The February Nintendo Direct was packed with announcements for the Switch, mostly of ports and remasters, but with a few new surprises as well. From the first look at Pikmin 4 gameplay and a release date, to the long-rumored Metroid Prime remaster, Game Boy on Nintendo Switch Online, and some niche JRPGs Bandai pulled out of the past, there was, if not something for everyone, at least plenty to keep the Switch powered on as it enters its sixth year on the market – with no new hardware in sight for the rest of the year.
Pikmin 4 gameplay trailer
Nintendo kicked off proceedings with a Pikmin 4 trailer and release date. The trailer looks very much like what you’d expect from Pikmin, but this time, there’s a new Pikmin type in town – and an adorable, helpful dog as well.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe epilogue
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe launches on the Switch in February, and it has a brand-new epilogue featuring Magolor. You play as the former baddy in a challenging spinoff adventure where you only have a basic attack and jump to start with. Defeating enemies earns Magolor points they can use to recover their powers and stand a chance at surviving all 20 stages.
A demo of the main game is also available on the eShop.
Octopath Traveler 2 demo
If you fancy some time with Octopath Traveler 2’s heroes before the game’s Feb.24, 2023, release, Square Enix has good news for you. You can download a free Octopath Traveler 2 demo now and play for up to three hours in the hero’s tale of your choosing. Once the time limit is up, you can start a new save file and have another three hours. Your final save will carry over to the full game.
Advance Wars 1+2 release date
A year after the Advance Wars 1+2 remake was meant to launch, Nintendo is finally pushing the tactical RPG into the world. It features overhauled graphics, online play, and a few other tweaks, and it bundles both the original Advance Wars games into one package. You can pick this up starting April 21, 2023.
Metroid Prime remaster
The long-rumored Metroid Prime remaster for Switch is here at last, and despite Nintendo’s marketing suggesting a coat of paint was the only thing new about this, that’s not quite true. Metroid Prime on Switch features rebuilt audio, accessibility options, and several control schemes, including motion controls and hybrid motion-and-stick setup.
A physical version will launch later in February.
Etrian Odyssey on Switch
Atlus announced a bundle containing the first three Etrian Odyssey games set to launch on June 1, 2023, for PC and Switch. This marks the first time the series has appeared since the 3DS era, with Atlus opting to put the map interface alongside the main first-person view in lieu of a second screen. DLC featuring themes and characters from other Atlus games, including Persona and Soul Hackers 2, is also planned.
The classic dungeon-crawler series made a splash with fans when it first launched on the Nintendo DS, but you’ll have to shell out a bit more than you might expect. The collection costs $79.99, and the individual games will set you back $39.99 each.
Game Boy on Switch
Game Boy and Game Boy Color games are available now for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, while Expansion Pack members have access to a small library of Game Boy Advance games as well. Nintendo teased more classics to come in the future for both services, including Pokemon Trading Card Game and Metroid Fusion.
Baten Kaitos remasters
Bandai Namco reached back to the Gamecube age and pulled out two cult-classic RPGs for the remaster treatment: Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins. The publisher is releasing both games as the Baten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remaster collection, planned for release sometime in summer 2023.
Baten Kaitos tells the story of a brutal empire’s war of conquest across a sea of nations in the sky, and if the story sounds overly familiar, the battle system is certainly fresh, even two decades later. Baten Kaitos uses a card-based system, where your spells, gear, and weapons are pulled at random from your card deck at the start of each turn.
Fire Emblem Engage DLC
The second wave of Fire Emblem Engage DLC is here, bringing several new heroes and some welcome quality-of-life improvements to the strategy game. Soren, Hector, and Camilla join the roster of Embling Rings, each with their own unique abilities and battle maps, and alongside a wave of handy stat-boosting items, you also get training activities that boost your support levels. No more grinding skirmish maps just so Celine can have tea with her friends.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC
The second wave of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC is also here, with a new hero and set of quests, but the real draw was the tease for Xenoblade 3’s story expansion. It’s set to launch later in 2023, and the new trailer teases Alvis from the first game and characters that look suspiciously like an older Rex from Xenoblade 2 and Noah from Xenoblade 3, or perhaps their descendants.
Splatoon 3 expansion pass
Nintendo only gave a brief teaser about what to expect from the Splatoon 3 expansion pass, but that teaser included the return to the original game’s Inkopolis hub, a glimpse at new story content, and a sentient piece of food called Fred Crumbs, which is all we needed to be sold on it anyway.
New Tears of the Kingdom trailer
Nintendo closed the broadcast with a new Zelda Tears of the Kingdom trailer, showing off just a smidge more of what to expect in Link’s new adventure. The Blood Moon drowns Hyrule in evil and brings the forces of darkness back to life, with some new foes thrown in the mix as well.
Link’s stylish new green claw hand seemingly gives him new powers to deal with foes as well, including a homing shot and the ability to control certain objects, including giant karts. We still aren’t any closer to knowing what the heck is going on in the Breath of the Wild sequel’s story, but we are getting closer to the release date at least. Tears of the Kingdom launches on May 12, 2023, and it’ll cost $69.99, much to some fans’ displeasure.
Sambe De Amigo, Mario Kart, Bayonetta, and more
Nintendo peppered the Direct with several other announcements as well. Samba De Amigo is back from the boneyard with an all-new game. Bayonetta Origins is still on track for its March 17, 2023, release date if you fancy a bit of witchy prequel lore, while Disney is bringing its brand of classic 2D platforming to the Switch in July with Disney Illusion Island. Professor Layton is back, along with Ghost Trick Detective. XSEED lets you make your fashion and everybody else’s your business in Fashion Dreamer, and the Dead Cells Castlevania update is out in early March.
Mario Kart 8 DLC brings a brand-new course to the roster along with Birdo, and a new Fantasy Life game is in the works to scratch that Animal Crossing itch.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
