Lagging behind a strongState of Play from Sonyand an excellentXbox & Bethesda Games Showcasefrom Microsoft, Nintendo has now held a presentation of its own. It’s not a full-blown Nintendo Direct, though. Instead, this June 28 presentation is a Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, the first of its kind since 2020. As the showcase’s name suggests, this is shorter than a typical Nintendo Direct and mainly focused on what third-party developers and publishers are bringing to Nintendo Switch in the coming months.
As Nintendo has said that this presentation would contain “roughly 25 minutes of info on upcoming third-party #NintendoSwitch games” on Twitter, don’t expect the likes ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2orMetroid Prime 4to show up here. Still, there are plenty of cool games likeMario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hopethatmake an appearance here, and we have a clearer idea of what the biggest third-party Nintendo Switch games of 2022 are. We kept track of everything announced during the Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, so you’re able to look below and see everything Nintendo and its partners revealed throughout the event.
Nier Automata is coming to Nintendo Switch
In one of the most notable announcements of this Partner Showcase, we learned that the critically acclaimedNier Automatais finally coming to Nintendo Switch. It’s one of PlatinumGames’ best titles and has an amazing story, so be sure to check this out on Switch if you haven’t already. It’s also a native port, and not a cloud version either.Nier Automata: The End of YoRHa Editionlaunches on October 6.
First look at Return to Monkey Island gameplay
After it was confirmed earlier this year, we finally got a deeper look atReturn to Monkey Island’sstory and gameplay. It’s got a distinct and pretty new art style and looks faithful to how the old Monkey Island games play, so hopefully, it lives up to series fans’ lofty expectations. It will be released in 2022.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope release date confirmed
Although the Nintendo Direct Mini’s biggest announcement lost a bit of its thunderbecause of a leak, it’s still cool that we finally got a release date forMario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. We got a general gameplay overview to learn how its turn-based strategy battle works and learned that Bowser will be a party member. It’s definitely going to be one of the most notable Switch releases this fall.Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hopelaunches on August 12, 2025.
Live A Live gets a demo
Ahead of its launch next month, Nintendo and Square Enix released a demo forLive A Live.It contains the start of three chapters: Imperial China, Twilight of Edo Japan, and The Distant Future. Any progress made in this demo can be carried over to the full release of this HD-2D remake.
Dragon Quest Treasures gameplay revealed
We actually learned how the interesting spin-offDragon Quest Treasureswould play during the showcase. It blends the Dragon Quest series’ traditional RPG elements with those of a platformer or adventure game as players look for treasure and engage in real-time action combat.Dragon Quest Treasureswill be released on December 9.
Persona 3, 4, and 5 are coming to Nintendo Switch
Following up on the exciting Xbox announcement earlier this month, we learned thatPersona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, andPersona 5 Royalare all coming to Nintendo Switchas well. These ports have been demanded for a long time, so it’s nice to finally get them.Persona 5 Royalreleases on Nintendo Switch on October 21, whilePersona 4 GoldenandPersona 3 Portabledon’t have release dates just yet.
