We’ll admit that we struggled to rouse enough enthusiasm for Nintendo’s Partner Direct Showcase before it turned up on the company’s YouTube page yesterday afternoon. That might have something to do with the fact that Nintendo brought nothing of its own to the show — likely saving up any big titles for a future Direct or the evasive Switch 2.
Then we sat down and watched the thing and were forced to eat our words. Don’t get us wrong, we’re still salty that there still isn’t a Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker available for the seven-year-old console, but we’ll get over it. Those 25 minutes of footage we did get ended up showing more promise than we’d initially expected.
Staying Grounded
Kicking things off is Grounded — one of those not-so-exclusive Xbox exclusives we’ve been hearing about for quite some time now, finally free from Microsoft’s clutches. Grounded is a mish-mash of glorious-looking graphics and sandbox survival gameplay that puts players in the shoes of some tiny humans as they explore a massive garden. Coming from Obsidian, we’re more than keen to give this one a go when it lands on the Switch on 16 April.
Even more Monster Hunter Stories
Skipping over Unicorn Overlord, we come to Monster Hunter Stories. A remake of the original DS game that brings with it full-on voice acting, revamped graphics and a… Museum? Cool. There’s no solid release date pencilled in, other than a vague ‘this Summer’ window (Winter for us).
Wii no more: Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
What was once a beloved, yet underrated Wii Original, Disney Epic Mickey returns as a Rebrushed version for the Switch with all the usual remake hallmarks, and a rebrushing of Mickey’s abilities It’s about as adorable as you’d expect and will turn up on the Switch eShop (and PC, PlayStation and Xbox) sometime in 2024.
Finally, a worthy Star Wars game
We’ve just heard the disturbing news that some of the Stuff team never played the original Star Wars: Battlefront games. That’ll be rectified after the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection releases on 14 March. It’s not the same-old game ported over, either. It’ll feature online play, 64-person multiplayer battles, and even a couple of new maps and characters. We’ll be checking it out on the Switch, but it’s heading to PlayStation and Xbox as well. No PC port, unfortunately.
The weird, co-op world of South Park: Snow Day
We’ve known about South Park: Snow Day since it was announced by THQ Nordic back in November. That hasn’t stemmed our excitement over the co-op multiplayer title set in the world of Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s minds one bit. Snow Day lands on the Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on 26 March.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble
Possibly the oddest out of all the announcements and trailers was Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble. Not just because it’s a Super Monkey Ball game, but because it’s a Super Monkey Ball game releasing in 2025 — the first new title in the series in a decade. There are more than 200 new levels to take on, with or without friends in a four-player local co-op setting. It’s just as cute as previous titles, making the 25 June release easier to swallow.
World of Goo 2 — now with more Goo
Finally, it was time to get gooey with World of Goo 2, the physics-based puzzler that’ll have you raging at goo-ridden bridges. It is set to goo up your Switch on 23 May and will even let you bring four friends with you if you’ve got a couch large enough. Unfortunately, it’s locked to the Switch — at least until it isn’t. You’ll still be able to play the original game through Netflix’s game catalogue on the same date.
There’s now a Suika Game Multiplayer mode
When we say that the announcement of paid DLC for Suika Game was our highlight of the Direct, we aren’t kidding. The Switch-only game that’s a mix of 2048 and Tetris took (some of) the world by storm in 2023, and now Nintendo is cashing in. The DLC adds three local multiplayer modes (Original, Timed, and Attack) with online multiplayer coming later. It’s already available as standalone DLC or as part of a bundle.
Broad strokes and murder – say hello to Pentiment on the Switch
Rounding out the Direct was Pentiment, another of Xbox’s used-to-be-exclusive titles heading to new worlds. Players fill the role of Andreas Maler, an artist at the top of his craft as he gets tied up in a series of murder mysteries — all with an art style that we can’t wait to dive into. It’s out today — though we couldn’t yet find a listing for it on the eShop.