5 reasons why you should get excited about Little Town Hero, a new RPG from Game Freak

During the latest Nintendo Direct, we got another look at a new RPG coming to the Switch from Pokemon developer Game Freak Inc. First announced last year with the working title of Town, Little Town Hero looks like it’s set to take us on a charming little adventure that includes some interesting mechanics and features. The entire game takes place in one village which is guarded by a castle. The rule of thumb amongst the townsfolk is that you never leave town, but the protagonist Axe wants to see what else the world has to offer. When a giant monster suddenly appears in the town, Axe is able to fight against it using a mysterious red stone he discovered in the coal mines. Ooh. Little Town Hero will see you try to unravel the secrets of the stones and discover the origins of the strange creatures. I don’t know about you, but I’m intrigued already. 

Due to be released on October 16, 2019, only snippets of the game have been shown so far, but there’s already plenty of features that pique our interest. From who’s involved in making the upcoming RPG to how its combat works and much more, we’ve put together a list of features that should get you more excited about the prospect of meeting Axe and getting stuck into some small town heroics. 

1. It's being directed by a Pokemon series veteran

I've got to start with obvious one first. We can hardly wait for Pokemon Sword and Shield's upcoming release on November 15, 2019, but seeing a new original IP from Game Freak Inc is in and of itself exciting. Pokemon series veteran Masao Taya, who is the director for Little Town Hero, has worked as a programmer since the days of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, before working as a battle programmer for several Pokemon entries including Pokemon Sun and Moon.  It'll be interesting to see how the battle system compares to the turn-based action we know so well in Pokemon. 

2. It features music from Undertale creator Toby Fox

Yes, it was a big night for Undertale creator Toby Fox. Not only did the internet lose their minds over Sans being added in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it was also revealed that Fox is bringing his musical talents to the world of Little Town Hero alongside Pokemon series composer Hitomi Sato, who most recently composed the music for Pokemon Sun and Moon. 

3. You use "Ideas" to take down monsters 

The combat is one of the most interesting features in Little Town Hero. It appears to be turned based, and will feature a challenging combat system, which "relies heavily on coming up with new Ideas and strategies." The ideas seem to be different battle commands you can combine to perform varying attacks. On Nintendo's page for the game, it also says you won't have to grind by taking out weak monsters along the way.

4. You can enlist the help of the townsfolk

During battles, you're able to move around the map to get help from the townsfolk around the village. When you land on a spot with a villager, it looks like they'll engage in the fight with you and use their own skills or Ideas to help you take down the mysterious creatures. 

5. It's made "with the busy gamer in mind" 

We really are spoilt for choice these days when it comes to deciding what to play, and as brilliant as some big titles are, we only have so much time in the day to get stuck into a lengthy, time intensive adventure. On Nintendo's page for Little Town Hero, it says that it has "compact story progression" which is made "with the busy gamer in mind." From the sounds of it, it'll be a great one to dip in and out of. Essentially it could be a commuter's dream. 

Catching up on the latest announcements from Nintendo? Here are 14 biggest Nintendo Direct announcements, from Animal Crossing to Xenoblade.