Another Nintendo Direct has come and gone. The company laid out not just the holiday season ahead, but a pretty good chunk of the next year too, for the Switch in today’s September 2023 Nintendo Direct.
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Today’s stream held a decent mix of surprises and familiar faces, and the Switch maker saved a big gun for last with the Paper Mario announcement. Really, few are feasting as well as Mario RPG fans right now.
It was quite the trailer-filled Direct though, so if you missed any of the highlights, here’s the full rundown and recap of the September 2023 Nintendo Direct. Let’s chat about some trailers, shall we?
Nintendo Direct September 2023 recap
- We kick things off with the Splatoon 3 DLC Side Order, which has some distinct NieR vibes. Somehow, that’s not that strange for the offbeat squid-kid ink-shooter. It’s set to debut sometime in Spring 2024.
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong returns on the Switch with an updated version. Frankly, these two were getting too friendly for my taste. About time we reignite this rivalry. That hits Switch on February 16, 2024.
- Nothing too new about the upcoming Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, but it still looks like a stellar side-scrolling action game. It’s set for January 18, 2024.
- Wanted an “out now” announcement? Well, here’s your first with Horizon Chase 2. Also, Konami rhythm-party game Super Crazy Rhythm Castle heads to Switch on November 14, and Spy X Anya: Operation Memories lets you see the Spy x Family world from Anya’s perspective sometime next year.
- Here’s another update on Super Mario RPG, the remake of the SNES classic. We already have a date for this return of a great, but it’s hard to say no to more Mario RPG. It hits Switch on November 17, 2023.
- Man, remember Trace Memory? The gorgeous cult classic from the Nintendo DS is getting a Switch release called Another Code Recollection, including the sequel that never got released in North America. That arrives on January 19, 2024.
- We get some details now on Princess Peach: Showtime, a costume-changing action-platformer starring the princess. Using different outfits, she can do everything from solve crimes and swashbuckle to baking. Honestly, this looks fun! The showstopper hits on March 22, 2024.
- SaGa fans, get psyched. A new entry arrives with SaGa Emerald Beyond, a standalone title arriving in 2024.
- The first three Tomb Raider games are coming to Nintendo Switch in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft from Aspyr. I’m not really sure we needed to specify that Lara Croft was still starring, but you never know. That hits February 14, 2024.
- We already know most we need to know about Detective Pikachu Returns, but hey, who can say no to this coffee-drinking Pokémon detective? That’s set for October 6, 2023.
- My love for Trombone Champ is well-documented, so seeing the tootin’ masterpiece make its way to Switch with gyro controls and four-player local co-op is just wonderful. Even better? It’s out later today.
- Battle Crush is a battle royale about mythological guardians that looks really MOBA-y. That’s all I got. It arrives next spring. Also, dark fantasy tactics game Wartales is a timed-console exclusive launch later today.
- Contra is back? Contra: Operation Galuga brings a strange name and classic game to the Switch sometime next year. Weird!
- Stop the presses, Vanillaware has announced its next game and it’s a fantasy tactics game that is giving me distinct Ogre Battle energy. This is, quite literally, a dream crossover for me. Unicorn Overlord is on my must-watch list, and it’s arriving on March 8, 2024.
- Grabbing ghosts is back on the menu for next summer, when Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is set to hit Nintendo Switch.
- Nintendo confirms the… roof? Of its previously announced Nintendo gallery, a.k.a. the Nintendo Museum, in Japan. Construction is set to finish by March 2024.
- Amiibo update time! The TOTK Zelda and Ganondorf are set to go live on November 3, while Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s Noah and Mio arrive on January 19, 2024. Finally, Sora rounds out the Smash DLC fighter lineup, as he arrives sometime in 2024.
- Bah gawd, that’s F-Zero‘s music. F-Zero 99 is a new 99 take on a classic, pitting 99 racers against each other in a massive battle across the high speed courses later today.
- Riot Forge’s efforts to make non-League of Legends games set in the world of League of Legends continues with slice-of-life game Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story from Graveyard Keeper dev Lazy Bear Games. Seems like a good fit? That arrives in 2024, while Tequila Works’ 3D platformer Song of Nunu hits on November 1.
- Here’s some more action and gyration in WarioWare: Move It!, set for November 3. Looks wacky!
- After a delay out of 2023, we get an update on Suikoden successor Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. It looks pretty fantastic, and it’s got a date too: April 23, 2024.
- Chucklefish’s Eastward is getting a farm-life DLC in Octopia. Y’know what? I’m glad they get a little happily ever after. That’s set for this holiday. Meanwhile, turn-based strategy sequel Wargroove 2 brings the tactics on October 5.
- Indie smash-hit Dave the Diver is making its way to Nintendo Switch. It’s a strange pitch, but I’ve heard a lot of people talk about this, so maybe it’s time to check Dave out? Dave the Diver hits Switch on October 26.
- Wave 6, the final wave, of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass arrives this holiday with a plethora of racers and the Daisy Circuit. Man, what a kart racer MK8D will be remembered as, right?
- Among Us is getting a new map with some real funky vibes. The Fungle hits Among Us in October. Missed opportunity for “The Fungus Among Us“, in my opinion.
- Sizzle reel time! It’s mostly known quantities and games we’ve seen before, including in this Direct. A nice reminder that Part 2 of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, The Indigo Disk, is still slated for Winter 2023 though.
- Finally, we close it with the showstopper. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is coming to Nintendo Switch. Honestly, I’m just living for this renewed energy Nintendo has for its back catalog of RPGs. Getting both a remade Super Mario RPG and what looks like, at the very least, a remastered Thousand Year Door really reinforces the Switch as an RPG heavyweight. The Switch version of The Thousand Year Door in 2024.
That’s all for today’s Nintendo Direct for September 2023. Let us know what your highlights were in the comments!
