Last Wednesday, Feb. 17, the Nintendo Company premiered the first Nintendo Direct of 2021. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Nintendo Direct, it is a series of live announcements that the Nintendo Company does every couple of months to announce the release of new games or other company news. However, due to the pandemic, Nintendo has not hosted a Nintendo Direct in over 500 days.
Many new games were announced for the company’s most recent console, the Nintendo Switch. Here are some of the highlights of the February Nintendo Direct.
SUPER SMASH BROS
Two new characters were announced as playable characters for Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Pyra and Mythra. Both characters are originally from the Xenoblade Chronicles series and will be released next month.
LEGEND OF MANA
Legend of Mana, a Square Enix project, has been remastered for the Nintendo Switch after its initial release in 1999. With remastered HD graphics, Legend of Mana for the Nintendo Switch is a retelling of the classic PlayStation game, with both the original soundtrack and a new one made specifically for the remastered version. Gamers can start exploring the vast world of Fa’Diel on June 24.
MONSTER HUNTER
Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise trailer released, hinting at some of the featured opponents. This installment of the Capcom series will be available March 26. Capcom has released 32 of its classic arcade games on the Nintendo Switch. The Capcom Arcade Stadium emulator is already available. 1943 The Battle of Midway is offered free through the Arcade Stadium, and other games can be bought with game packs or addons.
FAMICOM MYSTERY GAMES
Two murder mystery games, Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, are to be released on May 14, each game sold separately. Preorders for both Famicom games are already available.
MARIO FRANCHISE
The Mario brothers have decided to take some time off from saving princesses and stomping on goombas to practice their swing. Mario Golf Super Rush will come to the Nintendo Switch on June 25, with pre orders already available. Play as notable characters such as Mario, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser and more. You can even play as your own Mii.
In honor of the 35 anniversary of the Super Mario Bros franchise, Super Mario themes items will also be coming to island getaways in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This free update is ready for download on Feb. 25.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, a popular game on PlayStation, Android and Windows devices, will be playable on the Nintendo Switch in the summer.
- Outer Wilds, a Mobius Digital game, comes to the Nintendo Switch this summer. Outer Wilds is a game revolving around space travel and time loops.
- Samurai Warriors 5, a Koei Tecmo Games Company project and the fifth installment of this classic ninja franchise, will be available this summer.
- Tales from the Borderlands, a Telltale Borderlands game originally released in 2014, has been ported over to the Nintendo Switch and is available March 24.
- Create your own undead army with Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse on March 16.
