Nintendo Direct – March 2018

Posted on 9th March 20189th March 2018 by Claire Curtin

Showcasing the latest in 3DS and Switch Games, Nintendo Direct brought a mixed bag for March – a remake here, a remaster there, several new titles and a few surprises, this year has a lot in store for Nintendo – and E3 is still on the horizon.

Here’s a rundown of what Nintendo has in store from Nintendo Direct:

3DS HEADLINES

WarioWare Gold

WarioWare is back, after a long five years since the last release, heading the 3DS, with what promises to be the “most packed” mini-game-filled game yet. If the previous titles are anything to go by, that’s a lot of packing.

Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers

Dillon the armadillo makes his scaly return from the 2012 game Dillon’s Rolling Western. A demo will be available May 10th of this year.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey

Mario and Luigi must find a cure to a disease threatening the Mushroom Kingdom, but find themselves trapped in Bowser’s stomach, leaving Bowser to find the cure. Bowser Jr makes an appearance too, in an untold story in 2019.

Detective Pikachu + amiibo

Talking Pikachu? With a New York accent?? Detective Pikachu and a boy named Tim must find out why Pokémon are running amok, and solve the mystery. The game has a demo available on the Nintendo eShop, and will be available March 23rd. Detective Pikachu Amiibo will also be released the same day, and will be significantly larger than the original Pikachu Amiibo.

Luigi’s Mansion

The Nintendo Gamecube classic is being ported onto 3DS systems; people who enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 2 will get to play through the original haunted mansion where Mario went missing. Explore and defeat the ghosts haunting the mansion with the Poltergust 3000. The game will be available sometime this year.

SWITCH HEADLINES

Kirby Star Allies

Kirby teams up with some unlikely allies in his foray onto the Switch; various characters from the franchise return to help Kirby in his latest adventure. Kirby Star Allies will be available to purchase next week on March 16th, and more characters will be available post-launch on March 28th. A free demo is available now.

Okami HD

A Capcom classic returns in HD glory; Okami HD uses the Switch version to add intuitive new features to solve puzzles and defeat foes. Okami HD will be available this Summer.

Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido

In a land where sushi is forbidden, Musashi must do battle to rid the world of a sushi monopoly… Multiplayer mode will be included. Sushi Striker will be available on both Switch and 3DS this summer.

Octopath Traveler

More travellers, details, and more info about the launch of Octopath Traveler were brought to light in Direct. Jobs in battle can be changed for characters in battle mode. The release for Octopath Travellers will by July 13th 2018. Additionally, there will be special editions of the game available to buy the same day as the regular edition.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

The Switch sees the return of Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes, originally released on the Wii. Co-op multiplayer will be available using the Joy-cons, and the game will be released later this year.

Dark Souls Remastered + amiibo

The punishing Dark Souls will be released on Switch, and details of a network test will be released in the coming weeks, before the launch. As well as that, an Amiibo of Solaire of Astora will be released alongside it on May 25th.

Mario Tennis Aces

With more than 15 playable characters, Mario Tennis Aces will allow up to four player madness on the Switch. Each character has their own play style to get used to, as well as some new techniques involving motion controls. Online Multiplayer will host tournaments with participation rewards. Swing Mode allows you to take a Joy Con and swing it like a tennis racket, and much like the Wii-mote strap, the Joy-Con Strap is highly recommended for this. Mario Tennis Aces will be available 22nd of June 2018. Details of an online Pre-Launch Tournament will be released on Nintendo’s Homepage in the coming days as well, so keep an eye out if you’re interested.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad is bound for the Switch! Taking some of the levels of Mario Odyssey on-board as well, Toad will find himself exploring locales like New Donk City on his adventures. Co-op mode will be available with the game, and a 3DS version will also be released. It will be released July 13th this year.

Undertale

A very quick but amusing announcement for Undertale on the Nintendo Switch was squeezed in – no release date is known just yet.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

In a surprise turn of events, Crash is coming to Nintendo! The N.Sane Trilogy will be debuting on a Nintendo system for the very first time. Available July 10th.

Little Nightmares: Complete Edition

Puzzle platformer Little Nightmares presents two separate stories in one; Six and The Kid must face their childhood fears across eight chapters. Little Nightmares will be available on Switch May 18th.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be available on Nintendo Switch April 24th, and details of a Season Pass were included; DLC 1 and 2 will be available to purchase on launch in April, with DLC 3 available later in the year.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition

A quick announcement of a release date for Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition – May 18th 2018.

ARMS US & Canada Online Open & ARMS Global Testpunch

The US and Canada Online Open Ranked Matches take place 8-18 March, and online finals will be on March 31st, which will be livestreamed on Nintendo’s official channels. There will be a 3 day demo access to ARMS from 31st of March, available on Nintendo eShop.

Splatoon 2 ver. 3.0 & Octo Expansion DLC

Version 3.0 brings over 100 pieces of new gear, more stages, a new Rank mode, Rank X, higher than S+, for the more extreme players of the game. Alongside that, a trailer for the Octo Expansion DLC was released, a single player mode DLC, telling the story of Agent 8 (hence Octo) who wakes up in a dark and grimy subway station with none of her memories, and a variety of missions awaiting her…
The DLC will be available this summer – advanced purchase is available now.

Super Smash Bros.

By way of an exciting (but sneaky) curve ball, Nintendo have confirmed the inclusion of Splatoon characters in Super Smash Bros., while also announcing that a Super Smash Bros. title will be arrive on the Switch later this year, the Smash emblem blazing at the end of the video.