The latest Nintendo Direct presentation has built up great excitement in the gaming community as they revealed a huge variety of games arriving on the Switch this year and next. As well as a number of third party titles, Nintendo announced lots of new titles including their most popular characters – Mario, Wario and Pikachu.
First on the list of their extensive reveal is Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the first new side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. game for 10 years. Arriving on the Switch on 20th October, Super Mario Bros. Wonder sees the arrival of Wonder Flowers into the Mario world. These magical flowers, when touched by Mario, will bring the world to life and transform the gameplay in new and unusual ways, including changing character’s appearance, releasing enemies or even bringing normally inanimate things to life. As well as familiar characters like Mario and Luigi, players will be able to take control of Toad, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Yoshi. Super Mario Bros. Wonder also sees the debut of Mario’s new power-up capable of turning him into Elephant Mario.
Mario will bring fun and excitement to the Switch on 17th November with Super Mario RPG. First released on the SNES back in the day, this remake has had a full graphics overhaul. Join Mario and his friends as he takes on the dreaded Smithy Gang in order to recover the seven stars and repair the Star Road.
“There’s never been a better time to be a fan of Mario, and we love being able to provide new and dedicated players alike with experiences that invite a sense of wonder,” said Devon Pritchard, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications. “Nintendo Switch is the best place to play exciting games from our development and publishing partners, as well as to continue exploring the adventures of Nintendo characters that players everywhere have come to love.”
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, originally released on the Nintendo 3DS, sees Luigi pluck up the courage to save the Evershade Valley from the blood curdling challenges and creepy spooks. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is currently in development.
Fans of the Mario Kart series will be able to get their hands on Booster Course Pass Wave 5: Squeaky Clean Sprint, a new course for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This DLC features not only a brand new course but also new characters including Petey Piranha (from Mario Kart Double Dash), Wiggler (from Mario Kart 7) and Kamek (from Mario Kart Tour). This latest booster pack will be available this summer and can be purchased singularly or is included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
WarioWare: Move It! is due to arrive on Switch on 3rd November and brings more microgame fun and excitement. Over 200 microgames will see players grab their Joy-Con controllers and start making lightning fast moves to beat each microgame deviously designed by Wario. WarioWare: Move It! is available to pre-order now.
October 6th will see the arrival of Detective Pikachu Returns. Tough talking Pikachu and Tim Goodman set out to solve a series of mysterious cases around the city in this cinematic adventure. No clues are needed for looking up the pre-order in the Nintendo eShop and in the My Nintendo Store on Nintendo.com.
More adventures await players of Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet this winter when The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC makes its arrival. This brand new story will take players out of the familiar Paldea region and deeper into the Pokemon world.
Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2 (initially released on the Gamecube) have received a HD makeover and are available in the Nintendo eShop (a physical edition will be available this September). Talking of Pikmin games, Pikmin 4: Welcome to the Rescue Corps will be available on 21st July. This latest title in the series has players become the new recruit of rescuers alongside Rescue Pup Oatchi. There’s lots more areas to explore and even the opportunity to set out on night expeditions, but be prepared to meet some frenzied creatures on the way.
This autumn, sees the Batman: Arkham Trilogy arrive on the Switch. All three hit titles, Arkham Asylum, Arkham City and Arkham Knight, along with all DLC will have players swinging through the streets of Gotham, throwing Batarangs and taking down heavily armed villains.
Other titles revealed through the presentation was Palia, a charming free-to-play adventure through a mysterious and breathtaking world due to arrive on Switch this winter. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1, a compilation of Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater as well as the NES versions of Metal Gear and Snake’s Revenge. Look out for this collection arriving on 24th October.
Finally, Sonic Superstars is set to arrive this autumn and will take players whizzing through the mystical Northstar Islands. This new 2D side-scrolling platformer features 12 new zones, 4 playable characters and the return of an old adversary. Players will be able to harness seven new emerald powers and attack and move in new, dynamic ways. Plus, for the first time in the series, players can join their friends to complete the campaign in local co-op.
Look out for these games, and more coming to stores and the Nintendo eShop throughout the year.
