Nintendo 3DS RPG From 2012 Returns September 3 With Switch and Switch 2 Remaster

A 2012 RPG — most commonly associated with the Nintendo 3DS, though it was also on PlayStation Vita — is getting a new remaster on September 3 via the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, as well as the PS5. Meanwhile, as of today, the remaster is available on PC, marking the first time it has been released outside of Japan and the first time it’s been available to purchase since its delisting in 2021. That said, life in 2026 for the 14-year-old RPG is not going well so far. To this end, the game only has a 62% rating on Steam so far, but this is because of technical issues, such as crashes, rather than the content of the remaster itself.

More specifically, on September 3, users of the aforementioned consoles can expect to play FuRyu’s Exstetra remaster, which is titled the same. Assuming the price is what it is on Steam, console users will need to fork over $24.99 to revisit the 14-year-old niche RPG. And this is a great price considering the RPG, on average, is about 40 to 50 hours long.

A Niche Japanese RPG

For those unfamiliar with the 3DS RPG, it is set in Amazaea, where Tokyo has been fused with another world and fated for destruction. The game tells the story of Ryoma, a high school student turned chosen savior to confront the end times. Ryoma will need help, though, which means finding those with the same destiny and awakening them with his kiss.

For those who like traditional JRPGs, with old-school turn-based combat complete with dungeon crawling, there is a lot to like with this game. The story isn’t very good, though, and newcomers should prepare for difficulty spikes and overall generic presentation. And yes, the kissing mechanic is a little weird and a little awkward at times.

The original received decent reviews back in the day, but said reviews were limited to Japan and nothing particularly special, and this remaster doesn’t do much to upgrade the game, so there’s no reason to expect it to be substantially better. There are better RPGs and JRPGs to play in 2026, but for anyone who has nostalgia for the title or who always wished it would come west in the 2010s, this is worth keeping an eye on for sure.

As for why the game is returning, we do not know. A remaster like this is presumably to gauge interest in a revival, but it could also just be an easy check. Remasters are very cost-efficient compared to making a new game, and are generally viewed as very reliable bets. That said, other than updated visuals and some quality-of-life improvements, it is unclear what is different about this version compared to the original version.