Welcome to the inaugural edition of Fantasy Friday. In this semi-recurring column, Fantasy Gaming commissioner David Silbert brings you the latest league standings and team shakeups. Today’s topic: What does the recent Nintendo Switch 2 Direct mean for the future of our dynasty teams?
The fated day has come and gone. No, I don’t mean that stupid “Liberation Day” nonsense (welp); I’m talking about that action-packed Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Between the extended reveal of Mario Kart World, more details on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and the surprise announcement of Donkey Kong Bananza, there’s a lot to unpack.
Direct aside, we’re also seeing some big fantasy shifts for April. South of Midnight and Blue Prince reviews are out in the wild, and some of our competitors here at The Punished Backlog are retooling their active lineups to prepare for our future waiver wire drafts.
Here, in a nutshell, are the biggest fantasy shakeups:
South of Midnight Narrows the Fantasy Standings…
Compulsion Games’ latest title, South of Midnight, released this past Tuesday for PC and Xbox Series X/S. One of the higher-profile games from Microsoft this year (the only real competition being Avowed and Doom: The Dark Ages), South of Midnight captured the imaginations of many with its distinct visual style, Infamous-esque gameplay, and refreshing lead character.
Unfortunately, the final product seems to be a mixed bag. While critics are raving about South of Midnight’s story, characters, and setting, they’re far more bearish on the actual minute-to-minute gameplay. It sits on Metacritic with a 77 as of writing.
This delivers Team Amanda her first swing-and-a-miss of 2025. (Don’t be mistaken: A 77 is a respectable score for consumers. But for fantasy, it isn’t ideal.) She still leads the pack, but the lead has narrowed significantly… or has it?
…Only for Blue Prince To Put Amanda Firmly in First
Just when it seemed like Team Amanda was losing steam, in comes Blue Prince to blow the lead wide open. Developed by Dogubomb and published by Raw Fury, Blue Prince—which released yesterday for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S—has stunned many critics with its genre-defying gameplay. Part narrative adventure, part deck-builder, the game tasks players with designing the layout of a mysterious mansion while also exploring it in real time.
Sounds like a wild premise, but I don’t think a marketing pitch alone can justify what this game truly is. The critical consensus? The game is astonishingly good, and a borderline life-changing experience. Here’s just one glowing review (of many), courtesy of Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier:
“For the last month I have done very little but think about, talk about, and play Blue Prince. It’s sort of like a cross between Slay the Spire and Outer Wilds — you progress by gaining knowledge — but it’s also much more than that. It is one of the most incredible games I have played in my life.”
Massive praise from Schreier! But the funny thing is, every review reads much the same way. Some other quick hits:
- “Blue Prince is one of the most memorable video game experiences I have ever had.” -GameSpot
- “…possibly the most memorable experience I’ve ever had playing a game…” -Digital Spy
- “What an extraordinary game this is.” -Eurogamer
- “Don’t watch videos. Don’t Google solutions. Don’t even finish reading this review. Just go play it.” -PC Gamer
Blue Prince currently sits atop the 2025 gaming pantheon with a 92 Metacritic score. Much like The Witness or Braid, this seems to be a puzzle game that you simply have to experience for yourself. (Thankfully, it retails for just $30, and is also available via Xbox Game Pass.)
As for Fantasy Gaming? Well, let’s just say that Team Amanda is quickly running away with this competition. Anything can still happen (we’ve got two waiver wires to look forward to!), but as the teams currently stand, Amanda is confidently showing everyone else up.
Team Gary and Team David Make Some Lineup Changes
As mentioned in our Q1 Fantasy Update episode of The Punished Podcast, we’re making a pretty notable change to the 2025 rulebook. Specifically, we’re doing away with the idea of “taxi” games and replacing it with the more traditional concept of a fantasy “bench.” Now, team owners can swap out active games at their leisure (provided the games have not already been scored).
Two teams jumped at the opportunity. Team Gary swapped out Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and subbed in Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. (The reason? Quite noble. Fatal Fury recently announced Cristiano Ronaldo as a playable character, and Gary very much wasn’t about that.)
Team David also made a team change, swapping out The Outer Worlds 2 for Lost Soul Aside. The latter recently received a May 30, 2025 release date, meaning Team David will (barring some tariff-driven catastrophe) have its first scored game of 2025 very soon.
Nintendo Switch 2 Promises To Shake Up the Summer
I won’t go super deep into April’s Nintendo Direct, as we’ve covered it pretty extensively here on the site already. (If you missed it, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 Direct recap, along with our Nintendo Switch 2 Direct reactions.) That said, there are some pretty major fantasy ripples that are worth digging into.
First off: Many long-awaited games got release dates (or at least a release window).
- Deltarune Chapter 1-4 will release on June 5, 2025 as part of the Switch 2 launch. Notably, this release includes the long-awaited Deltarune Chapter 3-4, which Team David is particularly excited about. Still TBD on how the heck we’re going to score this one.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong appeared for about three seconds alongside a gets a reiterated 2025 release year. (Yay for Team David? I still don’t buy it.)
- Hades II was announced for Switch 2; however, developer Supergiant remains mum on an actual release date. Will we get a 1.0 release in 2025? We’ll have to wait and see.
Secondly, and far more fun: We have new Nintendo games to look forward to! Here are the quick highlights (check out our recap of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games for the full list):
- Mario Kart World (June 5, 2025)
- Donkey Kong Bananza (July 17, 2025)
- Kirby Air Riders (TBA 2025)
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Winter 2025)
Quite a bit to look forward to! While not nearly enough new games for a full round of Nintendo waiver-wire pick-ups, we plan to hold an informal waiver wire session, with the ability for team owners to “defer” their pick and save it for a second waiver wire in the summer (post Summer Game Fest). More details to come!
Mid-April Fantasy Gaming Standings
Phew! A lot of news, but how does it all translate to the fantasy big board? Here are the latest Fantasy Gaming standings:
That’s it for this week! Thanks for reading.
What are your reactions to the standings? Have a team you’re picking to win it all? Let us know in the comments below.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts. Just beat: Nine Sols, UFO 50. Working on: Metaphor: ReFantazio. Can't wait for: Hollow Knight: Silksong. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
