Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase 9-17-2020 Roundup

Nintendo has done a great job recently of providing frequent updates on various projects in the works. Between their Indie World Showcases and their Partner Showcases, they’ve been giving us a lot to work with. This month’s Partner Showcase was only 15 minutes long but has some surprising reveals. Let’s get into it, shall we?

As with most of their recent showcases, this showcase began with a reminder that COVID-19 makes the release dates of things listed here subject to change. Personally, I think this is an important reminder. We live in unprecedented times, and who knows what could happen tomorrow? We already saw that COVID is affecting PS5 distribution in China, as well as overall production.

The actual first announcement was for a new game in the Monster Hunter franchise called Monster Hunter Rise. It was revealed with a brand new trailer, showcasing gameplay including platforming and new mobility elements. The trailer also presented new characters, monsters, and a glimpse at the game’s overarching storyline. Of course, the main idea is still destroying large monsters though.

Monster Hunter Rise will release on March 26^th, 2021 with both a standard and deluxe edition. The deluxe edition comes with cosmetic items and equipment for your hunter and animal companions. This wasn’t the only Monster Hunter reveal Nintendo had in store though.

The next announcement was for Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, which was revealed along with a trailer showcasing some of the game’s characters and narratives. It is easy to tell that even if you aren’t a Monster Hunter fan, Monster Hunter Stories 2 takes a more RPG-focused, story-driven approach to gameplay.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin will release on the Switch in the Summer of 2021. This one is a little farther off, but I’m excited for both of these. I’ve never played a Monster Hunter title before, so it should be fun to try them out on Switch. After that cold open, there was a short introduction to the Partner Showcase, and we’re right back into announcements.

Next up was Fitness Boxing 2, which was announced with a gameplay trailer. The trailer revealed new trainers, 66 courses, and 23 songs, some of which were remixes from the first game. There are also customizable outfits for your instructors and ways to edit your workouts. They also revealed a 2-Player mode, an alarm function, and the ability to turn off certain moves to tailor your workout to your needs.

You can import save data from the previous game into Fitness Boxing 2 and get started with one of 9 instructors right away. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise launches on December 4^th, and pre-orders are now available.

A new Disgaea game is coming! Disgaea 6 was announced with a brief rundown of the premise. In Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, you play as Zed, a not so ordinary zombie who gets stronger every time he dies! Join Zed and a cast of new characters (along with some returning faces) as they face new threats.

The max damage cap in Disgaea 6 is now in the Quadrillions, with max levels for characters being capped at nearly one hundred million! Face off against the God of Destruction when Disgaea 6 releases on Nintendo Switch in the Summer of 2021. Also, Disgaea 5 Complete is getting a free limited-time trial for Nintendo Switch Online members starting on September 23^rd and ending on September 29^th.

After that exciting announcement, we got a brand new story/gameplay trailer for Empire of Sin. In Empire of Sin, you can play as Goldie Garneau or one of the other thirteen possible mob bosses. You will defend your turf and build your criminal organization while pitting your foes against one another. In this strategy game, it is up to you to build your organization and take out the competition. No release date for Empire of Sin was given, but pre-orders are now available.

Next up came an announcement for the Switch release of Sniper Elite 4. Rebellion is bringing Sniper Elite 4 to the Nintendo Switch and presented a new trailer, showing off the San Salini locale and storyline. Sniper Elite 4 will come to Nintendo Switch during the Holiday 2020 release window. No firm date has been given yet.

The showcase then gave us a quick set of smaller announcements of upcoming games and new releases. The Long Dark is now available on Nintendo Switch systems and was released alongside the direct yesterday. PGA Tour 2K21 is getting a physical release on September 25^th, bringing professional Golf to the Nintendo Switch system.

Hades is now available on Switch! Supergiant Games’ narrative-infused roguelike simultaneously hit its full release on PC and Switch alongside the Direct.

Balan Wonderworld also got a spotlight, with a coming release date of March 26^th, 2021 on Nintendo Switch. The spotlight also revealed co-op play and more footage of various costumes.

Rune Factory 5 was showcased next, with a bit of gameplay footage and a rundown on the premise and various activities you can partake in. The release date for Rune Factory 5 was vague, limited to a simple 2021 release window. However, this makes sense, due to localization and everything for western audiences.

The final announcement showcased during the Direct Mini was an announcement for Ori and the Will of the Wisps coming to Nintendo Switch. The surprise part of this announcement came in the form of a reveal that Ori and the Will of the Wisps released alongside the Direct. Fans of Ori can now play his latest adventure on the go or at home on your television.

It released with both a physical standard edition and a collector’s edition which looks absolutely stunning. The physical editions are open for pre-order but aren’t actually available yet, or at least it seems that way.

This Partner Showcase had a few really awesome announcements in it, though I hope we hear more about Bravely Default II, Bayonetta 3, and some other releases that are still marked for 2020’s release window. I’m sure some of those releases will get delayed due to COVID-19, but a guy can still hope for surprise Holiday releases. They also gave more information on the Monster Hunter reveals in a separate video which is provided below. What are you most excited about in this Direct? Sound off on Social Media or in the comments section!