Summer is here, and so are the amazingly long, relaxed days filled with lazy afternoons and warm evenings. I love this time of year! My sons have been keeping up with their studies (Khan Academy and reading books to prevent summer slide) and we play board games and go to the beach and pool, but there are the rainy days and the “just don’t feel like going out days”. And for those days, we have our Nintendo Switch. Here are two new games we love that are taking us into summer…
Endless Ocean Luminous
The vast, mysterious expanse of the ocean has always captivated our imaginations. Nintendo’s Endless Ocean Luminous for Nintendo Switch brings the secret underwater world to life with unparalleled immersive gameplay that my sons have spent hours and hours exploring already. Endless Ocean Luminous offers an adventure that transcends traditional gaming experiences, offering a serene escape into an underwater world teeming with sea life, over 500 species, and we are able to slowly swim around (alone or in groups with other players) to discover new hidden places in this stunning aquatic environment. It’s so dreamy and beautiful! It’s unlike the usual competitive gameplay, more of a sojourn into another world that I don’t want to leave. My children are now teens and love it, but Endless Ocean Luminous is also a wonderful introduction to the Nintendo Switch for adults who would love to dive into the mysteries of the deep in an utter visual masterpiece. There is no end goal (but there are missions or tasks to make it interesting), it’s free range exploring where you can enjoy coral reefs, shimmery schools of unique fish, and deep caves and amidst serene music.
It’s also educational, allowing us to learn about rare fish species, ocean conservation, and marine biology (info is provided about all the majestic species we encounter as we swim around, interesting details about their habitats and role in their ecosystem). Sometimes I like to just float around and explore, other times I “assist” in scientific research or guide tourists on diving expeditions with missions that provide me with gameplay when I’m in the mood. It’s great for all ages, so if you haven’t picked up your kids’ Nintendo Switches yet, Endless Ocean Luminous may be the game that gets you started.
If you’re looking to join the community and find online friends to explore with, share your pictures and video online with #EndlessOceanLuminousSwitch to connect with fellow ocean explorers. Happy diving! 🐠🌊✨
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
This was the game my older son wanted for quite a while. He loves the original Paper Mario (which came out before he was even born) and despite only being in his mid-teens, this provides some nostalgia for him. He loves the story, the graphic style, and the fun gameplay, and the story of “The Thousand-Year Door” in particularly entertaining and funny. Mario and friends head out on a quest seeking the mystical Crystal Stars while trying to defeat X-Nauts. I haven’t played this with him yet, but he shows me pictures along the way of things he finds funny (like Mario becoming a paper airplane), and he loves the characters (Super Mario Brothers are his favorite gaming characters ever, he feels invested in their animated lives and wants to play all their games and solve all their challenges in all adventures. Because games and challenges require precise timing and attention to win, and there are countless puzzles and challenges, the boys love it and feel utterly engaged in winning. “The Thousand-Year Door” offers a turn-based combat system for multiple players to engage in battles, and as their skills grow (as well as their pride in the growing abilities), they want to play more and better all the time.
When your kids want a fun for everyone, challenging, charming game to play, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a fabulous strategy game that will keep them having fun on drizzly summer evenings. The controller action is reminiscent of older games (I find them punching buttons and rotating the control stick with enthusiasm as they yell out and jump around). It’s the sort of game they invite friends over to play, and they all have a blast for hours, solving puzzles and discovering secrets and winning challenges. They play on our large TV and the graphics are incredible.
Princess Peach: Showtime
I wanted this game, because it’s the first time Princess Peach is taking the spotlight in her very first game on Nintendo Switch! Whenever we play Mario Party, I’m always Princess Peach, so of course I wanted to play Princess Peach: Showtime as soon as it was available. The premise: Princess Peach and Stella (guardian of the magical theater) have to save the day after evil Grape and the Sour Bunch have rewritten her original play script to hijack the stag and overtake the entire show! The heroine has to take the stage of each show and transform each time to match the performance, whether it mean becoming a mermaid, detective, sword fighter, acrobat or something else, and has to be able to handle the new challenge each act. I can already tell you it’s fun, and love that a simple costume change gives Peach new abilities in this magical game, plus the puzzles, games, challenges are all unique for adults who want to play with their kiddos too.
There is more range because Princess Peach is constantly changing mission for each act, becoming almost a different character, so I’m finding Princess Peach: Showtime to be the most fun Nintendo Switch game we’ve been playing (I can play it on my own during my down time too).
More from Nintendo….
Nintendo is focused on bringing families together through play, and has partnered with GoNoodle toward achieving that goal! GoNoodle shares videos featuring Super Mario Bros. Wonder on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter designed to get kids up and moving alongside their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters. If you do any dancing or silly things with your own family, feel free to share online and tag Nintendo… they want to see it!
