Nintendo Direct (17.2.2021) Highlights

Billy Crawford
6 min readFeb 18, 2021

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After over a whole year of no proper direct in sights, Nintendo surprised us with a 50 minute direct going over titles that have been in the works for 2021 so far, as well as some special announcements for games aimed to be released in 2022. Overall, I’d say this direct came with quite a few pleasant surprises and I’m ridiculously hyped for what’s coming later this year. Here are some of the key titles announced at this month’s Nintendo Direct.

Pyra and Mythra are coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

As we start to reach the tail end of the new fighters being added to the game through the second fighters pass, a fan favourite (technically favourites) from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has finally received her well-earned invitation, that being Pyra and Mythra! Acting independently from Rex, both characters alternate between each other very similarly to how Zelda and Sheik used to in previous games, but by the looks of the trailer, their battle styles look similar enough for players to switch between both on the fly without any fear of quickly adapting to a completely new playstyle. Saying this, however, it does bring intrigue as to how much they will differ from each other. Will one be offensive while the other is defensive? Will one be harder to launch while the other has better recovery moves? Chances are Sakurai will answer these questions for fans in a future smash presentation prior to the DLC fighter’s planned release date of March this year.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir/ The Girl Who Stands Behind

Did you know Nintendo actually developed some visual novel games in the past? Well now you can experience some of these games for yourself as we’re not only getting one but two games from the Japanese-exclusive series, Famicom Detective Club, remade from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch. One thing that immediately stood out to me was the animation and the art style used for both remakes as they looked flat out gorgeous! They definitely stand out from what you may typically see from the visual novel genre. All the character sprites are fully animated as well as the CGs, making the game truly feel like you’re playing through an anime episode. Not only that but the developers helped breathe life into the backgrounds by having background characters as well as the environments themselves, fully animated. From the looks of the story’s tone, it definitely looks gripping, focusing on murder mysteries, and I’m definitely looking forward to the twists that these games have to offer when the games release this May.

Mario Golf: Super Rush

Mario sports games have more or less been a given for most Nintendo systems since the Nintendo 64, and Mario Golf: Super Rush is no exception to that rule. However, this entry in the wacky golf series has added some new modes which, while simple, look to help fully embrace the arcade-like, multiplayer fun that these games are known for in the hearts of many fans. Unique to this game is the inclusion of ‘Speed Golf’ mode, where rather than wait for your turn to putt, all players start at the same exact time, with the aim of the mode to get your ball in the hole before the other players, whilst using special items and abilities to hinder your opponents or make things that much easier for you. It’s not ground-breaking but I can definitely see many an engaging and fun match with family and friends when the game comes out this June. Also am I the only one that finds it goofy yet charming to see Bowser in full golf gear? No? Just me?

Project Triangle Strategy

A new project by the creators of Octopath Traveller, Project Triangle Strategy looks to leave behind the turn-based gameplay of its predecessor to focus on tactical battles, as you play as an heir fighting for peace in war-torn world. One of the key mechanics of the game is how your choices can lean to one of three convictions; Utility, Morality and Liberty, which will overall effect how the story develops as well as the types of characters that will join your party, making this a game that I will probably have to play a good few times to see everything it has to offer. This is also shown through a key mechanic known as the ‘Scales of Conviction’ which will take effect at key moments in the story. These decisions are not only decided from you but also from the rest of the characters in your party, where you must aim to convince them to support your decision using information you obtain during the game to win them over, which helps make even your own decisions feel like a literal challenge to have them take effect, rather than choosing one option and you move on. The game is planned to be released in 2022, however a demo was just released so players can provide feedback on the current version. If you have an interest in the game, then check the demo out. Any way that developers can create a better game for everyone is a wonderful thing in my eyes. On a side note, the name ‘Saltiron War’ is so cheesy and unoriginal but I love it!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

This was bound to happen eventually, but The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is getting a release on the Nintendo Switch, upscaled to HD, and looks to run at a solid 60FPS. Not much of the game looks to have changed in terms of new content or story changes, but one of the main topics they focused on was the changes to the game controls. Instead of using a Wii remote and Nunchuk for your sword and shield respectively in the original Wii version, the game was reprogrammed for you to use both Joycons, so if you loved the motions controls of the original game you can rest easy knowing they are still intact. If you weren’t a fan of them then they’ve got you covered there too, as they also added button only controls that can be used in handheld mode, allowing you to swing your sword with the flick of the joystick on the right Joycon. The game is slated to be release this July alongside special Joycons based on the game, which might I say look absolutely beautiful.

Splatoon 3

Nintendo ended the direct with a big surprise, and a wonderful one at that. A third entry to Nintendo’s quirky yet brilliant team-based shooter series, Splatoon, was announced for a 2022 release window! So far, the game has shown us a small glimpse of the new environments that make up the game’s world and it truly feels like a departure from the previous games, in a way reminding me of Borderlands with the deserted, desolate wastelands presented in the beginning of the trailer, before showing us the urban, yet fresh, cityscape that we all know and love from the past games, which will definitely act as the game’s hub world. Not much else can be said other than the inclusion of a new weapon type in a form of a bow and arrow, and smaller changes like where you will land in the beginning of each match, as implied from the trailer. One thing is for certain, I’m excited to see more of what the game is hiding from us.

What was your favourite game announced in the Direct? Please let me know.

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Billy Crawford
Billy Crawford

Written by Billy Crawford

Your average game blog dude | JRPG/Platformer fanatic | Reviews | One-offs | Game highlights

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