Splatoon Raiders and Disgaea Mayhem Lead This Week's Nintendo eShop Drops
Nintendo's July 23rd North America download roundup brings a Splatoon spinoff, a new Disgaea action game, and a 1988 TAITO arcade classic back from the dead.
A Big Week for the eShop
The Nintendo eShop’s July 23rd North American update is one of the more stacked weeks in recent memory, headlined by two high-profile releases and rounded out by some interesting curios from the back catalog of gaming history. According to Nintendo Life, the full lineup includes everything from a Splatoon spinoff to a dark pixel-art visual novel about haunting the person you love.
That is quite a range.
Splatoon Raiders Makes Its Debut
The biggest release of the week is almost certainly Splatoon Raiders, a $49.99 Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive published by Nintendo and available now. As reported by Nintendo Life, the game is described as a single-player-focused action title where players take on the role of a mechanic working alongside Deep Cut, the trio of musicians familiar to Splatoon fans, to raid the mysterious Spirhalite Islands for treasure.
The core loop involves customizing your character, loading up on mechanical gadgets and ink-splattering weapons, and fighting off waves of Salmonid enemies. One member of Deep Cut will always accompany the player as a bot companion, but the game also supports up to four players through online play or local wireless. The Nintendo Life review, which is live now, called it “The Best Single-Player Splatoon” with what sounds like fantastic multiplayer to boot.
At fifty bucks it is priced like a mid-tier Nintendo release, sitting below the usual flagship price point. For Splatoon fans who have wanted a more story-driven experience, this one seems worth a close look.
Disgaea Mayhem Goes Direct
Also dropping July 23rd is Disgaea Mayhem from NIS America, priced at $59.99. This one represents a significant shift for the franchise. According to the listing, Disgaea Mayhem puts players in direct control of the action rather than the series’ traditional tactical RPG format, casting them as N.A., a mercenary with, as the description puts it, a discerning sweet tooth.
Seven weapon classes are available, each changing how the game plays, from swords to ranged bows. The DNA of classic Disgaea is still present, though. Number-chasing, level grinding, and the legendary Dark Assembly mechanic return here as the Dark Chocolate Assembly, where players pass bills to push their damage numbers toward the millions. The Magichange system also makes an appearance. For longtime fans of the series who have bounced off the strategy RPG format, this could be the version that finally sticks.
SYVALION Crawls Out of 1988
On the more niche end of the spectrum, HAMSTER released Arcade Archives 2 SYVALION on July 16th for $9.99 on Nintendo Switch 2. The original SYVALION was a TAITO arcade release from 1988 in which players control a mechanical dragon navigating complex mazes before facing a boss. The big hook is replayability: the listing claims maps and stories change each run, with over 100 unique endings available.
The Arcade Archives 2 series maintains HAMSTER’s tradition of faithfully reproducing classic arcade titles while adding quality-of-life features like rewind, rapid-fire, difficulty settings, and online leaderboards. The new addition specific to Arcade Archives 2 is a Time Attack Mode, where players race to clear the game as fast as possible independent of score. For anyone with nostalgia for TAITO’s golden era, or just an appreciation for mechanical dragon mazes, this is a low-cost way to experience a genuinely obscure piece of arcade history.
The Rest of the Pile
Rounding out the week, HAMSTER also released Console Archives Hercules no eikou II Taitan no metsubou on July 16th for $7.99, noted to use the Japanese ROM for gameplay while offering menus and a manual in several languages including English. KEMCO contributed Decollate Decoration at $6.29, a pixel-art visual novel about a woman who dies and returns as a ghost, desperately trying to bring her beloved with her before her soul passes on. The description leans into the darker emotional territory of the premise, involving poltergeist activity, dream visits, and curses as gameplay mechanics.
Syvalion and Disgaea Mayhem represent two very different kinds of genre experiments this week, but it is Splatoon Raiders that will likely move the most units. Nintendo’s willingness to let one of its biggest multiplayer franchises take a more intimate single-player turn is genuinely interesting, and the early reception suggests that bet paid off.
What is Splatoon Raiders and how much does it cost?
Splatoon Raiders is a single-player-focused action game for Nintendo Switch 2 published by Nintendo. It launched July 23rd for $49.99. Players take on the role of a mechanic teaming up with the trio Deep Cut to raid the Spirhalite Islands, with support for up to four players online or via local wireless.
What is Disgaea Mayhem?
Disgaea Mayhem is a new action-focused entry in NIS America's long-running Disgaea franchise, priced at $59.99. Players control a mercenary named N.A. and can equip weapons from seven different classes, grind levels, and pass bills at the Dark Chocolate Assembly.
What is Arcade Archives 2 SYVALION?
SYVALION is a 1988 TAITO shooting game re-released by HAMSTER for $9.99 as part of the Arcade Archives 2 series. Players control a mechanical dragon through maze-like levels with over 100 unique endings. The Arcade Archives 2 version adds a new Time Attack Mode alongside the classic modes.