Nintendo Direct February 2021 Roundup

It’s been quite a bit since Nintendo has last released a proper Direct. While we got a bunch of mini-versions of this beloved format, yesterday’s Direct was the first one in a while. We got almost an hour’s worth of new announcements, and there are definitely a lot of good games coming this year and the next. First off, let’s get the different Switch-ports out of the way, listed in order of scheduled release.

Apex Legends, March 9th.
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse, March 16th.
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville Complete Edition, March 19th.
Tales from the Borderlands, March 24th.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, this summer.
Outer Wilds, this summer.

We also got a couple of announcements regarding DLC for games that have been out for a while. The announcement that kicked off the Direct was Pyra, one of the protagonists of the Xenoblade Chronicles series joining the roster of fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. What makes her quite interesting is the fact that she can freely switch between two forms – Pyra and Mythra. This will make for some interesting fights, I’m sure, and somewhat reminds me of the original Zelda/Sheik-combo. Pyra is scheduled to join the fight this March.

A new, free update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also on its way. Continuing to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Super Mario series, an array of Mario-themed Items will be available for purchase in-game. The update releases on February 25th, while the items will become available on March 1st.

Fans of the recently released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity are getting an expansion pass. Which is available for purchase now, with the first wave of DLC coming in June. The second one following in November of this year.

There were also a couple of announcements regarding remasters and re-releases, including some games that have never actually been released in the west, yet. Once again, these will be listed in order of scheduled release.

SaGa Frontier Remastered, including some new story-content for two of the eight protagonists, April 15th.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir & Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, both are first-time releases in the west with updated graphics for the Nintendo Switch, both arriving May 14th.
Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, including Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, coming to the Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on June 10th.
Legend of Mana HD, coming June 24th.

Another, personally rather exciting, announcement was the physical release of Hades. Supergiant Games’ critically acclaimed roguelike, coming March 19th. The game comes with a 32-page character compendium as well as a download code for the game’s soundtrack, composed by Darren Korb. While I’ve actually already bought the game twice, including the digital version on the Nintendo Switch, I’ll definitely be adding this one to my collection of physical games; because some games definitely deserve a spot on the shelf, especially one as incredible as Hades.

A game (or games) that just released is Capcom Arcade Stadium. The game itself is free to download right now, though most of the arcade titles have to be purchased individually in three different Packs at $14,99, which each include ten different games, though there’s also a complete pack, which you can buy for $39,99. While not a cheap endeavor, it should be worthwhile for arcade-fans. Plus, the games 1943: The Battle of Midway and Ghosts ‘n Goblins are free to download and keep.

Next up, we have two games releasing on May 21st. Knockout City is a team-based competitive multiplayer game revolving around dodgeball. The second game Miitopia, lets you go on an adventure with your friends, adding new customization for your Miis, like makeup and wigs. The game seems to emphasize relationships between the different Mii characters – a good relationship helps you on your adventure, while a bad one can of course have negative effects on battles and other aspects of the game.

One of my highlights of the Direct was World’s End Club. As a big fan of both the Danganronpa and Zero Escape series, my eyes lit up when this game was shown. What instantly drew me in was the character design as well as the overall premise of the game; a group of 12 kids making their way through empty Japan with a mix of side-scrolling action and what I can only assume will be an incredible narrative. I can’t wait to see what kind of twists and turns this game will end up throwing at me when it releases on May 28th.

The game that threw me off the most during yesterday’s Direct was DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power, which is coming to Switch on June 4th. Not because it looked good, quite the opposite. The game looks like it’s clearly made for a younger audience (just like the TV show of the same name). While it’s great that DC is giving their female characters a game focused entirely on them, it doesn’t exactly look like it’ll be a lot of fun to play.

For the fans of Nintendo’s sports games, the next one is coming up on June 24th. Mario Golf: Super Rush seems like it will be a bunch of fun to play with friends in some of the new game modes, like the rather chaotic-looking “Speed Golf.” Instead of taking turns, everyone plays at the same time. Each character has different abilities to use as well, which will definitely be more fun than a normal golf game, which can drag on for ages without actually being fun. On top of that, a story mode is included in the game as well. With your Mii character as the protagonist, you’ll accrue skill points for playing, which you can then put into attributes like power, speed, and stamina.

No More Heroes 3 finally got an official release date. The game is coming on August 27th. For those who can’t wait, the first two games in the series as well as the spin-off title Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes can definitely help you pass the time until then.

After about seven years, we are getting a new game in the Samurai Warriors series, coming this Summer to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, XBOX One, and PC. Samurai Warriors 5 is set in the Sengoku period, with revamped character designs and an all-new visual style.

We got a brief teaser for Star Wars Hunters, a free-to-play competitive third-person shooter, coming at some point this year. As well as a trailer for Annapurna Interactive’s new game Neon White, a first-person action game about killing demons in heaven, set to release for the Nintendo Switch as well as PC this coming winter.

There are only three games left to talk about, and the first one is one of my favorite announcements from this jam-packed presentation. Project Triangle Strategy is the next installment in Square Enix’s “HD-2D” line of games, following in the footsteps of 2018’s Octopath Traveler. While this game shares the same visual style as its predecessor, the gameplay is going to be drastically different. While Octopath Traveler‘s combat style resembled that of earlier titles in the Final Fantasy series of turn-based RPGs, Project Triangle Strategy reminds me heavily of games like Final Fantasy Tactics. Which makes sense, given that all these games were developed by Square Enix.

This new game will also have a big emphasis on choices. The choices you make during your playthrough will impact the way the overarching story unfolds, which makes me look forward to this game even more now. I’m a big fan of RPGs, and choice-driven video games, so this seems like the perfect combination for me. If you’re interested in the game, a demo is available for download right now!

When Eiji Aonuma stepped on the virtual stage to announce that they were no news on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, I couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of disappointment. Not because I actually finished the original game, but because I didn’t understand why they felt the need to go ahead and tell us there was no news in the first place. It seemed odd to me, so I knew that wasn’t going to be all. I was proven correct, as shortly after, they announced that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would be releasing on the Nintendo Switch on June 16th. As someone who really enjoyed the game, despite its sometimes rather odd controls, this got me really excited.

While they have refined the motion controls, alongside announcing the release of Skyward Sword-themed JoyCons, this version of the game won’t force you to play using motion controls. This means you’ll be able to play the game in handheld mode, as well as with the Pro Controller (or Switch Lite) and the right analog stick controlling Link’s sword. I can’t wait to experience The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Nintendo Switch, and I refuse to let my hope for a re-release of Wind Waker die just yet.

The last game that Nintendo announced in the first Nintendo Direct of 2021 was Splatoon 3. While I’ve never played any of the other two installments, mostly because I’m not really a competitive person, this definitely looks promising. If they include another story mode, I might actually end up picking this game up when it releases in 2022. I’m actually glad to know that Nintendo is taking their time with some of these first-party games, because we really don’t want a series like Splatoon turning into a yearly release of the same game with a new facade, like some other Triple-A titles (looking at you, Fifa).

I can’t say I’m disappointed with the games that were shown in this Direct. There’s a lot of games that I’m most definitely going to pick up when they come out this year, though I’m not entirely sure if my wallet will be able to handle all of them. In case you want to watch the Nintendo Direct yourself, we have linked it below!