Nintendo Direct Overview - February 2021

After a year and a half of waiting, gamers finally got to see the long-awaited Nintendo Direct event after E3’s cancellation resulted in a hiatus from the announcement show. The show covered a wide variety of games that Nintendo have in their pipeline, ranging from sequels, remasters, new IPs, and DLC for existing games.

Up first in the lineup was the announcement of a character coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — Pyra & Mythra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Players will be able to switch between Pyra and Mythra on the fly to allow for unique and adaptive gameplay, when the two new fighters become available in March 2021.

Next up was the big news that the massively popular Fall Guys will no longer only be available on the PlayStation 4 and PC, but is now coming to the Nintendo Switch. There’s no mention of whether the game will be cross-platform, but it currently isn’t, so it’s probably a safe bet that will remain the case. It will open up to a whole new world of players when it releases this Summer, but we’ve not got any set release date as of yet.

Also making its way to the Switch this Summer is the quirky title from Mobius Digital Games, Outer Wilds. It’s an action-mystery title, with a strong narrative and a unique game mechanic where players are stuck in a 22-minute time loop before the sun explodes. Players need to use their loops wisely to explore the planet and work out how to stop the supernova event.

If you can’t wait until the Summer for these titles, then on the 14th of May you can grab one of two new games releasing - remakes of the Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind. These are, as you would expect from the titles, murder mystery style games where you need to solve the case and find the murderer.

Another Summer title coming is Samurai Warriors 5. The game is a fresh take on the franchise with all new character designs, story and visual style. We don’t know much more about the game, including its specific release date, but more information will come in the form of a livestream event on 25th February.

Nintendo has more remakes to show us, and this one is a biggie from Square Enix. Originally released all the way back in 1999, Legend of Mana is finally getting a revamp. If you’re excited to get back to the world of Fa’Diel, there’s not long to wait with the game launching on the 24th of June this year.

A new trailer for Monster Hunter Rise was shown, giving us a look at some of the gameplay as well as a Special Edition Nintendo Switch console and Pro controller. The game is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch on the 26th of March, along with the console, controller, and three amiibo figures of the Palico, Palamute and the Magnamalo.

If you’ve been worried that Mario hasn’t been using up his governmentally-recommended daily exercise, then fear no more because he’s about to get all up in a golf course, with Mario Golf: Super Rush. If you were a big fan of Wii Sports (who wasn’t?), then you’ll be excited to learn that you will be able to swing your Joy-Con to play, just like the good old days of yore. You can tee off in Mario Golf: Super Rush on the 25th of June this year.

There’s a whole bunch of existing games that are making their way to the Nintendo Switch, notably including Telltale’s Tales from the Borderlands, which is coming on the 24th of March.

If the games you’ve been waiting for are included in the long-awaited Capcom Arcade Stadium, then no need to wait any longer, because it’s out now. It looks like Nintendo wanted to release it alongside their delayed Direct, so that’s why we’ve not heard much about it recently. The Arcade comes with a free copy of 1943: Battle of Midway and you can purchase 3 additional bundles to add to your collection of up to 32 classic Capcom titles.

We’ve got another remake, with Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse which was originally released on the Xbox in 2005, coming to modern consoles with the Switch as no exception. You can get your brain munching on when it releases soon on the 16th of March this year.

Originally expected in 2021 but delayed due to the joys of COVID-19, we got a new trailer and release date for No More Heroes III letting Travis Touchdown finally save Earth by kicking some alien ass on the 27th of August this year.

From the same publisher as aforementioned Outer Wilds, Annapurna Interactive announced its new title Neon White. The title is another assassin-based game, except this time you play as a demon assassin, taking out his own kind hiding out in Heaven in a *shot* at earning his own place there.

If you prefer playing as the hero rather than the villain, then this one's for you with a trailer for DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power which is an action-adventure game where you play as adolescent versions of your favourite DC heroines. This one is coming on the 4th of June.

I know what you’re thinking. We’ve not had any new Plants vs Zombies games in a while. Oh look! It’s a new Plants vs Zombies game. Well, sort of. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville has been out for a while on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but is now making its way to the Switch on the 19th of March.

Okay, it’s time for a big announcement now with Nintendo’s popular Miitopia finally coming to the Nintendo Switch on the 21st of May this year. This new release builds on the original where you create your personalised avatar and swoop off on adventures by adding even more customisation options than before, so you can create an avatar that truly represents you.

In case you weren’t already aware, it’s Mario’s 35th Anniversary this year, and Nintendo have already treated us to a plethora of themed goodies. This trend continues with the addition of some special Super Mario-themed items coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If you’ve ever wanted warp pipes to transport you across your island with ease, then this will be music to your ears. Once you download the free Animal Crossing update coming on the 25th of February, you’ll be able to purchase the Super Mario items from Nook Shopping from the 1st of March.

Strategy RPG fans should be excited with the release of a brand new game from Square Enix, Project Triangle Strategy (working title). It takes place during a war over the resources salt and iron, aptly called the Saltiron War (no joke). It’s a turn-based strategy game, where decisions you make in conversation will also shape the story and the world around you. It’s not coming until 2022 but we’ll keep you updated on any more information released.

We get a quick announcement for a new free-to-play game coming to the Switch called Star Wars Hunters. It’s an arena-combat game set in the epic Star Wars universe between episodes VI and VII, from Zynga and Lucasfilm Games, and is coming to the Switch as well as the App Store and Google Play later this year, with no firm release date yet.

Knockout City is a new title from the makers of mixed-reality racer Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Velan Studios and this one is a team-based online dodgeball game. It comes out on the 21st of May this year for the Nintendo Switch as well as other current-gen platforms

Another title set for release this May (the 28th of May) is The World’s End Club. It’s a narrative-driven, side-scrolling adventure game, from the minds behind Zero Escape and Danganronpa. Expect to fight for the survival of 12 characters and try to escape the theme park you’re trapped in, in order to work out what the hell is going on in Japan, and why everyone else is gone.

Hugely successful Hades, which up until now has been a digital-only release on the Nintendo Switch, is now getting a physical release. The game will ship with a download key for the soundtrack and a stunning art book featuring the unique artwork for the gods and goddesses found within the game. Not long to wait either, with a release date of the 19th of March this year.

The Ninja Gaiden trilogy of games is coming to the Switch. Titled The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection it will include Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, as well as all DLC, costumes, and game modes. The group of games will be launching on the Switch on the 10th of June this year.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Pass is the newly announced roll out of DLC for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. There’s not much to say on this one, but we do have an image from Nintendo detailing the dates we can expect the fresh new content.

With the original Ghost ‘n’ Goblins getting a release on the Arcade Stadium, Capcom have decided this wasn’t quite enough and have resurrected the franchise with Ghost ‘n’ Goblins: Resurrection. We received a short look at some gameplay along with a release date of the 25th of February.

Another franchise being resurrected is SaGa Frontier, which has been remastered for the Nintendo Switch. As another classic Square Enix title from the late ‘90s, this will be the first premium game in the franchise to be released in over 20 years, and will release on the 15th of April.

In case you’ve not had enough of battle royale-style games, Apex Legends will shortly be available on the Nintendo Switch. You’ll be able to access the game on the console from the 9th of March, with a double XP bonus for those first two weeks after launch. Switch players will also get a free legendary pathfinder skin.

Whilst there’s no new announcement on any new Breath of the Wild game, we are getting a new(ish) Hyrule-centric title in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. The game will be a HD remaster of the original game which was released on the Wii in 2011, and will make use of the Joy-Cons to recapture a similar gameplay experience to the first rendition. It launches on the 16th of July and is available to pre-order now on the Nintendo eShop.

Now, it’s time for the final announcement of the Nintendo Direct show, and it has to be something pretty good right? And it is, with a surprise trailer for Splatoon 3! Not much was given in the trailer other than the fact that we’ll have to wait for 2022 to get our paint splatting on, and find out why on earth the Eiffel Tower was upside-down in the background.

And with that, we’re done. Thanks for another great Nintendo Direct, and be sure to follow our more detailed coverage of the games covered, including trailers and more on, here at GameGrin.