Nintendo Direct (9/13/22) recap: Everything announced for Nintendo Switch
Nintendo dropped a massive Nintendo Direct today and if you didn’t have time to watch this 40ish-minute info drop, we’ll break down what you missed. This direct covered mostly games coming out this holiday season and next year for the Nintendo Switch so strap in, this is gonna go all over the place.
You can watch the full video below, or read up on our recap of every single announcement for the Nintendo Switch:
Fire Emblem Engage launches this winter. In a story a bit too close to Breath of the Wild, your hero wakes up from a 1,000-year slumber to find the ancient dragon has kind of won a little bit. It’s got traditional grid-based battles and a new ability to summon heroes from the past, like Marth, to do powerful team-up attacks.
Hazelight Studios action-adventure platformer It Takes Two is coming to Nintendo Switch on November 4. Two players can team up and play via local same-system co-op, with two Switches in local play, or online.
Fatal Frame – Mask of Lunar Eclipse launches in early 2023. It’s the first time this game is coming to the West.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – Season Pass Wave 2 launches on October 13th. It adds new classes and heroes, challenge modes and swimsuits (because Japan).
SpongeBob SquarePants – The Cosmic Shake launches in early 2023. This is a new 3D platformer that takes plac ein several “wishes.” The original cast from the animated series is returning to voice the in-game characters.
Fitness Boxing: Fist of the North Star releases March 23, 2023. The Fitness Boxing series has a bizarre crossover with the Fist of the North Star series. It’s… frankly incredible, and I need it.
Some other notable announcements
- Oddballers: A multiplayer party game launches early 2023
- Tunic: The critically-acclaimed, Zelda-like action-adventure comes to Nintendo Switch on September 27
- Front Mission Remakes: Graphically enhanced classics release on Switch
- Front Mission 1 launches in November
- Front Mission 2 launches early next year
- Front Mission 3 launches in the future
- Story of Seasons – A Wonderful Life remake launches summer 2023
- Finally, a farm sim where I can grow old just like real life
- First farm sim showed in this direct. I’m going to keep count.
Splatoon 3’s first Splatfest will run from September 23-25. It brings three-team multiplayer to the game for the first tim. The theme? What would you bring to a deserted island party; Gear, grub, or fun? Free clothing updates will happen around this time
Octopath Traveler II will release on February 24, 2023. Set during a fantasy industrial revolution, it features eight brand new travelers with their own unique fighting style and stories.
Fae Farm, the second farm sim shown during this Direct, launches in Spring 2023. In addition to regular life farming stuff, you can go out and do quests with other players in dungeons that also offer some light platforming. Farming can also be done multiplayer.
Theaterhythm – Final Bar Line comes to Nintendo Switch on February 16, 2023. It contains a whopping 385 songs. Paid DLC in the future will contain songs from SaGa, Nier, Octopath Traveler and Live a Live. Deluxe versions of the game containing season passes will be available.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope launches on October 20th. Use creatures called Sparks that look like Rabbid Lumas to get special skills. A Gold Edition will be available that includes a season pass and golden weapon skins.
From Harvestella to Bayonetta 3 to Pikmin 4, here’s a quicker rundown of everything shown during the Nintendo Direct today.
- Rune Factory 3
- L:aunches in 2023
- Third in-game farm sim shown
- Remasters graphics
- New Rune Factory coming in the future
- New Nintendo 64 games being added include:
- Pilotwings 64
- Mario Party 1, 2, and 3
- Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2
- 1080˚ Snowboarding
- Excitebike 64
- GoldenEye (w/ online play)
- Various Daylife
- Launches today
- Over 100 tasks to improve your standings with the people of the towns you visit
- Turn based RPG
- Factorio
- Launches Oct 28th
- Management sim so…not a farm sim, not yet a woman?
- Dystopian survival game
- Ib
- Launches Spring 2023
- Creepy exploration game in which your character gets pulled into a painting and into a demonic world
- Looks like something off the early days of Newgrounds
- Mario Strikers Update
- Later this year
- Introduces two new characters
- Pauline
- Diddy Kong
- Also adds new clothings and a new stadium
- Atelier Ryza 3 – Alchemist of the End + the Second Key
- Launches early 2023
- Almost gave me a panic attack as I had to write that long name in my notes
- 11 heroes join you on your quest
- Action based battles allow you to move somewhat freely
- Mario Kart Wave 3
- Launches this holiday
- Adds two new Cups each with four tracks for a total of eight.
- Two tracks were revealed
- Merry Mountain from Mario Kart Tour
- Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS
- Nintendo Switch Sports free update
- Launches this holiday
- Adds golf to the game that can be played online against others
- Launches this holiday
- Mario Movie update
- Will be ready in the Spring
- New Mario Park
- Will open in California
- Pikmin Bloom
- Despite being out for almost a full year, the brought out Miyamoto to advertise it like it’s new for an obscene amount of time
- Pikmin 4
- Launching 2023
- Will allow for a new perspective at ground level to really show off size
- Controls will be changed to a new dandori style which will allow a more stree free level of control
- Launching 2023
- Just Dance 2023 Edition
- The dancers now have faces which somehow makes them creepier as they can now look you in the eyes
- Adds personalization to your player info to make multiplayer a bit more interesting
- Harvestella
- Launches Nov 4th
- Demo out today
- Fourth farm sim shown
- Heavy RPG elements as well as life sim
- Bayonetta 3
- Launches Oct 28
- Some of the characters look REALLY rough for some reason
- Instead of angels and demons, now you’re fighting manmade bioweapons
- Still doesn’t let us play as that little Joe Pesci guy
- Master Detective Archives – RainCode
- Launches 2023
- Detective game from the makers of Dandanropa
- Investigate crime scenes and solve mysteries with the help of a demon
- When you’re ready to tie everything together, enter a bizarre dungeon where everything has a metaphorical impact including an end boss which is the accused in a monstrous form firing denials at you
- Looks bizarre and wonderful
- Resident Evil Village Cloud
- Launches Oct 28th
- Remember Resident Evil Village?
- It’s on a cloud now to stream on your Switch.
- Sifu
- Launches Nov 8th
- The ridiculously difficult but fun game finally comes to Switch
- Crisis Core – Final Fantasy 7 – Remake
- Launches December 13th
- Updated graphics
- Better controls
- Easily my favorite FF game behind 9. Fight me.
- Radiant Silvergun
- Launches today
- Top-down shooter in the style of games like Raiden
- Endless Dungeon
- Launches 2023
- Rougelike that takes place in the Endless universe
- Unlockable characters
- 3 player co-op
- A video played showcasing upcoming games rapidly with little to no info including
- Tales of Symphonia Remastered
- Launches 2023 (finally)
- Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection
- Launches Sep 27th
- Romancing SaGa – Minstrel Song: Remastered
- Launches Dec 1st
- LEGO Bricktales
- Launches Fall 2023
- Disney Speedstorm
- Launches this year
- Fall Guys – Season 2
- Launches Sept 15th
- Tales of Symphonia Remastered
- Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
- Launches Feb 24th
- A full remake of the original game with a changed up art style
- New powerups like a Mecha ability
- New mini games
- Up to four-player co-op play throughout the whole game
Closing out the direct was the release date announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (formerly Breath of the Wild 2). It launches on May 12, 2023. The trailer shows lands suspended in the sky like in Skyward Sword. We also see a new flying mount that looks like a metal bird, and it gave me severe vertigo.