Review: Darkest Dungeon II (Switch) – An Uncompromising Sequel That Isn’t Afraid To Try New Things

Prepare to die.

Upon booting it up for the very first time, Darkest Dungeon 2 greets you with a message that plainly informs you that you’re going to fail… a lot… while trying to overcome its many challenges. It does this not to discourage you, but to set expectations. Keeping with the precedent set by the first Darkest Dungeon, this sequel is the kind of game that doesn’t pull its punches as you work to achieve mastery over its various systems. Many may be put off by developer Red Hook Studios’ uncompromising approach to difficulty, but those who stick it out will find that Darkest Dungeon 2 offers some of the most rewarding experiences one can find in a roguelike RPG adventure. Perhaps most importantly, this new entry also isn’t afraid to try some new things that set it noticeably apart from its predecessor.

Getting its first full release on PC back in May 2023 following 18 months of Early Access, Darkest Dungeon 2 takes place in a grim, Lovecraftian world overrun by all manner of undead creatures and eldritch abominations after an academic named The Scholar messed around with an ancient relic called the Iron Crown. All the horrors stem from a mountain looming ominously in the distance, and you’re thus tasked with assembling a team of four adventurers and using their combat and survival skills to help you carry a flame called Hope aboard a stagecoach to the mountain, where you will confront the source of the evil and hopefully rid the land of it for good.

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Mailbox: eShop Closures, Comedy, The Physical Future – Nintendo Life Letters

Issue #14 – July 2024.

Welcome back to the Nintendo Life Mailbox. As football fever grips England with headlines such as National Team In Not-Crap Shocker top the tabloids (probably), it’s time to relax a little and sit back with our monthly letters page.

Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings.

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Poll: Box Art Brawl: Duel – Kirby’s Pinball Land

Pinbrawl.

Welcome, one and all, to this week’s edition of Box Art Brawl! Wait, are we… poets??

Last time, we pitted two covers for the NES’ Urban Champion against each other and after a weekend of voting, it was North America that came up with the win. The classic pixel art cover took 59% of the vote, while Europe and Japan’s colourful alternative was left with the remaining 41%.

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Guide: Every Game In The Switch eShop ‘Recollection Collection’ Sale (North America)

Sale wraps up this weekend.

This is your friendly reminder that the North American ‘Recollection Collection’ eShop sale ends this Sunday (14th July) at 11:59pm PT, so this is your last chance to save on all the wonderful games listed below.


Nintendo of America has unveiled its latest batch of discounts, with the ‘Recollection Collection‘ sale bringing up to 80% off select titles with a certain throwback feeling.

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Soapbox: Metroid’s Mother Brain And The Rewind Dilemma

Mother pain.

Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Nile deliberates whether or not the time has come to push the (rewind) button…


Last month, Nintendo announced it was adding Metroid: Zero Mission to the Nintendo Switch Online service. For me, that was the impetus for crossing off a major to-do on my backlog: completing all the 2D Metroid games. With Zero Mission, a 2004 Game Boy Advance remake of the 1986 original, being the canonical first entry in the series, it’s a perfect starting point.

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Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (13th July)

Unbullievabull!

Can you believe we’re basically in the middle of July already? Madness… Well anyway, days of the year be damned, it’s time to play some games.

It’s been a relatively quiet one this week, arguably boosted by the strange and ominous ‘Emio’ trailer posted by Nintendo, indicating that the company may be dipping its toes back into the world of horror gaming…

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Random: Nintendo Interviews Splatoon’s “Great Big Three” Idol Groups

Feat. Squid Sisters, Off the Hook and Deep Cut.

Alongside this weekend’s Splatoon 3 ‘Summer Nights’ Splatfest, Nintendo has released a special new interview featuring all of the past and present groups and idols featured throughout the series. This includes ‘Deep Cut’, the ‘Off the Hook’ crew from Splatoon 2, and the ‘Squid Sisters’ from the first Splatoon game.

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