Entertainment

New Reveals at February's Nintendo Direct Conference

Reporter Ethan Miller

I didn’t know what to think leading up to February's Nintendo Direct. The last standard Direct was all the way back in September and it was pretty big. How could Nintendo possibly live up to the ridiculous expectations set by last year’s Animal Crossing and Luigi’s Mansion 3 announcements? By revealing a new Zelda game of course.

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. The Direct opened with the much-awaited sequel to 2015’s Super Mario Maker. While there is still a lot we don’t know about Super Mario Maker 2, plenty of new additions like slopes (finally), a new art style and power-ups based on the Super Mario 3D world, and new bosses (notably the iconic Sun from Super Mario Bros. 3) seem to keep the game fresh. One aspect of Super Mario Maker 2 I’m not sure about is how editing levels will work on the Nintendo Switch’s single screen. Super Mario Maker was the one game I felt that required the Wii U gamepad, having the player edit levels on the Gamepad to play on the TV screen. Nintendo seems to have done some editing to the UI to fit the single screen, but will it be as intuitive as the Wii U/3DS’ tools? We’ll definitely have to wait to find out, but it won’t be that long until I can see for sure. Super Mario Maker 2 comes out this June.

An announcement that surprised me was the reveal of a new Box Boy game. Box Boy was a surprisingly solid puzzle trilogy on 3DS that had simple mechanics and addicting nature. I thought the series was left stranded on 3DS, but I was pleasantly surprised when a fourth game was announced for Switch that seems to make use of the cooperative nature of the Switch by allowing the full game to be played in 2-Player Co-Op. Box Boy + Box Girl releases April 26.

The Switch version of Dragon Quest XI was also confirmed to be leaving Japan to come stateside in Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age -Definitive Edition. With all the 3DS content, all new storylines giving the party members a chance to shine in their own tales, dual audio, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack, Dragon Quest XI will be a day one cop for me when it releases in Fall. If that’s not enough, Dragon Quest and Builders 2 are also releasing sometime this summer.

A much needed extended look at Fire Emblem: Three Houses was also given, showing off just how big the series will be getting in its first home console release since 2007’s Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Stepping into the shoes of a former mercenary turned teacher, players are tasked to train the next generation of warriors from all three major Houses. Fire Emblem seems to be back bigger than ever. While there’s still a lot we don’t know, it’s clear that Three Houses is going to be a must-have when it releases July 26th.

Nintendo closed the Direct with its biggest ace up their sleeve. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is getting a full remake for the Nintendo Switch and it looks absolutely stunning. In the same vein as the reimagining of A Link to the Past on the 3DS, Link’s Awakening is back in claymation art-style that stuck out more than I could ever imagine. The biggest revelation that came with Link’s Awakening HD was the fact that handheld styled Zelda games are back on the Switch, proving that not every Zelda game on the Switch has to be a "Breath of the Wild" -styled adventure. While no real release date was given, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is slated for release sometime this year.

Nintendo 2019’s Switch Line up seems to be the best since the console launched, and I didn’t even mention everything that was shown, or more importantly, what wasn’t shown. There is still a new Animal Crossing, Pokemon Generation 8, and Luigi’s Mansion 3 all slated for later this year, so the fact that there is even more up the pipeline is an extremely exciting prospect. Switch owners of every kind will have something new to play this year.