Honestly, you would think all of Game Freak would be too busy putting the final touches on Pokémon Sword & Shield that they wouldn’t have time for anything else. Most people probably don’t realize they do occasionally put out other games, although those releases like Pocket Card Jockey for the 3DS tend to be small in scale. Little Town Hero, an upcoming Nintendo Switch Eshop exclusive, is one of these titles. Interestingly, the game features an original soundtrack by Toby Fox the creator of Undertale. If you’ve played what’s possibly the biggest indie game of the decade, you know how good the music is for that game and Toby was also responsible for its soundtrack.
The name Little Town Hero suggests instead of being some grand RPG adventure where you travel around ‘the continent’ to find some crystals to purify the world, you’re more or less left defending your hometown. What’s innovative here is the battle system which, while turn-based, promises a wealth of different options to approach battles and asks the player to come up with different techniques and strategies to get by. It’s set to come out October 16 for just 25 bucks, in case you need something to pass the last couple weeks before Pokémon.
In a gaming climate where releases are generally either big triple-A titles or absolutely independent ventures, it’s nice to see a game exist somewhere in the middle. Game Freak isn’t an indie studio, so I’m betting Little Town Hero will have the polish it needs to be a cohesive experience. However, it is smaller in scale and very much a labor of love. Even if not wholly unique, it’s sure to present a nice RPG experience with someone of a kind flourishes and touches along the way.
Little Town Hero by Game Freak is set to come out on the Switch October 16.