Today’s Nintendo Direct was a doozy, packing in so much Switch content in just under 40 minutes, it’s honestly tough to keep track of it all. As it was announced, the Direct featured the Nintendo Switch exclusively, bringing a ton of news including new games, new content for others, and even some exciting ports. You can check out the entire Direct below for more info on everything announced.
The main topics of the Direct, other than the plethora of extra announcements, were Pokemon Sword & Shield and Luigi’s Mansion 3. The Direct brought a few new pieces of information on the latest entry in the Pokemon series. Players will be able to customize their character, from clothes, gloves, hairstyle and even makeup, bringing a host of new customization options to the game. In addition to completing the Pokedex, players can now complete the Currydex, crafting over 100 different recipes of curry over rice (as if completing the Pokedex was too easy). To cook the dish, players will need to set up a Pokemon Camp, an area where you can interact with yours, as well as friend’s, Pokemon. Finally, two new Pokemon have been revealed. Polteageist is a ghost type made of tea, with special ability Weak Armor. Cramorant is a flying/water type that can use Surf or Dive to catch a fish. When Cramorant takes damage, it can then hurl it at an opposing Pokemon with Gulp Missile.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 showed some brand new floors of the hotel, including the Mezzanine, Castle MacFrights, Garden Suites, Tomb Suites, The Dance Hall, and The Spectral Catch. Each floor will be unique, bringing interesting ghostly enemies to catch and puzzles to solve. Another new game mode revealed is ScreamPark, a collection of minigames for two to eight players on a single console. Team Luigi faces off against Team Gooigi, seeing who can catch the most ghosts, coins, and more.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also received some news in the form of an immediate surprise release of Banjo-Kazooie, the latest DLC fighter. The Direct also confirmed the next DLC fighter will be Terry from the Fatal Fury series, as well as a whole new lineup of DLC characters still yet to be revealed. Banjo-Kazooie is available now in Smash, as well as a brand new video on how to best utilize the new fighter, which you can check out below.
The upcoming Animal Crossing game for the Switch also made its relaxed island appearance. Upon release on March 20, 2020, players will be able to pitch their own tent, which can be decorated both inside and out, use the exclusive NookPhone to look up item crafting recipes, and experience a deserted island’s time and weather patterns.
Other news of note from the Direct includes confirmation to the rumor that Overwatch is being ported to the Switch, along with brand new control options specifically for the motion controls of the console. A new Kirby game called Super Kirby Clash is also available for free today. Four players can take control of Kirbys with different powers to take down massive bosses. The Direct stressed that the game is “free-to-start,” however, so expect some paid content down the line. Doom 64 is rereleasing on the Switch November 22 as well in celebration of the 25th anniversary which is nice addition to the previous Doom releases on the console.
Nintendo Switch Online is also slated for a well-deserved boost, including the addition of Super Mario Kart, A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, Star Fox, and more (a total of 20 games) from the SNES. Players can play games in couch co-op, as well as online, and “the rewind function will be available from launch.” The new games will launch tomorrow, September 5. A SNES Switch controller will also be released in the future for that classic feel. Tetris 99 will also receive a new Invictus Mode, available only to players who have achieved Tetris Maximus status. Daily missions will also allow players to unlock custom themes. Paid DLC will allow two-player mode and eight-player local multiplayer with friends as well. All the new features will also launch September 5.
Suffice to say, today’s Nintendo Direct packed a lot into the 40-minute video, so make sure to check out the entire thing to see if your favorite game is getting a remaster, or find your next favorite amongst the numerous announcements.