Nintendo just held a Nintendo Direct. No, not the Switch 2 Direct you've been waiting for, but another one.
In what will potentially be the last Switch 1-focused Direct livestream, Nintendo made a bundle of announcements, some of which weren't even games. Instead of wasting time, let's get right to it. Here's everything Nintendo announced.
Dragon Quest I and II remakes
Last year, Square Enix released a really gorgeous "HD-2D" remake of Dragon Quest III, with the promise that the first two games in the series would eventually get the same treatment. Good news! That's happening in 2025, though without a firm release date for either of them. Still, they look very pretty and should whet the appetite of old-school RPG fans everywhere.
No Sleep for Kaname Date
Do you like anime? Do you also like solving puzzles? If the answer to either of those questions (or ideally both of them) was "yes," then No Sleep for Kaname Date might be for you. The trailer speaks for itself, check it out. It's out July 25.
RAIDOU Remastered
RAIDOU Remastered is a remake of a PlayStation 2 game in the broader Shin Megami Tensei series, which is also where the very popular Persona games come from. This one's more of a period piece with action combat, but the same weird little monster guys from Persona are here, too. This one is out on June 19.
Shadow Labyrinth
Our first very weird announcement of the day came in the form of Shadow Labyrinth. This looks like a Metroidvania-type game, except you have a weird little orb with you who can turn into Pac-Man, for some reason. To be clear, it doesn't resemble Pac-Man, it is Pac-Man, complete with accurate sound effects and everything. You can check this out on July 18.
Patapon 1+2
Patapon and Patapon 2 were two of the most zany and creative games on the PlayStation Portable, and unfortunately, they've kinda been stuck in purgatory for years. Until now, anyway. These inventive rhythm-strategy games are coming to Switch on July 11, with new accessibility features to make them more approachable for those who didn't play them before.
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Story of Seasons, for those who aren't aware, is basically a spiritual successor to Harvest Moon. In this one, you run a bazaar in the middle of an idyllic little fantasy village. If you've ever liked Harvest Moon before, this is essentially the newest one of those. It's out August 27.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
I expected Metroid Prime 4 to either be part of the Switch 2 direct or the "and one more thing" game for this one, but instead, Nintendo just threw a trailer into the middle of the Direct today. The big news here is that Samus has psychic powers this time, and she also gets a swaggy-looking new suit at the end of the trailer. Unfortunately, there was no release date in this trailer. It's just listed for "2025."
Disney Villains Cursed Cafe
We have our first "and it's out today!" reveal of the Direct! This one is a game where you serve coffee to Disney villains. No, really. It actually looks kinda cool. You can play it by the end of today.
Witchbrook
If you've spent the past several years looking for an alternative to Harry Potter, Witchbrook might be the game for you. Out this holiday season, it's a cute-looking game about going to witch school and everything that entails.
The Eternal Life of Goldman
Also out this holiday is The Eternal Life of Goldman. This is a side-scrolling platformer with gorgeous hand-drawn art, but other than that, it's hard to tell what its deal is. Looks really cool, though!
Gradius Origins
Gradius Origins is a comprehensive collection of many of the various games in the long-running Gradius series of scrolling space shooters, including different regional variants of each game, which is rad. There's also a totally new game in here called Salamander III. It's out August 7.
Rift of the Necrodancer
The latest game in the Necrodancer series of stylish rhythm games is out on Switch today. It's a rhythm game, so you likely already know if you're interested or not. It's also supposed to be quite good, so if you've been looking for a new Switch game to play, this might be the one.
Tamagotchi Plaza
Launching on June 27, Tamagotchi Plaza is a game attached to the long-running Tamagotchi brand. Yes, I'm talking about the little digital pet toys from the '90s, but in video game form. It looks cute, if you're into lifestyle simulation stuff with adorable creatures.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Pokemon Legends: Z-A was already announced prior to this Direct, but Nintendo took a few minutes to expand on what the game actually is. It's an open-world adventure set in Lumiose City (from Pokemon X and Y) with some interesting new takes on Pokemon gameplay. Unfortunately, there's no date on this yet beyond "late 2025."
Rhythm Heaven Groove
Shockingly, there was a game with a 2026 release date in this Direct. Rhythm Heaven is a very long-running (and some would argue underappreciated) series of wacky rhythm games from Nintendo, and Groove looks like it's carrying the torch proudly. It will be out at some point next year.
Virtual Game Cards
We had two major non-game announcements in this Direct. First, Nintendo is updating the Switch firmware in late April to introduce the concept of Virtual Game Cards. In summary, it's a way for people to share digital games they own with others on a temporary, two-week basis. To be honest, based on the trailer, it seems overly complicated for a game-sharing program, but with a new console coming out (and lots of families owning multiple Switches), this is probably necessary.
SaGa Frontier 2 remaster
Old-school RPG heads have more to chew on with a remaster of SaGa Frontier 2, part of Square Enix's venerable series of open-ended turn-based RPGs. The best part is that this one is out today.
Monument Valley 1 and 2
On April 15, you'll be able to play the beautiful mobile puzzle Monument Valley games on Switch. There are two of them already, with a third coming to Switch this summer. If you like gorgeous, stylistic visuals and clever puzzles, check this out.
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
Set for sometime in 2025, Everybody's Golf Hot Shots is maybe the weirdest announcement of the day. For one, Everybody's Golf (known traditionally as Hot Shots Golf in the west) is a PlayStation brand, or at least it used to be. For whatever reason, Sony has handed the reins to Bandai Namco, who is releasing it on Switch, PC, and PS5. These are great, arcade-y golf games that anyone can pick up and play. It's just weird that it's on Switch at all.
MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
Coming this holiday season, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is a throwback to old arcade beat-'em-up games with co-op play and multiple classic Marvel heroes to play as.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
The last game announcement from Nintendo is another 2026 title. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a follow-up to a popular 3DS game where you populate an island with Mii characters created by yourself or others. They all speak out loud using creepy modulated computer voices, too. A simple way of looking at it is "Animal Crossing, but really weird."
Nintendo Today!
Last but certainly not least, Nintendo is launching a mobile app called Nintendo Today! Yes, the exclamation mark is part of the name. Nintendo Today! is out on iOS and Android starting today, and will deliver news about upcoming Nintendo events and releases daily to those who download it. You need to have a Nintendo account to use it, though. This is speculation on my part, but this feels very much like Nintendo would like to eventually stop relying on X to deliver news to its fans.
