If there’s something Nintendo does really well it’s game announcements, and I say they do it well because in a short 30 minute video they managed to announce over 15 new games coming to the Nintendo Switch and a tonne of updates for already released games. If it was Microsoft or Sony announcing these new games and updates it would take them 30 minutes just to cover one game, as they love to over-dramatize everything.
Anyway you’re not here for a console war, you’ve come to see what Nintendo has in store for you during the coming months, so here’s everything that was announced during the Nintendo Direct live stream:
BoxBoy + BoxGirl coming to the Nintendo Switch: The 2015 puzzle platformer which debuted on Nintendo 3DS is making its way to the Nintendo Switch in a new form and with a fellow box lady known as ‘BoxGirl’ (they really let their creative juices flow there). BoxBoy + BoxGirl will also feature co-op multiplayer for the first time in the series, allowing two players to complete the 270 puzzles together, and once you’re done with the main game Qudy, who you may remember from the first title on the 3DS, will make an appearance and throw even more puzzles in your direction. Watch the BoxBoy + BoxGirl gameplay trailer here.
Smash Bros 3.0 update coming in spring: We don’t have too much to say about the upcoming Smash Bros Ultimate update as nothing was revealed, Nintendo simply said that it’s “coming in Spring”.
Super Mario Maker 2 confirmed for the Switch: Much to the delight of all the Mario fans out there, Super Mario Maker 2 has been confirmed and will be releasing on the Switch in June. The game will include new features, most of which will remain a mystery until closer to the release date, but one thing that was confirmed by the gameplay trailer was that you will be able to build slopes, something that was heavily requested by fans. You can read more about Super Mario Maker 2 here.
Captain Toad Treasure track update: Nintendo have announced that all maps in the game will now be playable cooperatively (2 player) from today. There’s also new paid-for DLC on the way which will include 18 new and challenging maps. Nintendo didn’t reveal the price of the premium DLC, but they did say it will launch on March 14th, however, one new free map will be available to play and download later today, so be sure to fire up the game and check for an update.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 releasing in the Summer: Nintendo showed off some gameplay of the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 game during Nintendo Direct, and they also confirmed that the game will have both local and online multiplayer functionality with up to 4 players. They also revealed some of the special abilities and other game mechanics we can expect to see, find out more and watch the gameplay trailer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 here.
Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night coming to the Switch in the Summer: We’ve known for some time that Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night would be coming to the Nintendo Switch, we just didn’t know when. Well, we still don’t know exactly when, but we do know that it will be sometime in the Summer of this year (between June and September). It was a shame to not get a solid release date, though the game has been delayed once before so it’s at least reassuring to know that another delay isn’t on the table. Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night is a Castlevania-like game that was announced by former Castlevania series producer ‘Koji Igarashi’ (hence the Castlevania similarities) and was funded by the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.
A new free Tetris game called Tetris 99: Nintendo are releasing a free Tetris battle royale game for all Nintendo Online subscribers. The game follows the traditional Tetris gameplay but with a twist – you’ll be battling it out with 98 other players to see who can survive the longest and, to throw a spanner in the works, you’ll also be able to clog up other players boards with junk. Read more about the upcoming Tetris battle royale game here.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming to the Switch in July: The sequel to 2016’s Dragon Quest Builders will be launching on the Nintendo Switch on July 12th. Dragon Quest Builders 2 will, of course, bring a bunch of new features and mechanics to the game, with the most notable being the ability to play online with up to 4 other players. Other new features include:
- The ability to build larger structures
- You can now travel across air, land, and sea
- Fast-travel via a retro-style map
- Various farming mechanics
- The ability to create rivers, waterfalls and pools
Dragon Quest 11 is coming to the Switch: The critically acclaimed JRPG from the heavyweight developers Square Enix will finally release on Nintendo Switch this Fall. The Switch version of the game will have the ability to switch between original midi soundtrack or the new, fully orchestrated soundtrack as well as the ability to change from the beautiful 3D graphics to the retro 16-bit graphics, something which was only enjoyed by 3DS players in Japan previously. Read more about Dragon Quest 11 here.
New Starlink: Battle for Atlas content: The next Starlink update will include the ability to play as Peppy, Falco and Slippy, each with their own set of abilities and talent trees, as well as their own set of new and challenging missions which will see you face off with Star Wolf’s lieutenants Andrew, Pigma and Leon. The update will also feature faction missions and Starship racing, which looked as good as it sounded in the announcement trailer.
Rune Factory 4 Remastered and Rune Factory 5 confirmed: The 2012 game Rune Factory 4 will be making its way to the Switch later this year in a fully remastered form, and the new Switch version will come with a whole host of upgrades from beautiful looking graphics to the ability to experience married life within the game and more. Nintendo also announced that Rune Factory 5 is in development and will be coming to the Switch, but there is not currently a release date for it.
Oninaki reveal trailer: Oninaki is a new action-RPG developed by Square Enix that will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch as well as other platforms in the summer of 2019. The game is centered around a “Watcher” named Kagachi who travels between the realms of life and death in order to save lost souls. As you progress through the game, the souls that you save will aid you, with each soul providing unique special powers similar to the spirits in Smash Bros Ultimate. Much to my delight, the reveal trailer contained some gameplay which appeared to show real time combat and no turn based gameplay. Read more about Oninaki here.
Yoshi’s Crafted World demo and new gameplay footage: Yoshi’s crafted world is nearly upon us, with the game set to launch on March 29th. To celebrate that fact, Nintendo has released some new gameplay footage showing off some of the maps and bosses you can expect to see. They have also released a game demo which will feature one free map and is available now for download on your Nintendo Switch.
Fire Emblem: Three houses delayed: It’s sad news for Fire Emblem fans as Nintendo has announced that the game will no longer be releasing in Spring and instead will be pushed back Until July 26th. You can read more about the delay and Fire Emblem: Three Houses here.
Unravel Two coming to the Switch: The generally well-received puzzle platformer Unravel Two will be coming to Switch on March 22nd. This charming game will see you take control of two adorable “yarnys” in a quest to solve challenging puzzles throughout a beautifully crafted world. The game will feature local co-op multiplayer similar to it’s console counterparts, or you can play by yourself and control both Yarnys, which is arguably easier but not quite as fun.
Assassins Creed 3 remastered coming to Switch: Arguably one of the best, if not the best Assassin’s Creed game is being remastered and will launch on the Switch on May 21st. The remastered Switch version of the game will come bundled with all of the DLC.
Daemon X Machina free demo: Daemon X Machina was first revealed at E3 2018 and now the developers are ready to gather feedback from players by giving out a free demo to all players via the Nintendo eShop. It’s important to note that this demo will feature ‘prototype missions’ and that the game is still in development, the full release is expected to be in the Summer.
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is coming to the Switch: The 2017 action game developed by Ninja Theory, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, will be making its way to the Switch in Spring this year. The award-winning game was met with praise by fans and critics alike and will make a great addition to the Switch’s lineup, read more about Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice and the Switch release here.
Deltarune is coming to Switch: The first chapter of Toby Fox’s Deltarune will release for free on February 28th. The game initially launched on the PC at the end of last year and will make its way to the PS4 at some point later this year too. As mentioned, the first chapter will be released for free, but subsequent chapters will be paid-for content. If you can’t wait to get your hands on Deltarune on the Switch you can download the first chapter for free right now on the PC.
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival Reveal Trailer: Disney Tsum Tsum Festival will feature a variety of PvP and co-op mini-games which can be played with up to four friends or family locally or online. The mini games range from air hockey to Bejeweled-type puzzles. There’s some really cool mechanics included in the game, such as the ability to turn your console and play vertically, similar to how you would play on your phone. The game looks cute, though it’s not high up on my must-buy list, mainly because I have no friends to play with.
Bayonetta 3 is in development: We didn’t receive any details about the game, we didn’t even see a trailer, but what we do know is that the developers are hard at work, I think this was just to put us at ease after they revealed the upcoming Astral Chain game (below) from the same developers (PlatinumGames).
New IP Astral Chain coming to the Switch: Astral Star is a new action game brought to you by the Bayonetta creators ‘PlatinumGames’. The game will see you be part of a police special forces unit in a beautiful futuristic city where you have to work together with a humanoid known as Legion. The reveal trailer showed off some impressive graphics and some even more impressive combat, which at first glance looks similar to Bayonetta, which is in no way a bad thing. You can read more about the upcoming Astral Chain here.
Final Fantasy 7 & Final Fantasy 9 coming to the Switch: Final Fantasy 7 will release on the Switch on March 26th and Final Fantasy 9 is available right now. Both games are great and will make an incredible addition to the Switch, you can read more about the two upcoming Final Fantasy releases here.
Link’s Awakening remastered for the Nintendo Switch: The big Nintendo Direct finale was a reveal trailer for Link’s Awakening, but not the classic 1993 Game Boy game – instead, it was revealed that the game is getting a full revamp, and we saw some gameplay footage which showed off the impressive graphics; it’s not a simple copy and paste job, they’ve re-crafted everything into a 3D world, however, they have stuck with the top down camera angle, so don’t expect anything as breathtaking as Breath of the Wild. You can read more about the Links Awakening remastered announcement here.
So, what did you think of the new games and updates Nintendo revealed? Personally, I was hoping for an update on the next core Pokemon game or at least some more details on the upcoming Animal Crossing game, but I think I’m satisfied with what I saw. I can’t wait to get my hands on Assassins Creed 3 and I’m looking forward to seeing some more details on the upcoming Astral Chain game.
Leave a Reply