Nintendo Directs (9.8.26 + 9.9.26)

I'm writing the beginning of this blog post in advance to whatever releases are announced by Nintendo so that I may look back fondly or derisively on whether I was right or wrong in my predictions/wishes. When it comes to game predictions, I don’t really care about being right, so I’m mainly going to say what I want rather than what will likely happen. If just one of these is announced, I’ll be pleased: a new 3D Mario game, a new 3D Zelda game, a new Animal Crossing game, or a new original RPG. A new Mario is most likely, given it’s been almost a decade since Super Mario Odyssey was released and it was, in my opinion, not great (disclaimer: by general standards, it’s great, but compared to other 3D Mario games it’s probably the worst). Zelda, while less likely, is a mixed bag for me; I’d at least want a glimpse of the next one if for nothing else than to prepare myself to let go of one of my favorite series if it follows in the footsteps of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (my thoughts on the future of Zelda haven’t changed since 2023—if it leans heavy into gameplay rather than story and progression, I’ll know to let it go). The most interesting and potentially exciting would be an entirely original and new RPG. These days people are focused on what’s next in an existing IP or franchise, but that can lead to stagnation. Why RPG, you ask? Because RPGs are my favorite style of game, and I can never get enough of exploration and customization in games. Some lesser, more inconsequential predictions I have are Mario Kart World DLC and a 2D Zelda Maker (like Mario Maker). Things I don’t want to see or I will roll my eyes upon seeing are a new Smash Bros. game and an announcement of a movie adaptation of a game. And that’s it for my predictions/wishes.

FLASH FORWARD—9.8.26

Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct has happened and it was mostly what I expected. To be honest, I expected a bit more, particularly a trailer for the upcoming Zelda movie. I obviously wanted more. I was surprised that there wasn’t an announcement for past Zelda games being available on the Switch 2, as I’ve seen many voice a desire for them (particularly Twilight Princess). Anyway, the primary thing showcased was the Ocarina of Time remake. I’ll say my opinion of the game has gone from neutral to mildly negative. Its graphics opting for realism in the vein of Breath of the Wild and its gameplay adopting sprinting and motion control mechanics in the vein of Skyward Sword are certainly choices, the latter of which I’m mostly feeling negatively about. Personally, I don’t know why Nintendo is fascinated with integrating quirky gameplay. I just want an easy-to-use control scheme, not do anything silly or fancy like hum at my console or act like I’m really aiming a projectile weapon. The graphics thing is mostly whatever, though I prefer a more-stylistic-than-real kind of art. All this doesn’t really matter to me, as I’m not invested in purchasing this new OoT since I still own the original, but it can matter if they continue to integrate qualities I’m not a fan of into a new game I could potentially be interested in. So, all in all, a pretty lackluster Direct unless you wanted to play OoT for the first time or wanted to spend money on peripheral merchandise.

Final thought on the Zelda direct: I didn’t expect a new 3D Zelda to be announced, but I sure wanted one. Games overall seem to be aiming at being groundbreaking with each release, which seems to be broadening the time between each release. At this point, it’s roughly decades between game releases, and I don’t exactly like that. I mean, there are at best 11 of those people have in their lives, but realistically there are more often only 7 or 8. I don’t mean this to stir an existential crisis or anything, I’m mainly putting it into a different perspective. On one hand, it’s cool to have massive projects like that. On the other hand, that’s a long time to wait. I’d take a game or two every few years over a super innovative or groundbreaking game every decade.

FLASH FORWARD—9.9.26

So, the Direct happened, and I… maybe got at least one thing I wanted? I’m not actually sure. I have mixed feelings. The next 3D Mario game is going to have to wait some more, which is honestly surprising and disappointing; there is no new Super Smash Bros., which is a relief; and the reveal, as in the final announcement, is… an open world Kirby game.

Here are my hopes and concerns with that final reveal: it has the potential to be good or bad. It can be good IF: it implements RPG mechanics including unlockable skill sets and/or items, tangible and substantial progression (e.g., story is sequential, all of the world’s areas and content are not available from the start), and a world with depth. It can be bad IF: it emulates Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom including cosmetic items, aimlessness (e.g., nonsequential story, all of the world’s areas and content are available from the start), and a superficial world. It is with pessimism that I predict it will be more of the latter than the former. I can see it easily being a dopamine-driven game (along the lines of Donkey Kong Bananza where a gameplay mechanic is doing the heavy lifting) rather than an intentional, deeper-than-surface-level game. For example, Mario Kart World has an open world that is fun to explore, but it has no reason to explore it. This is fine for a racing game like Mario Kart World because the game is a racing game, but this is not fine for an adventure game because exploration is what such games thrive on. As I’ve said many times in my thoughts on Zelda: TotK and Zelda: BotW, there needs to be a reason to explore. When playing an adventure game I want to feel a sense of adventure. My go-to example is Wind Waker where explored areas had items, quests, and secrets, some available and some not at a given point in the story. Kirby and the World Beyond showed vast areas and collectable coins, but it did not show this sort of substance that would make the world (and the world beyond) something I have reason to explore. Are there quests? Do the quests provide anything meaningful (e.g., a useful item or other sort of unlock)? Are there items? Are the items useful (i.e., not cosmetic or otherwise useless like Peach Medallions in Mario Kart World)? Are there secrets? Do the secrets provide anything meaningful or useful? Is there a story? Does the story take players to areas in meaningful ways? Ideally there is a positive answer for all of these, but so far I can only definitively say the teaser for this Kirby game answers with a positive to the one question of there being a story. And stories in Nintendo games tend to be… well… basic, to put it generously.

All that said, there were some things I’m more happy about. Mario Kart World is getting an update with some new things that are more or less what I’d want. There is a new RPG Eternal Anima that looks okay, though not much was shown with regards to skill points/trees and items. The thing that I’m most excited for and am surprised by is Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave that is releasing in a week. I’ll gladly take that.