Nintendo Badge Arcade released for free on 3DS

By Danny Cowan Published November 12, 2015

Nintendo announced that it has released Nintendo Badge Arcade for the Nintendo 3DS, a microtransaction-driven app that allows players to outfit their system themes with unique customization items earned via gameplay.

In Nintendo Badge Arcade players pay a small fee to access a claw machine-like minigame that awards digital badges, which can be pasted and arranged on the 3DS’s Home screen for uniquely customizable themes.

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Nintendo Badge Arcade currently features several crane games that offer badges inspired by Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing franchises. With skilled play, users can unlock multiple badges with a single attempt, upping the stakes for purchased credits.

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Collected badges can be combined with Nintendo 3DS system themes in order to create lively and colorful home screen backdrops. An in-game example notes that players can paste Mario Kart 8-themed badges atop a raceway backdrop, simulating the look and feel of the Mario Kart series.

Nintendo Badge Arcade is the latest in a series of free-to-download Nintendo 3DS games to feature content unlocked via micro-transactions. Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball, released in 2014, was among the first 3DS games to divide up its content among several possible in-game purchases. Real Deal Baseball also tied its narrative content to player purchases, progressing its storyline only when additional transactions were logged.

Nintendo followed up on Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball in February with Pokemon Shuffle, a free-to-play puzzler in which players can purchase additional plays via micro-transactions. A mobile adaptation for iOS and Android platforms was released in August.

Nintendo Badge Arcade is available as a free download via the 3DS eShop. Players are given a limited number of free attempts the first time the app is launched, and five additional plays can be purchased for $1.

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You need to get this oddball Zelda game for free before the 3DS eShop closes

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The day of reckoning is fast approaching: The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShop isclosing down on March 27. When that happens, you’ll no longer be able to make any digital purchases on those systems. Considering that several games on each platform only ever got digital releases, it’s creating a bit of a preservation nightmare. Hidden gems that never came to another platform, like Affordable Space Adventures, will be totally lost to time.

But it isn’t just obscure indies that are impacted by that change: One of Nintendo’s biggest franchises is about to lose a piece of its storied history. You’ve only got just over a week to grab a certain Legend of Zelda game before it disappears forever -- though it’s probably not one you’re expecting.

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Grab these Nintendo 3DS games before the eShop closes

wii u 3ds exclusive nintendo games eshop closure ever oasis

While the Nintendo 3DS had a rocky launch, the handheld system recovered gracefully and ended up having one of the best game lineups of any Nintendo system. Many of these 3DS games, like Super Mario 3D Land and Fire Emblem Awakening, were very popular and well-known. Still, the 3DS had a lot of fantastic games that not as many people know about and threaten to be lost to time when the eShop closes down.
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Ever Oasis

Grezzo is one of Nintendo's most underrated developers. It's delivered top-notch The Legend of Zelda remakes like Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Link's Awakening. So what if I told you that it used that experience to make an original IP for 3DS that's one of the best-looking and expansive games on the system? Ever Oasis, a 2017 3DS game, follows a young kid as they help a water spirit named Esna build an oasis and try to save their brother from Chaos.
The result is a mix of 3D The Legend of Zelda and city management games. Players can venture out into surprisingly large open worlds and dungeons to restock and grow the number of "bloom booths." This mix of open-world exploration, dungeon crawling, and oasis-building will keep players engaged for dozens of hours, and it also stands as one of the deepest and best-looking action-adventure games on the platform.
Ever Oasis didn't get much attention when it launched because the Nintendo Switch had been released a couple of months earlier. Still, it stands as one of the 3DS' best games, so it's a shame that more people don't know about it. It risks being forgotten forever now the 3DS eShop is closing down, so check it out before the closure; it will surpass your expectations.
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Horses race in Pocket Card Jockey.

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