Last Thursday’s Nintendo Direct was a big win for fans of classic JRPGs and long-dormant Nintendo and 3rd party franchises. The show started off with the reveal of Fire Emblem: Three Hopes, a Musou title set in the world of Three Houses, but telling a new story. It looks like more of the same Musou gameplay, but that’s not a bad thing. This was immediately followed by new info on the Advance Wars 1 & 2 remake and a reveal of No Man’s Sky for the Switch. Then the video cuts to what looks like a soccer field, where we see Mario characters battling it out. After 10+ years, Mario Strikers is finally coming back. The game looks visually stunning during the special shots and the gameplay looks like lots of fun, complete with 8-person multiplayer! Splatoon 3 was shown again, with fan-favorite game mode Salmon Run making a return.
Lace up your cleats & prepare to bring the heat in #MarioStrikers: Battle League!
Fierce special shots, items, & tackles means there’s no rules except to rule the field! Mario Strikers: Battle League arrives on #NintendoSwitch 6/10. pic.twitter.com/9dgtzlifJk
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 9, 2022
Mechs, Mickey, and Gundam
Then, we got the first shock of the Nintendo Direct. Front Mission and Front Mission 2 are getting full remakes on the Switch. Front Mission as a series has had a really rocky history, with the most recent release being 2019’s disastrous Left Alive. The series abandoned its SRPG roots for the better part of a decade and Front Mission 2 never made it to western shores, so this was a big surprise.
Disney/Pixar are getting their own crossover kart racer in Disney Speedstorm, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is making a return from the dark side, and Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection will stalk your wallet this year as well. Next, we got a glimpse of a new SD Gundam action game, SD Gundam Battle Alliance. This cute little title seems to have lots of fan favorites in the roster already, including Gundam Wing, Iron-Blooded Orphans, and Gundam 00. The combat and co-op focus looks like it may be a great time and this shows Namco Bandai is finally starting to see there are plenty of Gundam fans in the west, now that Gunpla has made a huge comeback on the other side of the world. It’s coming to pretty much every major system available now.
Join a Battle Alliance to Correct a False World in SD Gundam Battle Alliance. #SDGundamBA arrives 2022!
Tag your Alliance teammates and tell us which Mobile Suit you'll be piloting! pic.twitter.com/5EKjwntsJM
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) February 9, 2022
PlayStation Legends Hit the Switch in this Nintendo Direct
The long-rumored Chrono Cross remaster was finally revealed, bringing the long-lost visual novel Radical Dreamers with it. It really is a golden time for fans of classic JRPGs right now. This is also coming to most major systems, and the quality of life changes are much appreciated. This is a remaster, though, not a full remake. From there, we got a glimpse at Kirby and the Forgotten Land, showing some of the many new forms, including Twitter’s current obsession, Karby. PlayStation heavyweight franchise MLB: The Show will be making its Switch debut this year, as shown by this odd trailer featuring Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani. PlayStation games on Nintendo systems, what a time we live in. Speaking of PlayStation, retro platforming icon Klanoa is making a comeback this year with full remakes of Klanoa 1 and 2, both formerly PS1 and PS2 exclusives, respectively. These are coming to multiple platforms as well. This Nintendo Direct is shaping up to be a big revival party.
KLONOA: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil are coming to Nintendo Switch!
Take on these dreamy side-scrolling adventures when KLONOA Phantasy Reverie Series launches for #NintendoSwitch on July 8! #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/sGamaDUnGa
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 9, 2022
GLaD to see you A LIVE
Valve is releasing its first console game in 8 years with the Portal: Companion Collection. But then the absolute bombshell of the direct happened. Legendary Super Famicom RPG LIVE A LIVE is finally getting a western release in 2022, and it’s a full, voiced remake in the HD-2D style that Square Enix is absolutely killing it with. I almost cried at the announcement. Seriously. LIVE A LIVE is one of my favorite games of all time, and I never thought I’d see it come over here, much less in a remake. Written and directed by Takashi Tokita (with the same roles in Final Fantasy IV, Chrono Trigger, and Parasite Eve) with music by legendary composer Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Mario RPG) in her first large scale project, this had all the pieces to become a beloved classic here in the west, but it never got the chance. Now it will. If you have any interest, I plan to discuss this game and the other reveals from Square here on the J-List Blog at length in a future article. It’s a big deal.
The unique RPG #LIVEALIVE comes to North America for the first time on #NintendoSwitch!
Play seven stories featuring a variety of protagonists, time periods, and gameplay styles in any order you choose, now with newly remastered HD-2D graphics. LIVE A LIVE arrives on 7/22! pic.twitter.com/KQChi5YVlO— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 9, 2022
Wii Sports is Back, and so is Xenoblade
Nintendo Switch Sports was revealed next and I’m happy to see it, but I’m hoping more stuff gets added in the future, as it is currently a little barebone. The next Taiko no Tatsujin was revealed, with it containing MEGALOVANIA. Yes, I’m serious. After that was a barrage of rapid-fire recaps and announcements, including a new Triangle Strategy demo, Cuphead DLC, a brutal new Metroid Dread update, and a small sizzle reel. Shortly after the direct, Earthbound launched on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES app, alongside the formerly Wii U exclusive (in the US at least) Earthbound Beginnings hitting the Nintendo Switch Online NES app. This Nintendo Direct is all about those 90s RPGs, I’m telling you.
Become the blade that destroys demons in exhilarating arena battles when Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles comes to #NintendoSwitch on June 10! #NintendoDirect pic.twitter.com/ft1R4Q3d65
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 10, 2022
Following that, Nintendo announced a new set of DLC for Mario Kart 8, using tracks from Mario Kart Tour. It will be $25 for 48 total tracks, all being remakes from other games. Honestly, I’m okay with that. Better to have them there than to leave them rotting in a gacha game that may shut down at any time.
And to cap off the whole presentation, Nintendo announced Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This was a rather large surprise to me but I’m happy to see it, especially since it seems to be doing away with the more generic anime wackiness, art style, and overall tone that plagued Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It was a very mysterious trailer showing what looked to be several locations in elements from both of the prior games. That will be out this September.
All in all, this was a really incredible Nintendo Direct. I know it didn’t have a lot of what some people were looking for but it was an absolute 10 out of 10 for me just based on LIVE A LIVE alone. I just have one question left: when is Final Fantasy Mystic Quest getting a remake or remaster, Square Enix?!
