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Nintendo’s latest Direct showcase has brought a huge amount of news for fans to digest. The showcase, which aired yesterday, has the internet buzzing with hype for a slew of newly announced games, including release dates for some titles that have been in the works for years. The Direct came as an out-of-the-blue surprise, as Nintendo only offered about 24 hours notice before it went live!
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest headlines from the event.
The biggest news from the Direct is that Bayonetta 3 actually exists. The stylish hack-and-slash title has a very dedicated fanbase, owing to the polished production from developers Platinum Games. The game was actually first announced four (!!!) years ago, during the Game Developers’ Conference in 2017. The announcement was a very simple teaser trailer, and the game has been absolutely devoid of news since.
Now, fans have a glorious gameplay trailer to pore over. Bayonetta has a new look in this title, and she seems to be taking aim at Kaiju-like monsters this time around instead of angels and demons. We also finally have a loose release date for the highly-anticipated title, sometime in 2022.
Another huge Switch exclusive got a new trailer during the direct: Splatoon 3. Nintendo’s newest IP has been extremely popular since first debuting on the Wii U in 2015, and the series’ multitude of fans were eagerly awaiting news on the next entry. Splatoon’s main gameplay hook is the fast-paced 4 vs 4 multiplayer, where “Squid Kids” compete to cover more of the map in their team’s color of ink.
The ink-based gameplay extends to the single-player mode, too. This time around, the single-player campaign is titled “Return of the Mammalians,” and will likely delve deeper into the series’ zany post-apocalyptic setting. The game also has a tentative 2022 launch date.
A new Kirby adventure is coming to Switch in April 2022. The 3D adventure title, Kirby and the Forgotten Land sees the little pink puffball exploring a sprawling abandoned setting that looks suspiciously like the real world. The gameplay trailer shows Kirby using all of his classic powers, sucking up enemies to copy their powers, inflating like a balloon to fly around the map, and generally being an adorable little piece of bubblegum.
The game looks awesome from the trailer. Fans are excited to try out a Kirby game in a brand-new dimension!
The long-rumored Castlevania Advance Collection is real, and it’s out now on Switch. The collection bundles three classic titles: Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, and Aria of Sorrow. Aria of Sorrow in particular is considered by many fans to be a high-water mark for the franchise.
Another rumor proved to be true during the Direct: Nintendo 64 titles are, indeed, coming to the Switch. They’ll be included as part of a “premium subscription” that’s a higher tier than the existing Nintendo Switch Online. While NSO is only $20 per year, it is disappointing to hear that the N64 titles will command a higher price tag to access.
The N64 games that will be available when the service launches include the usual suspects: Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Star Fox 64 are among the first-party titles shown off during the direct. In addition, Nintendo will be adding Sega Genesis games to this higher NSO tier, making many 90s kids delighted.
As with the previous NSO classic offerings, Nintendo will be selling wireless controllers in the same form factor as those that came with the original consoles. Yes, you’ll be able to buy a wireless N64 controller from Nintendo in the year 2021. Time really is a flat circle!
