The September Nintendo Direct crammed dozens of Nintendo Switch game announcements and updates into 40 minutes, with a few surprises sprinkled on top. A classic Paper Mario game is coming back to life, along with F-Zero, and a DS adventure game that never launched outside Japan. Nintendo showcased new Splatoon 3 updates, more on Princess Peach’s new solo venture, a SpyxFamily game, and a whole lot more.
There’s no Switch 2 news, though, so if you’re looking for that, you’ll probably have to wait until 2024.
Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC trailer
Nintendo served up a new Splatoon 3 Side Order trailer with a tantalizing tease: It’s possibly a roguelike. Check out more and see the trailer in our Splatoon 3 DLC coverage.
Mario Kart 8 DLC - The final booster pass
The last round of Mario Kart 8 DLC crosses the start line sometime in the 2023 holiday season, with the usual mix of new characters and repurposed courses. This time, we’re getting:
- Diddy Kong
- Pauline
- Peachette
- Funky Kong
- Daisy Circuit
And possibly more, though Nintendo will likely share additional information in the lead-up to the DLC’s launch. As ever, you can purchase the pass or get it for free with an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Dave the Diver on Switch
Dave the Diver is coming to consoles, starting with the Switch. The hit indie game launches as a timed exclusive on Oct. 26, 2023, for Nintendo’s handheld.
Spy x Family game: Operation Memories
Bandai Namco is making a SpyxFamily game, and it looks absolutely adorable. It’s officially called SpyxAnya: Operation Memories, and as you’d expect from the name, Anya is the main focus. You follow Anya and her adopted family on 10 outings and help her make memories by photographing and interacting with anything and everything around you.
It looks exceptionally chill and almost like Pokemon Channel, but with Anya.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is back
It’s been more than half a decade, but Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is coming back. The puzzle game looks like a soft reboot for the series, and you can see it in action in our Mario Vs. Donkey Kong coverage.
Another Code: Recollection
The DS hosted several adventure games in its time, and one of them is getting another shot – Another Code. Another Code follows a young woman who receives a letter from her dad, who should be dead and rather unable to send letters, so she travels to the totally-not-ominously-named Blood Edward Island to find out what’s going on.
Its sequel, which never launched outside Japan, is also bundled in the collection.
Classic Tomb Raider lands on Nintendo Switch
Lara Croft’s original adventures are coming to Nintendo Switch (and PlayStation) in a collection that includes the first three Tomb Raider games with enhanced graphics. The Tomb Raider Remastered collection launches on Feb. 14, 2023.
Super Crazy Rhythm Castle sets the beat
Konami popped up with a surprise: Super Crazy Rhythm Castle, a hybrid rhythm game, puzzle game, and adventure where your tune sets the beat for everything else. Look for this one on Nov. 18, 2023.
Another Super Mario RPG Remake trailer
We got to see a little more of the Super Mario RPG remake following its announcement in June, with some new info tidbits thrown in as well. You can swap between normal and easy mode at any time, and you can change between the rearranged soundtrack or the original SNES game score whenever you like.
F-Zero is coming back - but not like you remembered
F-Zero is making a comeback, almost 20 years after the engines fell silent on the Game Boy Advance. Mute City is a bit different now, though. For one thing, there’s 98 other players racing around. Check out more in our F-Zero 99 coverage.
Another Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown trailer
There’s not a whole lot new here, but it’s nice to see the gorgeous Lost Crown in action again.
Princess Peach takes center stage
The Princess Peach game Nintendo teased in June is officially Princess Peach: Showtime. Peach and some Toads visit a famous theater at the start of Showtime, but an evil troupe of actors – led by a wicked grape – steal the spotlight and bring the theater under their control. Showtime bends genres and puts Peach literally in a new role in each (also literal) new stage. She’s a martial arts master in one, a peerless swordfighter in another, and an ace detective in another.
Princess Peach: Showtime launches on March 22, 2024.
Square Enix keeps the SaGa going
Square Enix announced SaGa Emerald Beyond, a new, standalone entry in the complex RPG series. There’s vampires, robots, and all the off-the-wall SaGa trappings, six disparate protagonists, and the description on Nintendo’s storefront promises more branching story paths than ever. Look for this one on sometime in 2024.
Trombone Champ
The quirky rhythm game Trombone Champ is out on Switch now. Play – or try to play – 50 famous songs on your trusty trombone. Aim for a high score, make horrible mistakes, and bring the neighbors’ ears to their proverbial knees with chaotic local multiplayer.
Unicorn Overloard is a thing
Despite the unorthodox name, this isn’t another Square Enix RPG. Unicorn Overlord comes from Atlus and 13 Sentinels maker Vanillaware, a tactical RPG where you fight to liberate your kingdom with an army of allies, angels, monsters, and pretty much anyone who can join. The overworld is open for exploration, and yes, there’s plenty of Vanillaware’s signature food to go around as well.
Unicorn Overlord launches on March 8, 2024.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has a release date
The dev team just recently delayed Hundred Heroes out of 2023, but now they’re back with a release date trailer. Hundred Heroes, the spiritual successor to Suikoden that aims to recreate the epic RPGs of yesteryear, launches on April 23, 2024.
A new Among Us map sprouts up
Among Us maker Innersloth announced a new map and what looks like brand-new tasks for the hit social deduction game. The fungal jungle will arrive sometime in October 2023.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is coming to Switch
The rumors of a Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake turned out to be true, though it seems “remaster” is more accurate. Nintendo closed the Direct with a trailer showcasing the Gamecube game’s enhanced graphics and what looks like a 1:1 remake otherwise. Mario’s classic companions, including the spunky Yoshi, Flurry, and Goombella, return, and Peach’s relationship with a formerly nefarious AI feels a little different now that AI isn’t just the stuff of sci-fi anymore.
Thousand-Year Door is one of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems’ creative games, though there hasn’t been a (legal) way to play it since the Wii days. Look for this one sometime in 2024.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
