Dark Souls, DLC, and more, here’s what you can expect from Nintendo in the first part of the year.
After a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, January 10, the internet guessed Nintendo had something going on, and it turns out they were right. A surprise Nintendo Direct presentation has gone live, and you can watch it in its entirety below. The focus is primarily on Nintendo Switch games due out in the first half of the year, and if you want a rundown of all the news and the big reveals, you’re in the right place. Here’s everything Nintendo revealed during today’s presentation.
The World Ends With You | 2018
Stretching into the Nintendo DS’ back catalog, the cult hit The World Ends With You is getting a re-release on Switch. The game will let you choose from either touchscreen or traditional controls, and it will include a “sizeable new scenario.” No specific release date was announced, but the game will be available sometime this year.
Pokken Tournament DX DLC | January 31, March 23
Pokken Tournament DX is getting some new DLC characters. The Deluxe Battle Pack paid DLC is available for purchase now and will have content release in two waves. On January 31, Wave 1 will bring the new battle character Aegislash along with the support set Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu. The second wave, due on March 23, will introduce the battle character Blastoise along with a support set of Mew and Celebi. And if you purchase the battle pack now, you’ll have immediate access to a new set of avatar items.
Kirby Star Allies | March 16
Kirby Star Allies was announced back at E3, but a new trailer for the game showed off a slew of new abilities. Artist and Spider change-up Kirby’s available moveset, and there will also be a way to mix and match abilities when playing with friends in the Kirby’s co-op mode. The game is set to release on March 16.
Dragon Quest Builders Demo | Out Now
A demo for the Mincraft-meets-DQ RPG is available on Nintendo Switch now. The game is set to release at the end of this month.
Hyrule Warriors Ultimate Edition | Spring 2018
If you’d been holding off on trying out the Zelda-themed Musou game Hyrule Warriors (or if you were just looking for another reason to jump back in), you’re in luck: Nintendo Switch is getting a definitive edition of the game this spring. Hyrule Warriors Ultimate Edition will include all of the DLC content from both the 3DS and Wii U releases, including every map, mission, and character. And new additions to the game include the ability to play co-op on the same screen as well as Breath of the Wild-themed costumes for Link and Zelda.
Mario Tennis Aces | Spring 2018
A new Mario Tennis game from developer Camelot–the team behind the GBA game Golden Sun as well as numerous other Mario sports titles–is heading to Switch this spring. It will be the first Mario Tennis game to include a story mode Mario Tennis: Power Tour on GBA.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana | Summer 2018
The PS4/Vita/PC RPG from 2017 will make its way to Switch sometime this summer.
Super Mario Odyssey Update | February 2018
After the main story of Super Mario Odyssey ends, you’ll be able to continue your adventures in Mario’s epic new world with the help of Luigi. Mario’s brother will open up access to a competitive Balloon World mode where you can work to asynchronously hide balloons for other players to find, or search for balloons hidden by other players. You’ll be able to move up in a global leaderboard by both being good at putting balloons in hard-to-find spots and by quickly finding hidden balloons.
In addition, the free update will introduce several new snapshot filters as well as three new outfits:
- Sunshine Shades + outfit (modeled after Super Mario Sunshine)
- Musician Hat + Outfit (to look like one of the New Donk City musicians)
- Knight Armor + Helmet
- SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy | Summer 2018
This new brawler from NIS is heavy on the fan service, but should also please fans of the classic SNK fighting series. Battles will focus entirely on the female fighters from SNK’s various fighting game series. In addition, the Neo Geo game Art of Fighting 2 is available today as a port on Nintendo Switch.
Mario + Rabbids DLC | Spring 2018
If you’ve been eager for a roster update to the surprisingly difficult Mario + Rabbids, the new character Donkey Kong will be available for the game this spring. The game’s DLC release last year introduced co-op and end-game content.
Payday 2 | Feb. 27 2018
The Payday 2 port for Nintendo Switch now has a firm February 27 release date. In addition, we learned that there will be a timed-exclusive new character for the portable platform. The “Japanese computer whiz” named Joy will be available first on Switch. You can see more of the game in action in portable and tabletop modes here.
Fe and Celeste | February, January
The EA Originals is an incubator for the types of indie games you don’t typically see from a publisher like EA, and this year the company is highlighting Fe. Announced last year, the game now has a February 16 release date. And Celeste, from developer Matt Makes Games, will head to Switch on January 25.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze | May 4
Continuing the tradition of updated Wii U games that get Switch ports like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokken Tournament DX, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is due out for Switch on May 4. The game will add a new playable character, Funky Kong, who introduces his own unique twist on the original’s platforming gameplay.
Dark Souls Remastered | May 25
We only know one thing about this Switch port of Dark Souls: it’s coming out on May 25.