Nintendo at E3 2019: Information and Reactions

Yep, we got some wild newcomers. But exciting as the Smash news was, it merely bookended a Nintendo Direct up to its eye teeth in information. We got significant information on three of Nintendo’s big new games (albeit not so new for the delayed Animal Crossing), but there was also a sizable number of announcements, provided release dates, and direct gameplay footage. In a year of E3 presentations long of word and short in details, it was a markedly different experience even beyond the difference between prerecorded and live presentations. To be frank, I’m personally exhausted over the sheer wealth of information from both E3 as a whole and especially this Direct, so let’s just get to the details:

Games Showcased in the Direct or Nintendo Treehouse Live:

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate revealed its DLC fighters #2 and #3:
- The Hero from Dragon Quest XI, with three other Dragon Quest heroes as alternate costumes. Has a multiplicity of magic spells, a magic meter, and even a menu for selecting moves. A Slime is involved in either their stage or moveset in some capacity. Releases “this summer.”
- Banjo & Kazooie, from Banjo-Kazooie. They primarily draw from the first game; their stage is Spiral Mountain and Final Smash the Jinjonater. Releases “this fall.”
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is set in the creepy hotel the Last Resort, with Luigi having to rescue a captured Mario, Peach, and Toads. The Poltergust-G00 from Smash Bros. has similar functionality, with Luigi able to shoot a plunger at furniture and smash it like a Mötley Crüe member. There are unique boss ghosts, like those in the first game. Developed by Next Level Games; releases sometime in 2019.
- The game introduces multiplayer into the main story with “Gooigi,” a new character. He can cross hazards Luigi can’t (and vice versa), and puzzles are based around a second player or CPU complimenting their skills.
- Scarescraper from Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon returns with local or online play. Polterpup also returns.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake features a system in which you can collect dungeon chambers to make your own dungeon, as well as the DX exclusive Color Dungeon. Releases September 20.
- At Nintendo Treehouse Live, Eiji Aonuma confirmed that he has wanted to remake Link’s Awakening for years due to its lack of availability.
- A new Link amiibo adds a Shadow Link boss within the chamber dungeons, who chases you from room to room.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons departs from the series by taking place on a deserted island. Villagers leave on a getaway package courtesy of Tom Nook and have to help build it, crafting objects add new material to the island. Releases March 2020 due to delays.
- The game can be set to either northern or southern hemisphere, and the game’s climate will change in accordance.
- Up to eight players can live on a single island and work together.
Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield have functionality with the Poké Ball Plus from Pokémon Let’s Go. Addition, the leader of the Water-type gym is Nessa.
- Pokémon Home users can only transfer Pokémon to Sword & Shield if they are part of the Galar Pokédex.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Illusive Age – Definitive Edition releases September 29.
Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, a tie-in to the Netflix revival of the film, releases in 2019.
Trials of Mana, a remake of the third (and never released in the west) Secret of Mana game, will release “early” 2020. In addition, the Japan-exclusive Collection of Mana – containing Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, and the original Trials of Mana – will at time of writing be released on the eShop later today.
Previously leaked, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt Complete Edition will be releasing on Switch sometime in 2019.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses releases July 26.
Resident Evil 5 and 6 will (for some reason) both be released on Switch, via a live action commercial reminiscent of the first game’s cutscenes.
No More Heroes 3 is officially in development, will feature (possibly?) aliens.
Contra: Rogue Corps is a top-down Contra game with a style reminiscent of Borderlands, releases September 24. In addition, the Contra Anniversary Collection, containing ten Contra games, released a few hours after the presentation.
Daemon X Machina releases September 13.
A remake of 1995 cult classic Panzer Dragoon (not its sequel Panzer Dragoon Saga) releases this “winter.”
Astral Chain releases August 30.
Empire of Sin, a top-down gangster game, releases “spring” 2020.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: the Black Order includes Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, Spider-Gwen, Elsa Bloodstone, Ghost Rider, and Elektra. It will also feature paid DLC for characters from Marvel Knights, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, though specific characters haven’t been specified.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer feat. The Legend of Zelda features a “Gohmaracas” boss. Releases June 13.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will feature rock climbing, kickboxing, and equestrian, as well as a retro mode.
- A Sonic specific spinoff is planned for mobile. Known characters are Sonic, Shadow, and Zavoc.
The Sinking City, a Lovecraft-inspired sandbox investigation, releases this “fall.”
New Super Lucky’s Tale, a “reimagining” of the 2017 Microsoft 3D platformer, is planned for release this “fall.”
Super Mario Maker 2 will be including options for playing online with friends, presumably a response to public criticism over its announced online plans.
A video montage also showed Spyro Reignited Trilogy (September 3), Hollow Knight: Silksong (“soon”), Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (September 20), Minecraft Dungeons (“spring” 2020), The Elder Scrolls: Blades (“fall” 2019; features crossplay and motion controls, releases free), My Friend Pedro (June 20), DOOM Eternal (“soon,”), Wolfenstein: Youngblood (July 26), Dead by Daylight (September 24), Alien: Isolation (2019), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition (“winter”), Dragon Quest Builders 2 (July 12), Stranger Things 3 (July 4), Just Dance 2020 (November 5 for Switch and Wii), Catan (June 20), Dauntless (“late” 2019).
A sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development. It has a creepy tone, not unlike how Majora’s Mask was to Ocarina of Time.
The next amiibo wave releases September 20 (with Link from The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Solid Snake). Afterwards, the next one is in November (Incineroar, Chrom, Simon Belmont), and in 2020 (Dark Samus, Ritcher Belmont)

Nintendo and Switch-related News from other Conferences or Releases:

Arground, a science fiction game, was announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Astalon: Tears of the Earth, a 2D action game, releases on Switch “this year.” Announced at the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Atooi Collection, a compilation game featuring Bomb Monkey, Chicken Wiggle, Mutant Mudds, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, and Xeodrifter, will have a physical 3DS release. Announced in the Limited Run Games showcase.
Brawlhalla will get Finn, Jake, and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time as DLC characters, with a Tree Fort stage, released alongside its announcement at Ubisoft’s conference.
While unconfirmed as to whether that includes Switch, the reverse survival horror Carrion was announced at the Devolver Digital conference for “PC and consoles,” and it looks too intriguing not to highlight.
Castlestorm II announced at the Kinda Funny Games conference.
Circuit Superstars, an indie multiplayer motocross game, releases in 2020. Announced at the Square Enix conference.
Cris Tales, a time-bending indie RPG, releases in 2020 (with a demo currently available for the Steam version). Announced at the PC Gaming Show.
A Duel Hand Disaster: Trackher is already out on Switch. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Etherborn, a gravity-defying 3D platformer revealed last year, releases July 18. Announced at the Kinda Funny Games conference.
Hamsterdam, a “hamster kung fu beat-em-up,” announced at the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered announced at the Square Enix conference.
Gods & Monsters, a Zelda-esque open world game by the team behind Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Releases February 25, 2020.
The Last Remnant: Remastered Edition launched on Switch on Monday. Announced at the Square Enix conference.
LEGO Star Wars: the Skywalker Saga, a “brand-new” title drawing from the nine mainline films, was announced at the Microsoft conference.
Lost Ember, a Kickstarter animal exploration game, is confirmed to release on Switch. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
The Messenger: Panic Picnic, a free expansion to The Messenger, releases July 11. Announced at the Devolver Digital conference.
Okinaki releases August 22. Announced at the Square Enix conference.
One Night Stand, a romance game, releases on Switch “this summer.” Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Pig Eat Ball, a top-down eating-themed action game, releases “this summer.” Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Police Stories, a narc game reminiscent of Hotline Miami, releases September 19. Announced at the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid released today, with a physical release planned. Announced at the Limited Run Games conference.
RAD is currently available for preorder.
Refractor, a Metroidvania where players rearrange the map, was announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Renaine, a fighting game inspired platformer, was announced at the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Grace Ambitions are both releasing in the West. Announced at the Square Enix conference.
Sneaky Ninja, a stealth platformer, releases “this summer.” Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Speed Brawl, a 2D brawler where “the faster you go, the harder you hit,” is already released. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Standby, a precision platformer, releases August 1. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Stoneshard, a procedurally generated dungeon crawler, was announced for Switch in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Treachery in Beatdown City, a genre-mixing brawler, releases on Switch “this summer.” Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Trigger Witch, a top-down shooter, releases 2020. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Valfaris, a 2D run ‘n’ gun heavy metal shooter, announced by publisher Big Sugar.
Warborn, a giant mech strategy game, releases in 2020. Announced in the Kinda Funny Games showcase.
Physical Switch copies planned for Switch: Freedom Planet (June 21), Transistor (July 5), Rogue Legacy (July 19), Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition (July), Bad North (“Q3” 2019), Turok 1 and 2 (“Q3” 2019), Real Myst: Masterpiece Edition (“Q3” 2019), Night in the Woods, Dark Devotion (“Q4” 2019), Blazing Chrome (“Q4” 2019), and Blaster Master Zero (“Q4” 2019). In addition, re-releases of the NES and Game Boy Star Wars games will be re-released physically. Announced in the Limited Run Games showcase.
- The Gardens Between will get a limited time physical release. Announced at the Kinda Funny Games showcase.

Trailers and other videos:

And here are reactions from some of our staff members:

I liked Nintendo’s conference; it was just stuff, games and dates and information. Luigi’s Mansion and Link’s Awakening look great, Animal Crossing even more so. The stream of releases went from the sensible to bizarre (a top-down gangster strategy game might be my “WHYW game,” the real highlight of E3); if there wasn’t a single thing that grabbed me the way Smash and Odyssey and Breath of the Wild did previous years, the batting average of things I thought looked good was probably the highest for any Direct I can remember. I’m pretty much alone in the site in finding Rare a middling company with a wildly inconsistent track record even in their golden age, but Banjo & Kazooie look excellent, maybe because Sakurai’s mostly drawing from their one truly great game (and I certainly can’t not be happy at Smash Bros.’ newest and first western composer Grant Kirkhope’s elation over the characters’ return). The Heroes are less interesting, but I’m into both their bizarre looking moveset and Dragon Quest’s importance to gaming history. And we got a first look at Reggie’s replacement in a nicely silly bit that felt like the early Nintendo Directs. Overall, it was just solid.

Outside of that and with the other conferences, it was still E3. The live audiences were terrible; it was nigh-impossible to hear anyone on the Square stage with the constant shouting – even when it was just people trying to talk about their games, and the Bethesda conference general was pathetic. It was an absurd hubris barely justified by most of what it had, and the audience eating each cheap Elder Scrolls addition up – they literally cheered that an already free-to-play game was still free at the start! Microsoft’s giant stadia still nauseate me (though they had a lot of neat looking indies), while Google’s Stadia is absurdly shortsighted about the logistics of how internet access works. Most of Ubisoft’s show was tremendously bland, and EA’s was almost comical but sadly not quite there. But really, that is what this event is. 2019’s Expo may have not been as bad as Mr. Caffeine shilling Rabbids games on some kind of substance binge or Konami doing any of this, but it also wasn’t nearly as interesting. Bland and often unimaginative, it was often up to the indies to keep the ship afloat. It’d be nice to see more companies go to the Direct-style showcases, but I suppose corporations need to feel special every now and again.

…That was very negative on my part. Let’s instead focus on Link’s Awakening’s art direction:

Nintendo saves E3 2019. It wasn’t bad, except Bethesda, but it was very average and that brought down expectations. But not only did I get both of my Super Smash Bros. Fighters but we got to see a gorgeous looking Animal Crossing, Link’s Awakening and Luigi’s Mansion 3. Astral Chain still looking dope and No More Heroes 3 baby! Finally Breath of the Wild 2 is confirmed. It was obvious and is still a while off but knowing Ganondorf is back is so exciting. Please let there be a bigger story emphasis this time with real dungeons.

And the 3rd party content was also cool. Nice to see Resident Evil 5 come to Switch and Panzer Dragoon is nice, if not a bit slow looking. Contra looks bad but whatever I suppose. The Mana games all look great though. Overall a fantastic Nintendo Direct, although I do wish we saw Retro’s new game (and that at least The Hero was dropping today).

Voyager: We got Banjo & Kazooie, I don’t care about anything else…

I’m not kidding. But there are some stuff that look pretty cool. I was waiting for more information about Daemon X Machina, Link’s Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion, and Animal Crossing, and we even got the reveal of No More Heroes 3, just as AShadowLink predicted and Breath of the Wild 2? Which teased Pre-Calamity Ganon. Now I’ll have to save a lot to not ruin my family with those expenses. Thankfully I pre-ordered the Smash DLC, so now I just want to go to sleep and wake up the day Banjo and Kazooie get released.

Oh man, where do I start? The two new Smash characters look fantastic, and I’m very happy for the fans of the respective series that have been hoping for these characters for so long. They look like a ton of fun and I can’t wait to eventually give them a try! Luigi’s Mansion 3 is definitely one of the highlights. It looks incredible, and I absolutely love how expressive it is. I’ve waited so long for this game and we get it this year! Seeing more of Link’s Awakening is also great, and it has a dungeon creator! That was a pleasant surprise, and I can’t wait to try building my own dungeons. While the E3 direct as a whole was definitely exciting for me, I think my hype maxed out at the end with the announcement of the sequel to Breath of the Wild. It’s practically all I’ve been talking about today since its reveal, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t wait to get more info on it! Overall this E3 Direct was really great, and Nintendo proved to me yet again that they’re great at getting me overly excited.

Liquid: Well…that was surely a Direct. Let’s set aside the obvious bombshell that is Banjo coming back to Nintendo after decades in the grandest, most smashing form possible and mention the other stuff. The big points for me were the Daemon x Machina improvements from the demo, detailed in a video separate from the Direct, and that small but ever so important confirmation that Spyro Reignited is hitting the Switch in september. Not to say the rest was bad; I’m just ambivalent to a lot of it. The BOTW sequel is cool, I guess.

And now I’ll be going back to waiting anxiously for Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled to come out. God, I need that already.

Man, the Switch makes me feel old. But in a totally cool way. Ever since the Switch Presentation in 2017, I noticed a trend. Who knows if it was intentional or not, but what I saw was a big ol’ revival of old franchises coming back together on one console. Back then, the list was comprised of Mario, Sonic, Street Fighter, Puyo Puyo (and) Tetris, and Bomberman. Since then, the list of crusty, dusty game IPs that have been sitting dormant (or just haven’t been doing much) has increased by some. But today, the amount probably tripled. Resident Evil, Spyro, Contra, Secret of Mana, Panzer Dragoon. Hell, even John Romero announced a new game today. It was just back to back to back. Of course I was also just as excited to see newer hits coming our way, too. The Witcher 3 and Dragon Quest XI S being the big ones, but of course we saw some reconfirmations and even some footage of games like Dauntless, Wolfenstein Youngblood, and (the one I’m most excited for) Doom Eternal.

Of course, this isn’t to say Nintendo didn’t have a lot to show off, either. Link’s Awakening looks better and better with each new glimpse we see of the game, and people seem to have really turned their opinions around on the game’s art style. Astral Chain still looks great, and Daemon X Machina getting a September release date was felt quite sudden. And I don’t think there’s anything to be said about the Smash reveals that hasn’t already been said. Amazing. If anything, I was kinda surprised we didn’t see more from Nintendo. At least regarding the current line-up of games we knew was coming. Games like Town and Bayonetta 3 were MIA, Luigi’s Mansion 3 still doesn’t have a release date, and Animal Crossing getting delayed to next year was… well, it wasn’t totally unexpected but wasn’t a great surprise, either. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see in the inevitable September/Fall direct. Otherwise, phenomenal Direct. Perhaps one of the best, ever.