Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase Features A Wide Selection Of Nintendo Switch News And Reveals
Nintendo Switch owners curious about what’s ahead have a new presentation full of games to dive into. The newest Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase featured a broad variety of games from a diverse range of development and publishing partners, coming to Nintendo Switch this year and into 2023.
Announcements included the Nintendo Switch versions of three beloved Persona games, more details about the upcoming Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, 10 fan-favourite Mega Man games revived for Nintendo Switch, a new adventure in the DRAGON QUEST franchise and first-look info about other newly announced games.
To view the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase video in its entirety, visit this link.
Some of the highlights revealed in the presentation include:
- MONSTER HUNTER RISE: SUNBREAK: In addition to a new storyline, this monstrous new expansion for MONSTER HUNTER RISE will introduce new monsters, new combat options, new locales, the Master Rank quest difficulty and other exciting features! Journey across the sea to Elgado Outpost, where you’ll investigate powerful creatures known as the Three Lords – the hulking beast Garangolm, the icy wolf wyvern Lunagaron and the expansion’s flagship Elder Dragon, the vampiric Malzeno. Alongside the Three Lords, SUNBREAK will also introduce numerous other monsters and even fan-favourite species from previous MONSTER HUNTER games! Play solo, join up to three other hunters in online co-op play* or hunt with anyone via a local connection**! Rise again and join the hunt when the game launches for Nintendo Switch on 30th June. Pre-orders are available now in Nintendo eShop .
- NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition: The critically acclaimed world of NieR:Automata invades Nintendo Switch! When machine lifeforms from another world attack without warning, unleashing a new type of threat, mankind is driven from Earth and takes refuge on the Moon. As 2B, a member of the android military force YoRHa, immerse yourself in a ferocious battle to take back the planet. This version of NieR:Automata comes with previously released DLC, plus costumes exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version. Reclaim Earth in NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition, launching on 6th October. Pre-order now in Nintendo eShop.
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes: Get ready to immerse yourself in surreal riddles and a chilling story in this modern take on puzzle-adventure games. Solve the enigma of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, launching first for consoles on Nintendo Switch in 2023.
- Super Bomberman R 2: A new Bomberman game is coming to Nintendo Switch! In addition to classic action-maze modes Bomberman fans love, a new Castle Mode enters the fray! A team of up to 15 players*/** must blast their way to treasure chests while one defending player tries to hold them off. You can also create and share your own battle stages. Have a blast when Super Bomberman R 2 launches on Nintendo Switch next year.
- Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection: 10 Mega Man Battle Network games, originally released on Game Boy Advance, are coming to Nintendo Switch! Control Mega Man.EXE in grid-based combat and use Battle Chips to gain devastating abilities. This collection includes a gallery with over 1,000 illustrations and a music mode containing over 150 songs from across the series. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection launches on Nintendo Switch in 2023. The full collection will also be digitally available as separate volumes in Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
- PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC: A remake of PAC-MAN WORLD is coming soon! PAC-MAN’s family has been kidnapped! To rescue them, he sets off for Ghost Island. Trounce enemies with PAC-DOTS, the rev-roll, the butt-bounce and … a giant PAC-MAN?! From high-speed chases to galactic escapades, you’ll explore all sorts of zany levels. Save the PAC-FAM in PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC, launching on Nintendo Switch on 26th August.
- Blanc: A fawn and a wolf cub must work together to find a way home across the snowy wilderness in the hand-crafted world of Blanc. In this emotional adventure, these unlikely friends must coordinate and use their individual strengths to overcome environmental obstacles and navigate through the frigid wilds. Blanc is a completely text-free story with local** and online co-op play*, making it inviting for everyone to enjoy. Forge an unexpected bond in Blanc, launching as a console exclusive on Nintendo Switch in February 2023.
- Return to Monkey Island: Arrr! A swashbuckling adventure returns! Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. Intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic point-and-click gameplay. Monkey around in Return to Monkey Island, launching first for consoles on Nintendo Switch later this year.
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope: The motley team of Mario, his friends and the heroic Rabbids – now joined by Bowser – blast off for a galactic adventure in the latest Mario + Rabbids game. The galaxy is in a universe of trouble when a dark entity, Cursa, wants to absorb all its energy. In doing so, it will try to capture the Sparks, creatures born from the merging of Lumas and Rabbids, and drain them of their energy, too. Now, the team must travel the cosmos to save the Sparks from Cursa’s grasp and fight back in tactical, dynamic battles. Lead a team of three heroes and use a variety of tools to navigate the battlefield, flank your foes and find opportunities to thwart them. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope rockets onto Nintendo Switch on 20th October. Pre-order now in Nintendo eShop. Nintendo Switch Online members can try out the original Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle game for free with a limited-time Game Trial.
- Little Noah: Scion of Paradise: In this casual roguelite action game, you play as young alchemist Noah, accompanied by her cantankerous cat companion Zipper. During a storm, Noah crash-lands in ancient ruins. The layout of these multilayered dungeons changes every time you enter them. Recruit allies called Lilliputs and use items you collect to challenge the enemies and ruin bosses. If you get knocked out during your adventure, you can use items you’ve earned to power up and come back stronger than ever. String together combos and perform powerful elemental attacks to defeat foes. Little Noah: Scion of Paradise is out now on Nintendo Switch!
- RAILGRADE: All aboard! In the management sim RAILGRADE, you’ll build railway systems to efficiently transport cargo and help restore economic prosperity to an industrial colony. Complete various tasks to prepare each shipment before it’s delivered to its destination. Your strategies will change based on various factors, like the number and length of trains to run, which resources to acquire and how to transport cargo from point A to point B. RAILGRADE steamrolls onto Nintendo Switch this spring.
- RPG Time: The Legend of Wright: Join aspiring game creator Kenta in a hand-drawn adventure to save the world in his latest creation, “The Legend of Wright.” Taking place in Kenta’s notebook, this adventure spans over 200 pages, where you must draw, erase, solve puzzles and even consult your handy in-game calculator. Discover a new way to play every time you turn the page. RPG Time: The Legend of Wright unfolds onto Nintendo Switch on 18th August. Pre-order now in Nintendo eShop.
- Sonic Frontiers: Spin dash into a new zone! Sonic’s latest action experience kicks off on the vibrant Starfall Islands, home to a mysterious and ancient civilisation. Make your way across steep hills, use the surroundings to your advantage and freely dash through a vast open zone, taking full advantage of Sonic’s speedy skills. What awaits Sonic on these strange islands? Accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high velocity open-zone freedom. Sonic Frontiers dashes onto Nintendo Switch this summer.
- Disney Dreamlight Valley: Live magically alongside your Disney and Pixar friends in this life-simulation game! Dreamlight Valley was once an idyllic land, where Disney and Pixar characters lived in harmony until The Forgetting turned this dream into a nightmare. Now, it’s up to you to bring the magic back to Dreamlight Valley. Explore this land’s diverse realms and forge lasting friendships with heroes and villains alike in a world where you are free to customise your avatar to be whoever you dream yourself to be. Disney Dreamlight Valley launches for Nintendo Switch on 6th September in Early Access.
- LIVE A LIVE: Multiple stories featuring different protagonists, time periods and gameplay styles await. Many heroic stories unfold across a variety of distinct eras in this RPG classic, now in HD-2D! LIVE A LIVE is coming alive on Nintendo Switch on 22nd July, but a demo with the beginning of three chapters is available to try now in Nintendo eShop. Your save data from the demo can be transferred to the full game once purchased. Begin your epic multi-era legend today!
- DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of the Great Kingdom: Doraemon, Noby and their friends land on an unknown planet and decide to help a new friend fulfil his dreams – by farming! Plow the fields, harvest crops and tend to the animals. You can even use Doraemon’s secret gadgets to farm in a flash! Relax by living with friends, eating delicious meals and fishing. And with local play**, you and a pal can build a ranch together! DORAEMON STORY OF SEASONS: Friends of the Great Kingdom launches on Nintendo Switch this year.
- Minecraft Legends: The world of Minecraft meets action-strategy gameplay in Minecraft Legends. A beautiful land surrounded by rich nature is invaded by enemies from another dimension! Team up with allies and fight against this monstrous force threatening the world. What secrets await in this new, yet familiar universe? Minecraft Legends launches on Nintendo Switch in 2023.
- DRAGON QUEST TREASURES: It’s a treasure hunter’s paradise! Two siblings’ treasure-hunting dreams become reality as they are whisked away to the magical and mysterious realm of Draconia. Erik and Mia, along with their cute companions Purrsula and Porcus, team up with a menagerie of skilled monsters to track down tantalising treasure in this DRAGON QUEST series spin-off. Oodles of riches are just waiting to be found! X marks the spot when DRAGON QUEST TREASURES launches on Nintendo Switch on 9th December.
- Portal: Companion Collection: Award-winning gameplay, dark humour and ground-breaking exploration come to Nintendo Switch. Break the laws of spatial physics in ways you never thought possible with a highly experimental portal device. Solve mind-bendingly bizarre puzzles and face off against a lethally inventive, power-mad A.I. named GLaDOS. Meet an expanded cast of characters as you think your way through dangerous, never-before-seen areas of the laboratories and a wider variety of portal puzzles. Plus, Portal 2 includes a co-operative game mode with local**, split screen** and online multiplayer*, so you and a friend can act and think cooperatively. The friendly cubes and deadly turrets of Portal and Portal 2 are hurtling your way in the Portal: Companion Collection available now on Nintendo Switch!
- HARVESTELLA: Farm, fight and forge friendships in a new fantasy world. Welcome to Lethe, a peaceful village where seasons brightly colour the environment. Your story begins here in this new life-simulation RPG. Farm, craft items and collect materials as you go about your everyday life, meeting townsfolk along the way. The seasons gently flow from spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, they’ll eventually give way to the season of death, Quietus. The fate of the village depends on you stopping the Death Season from wreaking havoc. Begin your new life in HARVESTELLA, launching on Nintendo Switch on 4th November.
- Persona 5 Royal / Persona 4 Golden / Persona 3 Portable: Persona has awoken – three iconic Persona games are coming to Nintendo Switch! Save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief in the critically acclaimed, genre-defining story of Persona 5 Royal, with previously released downloadable content included. Plus, there’s an urban legend that your soulmate might appear if you stare into a Nintendo Switch console on a rainy night in Persona 4 Golden. Unfamiliar stillness swallows the city, people turn into eerie coffins and otherworldly monsters called Shadows swarm in Persona 3 Portable, which also features alternate protagonist routes! All three games offer English and Japanese voice acting, full-HD graphics and are sold separately. Persona 5 Royal launches on Nintendo Switch on 21st October, and more information about Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable is coming soon. Get ready … the midnight hour approaches!
This Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase also featured a montage of enticing Nintendo Switch games launching soon, including the procedurally generated exploration game No Man’s Sky, blasting off on Nintendo Switch on 7th October; A Plague Tale: Requiem – Cloud Version***, the sequel to the award-winning adventure A Plague Tale: Innocence, launching on Nintendo Switch on 18th October and Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions, an adventure game launching on 28th July.
In the newest Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase, Nintendo featured a broad variety of games from a diverse range of development and publishing partners, coming to Nintendo Switch this year and into 2023, including Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope, Persona 5 Royal, Portal: Companion Collection, Minecraft Legends, DRAGON QUEST TREASURES and more.
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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