Every now and again, Nintendo holds a Nintendo Direct: a livestream that updates the public on the company’s upcoming plans. They held one recently on March 27. Let’s not waste any time and get right into the announcements.
The stream started off with a trailer for Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. The only new information gleaned from it is a 2025 release date and a potential new character. I’ve only played Dragon Quest XI, so I might try out these reimaginings of the first two games in the series.
Next, Spike Chunsoft announced AI: The Somnium Files – No Sleep for Kaname Date. It is the third entry in the AI: The Somnium Files franchise. From what we’ve seen, it looks like it takes place in between the first game and its sequel, nirvanA Initiative.
I am a huge fan of AI: The Somnium Files. I loved both entries in the franchise, finding myself endeared by their balance of wacky humor and gritty murder mystery. When No Sleep for Kaname Date hits retailers on July 25, I’ll be first in line.
The next couple of games looked good, but I’m not sure that I personally am interested in them.
Atlus, developer of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, announced a remaster of Raidou (originally called Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army). It’s an Atlus RPG; I suspect it will be excellent.
Bandai Namco went next, showing the world more of Shadow Labyrinth, a 2D Platformer where the gimmick revolves around a little Pac-Man-like creature named Puck. They’ll do anything to remind us that they own the character, right?
Jokes aside, as a rhythm game fan, I was very excited about the next game shown. 2007’s Patapon and its 2008 sequel, Patapon 2, are getting remastered together. These are games I’ve always wanted to play but never had the chance to, so I look forward to the opportunity.
Other minor announcements I really enjoyed include Witchbrook, a game about going to school to become a witch, and Rhythm Heaven Groove, a new entry in a series full of delightfully whacky rhythm-based minigames.
The biggest moment of this stream for many was the new look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It’s only the second trailer for the game after its announcement in 2017.
I never got into the Metroid franchise. The game looks very interesting, and I’m happy for Metroid fans. I don’t have much more to say about it, honestly, other than that it better have been worth the eight-year wait.
We got more gameplay from Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Admittedly, they didn’t say anything I didn’t already cover in my Pokémon Day article. They gave us a general plot synopsis, but I don’t know anyone who plays Pokémon for the plot.
The final announcement of the stream was the long-awaited sequel to the 3DS’s Tomodachi Life, an absurd life simulator where players can make their Miis live together in a strange sort of harmony.
This is another game I haven’t played, but I’m excited for the fans. Although I did have friends make Miis of me and put it into their Tomodachi Life games, so maybe I do have a personal investment.
I realized at the end of the direct that I hadn’t played most of the games touched on, but I was anticipating most of them. Not a single game showcased looked genuinely bad, though my wallet will likely disagree with me as they release.
Tolbert can be contacted at tolbernj7262@uwec.edu. Present your upcoming games to him.
