Summer is rapidly approaching the video game industry, and with it a host of new game releases and announcements are on their way. Nintendo Switch owners have had a very solid year thus far, receiving excellent ports and exclusives likeKirby and the Forgotten Landand13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The rest of the year is lookingstacked for Nintendo-published titles, with many trailers coming out recently to inform fans of what to expect in the coming months.Mario Strikers: Battle League,Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, andSplatoon 3all look like great additions to any Switch owner’s library.
That’s not all that Nintendo has to offer this year either. There will likely be a number ofNintendo announcements made during the E3 seasondetailing the last few months of 2022 and the first few of 2023. There is also a particular date that JRPG fans with a Switch will want to pay attention to. July 29, 2025, will see the release of two hotly anticipated titles in different storied RPG franchises. The upcomingDigimonstrategy RPG, titledDigimon Survive, will finally release after years of delays. The much-anticipatedXenoblade Chronicles 3will also come out that day, exciting many fans who weren’t sure when the next installment would be revealed. Despite these games coming out at the end of the month, they still make July worth looking forward to for Switch users.
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Digimon Survive’s Release is a Big Deal
It’s hard to understate how long the wait for a new consoleDigimongame has felt. TheDigimon StoryandDigimon Worldsubseries have seemingly paused to wait onDigimon Survive’s launch, and that launch kept slipping further away. The game, which now seems to be holding a firm mid-2022 release date, was originally intended to come out in late 2019.Digimonfans finally seeingSurviveplay out on their televisions or handheld Switch devices will feel like a dragged-out chapter in theDigimonfranchise has finally come to a close.
The game has a lot on offer besides its infamous release schedule.Digimon Survivewill be a visual novel with survival elements combined with a turn-based strategy RPG. Players take the role of a teenager leading a group of other teens and Digimon in scrounging for resources. The game will allegedly be one ofthe darkerDigimontalesand allow for moral choices that will affect how the game plays out. Battles take place on an isometric grid similar toFinal Fantasy Tacticsand will incorporate the series' standard temporary Digivolution (though with major changes) alongside a wide variety of allies and enemies. It may not be a revolutionary title, but it is fairly experimental and will hopefully be worth the wait.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Will Be a Treat for Any JRPG Fan
WhileDigimon Surviveis releasing on a wider variety of platforms, it will have stiff competition on the Switch thanks toXenoblade Chronicles 3. Their JRPG demographics likely have a fair amount of crossover, though both games’ probable lengths should encourage owners to switch between the two to avoid burnout. After the newFuture Connectedcontent added inXenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition,Xenoblade 3’s follow-up was a matter of when, not if. The game came out of nowhere during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, and it surprised fans again by moving its release date from September to July. No one expected it so soon, but they can’t complain.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3brings back characters and concepts used elsewhere in the series. EvenXenoblade Chronicles Xis getting some love with the new Ouroboros system, allowing certain characters to fuse into giant mecha forms. The game will play out like a modernized take on the active time battle system, somewhat similar toFinal Fantasy 12but with more emphasis placed on positioning and party synergy. It builds upon the systems present in past games, though fans are hoping it will bemore streamlined thanXenoblade 2. Even with all the gameplay and story trailers so far, it feels likeXenoblade 3holds countless mysteries in its open world. Exploring it andDigimon Survive’s many scenarios should keep Switch owners preoccupied for the rest of the summer.
Digimon Survivewill be released on July 29 for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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