Why I'm disappointed by last night's Nintendo Direct Mini
Plus: all the games announced.
Last week, Nintendo got everyone's hopes up with rumours about a June Nintendo Direct. We were hoping that we would finally get to see and hear more about the next Zelda, Pokemon or Bayonetta games during the presentation. And while the rumour of a mini Direct event ended up being true, I have to admit I'm a little disappointed with the announcements.
Last night, the gaming giant held its Nintendo Direct Mini: Partners Showcase event (you can catch up on it below), and it announced a load of upcoming games. The likes of Persona 5 Royal, Super Bomberman 2 and even Pac-Man made the list. We couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed by the lack of news on some of the more anticipated games (still nothing on Zelda 2), but there are some interesting-looking games in the lineup that was revealed (if you attended the event and you're now looking for a Switch console to play the games on, make sure you see our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch Deals).
So what was missing? Well, we didn't get any more news about Zelda 2, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet or Bayonette 3 (yep, our Nintendo Direct prediction was pretty far off this time). All the same, we did still get a hefty lineup of new games. From Nier: Automata The End of YoRHa to Disney's Dreamlight Valley, Nintendo announced a nice mix of RPG, sandbox, puzzle and action-adventure games that should appeal to a range of players.
The games that Nintendo announced were:
- Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
- Nier: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition
- Super Bomberman R 2
- Pac-Man World Re-Pac,
- Blanc
- Return to Monkey Island
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Little Noah: Scion of Paradise
- Railgrade
- RPG Time: The Legend of Wright
- Sonic Frontiers
- Disney Dreamlight Valley
- Live A Live
- Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom
- Minecraft Legends
- Dragon Quest Treasures
- Portal: Companion Collection
- Harvestella
- Persona 5 Royal
We were excited to learn more about the highly anticipated Sonic Frontiers game, which looks a little bit as if you could play as Sonic in the Zelda games (see below). We even got a glimpse of gameplay, with footage of how the graphics will look on the Switch, and there are some interesting new elements.
However, the game from the lineup that caught my eye the most was Blanc. This 3D puzzle game sports a stunning hand-drawn monochrome look as it follows the unlikely partnership of a deer and a baby fox around. The game is set to release in February 2023, and it looks like it could well earn a place on our list of the best cozy games.
I'm still holding out for news on the rumoured Nintendo Switch Pro (even though Nintendo has denied its existence). We'll just have to wait until September for the next full-size Nintendo direct to see if there's any bigger news then. For now, why not try out some of the best Nintendo Switch games?
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Amelia is Creative Bloq’s Staff Writer. After completing a degree in Popular Music and a Master’s in Song Writing, Amelia began designing posters, logos, album covers and websites for musicians. She now enjoys covering a range of topics on Creative Bloq, including posters, optical illusions, logos (she's a particular fan of logo Easter eggs), gaming and illustration. In her free time, she relishes in the likes of art (especially the Pre-Raphaelites), photography and literature. Amelia prides herself on her unorthodox creative methods, her Animal Crossing island and her extensive music library.