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Vanillaware makes excellent games, from GrimGrimoire to Odin Sphere to Dragon’s Crown . However, it wasn’t until its 2019 release, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim , that the developer’s name became synonymous with “you should play this team’s games.” It’s hard to tell what, exactly, made 13 Sentinels the breakout title for Vanillaware, shipping more than 1 million copies worldwide as of August last year, making it the studio’s best-selling title. The easy answer is probably its beloved story, both in how it plays out and how it’s infused into the game’s real-time strategy mech combat. Publisher Atlus and Vanillaware released it in 2019, so when the team announced its latest title, Unicorn Overlord, last September , it was easy to conclude that this was the studio’s next big focus. And it is, but curiously, I learned in an exclusive preview of the game Vanillaware conceived it during the development of 13 Sentinels, with its creation handled in parallel with that game, albeit with a differe...

During last week's Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, we learned Grounded and Pentiment , two Xbox titles, are coming to Switch, Disney Epic Mickey was getting the remaster treatment , Penny's Big Breakaway is now available , and more. You can check out our full rundown of everything announced during the Partner Showcase here . However, Reynatis, a really cool-looking action game set in a modern-day Tokyo, was not shown.  It appeared during the Japanese version of the Partner Showcase, though, and the game quickly picked up steam online, thanks to its cool visual style, over-the-top action, and music by Final Fantasy XV composer Yoko Shimomura. Despite its absence on the English version of the Partner Showcase, we now know Reynatis is coming West later this year.  Specifically, it's due out this fall on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam, as reported by Gematsu .  Check out the Reynatis reveal trailer for yourself below for a glimpse at what to e...

Nier series creator Yoko Taro reportedly teased a third Nier game during the Nier: Orchestra Concert earlier this month. As reported by  Eurogamer , during the concert, which celebrated the Nier series' music in London, Taro apparently made a surprise appearance and asked for people to clap and cheer as loudly as they could so that Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu – in attendance – could hear the demand for more Nier, according to one fan at the event.  However, the biggest tease of the night came from an on-screen word that appeared multiple times throughout "the story of the show," SanTheSly, the fan in attendance, writes on ResetEra .  "[The] word REPENT was shown repeatedly as part of some dialogue," SanTheSly writes. "The final instance was spelled as R3PENT. Both me and the person I'd gone with picked up on it and wondered if this was a tease."  That sounds like a tease to us; otherwise, why else change the word "repent" to ...

Japanese outlet Nikkei is reporting that the Switch successor, or "Switch 2" as it's been dubbed colloquially within the games industry, is targeting a March 2025 launch, according to  VideoGamesChronicle . This report follows earlier reporting from  VGC  and other outlets like  Eurogamer  that Nintendo's next console was originally targeting a 2024 launch before being pushed internally to the first quarter of 2025, which lines up with Nikkei's latest reporting.  VGC  reports that  Nikkei writes, "Priority was given to ensure the initial inventory of the successor console and a lineup of software titles at the time of its launch" to curb the possibility of a stock shortage similar to what the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S experienced back in 2020. Following previous reports,  Nikkei  also writes that Nintendo's next console will be a hybrid home console-portable device like the Switch with a larger screen.  Finally, ...

When it launched last June, Street Fighter 6  immediately earned critical acclaim , differentiating itself from its predecessor. With 18 fighters and a wealth of single-player content on offer, Street Fighter 6 gave players plenty to enjoy in its earliest days, but that’s not stopping the team from pursuing a post-launch content plan similar to the one that eventually righted the ship with Street Fighter V. Last July, the SFV debutant Rashid joined the roster, followed by new challenger AKI in September. During Capcom Cup X, we went hands on with Ed, the latest Street Fighter 6 DLC character, before he joins the fight this week. Ed first appeared as a non-playable character in Street Fighter IV before joining the actual roster in the second wave of Street Fighter V’s DLC. Raised by Shadaloo as a potential replacement body for M. Bison, Ed can wield Psycho Power, which he uses to great effect in Street Fighter 6.   As a protege of Balrog, Ed uses a combination of boxi...

This week on All Things Nintendo, Brian is first joined by Kyle Hilliard to recap all the news out of the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, as well as some news items that happened outside of that livestream. Then, Kyle leaves, and Alex Van Aken joins the episode to deliver his hands-on impressions of Princess Peach: Showtime! and an eShop Gem of the Week. If you'd like to follow Brian on social media, you can do so on his Instagram/Threads  @BrianPShea  or Twitter  @BrianPShea . You can follow Kyle on Twitter:  @KyleMHilliard  and BlueSky:  @KyleHilliard . You can follow Alex Van Aken on Twitter @ItsVanAken . The All Things Nintendo podcast is a weekly show where we celebrate, discuss, and break down all the latest games, news, and announcements from the industry's most recognizable name. Each week, Brian is joined by different guests to talk about what's happening in the world of Nintendo. Along the way, they'll share personal stories, uncover hi...

It’s been a long time since Little Devil Inside, a promising survival action RPG from indie developer Neostream, has made any noise. The game’s last substantial update came in October 2021. But after over two years of silence, Neostream has come back with a new trailer and cryptic update hinting at what’s been going on with the team. As reported by  The Indie Informer , Neostream’s Kickstarter post, published yesterday, apologizes for the lack of updates and cryptically alludes to an internal conflict within the team, potentially due to clashing visions about the game, being one of the causes. It states in part, We became a team, then grew into a company and tried many hands to make light work. Along the way in all efforts to making a great game, many great people have come and gone. People with respectable but different purposes and pursuits. In sharing these differences and thoughts, we were sometimes touched and moved and sometimes in conflict. We are responsible for not bein...