This past Wednesday we got our first Nintendo Direct of 2024, and it was a partner showcase. This showcase was meant to show off games from third-party developers that are launching their games on the Nintendo Switch, not necessarily any main titles from the Nintendo family.
Still, this direct was full of exciting announcements, and I’m here to talk about some that caught my eye.
It was hyped up that four mystery Xbox games are supposed to be coming to the Switch soon, and two of them were announced at this direct. Funnily enough, both are from the same developer, Obsidian Entertainment.
Grounded, a survival action-adventure game, was the first reveal. In this game the player is shrunk to the size of an ant and must survive in a backyard against a bunch of other creepy-crawlers. This game has been praised for its unique premise and attractive art style, and many are excited to see it come to the Switch.
Pentiment was the second Xbox title to be announced. I don’t know nearly as much about this one, but I know that it has its own crowd of fans behind it, too. Pentiment is an adventure role-playing game, where you play as Andreas Maler, a master artist who finds himself in the middle of murders, scandals, and intrigue in the Bavarian Alps.
Now, this announcement was by far my favorite of the whole direct. Nintendo announced a remaster of one of my childhood favorite Wii games, Epic Mickey.
It’s always wild to see two corporate titans like Nintendo and Disney collaborating, especially with such an overlooked title as Epic Mickey. This game has a special place in the nostalgic hearts of many, as it was quite weird to see a shockingly dark game setting for a character like Mickey Mouse.
“If you’re unfamilair, Epic Mickey for Wii was a Wii game where a classic, mischievous Mickey finds a magic brush that lets him manipulate the world. Its legacy, however, is it marked the return of Walt Disney’s original creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’s return to Disney canon.” — GameInformer
As silly as that may sound to some, there’s a reason why so many people are excited to see this game getting some love again. Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed doesn’t have an official date of release, but it’s most definitely coming sometime in 2024.
This next one was a little surprising for me, but some of my friends are super excited about it. Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is coming to the Switch on March 14.
The original Battlefront games have seen a remaster, and will come with features such as new playable characters Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress, along with bonus maps Jabba’s Palace, Bespin: Cloud City, and Yavin 4: Arena.
SEGA finally unveiled a new Super Monkey Ball entry, and I saw my fair share of YouTubers celebrating it. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, set to come out June 25 on Switch, features 200 new courses and a 16-player multiplayer mode, which will most definitely be chaotic. I can’t wait to check out this weird arcade platformer!
A handful of classic “Rareware” games are also coming to Nintendo Switch Online and Expansion pass. These titles are: Snake Rattle ‘N’ Roll, R.C. Pro-Am, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, Killer Instinct, and Blast Corps.
It’s always great to see Nintendo bringing back old, rare games from their classic consoles. It’ll help prevent these titles from being forgotten and turning into lost media.
There were plenty of other announcements in this Direct, but these are the games I thought were great highlights.
Be sure to check out Nintendo of America’s official YouTube channel if you want to see the whole Direct for yourself!
