With games like Bayonetta 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild‘s sequel slated this this year, 2022 was already looking to be an incredible year for Nintendo Switch owners. However, the most recent Nintendo Direct featured plenty of announcements that manage to make the coming months even more exciting. The 40-minute presentation was jam-packed with new reveals and updates on games, with a focus on those coming in the first half of the year.
Overall, the Direct featured dozens of new games and announcements, like free updates to Metroid Dread and ports of Portal and No Man’s Sky. However, nine reveals in particular stand out as things that could make 2022 the Switch’s best year since its launch by providing titles that’ll appeal to a wide range of players from hardcore JRPG fans to those who stick to casual party games.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Though it’s not the localized port or remake some were expecting, the announcement of a new Fire Emblem game was certainly welcome. The series hasn’t received a new game since 2019’s Three Houses, and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is set to expand on that popular game’s story in some capacity. A successor to 2017’s Fire Emblem Warriors, the upcoming game appears to focus solely on the world of Fódlan rather than being another franchise crossover.
Three Hopes won’t be a tactical strategy game like the main series, instead having the hack-and-slash combat of other musou games, but it will bring back Three Houses‘ beloved characters. The trailer didn’t include many story details, but the presence of new characters and some new designs for existing ones indicates that this is a spinoff Fire Emblem fans won’t want to miss when it releases on June 24.
Mario Strikers: Battle League
15 years after the last game, Mario Sports‘ soccer series is coming back with Mario Strikers: Battle League. Like previous entries, Battle League is a five-on-five soccer experience with Mario staples like power-ups and items that disrupt opponents. Each character has their own stats and special moves. New to the game is Strike mode, which Nintendo describes as a “soccer-like sport with no rules” that seems like a Strikers version of Mario Golf: Super Rush‘s Speed Golf. Battle League will support eight-players for local and online play, with the option to have two players on the same system. The game will launch on June 10.
Splatoon 3
Though Splatoon 3 was announced almost a year ago and was a large part of the previous Nintendo Direct, fans got another look at the game here. Here, Nintendo revealed that Splatoon 2‘s co-op mode is returning, now called Salmon Run: Next Wave. Like in the last game, this will see teams of up to four players fending off waves of Salmonids while collecting their eggs. Additionally, Splatoon 3 was confirmed for a Summer 2022 release window.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition
After being rumored in late-2021, it was finally announced that the Square Enix classic Chrono Cross is receiving a remaster. The game follows Serge, a teenage boy who finds himself in an alternate reality where he died as a child.On top of bringing a critically-acclaimed and currently hard to access PlayStation game to modern audiences, Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition adds quality-of-life features like the option to turn off random encounters.
The remaster also includes Radical Dreamers, a text-based adventure and Chrono Trigger side-story released exclusively for the Super Famicom’s Satellaview peripheral. This will be the first time Radical Dreamers is available outside of Japan. The game will release April 7 on Nintendo Switch, as well as PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
The latest trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Lands gives fans a look at the pink blob’s next adventure, as well as the new abilities he’ll have at his disposal. The 3D platformer will task Kirby with rescuing the Waddle Dees in a mysterious world, using and upgrading his copy abilities to save the day. Forgotten Lands also adds Mouthful Mode, which allows Kirby to inhale large objects like cars, vending machines and scissor lifts and gain new powers based on them that differ from his staple copy abilities.
Additionally, recusing Waddle Dees will help expand Waddle Dee Town, providing mode options like evolved copy abilities. Kirby and the Forgotten Lands already looked like an ambitious and exciting departure for a series whose recent games have been criticized for being too easy, and these new features make it look even better. Luckily, fans don’t have to wait long, as the game releases on March 25.
Nintendo Switch Sports
Perhaps the most surprising and exciting announcement for the larger Switch audience was the reveal of a Wii Sports successor. The easy-to-pick up, game that help the Wii end up everywhere from homes to school gyms to nursing homes is gaining new life as Nintendo Switch Sports. The new title will feature Tennis, Bowling and Chambara (a type of sword fighting) from previous games and introduce Soccer, Volleyball and Badminton into the mix. Golf will also be added as part of a free post-launch update.
Those who purchase the physical version of the game (or who already have Ring Fit Adventure) will be able to attach a Joy Con to a leg strap accessory and play an additional soccer game called Shootout Mode. There’s also an update planned for the summer that will allow player to play soccer using a Joy Con and the leg strap.
Nintendo Switch Sports will also support local and online multiplayer for every sport. The game launches April 29, but before that, there will be an online play test from Feb 18 – 20 for Nintendo Switch Online members. While player won’t be able to connect with friend for this weekend, they will be able to try out soccer, bowling and chambara a couple months early.
Earthbound & Earthbound Beginnings
Finally, after years of fans questioning its absence, Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are coming to Nintendo Switch Online’s lineup of classic games. The cult classic JRPGs, known as Mother and Mother 2 in Japan, have gained a following over the years for their fun, influential gameplay and style, as well as the mysterious nature of the series as a whole. While the long-requested to the point of meme status Mother 3 remains an untranslated Japan-exclusive, the two games are available now for all Switch Online subscribers.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pack
Despite recent rumors of a successor being announced soon, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still going strong five years after its launch and eight years after the original Wii U version. The game is receiving paid DLC in the form of the Booster Course Pass, which will add 48 remastered courses from previous games in six waves over the course of 2022 and 2023. While not all of the courses have been announced, Coconut Mall, Choco Mountain and Tokyo Blur will be part of the first wave, which releases on March 18.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass will be available for $24.99, with all waves being included in the purchase and no option to buy them separately. However, similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise, those with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will be able to access it for free so long as they remain subscribed.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Closing out the Direct was the reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. While the trailer didn’t say much about the game’s plot or characters, Nintendo said in a press release that it will follow Noah and Mio as they live through a conflict between the nations of Keves and Agnus. The game will feature six character who are from the two sides, and the game’s central theme will be “life.”
Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi also said Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will bring the worlds of the previous games together “to take players into the future.” Regardless of what the game’s story and new cast will be like, the trailer makes it clear that the sprawling open-world and real-time RPG combat fans love will be back. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is currently planned for a September 2022 release.
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