Nintendo’s 2019 E3 Direct has come and gone. The presentation was 40 minutes long and featured a variety of games. New games and games that were shown before were all discussed more in this Direct and even DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
THE HERO(ES) DRAWS NEAR
After a short clip of upcoming games, viewers saw Link fight against the clones of Dharkon with an unknown horse rider galloping through the forest. As the final blow is about to be delivered, the mystery horse rider is no other than Dragon Quest's own Luminary. Gameplay footage shows off his wide cast of spells including Snooze, Zoom and Kamikazee. As Luminary himself gets beaten by the clones, Erdrick, Solo and Eight show up to the fight. It’s later revealed that the trio are alternate costumes à la Robin and Corrin. At the end of their reveal, their Final Smash is shown. The other Dragon Quest Heroes unite and land their Final Smash on the fighters! The release of Hero is set for some time this summer.
DRAGON QUEST XI
Next up, we get a trailer of Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition, in whichplayers get a bigger story, more monsters to ride, an autobattle function and the ability to play previous Dragon Quest maps in a retro-style. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition is heading to Nintendo Switch on September 27th, 2019.
LUIGI’S MANSION 3
After being announced last September, Luigi’s Mansion 3 finally get its time to shine! Despite the name, this game is set in a haunted hotel, and not only has Mario gone missing, but Peach and several Toads have as well. Luigi's Polterguts G-00 has kept its classic ghost-suction ability but has also gotten a few upgrades like its new Suction Shot hooks a plunger onto items and destroys them, while its Burst ability blows ghosts away and allows Luigi to perform a pseudo-jump. Luigi can also now slam ghosts into the ground for extra damage. Luigi can slam ghosts into the ground and get some more damage. The poltergust is equipped with the Suction Shot which has the power to hook a plunger onto items in the world and destroy them. In the case of ghosts swarming Luigi, he can blow the ghosts away with his Burst ability and can even do a pseudo-jump with it.
No Mario game is complete without a sidekick, and fortunately Gooigi will be by Luigi’s side. Gooigi can shrug off obstacles that Luigi can't. Pass a JoyCon to a friend, and they can play as Gooigi! However, Gooigi has his own weaknesses like water. The last feature shown was the return of the Scarescraper, with lots of Luigis and Gooigis working together to take down ghosts.
JIM HENSON’S THE DARK CRYSTAL AGE OF RESISTANCE TACTICS
The Netflix TV show The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is getting its own spinoff RPG featuring characters from the show. It is slated for a 2019 release date.
LINK’S AWAKENING
At the end of the last Nintendo Direct, the world was shocked to see a remake of Link’s Awakening in the works. The new trailer showed us more gameplay in its beautiful, clay figure-like art style. We also learned thatLink’s Awakening is getting a build-your-own-dungeon mode, but you can only use chambers from those that Link has cleared. The remake will be out on September 20th, 2019.
TRIALS OF MANA/COLLECTION OF MANA
Western fans who have been waiting to get their hands on Trials of Mana have finally gotten their wish! The long-awaited RPG is coming to the Switch in early 2020, but for anyone who feels like they just can’t wait, Collection of Mana, which features all three Mana games, is available now.
THE WITCHER III: COMPLETE EDITION
Hailed by many gamers as the greatest game of all time, The Witcher III: Complete Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch this year.
FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES
Fire Emblem: Three Houses had another trailer detailing more about the game. It included a bit more story and confirmed a release date on July 26th, 2019 after being delayed.
RESIDENT EVIL 5 and 6
In a very spooky trailer, Nintendo confirmed Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 Switch release forall 2019.
NO MORE HEROES III
Years of waiting from No More Heroes fans will soon come to an end with No More Heroes III’s release in 2020.
CONTRA: ROGUE CORPS/CONTRA COLLECTION
The world finally got its first look at the new Contra game in years. Contra: Rogue Corps has a very unique and diverse cast of characters and even supporting four player co-op online and offline. For players itching to get a bit of Contra in their system, Contra Collection is out now, featuring games from all across the series.
DAEMON X MACHINA
Daemon X Machina had another short trailer teasing a bit more about the characters’ stories and a release date of September 13, 2019.
PANZER DRAGOON
Panzer Dragoon is a flying simulator game where the player is a dragon flying around a magical world. Panzer Dragoon is coming to Nintendo Switch in winter 2019.
POKÉMON SWORD/SHIELD
Despite getting a Direct just a few days ago, Nintendo gave Pokémon Sword and Shield a bit of Direct time. Viewers got to see the Water type Gym Leader Nessa along with some new Pokémon!
ASTRAL CHAIN
Only getting a short teaser last Direct, Astral Chain finally broke free and gave viewers more information about the game, including the premise. Platinum Game’s Astral Chain is heading to Switch on August 30th, 2019.
EMPIRE OF SIN
Paradox Interactive’s third-person mobster game Empire of Sin is coming to Nintendo Switch in Spring 2020.
MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: THE BLACK ORDER
After a trailer confirming new Marvel characters in the game, the Ultimate Alliance series gets its third entry next month on July 19, 2019. There will also be extra content for the game, including Marvel favorites from series like Marvel Knights, Fantastic 4 and X-Men, coming out in Fall.
CADENCE OF HYRULE
An unexpected crossover that caught many fans by surprise, Cadence of Hyrule is releasing on June 13, 2019. The three playable characters are Cadence, Link and Zelda. Players of both of The Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the NecroDancer will be delighted to see this game is the perfect combination of the series .
MARIO AND SONIC AT THE TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES
After being confirmed and seeing little gameplay footage, the crossover sports series is back in action. Mario and Sonic meet yet again to compete in both newand old sports like boxing, fencing, badminton, soccer and skateboarding. Mario and Sonic will arrive at the Olympics in November 2019.
ANIMAL CROSSING NEW HORIZONS
With a drought of Animal Crossing information for months, Animal Crossing New Horizons was finally revealed. New Horizons takes players away from the usual Animal Crossing town and plops villagers on a deserted island. Players will have to set up tents and do everything for themselves, buildingtheir town from the ground up. Of course, the stuff isn’t free, and it’s up to the player to pay it all back in bells. The game might also have an online element. Sadly, New Horizons has been delayed and is set forrelease on March 20th, 2020.
HIGHLIGHT REVEAL
The Direct concluded by showing off a plethora of games coming to the Switch
- Spyro: Reignited Trilogy (September 3rd, 2019)
- Hollow Knight: SilkSong (“Coming Soon”)
- Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (September 20th, 2019)
- Minecraft Dungeons (Spring 2020)
- The Elder Scrolls: Blades (this Fall)
- My Friend Pedro (June 20th, 2019)
- DOOM ETERNAL (November 22, 2019)
- The Sinking City (this Fall)
- Wolfenstein Youngblood (July 26th, 2019)
- Dead by Daylight (September 24th, 2019)
- Alien Isolation (some time this year)
- FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES S: REMASTERED EDITION (this winter)
- Dragon Quest Builders 2 (July 12th, 2019)
- Stranger Things 3: The Game (July 4th, 2019)
- Just Dance 2020 (November 5th)
- CATAN (June 20th, 2019)
- New Super Lucky’s Tale (this fall)
- Dauntless (late 2019)
- Super Mario Maker 2 (June 28th, 2019).
THE RARE SIGHTING OF A BIRD AND A BEAR
After years of hopeful wishing from Banjo-Kazooie fans, the time has finally arrived. As K. Rool and the Kongslazily sleep and wait for something to happen, golden puzzle piece drops across the floor, waking them up with a startled and violent reaction. The sight of a shadowy figure outside confuses themand this unknown, yet familiar, body shape is none other than the long awaited Duck Hunt Dog and his duck friend in disguise. Laughing at everyone, the even longer awaited Banjo and Kazooie drop out of the sky. Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong and even King K. Rool celebrate seeing their old time pals back. Banjo and Kazooie’s stage is, of course, Spiral Mountain. Many characters and references from Banjo-Kazooie appear throughout the trailer. Then it ends by revealing Banjo & Kazooie’s Final Smash as the Mighty Jinjonator. And in Gruntilda style, K. Rool is thrown off the cliff with a rock on top, just to be sure. The once-thought-impossible Banjo & Kazooie is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in Fall 2019. (Yes, you’re awake.)
BREATH OF THE WILD 2????
A spiral of energy is seen coming down onto a corpse as darkness infects the area. Link and a short-haired Zelda panic at the sight of this corpse. Glimpses of the game are seen at a very rapid pace as the body awakens and an earthquake seems to shake Hyrule to its core. The trailer promised a Breath of the Wild sequel rather than leaving fans with only more DLC.
