Nintendo Direct Provides Many RPG Announcements

Nintendo held a new Nintendo Direct presentation today, during which it showcased many titles coming to Nintendo Switch in 2019 and 2020. The first RPG shown during the forty-minute video was Trials of Mana, the upcoming full remake of Seiken Densetsu 3, which received some new footage and a release date of April 24, 2020. RPGamer’s Anna Marie Privitere was able to play the game recently at PAX West and you can find her impression here.

Next up was Game Freak’s TOWN, which has now been officially titled Little Town Hero. The game sees players trying to save a small village from invading monsters, enlisting the aid of villagers to help fight them off, with the Direct revealing that much of the game’s music is composed by Undertale developer and composer Toby Fox. The game also received a release date of October 16, 2019.

 

 

Following this were some quick looks at the remake for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age, which are both set to release later this month. Link’s Awakening will be released on September 20, 2019, with Dragon Quest XI S following a week later on September 27, 2019.

A brand new release announcement came in the form of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, an enhanced port of the Nintendo Wii U title that acts as a crossover between Nintendo’s Fire Emblem and Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series. The Encore version will include a new song, as well as new story elements and new characters available in battle. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore will be released for Nintendo Switch on January 17, 2020.

 

 

Another new release announcement is that Divinity: Original Sin II – Definitive Edition is available to download now on Nintendo Switch. The Switch version of Larian Studios’ party-based tactical RPG, which is priced at $49.99, will include cloud-saves between Steam and Nintendo Switch.

Next up was a look at some of the features in the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. The new footage showcased some of the customisation options for the player character, including outfit, hairstyle, and makeup options, as well as the new Pokémon Camps. Players can set up camp in the region of Galar, where they can play and bond with their Pokémon. They can also visit other players’ camps, with up to three people being able to visit another’s camp and interact with their Pokémon. Pokémon Camps also let players make curry-on-rice. Over a hundred variations of the dish can be made depending on what ingredients are used and it will have different effects. Finally, there were reveals of two new Pokémon: Polteageist and Cramorant. Pokémon Sword and Shield are scheduled to release for the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.

 

 

Nintendo also announced the Super Nintendo Entertainment System games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. There is an initial list of twenty games, which includes The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Breath of Fire. The service will be available from September 5, 2019, and include online multiplayer where applicable as well as a Rewind feature.

Action mecha title Daemon X Machina is getting a prologue demo version later today ahead of its full release next week on September 13, 2019. The demo will allow progress to be carried into the main game and include four-player co-op. There were also reminders of a number of upcoming Nintendo Switch RPG releases: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on October 15, 2019; free-to-play action RPG Dauntless sometime soon; Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch on September 20, 2019; Call of Cthulhu on October 8, 2019; The Outer Worlds sometime soon; and Vampyr on October 29, 2019.

 

 

The final RPG announcement was a Nintendo Switch version of Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles, which was originally released for Nintendo Wii, winning RPGamer’s Game of the Year for 2012, before later being ported to Nintendo 3DS. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will be released some time in 2020. The Nintendo Switch version appears to be using the same graphics engine as used for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country.

 

More videos will be added below as they become available.

Trials of Mana trailer

 

Little Town Hero screenshots and trailer

 

 

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore screenshots and trailer

 

 

Divinity: Original Sin II – Definitive Edition screenshots and trailer

 

 

Pokémon Sword and Shield screenshots and trailer

 

 

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definite Edition screenshots and trailer

 

 

Full Nintendo Direct replay

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Alex Fuller

Alex joined RPGamer in 2011 as a Previewer before moving onto Reviews, News Director, and Managing Editor. Became Acting Editor-in-Chief in 2018.

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2 Responses

  1. Scar Scar says:

    Breath of Fire being added to the SNES online catalog was a nice surprise.

  2. I really don’t need a third copy of Xenoblade but… it looks so nice!
    Anyway, I am, of course, very excited for TMS #FE Encore. Still holding out hope for an English dub!

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