Fans have wondered what would be the next major thing announced at the next Nintendo Direct, and after basically shadow-dropping it on excited gamers…we now have our answers, and it’s a mix of expected things, a few surprises, and a long-awaited return in Bayonetta 3. So let’s dive into the highlights, shall we?
The Nintendo Direct started off with the reveal of massive DLC coming to Monster Hunter Rise via the content expansion called Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, here’s a quick synopsis of it:
Capcom is currently working on a massive, paid DLC expansion for the hit Nintendo Switch game MONSTER HUNTER RISE. The expansion will include newly added stories, locales and monsters, as well as newly added hunting actions and quest rank.
The content will arrive in the Summer of 2022!
Mario Party Superstars also got some updates, including new boards being revealed, a new gameplay mode where you do solely mini-game challenges, and more.
Next up was another major 3rd party surprise in the reveal of Voices of Cards by Square Enix:
A spellbinding experience from the creative minds of YOKO TARO and Yosuke Saito is about to unfold. In Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars from SQUARE ENIX, players will square off in experiences that reveal themselves through cards, including turn-based battles, where their skills – and a little bit of luck – will determine the victor. This fresh take on tabletop RPGs launches for Nintendo Switch on Oct. 28.
Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity is getting another wave of expansion DLC, and this will include not just new characters, but more stories as well:
On Oct. 29, the second wave of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Pass content arrives with a newly playable character duo, additional stages and emotional new story sequences. Defend Hyrule as the quirky duo character, Purah & Robbie, and their array of ancient technology. See how places like the Coliseum and Kakariko Village looked 100 years in the past in new story stages. Learn more about the Champions and the mysterious Guardian in emotional new story sequences as the fight for Hyrule’s future continues!
Another curious addition from Square Enix came in the form of Chocobo GP. A Mario Kart-esque title where you’ll be playing as various characters from Final Fantasy lore including Chocobos and Gilgamesh in races both fun and magic-filled. You’ll collect special magical items to unleash classic spells, and each racer has their own special skill to use! This is an exclusive title coming to Switch next year:
Many hopefuls watching the Nintendo Direct were hoping that we’d get the final Super Smash Bros Ultimate character announcement. And we did…kind of. Because it was announced that the FINAL Mr. Sakurai Presents event will happen on October 5th, and it is then that we’ll find out the final character. So Smash Bros fans just have to wait a little longer for that.
Easily one of the biggest reveals for the show by far was that of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. A bold take on the Kirby franchise that’ll have you moving across fully traversable landscapes as Kirby himself searches a new land he has literally washed upon:
The next Kirby adventure on the Nintendo Switch system is going 3D! In this new 3D platforming game, players can freely navigate areas using familiar Kirby copy abilities. What lies in store for Kirby as he explores a mysterious setting filled with abandoned structures from a past civilization?
As you’ll see in the trailer below, the game is clearly taking notes from Super Mario Odyssey while also embracing the fun of Kirby. The game will release in Spring 2022!
A slew up of updates included new Mario Golf Super Rush, a new Animal Crossing New Horizons Direct that is coming in October (that will showcase new free content starting in November, the arrival of the classic KOTOR title to Switch, Dying Light 2 will come to Switch via the Cloud, and more.
Heading back to Square Enix, what was known as Project Triangle Strategy is now officially…Triangle Strategy. How original. Anyway, the game has been fine-tuned due to the surveys on the demo. The game will have improved graphics on the battlefield, better loading times, options on difficulty, the ability to look back at previous conversations, and more. We did get a release date though of March 4th, 2022.
After showcasing more Metroid Dread, Nintendo took a bit to talk about Nintendo Switch Online. They’re going to add a new member tier, and with that new tier is going to come access to N64 and Sega Genesis titles. Including classics like Ocarina of Time, Golden Axe, Sin and Punishment, Ecco The Dolphin, Super Mario 64, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and more will be added over time.
In addition, special N64 and Sega Genesis wireless controllers will be released for the Switch so you can play the games in the original style.
In arguably the biggest surprise of the show, Shigeru Miyamoto returned to update fans about the Super Mario movie being made by Illumination. He unveiled the US release date of December 21st, 2022, and announced that Chris Pratt will be Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy will be Peach, Charlie Day will be Luigi, Jack Black will be Bowser, and the original voice of Mario will appear in various cameo roles.
Splatoon 3 returned to the screen with another look at both the gameplay AND the storyline for the title. The gameplay showed all sorts of new areas that players will get to enjoy, as well as new abilities to use including being able to wield a spider mech. As for the story mode, which is be called “Return of the Mammalians”, and is set to dive into what happened to the other mammals that were lost (outside of a certain pair of cats) long ago. The game is set to arrive in 2022.
Finally, and arguably most epically, we got the first true trailer…for Bayonetta 3. And yes, even she realized that she was “unfashionably late” but promised to give us “all that we want”.
We see her fighting new monsters that don’t look like angels or demons like in the first two games. What’s more, we see new abilities for her, including allowing the player to control some of the demons she can summon with her hair. And as you can she has a new look.
Nintendo thanked fans for their patience with this title and said it’ll arrive in 2022.
To watch the full Nintendo Direct, check out the video below:
