Hey: Nintendo’s making Nintendo games. Cool. That was the main message of today’s Nintendo Direct livestream, which highlighted a bunch of games coming to the Nintendo Switch this fall and in 2025, from both Nintendo and third-party publishers. It’s a feast for people who like new versions of things they like, which obviously includes us. Here’s what Nintendo fans have to look forward to.
A Zelda Game Starring Zelda
The most unexpected announcement at today’s Nintendo Direct was a new Zelda game, this time actually starring Zelda. (Pause to let you get your “Link is Zelda” joke out of your system.) Zelda is the hero in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, which hits the Switch on Sept. 26. Don’t expect another Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom-style epic here, but something more in line with classic Zelda games; based on the trailer, it clearly owes a lot to the remake of Link’s Awakening, and hell, might be set in the same universe or time period or whatever. (The true legend of Zelda is that its timeline is gloriously, intentionally incoherent.)
Metroid Prime 4: Still Alive, Somehow
Nintendo also dropped the first official trailer for Metroid Prime 4, a game that was originally announced all the way back at E3 2017. (Remember E3? We were so young then.) Today’s trailer revealed the game’s full title, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and indicated that it will indeed look and play like a Metroid Prime game, which is a smart decision, given the name and everything. It also introduces some new heavy who I assume will be a formidable foe for Samus Aran, given the sweet guitar licks and pet Metroids that accompany their arrival. As a true Samus sicko I feel compelled to drop my facade of professionalism and note that I am personally looking forward to playing this particular videogame whenever it comes it in 2025.
Mario, Mario, Mario
Super Mario Party Jamboree brings more minigames and game boards to the Switch on Oct. 17. Kudos for not just calling it Mario Party 26 or whatever it’s up to now. The hirsute plumber and his lanky brother also team up in another Super Mario RPG-style adventure for the Switch this fall, with the release of Mario & Luigi: Brothership. That one’s out on Nov. 7.
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Again)
2010’s Wii hit Donkey Kong Country Returns gets its second (er… third?) rerelease, after 2013’s 3DS port and 2016’s Wii U digital release. Expect a Kong-sized amount of content here, with every level from the first game, all the extra ones added to the 3DS version, and a bunch of new stuff Nintendo hasn’t unveiled yet. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD will help ease your post-holiday blues when it’s released on Jan. 16, 2025.
A Dragon’s Quest Is Never Done
The HD-2D remakes of Enix’s pivotal Dragon Quest series starts to trickle out on the Switch later this year, starting with Dragon Quest III HD-2D. Originally released in 1988, the third Dragon Quest game has seen countless reissues and remakes over the years, but this new one updates it in a way reminiscent of Square-Enix’s current series Octopath Traveler. That hits the Switch on Nov. 14, 2024, while the HD-2D remake of the first two Dragon Quest games will arrive in 2025.
Four More Nintendo Games Hit Switch Online Today
Finally, Nintendo’s keeping up the drip-feed of retro games on its Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription platform, with four new games arriving on the service today. It includes two Game Boy Advance games connected to today’s biggest announcements: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (with Four Swords) and Metroid: Zero Mission. And then the Nintendo 64 selection gets Perfect Dark and Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, the latter of which was a pretty notable hit at the time.
The full stream of today’s Nintendo Direct has way more info, including Capcom’s reissue of several of its Marvel fighting games, and a trailer for today’s free DLC update to Disney Illusion Island; you can watch the full show here, if you’d like.