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It’s been over 500 days, what’ve you got for us, Big N?
Good heavens, but it’s been a king’s age since the last full-on Nintendo Direct presentation. Due to a variety of circumstances (though I’m sure you can all guess the big one), there was an intervening period of 530 days between the previous Nintendo Direct and the one held yesterday. Children have been born, the face of society has changed drastically, we even changed Presidents! I guess that’s what happens when you gauge the passage of time in video game releases: things get kinda weird when there isn’t any news for a while. Regardless, we finally got a proper Direct on Wednesday, so here are a few of the big headlines.
First, we’ve got the word on the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character: it’s Pyra from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, alongside her counterpart Mythra. The two of them are a single character that you can flip back and forth between on the fly. It makes sense if you’ve played the game. No concrete release date yet, but we do have a release frame of some time in March, with a detailed presentation to come.
Secondly, if you were hoping for some news on the still unnamed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, well, keep hoping, ’cause they didn’t have anything for us yet. Apparently, info on that will be available before the end of the year. To sate your Zelda cravings in the meantime, Nintendo is releasing an HD Switch port of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on July 16, 2021. In addition to a graphical touch-up and smoother motion controls with Joy Cons, you can also now play the game with just buttons, controlling Link’s sword with the right analog stick.
Third, Mario Golf is finally back in the form of Mario Golf Super Rush. It’s a typical golf game on the surface, but it also has a super-competitive multiplayer mode called Speed Golf, as well as an RPG stat-building story mode. This game will be ready to tee up on June 25.
#Splatoon3 arrives on #NintendoSwitch in 2022! In the wake of chaos, enter the sun scorched Splatlands and the new city, Splatsville, inhabited by battle-hardened Inklings & Octolings. New weapons, moves, and more await, so be sure to keep an eye out for updates in the future. pic.twitter.com/Q0g6qbZBs5
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 17, 2021
Finally, in the usual “one last thing” fashion of Nintendo Directs, we got an all-too-brief look at Nintendo’s next big project for 2022. Fill up your Splattershots, squids, it’s time for Splatoon 3. Details are sparse, but we do know this game will be taking place in a different city, Splatsville, which is bordered by a massive desert mesa. Of course, there’ll be plenty of new weapons to try and clothes to wear.
Oh, and also, No More Heroes 3 is coming out on August 27, but I know I’m the only one who cares about that…
