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Everything we saw at September’s Nintendo Direct: Kirby, Splatoon, and more

Giovanni Colantonio
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Nintendo on September 23 rolled out a 40-minute Direct presentation that featured news on its slate of winter games. That included updates on Switch games we already knew about, like Metroid Dread, but it also brought a few surprises. We got to see a new Kirby game, the first gameplay footage for Bayonetta 3, and a closer look at Splatoon 3. We even got a true surprise in the news that N64 and Sega Genesis games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo Direct - 9.23.2021

Was it enough to satisfy Nintendo’s constantly disappointed fans? For the most part, it went about as well as expected. While we didn’t get any gigantic new reveals, the information we did get was surprisingly significant considering the stream was mostly focused on games coming this winter. We even got some surprise shadow releases, like the Castlevania Advance Collection, which is always a nice touch.

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Here’s every bit of news from Nintendo’s Direct presentation so you can make up your own mind about the show.

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Nintendo 64 games finally come to Switch Online

The Nintendo Switch is finally getting more classic games via its Online program, but players will need to pony up to get them. Subscribers will soon be able to grab an update to their membership called Expansion Pack that adds Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games to their system. The initial list of N64 games includes the heavy hitters players would expect, including The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, and Super Mario 64. More games, including Majora’s Mask, will join the library after those games. The collection of Genesis games includes classics like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Golden Axe.

Nintendo is releasing Switch-compatible wireless N64 and Sega Genesis controllers as part of the launch. They will cost $50 each and be available for Nintendo Online members to purchase. There’s currently no release date or price for the Expansion Pack program.

The Mario movie gets its cast

Shigeru Miyamoto popped up on the stream, but not to show off a video game. Instead, he offered details on the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie. It’ll release on December 21, 2022 in the United States and on unannounced 2022 dates in other regions.

More importantly, we got casting information about the animated film. Mario will be voiced by Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy is Peach, and Charlie Day is Luigi. The star-studded cast also includes Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong, and more. Mario’s regular voice actor, Charles Martinet, will lend his voice to the film, too, but only in a cameo capacity. Ouch.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is confirmed

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch

After leaking ahead of the Direct (and spurring a bizarre internet debate about spoilers for marketing events), Kirby and the Forgotten Land got an official reveal. Set for a spring 2022 release, this is Kirby’s first full Switch adventure since 2018’s Kirby: Star Allies. The game is a major departure for the series. It appears to be a 3D open-world game where Kirby explores an abandoned world. The trailer shows him waddling around a derelict mall and other areas. It essentially looks like Super Mario Odyssey, but with Kirby.

Splatoon 3 still looks fresh

Splatoon 3 – “Return of the Mammalians” – Nintendo Switch

We got another look at Splatoon 3, which is still scheduled to launch in 2022. This time, we got a closer look at multiplayer and some of the new weapons coming to the game, including an ink-spurting drone and a bow. We also got our first peek at its single-player mode, which is called Return of the Mammalians. In it, players will uncover the mystery of why all the mammals in the game (save for two cats) have disappeared. The game does not have a firm release date yet.

Bayonetta 3 coming in 2022

First Look at Bayonetta 3 Gameplay – Nintendo Switch

As indicated earlier by Nintendo’s Japanese website, Bayonetta 3 is finally coming. The game will launch sometime in 2022, though it still doesn’t have a firm release date. We did get an actual gameplay trailer for the game, though that showed off its hack= and-slack action. Notably, Lappy from developer PlatinumGames’ Switch exclusive Astral Chain, makes a cameo in the trailer.

The Roost comes to Animal Crossing

Tune In This October for an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct!

New content is coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, though we don’t fully know what it is yet. Nintendo says that it’s going to hold an Animal Crossing Direct in October to reveal the game’s November update. What we do know is that it’ll bring The Roost back, which was a café that appeared in previous games. Brewster, the Roost’s bird bartender, is coming back alongside the update.

Castlevania Advance Collection revives GBA classics

In the weeks building up to the Nintendo Direct, we’d seen rumors of a new Castlevania collection that features the series’ Game Boy Advance installments. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what we got. Castlevania Advance Collection brings four classic games to the Switch (plus, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC), including Circle of the Moon, Aria of Sorrow, and Harmony of Dissonance. It’ll also feature the SNES title Castlevania: Dracula X for good measure. The Castlevania Advance Collection is available on the Switch eShop right now. Surprise!

Everything else…

  • Monster Hunter Rise is getting a paid expansion called Sunbreak this summer.
  • Mario Party Superstars got a spotlight showing off some new modes and boards.
  • Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is a card-based RPG co-created by Yoko Taro. It’s coming October 28.
  • Disco Elysium: The Final Cut finally comes to Switch on October 12, with a physical release next year.
  • The next wave of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity DLC is coming on October 29.
  • Chocobo GP is a Final Fantasy racing game featuring 64-player tournaments. It comes to Switch in 2022.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s final fighter will be revealed in a stream on October 5.
  • Koopa Troopa and Ninji are coming to Mario Golf: Super Rush as playable characters, along with two new courses. That update is available today.
  • Disney Magical World 2: Enchanted Edition is coming to Switch.
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic launches on Switch on November 11.
  • Dying Light 2: Stay Human is getting a cloud edition on Switch. Dying Light: Platinum Edition is coming to Switch as well. The latter is available October 19.
  • Triangle Strategy (yes, that’s the final name) is launching on March 4.
  • Metroid Dread got a new trailer showing off some fresh footage.
  • The Shadowrun trilogy is coming to Switch in 2022.
  • Actraiser Renaissance is an HD remaster of the classic SNES game Actraiser. It launches today.
  • Deltarune Chapter 2 is now available on Switch.

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Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
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