Game Freak is primarily associated with exactly one major Nintendo franchise: Pokémon. The pocket monsters are their bread and butter, the crux of their fame. As of yet, though, the developers have yet to release anything specifically for the 3DS, even their latest monster-collecting epic, Pokémon Black & White 2, having been relegated to the original dual-screen handheld.
No longer, says Game Freak. They’re now ready to bring their first game to the 3DS. Is it a new entry in the Pokémon series? No, it is not. What about a spinoff of that most popular of pet-battling sims? Not that, either.
Instead, Game Freak has put their time and attention into Rhythm Hunter: HarmoKnight. It’s a 2D platforming game (with 3D visuals) that provides players control only over whether their character attacks or jumps. Movement is automatic. Rhythm elements pepper the game, demanding not only awareness of what’s coming at a player, but a feel for how it’s coming, to match the beat. It appears that boss battles also include some variations on the basic gameplay, hopefully ensuring that it won’t get overly repetitive.
Oh, and it’s a downloadable title. So there’s that.