If you haven’t yet purchased a Nintendo Switch, then perhaps the deluge of announcements from Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct will change your mind.
During the video presentation, Nintendo announced a metric ton of new video games, remastered classic games, and a 99-player battle royale version of Tetris that promptly sent the Internet into a tizzy. Here’s are the biggest announcements that you missed during today’s reveal:
Super Mario Maker 2
Our long national nightmare of not being able to create our own custom Mario levels on the Switch is over. Super Mario Maker 2 is coming to the handheld console this June with a bunch of new tools, including diagonal slopes, which I promise is much more exciting than it sounds.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Originally released for the Game Boy back in 1993, the classic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is getting a 3D remake for the Switch that is so relentlessly charming that if you manage to make it through the trailer without smiling, you’re legally dead inside. The “modern reimagining” arrives sometime later this year.
Astral Chain
Scratch that itch for frenetic, futuristic cyberpunk chaos with ASTRAL CHAIN, the anime-style, third-person action game from Platinum Games and NieR: Automata game designer Takahisa Taura that has you teaming up with a living weapon known as Legion to fight all manner of monsters. The game, which drops August 30, looks like a combination of Patlabor and Devil May Cry, which are two tastes that look like they’ll taste great together. Plus you can apparently dress as a giant dog mascot and recycle? Sign me all the way up.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
The good news is that there is a new Fire Emblem game about three noble houses–The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer–that comprise an elite training academy where students are molded into warriors, mages, and specialists. You will become a professor leading the students of one of these houses through a series of tactical, grid-based battles with major life-or-death consequences. The bad news is that you have to wait until July 26 to play it.
Tetris 99
Who knew that Twitter was just champing at the bit to tear each other a new one in Tetris? Apparently, Nintendo did. Forget Apex Legends; the hottest new name in battle royale right now is Tetris 99, which as the title suggests is a 99-player competitive multiplayer version of Tetris. This Switch exclusive is free to play and available right now in the Nintendo eShop.
BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!
On April 26, you and a friend can put your heads together for some co-op puzzle-solving action across 270 different levels in BoxBoy! + BoxGirl!.
Mortal Kombat 11
Get over here and play Mortal Kombat 11 on the go! The brutal fighting game is coming to the Switch on April 23. Prepare your body by brushing up on the deadly physics of the series in our new show, The Science of Mortal Kombat with Kyle Hill!
Final Fantasy IX
Originally released in 2000, the classic RPG is finally available on Nintendo Switch. If you slept on this back in the days of the first PlayStation, now is the time to fix the grievous error of your ways and enjoy its sprawling, fantasy worldbuilding right now. That’s right, the game is available immediately on the Nintendo eShop. And if you’re feeling nostalgic for a different PSX-era release, then hang tight because Final Fantasy VII hits the Switch on March 26.
Assassin’s Creed III Remastered
Relive the thrills and chills of the American Revolution on the go with this fully remastered version of Assassin’s Creed III coming to the Switch on May 21. With revamped gameplay, improved aiming, and all of the game’s original DLC included, it’s a no-brainer for action-adventure fans.
In addition to the aforementioned titles, Nintendo also revealed release dates for a slew of other games (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order comes this summer), provided updates on DLC for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Persona 5‘s Joker arrives in April!), and much more, which you can find in the complete Nintendo Direct presentation on Nintendo’s website.
