Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, gaming giant Nintendo laid out its lineup of games slated for the first half of 2023 through one of their famous Directs. The company touched on previously-announced titles like “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe,” “Bayonetta Origins,” and “Pikmin 4” along with the highly anticipated “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.”

With its release planned for May 12, Nintendo gave us another trailer for “Tears of the Kingdom.” Showing off some more gameplay, setpieces, and story elements, the game seems like it will be the sequel that “Breath of the Wild” deserves. Along with the trailer, Nintendo also revealed that Link’s next adventure will carry a higher-than-normal price tag of $69.99 when it launches. 

With all Nintendo Directs, surprises were spread throughout the thirty-minute presentation. From the revival of dormant franchises to new ports and remasters, Nintendo had a lot to announce for fans of almost any gaming genre. 

One of the biggest revivals during the direct was “Samba de Amigo.” With the last installment of the franchise released for Nintendo’s Wii in 2008, the Sega-published rhythm game series has been silent for over a decade. This silence ended during the direct when “Samba de Amigo: Party Central” was announced. Scheduled for a June 30 release on the Switch, Amigo and his friends are roaring back to life. The game is set to launch with 40 songs across various genres along with a variety of minigames. Eight-player online play will also be available. 

Speaking of another dormant series, Nintendo’s Professor Layton is finally returning to solve another mystery. The last mystery Layton and his crew solved was the “Azran Legacy” and that was on the 3DS in 2014. Titled the “New World of Steam,” very little is known about this upcoming installment. No release date has been announced. 

With the third installment turning a decade old later in the year, Nintendo has finally declared the return of “Pikman.” The upcoming strategy game will release on June 21 and seems to be sticking with the series’ class formula of breaking stuff and fighting enemies. From the trailer, a few new additions include a very cute dog named Oatchi and new types of Pikmin, like an ice-type. 

When discussing Nintendo’s borderline forgotten IPs, “Metroid” is almost always mentioned. This cannot be said for this month’s Direct though as the company has announced and released a remastered version of the classic “Metroid Prime.” Seen by many as one of the series’ highlights, the game was digitally available on Nintendo’s eShop after the Direct with physical copies coming to stores on Feb. 22. While not a new game, having another fantastic game to add to the Switch’s catalog is always welcome. 

One of the more interesting announcements during the Direct was “Disney Illusion Island.” This stylized platformer seems like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy going on an adventure into a new, mysterious world. Many in the discourse have already compared this title to the independently developed “Cuphead,” but little is known about this game’s creation currently. “Disney Illusion Island” is scheduled to release on June 28. 

Along with new games, Nintendo announced some new content coming for some of their largest titles. 

After the fantastic launch of “Splatoon 3,” it is no surprise that an expansion pass is coming for 2023. The first wave, set to release in the Spring, will bring back Inkopolis. A location from the first game, this new plaza will present a variety of new shops and quests for players to enjoy. The second wave, which has no set release period, will come with a new single-player campaign.

“Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” is also getting some new content. Releasing in the Spring is a new course inspired by Yoshi’s Island along with the return of fan-favorite Birdo. 

As you can see, Nintendo is planning for 2023 to be another banner year of releases. From returning IPs to new games on the horizon, it is a perfect time to pick up your Nintendo Switch and get back into the gaming goodness the console provides.