Mailbox: Switch 2 Price Drops, Remake Replacements, Pokémon Acquisitions – Nintendo Life Letters

Here we are, everyone. We’re living in a post-Switch 2 release-date reveal world! And it’s…oof, it’s a lot!

Welcome back to the Nintendo Life Mailbox, our monthly delve into correspondences of you lovely lot. Got something you want to get off your chest? We’re ready and waiting to read about your game-related ponderings.

Each month we’ll highlight a Star Letter, the writer of which will receive a month’s subscription to our ad-free Supporter scheme. Check out the submission guidelines at the bottom of this page.

Let’s kick back with the Nintendo Switch 2 April Edition of our letters page. That’ll be $10, please…

Nintendo Life Mailbox – April 2025

“For what it’s worth” (***STAR LETTER***)

I’ve noticed an alarming tone with some people and their Switch 2 discussions around pricing. It doesn’t seem enough to say you think it’s not worth the value and not to purchase, it goes a step further into suggesting those that see the value are lesser than you for doing so. If someone wants to pay the $80 for MKW, they aren’t some useless corporate simpleton, they just have a different value judgement than you. No one needs to be put down for their purchasing choices in gaming. For what it’s worth, I’m not convinced yet to preorder or purchase a Switch 2 myself, but that’s my value judgement and doesn’t somehow put me above the “plebs” and “simps” who are eager to do so.

Just be more kind, Nintendo Life users. Let people make their decisions and be confident enough in your own to not belittle others for theirs.
J. Slo.

There’s no getting around the fact that $80 is a massive sum for a video game and, understandably, it rubs people the wrong way. Everybody is on edge with global happenings and general uncertainty, and Nintendo’s confusing messaging hasn’t helped, either.

Hopefully, news that US launch prices for games and hardware are unchanged will calm things down and give more room for rational takes after the sticker shock, but the #discourse feels particularly caustic right now, even for a bunch as reactionary as us video game fans. Disagreement is fine, but be cool, everyone. – Ed.

“wouldn’t you say?”

I’ve been thinking about game remakes and how they might “replace” the originals. And whether that’s something to be mindful of. When a game remake comes out, it can retroactively drastically change the appeal of the original game, wouldn’t you say?

Super Mario RPG from 1996 is an amazing game, but compare it to the 2023 version and there’s no contest there as to which version looks the most appealing to play. Mario RPG is an example where I would say the remake surpasses the original in most regards, and all of its changes and additions benefit the game. It was masterfully done, and thus, I don’t mind if it becomes the de facto version of the game going forward.

However, I don’t feel the same way about some other remakes. Link’s Awakening is a hugely important game for me, as my first ever Legend of Zelda game as a child. And I had some serious misgivings with the way the 2019 remake was handled. Dampé’s inclusion was a sticking point for me, both for how his dungeon drastically ruins the pacing of the adventure, and for how an established Hyrule character appearing on Koholint significantly alters the otherworldly vibe of the setting. And I am not a fan of how the (admittedly beautiful) hand-drawn intro and ending art style has nothing in common with the plastic toy style used in-game. The game just has a vastly different vibe to me compared to the subtle and esoteric quality of the original pixel work, it doesn’t replace the original GB game in my heart at all.

But yet I have to wonder. A new fan getting into Zelda for the first time on Switch, they wouldn’t see any of these issues with the game at all. The game is still masterfully constructed and a fun, joyous adventure… and the subtle melancholy is still present, even if it does come across differently due to the new art direction.

So I have to wonder. …Is this the version of Zelda that new fans are going to play going forwards? mostly ignoring the original game? Has Link’s Awakening been “replaced”? Or are both versions still relevant to Zelda fans on Switch?

…And does it even matter that new fans aren’t experiencing it the same way I did when I first played it? The original Link’s Awakening isn’t in danger of being forgotten (It’s on the NSO after all), but I feel like it may be in danger of being overshadowed by a “flawed” replacement, which to me is tremendously disappointing to think about.

And there are plenty of other remakes that are “replacing” originals these days. Is it okay that the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters decided to take six vastly different games and homogenise them all into having the same “cleaner” art style? With a terrible font slapped on top for good measure?? …is this how the majority of new fans will experience the all-time classic FF6? …And do I have to be concerned about this, or is it not really a problem? It’s not really an ideal situation in my view.

Whenever I play a remake without having played the original, I am always left wondering how the original handled things. I recently played Romancing SaGa 2 Revenge of the Seven, which feels like a fully modern-style RPG. The game felt great to play, and I’m sure they added tons of quality-of-life features to this version, but I also had some major issues with the way the story presented itself. (mostly the timeskip system doesn’t make ANY sense with how it interacts with sidequests, especially half-completed sidequests)…. and I was left wondering if the parts that bothered me were easier to overlook on the SNES, either due to the game being different, or just from the way it presents itself. Is it easier to “pretend” that every NPC just so happens to have an endless supply of identical descendants for future generations if the game is presented in pixel form rather than in highly detailed 3D graphics? Who can say! I haven’t played the original, and it makes me feel like I’m missing a major part of the picture here.
EarthboundBenjy

Not to get philosophical, but time ultimately trundles on and the past is left behind. Remakes or reimaginings of any media, faithful or otherwise, keep enthusiasm alive and point interested people back to the originals. But a kid today playing Game Boy Link’s Awakening naturally has a totally different context, outlook, and expectation than we did three decades ago. That’s not to say it can’t affect them similarly or ‘you had to be there,’ there’s just a lot of peripheral, historical knowledge needed to understand and get the most out of it.

As long as the originals remain accessible and we do our utmost to present the context that made them extraordinary, we can’t get too hung up on how future generations perceive them or if they’re superseded by imperfect remakes. – Ed.

“exposure”

Hello,

First off I’d like to thank whoever wrote the review for Pronty a while back (you might’ve forgotten about that, I know), because really that game is massively underrated and anyone who loves Metroidvanias should play it. Really, though, you all review so many games that you can barely find any info about online otherwise and I’m grateful for the exposure.

With that in mind, are there any underrated games of this sort that you all would like to shout out? Maybe I can sing the praises of another game no one’s ever heard of!
wanderwonder

Good ol’ Mitch reviewed Pronty for us. Interestingly, we’ve been discussing underrated, overlooked games recently after seeing a baffling lineup posted elsewhere on the web. My personal drum-banger for years has been Just Shapes & Beats. I adore that game, and not enough people have played it. Team? – Ed.

• Time to give CrossCode its flowers. A beautiful action RPG with hints of Ys, Zelda, and Secret of Mana. The combat and customisation is fun. The setting is fantastic. The puzzles are genuinely engrossing and head-scratching. It’s probably one of my favourite indies on Switch. And the developer’s follow-up is looking even better. – Alana
• It’s a recent one, but Fear the Spotlight just kinda came and went. Its environmental storytelling is awesome, and genuinely effective scares make it an instant recommendation from me. – Ollie
• I’ll give a minute to, uhh, Minit. If you love Zelda, time loops and games that you can move to your ‘Completed’ list in one sitting, you can’t go wrong. Such a tight bite-sized experience that I still think about all the time. Oh, and the music slaps. – Jim

“incorporate critters”

I work in an industry (medical devices) where it’s common for bigger companies to acquire smaller ones for specific intellectual property. If Game Freak ever feels like their own creative team is running out of ideas, would it be sensible for them to buy developers of less-established Pokémon-like games (e.g., Coromon, Temtem, Nexomon) to incorporate critters from those games into the Poké-verse, as a shortcut to expanding the Pokédex in future games? Or would it be easier for Game Freak to just hire those developers’ creature designers to create new Pokémon, due to the money involved and/or possible fan backlash?
ZZalapski

The legal paperwork that would surely be involved in acquiring existing not-‘mon and incorporating them into Game Freak’s ‘dexes makes my head hurt. Far easier to hire people and create new ones.

If Pokémon were on the rocks and battling serious competition, maybe you could imagine some crossover. ‘If you can’t beat, ’em, join ’em.’ But The Pokémon Company can definitely beat ’em right now. – Ed.

“the ambassador”

Hey Nintendolife,

With each day closer to the Switch 2 release, I can’t help but feel I’m seeing more and more similarities between the Switch 2 and the 3DS.

– Both systems released at price points that a lot of the public complained was too high
– Both systems are very similar in design to the previous system (DS and Switch)
– Both are backwards compatible with the previous system
– Both systems add a new gimmick that’s used as a selling point but many games don’t even use it (3D and Mouse Mode, though these are still a bit different I’ll admit. Mouse Mode actually changes how the player controls a game whereas 3D doesn’t)
– Both have their own versions of games from the previous system despite being backwards compatible (Switch 2 Edition games for Switch 2, Bowser’s Inside Story remake, Devil Survivor Overclocked and more for 3DS)

I don’t think any of the comparisons here are necessarily a good or bad thing overall but I do think there is one factor here that is worth considering with all this: The 3DS was a failure for Nintendo until they dropped the price and launched the ambassador program and then it became a success for them.

Considering that, do you think we could see something similar here? I personally am already looking to get a Switch 2 on Day 1 but do you think we could see the system experience similar woes to the early days of the 3DS?

I will admit the launch lineup for the Switch 2 is definitely looking MUCH better than the launch lineup of the 3DS but I still can’t help but be unsure.
KoiTenchi

Your last point hits the nail on the head: you don’t launch a console with Pilotwings Resort as your first-party headliner. There were some decent games in the 3DS launch lineup, but nothing to hold your attention for weeks and distract from the hole in your wallet. Mario Kart 7 and Ocarina of Time 3D at launch? The story might have been different.

I highly doubt we’ll see a Switch 2 price drop. Nintendo must be stockpiling some serious ammunition for later in the year, in addition to Metroid and Pokémon (which are great but both playable on Switch 1). Super Mario Bros. turns 40 in September, and Odyssey launched eight years ago this October. NCL isn’t going to bend backwards to hit an arbitrary anniversary on the calendar, but the stars align in this case.

Unless the console is totally DOA (and all evidence indicates that people are extremely passionate about it), Nintendo will trust in the software. – Ed.

Bonus Letters

“I would just like to say that the Switch 2 will probably be released around May 15, the date the SF store opens.

By the way, I’m writing this on March 17; so before the big April trailer.” – OswaldTheLuckyGamer

Ah, yes. Zero speculation, there. Pure logic. Patterns. Solid research. Very goo— Oh. – Ed.

“Peach’s Final Smash, ‘Peach Blossom,’ must be completely removed!” – MagicEmperor

Her Royal Highness’ blossom shall remain precisely where it is. – Ed.

“By the time this is seen the storm will be raging as the words “Sold out”, “Out of stock”, “Queue”, “Pre order”, “Reserve”, “Scalpers”, [Names of new games here] and [Release date here] fly all over.” – Aidan

This came in before ‘PRICE’, ‘THE’, and ‘DROP’ became the three most-used words on the internet. – Ed.

That’s all for this month! Thanks to everyone who wrote in, whether you were featured above or not.

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