On Sept. 23, Nintendo hosted its most recent Nintendo Direct. The presentation, which was streamed live through the company’s YouTube channel, treated fans to a slew of announcements regarding upcoming games, downloadable content and other surprises to be released within the next year. Though an abundance of new titles and content were revealed, there are certain ones which stood out as the night’s greatest highlights.

The presentation commenced with the announcement that an expansion to the action role-playing game “Monster Hunter Rise,” titled “Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak,” will release on the Nintendo Switch in summer 2022. This reveal was followed by more information regarding “Mario Party Superstars,” the newest installment in the “Mario Party” franchise, which will be available for the Switch Oct. 29. Wave 2 of the “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity” Expansion Pass, known as “Guardian of Remembrance,” will release the same day on the Nintendo eShop.

One of the most anticipated announcements fans hoped to see during the Direct was the reveal of who the final fighter in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s” Fighters Pass Vol. 2 would be. However, to the dismay of many, the character was not unveiled. However, it was announced that the game’s director, Masahiro Sakurai (“Kid Icarus: Uprising”), would show off the new fighter in a separate presentation scheduled for Oct. 5.

Nintendo soon stepped up its game by announcing the newest installment in the “Kirby” franchise, titled “Kirby and the Forgotten Land.” Fans were delighted to see through its trailer that the game will be the first in the series to be a 3D platformer, akin to popular titles such as “Super Mario 64,” while also praising it for its vibrant visuals. Slated for release in spring 2022, the game’s exciting departure from the “Kirby” series’ usual setup will hopefully live up to fans’ expectations.

Following the promising reveal of the new “Kirby” game, it was stated the games “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “Mario Golf: Super Rush” will be receiving free updates; the former including series mainstay “The Roost,” and the latter gaining new playable characters such as Koopa Troopa and Ninji. 

Also, a new trailer for “Metroid Dread” was shown, demonstrating new gameplay and cutscenes for the much anticipated game. Releasing Oct. 8, the 2D side-scroller looks to pay homage to the “Metroid” series’ early titles. 

One of the biggest surprises of the Direct was the announcement of the Nintendo Online + Expansion pack, which will release in October 2021. This addition to Nintendo’s online service, which currently offers opportunities to play Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games, as well as standard online play in Switch games, will also include applications featuring Nintendo 64 (N64) and Sega Genesis titles. Wireless N64 and Genesis controllers will also be made available so that players can experience these games in a set-up similar to their original incarnations.

More major reveals included the release of “Castlevania Advance Collection and a remake of the SNES title “ActRaise,” titled “ActRaiser Renaissance,” for the Switch. Also the update of “Undertale” spin-off “Deltarune” was announced to implement the newly-released “Chapter 2 – A Cyber’s World” into the game directly following the presentation.

After an abundance of game announcements, Nintendo game director and Fellow Shigeru Miyamoto (“Donkey Kong”) took over for Direct presenter Yoshiaki Koizumi (“Super Mario Galaxy”) to provide an update on the upcoming animated “Super Mario Bros.” film. The film, which is being produced by Illumination, was confirmed by Miyamoto to be released in the United States on Dec. 21, 2022.

Along with a release date, Miyamoto also gave details regarding the film’s all-star cast. Starring in the project will be Chris Pratt (“The Tomorrow War”) and Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’”) as the eponymous brothers Mario and Luigi, respectively, as well as Anya Taylor-Joy (“The New Mutants”) voicing Princess Peach. Other confirmed actors include Jack Black (“Jumanji: The Next Level”) as the villainous Bowser, Seth Rogen (“An American Pickle”) as Donkey Kong and Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom”) as Toad, among others. Current Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is also slated to lend his voice to multiple cameo roles throughout the film.

Returning to video game announcements, new information pertaining to the upcoming title “Splatoon 3” were shown, succeeding its prior reveal at the Feb. 17, 2021 Nintendo Direct. The footage shown this time displayed new weapons, stages and music that will be featured in the game, as well as returning favorites. Following the video, a man claiming to be a “squid researcher” divulges even more characteristics of the game, including its chaotic settings “Splatsville” and the “Splatlands,” as well as revealing the new story mode “Return of the Mammalians.” Though a release date has yet to be announced, the abundance of details given during its presentation hopefully indicates that it will be some time in early to mid-2022.

To cap off an exciting presentation, Nintendo treated viewers to a somewhat unexpected, though highly-anticipated, reveal: the first trailer for Sega’s “Bayonetta 3.” Having been originally announced in 2017, this third installment in the “Bayonetta” franchise garnered much excitement, especially after updates relating to its production status had seemingly died down. By showcasing an updated version of the series’ token hack and slash mechanics, as well as confidently confirming its release sometime in 2022, the Direct granted “Bayonetta” fans some long-needed clarity regarding the sequel after years of radio silence.

As most Nintendo Directs do, this presentation has assuredly left viewers clamoring for more after having already been let in on some of the new titles set for release or currently in development. Furthermore, because of the casting announcement for the upcoming “Super Mario Bros.” movie, a new standard has been set for later presentations, given their usual purpose of solely providing information regarding video games, rather than other media relating to them. With more Directs sure to come in the near future, one can only imagine what the company will have in store for gaming fans next, especially after making an abundance of huge reveals at this one, alone. 

Image from Nintendo via YouTube