Every Game Shown in the March Nintendo Direct and How Excited I Am

Dragon Quest I & II HD 2D Remake – 3/10
Remakes don’t usually excite me as the core mechanics and plot are usually the same as the original, just with better graphics. Unless a remake is practically an entirely new game—think Final Fantasy VII remake I don’t have any interest in buying it as it’s incredibly likely that one could emulate the original Dragon Quest I and II with little issue. That seems to be the case here and with other remakes announced. It looks pretty, though.

No Sleep for Kaname Date – From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – 7/10
I’ve heard really good things about this series, and it looks cool. Additionally, it seems like it has an interesting take on the mystery genre where “choices will affect the story”: a claim many games have attempted to fulfill, only to fall flat with minimal changes from player choice.

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army – 6/10
Looks really nice and seems to have expanded on the gameplay beyond better graphics. It also tackles one of my favorite historical settings, Taishō-era Japan. Additionally, it’s from the same team as Persona, and it shows. I like how the captured demons have uses in the open world. and it includes iconic classics such as Jack Frost and Shouten. If you’re a fan of Persona, you’ll probably like this game.

Shadow Labyrinth – 4/10
This new Bandai game seems to be a post-apocalyptic 2D side-scroller with a unique art style. However, the actual gameplay looks a bit stilted and slow, where I would say that usually a side-scroller is more fast-paced and exciting.

PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY – 8/10
Yes, it’s another remake/port to the Switch. But I had never heard of this gameplay before, and it looks really cute! I’m a sucker for games with unique mechanics, and while battle simulators are somewhat common, this one is a bit more than the regular plop-down-some-troops-and-watch-them-die. Here, troops are commanded with chains of button presses that are to be in time with the beat of the music. That fun addition seems to make all the difference. Beyond vibrant sound, the art is also fun, with black-and-white little guys who stand out against colorful backgrounds as they march menacingly into war. It’s cute and seems to take a simple mechanic to extremes with growing complexity and different levels of difficulty.

STORY OF SEASONS: Grand Bazaar – 5/10
The newest Story of Seasons entry, Grand Bazaar fits right into that cozy gaming niche with a quaint little town, NPC relationships, and farming mechanics. Personally, not my taste—as I am incapable of fully relaxing—but if you’re a more casual gamer and like the Switch Lite more than the Switch because “it’s aesthetic,” this might be the game for you!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – 9/10
With the Metroid Prime 3: Corruption having been released in 2007, fans of the Metroid series have been waiting 18 years for this game. From the trailer, it seems that the wait was worth it. After the success of Metroid Dread, a side-scroller different from the usual First-Person Shooter (FPS) Metroid style, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time until the next mainline Metroid game. Now, 4 years after Dread, Metroid Prime 4 will be released on both the Switch and the Switch 2. I’m excited to see how gameplay between the two consoles will work, especially with the Switch 2 mouse joycons, and how the new psychic powers will affect gameplay. If you’re a fan of FPS exploration games like Halo or Doom Eternal, check this out.

Disney Villains Cursed Café – 0/10
I do not care about this game. It is an obvious cash grab and will probably cost anywhere from $40 to $60, which is way overpriced for a type of game that has been done before with better and cheaper execution.

Witchbrook – 5/10
Similar to Story of Seasons, this is another cozy game that offers the experience of a witch academy. With a pleasant pixel art look and a seemingly large open world, Witchbrook offers lots of fun activities, multiplayer co-op, and lots of customization. Compared to the 3D approach of Story of Seasons, it veers closer to Stardew Valley in terms of looks and it’ll probably have a lower price tag as well. If you’re waiting for ConcernedApe, Stardew’s creator, to release Haunted Chocolatier this might hold you over until then.

Eternal Life of Goldman – 8/10
In a world of more and more game studios pivoting towards AI to generate “art”, we have the opposite approach with a game of entirely hand-drawn and animated assets. In this delightful 2D platformer, we follow Goldman, an old man funnily enough, who uses his customizable cane with different powers to navigate through steampunk docks, rocky caves, and more. His goal? “To eliminate a mysterious deity.” If you missed the mystique and platforming of Hollow Knight, this could be for you.

Gradius ORIGINS – 1/10
It’s a collection of bullet hell arcade games on the Switch.

Rift of the NecroDancer – 6/10
While I’ve heard of this game, I’m surprised how little I’ve seen. That said, I’m a sucker for any game that gives us good music and fun rhythm games. I see some Rhythm Heaven influences, but it looks like a smaller Guitar Hero style game. Still, with three lanes instead of five like in Guitar Hero, I fear it’ll be too easy. The Celeste and Pizza Tower DLC pleasantly surprised me! I’m excited to see more, but only if there is more.

Tamagotchi Plaza – 5/10
You might be noticing a trend, but this is yet another cozy game. Does anyone even remember Tamagotchi? I couldn’t name a single character. While I’m sure that there are fans and plenty of hype for this game, I might be too young to understand it as Tamagotchi was before my time. The game takes place in a town/city with multiple activities to do with cute characters like having a tea party or going to the dentist. It’ll probably satisfy some Animal Crossing itch.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A – 9/10
The new Pokémon game seems to promise a fresh battle mechanic and some extra love to underrated starters like Chikorita and Tepig. This particular trailer showcases the new trainer battles. A play on the classic “when two trainers eyes meet they must engage in battle”, it has built on this idea even more with stealth mechanics that’ll allow one to launch surprise attacks. Furthermore, it’s taken a more unique idea to the game progression with different level zones and trainer ranks (ranging from Z-A, yes that’s where the name comes from) being spread throughout the map, instead of the more linear routes and gym battles that all mainline Pokémon games follow. Additionally, the battle system is much different from the typical turn-based combat fans are used to with different attack having different ranges and timings. It’s exciting to see it come later this year.

Rhythm Heaven Groove – 100000000/10
RHYTHM HEAVEN IS BACK. It’s been 10 years since the last Rhythm Heaven game, and it was very much looking like Nintendo had long forgotten its existence. For a while, it seemed like the only hope we had were Rhythm Heaven-inspired games like Bits and Bobs. Now, Rhythm Heaven fans (me) can rejoice, as Tsunku is back with more wacky rhythm games. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Rhythm Heaven has only had 3 games released internationally and yet remains one of the most unique and charming franchises ever created. From wacky wrestler interviews to wolves chopping wood, there is so much creativity in each game, but you can still play the whole thing with your eyes closed. The music is iconic and spans many genres—there’s nothing like it. As soon as I heard the iconic boop of dialogue advancing, I screamed.

Virtual Game Card – 3/10
Not a game, but an announcement of how they plan on letting you transfer digital games between systems. I used to be more excited about this as it allows people to lend digital games and transfer games between their Switch and the upcoming Switch 2. However, ever since learning that the Switch 2 will be $450, my excitement has died down. It’s a great idea, but I will not be using it for quite a while.

High on Life – 8/10
Another FPS game with a sci-fi touch, this one is a little more light-hearted, going for a comedic touch. Your gun is, notably, a little guy that trash-talks you—classic comedy. Similar to Metroid, you might like it if you like Halo or Doom. (Particularly if you like Doom.)

Star Overdrive – 3/10
If you’re looking for a sci-fi exploration on a hoverboard, this is the game. The shown footage seems to demonstrate a nice variety of environments and some fun combat.

The Wandering Village – 7/10
Cute-looking management game with a twist. The idea of having the lands that buildings are built on constantly changing as the village moves is a welcome change to the normal factory-building genre. Additionally, it seems like an added challenge would be the limited amount of land to work with, when normally these games can have an infinite area. If you like Factorio, this could be for you.

King of Meat – 6/10
Seems like a fun action and platforming co-op game.

Lou’s Lagoon – 4/10
Looks good, but the character customization being a selling point throws me off a little. There was also one clip that looked very similar to the “Island Flyover” game from Wii Sports Resort, which felt out of place from the rest.

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time – 3/10
This game gives me Ni No Kuni 2 vibes with the battles, but Animal Crossing vibes with terraforming and house decorating mechanics. Don’t know much more—it just seems like generic fantasy.

SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered – 3/10
Just another remake. It advertises new events, but it doesn’t seem like a drastically different game from the original. However, I can’t be sure as I’ve never played the original. It still seems like a cool game, I’m just not a fan of remakes.

Monument Valley/Monument Valley 2/Monument Valley 3 – 2/10
These are games that you could easily get on your phone, and it seems like they’ll be marked up for the Switch. The only new thing is Monument Valley 3, which I can see easily being on mobile as well. Nothing exciting.

EVERYBODY’S GOLF: HOT SHOTS – 0/10
They have to advertise the motion controls somehow.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion – 5/10
Amazing animation shown. It seems like a classic beat-’em-up with fast-paced character combos between your favorite superheroes. It also seems like it could have fun multiplayer.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream – 10000/10
Absolutely the best game to end on. It’s been 11 years since Tomodachi Life’s release on the Nintendo 3DS, and it was looking like it would not return with the death of the Wii. Miis are so inherently related to the Wii console that as it was replaced with the Switch, we saw fewer and fewer of the iconic customizable avatars. Now, one can once again enjoy simulating the lives of countless people on a giant island. Solve interpersonal conflicts, facilitate relationships, and play minigames with your Miis to grow the island. It marks an exciting return to form, in my opinion, where Nintendo fully embraces creativity and being weird.