It’s a very distinct, poppy look. So as usual, everything stands out. Likewise, the music is lovely, with the songs with vocals being ridiculously catchy.

It’s the To a T gameplay that can sometimes feel like it isn’t on par with the game’s story and appearance. There are no tutorials in the To a T, beyond actual inputs shared to show how to make Teen fly. I can appreciate why Uvula made this decision. Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and it accentuates the struggle a person in a T-pose would face. But it means flailing through situations as you work out what each button should do, and even a few episodes in you might find yourself experimenting to figure out how to accomplish a thing. While you can send Teen around town to collect coins and play minigames so you can get things like more clothing, I honestly had more fun following the narrative than exploring.

While these may be patched out of the game by the time you’re reading this, I did notice a few bugs in To a T too. The biggest one involved segments when I’d need to adjust Teen’s positioning to go through doors or narrow gaps. You’re supposed to turn the right analog stick slightly on the PS5, then press with left one at the same time. Except more than a few times, after getting into the new room or area, Teen would immediately turn back around and go into the last spot. I even stopped holding the right analog stick once the animation started, in case it was my own doing somehow, and nope! I tried using a different controller. It kept happening. (I found disconnecting the DualSense, then reconnecting, helped.) There would be times when I felt like actions should have triggered, based on my input, but they wouldn’t . (This especially happened with the face washing minigame.) 

Of course, some of the issues came down to the controls and execution just being poorly handled and unexplained. The TV is the best example of this. On the PS5 at least, managing to aim the remote at the proper spot to make it spin, especially as it rises up, proved quite frustrating. There’s also a minigame involving catching ice cream that is more annoying than fulfilling. In general, I think I’d suggest that sometimes these moments can last a bit too long. I’ll it being flummoxed at how long the first interactive activity on the first moments with Teen carried on. 

What does work well are the accessibility option. The input to fly in To a T can be a bit tricky. It involves using the analog sticks to spin. However, it can be shortened and tied to triggers instead. It’s really encouraging! Especially since the game as a whole works to spread a message about inclusion and acceptance. 

To a T looks gorgeous and I found the game’s story charming, but the gameplay isn’t always entertaining due to certain design choices. Dropping us into Teen’s world with no explanation about controls can get confusing. The episodic nature is also fine, but can breaks up the pace in an unpleasant way. Fans of Keita Takahashi will be pleased, but others may want to try the demo before they hop onto T’s unicycle.

To a T is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Review: To a T Would Work Better as a Show appeared first on Siliconera.

Among the most active Hololive English branch is Kiara Takanashi, a Vtuber who is coming up on her fifth year performing with Cover. She’s also quite prolific, working on original songs, covers, conducting interviews on Holotalk, and streaming games. Siliconera got a chance to catch up with her following the release of “Perfume” to talk about her latest song, other tracks, and plans for the future.

Jenni Lada: You just released your most recent song, “Perfume.” How long was it in production, and what sorts of challenges did you face when preparing it?

Kiara Takanashi: There were some delays for the release, as I was originally gonna release it in December, so the song was already ready for quite a while. For my 3D music videos, my MV maker Kanauru usually speeds through it in only 1 month after I provide my recorded motion data! But 1-2 months before the MV making process starts, and a little bit into the process, I was also working on the creation of the 3D model. Deg it, illustrating it, and then supervising the process of it being turned into 3D. 

Also, another thing being done simultaneously was the digital jacket design. I had a very specific image in my had of a perfume bottle standing right on the edge of a pool, with sunlight throwing some strong shadows and all that. The challenge throughout all of

this is handling so much on my own, due to not being with a music label! It gives me more creative freedom, but it is also a lot more stressful.

For the “Perfume” music video, you designed your outfit for it. How did you go through that process, and were there any specific real-world designs you used as inspiration for it?

Kiara Takanashi: I think this time I did not have anything as inspiration, I just knew from the start that I wanted a very flowy, cutesy, girly dress, with 2 layers in the skirt part so that when I would turn during a dance, you could see the 2 layers twirl separately.

I did have inspiration though for the hair, actually. I wanted really straight and long hair, because I had seen [Jang] Wonyoung from IVE slay with that kind of hairstyle a lot, and it looked so

sophisticated, so I thought this is what I need. I feel like a lot of the time we Vtubers will have big, fluffy, spikey or curly hair, with over the top design elements and all that, but I just wanted it

to look somewhat realistic and elegant for this purpose.

Finishing everything up with some pretty diamond accessories, because at least in 3D they do not cost millions to produce, I think I managed to bring the whole look of a sophisticated, cute

girl together quite well, and my fans hopefully saw a very different me this time.

You released your first album, Point of View, back in 2023. With “Chimera,” “Mirage,” and “Perfume” released in 2024 and 2025, are you currently working on a second one?

Kiara Takanashi: I am not - but I am thinking about it! Again, since I am not with a music label, making a single is already quite stressful sometimes, but a whole album was more challenging than I had anticipated. But who knows, I might want to give it a try again!

You applied for Eurovision 2024. Would you consider applying for the 2026 competition?

Kiara Takanashi: Perhaps yes! I think they may have not been quite ready yet for something like a Vtuber, because the logistics already seem difficult to produce for them, but I think it could make for some interesting headlines for them and for us, and I would love to be on such a big stage, at an event that is so important to that part of the world that I am from.

You worked on a number of duet covers recently with fellow Hololive like La+ Darknesss and Sakamata Chloe. What does the process look like for preparing these performances?

Kiara Takanashi: Usually the one inviting the other handles the whole process, like finding an artist to draw the illustrations and giving them the instructions - also the music video creator. I was so focused the past 2 years on my original songs that I was not making many song covers, but there were some recent bangers from my favorite song creators that I could not just let go uncovered.

Sakamata Chloe had also announced her graduation, and since our performance of “WILDCARD” was so well received at holofes 2024, I wanted to make sure that people can listen to it publicly eternally. So, I decided to whip up a song cover version of it and I am so glad that she had time to record it!

For Laplus, people have been seeing some kind of connection between us for a while because she openly praises my music a lot, and both of us are quite the dancers. Recently we have been

bonding a bit more than usual, and there was this song, “FAKE HEART,” that I really wanted to cover. It is originally already a duet song, and I thought her voice would fit the role of Kagamine Len perfectly! Maybe at some point, we can also perform it in 3D!?

You recently participated in Enigmatic Recollection: The Chains of Fate with fellow Hololive English . What kind of preparation goes into that type of roleplay? Are there any tricks you use on the fly to help keep up with lore and establish your character behind the scenes?

Kiara Takanashi: To be honest, this is the second time for this event, and I struggled both last time and this time with it, mostly due to language. I think my English is very fluent and for everyday streaming, there are no issues for me to find the words that I need to say. But ENReco is kind of in this medieval atmosphere, so I need to try to speak like that if I want to really blend in. I actually love that kind of medieval stuff, but talking like that in a foreign language is still a big challenge for me.

Regardless, I really committed this time and spent a lot of time streaming the project, even though the streams were at 3AM-7AM my time roughly, for 8 days in a row. Sunlight was not witnessed for a while, but many exciting and chaotic moments have been shared!

We’ve seen a number of Hololive Vtubers perform themes for projects like anime series, and in the past you acted as the Tales of Arise ambassador for Bandai Namco. How would you feel about getting to be the featured singer for an anime or game opening, and is there any specific title you’d consider a dream project?

Kiara Takanashi: Recently I actually had that honor, by singing an opening for One Piece - not alone though! Together with a couple others, but it was super cool to hear my voice through the TV throughout March 2025, when it was aired. It was a cover song of an older iconic opening song, “WE GO!,” which was super fun to record.

But if I were able to do such a thing one day as the sole singer, that would of course be even more awesome. I would always be open for it, may it be for a game or for an anime. My own song have been mostly following a more western direction, but I used to sing in a more JPOP style too, and still love that kind of anison genre very much. It’s just so much fun! So hopefully one day I get that chance again!

I know Japanese creations like games and animes also like make songs that feature german lyrics because they sound cool to them, so … Just as a reminder, German is my first language… Wink wink!

Your Holotalk show show essentially turned into not only a project to help better introduce people worldwide to people from other branches, but as something of a means of commemorating departing individuals like Gawr Gura, Nanashi Mumei, Fauna Ceres, and Amelia Watson. How do you feel about this project after conducting these interviews for coming up on five years, and do you have any other goals for the show going forward? Could we see some Indonesia branch appear?

Kiara Takanashi: Even though I have already done so many episodes, I always feel super nervous during these. Preparing them is always a bit of work, and I want to do each talent justice with the questions and information shared. Recently I have done these graduation episodes too, which gives me that pressure even more so, but I am so glad I get a chance to take a deeper look into their

activities one last time and share it in both English and Japanese, so that Japanese fans of these girls may also understand a bit more, if they don’t speak English.

Indonesian , just like English have been on my mind for this for a long time, I was just gonna do Japanese first for the longest time - The only reason why I started

the English ones earlier than planned was the graduations… But! Perhaps it is finally time to get to my lovely friends from Indonesia soon!

Speaking of which, you’re coming up on five years with Cover and Hololive. What kinds of goals would you like to pursue in 2025 and 2026?

Kiara Takanashi: 2025 is going by so fast, we are already halfway through… I am currently preparing for my 3D Birthday live concert - shortly after the big one I had at Easter!! And then soon after that, I will have to prepare for the 3D Anniversary concert with my genmates. The summer is packed!

2024 I had the honor to be part of the first World Tour of ours, so compared to that 2025 maybe looks to be less exciting in of concerts for me. Therefore, hopefully 2026 more opportunities will come my way!

Kiara Takanashi streams can be viewed on YouTube, and she’s active on social media.

The post Interview: Hololive Vtuber Kiara Takanashi Talks About Her Music and Future appeared first on Siliconera.

The Switch 2 launch is a pretty good one for fans of JRPGs. Aside from being largely compatible with many of the Switch games we already own, meaning we get access to a large selection of existing titles, the launch library also contains six JRPGs so far. I mean, it could be more. We do have Summer Game Fest 2025 this month, and that could mean shadowdrops. To help you keep up, here’s all six of the JRPGs we know will be on the system as of June 4, 2025. (And I’ll be sure to keep it updated throughout the first few months of its “life.”)

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster 2l1v

Out of the entire Switch 2 lineup, Bravely Default HD Remaster is likely the first one you’ll think of when the JRPG genre comes to mind. This is because it is the most traditional new game that fits that formula. A remastered version of the classic 3DS game, it’s a turn-based adventure that is honestly very Final Fantasy due to its use of crystals and reliance on jobs for abilities. (It’s basically a successor to the DS game Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.) Anyone playing it for the first time can look forward to a really interesting story!

Deltarune  5n3d4a

Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4launch alongside the Switch 2, giving us the next part in the series to play when the new console debuts. Its turn-based battle system is very much like a JRPG. This means we can almost nearly complete the game, what with Chapter 5 being the final part. Even better is that you can test this out without paying first, as Chapters 1 and 2 are available for free.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time 2tm6p

Level-5 only announced Fantasy Life i would be a Switch 2 launch title at basically the last minute. But don’t take that as an indicator of the quality! This is an amazing game in which you take part in action-RPG battles and build up Lives (jobs) tied to combat, crafting, and gathering. The Switch 2 upgrade purchase gets you higher frame rates and better graphics. Go through three different time periods, build yourself up, do lots of crafting, and figure out what’s going on with a mystery that goes all the way back into the past as well as the present.

Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army 4k5d2a

Atlus has us covered for the Switch 2 launch with the return of a classic action-RPG from its Shin Megami Tensei JRPG library. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is back just after the new console’s debut. We follow Raidou Kuzunoha XIV during the Taisho era as he solves the supernatural disappearance of a young woman with demons by his side. There are lots of quality of life adjustments in this release too!

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma 5m2a5u

While there’s a little light platforming that can be an issue, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is actually a fantastic JRPG for the Switch 2. It isn’t as heavy on the farming as past installments, instead prioritizing fighting your way through different regions as you explore, help build up villages, and form relationships with different characters. This is all set against a storyline about awakening gods and saving a region from disaster. There’s even a $10 Switch 2 upgrade for it. 

While Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars did initially debut earlier in 2025, the compilation is also part of the Switch 2 launch window. This gives you the HD versions of two of the best JRPGs from the PlayStation era. It could easily keep you busy for 80 hours. It ran well on the original Switch, so it should be just as fantastic on the Switch 2 too.

The post Best Switch 2 Launch Window JRPGs to Play appeared first on Siliconera.

I’m so glad Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is actually good. Not just good, but great. I was genuinely terrified after Rune Factory 5, considering the execution and certain design decisions. But the differences are immediately visible, and getting invested in the adventure highlights how different and daring it is. There’s so much to this new game, especially with the new village development options, and it finally feels like we have a worthy successor to Rune Factory 4. 

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma begins with a battle before the two protagonist options Kaguya and Subaru. The one you picked is riding on a white dragon, while the opposing one is on a blight-spreading black one. During the assault, our avatar falls off. They awake in the Spring Village with amnesia. However, even so, they know they are an Earth Dancer and, with the aid of a flying mascot creature that resembles a small Wooly with horns named Woolby, becomes the one person capable of reviving the lands’ gods, restoring the flow of Runes, and saving everyone from the blight. 

I don’t want to say too much more, as I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. However, I really appreciated how the Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma story goes. Even though it involves the trademark amnesiac protagonist the series is known for, Marvelous tackled it in such a way that I appreciate the choices made and eventual reveals. It also got me more invested in the adventure, as I prioritized campaign quests over enjoying farming and socializing with the bachelors I might marry.

As in past Rune Factory games, Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma involves a mixture of a farming life sim with romance paired with JRPG style gameplay and village management. When in a town, you can interact with characters to befriend and romance them, build up a village, and farm. In addition to bachelors and bachelorettes being folks you can talk to, add to your party for the action-RPG adventures, and marry, the certain important NPCs in each village can be befriended and brought along as an ally. In addition to giving gifts, you can level up your social skills in the skill tree to make options like talking about certain topics, getting meals together, and visiting specific locations means of building up affinity with folks. Farming involves creating the right types of terrain with Woolby, then placing it so you can grow crops suited to the season represented by that village. 

As for the village development, I’m amazed at how compelling it is. Initially, it’s rather freeform. You get a plot in each place for placing fields for planting crops, putting down buildings for businesses or new NPC villager homes, and decorations. However, these elements can improve your avatar’s stats! You get experience for each village for things like number of crops grown or decorative scores! Villagers may be better suited for certain tasks, making swapping ones between cities advantageous to fill gaps in other locations. When villages level up, you can get more space, new recipes, and the freedom to build more. Not to mention, terraforming and deg things so they look pretty is fun. I found myself taking breaks from the main story because of it. Will this quest give me more stuff to shove on this barren plot of land? It will? Hook me up. I’ll cause a mass extinction event for a new kind of lantern for the cafe theme that gives me 0.05% more RP.

However, I will say that sometimes it feels like that is the priority over farming. There are a decent selection of crops, and more open up as you explore areas and find rarer seeds. However the structure is such that farming and caring for monsters don't feel like the focus. Rather, it's often like something you set up and then allow visitors to handle while you take part in the JRPG elements in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.

When outside of a town, we find the action-RPG battles and open world exploration elements in Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Upon heading into the field, there will be jizo statues to tidy up, holes you can roll onigiri into to satisfy a mysterious being’s hunger, targets to hit with your bow and arrow, treasures to find, blight-striken spots to purify with certain Sacred Treasures, frog statues to visit for recipes, shrines to check in at for weapon recipes, hidden hot spring baths, and of course monsters to fight or eventually tame. Rather than actual dungeons, major encounters can involve heading to specific points in the world and dealing with bosses you find there. We gain access to a number of different weapon types, such as varying sorts of swords, and ranged options include a bow and arrow or talismans. The Sacred Treasures from gods involve in-battle uses, as well as making areas able or accessible. And when it comes to boss fights, which are replayable, these larger foes require hitting weaknesses with the right weapons or Sacred Treasure elements to break their guard to do greater damage.

It’s all usually satisfying, especially when it comes to unlocking access to new areas and getting new recipes. Though in the case of the Switch version, there are some issues. The blight involving a fire-spitting flower does experience some frame rate issues when viewed from a distance. There are frame rate problems for some enemies. A few technical hiccups come up in battle as well. I also did experience an occasional bug with the dual blades ultimate that involved my avatar spinning in place for a minute before things automatically corrected, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s patched. I do wish the light platforming wasn't so frustrating though, as there are some times when, even after getting the correct abilities, reaching spots to get last hidden secrets isn't much fun due to the struggle to find footholds and get there.

Heading up into the sky on the back of that white dragon discussed early also involves even more exploration opportunities. These floating islands can involve additional interactions and experiences. That can mean more recipes and side quests. Except in this case, I feel like it made my Earth Dancer character feel special. We can head up there, journeying to these unknown places. We can gain additional rewards because of it. It adds an additional sense of weight and depth to the nature of Azuma. 

But what I really appreciated about the adventuring is both how well it ties in to the range of side quests we collect and the variations we can use when building up a party of characters. All Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma romance options and major NPC characters can be talked to and befriended. Upon hitting the first rank of friendship, they become potential allies. Each one is tied to a different archetype, such as attacker, buffer, debuffer, healer, or tank. So, for example, we initially have characters like the Attacker Murasame, the Tank Iroha, the Healer Mauro, and Iroha’s little sister Suzu, who is a er. I loved how the game encouraged us to talk to everyone, rewarding us with allies for doing so. And since the social options assign the same level of weight to certain interactions that cost us time in place of gifts, we can save those items to sell to maintain our villages. 

Because yes, villages involve maintenance. The management portion involves ensuring healthy populations, money to folks, and happiness. We’re incentivized to care about them due to the quality of life elements. Typically, new seeds and items come from beating enemies, gathering in the wild, and crafting. Building up towns and placing shops, as well as leveling, means gaining access to more seeds we can use, recipes, and development options. Having villagers assigned to jobs like farming, herding monsters, logging, fishing, and mining gets us resources when we get busy with quests or don’t feel like caring for animals and crops.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma restored my faith in the series, thanks to its ambitious sense of scope. There are a lot of tasks to balance in this life sim, farming game, and JRPG, and it feels like there’s much more to do than in past Rune Factory entries. But the same time, it doesn't feel like each of them carries the same weight, as farming can take a backseat to socializing, exploring, and simulation elements. Village management feels more important than farming and caring for livestock, and heading out into the world or sky to explore yields some of more valuable materials and experiences. Rune Factory 4 is my favorite entry in the series, and I think Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is close to being its equal in some ways.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma will be available for the Switch, Switch 2, and PC on June 5, 2025. 

The post Review: Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma Is a Return to Form appeared first on Siliconera.