Nintendo Direct Highlights that Stood out!
The season of game announcements continues with the June 2023 Nintendo Direct! The roughly 40-minute-long presentation had plenty of exciting content for fans of Nintendo. From unexpected returns to new fashion, take a look at some of the highlights below, or watch the whole direct!
The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, The Teal Mask, and The Indigo Disk, trailer kicked off the direct with a look at two new trainers, Carmine and Kieran. We see some of the festivities of the Festival of Masks and get a chance to see three new pokémon Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti. We also see Ogerpon, the “evil ogre.” The Teal Mask seems to be more focused on culture while The Blueberry Academy is set on the sea. The trailer also shows us a look at the Terarium, which looks like a battleground separated into four different quadrants with their own biome. The Teal Mask has a release time of Fall 2023 and The Indigo Disk will be out in Winter 2023.
WarioWare: Move It! Arrives November 3rd, 2023, and will be sure to make you get out of your seat! With 200 “microgames” to keep you active, there is something to entertain even the pickiest of players. Maybe it was just growing up during the popularity of the Wii but there’s a certain nostalgia about the prospect of wiggling and making funny movements when playing a video game. The microgames range from shaking paws with a dog to shining your shell as a turtle, some may seem more like a sim than a game, but that only adds to the endearing appeal of the game. The integration of up to four players would make this a hit at parties catered towards almost any age!
Following the theme park, new movies, and subsequent memes, is the next Super Mario Bros game, Wonder. The trailer closed out the direct by giving audiences a look at the new 2D side scroller and the new Wonder Flowers in the game. The Wonder Flowers affect the world and the characters by turning the lights off, animating the environment, and many other ways. The clear favorite of these changes is Elephant Mario. Fans have already started drawing and fawning over this new version of Mario, and it’s safe to say that even if the game isn’t a hit when it releases on October 20th of this year, no one is forgetting about this adorable new Mario anytime soon.
A sequel to Detective Pikachu: Detective Pikachu Returns is coming Coming to Nintendo Switch in October! Tim Goodman and Pikachu are back to lend their detective skills to Ryme City and help Pokemon! While some have mentioned Pikachu sounds very similar to Will Arnet, the role will be reprised by Kaiji Tang, who voiced the first Pikachu in the first game. Audiences still aren’t used to such a mature voice coming from the beloved character, but that might just be a contributing factor to the game’s success.
Nintendo is remaking Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which is considered one of the most beloved RPGs of all time. The new version of the game, titled simply Super Mario RPG, will be released for the Nintendo Switch on November 17th of this year. Characters like Mallow and Geno make a comeback, and familiar foes such as Birdo and Booster will also be featured. The battle system appears to remain largely unchanged, providing a familiar experience for fans. The remake seems to stay true to the original while incorporating a modern art style and updated adaptations of the now-classic soundtrack.
