It’s been so long since the last proper Nintendo Direct. With plenty of major games not yet ready for 2020 on the Switch, and E3 getting canceled, it’s been eerily quiet on the Nintendo side of things.
A surprise Nintendo Direct Mini was announced via Twitter and while it’s not the BIG event that we expected after such a long period of silence (the English video only lasted 8 minutes and it was just a VOD instead of a live premiere), it did showcase a few upcoming games on the horizon.

Shin Megami Tensei 5 Releases in 2021

Announced in a previous Nintendo Direct which feels like forever ago, Shin Megami Tensei 5 was one of the big exclusive titles that would bolster the Switch RPG lineup. And once again we got “Atlus’ed” after the initial announcement. The publisher Atlus behind the SMT and Persona line of RPGs is notorious for their weird release decisions and ports, especially when it comes to the main SMT series which took 10 years between the 3rd and the 4th game, and now almost 8 years from the Fourth game in the main series.

Finally fans can rejoice as there’s a new trailer with a 2021 release date. But when in 2021? December 31 2021? Please Atlus

Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne HD Remaster Release in 2021

Not to be outdone by the new game, Atlus is also releasing the HD remaster of the cult classic, SMT 3 Nocturne in 2021 on the Switch. SMT 3 is notorious for being very highly rated but is one of those games that sold very poorly after its initial launch back in 2003. Fans proclaim it as one of the best RPG’s on the PS2 but is often overlooked by the bigger titles on platform. Maybe this game will finally see the sales it deserves when the remaster releases next year? Bless the 10 people who have played this classic.

That said, do we even ask where Persona 4 or 5 is again for the Switch? They might send us another survey.

Rogue Company showcased running on Switch, Looking Pretty Good

Hi-Rez studios is one of those underrated studios that have been releasing “popular enough” multiplayer games on all platforms. Their Paladins and Smite ports on the Switch have been very well received in terms of performance and player base, and the recent cross-platform, cross-progression push on all of their games has been highly touted by the community. I have personally shamelessly spent 300 hours on the Paladins Switch version when it first came out, and it’s still one of the best multiplayer experiences on the platform.

Rogue Company looks like another solid game from the studio with bits and parts of inspiration from other similar games. This time it’s a third person multiplayer shooter with different classes and the usual multiplayer modes with a twist. They showcased the smooth framerate, solid graphics with the usual Hi-rez art style and some interesting combat mechanics.

Cadence of Hyrule gets 3 DLC Packs

One of the little surprises we got on the Switch last year was Cadence of Hyrule – a Zelda-fied Crypt of the Necrodancer. It’s a charming game with very good music, a rhythm-based take on dungeon crawling and very good art. And it’s one of the first indie third-party games blessed by father Nintendo’s own IP.
Cadence of Hyrule is getting a Character DLC Pack ($5.99), Melody Pack with 39 Songs ($5.99) and additional story content featuring Skull Kid for $9.99. A season pass is also available for $14.99. While the content looks very quality just like the base game, the prices are a bit much for me.

Bonus: Atelier Ryza 2, Fairy Tale, Hakuoki, Yokai School Y and others are shown in the Japanese Direct Mini

Sneaky sneaky – the Japanese version of the Direct Mini was about 4 minutes longer, showing even more games including Atelier Ryza 2 and a Captain Tsubasa game. These games probably aren’t ready to be localized for the English audience yet or some of them won’t be. But it’s good to see that Japanese devs are getting on board with the platform that’s outselling the competition by 4x every week.

The awesome looking Sakuna: Of Rice and Rain was also showcased in the Direct. It’s definitely looking great running on Switch!

When are we going to get the “Big” Direct?

Oh Nintendo, how you tease us. Animal Crossing New Horizons will probably end up in the top 5 best selling games of the year (Thank you Call of Duty and Fifa) and launched the franchise into mainstream eyes, but there’s not much more after that from what we know for this year.

There have been rumors of Mario HD remasters since it’s the 35th anniversary of the most famous plumber in the world, and honestly, I would be happy with those and some Zelda HD and Metroid Prime HD remasters if the big guns aren’t ready yet. Next year just might be a legendary year for Nintendo’s pipeline with all of the big games about to release every few months.

It’s also the first time we’ve gotten a Direct that’s straight to VOD instead of a live premiere, so this would be insulting to some people who were expecting much more (I wasn’t), and it’s fine for SMT fans since their game isn’t dead after all. I think this straight to VOD format might only be for this video and hopefully (fingers crossed) we will be getting an actual big direct in a few weeks. It’s about time Nintendo and you big third-party studios.