The first Nintendo Direct of 2022 has been and gone. Yesterday (February 9), Nintendo fans were treated to around 40 minutes of new trailers, announcements and news for the Nintendo Switch platform. If you didn’t manage to catch the Direct live – or you just want a recap – here’s every trailer and announcement from the Nintendo Direct.
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An announcement trailer for Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes was the first announcement from last night’s Nintendo Direct. The first trailer for the game reveals that it is set in the same universe as Fire Emblem: Three Houses, however it won’t be the usual turn-based strategy game. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is an action hack-n-slash that looks similar to titles like Hyrule Warriors and Persona 5 Strikers.
Another look at Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
The Nintendo Direct also brought a new trailer for Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, which showcased some of the new features coming with the remasters. This includes new voice acting, a custom map editor, and the ability to roll back particularly disastrous turns. Although there’s two single-player campaigns, fans will also be able to try out their skills against other players online.
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No Man’s Sky is coming to the Nintendo Switch
Since launching in 2016, No Man’s Sky has steadily been building on what was available at launch, and at this point it looks like a completely different game. The next step for No Man’s Sky is to launch on the Nintendo Switch in summer 2022, which has been announced with a new trailer showing it running on the Switch.
A Mario Strikers Battle League announcement trailer
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A football-like sports game featuring the Mario cast, Mario Strikers Battle League is a five versus five competitive title launching on June 10. Though its format looks a bit like other football games (FIFA, eFootball) at a glance, Mario Strikers Battle League will let players use special abilities and items from Mario Kart to gain the upper-hand. Players will also be able to customise their characters with equippable gear that affects their performance on the field.
A new trailer for Splatoon 3‘s co-op mode
This was one of the expected appearances at last night’s Nintendo Direct, as Splatoon 3 is meant to launch this year. Along with confirmation that Splatoon 3 will launch in summer 2022, we also got a new trailer for Splatoon 3 that took a look at several different boss fights in game’s Salmon Run Next Wave mode.
Front Mission 1st: Remake was revealed with an announcement trailer
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Not only was Front Mission 1st: Remake announced during the Nintendo Direct, but Nintendo also confirmed that Front Mission 2: Remake would be coming “in the future”. A Square Enix title, Front Mission is a strategy RPG that lets players control customisable mechs on the battlefield. Like many of last night’s announcement, Front Mission 1st: Remake is set to launch later in summer.
A Disney Speedstorm announcement trailer
Disney Speedstorm received its first trailer last night, revealing a free-to-play racing game set in the Disney/Pixar universe. Like Mario Kart, Disney Speedstorm will be a “combat racer” where players can use abilities and items to gain a lead over the competition. Disney Speedstorm will not be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch when it launches in summer, but it will include cross-play and splitscreen.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is getting a Switch port
2009 LucasArts game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is being brought to the Switch, and fans can get their first look with a new trailer. This game’s going to be out fairly soon, with an April 20 release date.
Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection gets a trailer for the Switch
Also displayed last night was a trailer for the Switch version of Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection, which will launch on February 17. The collection is a bundle containing Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance gets an announcement trailer for all consoles
Bandai Namco has announced a new Gundam game, an action-RPG that’s set to launch on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC later this year. The upcoming title will include co-op, but there are few other details available just yet.
Chrono Cross is getting a remaster
Following a rumour in 2021, Square Enix is officially launching Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition on April 7. A remake of the beloved old-school RPG, the remake will also bundle in a text-based adventure. As PC Gamer notes, several localized trailers have mentioned that this game will be coming to PC.
Kirby And The Forgotten Land reveals its “Mouthful Mode”
A new trailer for Kirby And The Forgotten Land has given fans a deep dive on Kirby’s Mouthful Mode, which allows him to inhale items such as cars, traffic cones and vending machines to change shape.
MLB The Show 22 gets a Nintendo Switch gameplay trailer
MLB The Show 22 is bringing the series to Nintendo Switch for the first time, and a new trailer revealed during the Direct showcases how fans can expect it to play on the handheld console.
Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece will launch as a cloud game
Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece has been confirmed as a cloud-based game for the Nintendo Switch, and the game’s received a new trailer. That being said, quite a few people are upset that it’s being sold as cloud-only, and the trailer comments are filled with a lot of criticism.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series gets a Switch announcement
Klonoa: Door To Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil are both coming to the Nintendo Switch. Both side-scrollers will launch on July 8.
Both Portal games are coming to the Nintendo Switch
Valve‘s Portal and Portal 2 games are coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year, bundled under the name Portal: Companion Collection. The series of puzzle games revolve around trying to escape Aperature’s laboratories with a physics-bending portal gun.
A Remake of Live A Live is launching this summer
Square Enix’s Live A Live is coming to the Nintendo Switch. A JRPG originally released in 1994 and only in Japan, the game revolves around linking up multiple characters and their stories who are scattered from the distant past to near future.
A long-awaited Nintendo Switch Sports is launching soon
Nintendo Switch Sports – a follow-up to Wii Sports – is coming to the console on April 29. It will feature six sports at launch, however more are planned later down the line. An early playtest will be available before the game comes out.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival gets a new trailer
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival will launch on the Nintendo Switch in 2022, and a trailer for the game shows that Undertale‘s Megolavania – and other new tracks – will make an appearance. An in-game subscription service will reportedly be available with another 500 tracks.
A new trailer and demo for Triangle Strategy is out
As well as debuting a new trailer for tactical RPG Triangle Strategy, last night’s Nintendo Direct also confirmed that a new demo for chapters 1-3 is also available to try out on the Nintendo eShop. The RPG title launches in full on March 4.
A new Switch trailer for Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Upcoming Cuphead downloadable content (DLC) The Delicious Last Course got a new trailer, and will be coming to the Nintendo Switch version of Cuphead on June 30, the same date that it launches on other platforms. The DLC will introduce a new character, Ms. Chalice, who can dodge roll and double jump.
Metroid Dread has received two new difficulty levels, with another mode planned
Nintendo has confirmed that our best game of 2021, Metroid Dread, has received a free update that adds a challenging new difficulty mode. In Dread mode, Samus will die if she takes a single hit. On the other end of the scale, it’s also received a rookie difficulty mode intended to help players who are new to Metroid. A separate Boss Rush mode – which pits players against a string of bosses – will launch in April.
Earthbound has been added to Switch Online
Cult classic RPG Earthbound, and Earthbound Beginnings, have both been added to Nintendo’s subscription-based Switch Online service and are already available to play.
Mario Kart 8 is getting extra tracks in the form of paid DLC
Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart 8 will receive 48 new courses, in separate sets of DLC that will be launched into 2023. The courses will come from plenty of old Mario Kart games, and all will be remastered for their addition to Mario Kart 8. Any Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscriber will receive the courses as part of their subscription.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has been announced
Nintendo has announced that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be released in September 2022, and have shared a new trailer teasing what fans can expect. In a longer blog post, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared that “the game will be enjoyable for both those who’ve played Xenoblade Chronicles and/or Xenoblade Chronicles 2, as well as those who will be playing a Xenoblade Chronicles game for the first time.”
And that’s it – the above is every trailer and announcement that was made in the February Nintendo Direct. With some of these games launching in the very near future, it’s likely that more information will start to trickle in about them soon.
Elsewhere in the world of gaming, Ubisoft is reportedly set to release a new Assassin’s Creed title that follows a side character from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
