After The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4, Nintendo’s 2023 Switch games plan looks a little thin. One of the ways it is filling in the gaps is by releasing a slew of Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs), both new and old. The return of the Golden Sun! In the same vein, Baten Kaitos is. Fans of turn-based, mathematical games can rejoice, as Nintendo is delving deep into its old catalogue to deliver new titles.
We expected Octopath Traveler II to arrive soon, and now, thanks to the latest Nintendo Direct, we have a playable demo to try out. In spite of the fact that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Fire Emblem Engage have already been released, the upcoming DLC for both games promises compelling new content, as per reported by Kotaku.
In addition, Sea of Stars, which takes inspiration from Chrono Trigger, hasn’t exactly been kept under wraps, but a new teaser has shown off the game’s beautiful pixel art animation, suggesting a release date in the near future. Square Enix also has six Final Fantasy “pixel remasters” coming out for Switch this Spring. The absence of such details from the presentation suggests that this week’s February Direct was merely the first fire for the Switch.
Previously, we discussed some articles that were relevant to switch. If this piques your interest, you can check out the links below:
- Nintendo Switch Now Has Every Game Boy and GBA Game
- GoldenEye 007 is Coming to Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass This Week!
As tactics go, this one is not innovative. Triangle Strategy, a 2D HD pixel art recreation from 2022, kicked off the Switch’s JRPG extravaganza, which culminated in the dazzling remake of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core. After thereafter, a slew of remasters and successors appeared, including ports of Persona 5 Royal and Nier Automata. It turns out that colorful, grindy, menu-intensive adventures that span tens of hours may be enjoyed in a relaxed manner on a handheld hybrid console with a gorgeous OLED screen.
There is no doubt that when more of these games make their way to Switch, the cuts will get more severe. True, but that’s what makes JRPGs so special to fans. For an excellent example of a long, turn-based card game, go no farther than Baten Kaitos, a GameCube release from Monolith Soft (developers of Xenoblade) that will keep you busy for about 100 hours. Almost no one engaged with it, but those who did won’t stop raving about it. After nearly two decades, the fan favorite and its sequel are getting another chance.
Because of how carefully they were selected, Baten Kaitos is likely to be one of the most well-known games of the new batch of JRPGs coming to Switch. The killer blow wasn’t even included in the North American Nintendo Direct: the original Atelier game is receiving a remake. The PlayStation game based on alchemy will be given a chibi-art makeover and its first English release next winter. The Atelierheads’ summoning circle has been successful!
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