Many of us had certain expectations for the Nintendo Direct June 2023– something on the lines of nostalgic games with new mechanics. Unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what we got. Surprisingly, we’re stunned at how promising these games look.
While Mario is getting new platforming abilities, a few other characters are receiving a closer look at a transfixing ‘welcome back’. We’re talking about Princess Peach’s confident rise in the platforming worlds and Detective Pikachu’s fresh take on some good ol’ police work, with a hint of freshly brewed coffee and new cases that need to be solved.
Mario’s wondrous take on platforming
Every frame of this trailer prides itself in uniqueness. While these are some mechanics we have seen in the early Mario game, something about the platforming, characters and abilities feels fresh.
It should come as no surprise that Mario Bros Wonder is one of the most anticipated forthcoming Switch games of the year. Given its more visually ‘bright’ graphics and art style, the game is more imaginative and implements clever level design. This includes new power-ups and playable characters.
Purely from the visuals, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a significant change from the previous round of 2D Mario games we received. Nintendo is making creative use of new mechanics and resurfacing powerups to give more elaborate level designs, character models that have undergone redesigns, and rich settings.
Super Mario gets some RPG adoration
This older classic isn’t a newcomer to the list, but simply looks like a completely new game. We may be in for a faithful recreation with upgraded graphics and a widescreen presentation, as the gameplay appears identical to the original, down to the somewhat familiar movement mechanics.
The heroes of this world set out to defend the world from Smithy, an evil robotic blacksmith, in the 1996 video game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The title first published for the SNES.
The updated version from this year gives those characters a more significant glimmer, bringing them into line with the modern looks and closer to the center of the Mario canon.
WarioWare: Move It! wants you to move in weirdly unique ways
Nintendo is familiar with the movement genre of games. We’ve had Just Dance and Ring Fit Adventure make us sweat out in our living rooms. To add to this, an infamous Wario makes his way into a new game that uses your movements to build solid gameplay.
On November 3, a brand-new game named Move It will be released on WarioWare. Considering how much the game revolves around using the Nintendo Switch joy-sticks physically, it’s a suitable title.
Move It effectively leverages the controllers as motion sensors. It will ask you to use the joy-cons to simulate movement on your screen. For instance, a gameplay sequence asks you to shake yourself so violently that the bottle on the screen pops and flies off. There are also references from Mario 64 and Wario the Tank Engine. Welcome to a new world of weirdness adorned by familiar characters.
Detective Pikachu Returns to solve new mysteries
The last time we entangled ourselves in the mysterious world of Detective Pikachu was in 2019. Voiced by Ryan Reynold, the adorable Pokemon made its way into the hearts of newer audiences and longtime fans. Ever since, we haven’t heard much about the universe’s new adventures until Nintendo Direct June 2023 gave us a glimpse into an upcoming Detective Pikachu game.
A first look at Detective Pikachu Returns revealed little about the game’s more complex gameplay or narrative. Still, we did see several new Pokémon that came in later generations after the original game’s release, such as Inteleon and Scorbunny.
In recent years, as Nintendo shifted its attention to the Switch, the first Detective Pikachu game was one of the final significant releases for the 3DS in 2018.
The Switch release date for the Pokémon spin-off sequel, which is currently in development, is October 6, 2023.
These are some of the characters and worlds we look forward to. What about you? Has your anticipation for Nintendo characters evolved over the years? Let us know in the comments below.
