Hitting the Snooze: Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 02/21/24 Impressions

As the saying goes, if someone on Twitter predicts a Nintendo Direct every day, they’ll eventually be correct. Today’s offering to the lord of backlogs was a Partner Direct (games releasing in the first half of this year, no first party titles). As the narrator worked through the predictable list, I considered going back to bed (the event started at six in the morning), but by the end, a few things had emerged that I felt were worth talking about.

Then I pounded some coffee and decided to write about all 28 of them because I’m a sicko:

Grounded (and Pentiment)

Last week, Microsoft announced they were bringing four of their previously exclusive titles to other consoles. It was leaked (and later confirmed) that those four were Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, and Pentiment. More people having the opportunity to play games regardless of platform is always a good thing. Pentiment should be a perfect cozy adventure to play in handheld mode and Grounded (a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-like) has the aesthetic of a Switch game, in my opinion. If you don’t have an Xbox, now’s your chance to get a taste of what you’ve been missing. If you do have an Xbox, both are already on Game Pass. 

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Ender Lilies is supposed to be pretty great and this looks like an appropriately spooky and somber follow-up. The Metroidvania market has been oversaturated for years, but I’ll take the excess because I’m convinced that everyone reading this will be long dead by the time Silksong comes out. (Seriously, take as long as you need Team Cherry.)

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure

The world is your slide puzzle. 

The graphics are clean, and while gameplay appears deceptively simple, I’m sure I’ll be  consulting a walkthrough within the first hour (though that could also be my sleep deprivation talking). Something about this reminded me of Carto (a cute puzzle game about making and rearranging in-game maps). 

Unicorn Overlord

Vanillaware is the best (I’m working on something about one of their other titles now). I’m going to predict that Unicorn is a stealth contender for a mountain of awards at the end of the year (even if it will inevitably be up against Final Fantasy VII and Dragon’s Dogma 2 in all RPG categories). 

Monster Hunter Stories

What if the monsters were actually our friends? What if you could ride a Rathalos? 

The world of Monster Hunter is fascinating, it’s cool we get a new way to interact with it (though this is a remaster, so I guess it’s a new, old way). 

This port is also fully voice acted–a major upgrade for people who hate reading. 

Disney’s Epic Mickey Rebrushed

Remember when Disney traded Al Michaels to NBC so they could make this game? (It’s true! Look it up). 

Exploring a “wasteland inhabited by forgotten and rejected characters” is a great story hook. I’m going to keep an eye on this rerelease. 

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

It’s a good thing this leaked because I couldn’t read the subtitle when it appeared (in the prickly, metal band name kind of way). Atlus teams still have some of the best character and creature designs in the business. The soundtrack is also absolutely insane. However, I have the original release and most likely won’t double dip unless the added content is substantial (Persona 5 Royal substantial).

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection

My only experience with the Battlefront series is the modern titles (2017’s Battlefront II is absolutely putrid). I’ll be interested in hearing what the people with nostalgia attached to this era of lightsabers and blasters think of these ports. I’ll always take more easily accessible ways to play old games. 

South Park: Snow Day!

Don’t let that exclamation point confuse you, I am not even a little excited to play this. It has the unpolished look of something you grind for achievements offline. As awful as it sounds, nothing in this trailer is going to make Embracer employees suddenly feel like their jobs are safe. They need a win, and while I don’t see this as being that, I hope they’ll be able to weather this snow day.

Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream

I have no prior relationship with Sword Art Online and I don’t plan to start here, but I’m curious what 20 person online multiplayer in a JRPG translates to. Maybe for raids? Will it play like an MMO? The swarm of life bars in the bottom corner seems to imply as much. 

Gundam Breaker 4

Just like Sword Art, my Gundam awareness is minimal. I admire Gundam–from afar–keeping my wallet at a safe distance. I have no room for more books and games let alone giant models, so this might be a decent alternative. It’s less intimidating than tackling 30+ movies and shows at the very least. 

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble

I have fond memories of playing Super Monkey Ball 2 on the GameCube. This is more of that. I also love fast and dirty mini games. Those two aspects alone are probably enough to hold my attention for an afternoon. 

World of Goo 2

Just in time for my birthday!

The original World of Goo on the Wii was a big deal (like a Game of the Year contender big deal) and its sequel looks incredibly smooth. I’m ready for some gloopy physics.  

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

We’ve reached our farming game quota for the event! Now with more time travel. 

I’m going to be a Napdragon as soon as I’m done writing this.  

Another Crab’s Treasure

A soulslike where you play as a crab who equips a variety of shells to alter his abilities in battle. Aggro Crab is not taking FromSoftware’s less is more storytelling approach. Your goals are pretty obvious and it seems to include voice acting every step of the way. The whole thing looks extremely silly and I’m here for it. If the fights against the mantis shrimp aren’t Malenia tier difficulty, the game is biologically inaccurate. 

Penny’s Big Breakaway

Colorful and charming. A new 3D platformer from the Sonic Mania team where you dash to avoid an avalanche of penguins. The composer, Tee Lopes, worked on the Streets of Rage 4 and Shredder’s Revenge soundtracks. I’m all the way in. 

Multiplayer Suika Game Update

I’m bad at Suika Game (I don’t think I have the patience for it). Now I can be bad against someone who can rub my face in it (only in person, online is coming later). The Nintendo Direct narrator felt the need to tell us multiple times in the short spot that this is a paid update, but that shouldn’t be a deal breaker if you’re obsessed with stacking fruit. The base game costs less than five dollars. 

Pepper Grinder

Great pixel art, great music, great concept (a 2D platformer with an emphasis on drilling through obstacles). It’s amazing how a simple trailer can convey so much personality in 30 seconds. The demo is out today so we’ll know soon enough if it’s as glorious as it appears.

Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On

My sister and I binged the 3DS port while watching the second season of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. The better you play solitaire, the faster your horse gallops around the track. It’s not terribly deep, but if you enjoy card games, this is an easy recommendation. 

Don’t watch Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Moomin has been a staple in these sizzle reels for a couple years and it’s finally here. It looks cute, but I doubt I’ll ever play it (even if he does occasionally have a knife). 

Just kidding, I play everything. 

Tales of Kenzara: ZAU

If I remember right, this had a strong showing back at the Game Awards last year. These clips didn’t do much to sway me one way or the other (but, to be fair,  it occupied the middle 20 seconds of a sizzle reel–it was only there as a reminder that it’s still being worked on and is out in April). 

Demon Slayer - Kimetsu no Yaiba - Sweep the Board!

As I stated above, I love fast and dirty mini games (even if I don’t have any attachment to Demon Slayer).

Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Royal Edition

Kingdom Come’s brand of hyper realism is something you definitely need to be in the mood for (if you wear a full face helmet, your vision is narrowed to the slit in your visor). I’ll get around to it someday (probably not on Switch). 

Contra Operation Galuga 

I wish this had pixel graphics, but WayForward  is one of my favorite studios, so they’ll have my support from day one. It’s hard (but not impossible) to truly screw up Contra. 

5 Rareware titles coming to Switch Online

These probably aren’t the ones people wanted (where’s Diddy Kong Racing?) but more releases shadow dropped on the service are always a pleasant surprise. Blast Corps is a curiosity worth an impulse sitting (and it was made by seven people). The Killer Instinct soundtrack still kicks ass. 

Endless Ocean Luminous 

I flirted with buying Endless Ocean on the Wii more than a decade ago but never took the plunge. I’m not sure who the market is for this scuba diving simulator in 2024 but I’m thrilled it’s happening. Dump some sea creatures in your 30 person multiplayer game and I’ll probably give it a shot.  

In a move that can best be described as “Nintendo weird” they saved maybe the biggest announcement of the event for their Japanese stream…

Mother 3 is coming to Switch Online

I want to thank Geoff Keighley because without his tweet I would have completely missed this. 

Mother 3 is kind of a holy grail of games we never got in the US (it’s worth mentioning here that it does have a fan translation). I dedicated a section of the acknowledgements in one of my novels asking for it. Twitter seems to think it’s still unlikely–but regardless, it feels like we’re one step closer to that localization actually happening. Nintendo acknowledged it exists, which is more than you can say for some of their other franchises. 

I don’t know if Nintendo knew we were getting an Elden Ring trailer this morning (and, therefore, anything they announced was guaranteed to be overshadowed a half hour later). The whole event had the vibe of something to get out of the way–the Dumpuary of Directs. However, if they’re still planning to launch the Switch successor later this year, the next press conference is going to be massive. It’ll make up for any lingering disappointments. We might not even have to wait that long because we’re supposed to see the future of Pokemon next week. I’m barely qualified to talk about the lightning mouse and his hundreds of friends, but I’ll probably be there. What else do I have going on?