Nintendo Direct recap: new Zelda, Metroid Prime 4, Mario & Luigi, and more
As with every Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed a load of games and information, and now we know what’s in the lineup for the rest of 2024.
You can watch the entire presentation archived, below, but we’ve also got a full roundup below, too.
Nintendo Direct recap
First up, then we got a bit of a surprise, as Nintendo announced Mario & Luigi: Brothership, with a cel-shaded-style appearance. This one is coming November 7th, 2024. It’s the first new game in the “Mario & Luigi” series in nine years, too.
We then got another look at Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, which is due in July. Next up, we saw Fairy Tail 2 from Koei Tecmo, coming this Winter. From Final Fantasy stalwarts Sakaguchi and Uemetsa, comes FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, coming this Winter.
Back to Nintendo first-party titles, Nintendo Switch Sports is getting an update that’ll add Basketball to the game. There will be 2-v-2 matches, solo challenges, all using motion controls. The update is coming in September, and will include online play.
A very pretty game showed up next, mixing what looks like precision platforming and a gorgeous aesthetic and soundtrack. Mio: Memories in Orbit was the title, and it’s coming in 2025.
Donkey Kong in 2025, and lots of updates
Disney Illusion Island is getting an update, “Mystery in Monarch”. and it’s a free update hitting today (June 18th). Hello Kitty Island Adventures is coming to Switch as well, it was announced, in 2025, and it’ll be a timed console exclusive.
Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports is coming in Autumn 2024, while new crewmate and imposter roles are being added to Among Us, via a free update, also today.
Farmagia from Marvelous Europe was announced, too, looking like a combination of farming and monster collecting. This one is due on November 1st, 2024.
The Wii title, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is coming to Switch next year and you can ride the Rhino when it releases later this year, on January 16th, 2025, where it’ll also include levels from the 3DS version.
Nintendo Direct: Dragon Quest HD-2D
Moving on, and back to 2024, the Nintendo Direct showed off a new HD 2D title, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. We got to see battle, open-world exploration, and lots of lovely towns. This one is a new announcement, but it’s coming November 14th, 2024. Oh and as a little bookend, the Nintendo Direct also confirmed Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remakes are coming in 2025.
Moving on, it was time to show off 10:10 Games’ title, Funko Fusion. There will be more than sixty characters that all are playable in certain movies and TV shows. There’s Shawn of the Dead, Five Nights at Freddies, and a whole lot more. Funko Fusion is coming on September 13th, 2024.
We got a reminder next that Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is due this month, and you can check out our preview of that one, here. The New Denpa Men was revealed next, and is free to play and coming on July 22nd as a timed exclusive. Metal Slug Attack Reloaded is next up in our Nintendo Direct recap, which is coming to Switch today. Darkest Dungeon 2 was also confirmed to be coming to Switch on 15th July.
Nintendo Switch Online updates
Then it was a chance to slow down a bit and see some Game Boy Advance titles coming to Nintendo Switch Online. The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Four Swords, Metroid: Zero Mission. Elsewhere Turok is coming to the N64 library, along with Perfect Dark, which will include online multiplayer. All four games will be available today.
Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero was the next game to be shown off, coming in 2025 from NIS America. Capcom were up next, with Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, coming in 2024.
New Mario Party and new Legend of Zelda
Back to Nintendo itself, and Super Mario Party Jamboree was announced. Nintendo showed off new ways to get stars, and new minigames, and added that a new Turbo Dice Roll could let you move 40 spots at a time. There will be boards from Mario Marty and Mario Party 2, as well as five new boards. Super Mario Party Jamboree is coming with over 110 minigames, and a 20-player online mode on October 17th, 2024.
Over halfway, now, and it’s time for Link to arrive. Or so it’d appear, but actually we’ve got a new game starring Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom looks to use the remade 2D visuals from Link’s Awakening. Rather than using a sword like Link, it looks like magic will be key, as Zelda can use her wand to create echoes of items that can be summoned to use to solve environmental puzzles. You can even create echoes of monsters that will fight by your side, and each monster has a different ability. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is coming to Switch September 26th, 2024.
Just Dance, Lego Horizon, Ace Attorney
Just Dance 2025 got a trailer, next, which is coming in October. Then we got a little look at Lego Horizon Adventures, which was announced during Summer Game Fest. Then it was time to see Stray (the cat game everyone loved), which is coming to Switch now as well. Stray is coming to Switch this Winter.
Next up, Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game got shown off, and that’s coming to Switch “this Winter”. Back to Capcom, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is coming, and will let you switch between the old visuals and the new look ones. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is coming on September 6th.
The Hundred Line: Last Defence Academy is coming in 2025, from the creators of the Danganronpa series. Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven is getting a full remake for Switch, on October 24th.
Nintendo Direct: Metroid Prime 4!
What would a Nintendo Direct be without a one more thing style moment? The last announcement was… Metroid Prime 4. Yes, it’s real, and still happening. A note on screen said that the footage is from a non-final development build, but it looks very nice indeed already. And guess what? It now has a subtitle: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. That said, it’s not coming this year, instead it’s hitting 2025. Something to look forward to though, right?
