Nintendo held its first Nintendo Direct presentation to reveal a variety of new games releases for the future of 2023 on Feb. 8.
Updates to Previously-Announced Games
Nintendo Direct was kicked off with a trailer for “Pikmin 4,” the latest installment in their famous real-time strategy (RTS) series. It revealed new footage that involved the various Pikmin, small, colorful plant-like creatures with elemental capabilities, interacting with different environments and showcasing the new Ice Pikmin that has the ability to freeze lakes.
The trailer also presented Otachi, a new dog character that can help destroy objects and serve as a vehicle that the Pikmin and Captain can ride on. It seems like an interesting game and a testament to Nintendo’s confidence as a brand by leading with a series that was relatively low selling in the past. Hopefully this game will bring the Pikmin series to prominence.
Nintendo Direct also presented a new trailer for “The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom”. It featured the series’ main hero Link fighting various bosses and solving puzzles using abilities that he gained in the game’s predecessor, “The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” A special collectors version of the game was also revealed, containing an art book, pin set and other exclusive memorabilia. The trailer seemed foreboding and mysterious, showcasing various techniques not demonstrated in previous installments.
DLCs
Nintendo revealed a video announcing Volume 3 of the Expansion Pass DLC for “Xenoblade Chronicles 3,” an RPG released last year. It introduced a new character, Masha, who can craft items with special properties, such as increasing agility. A new feature called Challenge Battles, which introduces a new style of combat more akin to a roguelike, a style of RPG that features randomly generated elements and turn-based combat, will also appear in the DLC.
In this mode, one character must fight waves of enemies to beat the level and unlock extra heroes. Heroes are people not a part of the player’s party that can help assist the player by unlocking classes for them. Players can also unlock abilities and costumes through this mode. This could add a great deal of variety to the game, as it gives players the option to customize their appearance and playstyles. Many levels are included, and the trailer narrator challenged players to get to the final level.
The Volume 4 DLC of “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” was also announced, revealing the return of two of the previous games’ protagonists: Xenoblade Chronicles 1’s Shulk and Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Rex. Considering just how much success these characters have brought the series — with Shulk being the series’ first hero, and Rex being the main character of its most successful game — it serves as a nice touch of fan service, while leaving them wondering what role these characters will play in the storylines to come.
The “Splatoon 3” DLC was also announced at Nintendo Direct, revealing various new locations. The first wave of DLC is Inkopolis, a location from the original Splatoon game. Here, players would be able to purchase new weapons and meet up with older characters. The second wave of DLC takes place in a new location entitled “Side Order,” a white area with a character standing in front of a tower. Wave 1 will be released this spring.
Several Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games were announced to be coming to the Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) service, with Game Boy Advance games being exclusive to the Expansion Pack, a more expensive version of the service that allows its users to access several retro game consoles and DLCs.
These games include several popular and legendary titles from well-known properties, such as “Tetris” and “The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap,” with more games to be added in the future. One notable game revealed was “Fire Emblem,” the first English-translated installment of this famous fantasy strategy RPG series; the original game cartridge has become notoriously expensive in recent years.
Third-Party Games
“Samba De Amigo,” a rhythm game by Sega, received a new installment in the form of “Samba De Amigo: Party Central.” This game has players using motion controls to shake their controllers to the rhythm of a song. In addition, players can use modes like “Love Checker” to test their harmony with one another and enter an online tournament mode entitled “World Party” to compete with other players. The game will be released this summer. Considering that the series’ last installment was released in 2008, it seems like a nice surprise for fans to have a new game after so long.
“Disney’s Ilusion Island,” a four-player co-operational Metroidvania, or exploration-based platformer game, made by Delala Studios also showed off new details during its presentation. It will be released on July 28.
The game stars Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy in the cartoon style of Disney+’s “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse.” A trailer demonstrated that the game will focus on these characters as they track down three books to rescue an island known as Monoth. Over the course of the game, players can discover new abilities that will give them access to unknown areas.
Each character will react differently and display varying emotions when they use their abilities. This is an interesting way to differentiate each character, as it demonstrates their differences through reactions, as opposed to abilities and/or colors like most other games would. Through local play, up to four players can access the game’s multiplayer options.
A notable aspect of the game is that several new abilities are unlocked through this mode. For instance, characters can hug one another in order to restore each other’s health. They can also bounce off each other to gain extra height or drop ropes in order to help less-experienced players catch up. The game will feature many new ally characters and bosses. With Disney’s marketing muscle behind it, hopefully this will introduce a host of new fans to the genre.
Overall, the 2023 Nintendo Direct presentation showcased various games from a variety of genres and companies, helping to build anticipation for future releases. It was a diverse Direct, as it had many games to appeal to every type of gamer.
Bailey Kanthatham is an Entertainment Staff Writer. He can be reached at bkanthat@uci.edu.