Nintendo Direct Recap: February 17th 2021

In the first full-fledged Nintendo Direct presentation in over a year, Nintendo marched out a bunch of surprises. With many announcements coming in the near future, Nintendo fans look to have plenty coming along to keep them occupied. And while news about the much-looked-forward to Breath of the Wild sequel was not present, some rather unexpected announcements will hopefully fill the void for fans while they wait. Let’s take a look in our Nintendo Direct Recap!

Pyra/Mythra Are Coming To Smash Bros!

That’s right. Hailing from the fan-favorite Xenoblade Chronicles series Pyra and Mythra are joining the ever-expanding roster of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Functioning as one character, players can swap between them during battles. Giving this new character a solid range of moves. Along with the new character, a Xenoblade Chronicles stage was also shown. And with the new character slated for a March release, Smash fans won’t have to wait long!

Legend of Mana Remaster

Next up on our Nintendo Direct Recap, The 20-year-old classic Legend of Mana is getting a remaster for the Nintendo Switch. Coming June 24th, this game will feature some new story elements for some of its characters along with new musical arrangements that can be swapped with the original score, as well as the ability to turn random encounters off and on. We love to see a classic come back with some quality of life improvements.

Mario Golf: Super Rush

For fans of Nintendo’s icon plumber’s sports outings, this direct had a big announcement as the latest entry in the Super Mario Golf series, titled Super Rush is coming to Switch on June 25. While bringing along the gameplay it’s known for, the newest entry is also featuring optional motion controls, new gameplay elements to help players better study the courses and plan their swings, as well as several new modes. The two highlighted here were speed golf as well as a story mode.

In speed golf mode all players tee up at once and try to be the first to complete the course. So sure swings and quick thinking will be necessary for players to take the win in this alternate game mode. Plus, power-ups were shown as being able to further alter the course of play in this interesting new mode.

In story mode, players take the role of a Mii. As you play through the story, the player’s Mii will level up.

No More Heroes 3

Our Nintendo Direct Recap continues with the reveal of the release date for the next entry in the No More Heroes franchise. Announced for release on August 27th, No More Heroes 3 will see series protagonist Travis Touchdown enter a tournament to save the world from aliens. But before he can challenge each of his opponents, he will have to take on odd jobs to raise the necessary cash. It looks like the series’ signature mix of odd humor, and stylish combat will remain intact for its newest release.

Neon White Winter

The next announcement to talk about is the unique-looking Neon White Winter. In this first-person shooter, players play a demon in heaven that must battle others of their kind. What makes this game interesting is that the player’s abilities appear to be card-based. With cards appearing to be destroyed after use it’ll be interesting to see exactly how this game plays. I’m sure more information will be forthcoming before the game’s winter release.

DC Superhero Girls: Teen Power

Several of DC comics’ iconic superheroes including Wonder Woman, Barbara Gordon, and Supergirl are coming to the switch in this game that combines teen life, with superhero adventure. The lighthearted cartoon-inspired visuals shown depict the girls going to Metropolis High and saving the day. It looks like some bright-colored fun will be coming to the Switch when the game launches on June 4th.

Miitopia

As the name suggests, Miitopia features the player taking the role of a Mii. In this fantasy kingdom builder, the player not only plays a mii, but also assigns miis to the many roles that need filling within their kingdom. This game is also boasting some new customization options for the miis, so players can add even more fantasy to their kingdoms when Miitopia releases on May 21st.

Project Triangle Strategy (working title)

Next up on our Nintendo Direct Recap is my highlight of the show. Coming from Square Enix, Project Triangle Strategy’s gorgeous visuals will instantly look familiar to anyone who played the 2018 game Octopath Traveler. Set in a realm where three nations tetter on the brink of war, a small party sets out to stop the conflict before it consumes their world. Boasting a tactical RPG combat system that utilizes the environment to impact gameplay in several ways.

Gameplay mechanics like higher elevations allowing for longer ranged attacks were shown. Plus, elements can be combined on the battlefield for deadly effects. One of the examples shown was when lightning was combined with water to shock opposing troops.

What’s is most exciting however about Project Triangle Strategy is its convictions system. As the player makes important game decisions their conviction will become known to those in their world. These convictions will change the story flow, as well as determine who will or won’t join your party. With claims that these decisions can greatly alter the story, Project Triangle Strategy looks like it could be an engaging tactical RPG with lots of replayability.

And to top it off, a demo was released immediately after the presentation. So players can get their first taste of gameplay now. I already have it downloading, so look for my thoughts on the site in the near future.

Star Wars Hunters

A quick reveal of a new free-to-play competitive Star Wars shooter was also shown. Though not much was revealed about the title, given the success of other free-to-play titles under the Star Wars brand like Galaxy of Heroes, I’m sure there will be plenty of hype for this game when it releases later this year.

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD

As previously mentioned, Breath of the Wild was absent, despite many players’ hopes. However, the legendary franchise wasn’t completely omitted from the presentation as Nintendo did announce this HD release of Zelda’s Wii adventure.

I’m sure one of the biggest questions surrounding this is how Nintendo is handling the motion controls the game originally hinged on. While Nintendo has made those controls available for those who wish to use them by linking the sword and shield to the right and left joy-cons for motion when playing with the joy-cons separated, they have also devised an alternative to motion controls. This control scheme maps the sword motions to the right analog stick. Flicking the stick in a given direction will cause Link to swing his sword in the indicated direction.

Also releasing alongside this Hd release is a special Skyward Sword-themed pair of joy-cons. Done in a deep blue color, and sporting imagery from Hyrule, these joy-cons look incredibly eye-pleasing.

Players can get their hands on both game and joy-cons on July 16th.

Quick Mentions

With 50 minutes of announcements, Nintendo brought a lot to talk about in this Direct. Too much to go over in detail. So here below are some quick looks at the other things Nintendo had to tell fans.

Party game sensation Fall Guys will be coming to Switch this summer.

The Game of the Year nominated Outer Wilds will be coming to the Switch this summer.

A pair of the Famicom Detective Club games, never before released in America in is coming to the Switch on May 14th.

Samurai Warriors 5 is coming to the Switch this summer.

The Telltales Games classic Tales from the Borderlands is coming to Switch on March 24th.

Plants vs Zombies: Battle for the Neighborhood Complete Edition is coming to Switch on March 19th.

Animal Crossing will be getting some Super Mario Bros.-themed items players can acquire in the game. Items like the super mushroom and the question block will soon be decorating islands everywhere. Plus, players will be able to place warp pipes around their island for quicker traveling. These items will be appearing in a couple of weeks.

World’s End Club, a narrative side-scrolling action game was announced with a release date of May 28th.

A Ninja Gaiden collection was announced. Collecting Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Sigma Black, and Ninja Gaiden 3, this collection will be dropping on Switch on June 10th.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is getting an expansion pass, with the first piece of DLC coming on May 28th.

A new Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins titled Resurrection is coming to the Switch.

The free-to-play competitive shooter Apex Legends lands on Switch on March 9th. It will come with a new Pathfinder skin and players will receive double experience for the two weeks after release when they play on Switch.

One Last Thing

To close out this latest Direct, Nintendo announced a new game in the Splatoon series. While no real details were provided, Splatoon 3 was given a 2022 release date.

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And that concludes our Nintendo Direct Recap. I hope something got you excited!