Whenever a Nintendo Direct is announced, fans quickly begin speculating and raising their hopes for major exciting announcements. The company has a wealth of beloved franchises, many of which have gone overlooked in favor of larger, more widely successful titles. However, after the E3 2021 Direct brought back plenty of dormant and lesser-known series, fans of Nintendo's underrated games had reason to go into its September Direct with high hopes.
The latest Direct was packed with all kinds of announcements from new games, updates to popular titles, more consoles coming to Nintendo Switch Online and even casting news. While there were plenty more reveals and surprises to get excited over, here are the eight biggest announcements from the Direct.
More Announcements in October
While the Direct had plenty to show, it also teased more announcements coming next month. First, while the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC fighter was not announced, Nintendo said they would be revealed during a final Mr. Sakurai Presents on October 5 at 10AM ET/9 AM PT. Additionally, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will finally get a new major update that adds the fan-favorite Brewster and his cafe, The Roost. While the update will launch in November, there will be an Animal Crossing Direct detailing it sometime in October.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Monster Hunter Rise is one of the year's biggest games yet, and the Direct teased that it will grow next year with Sunbreak. While not much was shown, Sunrbreak is said to be a massive expansion that adds new stories, locations, monsters, hunting actions and quests. Rise hasn't received a major content update since May, so it's nice to see Capcom hasn't abandoned this hit game. Sunbreak will release as paid DLC in Summer 2022.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
The Direct also revealed a brand new Kirby game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This 3D platformer will also the pink puffball to explore a world that appears to be a cute and colorful take on a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The trailer shows Kirby waking up on a beach and journeying locations like an abandoned city, a rundown shopping mall and various natural environments. Along the way, he'll have to take on obstacles and huge, fearsome foes like a crocodile and a gorilla. Kirby and the Forgotten Land will release in Spring 2022.
Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
After months of rumors and speculation, Nintendo announced that its online service will be getting a new tier in October that includes Nintendo 64 and, to everyone's surprise, Sega Genesis games. While no specific release date or price was announced, it did reveal the nine N64 games that will be available at launch, which include Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64. More games like Banjo-Kazooie, Pokémon Snap and Majora's Mask will join at a later date. The Genesis lineup will include 14 games at launch, including Streets of Rage 2, Castlevania: Bloodlines and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Like the other classic consoles with games available through the service, Switch-compatible Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers will be available for members to purchase for $49.99 each.
Actraiser Renaissance
One of the show's biggest surprises was an HD remaster of the SNES classic Actraiser -- and it's available today. Actraiser Renaissance updates the 16-bit title to a 2.5D artstyle while maintaining its platforming action and city building gameplay. The game tasks players with performing Realm Acts and Realm Management, reclaiming land and helping new human settlements flourish in a world ravaged by a fight between good and evil. On top of its visual overhaul, Actraiser Renaissance also adds new story content, difficulty settings and 15 new music tracks from original composer Yuzo Koshiro.
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie Casting
Another surprising announcement of the show was the all-star voice cast for Super Mario Bros.: The Movie, revealed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself. Leading the cast is Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. Mario's longtime video game voice actor Charles Martinet will also be involved in "surprise cameos." The film's release date was also announced to be December 21, 2022 for North America, with the movie coming to the rest of the world sometime that holiday season.
Splatoon 3
After revealing the game during February's Direct, Nintendo gave fans a closer look at Splatoon 3, which will launch some time next year. The game's story mode is called "Return of the Mammalians," which will see mammals (other than a couple of cats) appear in the series for the first time, possibly revealing why they disappeared from the world in the first place. It's set in Splatsville, which the Direct calls "the city of chaos," and the surrounding Splatlands.
The new protagonist, Agent 3, will fight the evil Octarians alongside their trusty little companion Smallfry. In addition to new locations, weapons and story content, Splatoon 3 will introduce a new mechanics: Fuzzy Ooze. Not much is known about what it is or where it comes from, but it causes Inklings to lose their abilities when they come into contact with it, leaving them to roll around helplessly. However, Smallfry aren't vulnerable to Fuzzy Ooze, so they'll be essential in combating this threat.
Bayonetta 3
Finally, nearly four years after its reveal at The Game Awards 2017, the Direct closed with the first trailer for Bayonetta 3. The Umbra Witch seems to joke about the long wait for the highly-anticipated game, saying "It seems I'm unfashionably late, but I'm ready to give you everything you want" after landing on the scene just in time to save a group of soldiers from a massive beast.
The trailer then shows gameplay of Bayonetta fighting monsters on the streets of Shibuya using the series' hack-and-slash combat and, of course, its signature Witch Time. It ends by teasing a mysterious figure standing in front of a red moon. Bayonetta 3 will finally release in 2022.