Today’s Nintendo Direct broadcast included some interesting game announcements for the 3DS eShop. The company’s digital marketplace will soon play host to two games that dip their toes into the free-to-play revenue model. Steel Diver: Sub Wars is described as a tactical first-person shooter with a single-player campaign and both local and online competitive multiplayer combat. Players can download a trial version of the game for free and unlock the full game from the in-game menu for $10. The game is available now on the eShop.
A more interesting take on the model is Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball , a mini-game compilation with a twist. Players can download a demo of each mini-game, then go to an in-game store run by the titular Rusty. The real-money cost to unlock full mini-games is $4.00, but players can haggle the price down by negotiating with Rusty. This means that the actual price of the mini-games can be reduced by savvy players. Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball will launch in April.
These pricing experiments are more like the old “shareware” model than modern free-to-play, since they involve playing demos then paying to unlock content rather than buying boosts or cosmetic frills. Still, there are plenty of choices for players who prefer to buy games traditionally on the eShop.
Pokémon Battle Trozei is a new version of a classic Pokémon side-game, in which players must battle by matching Pokémon together. All of the 700+ existing Pokémon will be featured in the game, which also allows players to capture and call upon Pokémon for assistance in battle. It arrives on March 20 and will retail for $8.
Weapon Shop deOmasse is the last game in Level-5’s GUILD 001 series of experimental downloadable games. It allows players to portray a blacksmith and his apprentice, who run a weapon ship in a traditional fantasy RPG world. They must forge strong weapons for adventurers, whose quests will succeed or fail based on the quality of their gear. The game will debut on February 20 for $8.
Finally, INAZUMA ELEVEN was stealth-released onto the eShop just after the Direct broadcast. This soccer RPG series is popular in Japan and Europe, but is appearing on this continent for the first time today. Players must build up a team of underdogs into champion soccer players who wield crazy, over-the-top moves on the field. This digital-only release appears to be the first game in the series and sells for $20.