Earlier this week, we were greeted with a historic duo of back-to-back Nintendo Directs. The former focused on the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda while the latter Direct was more of a general show, highlighting ports of existing titles to the Switch 2 while still showing some first-party hits along the way. Here are some of the highlights from each showcase.
The Zelda Direct, on the 8th of September, saw the announcement of an anniversary tie-in concert tour throughout 2027 which includes UK dates in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. There were also some other announcements including a brief teaser of the upcoming movie releasing in April of next year and a new Lego Set, based on Link and his horse Epona.
The main attraction was the gameplay reveal of the Ocarina of Time remake. This ground-up remake, now officially scheduled for the 5th of November, brings the 1998 classic to modern standards, adapting the original artstyle with great care while also sprucing it up. Characters and environments are rich in detail while still retaining the fantastical charm of the original, almost looking Lord of the Rings-esque in a lot of areas like the Kokiri Forest, which looks akin to Tolkien’s Shire.
Watching the first 3D Zelda be transformed in such a way was initially jarring, but ultimately wonderous. It comes with some flashy gimmick features to highlight the Switch 2’s capabilities, like being able to share ocarina songs online through the Switch app, which is sure to not cause problems at all.
It’s currently unconfirmed if features from the 3DS version will find their way into this new rendition, such as Master Quest: a post-game exclusive mode which mirrored the overworld and remixed the dungeons. This handheld remaster also had a ‘boss rush’ mode. This iteration seems to be borrowing some elements from the 3DS version though, such as mapping the Iron Boots to a different button to alleviate the infamous Water Temple, as well as gyro aiming via the Switch’s motion controls.
While the ostensible lack of new mechanics and additions could be disappointing given the potential of this remake, it still looks worthy of the original’s renown. There’s plenty of interesting improvements, from faster-paced combat with hit-stun and heavier impacts to even adding a jump button and rotational camera with a separate joystick.
The general Nintendo Direct aired one day later, whereby long-time Direct host Yoshiaki Koizumi acknowledged this record-breaking streak. Fans on social media saw this as a relatively disappointing Direct from its major focus on third-party ports of games which were already several years old already, like the Resident Evil remake trilogy or reconfirming Switch 2 versions of upcoming games like Final Fantasy VII: Revelation and Persona 6. While it’s great that the console is getting accruing strong third-party support, it’s still irritating to take up a lot of our time with what didn’t need the Direct staging. With the exception of FFVII Revelation, most of these don’t seem to be pushing the hardware’s limits that much either.
Nonetheless, the 45-minute show came with its heavy hitters in the back-half, the biggest of which being Kirby and the World Beyond. A sequel to 2022’s Forgotten Land – the first 3D Kirby – this seems to be expanding on the concept of that game greatly, with far larger environments reminiscent of Bowser’s Fury, the ambitious side game bundled with an enhanced port of Super Mario 3D World.
There are also new additions to Kirby’s abilities. His staple copying has powered up, unlocking new tricks like being able to ride on the blades produced by the Cutter ability to aid traversal, alongside an all-new evolution of the Sword ability. The game’s premise is also very intriguing: Kirby inadvertently shatters the sky in his world to reveal that he has seemingly been Truman Show-ed inside some enclosed reality. Forgotten Land was an immensely high-quality and revolutionary game for the franchise, and now an even more expansive successor is coming along next Spring, swooping in for the franchise’s 35th anniversary alongside other treats to be announced.
Metroid Ravenous was an additional major reveal. While not much of a surprise for the leak-sensitive fans in the crowd after the Brazil games rating board’s mishap earlier this year, it still looks amazing. Ravenous looks to be a direct sequel to 2021’s Dread, following immediately where that game’s story concluded. Samus is on the verge of completely succumbing to her Metroid DNA and is being hunted by the entire galaxy when she ends up on a mysterious new moon, surrounded by a cabal of mysterious shinobi-esque robots. From there, she needs to escape and potentially suppress her new Metroid powers.
Ravenous seems to be built off the framework of Dread, with MercurySteam returning as the developer for this project. Samus synthesises melee attacks and abilities into her arsenal, and this seems to be setting up a new story for Metroid, with Dread concluding the storyline of the original five games with it making Samus the last Metroid. Dread was a brilliant revival of the franchise and followed from the equally acclaimed Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Releasing on the 28th of January 2027 towards the end of the franchise’s 40th anniversary, this game has proven itself worthy of keeping an eye on.
There are also some other interesting announcements. Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Switch 2 Edition will be adding a Vampire Survivors-like gamemode alongside frame rate and resolution enhancements. A new hero is additionally coming in the form of Shimmer who has a foresight ability akin to the Monado from the first game. She also seems to have similar traits to the Aegis from the previous games, hinting that she is the daughter of Chronicles 2‘s Rex and Mythra. Pikmin 4 is also receiving a Switch 2 edition, including microphone support and over 70 new ‘Dandori Academy’ stages, which aim to test your strategic skills in a speedrun-type setting. Pikmin 4 is already a game filled with content, so this appears to be a worthwhile addition, sure to add many more hours of play.
Pokémon Pokopia, the surprise smash-hit life simulator from March 2026, is also receiving new content through its Expansion Pass including accessories, meaning you can finally give Squirtle some sunglasses reminiscent of the original anime. New Pokémon such as Skitty and Braixen also join the crew, allowing for more neighbours in your world. Nintendo Switch Sports Resort also received a new trailer, revealing the return of the Island Flyover mode from the Wii while also looking like a general improvement over its predecessor with new modes and general presentation improvements. Fan favourite Matt also makes his return.
Two franchises from studio Level-5 were later shown. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam is the sequel to 2010’s Lost Future and the first mainline game since 2013. Initially being announced in 2023, it will finally be releasing on December 10th 2026. Yo-Kai Watch is also back with a remake of the second game, Haunted Domain. Yo-Kai Watch 2 and 3 were not commercially successful games upon their release, being late 3DS titles in an already-niche series to the point where a remake of the first game and Yo-Kai Watch 4 have yet to be localised. Hopefully this can lead to the franchise sustaining a presence in the West, so those games do eventually become more widely accessible. It’s important to note that the studio has stated they are using generative AI substantially in development, which may or may not include these two titles, so keep that in mind if you are interested in these games.
Mega Man: Dual Override also has a new trailer, showcasing Proto Man in action with a unique style of gameplay compared to Rock/Mega Man whereas in previous games in the series, they had the same kit. The first new Mega Man since 2018, this is worth looking out for next Spring. Some other exciting announcements include Onyx: The Dark Grip as a new IP from Bloober Team, Cairn‘s arrival on Switch courtesy of developer The Game Bakers, and some high-profile ports like 007 First Light.
While this Nintendo Direct may not have been as much of a heavy-hitter as fans desired, there’s still many interesting titles on the horizon beyond those that were announced here. These twin Directs still had many exciting announcements alongside gameplay for the long-awaited Ocarina of Time remake, even if not everything fans were hoping for was shown.
