Highlights from Today’s Nintendo Direct

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During today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, many Nintendo 3DS and Switch titles were revealed, as well as some new information for high profile releases, Arms and Splatoon 2.

The presentation was hosted by Yoshiaki Koizumi, Deputy General Manager for Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development Division, and began with revealing upcoming 3DS games. Hey! Pikmin, the first side-scrolling Pikmin game, is coming to 3DS July 28th. An amiibo figure for this game was also revealed during the Direct, featuring the blue, yellow, red, winged, and rock Pikmin all chilling out on what looks like a piece of a cinderblock.

Big plans for the Kirby series’ 25th anniversary were also revealed: Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, a free-to-start team-based game, is now available on the E-shop for download. Kirby’s Blowout Blast was also revealed, it is a title that will be releasing in the summer. Lastly, another Kirby game will be announced closer to the holidays, but no further details were released today.

Official art of Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, featuring the four playable roles Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage, and Doctor Healmore.

Aside from that, other titles revealed include Ever Oasis (releasing June 23), Monster Hunter Stories (Fall), Yokai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (Fall), Culdcept Revolt (August 29), RPG Maker Fes (June 27),  Miitopia (2017), Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (April 20), and Bye-Bye BoxBoy! (today). 

Awesome news for us Zelda fans! Three Zelda amiibo were revealed during the presentation. It featured Young Link from Majora’s Mask, Link from Twilight Princess, and Link from Skyward Sword. These figurines will be releasing June 23rd and, according to recent leaks, will unlock exclusive items in Breath of the Wild. In my opinion, this has to be the most disappointing part of the presentation, only because the Majora’s Mask Link amiibo will supposedly unlock Fierce Deity clothing in Breath of the Wild. I was expecting to finally get a Fierce Deity figurine in my hands, as it is my favorite Link design. However, I think these amiibo look very cool, and am excited to have even more Zelda amiibo for my collection. 

The three Zelda series amiibo revealed during today’s Nintendo Direct: Young Link from Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess Link, and Skyward Sword Link.

The long-awaited Super Smash Bros. DLC amiibo were also revealed. Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta will be available for purchase July 21st. Store-exclusive versions of them will be released as well, including a long-haired Bayonetta design and female Corrin. You can check those out on Nintendo of America’s tweet here

Aside from amiibo, new Arms details were revealed, including a closer look at some fight footage: a fight between Spring Man and a new, playable character known as Min Min. She is a fighter who can deflect punches with kicks. One of her signature arms is made of ramen and the other is a dragon. The game is set to release June 16th. 

A closer look at Min Min, Arms’ latest playable character. Her ramen arm and dragon arm are sure to pack a punch. (No pun intended.)

Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers is a Switch game that will feature Evil Ryu and Violent Ken, which are the first new characters added to the Street Fighter roster in nearly twenty years. The game is set to release May 26th. Other titles coming to the Switch this year include Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition (May 11), Sonic Forces (Holidays 2017), Sonic Mania (Summer), Payday 2 (2017), and Namco Museum (Summer). 

Regarding Splatoon 2, a co-op horde mode called Salmon Run was introduced, where players collect “power eggs” in groups of four, along with three new amiibo: a pink Inkling girl, a green Inkling boy, and a purple squid, similar to the two sets that were released for the original Splatoon. Splatoon 2 and its new amiibo will be releasing July 21st. You can check out more information in the trailer here.

The three upcoming amiibo figures for Splatoon 2: The Inkling Girl and her Splat Dualies, the Inkling Boy and his Splattershot, and the Inkling Squid.

Personally, I was looking forward to hearing more about Splatoon 2. The Salmon Run mode looks enjoyable, I suppose. Perhaps I was experiencing some brain fog at the time, but I was kind of lost while watching it all go down. I feel like not enough details were explained to fully understand what was going on. I was looking forward to seeing more weapons, or an appearance from Callie and Marie. Will we earn EXP in Salmon Run like Turf War and Ranked Mode? What rewards will we earn for trading power eggs and golden eggs? These are all questions I have after watching today’s presentation.

What are your thoughts on today’s Nintendo Direct presentation? What were you looking forward to seeing? What was your favorite part of the presentation? Let us know in the comments below!

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About Author

Hannah is a 20-year-old college student, avid Nintendo fan, and video game enthusiast. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of North Florida. She fell in love with the Legend of Zelda series when her aunt introduced both her and her brother to the Nintendo 64 and Ocarina of Time. She has been hooked on the series since.