The Iterative Digest #106

Nintendo Direct, the making of Psychonauts 2, games we think you'll love and more!

Hello everyone!

What a big week we’ve had! We got a surprise Nintendo Direct with a bunch of awesome announcements and a remaster of one of the best Gamecube games ever made, an awesome 32-part documentary into the making of Psychonauts 2 and Hogwarts Legacy cast its way into one of the best-selling Steam titles of all time. Plus we’re bringing back Check This Out so make sure you recommend your indie hidden gems!

So without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s latest - curated by yours truly. If you like what you see, please don’t forget to share and subscribe! Your support means a lot to us!

• 👨‍🚀 The Nintendo Direct kicked off last week with a bunch of big announcements and updates including Game Boy/GBA titles coming to Switch, a Metroid Prime Remaster, Pikmin 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom updates, as well as a bunch of indies coming to the Switch.

• 💸 Despite lower profits, Nintendo has come out and announced a 10 percent pay rise for its devs with Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stating “It’s important for our long-term growth to secure our workforce.

• 🧠 Double Fine and partner 2 Player Productions have released a 32-part documentary detailing the development of Psychonauts 2. You can watch the whole documentary on their YouTube channel.

• ⚔️ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be Nintendo’s largest Switch game to date at 18.2GB. The current largest game was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at 14.4GB.

• ⚾ Batter! Batter! Konami is selling its latest baseball game WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros, at less than a dollar to attract a global audience. It’s now available on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

• 🧙 Hogwarts Legacy is now the ninth-biggest Steam game of all time based on concurrent player count, beating the likes of Apex Legends, Warzone 2, and Valheim.

• 🎮 Controller collectors! Microsoft has revealed and launched its new Stellar Shift Xbox Series X/S controller! It features a color-shifting, blue-purple shimmer and rubberized purple swirl grip.

• 🚚 2020 Apple Arcade release PixelJunk Scrappers is set to come to PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch later this year. The game combines the nostalgic excitement of traditional arcade brawlers with the multiplayer madness of couch co-op classics.

• 🎵 Music lovers rejoice, the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 and 2.5 Remix soundtracks are now on Spotify! Between both soundtracks, fans now have access to 6 hours of Kingdom Hearts music spanning 187 tracks.

• 🖥️ Sadly, GOG Connect, the service that allowed you to import selected games from your Steam library over to your GOG collection has quietly been retired.

We’re bringing back the Check This Out segment so we can shine a light on hidden indie gems! This week we’re showcasing Wandering Sword, a Chinese martial arts RPG. You play as a young swordsman caught in a feud who nearly dies. They have a limited-time demo up between February 6th to the 28th so make sure you check it out!

Each week we aim to shed light on a hidden gem by small indie developers. Have a game you want to showcase? We’d love to hear from you - reach out to us at contact@theiterative.co!

PC - Feb 15th

The legendary city-builder Pharaoh returns. Lead the creation of one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen in this 4K remake with modernized UI. Build monuments, manage your population through hundreds of hours of gameplay, and explore 4,000 years of history through more than 50 missions.

Nintendo Switch, PC - Feb 16th

Only the strong will conquer this Elderand, a gruesome action platformer with RPG elements. Dismember demonic creatures and terrifying bosses by wielding brutal weapons in intense skill-based combat. Slay or be slain as you collect glory and treasure in this nightmarish 2D world.

PC - Feb 16th

Hellcard is a unique cooperative deck builder rogue-like game. Descend into the paper dungeons on your own, recruit computer-controlled companions or join other players' lobbies in fast-paced tactical card battles against the armies of darkness and the Archdemon himself!

PC - Feb 16th

Cowboys, Settlers & Gunslingers! Build your own ranch, grow it into a settlement and soon more settlers will join you in your quest for happiness and prosperity. Will you manage to build a ‘Wild West Dynasty’ or will you end up on the gallows?

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We are The Iterative Collective - an indie games incubator! Each week, we shed light on the latest gaming trends for all folks interested in the scene by going through a summary of the latest news from the industry as well as promising upcoming game releases! Click to learn more about us below!