E3 is dead. It was an inevitable truth, but now it is a reality. Gone are the days of audience reactions to new games, and sadly, so are the full collaborations of developers showing their latest creations. Summer Games Fest and the Game Awards are still here, but the one event to rule them all was always E3. In its place, developers have now resorted to their events. Nintendo Direct events are an example. But their latest Direct took on a whole new life. Arguably their most jam-packed showcase in recent memory, we saw many exciting announcements, but the event had a deeper, more significant meaning for Nintendo.
In this article, we will go through everything announced at the most recent Nintendo Direct live event, which aired on June 18th, 2024. After this, we would like to discuss what this Direct means for Nintendo, specifically, what it means for the Nintendo Switch.
THE APERITIFS:
Here are some juicy games to whet your appetite. The games that were announced nonchalantly with either small nuggets of information or games that do not intend to be heavy hitters amongst the Switch’s extensive library:
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (July 18th, 2024) If speed running is your thing, this is for you. While it may not appeal to a casual player, this game will put your skills to the limit. Over 150 speed-running challenges await as you break records across 13 games released on the NES: Metroid, Kid Icarus, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, and more.
Fairy Tail 2 (Coming Soon) The sequel to the 2020 RPG, Fairy Tail 2 is a continuation of the story, depicting the Alvarez Empire Arc.
FANTASIAN Neo Dimension (Holidays 2024) One of the creators of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi is coming out with a new turn-based RPG set in a world robbed of its civilisation.
Nintendo Switch Sports (Available Now) Basketball is now available as a free update with Nintendo Switch Sports. 3-Point Challenge and online 2v2 matches are alternate modes.
Disney Illusion Island (Available Now) A new update, Mystery of Monoth, is now available for Disney Illusion Island.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure (2025) Customise your character and meet some familiar faces in Hello Kitty Island Adventure. This game will be available as a timed console exclusive for the Nintendo Switch.
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports (Spring 2024) Play as Bugs, Daffy, Porky Pig, Taz, and more across four arcade-style sports such as Basketball and Football.
Among Us (Available Now) Three new crew and imposter roles are now available in Among Us. Play as a Noisemaker, Tracker, or Phantom now.
Farmagia (November 1st, 2024) Set in the underworld of Felicidad, play as Ten, a farmagia who grows and nurtures monsters into battle against oppressive forces.
THE NEW DENPA MEN (July 22nd, 2024) Free to play and time exclusive for the Nintendo Switch, THE NEW DENPA MEN is an RPG adventure where you explore dungeons and customise your island.
METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED (Available Now) Lead your forces against enemies and strongholds in this 16-bit style game.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (2025) Play as Marona, a young woman who can communicate with phantoms. Help her save her friend Ash in the newest entry of the series.
Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game Imagine Animal Crossing, but set in the Shire. Customise your hobbit and live your days in the Shire, communicating with locals and making your own Shangri-La.
THE ENTREES:
Now, we are starting to get a little more serious. If the previous announcements were not quite what you had in mind, there will be something here to leave you satisfied and longing for more:
Mario & Luigi: Brothership (November 7th, 2024) The newest Mario & Luigi game showed people the glorious, collaborative combat you will undertake across the Mushroom Kingdom. The last Mario & Luigi game was Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, released on the 3DS in 2015. I am always overjoyed to see the brothers back in action.
MIO: Memories in Orbit (2025): I would keep my eye on this one if I were you. This platformer looks like a cross between Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Gris. This Metroidvania is a game to keep informed on.
Funko Fusion (September 13th, 2024) Featuring a style reminiscent of LEGO Star Wars, Funko Fusion brings you into the world of your favourite films and TV shows with a series of characters based on Funko’s vinyl figures. From Jaws to He-Man, Back to the Future to Jurassic Park, Funko Fusion will be a nostalgic joy.
Darkest Dungeon II (July 15th, 2024) The indie gem Darkest Dungeon is getting a sequel next month. Pre-orders are now available. Fight your way through this promising, long-awaited follow-up to the 2016 roguelike original.
MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (2024) Go back in time to the world of the arcade. Seven MARVEL vs. CAPCOM games are making their way to the Switch later this year. X-Men vs. Street Fighter, The Punisher, MARVEL vs. CAPCOM: Clash of Super Heroes, and more are coming.
Just Dance 2025 Edition (October 2024) The latest entry in the Just Dance series is coming later in the year. Dance through Basket Case by Green Day, Poker Face by Lady Gaga, and more. With different difficulties to choose from and a free trial to the Just Dance+ subscription included with the game.
LEGO Horizon Adventures (Holidays 2024) Despite Horizon being a first-party franchise for Sony, both Horizon: Zero Dawn and Horizon: Forbidden Forest receiving acclaim across the board, the Switch will see the epic tale as a LEGO adventure. Meet characters from the franchise and journey through lands built from the ground up to fit the LEGO aesthetic.
The Hundred Line: Last Defence Academy (Early 2025) Join the Last Defence Academy and stop treacherous forces from infiltrating the school over 100 days. As Takumi Samino, learn the controversy and secrets behind the Last Defence Academy and journey back to a life of normalcy.
Romancing SaGA 2: Revenge of the Seven (October 24th, 2024) A ground-up remake of Romancing SaGa 2, first released in 1993 for the SNES and developed by Square. Across an open world, travel across the land in a non-linear fashion, and expand your empire across generations by challenging the seven corrupt heroes who have fallen to the hands of evil. How you choose to take on the adventure and in what order you eliminate the heroes is entirely up to you. Anything you will do will dramatically alter the story, making every playthrough slightly different.
THE MAIN COURSE:
It is time for the banquet. The games that will seriously pack a punch for the Switch, the games that got me the most excited during the Direct, and it is the ones that will likely bid a sad farewell to the Switch:
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (January 16th, 2025) A personal favourite from my childhood, Donkey Kong Country Returns is the classic platformer from 2010. Originally released on the Wii and was one of the best-selling games for the Wii, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a much-deserved return to modern systems. Hunt down the Tiki tribe and retrieve Donkey Kong’s banana stash across challenging platforming tasks. The game will come with the same levels as the original Wii game but includes levels from the 3DS version. I am beyond excited.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (November 14th, 2024) I have not explored the Dragon Quest series before, but I am intrigued by this remake. Released in 1988 for the NES, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was announced in 2021. Canonically, this is the first game in the timeline, so there is now an even better reason to jump into Dragon Quest.
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (2025) Following Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, creator Yuri Horii announced that there will be remakes for Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II. These games continue the story from Dragon Quest III, and Horii felt it fitting to remake the first two titles, perfectly tying up the Erdrick Trilogy. More details of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake will be coming soon.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (June 27th, 2024) Coming to us next week, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD was announced in 2023. Being a remaster of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on the 3DS, the Switch version features updated graphics to make the game look even better than it did on the 3DS. Be sure to join Luigi, Professor E. Gadd, and others to rid a series of mansions of its ghostly inhabitants.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack (New Games Available Now) If, like me, you have always wanted to play older Nintendo games, but never had the chance to own an original system or the games, Nintendo Switch Online is perfect. Play across a library of games from Nintendo’s past. NES games to N64 titles. Now, Nintendo has announced new games to add to the collection. Now on the GBA library, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords, and Metroid: Zero Mission. For the N64, you can now play two classics of the FPS genre. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Perfect Dark are now ready for people with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Super Mario Party: Jamboree (October 17th, 2024) Everyone loves Mario Party unless it ends in a series of arguments when played with your loved ones. At least, that is how games sometimes end for me. Super Mario Party: Jamboree is the latest installment in the series and promises to be the biggest yet. Including over 110 mini-games, five new boards, and two classic boards from Mario Party and Mario Party 2. Up to 20 players can go head-to-head online in the Koopathlon, a new game mode with a Battle Royale style system. More modes are yet to be revealed.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (September 26th, 2024) A brand new Zelda! After the success of Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo has no intention of slowing down with the series. This time, Link is not the hero, having been sucked away by mysterious rifts scattered across Hyrule. Zelda is now the protagonist for the first time in the series! With the same visual style as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the Switch, Echoes of Wisdom will be like no other game in the series. Zelda possesses powerful abilities that will take her across the land to save Link and her kingdom.
Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition (September 26th, 2024) A beautiful, gold Nintendo Switch Lite will be released alongside Echoes of Wisdom.
Stray (Holidays 2024) If you are yet to play Stray, you are certainly in for a treat. Stray is a short, explorative platformer where you control a stray cat across a cyberpunk world overrun with androids and vicious enemies. Stray is a fantastic experience that any Switch owner should pick up when it launches later this year.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (September 6th, 2024) I LOVE the Ace Attorney series. After picking up the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy collection for the Switch sometime ago, I became a fan of the series. Now, more remasters are coming to the Switch. One game in particular has never been released outside of Japan. Take control of Miles Edgeworth, the fan-favourite character, solve cases and investigate crime scenes. Featuring new animations based on original sprites, you can Switch between the clean HD visuals, or opt for the 16-bit style gameplay of the original games.
THE DESSERT:
Anyone who has seen the Nintendo Direct knows I have not mentioned one particular game. A game that was first announced back at E3 in 2017. A game we have heard no news of since 2019, where the game was said to have restarted development. Supposedly in development hell for the longest time. But finally, seven years after its initial announcement, we received reassurance. The game is very much real, and it is coming out next year. Of course, I am talking about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has become an anomaly in the gaming industry, an enigma. Like Beyond Good & Evil 2, it is a game that people were beginning to think would never see the light of day. Radio silence for such a long time made fans lose hope. However, the out-of-the-blue reveal of Metroid: Dread in 2021 gave players hope that Metroid Prime 4 would see the light of day.
That day has now come. We have seen the latest entry in the Metroid Prime series, and I am happy to say that the game will come out next year.
A SWAN SONG:
We have discussed everything from the latest Nintendo Direct. But, this Direct had a much grander meaning to me. A feeling that made my heart full, but at the same time, willowing in grief. Rumours have been spreading that Nintendo will soon show the replacement to the Nintendo Switch at some point at the end of this year. We can assume that this means their new console will be released next year. It feels like this event will shine through the ages. The recollection will be clear. This live stream was a final farewell to the Nintendo Switch.
Since its release in 2017, the Switch has become the 3rd best-selling console of all time, shipping over 140 million units. The Switch will have a legacy for introducing the idea of a hybrid console. You can enjoy the Switch on a TV or take it with you portably. Without the Switch, the current boom in handheld gaming would likely not have happened. The Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and PlayStation Portal all have to pay tribute to the Nintendo Switch. I have long been a fan of PlayStation, and still am, but the Switch has made me realise a new calling. I am a Nintendo fan. I have gained a new appreciation for gaming thanks to the Switch. I think everyone could tell a similar story. June 18th, 2024, is a date I will remember, not just because Nintendo brought one of their best Direct events, but it is also the day that the world realised that the Nintendo Switch is soon becoming a thing of the past.
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