Nintendo released the Nintendo Badge Arcade as a free-to-play game past Friday, exclusively on Nintendo 3DS. The software is completely free to try but requires real money if you want to collect all badges. But what is it all about, is it worth getting? We explain why you should download it if you own a Nintendo 3DS.
What is it?
Nintendo Badge Arcade is software created to personalize and enhance the Home menu of your Nintendo 3DS system. As you already know, the interface of the 3DS uses small squares to display everything you need to see. From settings to Miiverse and form games to eShop, everything has its place on the Nintendo 3DS Home. Nintendo Badge Arcade lets you collect badges that you can use to customize your Home on the Nintendo 3DS. Take a look at what’s possible:
The themes of the badges are different based on when you sign in to the Nintendo Badge Arcade. If you want a Mario related home menu, you’ll need to wait until the Mario badges are up in the virtual arcades. Some badges only serve as decorations while others can replace the default icons. These interactive items are the most fun if you ask us since they have a purpose. If you want to personalize your Nintendo 3DS, this software is the best way to do so, if not, you probably won’t be interested in downloading it.
Do I need to pay?
As said in the introduction, Nintendo Badge Arcade is a free-to-play game, meaning you’ll download it for free from the Nintendo eShop, no costs are required to install the software on your 3DS system. Beware however; if you want to collect the badges, you’ll need to pay… Or you can try your luck in the practice arcade everyday. This dummy arcade offers five free catches on dummy badges. These dummy badges aren’t yours to keep but if you manage to grab the bonus badge or bring down ten dummy badges, you’ll get one ‘real grab’ for free. Winning free points, to use in the Badge Catchers, works everyday and if you’re lucky, you can even gain more than just one free try. This means you can try your luck daily and grab a lot of badges without paying for a single badge in your collection, so why should you pay anyway?
The benefits of paying
So why should you pay? Well the answer is simple, if you don’t want to pay, you’re never forced to, but by paying, you’ll be able to grab those badges you wanted from the start. Most arcades are temporary and once they disappear, they’ll take a long time to appear online again, if they re-appear in the first place. If you want to make sure you have the badges you want, you’ll need to pay 1 Euro/Dollar for five extra chances. This doesn’t look like a big amount but take note that you’ll use these five turns in seconds. Paying is only needed if you’re aiming for a certain decoration of your Home menu; but always be aware of your costs. The game uses a very child friendly design, using a cute pink bunny but this bunny asks for paid chances constantly. Older gamers will understand the danger of this free-to-play system but younger gamers will need to be guided by their parents in this process. If you’re not going for a complete set of badges, it isn’t recommended to pay a lot for extra chances.
It’s a fun game
This doesn’t take away the fact that the game itself is rather fun to play. The game offers virtual UFO grabbers with a twist. Your grabber differs depending on the machine; sometimes you’ll have regular grabbers while you can also have huge hammers in other arcades. Grabbing the badges isn’t always the fastest way to collect them; we collected most of our badges by creating a chain-reacting of falling badges. If you grab the right spot, you can create an ‘avalanche’ of badges. There’s a lot of strategy in the game and it’s this mechanic that keeps the game fresh. The game is meant to be addictive and thanks to this gameplay, we noticed we visited the arcades daily, without spending money daily.
Aside of the Arcade Grabbers there’s also a place to check your collection or practice in the practice arcade. The game looks great and has a certain charm, it’s a fun piece of software to ‘play’ for a couple of minutes every day.
Conclusion:
Nintendo Badge Arcade is a fun ‘game’ that’s free-to-play and free to download from the eShop right now. Since it’s free and you’re never forced to pay for a thing, we recommend every Nintendo 3DS owner to try it at least once. It offers fun badges as decoration of your home menu or self-created folders. Some of the badges can even replace the boring default icons. It’s fun to customize your Nintendo 3DS but beware of the price, spending a lot of money to collect virtual badges might not be the best idea ever. If you’re smart enough to play on the practice arcade and spent your money wisely, we’re sure you’ll have a blast with it!
