Nintendo Direct roundup: All the biggest announcements and trailers from the summer event
Mario, Zelda, and Metroid headline Nintendo Direct which took place on 18 June.
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Note: This article was first published on 21 June 2024.
Plenty of games and updates coming. (Image Source: Nintendo)
The latest Nintendo Direct showcased a plethora of games coming in the second half of 2024. Throughout the 40ish-minute long video, there was tons of news regarding updates, progress and release dates on games for the Switch.
If you're wondering if there were any Switch 2 announcements, unfortunately, it is still early days and Nintendo is still a bit wry on when they are ready to talk about the new console but at least they admitted that it's coming next year.
Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood
Yahoo! It’s been nearly nine years since the last Mario and Luigi game was released. The all-new Mario and Luigi: Brothership is an RPG that takes the two brothers on a journey around multiple islands in the Mario universe.
The game adopts a colourful art style and introduces a brand new feature called “evolved bro moves”, where the pair team up to create plenty of combos to fight enemies. In the trailer, there’s even one where the duo is holding a hammer and Luigi uses another to hit Mario and his hammer into the enemy.
We are quite excited about this one. The Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood will launch on 7 November.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
The biggest announcement of the event was undoubtedly The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Based on the trailer, the game has an art style akin to Link's Awakening.
Produced by Eiji Aounoma, Echoes of Wisdom brings a completely new gameplay experience. This time around, players will play as Princess Zelda since Link and others from the kingdom of Hyrule have gone missing "after rifts have started appearing".
Instead of wielding a sword and shield, Princess Zelda will be equipped with a Tri Rod and work with a mysterious fairy named Tri to create echoes, which are replicas of objects and monsters found in the environment. This means you can create bridges out of beds, use water blocks to scale hills, and echo a monster to fight enemies for you.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be released on 26 September. Nintendo also announced a limited edition gold-coloured Nintendo Switch Lite with the Hylian Crest that will arrive alongside the game.
Funko Pop: Funko Fusion
In collaboration with 10.10 Games, Funko Fusion brings iconic bobbleheads from many different entertainment worlds into one action game.
At launch, there will be over 60 characters to choose from such as Freddy, Skeletor, Invincible, and many more. Funko Fusion will be available on Switch (and other platforms) on 13 September. Check out our previous article on Funko Fusion to learn more about the game.
Farmagia
Creator of Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima is collaborating with Marvelous to bring an all-new game dubbed Farmagia. This ARPG is all about combat and farming, get the title now?
Players will be set in the underworld of Felidad and will have to find monster seeds that eventually grow into monsters. From there on, players will fight against enemy monsters to progress and get stronger monsters. It kind of looks like a Pokemon game in a Harvest Moon setting.
Farmagia will be available on 1 November.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Nintendo has finally shared gameplay footage of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, first revealed back in 2017 with just a logo. Since then, there have been minimal updates about the development progress and we only got a video revealing that Retro Studios will be taking the lead in developing the game.
The trailer shows first-person gunfighting, lots of scanning and a familiar Metroid-esque art style. Unfortunately not much was shared about the game and Nintendo only gave a vague 2025 release date. If we have to bet our money, we'll say the game is more than likely to be part of the launch titles for the new Switch 2 console.
More feline action in Stray
Developed by BlueTwelve Studio, Stray will now be available for Switch gamers this Holiday. The game is not exactly new, having already launched for PlayStation, Xbox and PC. It's even available for macOS.
For those unfamiliar with the game, players step into the paws of a stray cat and journey through a cybercity. The neon-lit streets of the city conceal an ancient mystery, which the feline protagonist must solve to find an escape route.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
The Mario Party game series is set to get another addition, with Super Mario Party Jamboree inviting players to join the Mushroom Kingdom gang on an island resort.
In addition to the usual board games, the Jamboree will also feature over 100 different minigames - the most in any Mario Party game. Super Mario Party Jamboree will be available on 17 October.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
First published in 2010, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a remaster of the original game from 2010 and is developed by Retro Studios. Available in HD now, the game takes you through 80 levels across nine worlds. Just like the original, Kong can stomp enemies, blast through barrels and ride rockets as you progress through the various stages.
The game will also include the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS version. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will be available for play on 16 January 2025.
Fantasian Neo Dimension
Originally an Apple Arcade exclusive, the mobile JRPG game Fantasian is coming to the Nintendo Switch this holiday season. Dubbed Fantasian: Neo Dimension, the game is developed by Mistwalker, which is led by Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.
If you're a fan of the Final Fantasy art style, great graphics, and a cliche storyline, Fantasian Neo Dimension might be the game for you. Check out our review of the original Fantasian to learn more about it.
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