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Everything We Saw At The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

Everything We Saw At The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

We saw couple Xbox games, some retro Star Wars, and a whole lotta intriguing indies

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Mickey holds a brush.
Screenshot: Disney / Kotaku

Nintendo held its first Direct showcase of the year, and it was dedicated to third-party games coming to the Switch in 2024. This 23-minute showcase saw Xbox Studios finally announce which of their games are coming to the competing platform after weeks of rumors and speculation. But we also got some other, non-Xbox-related game announcements during today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, from Unicorn Overlord to Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.

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If you missed the show and want to watch it, you can do so below. If you just want the bullet points, read on.

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Grounded

A backyard in Grounded.
Screenshot: Obsidian / Kotaku

Grounded, Obsidian’s survival action game where you are shrunk down and have to survive the harrowing land that is your own backyard, is the first Xbox game coming to Switch announced during the showcase. It will launch on April 16.

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3 / 19

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Lilac talks to a woman.
Screenshot: Binary Haze Interactive / Kotaku

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a dark fantasy sidescroller that follows a human named Lilac who faces and befriends different homunculi. Once you defeat these creatures, they join you and grant you new abilities and tools to navigate its dilapidated world. It’s coming to Switch sometime in 2024.

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4 / 19

The RPG hour

The RPG hour

An Arranger puzzle.
Screenshot: Furniture & Mattress / Kotaku

Next up, Nintendo gave a few RPGs some spotlight, including Arranger: A Role-Playing Puzzling Adventure, which is the genre mash-up it sounds like. Unicorn Overlord, the upcoming tactics RPG from Vanillaware, is getting a demo today on the eShop. The first Monster Hunter Stories is coming to Switch, this time fully voiced, unlike the original 3DS game.

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5 / 19

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed

Mickey plays with a paint brush.
Screenshot: Disney / Kotaku

One of the more unexpected games was the return of the Epic Mickey franchise. The platformer series has been gone for several years, but the original game is coming to Switch this year in a “faithful” remake called Epic Mickey: Rebrushed.

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6 / 19

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

A character stands on train tracks.
Screenshot: Atlus / Kotaku

After some leaks earlier this week, it’s no surprise that Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, the definitive edition of the 2021 RPG, is coming to Switch on June 21. It’s also coming to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, but they obviously didn’t announce that at Nintendo’s show.

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7 / 19

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection

A Star Wars battlefield shows forces in combat.
Screenshot: Aspyr / Kotaku

The first two Star Wars: Battlefront games are coming to Switch as the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. The compilation will support up to 64-player multiplayer, and bring new characters and maps to the multiplayer suite. It launches March 14.

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8 / 19

South Park: Snow Day

South Park: Snow Day

The South Park: Snow Day character creator.
Screenshot: THQ Nordic / Kotaku

South Park: Snow Day, the upcoming co-op action game based on the popular adult animated series, is coming to Switch on March 26. I’m mostly just impressed that Nintendo managed to show a trailer for a South Park game that was appropriate for the typical Switch audience, considering the show’s content.

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9 / 19

Sword Art Online game Fractured Daydream

Sword Art Online game Fractured Daydream

A Sword Art Online character charges in with an attack.
Screenshot: Bandai Namco / Kotaku

The new Sword Art Online game Fractured Daydream will support both solo play and up to 20-player multiplayer when it launches on Switch this year.

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10 / 19

Gundam Breaker 4

Gundam Breaker 4

A Gundam mech.
Screenshot: Bandai Namco / Kotaku

Gundam Breaker 4 is an action game all about building your own Gundam mechs and pitting them against various enemies and challenges. It’s coming to Switch this year.

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11 / 19

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble

A monkey inside a ball smiles at the camera.
Screenshot: Sega / Kotaku

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is bringing 200 new stages, four-player co-op, and a 16-player online competitive mode that includes racing, banana collecting, and a cooperative mode where the group fights a robot. It’s coming exclusively to Switch on June 25.

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12 / 19

World of Goo 2

World of Goo 2

A goo creature ponders the painful nature of its existence.
Screenshot: 2DBoy / Kotaku

World of Goo 2, the sequel to the physics-based puzzle game, is launching as a Switch console exclusive, and will feature local co-op play exclusive to the device. It’s launching on Switch on May 23.

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13 / 19

Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time

Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time

A character walks around an island.
Screenshot: Level-5 / Kotaku

Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time, is the latest entry in the RPG/life Sim series, and it will have you rebuilding an island while also doing some time traveling and learning more about the island’s past. It launches on October 10.

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14 / 19

Another Crab’s Treasure

Another Crab’s Treasure

A crab walks around the ocean floor.
Screenshot: Aggro Crab / Kotaku

Another Crab’s Treasure, the crab-starring Soulslike, is coming to Switch April 25.

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15 / 19

Games available today

Games available today

Penny plays with her yo-yo.
Screenshot: Evening Star / Kotaku

Nintendo showcased a few smaller titles that are shadow-dropping on the Switch today.

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  • First was Penny’s Big Breakaway, which is a 3D platformer from the team behind the much loved Sonic Mania, and it’s available today.
  • Suika Game, the fruit-dropping puzzle game, is getting multiplayer as paid DLC. This will include three modes: original, time limit, and attack. At the moment, it’s only available for local multiplayer, but online play will come in the future.
  • Pepper Grinder, a 2D platformer based on drilling through the environment and obstacles, is coming to Swtich on March 28, but a demo is available today.
  • Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! is a remaster of the card-based horse racing game from the 3DS, and it’s available on Switch today.
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16 / 19

Montage time

Montage time

Zau asks "Are you okay?"
Screenshot: Surgent Studios / Kotaku

Next was a montage of several games, including adventure game Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, platformer Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, party game Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board!, the updated version of RPG Kingdom Come Deliverance called Royal Edition, Contra: Operation Galuga (which has a demo today), and Pentiment, the much beloved adventure game from Obsidian that will launch on Switch tomorrow, February 22. Damn. Way to bury that last one, huh?

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17 / 19

Rare games coming to Switch Online

Rare games coming to Switch Online

The Rare logo.
Screenshot: Rare / Kotaku

Nintendo Switch Online is getting some old Rare games, including Snack Rattle ‘N’ Roll, the original Killer Instinct, R.C. PRO-AM, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, and Blast Corps, all available today.

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18 / 19

Endless Ocean: Luminous

Endless Ocean: Luminous

A diver swims in the ocean.
Screenshot: Nintendo / Kotaku

Closing out the show was Endless Ocean: Luminous, the latest in the underwater adventure game. It will support up to 30 players who can explore the ocean together and documenting marine life staring May 2.

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