Nintendo releases announcement for new games and content

On Feb. 17th, Nintendo held a 50-minute long presentation called Nintendo Direct, which covered upcoming games and content.

With the arrival of the surprise full hour presentation by Nintendo, we can all feel excited in the midst of these dire times. Unlike the past shorter Directs, this recent one is a full-length presentation, like the pre-pandemic ones. This bit of normalcy is reassuring for all Nintendo fans.

The opening presentation featured a new addition to the Super Smash Bros Ultimate character roster: Pyra from Xenoblade Chronicles. She will be a swordsman with a transformation mechanic that turns her into Mythos for different abilities. 

One interesting game that stood out was World’s End Club, a mystery game with a similar premise to Danganronpa. Which is coincidentally worked on by the same team that made the Danganronpa series.

A new Star Wars game was given a teaser during the presentation, Star Wars Hunters. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, it seems promising as a bounty hunter vs. imperial soldier squad-based multiplayer game.

Another previewed multiplayer game was Knockout City, a team-based competitive dodgeball game with a similar art style to Fortnite. The developers are keen on having a large competitive scene for the game.

Miitopia is coming to the Nintendo Switch with added customization features and better graphics. However, the hefty $60 price tag may be a turn-off for many fans.

The Mario title to grace us this year is… Mario Golf. This is a little underwhelming. The presentation only shows basic grass levels, probably to not spoil the game, but is disappointing nonetheless. Though the competition game where you run and hit the golf balls to the finish line as fast as you can seems fun.

The long-awaited physical copy of Hades is finally going to retail. Hades is a creative dungeon-crawler by the Indie company SuperGiant Games. It includes thousands of unique dialogue interactions, soundtracks that add to the franticness of dungeons and the player’s sense of badassery, and highly customizable battle mechanics that also rely on rng- this is a great opportunity for those looking to get into the dungeon-crawler genre with its forgiving play style. Its multiple games of the year awards isn’t without reason.

The presentation finishes with the announcement of Splatoon 3. It looks like the playable inkling character will be embarking in an apocalyptic desert setting, and players might be able to uncover more about the quirky yet dark squid-kid universe with new lore. The gameplay shown does not differ much from previous games, which will probably change as more splatoon-related content is released.

DLC will be coming to Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, and Animal Crossings New Horizons

Some ports to look out for: Outer Worlds, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, Legend of Mana, Tales of Borderlands, Capcom Arcade Stadium, Stubbs the Zombie In Rebel Without a Pulse, and the featured Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

Other feature titles: Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise and Square Enix’s Project Triangle Strategy

Other titles of note: Neon White, DC Super Hero Girls, Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville, Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir, Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, and Samurai Warriors 5.

For more information check out Nintendo’s official website or Nintendo Direct 2.17.2021