Nintendo Badge Arcade
- This article is about the game for the Nintendo 3DS. For the level from Super Mario Maker, see Nintendo Badge Arcade (level). For the microgame from WarioWare: Get It Together!, see Nintendo Badge Arcade (microgame).
- Not to be confused with Nintendo Arcade.
| Nintendo Badge Arcade | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Developer | Nintendo SPD Access Games[1] | ||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS | ||||||
| Release date |  December 17, 2014[2] November 10, 2015[?] November 13, 2015[3] November 13, 2015[?] | ||||||
| End of service | April 8, 2024[?] | ||||||
| Language(s) | English (United Kingdom) English (United States) French (France) French (Canada) German Spanish (Spain) Spanish (Latin America) Italian Japanese | ||||||
| Genre | Minigame | ||||||
| Rating(s) |
| ||||||
| Mode(s) | Single player | ||||||
| Format | Nintendo 3DS:  Digital download | ||||||
| Input | Nintendo 3DS:
| ||||||
- Everyone
- Three years and older
- All ages
Nintendo Badge Arcade was a free-to-start application available from the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS. The purpose was to collect badges in various Nintendo-themed crane-game minigames, as well as to customize the HOME Menu with them. The application was first released on December 17, 2014[2] and then in November 2015 in the West. The application required an internet connection as well as an SD Card to store the badges. The application centered around collecting badges based on various Nintendo properties, including the Super Mario franchise.
Since the final update on June 22, 2017, Nintendo Badge Arcade had over 9,999 badges[4] (8,800 badges in Western releases[5]). Paid plays on badge catchers have no longer been possible as of March 27, 2023.[6] On April 8, 2024, with the closure of the Nintendo Network service,[7] players can no longer access Nintendo Badge Arcade beyond the title screen.[8]
Gameplay[edit]
The player was first greeted in the arcade by one of its workers, Arcade Bunny.[9] The player choose from a mode in the main hall using 
and 
, the 
, or the 
; pressing 
accessed a mode, pressing 
placed a badge, and pressing 
showed the badge collection.
To earn credits to play on the badge-catcher crane machines, the player could pay real money, earn free plays, or enter play codes. Five credits could be bought ¥90 in Japan, $1.00 in the United States,[10] €1.00 in Europe,[11] 90p in the United Kingdom, and $1.30 in Australia and Canada. The player could earn free credits by playing the Practice Catcher,[10] but only once a day, or as a gift on certain occasions. If a player was playing for the first time, they were allowed five free plays.[12] The player could use a play code only once by tapping the bunny on the touch-screen in Badge Catchers mode and select "I have a play code!".
The player could use badges they had obtained to customize the HOME Menu,[13] and the Arcade Bunny used badges of Super Mario characters to demonstrate as an example.[13] The "Place badges" option allows the player to access their badge box,[14] from which they can customize the HOME Menu with badges only if a folder has been made on the HOME Menu. The badge box is accessible from the HOME Menu Design settings outside of the game, accompanied by an 8-bit sprite of Small Mario from Super Mario Bros.[15] It was also possible to customize the design of the HOME Menu, including the background and the graphic for the folders.
The Badge Catchers had several catchers based on various Nintendo properties, and the player had to control the catcher to try and retrieve the badges,[16] The player could move the crane by holding their stylus on a large, yellow button,[17] or hold instead.[18] When the button was released, the crane dropped,[19] The crane machine took any badges it caught, if any, and dropped them down the chute for the player to keep.[20] After using a catcher, the player could optionally press or to switch between them.[21] The player could exit the mode by pressing the 
, unless gameplay had started, which required them to use every turn before they could return. If the player decided to reset the machine by tapping the Arcade Bunny, all retrievable badges would have their positions reset and different copies of any badges the player had could restock the machine, but this did not affect their collection.
The Practice Catcher mode allowed the player to have five free plays on a featured practice catcher, but with badges containing wood,[22] so the player could not receive any actual badges.[23] There was sometimes a "super bonus" badge with either a red or blue target printed on the hidden side, and if the player caught it, they would receive two free play credits,[24] or just one if it was blue. The player could also earn a free play for every ten practice badges they caught.
Collection was where all of the player's badges had been stored,[25] including any sets available. The player could level up as they acquire more badges, upgrading the main hall,[26] more specifically the statue.[27]
Some of the lesser modes included Miiverse Gallery, where players could show their customized HOME Menus via Miiverse;[28] the Theme Shop, where the player could acquire a promotional theme; and the Help Desk, where the player could change the categories in their badge box, sign-up for the newsletter, or set-up info sharing. The player was also able to find out about badge problems, transferring data, and access the digital, instruction manual.
Featured Super Mario content[edit]
The following is an alphabetized list of all Super Mario-themed sets featured in the Nintendo Badge Arcade:
- amiibo (Super Mario series)
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
- Mario Kart 8
- Mario Party 10
- Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
- NES Remix (Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 2)
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Maker
- The Cat Mario Show
- WarioWare series
- Yoshi's Woolly World
In addition to the game-specific sets, the characters Ashley & Red appear in multiple sets, where they are drawn with themed outfits. The duo have their own panel in the New Year, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Band Brothers and Splatoon sets. An Ashley badge also appears in one panel of the Nikki and Friends set, and Ashley appears on special Nintendo Badge Arcade-branded point cards released in Japan.[29]
The Mario & Friends set contains Super Mario-themed character emblems and software icons. Additionally, the Pixel Collection set, while not exclusively Super Mario, contains retro cartridges of games from the Super Mario franchise.
Crazy Galaxy[edit]
On April 1, 2017, the Japanese version of Nintendo Badge Arcade hosted a special event during which the Arcade Bunny announced a "Badge Arcade Direct". He then presented concept art for a new game titled Crazy Galaxy, which starred an older version of Ashley and four new characters named Claudia, Cocomin, Vanessa, and Anna. After an accident in "astronaut school", the five are flung to the other end of the universe, and they must fight or befriend various aliens to return home.
The presentation ended with the Arcade Bunny stating that such a game would be released "before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics", before admitting that its existence was merely an April Fool's Day prank. He then invited players to discuss the idea on social-media platforms and Miiverse, with the hope that discussion about the concept may make it a reality.[30]
Full text of the announcement[edit]
Up first is the "Badge Arcade Direct!
Did you get the invitation?! We're about to present our new game!
Let's not waste time and start strong! The title is Crazy Galaxy!
Crazy Galaxy... directly translated, it means "galaxy that went insane"!
And the main characters are five students who attend school to become astronauts!
All the characters are new, except Ms. Ashley! Or rather, Ms. Ashley is almost a different person!
The five are sent to the edge of the universe in a mysterious accident during a spacecraft practical exercise!
They meet strange aliens at the edge of the universe and fight and befriend them!
They return to Earth after a tour of the insane galaxy! That's Crazy Galaxy!
It's finally announced! Any questions so far?!
Oh! Good question! You're curious about the gameplay, aren't you?!
But for now... I want to tell you, but it's a secret! I don't want its elements to be ripped off!
It's not like I haven't thought of anything, okay?! I'll just give you one hint!
The player's role is to be the students' teacher and guide them to Earth!
That's all for the hints! I hope you can imagine the rest!
Next, we introduce the characters! These are the five crew members who have been sent to the edge of the galaxy!
Rough illustrations from the development stage are now available to the public! This is Cocomin, who is in charge of cooking!
It seems to be her policy to trip people up by making curry ingredients out of unsightly looking foodstuffs!
Anna is a mechanic who modifies the car-like spaceship and creates useful items!
But in fact, she is not very good with machines, and is a hard worker who manages to do things by searching on the Internet!
Claudia is in charge of battling aliens! She reminds them how the earthlings are nothing to scoff at!
If she reminds them of that too much, she might just destroy the entire alien civilization!
Vanessa is armed with a megaphone-style gun! She is in charge of talking with aliens!
I hear that her goal is to become a Straw Millionaire on a cosmic scale?! I hope she will be a good communicator!
And Ms. Ashley, who has switched her wand for a guitar! Maybe she looks more mature now?!
It is said that she will appear as an enemy in Crazy Galaxy!
I hope they can make up and return to earth! Fighting among women is scary, you know!
By the way, the five badges are divided into five units of equal difficulty for each character...
So please think of it as a popularity contest and choose the unit of your favorite girl to play!
That's all I can introduce, but is there anything else you're interested in?!
What is the release date? I think it will be released before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!
Ah! Do you think that's a long time?! It takes time to make a game, you know?!
It's too serious for an April 1 story, so wouldn't you read too much into it?!
But hey! If you believe it, it might be true! Today may be the beginning of a legend!
It would provide a real boost if we could get messages of support from our customers!
After all, it's pretty rare these days for a game to be released that is not a sequel to a major work!
Anyway! We award you with free play to celebrate the new title announcement!
By the way, for today's event... I did it without consulting the big-wigs at all![31]
Images[edit]
Concept art[edit]
Concept art for Cocomin
Concept art for Anna
Concept art for Claudia
Concept art for Vanessa
Concept art for Ashley
Concept art of the group
Badge catchers[edit]
Badges[edit]
Badge names are based on internal file names in Nintendo Badge Arcade.
Alien
Anna
Anna
Anna
Anna
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Claudia
Claudia
Claudia
Claudia
Cocomin
Cocomin
Cocomin
Cocomin
Gemstone
Mandrake
Silver
Traffic
Vanessa
Vanessa
Vanessa
Vanessa
Wormhole
Meteorite
Planet
Planet
Planet
Logo
Spaceship
Reception[edit]
The application has received mixed reviews from various professional video game critics. Justin Berube of NintendoWorldReport gave the game a 6 out of 10, noting the positives of the frequent updates and the dialogue of the Arcade Bunny, but criticizing the price and the methods the game uses to psychologically give players a need to spend their money.[32] He complained that the game "is the most disgustingly blatant, money grabbing game Nintendo has ever released." Lee Garbutt from God is a Geek has stated that the game can be fun as long as players either abstain from paying or that they set themselves a budget, though he does note that the game is pushy to make players spend money. He gave the game a 5.0 out of 10.[33]
The most negative reviews from the game come from Cubed3 and The Jimquistion, with both writers giving the game a 2 out of 10.[34][35] André Eriksson of Cubed3 has complained about the price of the game and the rewards that are lackluster. He has stated that it is the "bare minimum" to what can be sold as a game and that "It is a watered down digital crane game at the price of a full-sized one with physical prizes." Jim Sterling of The Jimquistion negatively reviewed the game as "a virtual UFO catcher in which you pay money for almost literally nothing." and described the Arcade Bunny with the following: "It’s creepy, is what it is. This lagomorphic huckster, constantly attempting to convince you that you’re having so much fun while doing its best to encourage further expenditure – all while transparently doing its level best to not look like it’s encouraging everything. I despise this rabbit. This cottontailed conman, the family-friendly face of capitalism unchained." Sterling has also compared the game to Final Fantasy: All The Bravest in terms of its free to play concept and gameplay.
On the flipside, while the writers of Destructoid have not written an official review, Chris Carter has written that the game is "a brilliant concept".[36] Carter praised how it is yet another title that 3DS owners can enjoy in a daily basis, and the badges it offers grants users the ability to customize their 3DS backgrounds, though he also notes that the game notoriously attempts to sell players its items as well.
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
| Nintendo 3DS | André Eriksson, Cubed3 | 2/10 | "Nintendo Badge Arcade is the bare minimum of what could be sold as a game. It is a watered down digital crane game at the price of a full-sized one with physical prizes." |
| Nintendo 3DS | Jim Sterling, The Jimquisition | 2/10 | "Cynicism in the form of a creepy pink rabbit." |
| Nintendo 3DS | Lee Garbutt, God is a Geek | 5/10 | "It’s a rather transparent and honest take on free-to-play monitisation, and as long as you’re sensible enough to either abstain from paying any money, or to set yourself a budget, then there’s a little bit of fun here for you." |
| Nintendo 3DS | Justin Berube, NintendoWorldReport | 6/10 | "If you have a gambling problem, you should probably stay away from this game." |
| Aggregators | |||
| Compiler | Platform / Score | ||
| Metacritic | 56 | ||
| GameRankings | 37.50% | ||
References in later games[edit]
- Super Mario Maker: An Event Course based on Nintendo Badge Arcade with the same name was released on December 17, 2015. Completing it rewards the player with a Mystery Mushroom costume of the Arcade Bunny.
- WarioWare Gold: Most of the Ashley badges (excluding the crossovers with other videogame series and the Crazy Galaxy set) are unlockable in the Pumpkin Panic minigame.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: The Arcade Bunny appears as an Assist Trophy, and as a hat for Mii Fighters.
- WarioWare: Get It Together!: A microgame based on Nintendo Badge Arcade appears in 9-Volt's level, Nintendo Classics. The planets from the Crazy Galaxy event are featured in one of Dribble's gallery image.
Profiles[edit]
- Nintendo 3DS eShop description:
- English (American):
- English (American):
Grab all the Nintendo-themed badges you can in this fun-filled crane-machine game. Then arrange them into a custom HOME Menu theme for your Nintendo 3DS™ system! Unleash your creativity with dozens of digital badges to collect, and match them to themed backgrounds. Start your collection today with this free-to-start download on Nintendo eShop!
Purchase credits and drop them into any machine of your choosing. The number of credits you use gives you a limited number of tries, so use them wisely! There are many different machines that contain badges from popular Nintendo series such as Super Mario Bros.™, Mario Kart™, Animal Crossing™, and more. The machines can be tricky, so use your skill along with gravity, slippery surfaces, and chain reactions to your advantage to nab as many badges as possible! Don't forget that practice makes perfect—use five free daily tries on the Practice Machine to gain experience, and trade in dummy badges for real credits.
- English (British):
- English (British):
Owners of systems in the Nintendo 3DS™ family can already customise their system's HOME Menu with a range of colourful themes, and they are now able to take that personalisation to a whole new level with Nintendo Badge Arcade.
In this lively arcade run by a chatty rabbit, players can take a shot at crane games and similar classic amusements, collecting badges based on Nintendo games and series like Mario Kart™, Splatoon™ and Animal Crossing™. Badges can be used to decorate the HOME Menu, with some even usable instead of the standard system icons that access Nintendo eShop and StreetPass™ Mii Plaza™, among others - perfect for total HOME Menu makeovers.
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Nintendo Badge Arcade.
Logo
The default crane used in Badge Catchers
The practice catcher with wooden badges
Arcade Bunny
Arcade Bunny
Staff[edit]
- Main article: List of Nintendo Badge Arcade staff
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | バッジとれ～るセンター[?] Bajji Tore~ru Sentā |
Collectible Badge Center |
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jesper Aalbers (June 23, 2017). Nintendo Badge Arcade Staff Credits. YouTube (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ a b Nintendo. ニンテンドー3DS���バッジとれ～るセンター｜任天堂. www.nintendo.co.jp (Japanese).
- ^ "Nintendo Badge Arcade comes to Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS on 13/11/2015!" – Nintendo UK (November 10, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade - Trailer (Nintendo 3DS). YouTube (British English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Japanese Nintendo (May 4, 2017). Japanese Nintendo ー Nintendo Switch, 3DS, Wii U and Mobile.. Tumblr (Japanese). Archived January 17, 2019, 02:48:40 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "After the release of over 8,800 badges they are all out of anything new." – Whritenour, Jacob (June 23, 2017). Badge Arcade No Longer Adding New Badges. Hardcore Gamer (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (March 27, 2023). Nintendo Badge Arcade 3DS Service Ends 'Daily Free Plays'. Nintendo Life (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ @NintendoAmerica (October 4, 2023). As of early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.. X (English). Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Yoshi Rico Media (April 13, 2024). Trying to go into Nintendo Badge Arcade after the shutdown (0:45). YouTube (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "I work here in this arcade." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ a b "Credit can be won in the practice machines or purchased at $1.00 for five credits." – Nintendo Badge Arcade for Nintendo 3DS - Official Site. Nintendo.com (English). Archived November 15, 2015, 01:13:34 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ "Badge catchers normally cost €1.00 for five plays! When I say €1.00, I'm talking about real money!" – Arcade Bunny. Nintendo Badge Arcadge. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "As a thanks for visiting, you get 5 plays for free!" – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade.
- ^ "Touch the Place badges icon to get decorating!" – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ NintenDaan (November 15, 2015). [Nintendo Badge Arcade] First Look (7:13). YouTube (English).
- ^ "You gotta use the crane to catch them." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Press and hold it down to make the crane move." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "You can touch it with your stylus or use for that." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "As soon as you release the button, the crane will descend and its claws will close." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Anything it grabs on to and drops into the badge chute is yours to keep!" – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ Nintendo World Report TV (November 10, 2015). FIRST LOOK: Nintendo Badge Arcade (3DS) (10:01). YouTube (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ [Nintendo Badge Arcade] First Look (33:07). YouTube.
- ^ "It's just practice, so it's not like you'll get any real badges..." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Have some free plays, straight from the boss! ...2, to be exact." – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "This here leads to your collection. That's where your badges all go!" – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "And as you get more badges... You ready for this? Wait for it... ...No, I can't tell you yet! Not about the entrance level-up!" – Arcade Bunny (2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade. Nintendo (English).
- ^ [Nintendo Badge Arcade] First Look (33:29). YouTube.
- ^ "You can share your home Menu on Miiverse or show it off using Image Share." – Nintendo. Nintendo Badge Arcade for Nintendo 3DS - Official Site. Nintendo.com (English). Archived November 15, 2015, 01:13:34 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Nintendo. 『バッジとれ～るセンター』 : ニンテンドープリペイドカード情報. Nintendo.co.jp (Japanese). Archived February 13, 2016, 09:16:01 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Bri Bri (March 31, 2017). BAITO ANNOUNCES A NEW GAME – CRAZY GALAXY!. Japanese Nintendo. Retrieved December 15, 2024. (Archived July 30, 2021, 14:33:38 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ rhythmland (April 1, 2017). バッジとれーるセンター クレイジーギャラクシー 2017エイプリルフール. YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ Berube, Justin (December 28, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade (3DS) Review. NintendoWorldReport. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Garbutt, Lee. (November 13, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade Review God is a Geek. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
- ^ Eriksson, André (December 13, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade (3DS eShop) Review. Cubed3. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Sterling, Jim (November 13, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade Review – Badge Of Dishonor. The Jimquistion. Archived November 16, 2015, 00:36:19 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
- ^ Carter, Chris (November 12, 2015). Nintendo Badge Arcade is a brilliant concept. Destructoid (English). Retrieved December 15, 2024.
