Nintendo Direct E3 2018 — Smash Bros.! and Other Stuff

In preparing the audience for the E3 Nintendo Direct this year, one of Nintendo’s first moves was to lower people’s expectations. But they did so in an expected way. While other publishers tend to focus on projects coming in the distant future (Sony especially), Nintendo confirmed how they would focus on games coming in 2018. This was accurate for the most part, though a few exceptions were shown. In addition to seeing news about first-party titles, especially Super Smash Bros., this was also another opportunity to show whether Nintendo had successfully attracted more third-party support for Switch.

The Direct started with the reveal of Daemon X Machina, a mecha action game developed by Marvelous that Nintendo will publish. Here, players will use a customized mech in missions to thwart the plans of enemies in battle, and can fine tune their mech so it focuses on the attributes they prefer. The game is being directed Kenichiro Tsukuda, who previously directed the first and third Armored Core games at FromSoftware. Also, Yusuke Kozaki (of the No More Heroes and recent Fire Emblem games) is providing the character designs, while the mech designs are from Shoji Kawamori (of Macross). It will release sometime in 2019.

Nintendo and Monolith Soft confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 would receive story-based DLC shortly before its release last year. As it turns out, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country is a full-on standalone story expansion that takes place before the main game, and will star a different set of characters. Their identities could be spoilers for the main game, but Nintendo is saying this can be enjoyed by newcomers to the franchise in addition to fans. It will release in September.

Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime appeared to discuss Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, announced a couple of weeks ago during a Pokémon conference. In addition to the standalone package and the Pokéball Plus accessory that can be used in place of the right Joy-Con, there will also be a special edition bundle that includes both. As a bonus, every Pokéball Plus will include a “Mew” Pokémon. The games were extensively demoed on the Nintendo Treehouse stream after the conference. They’ll release on November 16th.

Another new announcement here was Super Mario Party, the newest installment in the Mario Party series. The “Super” represents how this will represent the next leap for the franchise, as it will have deeper strategic elements like personalized Dice Blocks for each character and games built around usage of the Joy-Cons. Two players can also combine their systems for four-player play, and of course the Joy-Cons can be split so two players can use them, though I’ll feel bad for your permanent claw hands afterward. The game will release on October 5th.

Nintendo announced that a new Fire Emblem title was coming to Switch on their Fire Emblem Direct from January 2017, but it was taking its time to manifest. They saved the reveal of Fire Emblem: Three Houses for this occasion, and a good look at the game showed why it’s taking developer Intelligent Systems longer than usual. The presentation and gameplay style show sizable leaps over the previous games, like how small armies can accompany some characters, and how the map uses 3D models like Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Not much of the game was shown, and not many details were provided, which is sadly for good reason. Despite initially being confirmed for a 2018 release, it’s slipped to spring 2019. But it sounds like the results could be worth it, so it’s not all bad.

Reggie returned to quickly confirm a few more games. It became a badly-kept secret, but Epic Games’ Fortnite is indeed available for Switch. This includes the Battle Royale mode, which Epic presumably feels they don’t need to identify in the name anymore. The port includes voice chat without the need to use the Nintendo Switch Online mobile function, a good sign for future online Nintendo games. Unfortunately, cross-play isn’t available with the PS4 version, nor can anyone who made an account on PS4 use it on Switch. No, users aren’t happy about it, though Sony has yet to respond. This could develop into something bigger, given how Sony’s social media accounts are being blown up with requests for them to fix this.

Several other smaller titles are making their way to Switch. Among them is cooperative multiplayer cooking game Overcooked! 2, which will also hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on August 7th. Killer Queen Black was also announced, a local multiplayer arcade platformer/strategy follow-up to Killer Queen, which will offer 5-on-5 matches. Though Reggie mentioned the game will release in 2018, the developers clarified that it’s actually due in the first quarter of 2019, and will also release on Steam. If these games sound familiar, it’s because they were featured on a pamphlet that leaked a couple of weeks ago. Not that its legitimacy is a big shock.

Critically-acclaimed Metroidvania title Hollow Knight was also confirmed for Switch, and it surprisingly released immediately after the Direct, to the celebration of several game writers who wanted something to play on their way home. Reggie also reminded everyone that Square Enix RPG Octopath Traveler will release on July 13th, and confirmed that a new demo will arrive tomorrow, June 14th.

Several more games were shown in a montage, and while most were known, some were subtly revealed for the first time. Among them was Ubisoft’s Starlink: Battle for Atlas, an action-adventure space shooter where players can explore planets and battle others. As a bonus, the Switch version will feature Star Fox’s Fox McCloud as a playable character. Minecraft for Switch was also shown, the physical version of which will arrive on June 21st. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’s Donkey Kong Adventure will arrive as DLC on June 26th. Lastly, Dragon Ball FighterZ will come to Switch later this year, which will run at 60fps.

While those games took up half the Direct, the entire second half was dedicated to the new Super Smash Bros. game announced earlier in the year. Director Masahiro Sakurai discussed the game extensively, which will be called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. That’s “Ultimate” because everyone from Smash history is returning, plus a few other characters who’ve been heavily requested for years — some for around a decade.

Part of the itinerary here involved showing how this wasn’t a port of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, but a new game with several new features and modifications. Mario, for instance, can use his cape for attacks, and can wear the wedding and construction outfits from Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Maker, respectively, as options. Link has his threads from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, while Zelda has hers from A Link Between Worlds. Fire Emblem’s Marth will be fully voiced in English, while a Ryu mirror match will feel like a Street Fighter game. Other characters also have modified Final Smash Attacks, like Fox McCloud and Zero Suit Samus. The point is: There are far too many changes to list here.

They weren’t kidding when they said everyone was returning, either. The Ice Climbers are back, previously left out due to the 3DS’ hardware limitations, and the need for the Wii U version to have parity with its handheld counterpart. Metal Gear’s Solid Snake is also returning, with David Hayter again providing the voice. Star Wolf is also back, and is donning his Star Fox Zero threads.

While the Inklings from Splatoon were previously confirmed, new entries were revealed. They included Princess Daisy, who’s been heavily requested for a while (and not by just me). Ridley from the Metroid series is also here, who’s been very heavily requested by obsessed fans for over a decade. (Yes, that’s “Daisy” and “Ridley.”) Also, Rodin from Bayonetta will be an assist trophy for Bayonetta herself, while the Squid Sisters will be available for the Inklings. If you’re concerned that a character you want hasn’t been confirmed (like, say, Waluigi), there’s a possibility they could be revealed down the line. There’s also a chance the roster could be final, given how it already has a massive 66 characters. Note that all Amiibos will also work with the title, which will have too many functions to name here.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will release on December 7th, and it will be compatible with Gamecube controllers. More such controllers will also be released alongside the game, but don’t be surprised if they’re extremely limited.

This Direct was fantastic for extensively showing off Smash Ultimate, but there wasn’t much for anyone who wanted to see a slew of reveals outside that. Meanwhile, there were several missing titles, like Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and especially Yoshi for Switch. The last of which was shown in a playable form last year and hasn’t been seen since, though it’s still in development. After last year’s presentation heavily focused on Super Mario Odyssey, and their presentation in 2016 focused exclusively on Breath of the Wild, perhaps this will be the norm for Nintendo at E3 from here on. If there are other games you’d like to see, Nintendo tends to have several Nintendo Direct presentations throughout the year, and it could be shown on one of them. Cross your fingers.

If you want to watch the Direct, feel free to do so here. Also keep in mind Nintendo will be having more streams with their Treehouse staff for the remainder of today and tomorrow.