Death Stranding is the next big game from Hideo Kojima following his departure from Konami and the Metal Gear franchise, and ever since its 2016 reveal, it’s been a game shrouded in mystery. In the years following its announcement, Death Stranding has somehow become far more perplexing and off-kilter with every passing trailer and interview with the creator. With so many unusual characters and plot threads having been introduced, even by Kojima’s standards, it’s been especially challenging to keep up with the game’s unique narrative and style.

Fortunately, the recent showings at GamesCom 2019 and Tokyo Game Show 2019 treated fans to some of the deepest dives into the game yet. Along with laying out the stakes, Kojima revealed what’s driving Norman Reedus’s character, Sam, as he makes his way through the ruins of North America. We learned what the baby in the capsule is for, and just what the deal is with oddball characters like the masked Die-Hardman. We can now safely say that we have a better idea of exactly what kind of game this is. With its release coming up on November 8, we figured it was time to share our notes. Here’s GameSpot’s breakdown of what Death Stranding is all about–so far.

Hands Across America

Set 10 years after an event known as the Death Stranding caused large segments of the North American population to disappear, you play as Sam Porter Bridges, an agent of the organization known as BRIDGES. Sam is tasked by the President of the United Cities of America to help rebuild the nation and its infrastructure, and he must work with other BRIDGES members to explore the fractured remains of civilization and re-establish a connection known as Strands. These various Strands will bolster the Chiral Network, allowing more people to stay connected and leave their fear-induced isolation. During his mission, Sam will contend with supernatural entities and insurgent forces that now inhabit the land. In the aftermath of the Death Stranding event, the line between life and death has blurred, allowing creatures and individuals once thought dead to cross over into the real world–and the other way around.

The game’s title is a reference to the phenomena where aquatic animals–such as whales and dolphins–wash along shores en masse. During this bizarre event that only affects cetacean animals, the sea creatures die a slow death in places that are foreign to them. The game’s narrative evolves the concept, presenting a scenario where large portions of the human population are swept away and brought into the realm of the dead. All the while, supernatural entities start to roam about, corrupting isolated areas of the country to take the remaining humans back to the realm of the dead. Another side effect of their presence in the waking world comes in the form of Timefall, a supernatural rain that instantly ages anyone that comes in exposed contact with it.

“I make deliveries. That’s all” — Sam Porter Bridges

This strange approach narrative and the setting is not only a way to justify how Sam re-engages with a fractured world, but it also serves as the framework for Death Stranding’s exploration and social gameplay. By establishing more bonds with civilians and the isolated cities, which create new Strands, you will be able to progress further into the world and advance Sam’s capabilities in ways that weren’t possible with fewer connections. If he ventures too far outside of the existing network’s reach, you’ll get disconnected from benefits it can offer–which include map data, safe houses, and supplies. While this is a necessary part of Sam’s mission, it’s in your best interest to explore when most prepared.

According to Hideo Kojima in a post on social media, it focuses on the act of bridging the divide with characters and other players online. All set in a world where isolation is commonplace, and where the bizarre is the new normal.

“People have built ‘Walls’ and become accustomed to living in isolation. Death Stranding is a completely new type of action game, where the player’s goal is to reconnect isolated cities and a fragmented society. All elements including the story and gameplay, are bound together by the theme of ‘Strand’, or a connection.

As Sam Porter Bridges, you will attempt to ‘Bridge’ these divisions, and in doing so, create new bonds or ‘Strands’ with other players around the globe. Through your experience of playing the game, I hope you’ll come to understand the importance of forging connections with others.”

The Characters

Much like Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series, the ever-stoic Sam interacts with a variety of characters who have bizarre backstories and even weirder call-signs. The members of BRIDGES, in particular, deal with all manner of strange circumstances within the Death Stranding, and as a collective, they help Sam–in their own way–with making sense of the peculiar world he explores. Kojima has a well-known love of Hollywood films and TV, and that’s especially noticeable in Death Stranding’s cast.

Here’s a quick rundown of the key players in Death Stranding:

• Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges, an agent of BRIDGES.
• Mads Mikkelsen as Cliff, a spectre from the past who controls an army of the dead.
• Troy Baker as Higgs, leader of the Homo Demens separatist group.
• Léa Seydoux as Fragile, company executive for Fragile Express.
• Tommie Earl Jenkins as Die-Hardman, the commander of BRIDGES.
• Guillermo Del Toro / Jesse Corti (voice) as Deadman, a BRIDGES scientist with extensive knowledge on Bridge Babies.
• Margaret Qualley as Mama, a BRIDGES scientist with a connection to the BTs.
• Nicholas Winding Refn / Darren Jacobs (voice) as Heartman, another BRIDGES scientist who repeatedly lives for 21-minutes before temporarily returning to the beach in the death realm.
• Lindsay Wagner / Emily O’Brien (voice) as Amelie, the daughter of the former UCA President. She began the westward expedition that Sam must finish.

Into The Wild

When looking at Death Stranding in action, it’s hard not to think back to Kojima’s previous work on Metal Gear Solid V. However, it leans less on stealth-action and more on survival-action. In order to outfit himself with the necessary supplies, such as a Bridge Baby, a power-loader suit to boost his strength, and weapons, Sam’s inventory will have to be used effectively while out in the wild. Sam also has access to gear that can help him cross rough terrain. These include extendable ladders and climbing equipment, and traversal options like a motorcycle and a cargo hoverboard–which Sam can jump on for faster travel.

The survival element encompasses a variety of different factors, including inventory management, tracking Sam’s health and stamina, and even crafting equipment. The power-loader allows Sam to carry large amounts of cargo–almost to comical levels. This also means you’ll need to be mindful of how many boxes he has stacked onto his back. Along with being mindful of carry limits, players will also have to ensure that Sam’s cargo is balanced evenly. Too many items stacked on top of one another can topple when traversing uneven terrain. Sam can also get injured, and his gear can whittle down after extensive use. His boots, in particular, can break down, which will affect his movement speed and health–sam can even end up with bloody, damaged feet if he doesn’t take care. To ease this danger, you can find various materials and supplies in the wild, which can net you crafting parts to create new items and gear upgrades.

When push comes to shove, Sam is a resourceful guy, and he can handle himself well. He can rest up while out in the field, restoring his stamina and the Bridge Baby’s sense of calm, while also saving his progress. Sitting down to take a rest also allows him to check himself and ensure his Bridge Baby is doing OK. It’s also as good a time as any for Sam to relieve himself when necessary. If you wait too long to urinate, it will cause Sam some discomfort as it builds up, which has some adverse effects on his performance. During the recent TGS gameplay demo, Kojima showed off Death Stranding’s unique peeing gameplay, allowing you to control Sam’s stream. In an odd move, Sam’s urine can be aimed at vegetation in the area to help them grow into usable items.

“I know not everyone shares our vision for the future. If we Americans don’t come together again, humanity won’t survive.” – Amelie

Growing Influence

Sam’s mission to rebuild America hinges on his capacity to help others. By completing requests and minor goals from the various side-characters, you gain a set of rewards and additional likes for Sam. Similar to your presence on social media, the more likes you get, the more pronounced your footprint in-game will be, thereby attracting more attention from individuals out in the world. You can’t earn any dislikes from characters, but you can garner fewer likes if you turn in damaged cargo. In addition to earning kudos, some of the characters can give Sam special items. In one mission from the TGS demo, Sam was given a harmonica from a quest giver. When playing the instrument at a rest point, Sam will earn extra likes.

While the expedition to rebuild the nation can be lonely, you won’t be completely alone on your mission. Death Stranding connects players in a manner similar to Dark Souls’ asynchronous online infrastructure, where players can leave messages for others while exploring. If you have a particular delivery that seems too daunting, you can send it over to another player online to complete in your stead. In addition to leaving the occasional note or giving other players a positive affirmation, you can even build constructs for others to use–such as shelters or rampways extending over rivers. However, according to our interview with Kojima, the Timefall will erode player-made creations.

The Road Warrior

One of the more common enemies you’ll face are humans that roam the land or have set up base camp. While you can avoid them, you’ll sometimes need to defend yourself. Sam can use close-ranged attacks powered by his exo-suit, but he can also use his cargo as weaponized objects. However, using these objects as a weapon can damage them, putting a potential Strand at risk if you fail to deliver it intact. Sam also uses several firearms that come in lethal and non-lethal varieties. In addition to pistols and machine-guns, he can also use a non-lethal bola gun to ensnare enemies in an electrified wire. In a strange twist, Sam also has access to weapons that use human blood, which is a useful tool against BTs. In the TGS demo, Sam encountered a dangerous BT creature, but with special grenades laced with human blood (and among other biological materials like urine, sweat, and even feces), he was able to take it down.

Any fight, whether they’re with humans or BTs, can be a bit of a challenge for Sam, especially if he’s packing a lot of gear. Though the human enemies aren’t interested in stealing your equipment, wear and tear is bound to happen. Sometimes, the best course of action is making a clean getaway. In the recent TGS demo, Sam was able to steal enemy vehicles to run away. However, if there aren’t any vehicles, Sam’s own two feet–and his exo-suit–are more than enough to make a clean break. With your suit working at peak power, Sam’s running and jumping power become significantly enhanced. This allows him to leap great distances and run at high speeds. It can come in handy when fighting against roaming packs of insurgents, but they can mean all the difference between life and death when facing off against BTs.

The Beached Things

Following the cataclysmic event, entities known as Beached Things (often called BTs) have become a common threat. Taking the appearance of humans or large wild creatures, they’re incredibly hostile to the living, and they’ll immediately drag them into the death realm. This alternate realm is parallel to our own, however, colors are muted, and the only thing is sight is an ominous beach staring out into the void. The one thing that can help Sam against the BT threat is his constant companion in the daunting task to rebuild America–a Bridge Baby. In a narrative trailer focusing on Deadman, the BB is a living tool birthed from the womb of “still-mothers,” once pregnant women who are in a catatonic state due to the arrival of BTs. Their newborn children perceive both the living and dead realms, which is an invaluable asset for the members of BRIDGES. However, they don’t have a long life expectancy, and they must be cared for at all times. Sam’s BB is nestled on his torso, similar to a front-mounted baby carrier.

When Sam encounters nearby BTs, his suit’s systems–plugged into the BB–will alert him of nearby threats. In many cases, Sam can carefully avoid contact by slowly maneuvering around them and the afflicted landscape. The BTs that Sam encounters are often known as Gazers, who appear as floating dark ghosts that loom over the field, connected by their own strands to the realm of the dead. Getting too close will alert them of your presence. Once that happens, footprints will appear in the afflicted land as they approach Sam. If you’re unable to escape, then Sam will be dragged down into the toxic BT substance, and into the realm of the dead.

“My body may be present, but my soul is on the beach. I’m already dead.” — Heartman

Death Stranding has a very loose concept of life and death, and this also carries into the game’s respawning mechanic. While Sam’s death can spur some losses, it’s not the end, and you’ll soon find yourself back into the realm of the living. Why this occurs precisely has yet to be revealed. However, there is the possibility that it has some connections with the Bridge Baby in Sam’s possession.

Downtime

Back at the BRIDGES base or in the various safe houses scattered around the world, Sam can recuperate and relax following a tough trek. In these safe havens, you can observe your current progress and check on your selection of equipment. This allows you to customize Sam’s appearance, his gear loadout, and even decorate his room. In the TGS demo, we saw some strange choices in how you can manipulate the room and let Sam unwind. In addition to letting him pose for pictures with a variety of different hats and sunglasses, Sam can also drink beer and listen to his selection of music. Staying in a safe house also presents an excellent time to let him shower up and relieve himself in the bathroom. Kojima also showed off the free-look option for the camera. If you let the camera’s vision linger too often on Sam’s groin, however, he’ll get annoyed and punch the camera.

Beyond Death Stranding

Death Stranding has yet to be released, however, it’s already inspiring a great deal of discussion online about the nature of what Strand gameplay is all about. In our recent interview with Hideo Kojima, the game director will rely a lot on player trust when exploring the land, which can lead to situations where you’ll have to put questions what’s in front of you, and likely put faith in complete strangers online. So far, Kojima is optimistic that players will be honest in how they play the game, and how they’ll communicate with others.

“We do a lot of playtests in the office. So sometimes there’s a bridge that crosses a deep river, and people feel grateful, but it only goes to the middle of the river. Of course, you don’t give that bridge a thumbs up, but it probably wasn’t intentional. I pretty much feel that there won’t be much intentional evil. I want people to think about that as well if they fall [off that bridge]…”I won’t do that to someone.” And you might make the same mistake. “

Kojima stated that he wants to continue exploring this style of gameplay, which tasks players to connect with various aspects of the game world, and with a community of players themselves. The biggest takeaway from his work on the open-world game is the Social Strand system, which he hopes to see evolve further in the years ahead. Whether he wants to continue pursuing this style himself with a direct sequel, or another game entirely remains to be seen. However, the game director has certainly prepared a game that features a dense amount of experiences therein to unpack, which will no doubt have people talking.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/death-stranding-explained-story-characters-gamepla/1100-6469999/

Fortnite‘s latest crossover event is now underway. This time, the Caped Crusader Batman has invaded Epic’s popular battle royale shooter, bringing new Batman-themed skins, gadgets, and more to the game, not to mention a set of limited-time Batman challenges. You’ll have until October 1 to clear these and unlock other Batman-inspired cosmetics, including a special Catwing Glider.

Thankfully, most of the challenges are straightforward, so you shouldn’t have much trouble completing them. However, one task that’ll require you to do a bit of searching is to light different Bat Signals outside of Gotham City. If you’re not sure where those are, don’t worry–we show you exactly where you need to go below.

Where Are The Bat Signal Locations?

As the challenge states, you’ll need to light Bat Signals outside of Gotham City–the new Rift Zone that appeared where Titled Town was previously located. There are several signals scattered around the island, most of which are located in the northwestern portion of the map, but you only need to light three of them to complete this challenge. We’ve marked down all the locations of the Bat Signals we’ve found below.

How To Complete The Challenge

Fortunately, once you know where to look, this challenge is simply a matter of making your way to a Bat Signal and interacting with it to light it. The Bat Signals can be lit by multiple players, so don’t worry if you see someone else activate one before you; it will turn off shortly afterward, allowing you to light it as well. Once you’ve lit three signals, you’ll complete the challenge and take home 10 Battle Stars for your efforts.

As previously mentioned, the Fortnite Batman challenges will be available until October 1, so you have until then to complete them and unlock their corresponding rewards. Epic is also selling a Batman Caped Crusader Pack from Fortnite’s in-game store until October 6, which includes two different Batman outfits, a Batwing-styled glider, and a Batman-themed harvesting tool. October 6 is the same day Season 10 of Fortnite is scheduled to end, according to Epic’s website, so if you need help finishing up any remaining challenges before then, be sure to check out our Fortnite Season 10 challenges hub.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-bat-signal-locations-where-to-light-bat-s/1100-6470002/

Warning: Lots of spoilers herein for the Gears of War franchise and for plot points in Gears 5.

I keep waiting for Gears of War to do something challenging with its story.

With the release of Gears 5, the franchise is now 13 years old, and yet it’s still walking along the same narrative path as the original Gears of War trilogy. Humanity is banding together with its last vestiges of authority to fight an existential threat of subterranean monsters. Those monsters never negotiate, engage in diplomacy, or show mercy. They have to be wiped out–and the Coalition of Ordered Governments has just the extremely beefy, well-armed, globe-spanning army to do the job.

Gears 5 revists a number of the same plot points as the original Gears of War trilogy, as new protagonist Kait and her squad try to figure out what the deal is with the Swarm, the new, evolved brand of the old Locust threat. Kait’s journey to find out about her personal ties to the Locust takes her through old COG facilities that explain the Locust’s origin, but the game doesn’t do much of anything with that information. Yet again, Gears 5 is a game about killing all the faceless, frightening monsters so you can save all the humans.

That’s fine, since an unstoppable army of sharp-toothed crocodile-people with machine guns makes for a good set of enemies for a shooter. But what’s weird is that Gears 5 hints at bigger ideas–ideas that have been swirling around the Gears story for the whole of its existence. But the game never really engages with those ideas beyond using them as set dressing to push you into cover behind a chest-high wall. Gears as a franchise seems like it might have a lot of interesting things to say, if it ever committed to saying them.

It all starts with the COG, a government the heroes serve mostly because it’s the only game in town. It’s a well-established fact in the Gears universe that the COG is more than just vaguely fascist, using a lot of patriotic language and iconography while engaging in horrible acts. They’re the surviving government of a past series of conflicts between humans, the Pendulum Wars, and when the Locust show up on Emergence Day in the first Gears of War, the COG is just about the only organization with the soldiers and the guns to deal.

You spend time in most of the Gears games trying to recruit people to the COG in the face of the Locust/Swarm threat. There are people who live in the COG’s Romanesque cities, and then there are settlers out in the wilderness, going it alone, in the name of freedom from the COG’s authoritarian control. Gears is full of people who don’t like to live under the COG boot for a number of reasons, but the biggest is the fact the COG killed a bunch of civilians as collateral damage when fighting the Locust.

Early in the war, the COG used giant orbital lasers, the Hammer of Dawn system, to blast the advancing Locust horde. But when it did so, the COG also leveled most of the human cities on the planet and turned huge portions of it into a wasteland. In the original trilogy, the humans left behind during the Locust war were called the Stranded. Gears 5’s anti-COG folks, choosing to live outside of the government’s system, are known as Outsiders–and main characters Kait, JD, and Del are all counted among them in Gears of War 4. Gears acknowledges people with a legitimate beef against the COG, but never really dwells on why they feel the way they do, or what it means for you to serve on the side of the authoritarians you might disagree with.

Gears doesn’t just gesture at the COG’s oppression, it takes time to fully illuminate some of its most heinous acts. Gears of War 2 explores the origin of the Locust and Gears 5 revisits all that territory, revealing that the Locust threat was created by COG experiments–on children–to create soldiers to fight its wars for resources. The Locust escaped underground, later emerging as a threat great enough that it could wipe out humanity, and the COG covered the whole thing up–until it was discovered by the protagonists of the series. The Gears franchise clearly has some thoughts about how governments engage in warfare, how they treat their citizens, and how they shirk accountability. Despite having some incredibly important knowledge about the conflict they’re embroiled in, though, neither Marcus nor Kait ever do anything with that information. The nature of the Gears franchise is to focus on soldiers on the ground, dealing with the weight of the war around them and, at times, the unreliable brass sending them into dangerous situations. They’re the literal gears of war, and yet the series never really pushes them to think about the war machine they’re driving.

And then there’s the Gears relationship with genocide. Most of the story of Gears 5 is about bringing the Hammer of Dawn, a weapon of mass destruction responsible for a lot of mass destruction, back online. The opening portion of Gears 5 deals with some of the implications of the Hammer of Dawn, but its dangerous effects are mostly relegated to a few brief character interactions without much in the way of far-reaching consequences. The Hammer of Dawn is an incredibly powerful creation that doesn’t discriminate about who it destroys, and yet even as Gears acknowledges its deadly, horrific possibilities, it doesn’t linger on them.

The main Gears trilogy made you a part of some pretty awful actions as well. At the end of each of the three games, Marcus and his squad inflicted massive death on the Locust, first with the Light Mass bomb, then with the sinking of the COG city of Jacinto to flood their underground caverns with seawater, and finally with a weapon developed by Adam Fenix, Marcus’s dad, that brought the Locust to extinction. (The Swarm, a mutated version of the Locust, exists thanks to that last weapon.)

Part of this is an inherent conflict between the badass nature of burly soldiers chainsawing baddies and the idea of telling an emotional story about the horrors of war. In the past, weapons like the Hammer lent themselves to some pretty cool video game moments as it rained death down on the biggest, meanest, hardest-to-stop abominations the Locust horde could throw at humanity. Gears is trying to have deep characters (recall the heavy use of “Mad World” in Gears of War 3 and its marketing) as well as its superheroic moments of kicking ass. But the emphasis on the latter undercuts the former, and Gears still hasn’t managed to strike a balance between them.

And the thing is, Gears establishes that the Locust aren’t just unthinking monsters who only know enough to use guns and wear pants. In the trilogy, you spend time in the Hollow, the Locust’s home, and discover their cities. You find that they have art, written language, and religion. They have a social hierarchy. They don’t just destroy–they build, too.

In the first Gears of War, you uncover the reason for the war on humanity: it’s because the horde also faces extinction. Underground, the Locust fight another enemy called the Lambent, a version of the Locust mutated by exposure to a fuel source called Imulsion. The Lambent are driving the Locust out of the underground homes, killing or converting whoever they find. Coming to the surface is a situation forced on the Locust by those circumstances, and in Gears of War 3, you learn that Adam’s weapon was created because he was working with Mirrah, the Locust queen, to try to eliminate the Lambent and save the Locust.

Yes, the Locust represent an existential threat that’s looking to wipe out humanity, and which engages in a number of horrifying acts against their victims. There’s an argument that the humans have no choice but to respond in kind to such an enemy. The problem is, nobody really has that argument. Gears is obviously aware of these ideas, but it never puts those questions to its characters. Kait and her squad rush around the world trying to make the Hammer of Dawn work again in Gears 5, and while a couple characters stop to wonder if it’s a good idea, they put up little opposition to it. The idea that the Hammer might not be worth the human cost only provides momentary pause.

Some of the best writing in Gears 5 is its on-the-ground character work between the members of Delta squad, and it’s pretty clear that The Coalition has the chops to write strong, interesting characters dealing with extraordinary, emotional situations. That’s what makes its reticence to deal with the bigger ideas so frustrating–it would only make the characters and storytelling stronger if they were allowed to spend more time on the less heroic moments and their consequences. Gears doesn’t need to change what it fundamentally is–a shooter about fighting monsters who want to kill everyone–but there’s a lot more it could do in pushing those characters about how they fight their war, how they feel about their actions, and what they’re willing to sacrifice of themselves to survive, individually and as a species. It’s clear the Coalition is thinking about these ideas. It should challenge its players to think about them, too.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/im-still-waiting-for-the-gears-story-to-grow-up/1100-6469991/

Epic Games has pulled back the curtain on its teased Batman crossover event in Fortnite. To celebrate the Caped Crusader’s 80th anniversary, the iconic superhero is invading the battle royale game until October 6, giving players a chance to snag some cool Batman skins, play around with Batman gadgets, and more.

Until the aforementioned date, you’ll be able to purchase a Batman Caped Crusader Pack from Fortnite’s in-game store. It includes two different Batman outfits, a Batwing-styled glider, and a Batman-themed harvesting tool. Epic is also selling various other Batman-inspired items in the store until that date, including a Catwoman skin. You can take a look at those, as well as the official reveal trailer, below.

To coincide with the crossover event, a new Rift Zone has opened up, transforming Tilted Town into Gotham City, and you’ll be able to find and use Batman gadgets such as the Grapnel Gun and Explosive Batarang. Naturally, there is also a set of Batman-themed challenges to complete, which will unlock other Batman-inspired cosmetics like the Catwing Glider. These challenges are free for all players–not just those who own a Season 10 Battle Pass–and will be available until October 1. You can read more details about the Batman crossover event on Epic’s website.

Season 10 of Fortnite is also slated to end on October 6, which means time is running out to complete any remaining challenges you still need to do from this season. The most recent batch is Week 8’s Storm Racers challenges, and they involve landing on a hilltop with a circle of trees and dancing at different telescopes. You can find more maps and guides in our Fortnite Season 10 challenges hub.

Fortnite’s most recent update, v10.31, rolled out earlier this week, and it added a new Party Hub feature on mobile that lets players see which of their friends are online, form a party with them, and voice chat. The update also made some changes to where the Storm Circle ends and fixed a handful of bugs. You can read the full patch notes on Epic’s website.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-batman-crossover-event-officially-reveale/1100-6470000/

The Nintendo Switch family has grown with the release of the Switch Lite, a more compact and affordable version of Nintendo’s hybrid console. While there’s little reason to pick one up if you already own a standard Switch, if you’re anything like us, you may find it hard to resist the lure of a new piece of gaming hardware–particularly one as lovely as the Switch Lite–and plan to use it as a secondary console.

If you fall into that camp, you’ll undoubtedly want to know how to share your game data between your two Switch systems. The good news is that it’s a relatively straightforward process, but you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to do so, and it won’t work with every game. Here’s a full breakdown of how to share your data between the Switch and Switch Lite. If you’re trading in your regular Switch for a Switch Lite and want to transfer all of your data to the new system, check out our Switch transfer guide.

The Nintendo Switch Lite launched alongside The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’s remake on September 20. The system is available in three colors—turquoise, yellow, and gray—and retails for $200, which is $100 cheaper than a standard Switch. However, to cut costs and emphasize portability, the system is missing some of the Switch’s most distinctive features, such as detachable controllers and the ability to connect to a television.

In addition to the three launch colors, Nintendo is releasing a special Pokemon edition Switch Lite on November 8, a few days ahead of Pokemon Sword and Shield. This edition has blue and magenta face buttons, a light grey tone, and illustrations of the games’ Legendary Pokemon, Zacian and Zamazenta, on the back. You can read more about the console in our Nintendo Switch Lite FAQ, and if you’re interested in picking one up, be sure to check out our Nintendo Switch Lite pre-order guide.

Nintendo Switch Online

First things first: if you’re hoping to share your save data between your Switch and Switch Lite (or even another standard Switch), you’ll need to have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Through the service, you’re able to back up most of your game saves to the cloud, allowing you to access them on another console. However, there are a handful of games that don’t support cloud saves, which we’ll discuss further below, so you’ll need to think carefully about which Switch you play certain titles on, as your save will be locked to that system (unless you go through the hassle of manually transferring that data between consoles).

Link Your Nintendo Account

With the prerequisite NSO subscription out of the way, the first thing you’ll need to do is link your Nintendo Account to your new Switch. Once you’ve set up the console, here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Go into System Settings
• Highlight Users
• Choose the appropriate player profile (if there is more than one user on your console)
• Select Link Nintendo Account

From there, log in to your account and follow the remaining prompts to complete the process. If you have trouble you can read more about linking your Nintendo Account to Switch on Nintendo’s support website.

Changing Your Primary Console

You can link your Nintendo Account to multiple Switch systems; however, the first Switch you’ve used to access the Eshop with that account will be designated your primary console. This means that any user on that system will be able to play the games you’ve downloaded. By contrast, only your user profile will be able to play your downloaded games on your non-primary console–something to keep in mind if you have multiple users on that system.

There’s an additional caveat: you’ll need to have a persistent internet connection in order to play your downloaded games on your non-primary console, even if it’s single-player, so if you’re planning on using your Switch Lite on the go (the system’s entire raison d’être), it is recommended you make that your primary system. Fortunately, designating a new primary console is easy to do. Here’s what you need to do:

• Open the Eshop on your primary console
• Click on your user icon in the upper righthand corner
• Select the option to deactivate that Switch as your primary console

Once that’s done, access the Eshop on your second system with that same Nintendo Account and it will automatically become your new primary console.

Sharing Saves

With all that out of the way, you can begin filling out your new Switch Lite with any digital games you’ve previously purchased. To bring your save data over as well, highlight a game on the system dashboard, press the plus (+) button on your controller, then select Save Data Cloud Backup. After that, select Download Save Data and your cloud save will be downloaded to your system.

Note that this applies to physical games as well. Unusually, all Switch game save data is stored onto the system, not on the actual game cartridges, so if you’re picking up your progress in a physical game on your Switch Lite, you’ll need to first insert the game card into the system, then hit the plus button and follow the aforementioned steps to download your cloud save.

If you’ve enabled automatic backups, your data should be saved to the cloud automatically after you close your game or put your Switch to sleep, but if you’d like to ensure your save backups are up-to-date, you can also manually back them up. It is recommended you do this to make sure nothing goes wrong with the automatic backups, particularly if you’re planning on moving between both consoles frequently. You can enable auto backups on both systems, not just your primary one; however, an automatic backup will be canceled if data was already backed up from your other console.

To manually back up your save data to the cloud, select System Settings, then scroll down to Data Management on the left sidebar. From that menu, click on Save Data Cloud, select the appropriate user, and you’ll see a list of all your games that have cloud saves. If a title hasn’t been backed up recently, it will say “Not backed up” in red letters. If that’s the case, click on the game, and you’ll have the option to manually back up its save data to the cloud.

Which Games Don’t Support Cloud Saves?

As previously mentioned, while you’re able to back up most of your Switch game saves to the cloud, not all titles support this feature. Only a handful fall into this category thus far, but they include some of the system’s most notable releases, such as Splatoon 2, Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu/Let’s Go Eevee, and Dark Souls Remastered, and it appears the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons also won’t allow you to back up your data. You can see the full list of games that don’t support cloud saves so far below.

• 1-2-Switch
• Bass Pro Shops: The Strike – Championship Edition
• Blade II – The Return Of Evil
• Cabela’s: The Hunt – Championship Edition
• Catan
• Color Zen Kids
• Daemon X Machina
• Dark Souls Remastered
• Dawn of the Breakers
• Death Mark
• Dungeon Stars
• EA Sports FIFA 18
• EA Sports FIFA 19
• Exorder
• Fortnite
• Gems of War
• Go Vacation
• IN-VERT
• Lightseekers
• Minecraft
• Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition
• Modern Combat Blackout
• NBA 2K Playgrounds 2
• Nidhogg 2
• Pixel Devil and the Broken Cartridge
• Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee!
• Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
• The Raven Remastered
• Robbie Swifthand and the Orb of Mysteries
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
• Splatoon 2
• Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission – Launch Edition
• Taimumari: Complete Edition
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution

If you’d like to carry any of these saves over to your new system, you’ll need to manually transfer them. To do this, first highlight the game on the dashboard, press the plus button, then select Manage Software. From that menu, you’ll see an option to Transfer Your Save Data to a nearby system–click that to move your save over to your new console. Once this is done, however, you won’t have access to that save data anymore on your original system unless you transfer it back.

Other Things To Be Aware Of

For the most part, the Switch Lite is compatible with most of the games released for the platform. However, due to the fact the system lacks some of the base Switch’s features, not all games will work with it. The Nintendo Labo line, for instance, is incompatible with the Switch Lite because it lacks detachable Joy-Cons and an IR camera, and some titles, such as Super Mario Party, are not playable in handheld mode. You can see all the games that have compatibility issues with the Switch Lite in our roundup.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-to-share-save-data-between-switch-and-switch-l/1100-6469997/