It’s been more than half a year since Nintendo presented a full Nintendo Direct. In fact, the company has released very little in the way of news for some time. Despite the success of the Switch, Nintendo has focused on getting its already announced games out. That means there has been very little hype for upcoming projects.
That all changed with this Nintendo Direct though. The gaming giant announced a flurry of new titles and DLC. Now gamers have plenty of games to look forward to on the Switch in 2021, including some nice surprises no one was expecting.
Here is everything revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct.
Fall Guys on Switch
Fall Guys was one of the surprise hits of 2020. The game show inspired battle royale game became hugely popular immediately after launching. Unfortunately, players were limited in terms of where they could play the game. Mediatonic only made it available for PlayStation 4 and PC initially, although mobile ports have since been released. Nintendo has now confirmed the game will be coming to the Switch. Unfortunately, players will have to wait until the summer to get their hands on the game.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
The last entry in the celebrated Mario-themed sports game came more than six years ago. Mario Golf: World Tour released on the 3DS in 2014. So it’s been a long time since fans got to experience the world of Mario Golf. But that won’t be the case for long.
Nintendo has unveiled Mario Golf: Super Rush. It features more advanced mechanics than its predecessors and supports motion controls. The standout game mode appears to be speed gold, where everyone plays their shots at the same time. There’s also a story mode, where players can develop their own Mii character and interact with Mushroom Kingdom characters.
It will be available on June 25 and is available to pre-order right now.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a very different Zelda game compared to normal. The follow-up to the 2014 title is a mixture of Nintendo’s action-adventure franchise with Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors series. The success of the title meant that DLC was almost inevitable and Nintendo has now confirmed that is the case.
An Expansion Pass will feature new weapons, challenges, enemies, and characters. The extra content will come in two distinct waves starting in June and continuing in November. The road map for the expansions also suggests extra battle skills and stages will be added. There are no real specifics yet on what will be included, though.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Since launching in 2018, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has become Nintendo’s premier fighting game. Unlike previous entries, Ultimate has also been significantly expanded since launching. This has primarily involved adding extra fighters to the main game, inflating the already huge roster.
During the Nintendo Direct, the company confirmed that Pyra was entering the fray. The Xenoblade Chronicles character will be joined by alter-ego Mythra, with the two able to fight together. Other characters from the series can also assist the player with special moves. The fighter will be available in March.
The Legend of Zelda
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series. Fans have long been expecting big news from Nintendo, especially after the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars last year. It looks like Nintendo will be doing something similar for Link in 2021.
Series producer Eiji Aonuma began the Legend of Zelda section with an apology. He confirmed that the team has no news about Breath of the Wild 2. However, he did state that Nintendo expects to be able to provide more details about the game later this year.
The big announcement was that Skyward Sword HD is coming to Switch. This upgraded version of the original 2011 Wii U title is set to launch on July 16.
According to Aonuma, the extra processing power in the Switch allows for smoother and more intuitive gameplay. Players can use two Joy-Cons to directly control the sword and shield during combat. However, Nintendo has also added button controls so it can be played on the Switch Lite or in handheld mode.
Aonuma also showed off two new specially designed Joy-Con controllers themed on the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. These will launch at the same time as Skyward Sword HD.
Splatoon 3
The final announcement during the Nintendo Direct was a trailer for Splatoon 3. The game is not arriving until 2022 so there’s plenty of time until it will be available.
From what appeared in the brief footage, it looks like there will be lots of new mechanics and characters to choose from. The trailer also takes place in a desert, suggesting at least some of the oceans from the previous games have disappeared.
Other Games
During the Nintendo Direct presentation, a wide variety of other games were also revealed. There are several new Nintendo games in the works. These include Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind. These are reimagined adventure visual novels from the NES era coming to the Switch on May 14. Nintendo also revealed Miitopia, where players can team up with friends to save the kingdom in a fantasy world. It will be released on May 21.
Meanwhile, Nintendo also confirmed that a revamped version of Legend of Mana is coming to the Switch. It will feature improved HD visuals and launch on June 24. Meanwhile, a series of Super Mario Bros. items and costumes are coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A free update will launch for the game on February 25, with the new items available from March 1.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is a bundle of three classic Ninja Gaiden games. It includes Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3, Razor’s Edge. The collection is set to launch on June 10. Nintendo also announced that Hades would be getting a physical release. This version will include a digital soundtrack and a 32-page artbook. Hades will be available from March 19 in stores.
The last major announcement came in the form of Project Triangle Strategy. This is an experimental new tactical RPG from Square Enix. It is not launching until 2022 but a demo is available on the eShop for players to try right now. The developer will be asking for feedback from fans after playing through the demo.
The other games featured briefly during the presentation were:
- Outer Wilds (Summer 2021)
- Samurai Warriors 5 (Summer 2021)
- Monster Hunter Rise (March 26)
- Tales from the Borderlands (March 24)
- Capcom Arcade Stadium (February 17)
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (March 16)
- No More Heroes 3 (August 27)
- Neon White (Winter 2021)
- DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power (June 4)
- Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville (March 19)
- Star Wars Hunters (Summer 2021)
- Knockout City (May 21)
- World’s End Club (May 28)
- Bravely Default II (February 26)
- Apex Legends (March 9)
- Ghosts ‘N Goblins Resurrection (February 25)
You can watch the full Nintendo Direct presentation below.
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