Nintendo Direct February 2023 Recap

As is tradition, February brings the season of love and a new Nintendo Direct. Each year, Nintendo usually spends its February Direct giving us details on games to come in the first half of the upcoming year. How did we fare this year? Let’s get into it, shall we?

We begin with a bang, (or perhaps a chitter?) starting off with Pikmin news. Pikmin 4 finally saw the spotlight with new, beautiful visuals and a sneak peek at several enemy types and environments. We also got a glimpse at our new, cute protagonist and the classic red, blue, and yellow Pikmin! There seems to also be a new climbing mechanic and new Pikmin types such as Ice Pikmin!

A few new mechanics were also shown off, like the fact that we get a dog! The dog can let you and your Pikmin (even non-blue Pikmin) traverse water, and can perform a variety of other actions. It seems like the goal of Pikmin 4 will be finding castaways on the planet, so perhaps there might be base-building or village management involved. Of course, there will also be the typical bosses and action the series is known for. Pikmin 4 will release on July 21^st.

The next announcement covered the next stage of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion pass, which will give a new hero and several challenge battles. The new hero is Masha, a Lapidarist who can use special ores to craft accessories with a variety of effects. The challenge battles are called the Archsage’s Gauntlet and are a series of Rogue-like battles where you pick one character and fight wave after wave of enemies.

Every challenge battle win gets you new characters to use in the battles, as well as special abilities, and in-game outfits. The direct also showed a small tease for Volume 4 of the expansion pass, which seems to have more story content incoming. Volume 3 of the expansion pass launches February 15^th.

Samba De Amigo is returning! The next announcement showcased Samba De Amigo: Party Central, a new rhythm game where you pose, shake, and dance your way through a variety of songs. You can dance with a friend and predict your compatibility with the “Love Checker” mode, compete online in World Party mode, and more. Party Central will come with 40 songs at launch later this summer.

Are you a fashionable type? This next announcement might be right up your alley. Fashion Dreamer was announced from XSEED Games. You’ll seek to become an influencer, and not only will you help others with their style choices, you can design your own outfits as well.

This seems to be as much of a social networking app as it is a game. Friending people will give you more options to style and expand your circle of influence. Fashion Dreamer will release exclusively on Switch sometime in 2023, presumably in the first half.

Next up, Motion Twin showed off a little more about the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania paid DLC. With new enemies, classic weapons, and the appearance of Richter, Alucard, Death, and Dracula himself, there’s a lot of content here. There are also 51 songs from the Castlevania franchise included in the DLC. The Return to Castlevania DLC will release on March 6^th and pre-orders are available now.

Tron returns in a new Puzzle Adventure game called TRON: Identity. Set in the Tron universe, you’ll have to “recover what was lost” and make decisions that will impact your journey and the fate of the entire server. TRON: Identity launches on Nintendo Switch this April.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective got a spotlight next. As an HD remaster of the DS release, this time-bending mystery is seeing new life on the Switch. As a ghost, you can possess objects and prevent innocent people from suffering a terrible fate. There are lots of puzzles and scenarios to work through, and to be honest, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective looks pretty fun. It will release later this summer.

Continuing the mystery trend, Decapolice will have you solving mysteries between two worlds. You’ll fight in turn-based battles, and solve cases in a virtual world where a hacker could throw a wrench into your plans at any time. Decapolice will release sometime in 2023.

Showcasing a game I was curious about after the release of Bayonetta 3, we got more information about Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. As a prequel to the series, you play as young Cereza, who seeks to free her imprisoned mother. To do so, she ventures into the Avalon Forest, ruled by fairies, where she encounters Cheshire, a demon that winds up bound to her stuffed animal.

You’ll control Cereza and Cheshire simultaneously, using their individual talents in tandem to progress through Avalon Forest. They’ll need to work together in battle, since Cereza cannot fight enemies directly. As such, you’ll use Cheshire to protect Cereza, while the young witch makes use of spells that can aid Cheshire in battle. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon will release on March 17^th, 2023.

Moving onto another DLC, we have an announcement for new Splatoon 3 content. The Splatoon 3 Expansion Pass was announced, which will contain 2 waves of content. The first wave showcases the return of Inkopolis from the original Splatoon. There are some familiar faces and locations for fans of the original game, including the Squid Sisters, who will perform during Splatfests.

The first wave of the expansion pass will release later this Spring. They also teased wave 2, called “Side Order” though they didn’t give a definitive release window for it just yet. You can purchase the Expansion pass now, to get access to the content as soon as it drops.

Disney Illusion Island was the next game showcased, revealing a new adventure for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy. Mickey and his friends embark on a journey to collect 3 magical books to save the island. Each character will run, jump, and swing to explore the island and unlock its secrets.

Unlocking special abilities will allow you to explore further and find secret areas. Up to 4 players can play together, offering various cooperative actions like leap-frog for further jumps and hugging to share health. Disney Illusion Island will release on July 28^th.

Next up we got more information on what is coming in the Fire Emblem Engage Expansion Pass after the Three Houses DLC from Wave 1 was released shortly after launch. Wave 2 includes Hector from Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade, Soren from Path of Radiance / Radiant Dawn, and Camilla from Fire Emblem Fates. Wave 3 will include Chrom and Robin from Awakening, and Veronica from Fire Emblem Heroes.

Alongside these new emblems and missions, Wave 4 will showcase a new story. Titled “Fell Xenologue,” you’ll meet new characters and experience new story content. Wave 2 was released during the Direct, while waves 3 and 4 will release sometime in the future.

After the DLC reveal, we got an announcement for Harmony: The Fall of Reverie. This narrative adventure will ask you to save humanity when divine beings begin to quarrel with one another. You’ll use the protagonist’s clairvoyance to investigate various realms and decide humanity’s fate. Harmony has branching story paths, with a soundtrack composed by Lena Raine who created Celeste’s soundtrack. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie will release in June, and will no doubt offer an intriguing experience across its multiple endings.

Next, we had another block of games, showcasing a variety of RPGs and other content coming to the Switch. First up was Octopath Traveler II, which now has a demo that contains the opening hours of the game. Progress is transferrable to the full game when it releases on February 24^th. Octopath Traveler II looks gorgeous and has 8 all new storylines that will surely test your RPG skills.

Katamari Damacy returns! We Love Katamari is getting a remastered version. I was hoping this would happen after Katamari Damacy Reroll did so well. We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie remasters We Love Katamari, while also adding five new challenges and a photo mode. It will release on Switch on June 2^nd.

We also saw more footage from Sea of Stars, which will release on August 29^th. We didn’t get a large deep dive, but we did see some clips of various footage and music from the upcoming RPG. You can also play a free demo now.

Next up was a sports title called Omega Strikers. In Omega Strikers, as a mix between a hero-action game and a soccer game, you play in teams of 3 heroes with various abilities, trying to score goals. Each character has skills that can turn the tide of a match and can fall into various categories from support, offense, or defense. Omega Strikers will release on April 27^th.

The first 3 Etrian Odyssey games have been remastered and given new life in the Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection. All 3 games have been remastered in HD, so you’ll be exploring the labyrinth with new visuals and defeating monsters as you go. Of course, you’ll have to draw in the map as you go, it wouldn’t be an Etrian Odyssey game otherwise, right?

The HD Remasters have new character illustrations, new difficulty options, and an auto-mapping function in case you don’t want to deal with mapping yourself. The Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection will release on June 1^st, 2023. Since I haven’t played the first 3 games in the series, I’m very excited.

Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp finally got the spotlight again after a delay. It will be released on April 21^st, and pre-orders are available now.

Kirby took the stage again in a new segment for Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe. The segment announced the Magolor Epilogue titled “The Interdimensional Traveler” in which players will have to take on the role of Magolor as he tries to escape the realm between dimensions. To regain Magalor’s powers, you’ll have to defeat enemies and gain Magic Points.

With over 20 stages to explore, the Magalor Epilogue offers even more content aside from the main game. You can also play with up to 4 players, exploring the mysterious realm together. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe will release on February 24^th, and a demo is available now.

Nintendo Switch Online got the spotlight next with a block of news. Game Boy Games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. At launch, you’ll be able to play Tetris, Super Mario Land 2 – 6 Golden Coins, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, Gargoyle’s Quest, Game and Watch Gallery 3, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, Metroid II – Return of Samus, Wario Land 3, and Kirby’s Dream Land.

You can play in the Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, or Game Boy Color screen filter mode, and you can play with up to two players in certain games. More games are slated to be added in the future like The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (and Seasons), Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble, and more. What really excites me though is the next announcement.

Game Boy Advance games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack! At launch you can play Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3, Wario Ware Inc. Mega Microgame$, Kuru Kuru Kururin, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. Local and Online play is supported, and more games will be coming in the future, including Metroid Fusion, Fire Emblem, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, Golden Sun, and more.

Another surprise came in the form of an announcement for the remastered release of the first Metroid Prime game. While I expected (or hoped) for the re-release of the trilogy eventually with Metroid Prime 4 in development, today’s announcement was a surprise. Metroid Prime Remastered has dual-stick controls (in line with modern shooters) and is (surprisingly) available digitally now. It will release physically in retail on February 22^nd.

We got a little more information on Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE next, including characters and the environment of Kanai Ward. The different abilities that Yuma’s allies can share look interesting, such as Postcognition (seeing a crime scene), Audio Aptitude (hearing heartbeats and other sounds), and more. Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE will be available on June 30^th, and I can’t wait.

As another surprise, Nintendo announced Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster. I enjoyed both games when they were originally released, but I didn’t expect them to ever see the light of day again. The card-based battle system returns, and you’ll be able to enjoy these sprawling RPGs all over again. This remastered edition of both Baten Kaitos games will release this summer.

Next up was an announcement for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, an RPG/Life Sim hybrid that looks very interesting. Travel between the past and present, taking on a variety of jobs and tasks. It will release sometime in 2023.

Professor Layton is back as well! Nintendo announced Professor Layton and the New World of Steam (don’t tell Valve), though there was just a teaser. Hopefully, we’ll get further info later in the year.

Nintendo also took a moment to announce the Wave 4 courses for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass. Yoshi’s Island is part of wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass. Birdo is also being added as a playable character. Wave 4 will launch this Spring, and I’m a little surprised by how small it is.

Before we got into the last big announcement, there was a rapid-fire list of games and information, including:

Minecraft Legends – April 18^th, 2023
Blanc – February 14^th, 2023
Megaman Battle Network Legacy Collection – April 14^th, 2023
Have a Nice Death – March 22^nd, 2023
WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros – Available Now
Dreamlight Valley New Realm Update – April 2023
Tales of Symphonia Remastered – February 17^th, 2023

Last, but certainly not least, we finally got more details on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The new trailer showcased a mysterious new threat, a variety of enemies, and new traversal mechanics like rail grinding. Tears of the Kingdom will release on May 12^th, 2023, and you can pre-order it now. A new amiibo was also announced that will release on May 12^th as well.

This Nintendo Direct was exactly what I always hope they will be. Full of surprises, with lots of unique games and announcements. They didn’t lean too heavy on DLC, and they definitely saved some really cool surprises to mix in with games we already knew were coming. If you want to check out the Direct, you can watch it below.