The long rumoured Nintendo Direct finally got announced to the thrill of many, and on Tuesday we all got to witness what Nintendo and its developers have been cooking up for us. There was a lot to cover, way too much to write about, so I have decided that I am just going to tackle some of my personal highlights.
Fire Emblem Engage is the newest addition to the famous Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem Engage introduces summoning heroes from past FE entries like Marth and Celica. The protagonist this time around has a very flamboyant red and blue hairdo. I actually really love the designs even though I appear to be in the minority on that one. Engage looks like it’s going to be a very interesting entry to the Fire Emblem series. Fire Emblem Engage launches January 20th, 2023.
Nintendo was ready to continue to give love to all the JRPG fans out there as they announced some new DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as well as a sequel to the critically acclaimed Octopath Traveller! Square Enix also decided to bring back its rhythm game Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. This new game is called Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and it boasts hundreds of songs. This time they have shown off DLC for music from other games like Nier and LIVE A LIVE as well as some others. Speaking of added content, they showed us the next updates to Mario Strikers: Battle League as well as Nintendo Switch Sports. They also revealed a ton of new N64 games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online package including fan favourite Goldeneye 007 with FUCKING ONLINE MULTIPLAYER. If you pick Oddjob, I hate you. Nintendo also gave a very early look at the new DLC for Mario Kart 8 releasing this holiday season.
After nearly 20 years, we are getting a remake of the life sim classic STORY OF SEASONS: A Wonderful Life, or as you may remember it Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. I grew up on this game and almost got emotional the moment I saw it. I don’t know how many hours I put into this game as a kid, but I do know that everyone in my adult life will have to leave me alone for a month once this comes out. That isn’t the only classic getting a remaster. Tales of Symphonia is getting a brand new remaster next year! ToS is another game I grew up with and was obsessed with. 2023 is looking so good right now.
Miyamoto comes on screen and starts to talk about Pikmin Bloom. A mobile game that has been out for months now. Of course he only did that to throw all of us off our game as he swiftly announced Pikmin 4, that has a new over the shoulder POV which looks fantastic. I have always loved the top down camera, but I am very curious to see how this new POV effects gameplay! Pikmin 4 comes next year. Another super cute legendary Nintendo series was shown off today as well; Kirby’s Return To Dreamland Deluxe was announced and it looks like a total blast. Boasting 4 player co-op and all the classic mini games from the OG game, Samurai Kirby is back! Super excited to get my hands on that game next February.
We finally got an in depth look at Bayonetta 3‘s gameplay as well as some of its story and new characters. Returning characters all have new looks and we are introduced to a new playable character Viola, a witch in training. Bayonetta 3 looks just as ridiculous as the first two games in the series. I have so much love for Bayonetta and am so happy that it is thriving on the Nintendo Switch. I am dying to get my hands on it NEXT MONTH. WOOOOOOOOO!
The last game I am going to cover today is the long awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I don’t have to call it that anymore. Today the title of this game was finally given to us, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After ages of not knowing, we finally have what we’ve all been waiting for… a name and a release date. I have already begun theory crafting what this game could be about, but I know I’m completely wrong. Nintendo is still keeping this one close to their chest and will likely give us a very deep dive on the new Hyrule and gameplay systems sometime down the line. Until then, I guess we will just have to play all of the fantastic looking Nintendo Switch games that are coming out within the next year.
That’s a wrap on today’s Nintendo Direct. I covered most of the games, however there are others that were revealed that you can find over on Nintendo’s YouTube channel. 2023 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years for gaming.
