Captain Toad digs into the Nintendo Download

The Super Mario spinoff headlines this week’s Nintendo Download.

There’s actually quite a bit to like on the eShop this week for both the Wii U and the 3DS. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker of course, does take the headlines though as the Mushroom Kingdom adventure is a pretty unique one for Nintendo. Captain Toad is a platformer, but it’s also a puzzle game that’s got a solid challenge level. If you’re not familiar, Captain Toad is all about solving level-based puzzles and collecting loot. Basically you guide Toad through the game’s levels in search of treasure. The kick is that all of the stages are puzzles in and of themselves and you really have no means of direct attack. And you can’t jump. Yep, that makes it quite a bit more difficult.

Aside from the good Captain, this week also sees the arrival of a demo for the Wii U version of Sonic Boom, the Virtual Console arrival of the original Fire Emblem and Lode Runner, and the debut of NES Ultimate Remix on the 3DS, which looks all kinds of fun. There are also some decent sales on Etrian Odyssey IV and Shin Megami Tensei, for you dungeon crawling RPG fans out there.

Take your pick and get to downloading, here’s the full list of what’s up on the shop right now:

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Ready for adventure? Captain Toad stars in his own puzzling quest through maze-like mini-universes, only on Wii U. Each stage is stacked with tricks and traps, so our stubby little hero will have to use his wits to dodge dangers and track those treasures. Survive smoldering volcanoes, hazardous steam engines, haunted houses and many other perils – all in the name of treasure! Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will be available on Dec. 5. Click here to watch a trailer for the game.
  • Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric – Demo Version – Try it before you buy it! Download the free demo version of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. Sonic and his friends must work together as a team to stop the evil alliance of Lyric and Dr. Eggman. Click here to watch a trailer for the game.
• Virtual Console on Wii U
  • Fire Emblem – Play the first Fire Emblem game to ever be released in the U.S.! In this timeless Game Boy Advance classic, master battle tactics as you train your army, learn their strengths and weaknesses and command them into the fray. Click here to watch a trailer for the game.
  • Lode Runner – Play as the Runner and collect all of the gold in 50 challenging stages. The action may be easy to pick up and play, but the stages become increasingly challenging as you move on. You can also create your own levels in Edit Mode.
• Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
  • Ultimate NES Remix – Take on a rapid-fire onslaught of challenges and mashups from 16 of Nintendo’s finest 8-bit games. Test your skills on a gantlet of quick, tricky challenges and remix stages that combine parts of different NES classics like Super Mario Bros. 3, Kid Icarus and Metroid. The best mix of titles from the NES Remix and NES Remix 2 games is on Nintendo 3DS… now you’re playing with PORTABLE power! As a bonus, get a free Famicom theme for your Nintendo 3DS Home menu when you purchase the Ultimate NES Remix.* Click here to watch a trailer for the game.

• • *For Nintendo eShop purchases, the download code for the free theme will appear on the digital Nintendo eShop receipt. For the packaged version, the code will be included on the reverse side of the game cover sleeve. Download codes are available while supplies last. Both the download codes and the offer expire on Dec. 5, 2015.

Nintendo eShop Sales

• Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
  • To celebrate Walt Disney’s birthday this week, Disney is discounting Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two on Wii U, Disney Planes on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and other fun games until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 8.
• Nintendo eShop on Wii U
  • 99Seconds is more than 40 percent off (reduced from $2.49 to $1.49) until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 26.
• Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
  • Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan is 50 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $14.99) starting at 9 a.m. PT on Dec. 8 until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 22.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is 50 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $14.99) starting at 9 a.m. PT on Dec. 8 until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 22.
  • AeternoBlade is more than 40 percent off (reduced from $14.99 to $7.99) starting at 9 a.m. PT on Dec. 5 until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 19.
  • AiRace Xeno is 40 percent off (reduced from $2.49 to $1.69) until 8:59 a.m. PT on Dec. 25.

Also new this week:

• Christmas Wonderland 4 (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
• Disney Violetta: Rhythm and Music (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

In addition to video games available at retail stores, Nintendo also offers a variety of content that people can download directly to their systems. Nintendo adds new games weekly to the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U console and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, the Nintendo DSi^™ Shop for the Nintendo DSi system and the Wii^™ Shop Channel for the Wii console.

The Nintendo eShop is a cash-based service that features a wide variety of content, including new and classic games, applications and demos. Users can add money to their account balances by using a credit card or purchasing a Nintendo eShop Card at a retail store and entering the code from the card. All funds from one card must be loaded in the Nintendo eShop on either Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, but can be used in either Nintendo eShop if the systems are linked to a single Nintendo Network account.

The Wii Shop Channel offers games and applications and uses Wii Points^™, which can be purchased via the Wii Shop Channel. The Nintendo DSi Shop offers games and applications and uses Nintendo DSi Points^™, which can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Remember that Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage some of the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.