The Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase for February 2024 was stacked with surprising news. There were remakes announced! Remasters! Release dates for upcoming, highly-anticipated adventures! Monkey Ball! And more! The Partner Showcase felt, in many ways, like a firm declaration that the Nintendo Switch will live on, despite rumours of its impending replacement.
While the console will eventually be superseded by a new Nintendo device, it’s now very clear there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank, and that 2024 will continue to be a strong year for the Nintendo Switch.
Here’s all the biggest announcements from the latest Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase.
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Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is coming in 2024
Epic Mickey, the beloved Nintendo Wii-exclusive Disney adventure, is returning in 2024. As announced during the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, it’s getting a fully-fledged remake from Purple Lamp, the studio which previously overhauled the SpongeBob SquarePants platformer series for modern consoles.
Read: Epic Mickey is getting a remake for PC and consoles
With a fresh lick of paint, and Disney fever thriving, this neat, gothic tale certainly has potential to find a new audience amongst modern gaming fans.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time launches in October 2024
As confirmed in the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, highly-anticipated adventure-life simulator Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time finally has a release date: 10 October 2024. While that’s a fair while away, there’s plenty of reasons to look forward to the game.
The original Fantasy Life was an absolute gem, and this Nintendo Switch sequel looks to expand the gameplay of is predecessor, while introducing a whole new story, fresh mechanics, and more lands to explore.
Monster Hunter Stories is getting a remaster for PC and consoles
The excellent Nintendo 3DS adventure Monster Hunter Stories is coming to Nintendo Switch (as well as PS4 and Steam) in Summer 2024 [Northern Hemisphere]. This version of the game will be graphically enhanced, and feature some content previously only available in Japan.
With its sequel landing on Nintendo Switch in 2021, this remaster felt somewhat inevitable – but that doesn’t take away how exciting it is. Monster Hunter Stories is great, and it’s superb to see it return.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble announced
Sega turned up during the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase to reveal something rather cool: the first all-new Monkey Ball game in 10 years. While Monkey Ball-mania has been rife over the last decade, the most recent releases in the series have been remasters and ports.
Banana Rumble is a new experience – one filled with plenty of rolling puzzles, customisable monkeys, and new challenges in four-player co-op, 16-player battles, and more. It’s available for Nintendo Switch on 25 June 2024.
Mother 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online – but only in Japan
In the Japan-exclusive version of the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, elusive adventure Mother 3 was revealed as coming to Nintendo Switch Online from today. It will be a firm Japan exclusive, however, as the game has not been translated to English (despite years and years of fan demands).
For everyone else, there will still be some Nintendo Switch Online goodies. As revealed, five classic Rareware Games (RC Pro-AM, Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, Killer Instinct, and Blast Corps) are coming to the service today.
Shin Megami Tensei V is getting an upgraded release
Supernatural adventure Shin Megami Tensei V is getting an upgraded and expanded release, known as Vengeance. In this version of the game, you can expect new storylines, locations, and demons, with alternative choices taking you away from the original narrative.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance launches for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on 21 June 2024.
Grounded and Pentiment are coming to Nintendo Switch
Former Xbox-exclusive Grounded is coming to Nintendo Switch on 16 April 2024. In the adventure, you are shrunken down and must survive a hostile garden world, fighting bugs and solving the “mysteries of the backyard.” It’s the first of several Xbox Game Studios titles coming to alternative platforms this year.
Pentiment will also be coming to Nintendo Switch – but much sooner, on 22 February 2024.
Endless Ocean is coming back
The final trailer in the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase was for Endless Ocean Luminous, a new game in the beloved Endless Ocean series, which has been dormant for quite some time. In this game, players will dive into a gorgeous ocean, and make special discoveries along the way. It’s out for Nintendo Switch on 25 April 2024.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the mist gets a new trailer
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the mist, sequel to Ender Lilies, got a new trailer during the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase. This dark adventure game is about a young girl looking to purge evil in her post-apocalyptic world. It’s coming to Nintendo Switch in 2024.
This reveal was followed by two short trailers – one for cutesy puzzle block game Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (Summer NH 2024), and one for Sega’s battlefield strategy game, Unicorn Overlord (8 March) – which looks gorgeous in action.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is coming to Nintendo Switch
Classic Star Wars: Battlefront games are coming to Nintendo Switch on 14 March 2024. As with the original version of the games, you’ll be able to hop into this collection to enjoy 64-player battles between Jedi, Stormtroopers, and other beloved Star Wars characters.
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is coming to Nintendo Switch
After its debut on Apple Arcade, the Pocket Card Jockey series is returning to the Nintendo ecosystem with an enhanced version of Ride On!. In this game, you’re controlling horses on a racetrack through the magic of solitaire. It’s available today.
Highlight reel: New trailers for upcoming games
For a quick rundown of upcoming games that got lower-key trailers during the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, here’s a few of the other titles that popped up during proceedings:
- South Park: Snow Day! – launches 26 March 2024
- Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream – launches in 2024
- Gundam Breaker 4 – launches in 2024
- World of Goo 2 – launches 23 May 2024
- Another Crab’s Treasure – launches 25 April 2024
- Penny’s Big Breakaway – launches today
- Suika Game Multiplayer Mode – paid DLC launches today
- Pepper Grinder – launches 28 March 2024
- Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley – launches 7 March 2024
- Tales of Kenzera: ZAU – launches 23 April 2024
- Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board – launches 26 April 2024
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Royal Edition – launches 15 March 2024
- Contra: Operation Galuga – launches 12 March 2024
You can catch up with the entire Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase on YouTube.
