Nintendo held their first big direct of 2019 and it certainly didnt dissapoint. The show lasted around thirty-five minutes had some really good announcments, with plenty for Nintendo fans to get excited about.
What was announced
Nintendo opened the show with a big announcement of Mario Maker 2. Scheduled for June 2019. A big game to announce at the start of the show and something for Mario fans to get excited about. The game allows you to construct and build levels based on previous Mario titles, letting your imagination run wild using new tools, course parts and features to create your desired stage. Once created upload it to online and let others play your creation.
Next they had a Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 further announcement, explaining how the four player action game can be played a number of ways, either co-op tv mode. Four switches connected local play or a full online experience. They showed various gameplay shots which I thought looked really good for the Switch's limited graphic capability. Captain Marvel was also shown as a playable character. A summer 2019 release window.
Box Boy was the next game revealed, the critically acclaimed puzzle series makes its debut on the Switch, this came with the added addition of Box Girl so two players can play together to beat the 270 levels the game has. Once the story has been beaten you can unlock a new adventure, Qudy the tall box with different mechanics and playstyle. The fun looking Box Boy comes to Switch on 26th April.
A version 3.0 update for Super Smash Bros Ultimate was shown but no information what that holds was revealed here. The Joker was shown but no gameplay of him, he will be in the game as part of challenger pack one by the end of April, they ended this short segment with new Amibo characters tied into the Smash series fighters.
Captain Toad treasure tracker got a new update to make all levels two player playable which was a free update dropping later tonight. 18 new challenges over 5 courses were also shown as paid DLC, one special episode is available later tonight with the rest of the content coming 14th March.
Boodstained was next to be shown, the hectic looking side platformer looked really interesting, colourful and exciting, with plenty of good gameplay shown. Release window is summer 2019.
Dragon quest builder 2 was revealed with local co-op and online play. this looked very Minecraft-esq, building and crafting materials, exploring underwater and warping all around the retro map. Launch date 12th July.
Tsum Tsum festival was the next reveal. A 4 player party mode with interesting looking games such as curling, football and a Pac-man type chaser, plus puzzles which also come with a local and online 2 player mode for competitive puzzling. Release window 2019.
New missions for Starlink Battle for Atlas were shown with Peppy, Falco and Slippy hunting down Star Fox's evil lieutenants, as part of the latest spring updates. More updates will be announced before release in April 2019.
The next announcement was for RuneFactory 4 special being released for Nintendo Switch for the first time, Nintendo showed off gameplay from fighting evil monsters to farming and fishing. it certainly looks like a game that should hold enough content to keep players coming back. Announced for later this year. RuneFactory 5 was also announced as being in production.
Another Anime action RPG was announced called ONINAKI, a quest between the living world and the beyond, slay monsters and recover lost souls that can help you in battle as you move through the world. Again a Summer 2019 release window
Some really cool gameplay of Yoshi's crafted world was shown, driving cars, rafting and facing difficult bosses, New in-game costumes were also shown which you unlock with in-game currency which offers Yoshi protection from enemies with a nod to harder and more precious costumes to try and collect. A demo is to be released later today with the full game coming on 29th March.
Tetris 99 was the next big game to be announced. basically Tetris battle royale. The free-to-download game for switch online subscribers will be available to play later today, win battles by attacking the other 99 players with rubbish and defending yourself to be the last player standing. watch the gameplay video.
Dead by Daylight comes to Switch. A number of maps, characters and customizable options are avaliable to players. be prepared to be petrified when the game drops in Autumn 2019.
Deltarune was our next game shown to us, and to be honest I have no idea what it was about. there were a lot of white dogs. if this has you intrigued it's coming to Switch on 28th February and it's free!
Daemon X Machina reveled a four level demo releasing later today. This will give players a guid to the basic controls, a feel for the game and even a boss fight in the last level. The producer welcomed feedback either by being selected by email invite to complete a survey or via social media. He also hinted at a Summer 2019 release.
Grid Autosport is coming to the Switch, with over 100 cars and 100 circuits. also bolstering online play, and split screen co-op on one TV. the difficulty scales in-game due to ability. Graphically it look really good on the console and for you racing fans this looks a pretty solid addition. Again a Summer 2019 window.
The award winning Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is coming to Switch! And it looks great on the Switch, a nice chunk of the weirdly wonderful gameplay was shown, whether you are a first time player or want to run the excellent story again this looks like a sure fire pick up for Nintendo Switch. Releasing Spring 2019.
Next was a nice video of new titles coming to switch this year such as Mortal Kombat, Unravel 2 (March 22nd), Assassin's Creed III and Liberation remastered (May 21st), Final Fantasy VII (March 26th), Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy (March 20th), Final Fantasy IX (Later Today). Just shows the huge line up of games that are planned and have release dates already for 2019.
The very good looking Astral Chain was the next game revealed, with some quick and fun looking gameplay where two police officers are racing through a futuristic world fighting all kinds of monsters, while riding a robot dog. A quick and to the point gameplay video. Release date 30th August.
Finally, one Nintendo fans have been waiting for the anticipated 2D Zelda remake is here! The Legend of Zelda: Link's awakening was shown. A beautiful looking remaster for the Switch, the graphics and gameplay look amazing really bringing the game to life as all our minds imagined it all those years ago. Release window 2019.
The direct did seem to go on maybe 10 minutes too long with the added extended talk about Fire Emblem:Three Houses, Players choose one of the three noble houses which make up the officers academy, which train students in the ways of weaponary, magic and special skills. lead your students into grid based battles with life or death consequences. some gameplay video was also shown which looked good if you like the strategy, turn based fighters.
There was also a extended feature for Dragon Quest XI. a game that is huge in Japan, but has struggled to hit home with people in western countries. This however looked great, a really nice graphic style looking a lot like Breath of the Wild. It's something I would consider picking up if you like long single player RPG experiences. Dragon Quest is set for an Autumn release. Videos of all the announcements can be found at nintendo.com
The direct was a great segway leading now to either another direct later on in the year or into E3 where they can have more time to talk about the big games like the new Pokemon game and others. I feel this direct gave something for most Nintendo fans and it sure sets up what looks to be another great year for Nintendo in 2019.
