The hype train left the station on March 8, 2018, when Nintendo dropped the bombshell announcement that not only will Super Smash Bros. officially be coming to the Switch console, but that it will be arriving before the end of the year. The teaser trailer briefly showed Mario and Link in shadows, but clearly established the Inklings from Splatoon as new playable characters.
Despite that being the buzzed-about news, it was hardly the only thing this Nintendo Direct presentation focused on. A large portion of the half-hour showing was dedicated to Mario Tennis Aces, highlighting several new playable characters, multiplayer mode, trick shots, and much more. Nintendo also announced that they will be holding online tournaments for the game, with rewards for winners including bonus outfits and even additional playable characters. The game arrives for the Switch on June 22.
Some surprises were in store when it came to third-party ports to the Switch. Okami HD, which first released on the PlayStation 4, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch this summer; this game follows the adventures of a mythical white wolf named Amaterasu who must cleanse the land of evil. Crash Bandicoot – N. Sane Trilogy, which contains the first three games from the franchise in a remastered format, will also be coming to the Switch this summer, on July 10. And South Park: The Fractured But Whole, was also announced to be receiving a Switch port.
Indie darling Undertale is also getting a Switch port… “eventually.” No official launch date was given, though the trailer, featuring Sans and Papyrus, broke the fourth wall in a cute way. Meanwhile, the previously-announced Dark Souls Remastered is still on track for a May 25 release for the Switch, but the Direct made sure to highlight a Nintendo-exclusive feature – an amiibo figure of Solaire of Astora completing the signature “praise the sun” pose.
On the first-party front, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, which was somewhat of a cult classic on the Wii U, will be making its way to the Switch on July 13. The puzzle-focused game will feature a number of new courses based on the various kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey – which makes sense, given that the Captain Toad character appeared throughout that game as well. A quick reminder was also given to Kirby Star Allies, which releases on March 16; the new Kirby adventure will focus a lot on cooperative multiplayer. And the release date was finally given for Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition – it arrives on May 18.
But some surprises were also in store for 3DS owners, including the return of the wacky Warioware series. Warioware Gold, which Nintendo called the “most packed” collection of minigames so far, will be heading to the 3DS family of systems later this year. Also new for the system is Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers, which will be available via the 3DS eShop; the game combines tower defense mechanics with shooters and is the sequel to Dillon’s Rolling Western. Also highlighted was Detective Pikachu, in what was really just a reminder that the game arrives on March 23.
A couple of ports were also announced for the 3DS – Luigi’s Mansion, which originally launched for the GameCube, will be making its way to the handheld. The sequel, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, was already released for the system, meaning that both games will now be available to play on the same handheld family. Also arriving to the system is Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, which will arrive in 2019 with a new expansion called Bowser Jr.’s Journey.
The full Nintendo Direct presentation can be seen below.