Let’s-a save!
Nintendo’s MAR10 Day eShop sale is wrapping up in North America this weekend (16th March). So, if there are any titles starring Mario & friends that you have been meaning to check out, this is your friendly reminder to get in there and make the most of the savings while they’re still around!
It wouldn’t be MAR10 Day without an eShop sale and today, Nintendo of America has kicked off just that.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
On February 8, 2025, Luis Otavio, co-founder of the Brazilian indie game publisher Hanoi Studios and developer of Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match, visited Centro de Apoio e Reforço Escolar (CARE), an inclusive support institution in Santo Andre, SP, Brazil. The studio introduced both the Board Game and the ID@Xbox Play Anywhere versions of Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match, as a support tool for the development of neurodivergent children.
Fernanda Mombelli, neuropsychopedagogue and owner of the institution, emphasized the importance of early identification of a child’s special needs. She also highlighted the key skills and educational stimuli that inclusive games provide for neurodivergent students.
As a new release in the genre, Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match helps develop attention, concentration, memory, focus, and planning skills, functions in which neurodivergent individuals often face greater challenges.
Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match is designed to offer a welcoming challenge to players, where the number of moves per level is not enforced, allowing for experimentation and problem-solving at your own pace. Check out what pedagogue and physical educator Alan Nobre had to say about this initiative:
“In early childhood education, we don’t aim for high performance. We want this to be the happiest moment of a child’s life, because we believe that a happy child learns more, develops more and that’s our main goal.”
Take a deeper look at how inclusive games benefit neurodivergent individuals.
A student with ADHD, anxiety disorder, stuttering, and socialization difficulties played the game, and Fernanda Mombelli documented and observed their engagement and learning process:
“Initially, with minimal guidance, the student quickly understood the objective of the game and demonstrated rapid progress through the early stages. However, upon reaching the intermediate stages, they encountered more complex challenges, which led to visible signs of anxiety, including stuttering. The game was paused, and the student was instructed to take a deep breath, observe, and click on each piece to explore the available paths before making a decision. With this structured approach, they gradually overcame their difficulties and continued progressing through the intermediate stages.
Additionally, when engaging with the board game version in cooperative mode alongside two educators, they expressed great enthusiasm, stating that they loved the game and wanted to play more frequently during the sessions. This response not only highlighted their enjoyment of the activity but also indicated significant progress in their socialization skills, attention, concentration, and sense of belonging. It was a truly rewarding moment for all of us.”
What does the future of inclusive games look like for Luis?
“I want to develop more games with inclusion in mind and make this initiative reach a wider range of educational institutes in Brazil”.
If you’re looking for more resources and tips for family gaming, visit xbox.com/family. You can learn more about what Xbox offers for families, including information about privacy and access to privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app and Community Standards.
Play Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match on Xbox and PC today! The game is available as an Xbox Play Anywhere game with cross save and Smart Delivery.
Hanoi Studios
Use the rules of the famous Tower of Hanoi puzzle,
where a larger piece cannot be on top of a smaller one.
Unlock blocked hexagonal cells by building a tower of the same color,
to open new paths and advance in the resolution of the Level.
The post How Hanoi Puzzles: Solid Match is Helping Neurodivergent Children in Brazil appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last week, we asked you to join the hunt and share rapturous moments from Monster Hunter Wilds using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
shimo_ps shares their hunter and Palico sitting atop their Seikret.
Tomkat_XII shares a view of the desert.
youhaveawhat shares a forest view.
laya_photo shares Gemma in front of a forge fire
KAMIgion__Ujean shares an action-filled moment fighting a monster in the desert
Lny_Trpr_EE7 shares a Palico chilling with a frog on its head
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Monster Hunter Wilds – Monsters
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on March 19, 2025
Next week, the hunt continues. Capture highlights of your favorite monster quarry in Monster Hunter Wilds using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
Saber Interactive has insisted all its previously announced games are still in development, despite the radio silence around high-profile titles such as the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake.
Hot on the heels of the announcement of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3, Saber Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits tweeted to reassure the studio’s fans that everything it’s announced is still in the works.
“Saber Interactive is one of the largest independent developers in the world,” Willits said. “We are working on numerous games across many different genres. Everything that we have talked about is still in development. We will share information on upcoming games when we have something cool to share.”
The most obvious subject of Willits’ statement is the KOTOR remake, which remains one of gaming’s most elusive projects. Announced in 2021, the long-awaited remake has changed hands multiple times, seemingly stopped development and restarted again, and after four years has failed to materialize.
In April 2024, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed the company took KOTOR with it during its split from Embracer Group, and that the game was still in active development.
“It’s clear and it’s obvious that we’re working on this,” he said at the time. “It’s been in the press numerous times. What I will say is that the game is alive and well, and we’re dedicated to making sure we exceed consumer expectations.”
Willits’ statement, which comes nearly 12 months later, reaffirms Karch’s quote. But still, even now, we have seen nothing of the KOTOR remake beyond its initial announcement video.
Saber also has other games in the works, including a number due out this year. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando and Jurassic Park Survival are still down for 2025, but neither has a release date. Saber is also working on a brand new Turok game and an untitled Avatar: The Last Airbender title.
Now, you can add Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 to the list. Be sure to check out IGN’s article on which chapters and enemy factions Space Marine 3 could feature for more.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
“Ardenfall is almost cheeky in how close it is to a classic ‘thesda game,” Alice Bell wrote of the demo to this open-world RPG back in the Aliceful year of 2023. She also asked me about my own propensity for game discovery in my staff writer interview, to which I replied she knew I was OK at it because she nicked the idea for the Ardenfall article from a comment I left. Good taste, Alice, and good taste, me: Ardenfall is great fun. It’s had a demo kicking around since 2022, and now it’s set for an early access release this year. You’ll find a steamin’ hot tray-tray* below.
We recently saw a good look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the next entry in Game Freak’s Legends series set to take place in X and Y’s Lumiose City. It’s also apparently garnered an E10+ rating from the ESRB, and fans are both curious and wildly, sometimes jokingly, speculating about what’s going to happen in this new entry.
Attentive fans noticed that on the Nintendo Switch store page, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has earned an E10+ age rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, listing ‘Fantasy Violence.’ While it might not normally draw feverish speculation for most other series, it’s an oddity for Pokémon, whose mainline games have consistently been ‘E for Everyone.’
The rating has, of course, drawn wild speculation, some serious and some less-than-serious. It is genuinely entertaining to think about what strange choices Game Freak could possibly have made to bump up the rating, whether that be dialogue about Pokémon killing people or trying to add a gunplay mechanic. As several Redditors (jokingly) suggest, maybe the hordes come back, but it involves a group of Scrafty jumping you in one of Lumiose’s alleys.
“Ohhhh boy, Game Freak is taking off the little kiddie gloves,” Reddit user RynnHamHam said. “This ain’t your kindergartener’s Pokémon game.”
Several gags have also been made about AZ, a character with quite a history set to appear in Pokémon Legends: Z-A and who plays a central role in some of the darker elements of Pokémon X and Y’s story and the history of the Kalos region.
As for more plausible speculation, there are a few theories, including a few more “craps” than usual, or the appearance of a Game Center-style minigame. Even the darker elements of Lumiose could be more front-and-center.
My personal take is that this probably lies in the ‘Fantasy Violence’ the ESRB highlighted. While the rating is an oddity for your typical Pokémon game, it does line up with the pocket monster fighting game Pokkén Tournament DX, which also received an E10+ and noted ‘Fantasy Violence.’ The real-time elements showcased for Pokémon Legends: Z-A could have elicited the slightly stronger rating, as the monsters more clearly make contact.
There’s no listing, as of this writing, for Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the ESRB site, so we can’t learn much more at this time. Still, it’s fun to speculate a bit, at least until we know more about Z-A’s ultimate plans and how it will earn that bump-up in the E range.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is slated for a late 2025 launch on Nintendo Switch.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
What can we learn about games by comparing the thrill of a nailgun kill in Quake to the elation of triple word score in online Scrabble? For Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering and KeyForge, it’s actually quite a bit.
Taking place over progressive rounds in which you’ll pick and assign your force to capture victory points over an expanding tileset, Vanguard Exiles exists because Garfield is “smitten” with autobattlers, a love he traces back to an “epiphany” he had in the 90s thinking about the different roles a computer could play in both natively digital games and what he calls “paper games”.
“Yet they were both games,” Garfield tells me over call, “I was playing them both digitally. The computer is vital. It serves a really good purpose, and yet, when you play [an autobattler], it feels like you’re playing a paper game. You can sit back, think about your moves and understand really everything about the game before you execute, which is not the standard in a lot of digital games.”
Here are the full patch notes.
Square Enix has announced that the Final Fantasy series has surpassed a whopping 200 million sales worldwide, five million of which have come from 2023’s Pixel Remasters.
To mark the occasion, the studio has released a new patch for all six games in the collection, bringing the Switch editions up to ver. 1.2.0. The patch doesn’t address anything too drastic in the titles, though there are a good number of balancing tweaks and bug fixes to help things run that bit smoother.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Xbox App on Windows PC, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!
Thunder Lotus
33 Immortals (Game Preview) – March 18
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere/ Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass
A co-op action-roguelike for 33 players. Play as a damned soul, and rebel against God’s final judgment. Dive straight into epic, 33-player co-op battles with instant “pick-up and raid” matchmaking. Cooperate with your allies to survive against hordes of monsters and massive, challenging bosses. Expand your arsenal and equip powerful new relics to permanently upgrade your soul.
25 Standard Edition (Preorder)MLB
Forge your baseball journey in The Show. Ignite your passion and build your very own path to greatness, from high school all the way to the Hall of Fame! Along the way, connect with iconic baseball stars in fan-favorite modes updated with new ways to play. You can start playing today by picking up MLB The Show 25 – Digital Deluxe Edition.
Ternox
Dive into an incredibly fast-paced and beautifully crafted retro runner! Control your robot with just a finger to dodge sawblades, flames and many other dangerous obstacles while flying through an infinite tunnel. Are you ready for the drop? Parachute not included.
Synnergy Circle Games
Boomerforge – March 19
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Boomerforge is a top-down strategy game inspired by the classic game Bomberman. Place bombs strategically to open the path and find all the required ores. Explode the ores with your bombs to find iron, gold or mithril ingots. Gather everything you can and keep going until Grimfur finally reaches the end of the dungeon.
Mameshiba Games
KinnikuNeko: Super Muscle Cat – March 19
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Get ready to enjoy this crazy 2D platformer adventure starring KinnikuNeko! A cat with the body of a bodybuilder who will fight against a big alien army that has invaded planet Earth and captured all its inhabitants. He will be accompanied by his friends Lemon and Keita, who haven’t yet been captured by evil beings from outer space.
Eastasiasoft Limited
S. Prysm Destroyer – March 19
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
S. Prysm Destroyer is a side-scrolling 2.5D shooter inspired by run ’n gun genre classics and mecha anime. Blast through enemy hordes and collect elemental power-ups to unleash the awesome potential of Prysm Destroyer attacks. Chase high scores through skillful play and unlock loads of costumes for Amor!
Afil Games
Stellar Docks: Deep Space – March 19
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Embark on an interstellar puzzle adventure in Stellar Docks, a grid-based logic game featuring charming 2D pixel art. Guide an astronaut as they push drones to their charging docks across challenging maps filled with strategic puzzles. With a top-down view and intuitive controls, the game offers a satisfying progression that will test your problem-solving skills. From the interiors of a spaceship to the icy landscapes of Neptune, explore diverse environments and unravel intricate challenges that push your mastery of each mechanic.
Old School Vibes
1-Bit Dungeon – March 20
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
1-Bit Dungeon is a fast-paced 2D action platformer that blends crisp 1-bit pixel art with modern game design. Tight controls, intense combat, and a rewarding difficulty curve await those brave enough to enter. Dodge with precision, learn enemy attack patterns, and strike at the right moment to defeat monsters, ghosts, and slimes in brutal sword-based combat.
Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Shadows – March 20
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal ninja assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for Japan.
Bonus Stage Oy
Sledders – March 20
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Shred your sled in open-world backcountries. Sledders is a realistic, physics-based snowmobile simulator. Maneuver the big open terrain, plow through tons of fresh snow, conquer the mountains, and reach the peak faster than your friends!
Mens Sana Interactive
The Answer is 42 – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Yes, 42 is the Answer to the ultimate question! As this is inevitable, don’t fight against it, and decipher the fundamental answer in all levels in this game. Bring your towel and master the secret of Life.
KOEI TECMO AMERICA
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
In a world where alchemy is deemed “taboo,” the alchemist Yumia yearns for the truth, hidden in a ruined continent. The time has come for her to take the first step on her grand adventure. Atelier Yumia tells the story of Yumia and her companions as they follow the path they believe in while being confronted by the memories they discover along the way.
Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.
Bleach: Rebirth of Souls – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Awaken the blade within you and reverse your fate in Bleach Rebirth of Souls! Engage in thrilling battles with powerful sword abilities and characters from this legendary anime franchise. Choose your favorite character and unleash their unique sword abilities! Take advantage of each character’s unique abilities and command the flow of battle to find an opening that spells defeat for your enemies.
Forever Entertainment S. A.
Hero’s Hour – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Hero’s Hour is an accessible, yet-deep and content-rich Strategy Roleplaying Game. Take control of your hero, explore the world, build up your town, fight fast-paced battles, level up your hero and amass an army large enough to take out the opponents – before they take you out.
Ratalaika Games S.L.
The Last Hero: Journey to the Unknown – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Voidgem, a powerful wizard, has stolen all the magical relics of the ancient world, and then created evil minions and monsters to begin a reign of terror. The relics of the ancient world are scattered across various parts of the world. As a lone knight armed with only a sword, a shield, and incredible courage, set out for adventure in search of the lost relics and face all enemies in your way. Explore over 30 diverse levels, collect powerful items, and battle menacing bosses on your quest to save this pixelated fantasy world.
Rising Moon Games
Space War: Infinity – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
A semi-procedural shoot-’em-up that will test your skills. Level up your ship, unlock amazing weapons, and defeat 5 formidable bosses. Challenge the infinite by facing real-time waves of enemies after completing all missions. Become the intergalactic hero now!
Lucky Raccoon Games
Spot Challenge Vol. 3 – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery / Xbox Play Anywhere
Spot Challenge Vol. 3 is a game series inspired by the classic “Spot the Differences”, where you need to compare two images and identify the differences between them. With over 340 differences spread across 35 levels, will you be able to find them all? Perfect for playing solo or with friends and family, Spot Challenge is the ultimate challenge to test your attention to details!
The post Next Week on Xbox – New Games for March 17 to 21 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
MLB The Show 25 Early Access starts today, March 14, and it’s your chance to get a jump on the competition this year. Get ready to experience all-new Programs, Events, Packs, and Player Items as you step onto the diamond this year.
With so much new content for you to enjoy during Early Access, we thought now would be a good time to give you a rundown on what you can expect to find so that you can take a lead on your opponents before MLB The Show 25’s Full Launch on March 18. So let’s dive into where you’ll be spending your time, and effort, in MLB The Show 25 Early Access.
(Early Access is available globally for anyone who purchases the Digital Deluxe Edition of MLB The Show 25).
Relive baseball history in Storylines: The Negro Leagues – Season 3. Experience the career highlights of Negro Leagues Legends James “Cool Papa” Bell, Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan, and Norman “Turkey” Stearnes through a blend of gameplay, historical footage, and informative storytelling as you complete historic moments featuring these legends to your Diamond Dynasty lineup.
Try out Diamond Quest, a brand-new roguelike board game mode, where rewards are yours to earn through Moments, boss encounters, and more. Select a quest with the chance rewards you’re looking to earn then discover encounters & treasure, and win stadiums to get your mitts on those rewards. Escape your Diamond Quest by defeating stadium challenges on the board but remember, losing a stadium challenge will result in you forfeiting your quest and all of the treasure earned.
Tutorial Quest Rewards:
Pipeline Quest Rewards:
Launch Quest Rewards:
The first Weekend Classic will take place on April 11, so make sure to play Ranked before then and raise your rating, so you can earn amazing rewards.
Grind your way to the end to unlock up to two sellable versions of our 1st Inning XP Reward Path bosses:
Other exciting programs for Early Access include, but are not limited to:
Early Access has just begun, but there’s even more to look forward to during Full Launch on March 18th. Experience brand-new player items, programs, and packs found across all of your favorite modes, including Storylines, Diamond Dynasty*, Road to the Show, and more.
Mark your calendars, the latest MLB The Show x Homage collection drops March 18. Celebrate the launch and 20 years of MLB The Show with our first officially licensed line of apparel.
Get ready to enjoy all this amazing content, and more, only available in MLB The Show 25. Forge your journey and live your baseball dreams from high school to the Hall of Fame.Be sure to subscribe to our social channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Sign up for The Scouting Report, and visit TheShow.com for more details about everything MLB The Show.
