Nintendo Direct 6/18/2024 Round Up

Kicking things off with a bang for this week’s Nintendo Direct was the announcement of a brand new entry in the Mario & Luigi series. This game is the first completely new Mario RPG and the first new entry in the Mario & Luigi series in nine years. In this game, the brothers are sucked into a strange new world where they must battle enemies old and new in order to find their way home. This new adventure will be launching on November 7th.

As previously announced, Nintendo is releasing a Nintendo World Champion: NES Edition game based on the Nintendo competition from the 90s-2010s. It will feature a variety of game modes where you can go against yourself and others to break all sorts of records. Find out who will be the ultimate Nintendo World Champion on July 18th.

Up next was an action RPG that plays through the Alvarez Empire Arc of the manga-turned-anime Fairy Tail, Fairy Tail 2. While the manga is about 15 years old, it will be interesting to see how it compares to 2019’s Fairy Tail (1). It will be released on the Switch this winter.

Created by one of the developers of the Final Fantasy series, Fantasian Neo Dimension takes place in a world where the souls of people are being taken. Released on Apple Arcade, Fantasian Neo Dimension is heading to the Nintendo Switch during Holiday 2024.

A long-awaited game is making its way to Nintendo Switch Sports this summer. While perhaps not as highly sought after as Baseball, the addition of Basketball to the Nintendo Switch Sports game does help to bring back one of the greatest things you could do on Wii Sports Resort. This update will feature three different game modes: 2-on-2 matches, 3-Point Challenge, and Five Streak Battle. There is currently no solid release date, but it seems likely to be released “this summer.”

Mio: Memories in Orbit is an action platformer game with a lot of mystery around it. The only thing that we know about the story is that it follows an android who is seeking some sort of information on a spaceship. There is very little that was given about the game, but we should get more as we get closer to its 2025 release window.

A new update has dropped for Disney Illusion Island that takes Mickey and the gang on a brand-new adventure where they have to help solve a mystery. Monoth’s greatest detective is trying to solve a mystery that has popped up and is requesting the aid of Micky and the gang. Will you be able to help the detective with solving the Mystery in Monoth?

An Animal Crossing-inspired game where you get to make friends with Hello Kitty and all of her buddies. This is another game that is available on Apple Arcade, so a Switch port should be rather smooth. Hello Kitty Island Adventure will be released in early 2025.

In an unexpected release, the Looney Tunes gang is getting a sports game. While much of the trailer featured basketball due to the well-known Space Jam series, it also showed tennis and soccer. Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports will be out in time to jam this September.

As previously announced, Among Us has gotten brand new roles. These roles are Noisemaker (which makes an alert whenever that crew member is killed), Tracker (who can track teammates), and Phantom (who can turn invisible). These roles are certainly going to make the game much more interesting and have the chance to breathe new life into Among Us with the update out now.

While Palworld brought us a rather adult version of Pokémon, Farmagia appears to be going somewhere in the middle with its take on monster fighting. Created by Marvelous, Farmagia allows you to capture multiple monsters in the underworld of Felicidad and train them to defeat massive enemies. From capturing, training, farming, and battling, there appears to be quite a bit to do in this brand-new world. Will you be able to stop Magus’ reign on November 1st?

A beloved Donkey Kong game comes swinging onto the Nintendo Switch. While Donkey Kong Country Returns HD certainly looks better compared to its original 2010 release, the game also features additional levels from the Nintendo 3DS release of the game. We will have to wait quite a bit for Donkey Kong Country Returns HD though, as it is slated to be released on January 16th of 2025. Either solo or co-op, it is time to race across the jungle one more time.

The complete Erdrick Trilogy for Dragon Quest is arriving on the Nintendo Switch. Split in two, Dragon Quest III has a planned release date of November 14th, while Dragon Quest I & II will be released later at some point in 2025. While at first glance this may seem like an odd release order, it is perfectly fine since the third game takes place before the first and second entry.

As previously announced, Funko Fusion is coming to the Nintendo Switch. A brand new take on the LEGO game formula, this game will feature characters from Back to the Future to Jurassic World and many others. Funk Fusion will launch on September 13th.

As previously announced, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is right around the corner. A remastering of the original game, you take control of Luigi as he busts ghosts throughout a myriad of levels. This remaster launches on June 27th.

The next game in the Denpa Men series is a strange-looking game where you put together a group of men to win battles and build your ideal home. The New Dempa Men will be launched as a timed exclusive for the Nintendo Switch on July 22nd. Best of all, it is free.

Metal Slug Attack Reloaded is a defense tower version of the classic Metal Slug arcade games. This game features both single player and multiplayer game modes which will allow for a lot of replayability.

After being released on Epic in 2021 and Steam in 2023, Darkest Dungeons 2 will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch on July 15th. While the game isn’t too intense to run, it will be interesting to see how it is handled considering how long the Nintendo Switch has been around.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Perfect Dark are both coming to the Nintendo Switch through the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. These as well as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Four Swords and Metroid: Zero Mission join the collections too.

For the first time, Mature-rated games are coming to the N64 Collection of games. With these additions, it will be interesting to see if Nintendo continues to build up the Mature-rated library on the various system collections that it has. It is rather great timing for Nintendo to release Perfect Dark too in this bundle considering that Xbox recently revealed a brand new Perfect Dark game just over a week ago. Luckily, fans of Turok and Perfect Dark won’t have to wait since these titles were released after the Direct.

A new game in the Phantom Brave series, Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero has you take control of Marona who needs to search for her friend who has been taken away from her. It is a turned-based action RPG where you can make combination attacks based on who is in your party. This game will be released in 2025.

Seven different games from the MARVEL vs. CAPCOM series will be rocking onto the Switch later this year. The seven games are X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Superheroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Heroes, Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and The Punisher. This collection also comes with a myriad of enhancements from custom matches to a music player, one-button special moves, and more.

The newest entry in the Mario Party series, Super Mario Party Jamboree is a perfect mix of old and new. Nintendo has brought back a few old maps from Mario Party 1 & 2, while also creating brand new maps specifically for this game. The main standout from this announcement was the online option of playing with 20 players, a first for the Mario Party series. Prepare to get your party shoes on as Super Mario Party Jamboree will be coming out on October 17th.

Taking the art style used for the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom marks a major departure from the other games by having Zelda be the playable character. After rescuing Zelda, Link is sucked into an abyss and disappears. Zelda now has to investigate this abyss and the others like it that have swallowed up other parts of the world. Will she be able to save Link and their world on September 26th?

As previously announced, Just Dance 2025 will be arriving in October. The 16th game in the yearly franchise, this game will bring around 40 songs to the growing Just Dance+ Library. Hopefully, Ubisoft will give us an actual physical edition compared to the weird 2024 version that was just a piece of paper in a plastic box.

Previously announced at the Summer Game Fest showcase, LEGO Horizon Adventures will be bringing the world of Horizon Zero Dawn into the LEGO game format. While not exactly the most expected new LEGO game to come out, it will be interesting to see how the two mesh together. LEGO Horizon Adventures will release Holiday 2024.

A beloved game that was released on most other platforms a few years ago, Stray is now making its way to the Nintendo Switch. Considering it is a relatively new game, it will be interesting to see how it runs on the Switch. Stray will come to the Switch this Holiday 2024.

Previously announced a few weeks ago, Tales of the Shire is a The Lord of the Rings cozy town-building game similar to Animal Crossing. In this game, you play as a Hobbit in the Bywater where you get to cook food and enjoy meals with great neighbors. It is coming out this Holiday 2024.

The legendary Ace Attorney will be getting a new collection with two previous games, one of which was only released in Japan until now. The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection will be coming on September 6th.

Made by Too Kyo Games and Media.Vision Inc., The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- takes place in a strange world that is being ravaged by monsters. In order for our main character to return to his own world, he must survive a hundred days at the Last Defense Academy. This game will be released in 2025.

A remake of the original game from the SNES era, Romancing SaGa 2 follows a tale that takes place over multiple generations where seven heroes have turned to the dark side. This remake will be released on October 24th.

After a complete development restart, we finally have our first look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The trailer showed off a variety of cinematics and gameplay, which all looked rather impressive. While not much was given about the main plot, we did get a glimpse of a world being ravaged by pirates when Samus arrives to defend the planet. We now have a release date window of 2025. Which could mean Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could launch on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2?