Nintendo Held a Surprise January Direct

While it has been speculated time and time again from tweets and the somewhat teasing statements of their employee’s, Nintendo made no official announcement about their next Direct. Now, it seems that the reason behind that was because they wanted to make it a surprise. In the heat of CES 2018, the Japanese gaming company stole a bit of limelight as they held a quick 15 minute Direct or as they called it, a Direct mini.

Nintendo’s January 11, 2018, Direct mini showcased a slew of different game announcements and content releases for their hybrid Switch console including a number of much-appreciated ports. Here are a few highlights of Nintendo’s most recent Direct:

• Luigi enters the world of Mario Odyssey but with a catch
  • A bunch of new free downloadable content will be arriving on Mario Odyssey this year which includes new photo filters for Snapshot mode, new costumes, and a new post-game mini-game. The new mini-game being added is called Balloon World or as we’d like to call it Luigi’s entrance. Sadly, Luigi just enters as an NPC and players won’t be able to take him on adventures, just yet.

• Dark Souls will now be haunting Switch Players
  • The notoriously difficult and unforgiving RPG game from Bandai Namco is now making its way into Nintendo’s hybrid console. Dark Souls Remastered is the remastered version of the original and first entry into the series and it will come with the Artorias of the Abyss DLC right off the bat. The game will launch on the Nintendo Switch this May.

• The World Ends With You receives a Switch revamp
  • The World Ends With You made strides during its release on the Nintendo DS way back in 2007 winning various rewards from known critics and reviewers. Now, Switch players get the chance to experience the renowned classic. This version of the game, named The World Ends With You Final Remix, will bring in much of the original game along with new content that new and veteran players can enjoy.

• Link will now battle in Musou fashion on the Switch
  • After an award-winning performance in Breath of the Wild last year the Legend of Zelda star, Link, returns to the Switch for a remake of the Musou styled game, Hyrule Warriors. This time around though, the game will not only feature Link and a slew of other characters from both the 3DS and Wii version and all playable map and missions but it will also come with new costumes for Link and Zelda based on Breath of the Wild. Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition is slated for a Spring 2018 release.

• Donkey Kong debuts on the Switch
  • We finally get to see Donkey Kong and the gang swing their way around Nintendo’s hybrid console with the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. This is more of a port though as the original game was first released on the Wii U. Even so, Switch players will be able to enjoy all of the content that came with the original including a new beginner-friendly mode to ease in newcomers to the franchise. The game is set to be released on May 4, 2018.

Check out the rest of the other announcements, including the Direct mini live stream, here.