Nintendo surprised gamers around the world this week with a 50-minute general Nintendo Direct after months of skipping on a general update. The past Nintendo announcements have been hyper-focused on specific releases so Nintendo fans haven’t really had a blanket of news to wrap themselves up in.
But that all changed earlier this week when Nintendo announced it would host a general event to talk about content hitting the Nintendo Switch in 2021 and beyond.
You can watch a replay of the event below, but for now let’s talk about the three biggest stories coming out of this week’s Nintendo Direct.
Mario Golf: Super Rush hits the Nintendo Switch
To keep to the theme of last week’s big sports stories, I figured I’d start with talking about Mario Golf: Super Rush coming to the Nintendo Switch this June.
I knew Nintendo would have a few shocking titles to announce this week, but I never expected Mario Golf. The long-running sports franchise started on the Nintendo 64 and I’ve been a fan ever since.
I've been waiting for a new console release of Mario Golf for years. The last time we received Mario Golf on something other than a Nintendo handheld was in 2003 on the Nintendo GameCube—so this announcement was embraced with open arms.
Super Rush changes the game this time around by introducing an all-new story mode and a hectic multiplayer mode called Speed Golf. According to Nintendo, Speed Golf has all players teeing off at the same time while they race to finish the hole before competitors.
Players can make use of power-ups and well-placed shots to sabotage their opponents. Based on Nintendo’s announcement trailer, which you can watch below, Speed Golf looks to be a combination of Mario Golf and Mario Kart.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gets a remaster
Next up on the list is the return of another beloved franchise with the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
Skyward Sword is one of those games I completely slept on. It was released a bit later into the Nintendo Wii’s lifespan so I never played the original, and by the time I was interested in it I had already invested in a new generation of gaming.
The only reason I know anything about the game is because of live orchestrated event, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, which I attended multiple times during its run between 2012 and 2017.
Symphony of the Goddesses always dedicated an incredible suite to Skyward Sword as it was the first title in the series that made use of a fully orchestrated soundtrack. So to see a remake that I can get my hands on easily and experience on the go or in my living room has me super excited—especially because it set up a lot of the mechanics that I fell in love with when I finally played Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD hits the Nintendo Switch on July 16 and is available for pre-order today.
A bold new tactical RPG from Square Enix
The announcement that stole the show for me during Nintendo’s event was the reveal of Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY—a new tactical RPG with a nostalgic battle system and art style.
Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY, which is a working title as the game is not officially named, appears to be a follow-up to my favourite Japanese role-playing game in recent years: Octopath Traveller.
Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY takes the same love for traditional role-playing games that Octopath showcased and applies it to the tactical RPG genre. Square Enix dubs Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY as the latest in the 2D-HD Series, which basically confirms that the game is made by the same team as Octopath Traveller—if the art style and game systems weren’t giving it away already.
But where Octopath evolved the traditional gameplay mechanics by telling eight intersecting stories, Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY aims to innovate by telling a story full of choice and consequence.
According to the announcement trailer, players will be able to manipulate the terrain of the battlefield by using skills and interacting with the environment. The choices that players make in the world and on the battlefield around utility, morality and liberty will have lasting effects on the game and ultimately impact its outcome.
You can watch the full trailer below and get a feel for Project TRIANGLE STRATEGY right now by downloading the playable demo on the Nintendo Switch eShop before its full release sometime next year.
