With how long it’s been since Nintendo hosted a proper Direct presentation, the hype was real coming into today’s showcase. From what I can tell, this February Nintendo Direct delivered big for fans. With some big announcements, dates revealed, and even a shadow drop, the February Nintendo Direct brought lots to be hyped about. Read on to get the details on the biggest announcements.
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Pikmin 4
Nintendo opens with a trailer for its upcoming Pikmin 4. Lots of gameplay was shown off along with some new additions for this outing. And Ice Pikmin was shown off, as well as an adorable doglike creature that aids you in your journey by breaking through obstacles, providing transport across water, and more. At the end of the trailer we got a release date of July 7th, 2023.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC
The next big announcement for the February Nintendo Direct was new DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This DLC brings a new hero and a new roguelike challenge mode to the game. Fans hyped to jump back into the game don’t need to wait long, as the DLC drops on the 15th of this month!
Samba de Amigo: Party Central
A new game in the Samba de Amigo series is coming to the Nintendo Switch this summer. Shake your Joy-cons through 40 songs from various genres.
Fashion Dreamer
Fashion Dreamer tasks players with becoming fashion influencers. Design styles all your own thanks to over a thousand items to mix and match. Grow your circle of friends through online play and see how much you can grow your brand. The game was announced for later this year and is coming exclusively to the Switch.
Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania DLC
Next up on the February Nintendo Direct was a new look at the previously announced doc for the popular roguelike Dead Cells. Boasting loads of music from across the Castlevania franchise, players will get to battle their way through Dracula’s castle again when the doc launches on March 6th.
Tron: Identity
This choice-driven adventure game looks to take players back to The Grid of the iconic world of Tron. Coming first on console to the Nintendo Switch in April. It touted variable endings as which faction the player sides with will change the fate of The Grid.
Ghost Trick
Showed off puzzle-solving gameplay as the player must possess objects and interact with their world to progress through the game’s story.
Bayonetta Origins: Ceraza and the Lost Demon
Following the release of the action-packed Bayonetta 3, players are getting to return to guide their favorite witch through a whole new kind of game. Featuring storybook-like visuals and a top-down view, players take control of two protagonists at once as they battle through enemy encounters. While one can launch powerful attacks, the other can only support them. Utilizing both characters is the key to victory. Upgrading abilities aid the duo in both combats as well as traversal. The game will be arriving on March 17th.
Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass
One of the more confusing moments for me in this February Nintendo Direct was the content coming to Splatoon 3. The announcement boasted adding Inkopolis to the game. Interested players can check it out today to see if it’s something they want to grab, with another expansion coming later.
Disney Illusion Island
This 2D platforming adventure looked amazing. Featuring visuals that invoke hand-drawn styles, up to four players traverse a magical world with in-house co-op, defeating enemies and traversing various challenges. Each character features unique animations that bring out their particular personality, and upgradeable abilities look to keep the adventure fresh.
Fire Emblem Engage DLC
Waves two through four for the Fire Emblem Engage expansion pass were shown off today. Across the three remaining waves players will gain access to even more emblem heroes and a new story mission. Nintendo capped this announcement with the fact that wave two is available today.
Harmony Fall of Reverie
Of all the new games I saw at this February Nintendo Direct, this game stood out the most to me. A narrative adventure with branching paths tasks players with navigating between our world and the fantasy world of Reverie. The art style was eye-catching and something about the tone really pulled me in. I’m looking forward to learning more about this one before it launches on Nintendo Switch in June.
Octopath Traveler 2 Demo
Ahead of its imminent release later this month, Nintendo announced a demo for Octopath Traveler 2, available today. Dive into the gorgeous HD2D visuals now ahead of the game’s launch.
Sea of Stars
The hotly anticipated RPG that boasts gorgeous visuals and gameplay that harkens back to the glory days of the JRPG genre got its long-awaited release date, August 29th, plus a demo was announced for today.
Omega Strikers
The free-to-play super-powered air hockey action is coming to the Nintendo Switch in April. This fun, fast-paced game sees teams of three working together to utilize character special abilities to score goals and win matches. Preorder sign-ups opened today.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe
A new epilogue story was announced for the upcoming game that sees players take control ofMegalore as they strive to regain the character’s lost powers. As players earn resources, they can choose the order they wish to unlock these abilities, customizing the gameplay to fit their play styles. Up to four players can participate in this epilogue story. Also, a demo for Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe was announced. Up to four players can get an early look at the game.
New Games Coming to Switch online/Online Plus
Big news for old-school handheld gaming fans. This February Nintendo Direct saw the announcement of original Game boy games coming to Switch online, and Game Boy Advance games coming to Online Plus.
From the Game Boy, the games announced were Tetris, Super Mario Land 2: The Six Golden Coins, Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Gargoyle’s Quest, Game and Watch Gallery 3, Alone in the Dark: The Dark New Nightmare, Metroid 2: The Return of Samus, Wario Land 3, and Kirby’s Dreamland. Players will have the option of viewing these games through filters that simulate the screens of the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color.
From the Game Boy Advance, players are getting Super Mario Advanced 4: Super Mario 3, Wario Ware Inc, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Mario and Luigi: Super Star Sage, Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and Metroid Fusion.
These games are available today with local and online multiplayer where applicable.
Metroid Prime Remaster
The long-rumored Metroid Prime Remaster was not only announced but was launched digitally today. Players can return to this Game Cube classic. Play with a new control scheme or opt into the classic controls as you guide Samus through one of her most lauded adventures. The physical release of the game is scheduled for a later date.
Advanced Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp
The long-delayed remaster got its new date today. Now scheduled for April 21st players will get to enjoy the deep tactical gameplay of this classic franchise alone, or with friends as the game sports online and local coop.
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The final big announcement of this February Nintendo Direct showed of more gameplay, as well as a launch date for the upcoming follow-up to one of the biggest games of the Switch era. Slated for May 12th, this new trailer showed off new enemies, new modes of travel, as well as hints about the new villain plaguing Hyrule.
Even More
Along with the above, fans also got looks at a bevy of other games including We Love Katamari Remaster, Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection, Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, Baton Kaidos 1 and 2, Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals, Minecraft Legends, Mega Man Battle Network Collection, Have a Nice Death, Disney Dream Light Valley, Tales of Symphonia Remaster, and more. Many of these games sport release dates so make sure to check out any that interest you.
And there you have it. All the biggest news out of today’s Nintendo Direct. Hope this helped you catch up on all the big announcements.
