Nintendo Direct 9/23/2021

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This latest Nintendo Direct has some very noteworthy announcements. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but notables for me. The Nintendo Switch Online is getting an Expansion Pack membership that will add games from the Nintendo 64 library, as well as the Sega Genesis library. This expansion is coming in late October, but I haven’t seen a set price yet. Nintendo is also releasing full-size wireless N64 and Genesis controllers for these classic games.

There were updates on an upcoming new title I’ve been really excited about–Triangle Strategy! The team behind the game took into account feedback from the demo and made improvements to the visuals, added the ability to review prior dialogue, adjusted the difficulty levels, streamlined the loading times, and adjusted the flow of the game. They even added the ability to move the camera view around to get a good look at the whole level. The game is set for a release date of March 4, 2022.

One very big announcement is the new Kirby and the Forgotten Land game which is bringing Kirby to an all-new 3D adventure! The game features large open areas for Kirby to explore filled with enemies that he can steal powers from.

A remastered version of Actraiser (SNES) is out on 9/23/2021. The original game matched a side-scrolling adventure with a city-building/defense sim that became an instant classic. Actraiser Renaissance is a remastered version featuring updated graphics, the original musical score along with a rearranged soundtrack including all new music. New stages and boss battles were added as well. The game is available on the Nintendo eShop for $29.99.

Another heavy hitter announced for 2022 was Bayonetta 3 with a trailer portraying Bayonetta with a skirt and new haircut battling two big monsters that thrashed the military. No exact release date or additional storyline details were given, but the visuals and gameplay look really good.

The latest addition to the Splatoon Franchise, Splatoon 3 Return of the Mammalians was announced, and the gameplay looks to be the same solid gameplay we’ve come to know and love. The game will feature some new special weapons and robots.

A new Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars was announced and sees a return to the Woody Woods, Yoshi’s Tropical Island, and Horror Land, which were featured in the N64 Mario Party games. There will be a minigame mode that includes a competitive survival course and a cooperative multiplayer Tag Match. It releases October 29th of this year.

There are also quite a bit of expansions, including Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak, an expansion for Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity, and new free content for Animal Crossing New Horizons and Mario Golf Super Rush.

A port of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic will be coming to the Switch soon, but it looks to be port of the original Xbox game rather than the remake.

Square Enix is releasing a new Chocobo GP racing game for the Switch, which will feature a large cast of characters each with unique abilities and the use of Magacite against other players. It remains to be seen whether it will compare to Mario Kart or not, but it does look like fun from the trailer.

Square Enix is also releasing a new tabletop style RPG, Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars. It uses a car-based battle system, and it releases on October 28th of this year. The demo is out now.

There was also a longer Metroid Dread trailer, showing more storyline, along with additions to the Arcade Archives, and Shadowerun Trilogy coming to the Switch sometime in 2022.

Aside from games, it was announced that a new Super Mario Bros movie will be released to theatres on December 21, 2022, and will feature an all-star cast that includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad.