Available On: Netflix (English dubbed and English subtitles)
I’m a latecomer to the Dragon Quest series, having played through and enjoyed Dragon Quest 9 and 11, and bits of 7 and 8 via the semi-recent 3DS remasters. But I’m completely unfamiliar with Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (1992), from which the new feature-length animated film Dragon Quest Your Story is based on.
Turning a 40+ hour RPG into a 100 minute film is a daunting task, beginning with the well-known stigma of adapting any video game onto the big (or small) screen, yet Dragon Quest Your Story distills all the game’s major events and fun characters into a film that should please fans and newcomers alike.
Headup Games and ClockStone Software have announced Bridge Constructor is coming to Nintendo Switch this Friday, Jan. 31, for $14.99. Bridge Constructor Ultimate Edition will include two DLC add-ons and touchscreen support.
Bridge Constructor is a physics-based puzzle game that does exactly what it says on the box – create bridges for cars and trucks to safely make it from one side of the screen to the other. Bridge Constructor uses real-world physics like weight and tension and objects like concrete pillars and steel cables, all while staying under budget in each level.
The touchscreen controls allow you to drag and build objects for your bridges directly on the Switch in handheld mode.
The base game features 40 levels ranging from very easy to very hard, spread over five different areas, as well as a free build mode. The Slopemania DLC adds another 24 levels with a challenging sloping theme, while the Trains DLC adds three new islands and 18 new levels as you build large bridges to support the heavy trains.
Bridge Constructor’s most recent release, Bridge Constructor Portal, released in 2017 on mobile and PC, and 2018 for consoles. It combined the bridge-building mechanics with the setting of Valve’s beloved Portal series, as you built test chambers and avoided deadly hazards for Aperture Science.
Bridge Constructor Ultimate Edition is currently available for pre-order on the Nintendo eShop with a 20% discount ($11.99). It’s rated E for Everyone.
It’s the calm before the storm as we head into 2020, with with a pair of next-gen consoles looming on the horizon from Sony and Microsoft. This year was more than an afterthought for games, however, and Nintendo continues to release smash hits for the Switch.
Gaming families had plenty of excellent choices this year, though you’ll definitely want to own a Switch if you don’t already have one – nearly half the games on our list are exclusive to Nintendo’s excellent handheld hybrid. Here is the (alphabetical) list of our favorite family games of 2019.
Doraemon: Story of Seasons
You may not have heard of classic 1970s anime and manga series Doraemon, but chances are the words Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley will excite you. Doraemon: Story of Seasons infuses the enjoyable farming gameplay of Harvest Moon (now called Story of Seasons) with the youthful characters of Doraemon, including the titular time-traveling cat and his helpful gadgets.
Platforms: PC (Steam), Switch
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Builders mashed up two great tastes that taste great together – the colorful enemies of venerable RPG series Dragon Quest, with the building, crafting, and blocky world of Minecraft. The result was an instant hit. Dragon Quest Builders 2 adds online (and local network) co-op multiplayer, and is available on Nintendo Switch.
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, Switch
Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts fans had to wait an eternity for the return of Sora, Donald, and Goofy with this beloved mash-up series of Disney and Final Fantasy. While the gameplay in Kingdom Hearts 3 is still firmly rooted in its original early 2000s PS2 era, there’s an undeniable joy playing within the Disney and Pixar worlds like Frozen, Toy Story, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Nintendo knocked it out of the park with this excellent follow-up to the Luigi’s Mansion series, turning the haunted mansion into an entire ghost-filled hotel. Luigi is armed with more ghost-busting abilities, such as cloning himself as Gooigi, which can also serve as a family-friendly local co-op mode. On top of a fun campaign, up to eight players can play competitively or cooperatively in various multiplayer modes.
Platforms: Switch
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
It’s been ten years since we last enjoyed a Marvel Ultimate Alliance co-op brawler, and The Black Order more than satisfies our need to punch, blast, fry, and zap henchmen and villains. We love mixing and matching our team of different Marvel heroes from a roster of over 30, including Avengers, X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Platforms: Switch
Planet Zoo
As a full park sim Planet Zoo is geared more toward teens and adults, but thanks to the excellent animal AI, robust creation tools, and focus on animal conservation, it makes an excellent game for families to work together to learn about animals and their complex habitat needs. A lengthy campaign help introduces the park tools and management systems while offering a wonderful variety of biomes and locations, then you can try your hand at building your own zoo from the ground up in sandbox or franchise modes.
Platforms: PC (Steam)
Pokémon Sword and Shield
There’s little doubt that a Pokémon game will grace our list of best family games. Even with the somewhat mixed results of Pokémon Sword and Shield, there’s no denying that it provides hours and hours of catching hundreds of Pokémon and battling through the UK-inspired Galar region. The free-roaming Wild Area alone is worth the price of admission for Pokémon’s eighth generation.
Platforms: Switch
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker was a phenomenal game when it released on Wii U in 2015, finally giving us the power to create our own 2D Mario levels. The Switch sequel is basically more of the same, plus tons of new features like new enemies, components, day/night and biome themes, and the Super Mario 3D World tileset. All that along with a much improved single-player campaign and online and local multiplayer makes Super Mario Maker 2 a must-have for Mario fans.
Platforms: Switch
Untitled Goose Game
The official tagline nails this quirky indie game’s description: It’s a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible goose. Play as a goose in Untitled Goose Game with a checklist of hilariously mischievous tasks such as stealing from a store, knocking over vases, hiding in boxes, and causing light-hearted mayhem for these poor townsfolk.
Platforms: PC (Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a much improved spin-off of the 3D platformer series that combines 3D overworld travel with 2.5D level designs, starring the chameleon Yooka and his bat companion Laylee. The result is a satisfying spiritual successor to classic 2D platformers like Donkey Kong Country.
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One
Nintendo has announced the DLC plans for Luigi’s Mansion 3. The DLC will feature two multiplayer packs that will release in 2020, for a combined purchase of $9.99.
Multiplayer Pack Part 1 will launch on April 30, 2020, and include three new mini-games for ScreamPark mode, which is the competitive multiplayer mode for Luigi’s Mansion 3. It also adds three new outfits, floor themes, and ghosts for the cooperative ScareScraper mode.
Multiplayer Pack Part 2 will release on July 31, 2020, with yet three more mini-games and three more outfits, floors, and ghosts for the multiplayer modes.
The multiplayer packs cannot be individually purchased, and only available as a bundle for $9.99. As an added bonus, players will also receive a new Polterpup light, called the Flashlight Type-P. This new flashlight can be used in either Story Mode or ScareScraper.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 released earlier this year exclusively on Nintendo Switch. Luigi is tasked with saving his friends from a haunted hotel in Story mode, using his trusty flashlight and Poltergust vacuum. It also features competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes for up to eight players locally and online.
While we eagerly wait for Kerbal Space Program 2 next Spring, Squad and Private Division have released the Breaking Ground expansion for the console version of Kerbal Space Program: Enhanced…
Pokémon Sword and Shield have already been out for two weeks, and Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are just now officially revealing the evolutionary forms of the three starter Pokémon, as well as announcing another Gigantamax-capable Pokémon.
Grookey, the Grass-type monkey starter, evolves into Thwackey at level 16. Thwackey is known as the Beat Pokémon, and its held stick is now split in two which it wields like a drummer. At level 35 Thwackey evolves into Rillaboom, the Drummer Pokémon who is now a full-grown gorilla, who uses its sticks to beat on a tree stump drum.
The rabbit Fire-type Pokémon Scorbunny evolves into Raboot at 16 and begins specializing in kicking attacks. At level 35 it evolves again into Ciunderace, the Striker-Pokémon. Despite definitely looking like a Fighting-type hybrid, Cinderace remains a pure Fire-type Starter through all three evolutions, a rarity among Fire starters.
Finally there’s perennial sad-suck amphibian Pokémon Sobble, who evolves into an emo-lizard form at level 16 called Drizzle. Drizzle reaches its much improved potential at level 35 when it evolves into the Secret Agent Pokémon Inteleon, a suave anthropomorphic chameleon.
The newest Gigantamx Pokémon has also been revealed: Snorlax. Rarely when encountering a Snorlax in a Max Raid Battle, you’ll find one in a different form – that’s a Gigantamax Snorlax. Gigantamax Snorlax is so large and sedentary that an entire woodland park has grown on top of its belly, including a berry tree.
Giganamax Snorlax has the unique move G-Max Replenish, which replaces any of its Normal-type moves. G-Max Replenish deals damage as well as restoring any Berries that its allies have eaten during battle.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is available now on Nintendo Switch. It’s rated E for Everyone.
