We got a ton of games, so we’re going to split this up and write about the games we’re interested in. That seems fair.
Pyra and Mythra, two anime girls from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, are the new fighter for Smash Ultimate. It looks like they’ll be similar to Zelda and Shiek from Melee, being able to switch between both characters.
Aside from that, I’m not sure if they’re going to have a deeper gimmick, like Steve, or be more traditional, like Sepiroth. Sakurai will likely have a breakdown here in a few weeks so we can learn more about them.
They come out in March.
Fall Guys
I hope this game is still relevant. It’s a great Switch game, and I’m glad to see it come to the system. Fall Guys really hit hard and then pretty much vanish last Spring, so maybe this is its second coming. It’ll launch Summer 2021.
Outer Wilds
The Outer Wilds, aka probably my (Eric) favorite gaming experience of all time, is coming to Switch. The more people who can play this game, the better. I’m probably going to end up getting it just for the portability. Please everyone who’s reading this: buy this game when it comes out this Summer.
Famicom Detective Club – The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club – The Girl Who Stands Behind
- Never released in America
- Japanese murder / ghost mysteries visual novel style games
- Comes out May 14
Samura Warriors 5
The latest in the “Warriors” franchise. Described as “1 vs 1,000”, so if you’re into that kind of spectacle, this is your game. I’m a sucker for a historical (ish) Japanese setting, so I may end up checking this one out. Comes out Summer 2021.
Legend of Mana
I’ve (Nick) owned the Legend of Mana game multiple times, but never actually gotten around to playing it. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the PSX ecosystem, but I loved Secret of Mana on the SNES, so it seemed like a solid game. Problem was that my PSXÂ hated my TV at the time, so I played only a handful of things. I’ve always wanted to go back to it, and an upcoming article about a series of playthroughs I’m doing means this will certainly be in the pile. It’s a remaster of the PS1 game, with new graphics and music, and comes out June 24th.
Monter Hunter Rise
- Exclusive to Switch
- A Monster Hunter special deluxe edition Switch console will also be released as well as a Monster Hunter Pro Controller.
- Everything comes out March 26
Mario Golf: Super Rush
The biggest genuine surprise for me in the Direct (Nick), I’m very excited for a new Mario Golf game. The original NES game is a cult classic, the N64 is weirdly one of the best games for that console, and the Gamecube game was fun. Since that time, though, it’s only really existed in the mobile space and hadn’t seen much love. Overall, the mix of seemingly optional motion controls, a new multiplayer speed golf mode, and single player and RPG modes looks like this will be another crazy winner in the series. It comes out on June 25th.
Tales from the Borderlands
Tales from the Borderlands – the 2014 Telltale game – is coming to Switch on March 24. As far as Telltale games go, I’ve never so much as heard anyone* mention this one. So…take that as you will. Hidden gem? Commercial flop? Your call. Comes out March 24th.
* Nick here, chiming in that I’m aware of this game. It’s weird in the whole Borderlands saga, as it tells a whole lot of background stories for fan favorites, especially Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack. This is widely considered the best of the Telltale games outside of the first Walking Dead one, for those who follow it. I’m kind of curious who is actually behind it, given that Telltale imploded a couple of years ago.
Capcom Arcade Stadium
- 1943 for free
- pay for everything else
- Available today!
Stubbs the Zombine in Rebel without a Pulse
- Comes out March 16th.
No More Heroes 3
- Travis Touchdown vs. Aliens
- Comes out August 27th
Neon White
- Another Annapurna Interactive game that looks slick and fun!
- Comes out this Winter 2021.
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power
None of us want to write about this one so I guess I’ll just get it out of the way. This game looks like a cash grab. Apparently it’s a Cartoon Network show, so that’s something. I can’t think of a single redeeming thing about it, but I’m a cynical man, so maybe there’s some preteen girls out there who are all about this game. Who knows. I’m sure DC did their research. June 4th on this one.
Plants vs. Zombies Battle for Neighborville
- Frame rates and resolution for this game should be excellent.
- I’m being sarcastic.
- Comes out March 19, 2021.
Miitopia
- 3DS game rerelease.
- It looks just as boring as the original.
- Comes out May 21.
Animal Crossing: New Horizon Super Mario Items
- If i’m following the trailer right, the first Mario item you get is free, and then it unlocks a bunch of items in Nook’s shop.
- There’s a warp pipe item that will let you fast travel between two locations on your island.
- Mario items will be available starting February 25th.
Project: Triangle Strategy
- Pretty sure the Octopath Traveler team is behind this.
- decision based dialogue
- Turn based tactical RPG.
Star Wars Hunters
- 3rd person shooter
- Free to play, pay to win!
- Zynga
- Hard pass. I’m not going to list a release date for this trash. That’s how much I hate it.
Knockout City
- Dodgeball? Dodgeball. Very Fortnite-ish.
- Comes out May 21
World’s End Club
- Comes out May 28
Hades
Hades, my (Eric again) 2020 Game of the Year, gets a physical release on Switch, alongside a digital copy of the soundtrack (or, you know, just use Spotify), and a gorgeous 32-page art book. I can’t recommend this game enough, and I’ve heard people describe it as perfect for Switch. You can get the digital version right now, or grab the physical copy on March 19th.
Ninja Gaiden Master Collection
- Ninja Gaiden Master Collection includes Sigma, Sigma 2, and 3: razor’s edge
- Comes out June 10
Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity Expansion Pass
- $20 bucks for DLC that comes out in two waves. Apparently, there’s more calamity to play through than what the original game gave you.
Bravely Default II
- Comes out in a little over a week, February 26th.
Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins Resurrection
- February 25th
SaGa Frontier Remastered
I’m (Nick) decently excited about this game… the only SaGa games I’ve played are the first in the series, released as Final Fantasy Legends in the US on the original GameBoy. The collection for those just came out the Switch, so clearly we’re getting more in that line showing up as Square continues to release more and more games from their back catalog. Yet they haven’t re-released Final Fantasy I or II on anything other than mobile platforms outside of Japan (where it got a 3DS release) in more than a decade. Hopefully this is a continued sign that more and more of the classic catalogs will be coming, after this drops on April 15th.
Apex Legends
I’m getting kinda burnt out on Call of Duty: Warzone, so I might check this one out. Switch has never been a great console for FPS in my opinion, but, again, if it’s portable, that’s good enough for me.
Then, Eiji Aonuma walked out.
Nothing new from Breath of the Wild 2, which, honestly, didn’t expect too much there. A lot of people were hoping against it, despite Nintendo plainly telling them that the Direct would focus on 2021 releases… Nintendo fans continue to build up hype despite being told not to. However, director Eiji Aounuma did announce The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
Skyward Sword is by no means a great Zelda game. But it’s a pretty darn good game. I replayed it on Wii two years ago and it held up surprisingly well, aside from the motion controls.
Astonishingly, the Switch remaster will give the option to use the right stick instead of motion controls to allow people who own the Lite enjoy it as well. I have no idea if that will work, and a sneaking suspicion it will be awkward as hell. However, with the vastly improved motion control tech of the Switch compared to the Wii, I have a feeling using the JoyCons like a sword and shield will actually feel pretty good.
They’re also releasing a special pair of Zelda-themed joy-cons:
Everything will be released in a few months, on July 16. 2021 is Zelda’s 35th Anniversary, so this may not be all the Zelda surprises in store for this year.
And now, hear Ace gush about Splatoon:
Splatoon 3
I had some predictions on what we’d see in the direct: Zelda, Pokémon, and Metroid seeing as to how they are all hitting anniversaries this year. None of that panned out except we did get Skyward Sword HD, which isn’t great imo. I had one wishlist item and it was Splatoon 3. I was really not expecting the Direct to end with this. This trailer pretty much saved the entire Direct for me. I’ll be dissecting what we see in a separate post.
