Nintendo held its first Direct event of 2023 late last night, revealing fresh footage and details for new Zelda, Pikmin, and Metroid games for Switch, among other things.
The event kicked off with footage of the eagerly awaited Pikmin 4. Nintendo’s latest pint-sized take on real time strategy introduces a new dog-like companion that can be sent into battle and even ridden by the titular Pikmin. It launches July 21, 2023.
Another fan-friendly reveal came a little later in the Direct event, when Nintendo announced Metroid Prime Remastered. As the name suggests, this is a modern spruce up of the seminal 2002 GameCube game, which saw Samus thrown into a deeply immersive first person adventure.
This remaster gives Switch owners sharpened up visuals and reworked twin-stick controls. It’s available to download now at a price of £34.99, with a physical version coming on March 3 in Europe (February 22 in the US).
The biggest reveal during the latest Nintendo Direct was saved until the very end of the event in a form of a full trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It showcased Link riding some fantastically advanced contraptions, including a chunky car and a large fan-assisted hoverboard.
Was that Link grinding rails like a skateboarder? Yes, I believe it was. His latest adventure will arrive on May 12 for a bumped-up price of £59.99 – at least direct from Nintendo. You might still be able to find it for a cheaper price elsewhere.
Also, Nintendo finally announced a release date for Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp: April 21. It’ll cost £49.99, which feels a little steep for a pair of (admittedly rebuilt) Game Boy Advance games. Talking of which…
Elsewhere in the latest Nintendo Direct event, the most notable news was the arrival of the Game Boy and Game Boy Colour games to Nintendo Online. A limited selection of games including Tetris, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, and Super Mario Land 2 are on there now, with more to follow.
In arguably more exciting news, Game Boy Advance games have been added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack! subscription tier. The initial selection includes such treats as Mario Kart: Super Circuit and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, both of which somehow feel like overlooked gems amidst Nintendo’s formidable library.
You can catch up on these and the rest of Nintendo’s announcements (there’s plenty of JRPG and expansion pack goodness in there) by watching the original video, either through the above YouTube embed or over on Nintendo’s homepage.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
