|
← Previous Week (Jul 26 - Aug 1) |
This Week (Aug 2 to Aug 8) |
The first week of August brought a packed period of data, surprise news, and more. Nintendo used its latest earnings report to show that the Switch 2 transition is actually outpacing the original Switch despite a quieter start, while Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave got its most detailed showcase yet, headlined by a particular gauntlet that is practically a real handgun. Meanwhile, Palworld's new card game gains 3.5 million for pack orders worldwide via its debut set, and Spike Chunsoft half-joked that Danganronpa 2x2 got delayed to avoid competing with GTA 6.
On the review side, it was a strong week for cozy and cooperative games in particular, with Fields of Mistria's full 1.0 launch and Big Walk's co-op puzzling both leaving nice strong first impressions. On the other end, GAME FREAK's pivot into action RPGs with Beast of Reincarnation made for one of the industry's more unusual developments.
Here's a quick look at some of the week's biggest gaming headlines.
Gaming News At A Glance
Switch 2 Is Reportedly Outpacing the Original Switch's Sales
Disney Sparklink Stars Confirms More Details About the Game
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct Reveals Eshmel and the City of Dagsion
Danganronpa 2x2 Was Delayed to Dodge GTA 6
Palworld's Card Game Crosses 3.5 Million Orders
Other News and Developments This Week
Review Roundup: Aug 2 to Aug 8
Cozy, Puzzling, Action-packed Adventures
⚫︎ Fields of Mistria
⚫︎ Big Walk
⚫︎ Beast of Reincarnation
Other Reviews This Week
Gaming News At A Glance: Switch 2's Strong Sales, Disney's Idol Game Reveals More Details, Fortune's Weave Featured in Its Own Direct, Danganronpa Dodges GTA 6, and Palworld TCG is a Hit
Switch 2 Is Reportedly Outpacing the Original Switch's Sales
Nintendo's latest earnings report says the Switch 2 continues to track ahead of the original Switch's adoption curve, even as hardware shipments dipped year-over-year following last year's launch-quarter high. Software sales told a more optimistic story, with Switch 2 titles climbing 9.2% and digital sales jumping 90% YoY, while annual playing users stayed above 100 million for a second straight year. Nintendo kept its full-year forecast unchanged, still eyeing 16.5 million systems and 60 million software units shipped by the end of the fiscal year.
Disney Sparklink Stars Confirms More Details About the Game
Disney Sparklink Stars, the idol-training game putting a match-3 spin on Disney's IPs, has pre-registration for iOS and Android available ahead of a still-unspecified 2026 release, exclusive to Japan for now. The pre-registration campaign is chasing a 700,000-signup goal for bonus rewards and has already cleared the 300,000 goal, as fans continue speculating over the game's growing roster of Disney-inspired idols.
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave Direct Reveals Eshmel and the City of Dagsion
Nintendo's dedicated Fire Emblem Direct gave Fortune's Weave its most detailed showcase yet, unveiling protagonist Eshmel, what to expect in Dagsion, the four playable storylines for the Heroes of the Heroic Games, Fortuna's Blessing of time-rewind, and more. The broadcast also confirmed the return of Three Houses' now-blonde Seteth and introduced a gauntlet weapon with the looks and function of a handgun, becoming the Direct's biggest talking point online.
Danganronpa 2x2 Was Delayed to Dodge GTA 6
Danganronpa 2x2 writer Kazutaka Kodaka jokingly stated that avoiding the GTA 6 launch played into the title’s delay to 2027. Though, producer Shohei Sakakibara pointed out needing more development time and juggling other projects as the real driving factors for this. The pair also detailed Slayhem, a separate alternate route running roughly an added 20% of the base length of the original story, alongside the game's shift to a fully 3D explorable world.
Palworld's Trading Card Game Crosses 3.5 Million Orders
Palworld's Official Card Game has surpassed 3.5 million pack sales worldwide for its debut set, Dawn of Palpagos, according to publisher Bushiroad. The set had launched simultaneously in Japanese, English, and Simplified Chinese. It’s already opened up a lively market, with news of a Gold Soul Cattiva card that sold for nearly $4,000. Bushiroad also has a packed roadmap ahead, including the next booster set, Legends Awaken, launching on October 30, alongside a growing competitive scene moving toward a 2027 world championship.
Other News and Developments This Week
⚫︎ Fortnite Ironmouse Sprite Bug Leaves Players Without Sprite Dust
⚫︎ Palworld Online Launching on Mobile in 2026
⚫︎ Gears of War: E-Day Confirms No Battle Pass in Multiplayer Deep Dive
⚫︎ RuneScape Leagues II Reveals Its First Blessings and Shield Builds Could Return
⚫︎ NIKKE x Persona Collab Brings the Modern Persona Trilogy Into One Event on August 13
⚫︎ Love and Deepspace's New Caleb Summer Event Under Fire As Fans Continue Boycott
⚫︎ Heaven Burns Red's Main Story To End with Chapter 6, But Not Ending Service
⚫︎ Project Zomboid Build 42 Pushes Steam Player Count to New All-Time High
⚫︎ Closers Opens Global Pre-Registrations a Month After Closers World’s Shutdown in June
⚫︎ Big Walk Opens To Successful Launch with Highest Metacritic Score of 2026 and Massive Player Count
⚫︎ Hearthstone Battlegrounds New Season Breaks the Rules with Dark Gifts and New Heroes
⚫︎ Monster Hunter Wilds’ Free Demo Arrives Alongside a $30 Price Cut
⚫︎ Minecraft Launches on October 27 for the Nintendo Switch 2 With a Graphics Update and Mario Cosmetics
⚫︎ Fields of Mistria Exits 2-Year Early Access With Marriage, Kids, and 1 Million Copies Sold
⚫︎ Suikoden: STAR LEAP Officially Launches in Japan
⚫︎ CODM x Honkai Impact 3rd Collab Arrives This September
Review Roundup: Aug 2 to Aug 8
Cozy, Puzzling, Action-packed Adventures
The week showcased a wide variety of adventures, featuring familiar, silly, and new. Fields of Mistria finally left Early Access with a 1.0 that lives up to years of hype, while Big Walk turned communication itself into its core mechanic for a charming co-op puzzle game. For AAA titles, GAME FREAK swung outside its comfort zone with the flawed but intriguing Beast of Reincarnation. Check out our thoughts on all below.
Fields of Mistria
Fields of Mistria's 1.0 release lives up to the promise it showed back in Early Access, tying its '90s anime art style and town-rebuilding premise directly into their updated RPG progression systems. Between its generous farming economy, meaningful Heart Quests, and unfolding a dragon-lore mystery woven through the mines, it's a farming sim that earns its rightful comparisons to Stardew Valley.
Big Walk
Big Walk focuses its entire cooperative puzzle adventure around one idea: trusting friends to communicate, improvise, and occasionally stumble their way into a solution. The game features gesture-based interactions, dynamic proximity chat, and a day-night cycle that meaningfully changes how groups explore. With the rise of its success, it's currently shaping up to be a neat multiplayer game built for making memories with friends.
Beast of Reincarnation
Apart from their usual monster-taming titles, we see GAME FREAK's name attached to a post-apocalyptic action RPG, Beast of Reincarnation. The game honestly still wears that unfamiliarity on its sleeve, with clunky cutscenes, flat side characters, and all. Even so, its hybrid combat system, parries, ranged weapons, and a canine companion's command-based abilities make for a surprisingly compelling experience for a studio trying to step outside its comfort zone.
Other Reviews This Week
⚫︎ Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers 2.0 Review | Should You Play in 2026?
⚫︎ Pokémon Sword & Shield Review | Good Enough to Be Remembered for More Than Its Flaws
⚫︎ Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl Review | Distorted by Space and Time
⚫︎ Doloc Town Review | Every Farming Sim Fan Should Play This
⚫︎ ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs Review [First Impressions] | More Than Just a Nostalgia Trip
⚫︎ IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator Review [First Impressions] | Every Bearing Finds Its Mark
⚫︎ Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Review [First Impressions] | A Marvelous Fighter On Most Fronts
⚫︎ Pokémon Pokopia Bubbly Basin DLC Review | The Seaweed Is Always Greener
