Nintendo Direct delivers epic swan song for the legendary Switch

Nintendo may not have delivered any news about the Switch 2 during its Direct live stream on Tuesday, but it did ensure an epic line-up of games to ensure the original Switch goes out on a high.

During a 40-minute showcase on June 18, the company revealed new games from Nintendo’s biggest franchises, some high profile HD remasters, a Switch port of a massive console hit, and an update on a long-awaited title that is thankfully still on the slate.

Here’s some of the highlights and some trailers:

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

Coming on September 26, this top down title looks similar to Link’s Awakening, but this time you’ll get to play as Zelda herself for the first time ever in game bearing her name. She’ll do battle with a new weapon – a Tri Rod that’ll help her defeat baddies and overcome obstacles.

It also employs a new gameplay mechanism called Echoes. Nintendo says you can “use the power of the Tri Rod to create echoes – imitations of things found in the environment. Then recreate those echoes whenever you like to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Use echoes of water blocks to reach new heights, make bridges out of old beds, throw rocks at foes – or find your own creative combination of echoes to do things your way. You can even create echoes of monsters to fight at your side in combat.”

Donkey Kong Country HD

Wii classic Donkey Kong Country Returns, famed for its bombastic platform gameplay and its co-play with Diddy Kong, is returning with a fresh coat of paint on January 16.

Mario & Luigu: Brothership

Before the year is out, we’re getting a new Mario & Luigi RPG for the Switch in November. The brothers will team-up in this ocean-faring adventure, which looks like an absolute gas.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond update

So it is still coming! Nintendo has confirmed the long-awaited (it was announced 7 years ago) Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will arrive in 2025, but wouldn’t narrow it down any further. We did get a trailer though, which you can see below.

Mario Party Jamboree

We’re getting a new Mario Party game in October, featuring 110 new mini-games and 20-player online multiplayer action.

Stray for Switch

Finally! The smash hit PS5 (and then Xbox) game about a stray cat’s high tech efforts to get home will arrive on the Nintendo Switch during the holiday season.