As Nintendo embraces the indie gaming space like never before, the eShop faces an influx of schlock coming through any quality approval system. In this case, it seems the quality of a title was not the only thing to have Nintendo step in and pull the game.
Final Sword is an independent action RPG that released on July 2 via the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Published by HUP Games, Final Sword is actually a port of a mobile game. While it would usually be part of the numerous bare bones "asset flip" games to hit digital platforms, Final Sword featured a specific song that caused Nintendo to step in.
Japanese Twitter user MossarilyOBJECT posted a video of the game to Twitter after finding a familiar and famous song. Accompanying the barren landscape of Final Sword is a track that strikes an extremely similar tune to "Zelda's Lullaby" composed by Koji Kondo. The song has been featured throughout the Legend of Zelda franchise and is considered one of the more iconic and recognizable songs of Nintendo's extensive catalog.
The video has been viewed over 400,000 times, garnering significant attention which likely caused Nintendo to take notice. Website Japanese Nintendo found that just four days after launch and two days after mossarilyOBJECT's tweet, Final Sword was no longer available for purchase on the Japanese eShop. Searching now on both European and North American eShops also display an error message meaning it is no longer available in any region.
While Final Sword's removal from the eShop shows Nintendo is willing to pull games, it speaks to a greater problem with the eShop in general. Nintendo has embraced a much more free system of allowing Indie games on the platform regardless of quality. It is starting to face similar criticism as Valve's Steam platform over a significant lack of quality control standards over the last decade. While Final Sword was an egregious example, there are many other games that slip through the cracks with misused copyrighted content.
While Nintendo continues to have an issue with quality assurance on smaller indies, that does not mean the platform is devoid of fantastic games across the development spectrum. The eShop is currently having a Summer Sale with significant discounts on popular and celebrated games. So while Final Sword may not be available, there are plenty of other and much better options.
Final Sword is no longer available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch platform but is available on mobile devices via the Google Play Store.
Source: Japanese Nintendo, GoNintendo