Today, Nintendo held a brand new Nintendo Direct presentation mainly focusing on games coming to the Switch this winter. The presentation offered some pretty exciting announcements, so here's everything that was revealed and/or showcased during today's Nintendo Direct!
Fire Emblem Engage
The first trailer shown was for a new Fire Emblem titled called Fire Emblem Engage. In this, the main character awakens after 1000 years of sleep and is what's known as a Divine Dragon. Traditional Fire Emblem gameplay is paired with an expanded free roam system. Not only will players get to meet new characters of the Fire Emblem universe but returning heroes like Marth will make an appearance.
This game will release January 20th, 2023 and will accompany a "Divine Edition"
It Takes Two
The popular multiplayer story title It Takes Two will be released on Nintendo Switch later this year. You can play multiplayer locally on the one Switch console or across different systems through local or online play.
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse revolves around a young abandoned child visiting a hospital to rediscover her memories. It’s coming in early 2023 and is the first time this game has arrived in the West.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Expansion Pass Wave 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass Wave 2 will include a new “mechanical” hero named Ino. Complete her quest and she’ll join your party, expanding your class and strategy options. Challenge Battles are also coming in this wave, with tough enemies to fight and rewards to earn.
Stronger enemies will give you special outfits and better accessories. Later heroes and additions are also coming in Wave 2, which launches on October 13th.
Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star
Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star is a fitness game in which you’ll train alongside the cast of Fist of the North Star. It comes with an Exercise Mode and a Battle Mode, and it’s coming to Switch in March.
OddBallers
OddBallers offers a “hilariously hard-hitting party game” based on dodgeball. Ridiculous rules and madcap arenas await for you and up to six friends in either local or online play. This one hits Switch early next year.
Tunic coming to Nintendo Switch
If you haven’t already played Tunic, you really should. It’s a beautiful and esoteric adventure game with an adorable fox at its center. Tunic hits Switch on September 27th, and you can pre-order it today on the eShop.
Front Mission 1 Remake and Front Mission 2 Remake
Front Mission 1 Remake and Front Mission 2 Remake rework the two classic mech-based strategy games for Switch. The second game has never left Japan before, so this remake will be the first chance to experience it for Western gamers.
The first Front Mission Remake hits Switch this November, and the second one is coming next year. In the future, a Front Mission 3 remake is also coming to Switch.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life is being reborn on Nintendo Switch. You probably knew it as Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life when it originally launched for GameCube and PS2.
You’ll be able to explore the valley, befriend locals, tend to your farm, and potentially even meet new partners. Characters will age as the game goes on, too. Your child will pick their career based on your actions while raising them.
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life launches for Switch next summer.
Splatoon 3 First Splatfest announced
Splatoon 3 is getting its first post-launch Splatfest. The theme will be “what would you bring to a deserted island?”. The three teams are Gear, Grub, and Fun, so pick your team and prepare to splat your opponents from September 23rd through September 25th.
More free updates for Splatoon 3 are coming soon as well. Stay tuned for more info.
Octopath Traveler 2
Octopath Traveler 2 is on its way to Nintendo Switch. It’s a follow-up to the 2018 RPG that starred eight protagonists going through their own stories.
The new sequel will follow eight brand new characters, including a scholar, a merchant, and a dancer, as well as a thief, a cleric, a hunter, and an apothecary.
This time around, it looks like travelers’ paths will intertwine, addressing a common criticism from the first game (in which characters rarely interacted beyond token conversations). Once again, though, all eight have their own stories to go through. If you loved the original, this looks pretty similar.
Octopath Traveler 2 comes to Switch on February 24th, it will also be coming to PC via Steam.
Fae Farm announced
Fae Farm is a new life sim from Phoenix Labs. It’s got strong Hokko Life vibes, allowing you to create a farm, befriend townsfolk, and battle enemies in action-RPG combat.
There’s a lively cast of characters to befriend here, too, and you can team up with up to 3 other players in either local or online players to build your farm and live your best fae life. Seasons will change and unlock new features.
Fae Farm is exclusively for Switch, and it’s launching next spring.
Theaterhythm Final Bar Line
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a new rhythm-action Final Fantasy game that features a greatest-hits catalog of Final Fantasy music including notable tracks like One Winged Angel. The game supports multiplayer, but otherwise, it’s pretty similar to past games.
This one’s coming on February 16th, and more DLC will be released for SaGa, Nier, Octopath Traveler, Live A Live, and other franchises for a total of 90 extra songs. There’ll also be a Season Pass with an additional 27 songs you can’t get otherwise.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope showed off its Exploration mode. You can free-roam through the game’s worlds, and there are lots to discover there. Collect coins, unlock hidden pathways, and help locals with quests. Looks like the exploration has been significantly expanded since the original game.
Your team gets rewards after each battle, and there are Wisp-style Sparks to recruit, all of which have their own powers and skills. You can use them to augment your strategy in combat.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches on October 20th (which we already knew). There’s also a Gold Edition, because of course there is, and it’s got weapon skins and other extras.
Rune Factory 3 Special and new Rune Factory announcement
Rune Factory 3 is coming back on Nintendo Switch in the form of Rune Factory 3 Special. It’s a classic farm sim that lets you do all the usual farm sim stuff; you can fish, chat to locals, and, uh, transform into a monster.
Your conversations and abilities change depending on your form, and your choices will cause different events to occur. A new mode has also been added for “quality time” with your spouse. This one’s coming next year.
There’s also apparently a new Rune Factory series in development?
New games coming to Nintendo 64 Online
More N64 games are coming to Switch Online’s Expansion Pack. Pilotwings 64, three Mario Party games, Pokemon Stadium and its followup, 1080 Snowboarding, and Excitebike 64 are all coming to Switch Online Expansion Pack.
Also, GoldenEye. Yup, it’s finally happening. Rare’s classic N64 FPS is coming to Switch Online Expansion Pack, and it’s got online play as well.
Complete tasks in Various Daylife
Various Daylife is an “immersive RPG” from Square Enix, where you can perform “more than 100” types of daily tasks to build character and befriend the locals. It’s coming out later today.
Factorio comes to Switch
Factorio is coming to Switch, tasking you with building a new rocket to get back to your planet. It’s the classic factory sim, so make sure to check it out if you’re a huge management sim nerd. It’s coming to Switch on October 28th.
Horror title Ib comes to Switch
Hey, remember the RPG Maker horror game Ib? It’s coming to Nintendo Switch. If you like creepy “walking sim”-style horror titles with a little extra puzzling, you’ll probably love this one. It’s coming to Switch in spring next year.
Mario Strikers: Battle League gets new characters
Mario Strikers: Battle League is getting a second free update. Pauline is a physical powerhouse and Diddy Kong is a “midfield speedster” with an emphasis on technique and accuracy. More gear and an extra stadium are also coming. This update launches later this month.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key is an RPG in the Atelier Ryza series. There’s a huge world to explore, and you can do everything from soaring through the skies to leaping up waterfalls.
Battles have you working alongside allies to swap out skills and defeat enemies. There are new features coming to the Switch version as well, so look out for those. Atelier Ryza 3 comes to Switch on February 24th.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition DLC Wave 3 Teased
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pass Wave 3 is getting new courses: Merry Mountain from Mario Kart Tour and Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS. The third wave is coming to Switch “this holiday”. If you’ve got an Expansion Pack Switch Online membership, it’s already yours at no extra cost.
Nintendo Switch Sports Golf Update Delayed
The next Nintendo Switch Sports free update will add Golf as a sport. It includes 21 holes from the Wii Sports series, and you can either play them locally or alongside up to 7 other players in “Survival Golf”. Players with the most strokes will be out.
This update isn’t coming this fall anymore; it’s planned for “this holiday”, so you’ll need to wait a bit longer for it.
Mario Movie, Pikmin Bloom, and Pikmin 4 news from Miyamoto
The upcoming Super Mario Bros animated movie is launching next spring, and Super Nintendo World is opening in Hollywood next year as well. Nintendo’s putting the “finishing touches” on both.
Looks like it’s Pikmin 4 time. A new trailer shows off a Bulborb from the game, as well as a typically bucolic setting. It’s coming in 2023, and that’s all you’re getting. We’ll have to wait a bit longer for gameplay, it seems, but we do know the game will let you play from the Pikmin’s perspective, so you can see what it feels like when you hurl them to your doom.
This one’s been simplified - Miyamoto calls it “dandori”, or strategic planning and commanding the Pikmin. We’ll likely learn more in the coming months.
Just Dance 2023 shows off a dance
Just Dance 2023 is promising “a new era of dance”. It lets you play with your friends and boasts a “fresh look and feel”. You’ll need to use the Joy-Con to bust your moves, and the game will have personalized recommendations so you can dance how you like.
Just Dance 2023 will also have new modes and content added to it throughout its lifespan, with Ubisoft wanting to create a “never-ending dance platform”. It’s coming to Switch on November 22nd.
Harvestella shows off more farming
Next, it’s time for a look at Square Enix’s farming RPG Harvestella. The Season of Death is encroaching, threatening to destroy the world. You must travel to find a way to put an end to it, and to do so, you’ll learn skills from allies and team up with them to do battle with tough enemies.
A Harvestella demo is coming to Switch later today, and it’ll show off the first few days of the game. You can transfer your progress to the full game. It’s coming to Switch on November 4th (the game, not the demo).
Bayonetta 3 gives story context
Bayonetta 3 is up next, and we got a fresh look at its gameplay and story. Bayonetta’s been revived after 500 years, and she’s fighting to protect the world from “man-made bioweapons”. She’s just as stylish as ever, of course, but now, she’ll need to protect the world instead of looking out for numero uno.
Returning characters include Luka and Jeanne, and new ally Viola is also teaming up with Bayonetta to battle the Homunculi. It’s finally almost time to check this one out on October 28th.
Danganronpa creators show off Master Detective Archive: Rain Code
The Danganronpa creators’ next game is up next. It takes place in a corporate city where you’ll play as a Master Detective. The game is Master Detective Chronicles: Rain Code, and you’ll play as Yuma and Shinigami, an investigator and spirit who must investigate crime scenes and discover the truth behind various crimes.
The game also has a rather strange-looking labyrinth to explore, one in which you’ll need to make choices based on what you’ve learned. There’s a sort of pseudo-combat element, too, where you’ll need to “avoid falsehoods”. This one’s coming to Switch next spring.
Resident Evil Village Cloud edition demo today as well as other Cloud Releases
Resident Evil Village is coming to Switch in the form of a cloud edition, so now you can take on Lady Dimitrescu and her allies on Nintendo’s handheld. The cloud version of this game comes out on October 28th, and there’s a free demo to check out right now as well.
The Winters’ Expansion DLC is also coming to the cloud version on December 2nd, adding new story elements and more. Resident Evil 7, 2 Remake, and 3 Remake are all also coming to Switch via cloud this year.
Action games coming to Nintendo Switch and a Crisis Core Release Date Announcement
Sifu is coming to Switch. Sloclap’s brawler looks surprisingly fully-formed on Nintendo’s platform, and it’s the same roguelite battler as it is on PlayStation and PC. It’s coming to Switch on November 8th.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion tells the story of Zack Fair, Cloud, and Sephiroth when it lands on Nintendo Switch. It’s got enhanced graphics, an updated combat system, and new music. Follow Zack’s story on December 13th.
Treasure is reviving Radiant Silvergun on Nintendo Switch! This classic shoot-’em-up looks just as exciting and frenetic as it always has, tasking you with blasting away at enemies for high scores. It’s hitting Switch later today.
Endless Dungeon is a roguelike robot dungeon-crawler coming to Switch. It’s set in the same universe as Endless Legend, and it tasks you with exploring a series of dungeons, battling waves of enemies, and unlocking new gear and weapons to take on your foes. It’s coming to Switch next year.
Tales of Symphonia Remastered, the best Tales game, is coming to Switch. It revolves around Lloyd and Colette, who must climb the Tower of Salvation to put a stop to a monstrous invasion. It’s a classic Tales RPG with action-packed combat and plenty of party members to meet. You’ll get to play Tales of Symphonia Remastered on Switch in early 2023.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland: Deluxe releasing for Switch
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland: Deluxe is coming to Switch. It’s a remastered version of the Wii platformer originally released back in 2011. It supports local play, so you can team up with your buddies to take on its levels. Also, everyone can play as Kirby, so nobody has to be a Waddle Dee.
This remaster is also coming with a collection of minigames, including a new subgame and returning ones like Samurai Kirby. Like the main game, subgames support up to 4 players. You can check this one out on Switch on February 24th.
Breath of the Wild 2 new footage shown and title revealed
Finally, we’re ending on a new trailer for Breath of the Wild 2, and the new trailer makes the game look pretty awesome. It features Link diving from the sky down to the ground, as well as climbing a rapidly ascending rock platform and scaling a root-encrusted wall.
It’s also got a new name: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This one’s launching on May 12th, so we finally got that Breath of the Wild 2 release date. Hooray!
That’s your lot for today, but it’s plenty to be getting on with, no? I’m still smarting about no Metroid Prime Trilogy Remastered, but there we are. Make sure to stay tuned to TechRaptor for future Nintendo Direct updates!
