Nintendo Direct September 21, 2025: Information and Reactions

The phrase “full fat Direct” is reasonably popular amongst video game critics. Fans tend to prefer… blunter terms, but the idea is still there. When Nintendo began publishing Nintendo Directs, generally crisp online presentations that dump a lot of news on you, they weren’t too long. You’d get shots of developers and producers, a few trailers, some updates; it was a nice way to spend fifteen to twenty minutes. But ever since the mid-2010s—okay, ever since Nintendo Switch gave them enough material to justify longer shows—we’ve seen shows go up to forty-five minutes in length, and more stuff with trailers and reveals and shadowdrops to boot. These are big and exciting, and while the Nintendo Switch 2 show back in April totally was that, we did really need the kind of big show fans have come to increasingly expect. There were games that desperately needed details, particularly release dates, and other new games, ports, and re-releases that needed to be announced.

At sixty-six minutes in length, today’s show was one of the longest Nintendo Directs ever released. It makes sense. Nintendo’s marketing has been all over the place ever since they began promotion of Nintendo Switch 2, with smaller shows here and there but not something even approaching this scale. Plus, we had a 40th anniversary of the Super Mario games, with an upcoming movie and a bunch of other things that needed to be discussed. Quarters Three and Four of 2025 are already big.

What was here? Well, we’ve got all the news:

For the 40th Anniversary of the Super Mario series (September 13, 1985), Shigeru Miyamoto and Yoshiaki Koizumi started the show with a number of announcements:

Nintendo Museum will have a large art gallery showcasing concept art and illustrations from the series’ history, a temporary change to the museum ticket, in December, a light display.
The third Super Nintendo World Park will open in May in Universal Epic Universe in Orlando, Florida.
Nintendo will be an official supporter of Kyoto Marathon 2026, next February.
After its title was leaked the night before, The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s sequel was announced with a treasure trailer: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Releases April 2026, although no footage from the actual movie was shown.
- According to Illumination President Chris Mellidanri, while the film is primarily inspired by the Super Mario Galaxy games, it’s meant to draw from a wide swath of the broader Mario franchise.
- The cast (alongside directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and composer Brian Tyler) is returning: the regrettable Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kevin Michael Richardson. No news about a single new character or actor, such as the teased Yoshi or a theoretical Rosalina, if any of the Donkey Kong characters are returning, or any story content at all.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, a compilation of the Nintendo Wii masterpieces, was announced for Nintendo Switch as a nice tie-in for the movie. While Super Mario Galaxy had been included in the time-limited Super Mario 3D All-Stars, this is the first time Galaxy 2 has been released since its Wii U Virtual Console port in 2015. Both look very, very good, thanks to improved UI and 4K graphics on Switch 2 (they also have some other stuff, like standardized button and stick control options and an in-game music player for that classic orchestral goodness). Releases October 2, alongside amiibo of Mario and Rosalina.
- This compilation is physical-only, however, as both titles will simply be sold separately on the eShop.
- In one neat touch, Galaxy’s iconic Rosalina’s Storybook has been added to Galaxy 2, alongside new pages for both games. It will also be released as a book—without the new pages. Koizumi directed people to the My Nintendo website for release news, but for you fine people, I can tell you: November 25, at $25 USD.
Mario Tennis Fever, the newest Mario Tennis game, announced as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. Its gimmicks come from rackets that have unique powers, like throwing Mini Mushrooms or creating shadow clones. You activate them with a Fever Gauge. It also includes thirty-eight characters, the highest in series history. Releases February 12, with pre-orders now available.
- New modes include Trials Tower (which have unique effects for each match), and Mix It U (which features Wonder Effects from Super Mario Bros. Wonder).
- Like Mario Tennis Aces, there’s also an Adventure Mode. Mario and the other human characters have been turned into babies and must relearn their tennis skills, because what this franchise needed was Baby Waluigi.
- Other features include a Talking Flower commentator, an online mode divided for casual and competitive players, and Joy-Con 2 motion controls.
Super Mario Wonder: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park announced. It’s multiplayer-focused, with various competitions, cooperative mini-games, and an extensive battle mode. It kinda feels like Mario Party in the Mario Wonder engine, which is interesting. However, it includes “other” content that seems single player-focused. Releases “next Spring.”
- Looking closely at the footage, it seems that Rosalina is now playable in this mode.
An actually speaking Talking Flower toy has been announced for “next spring.” I don’t care what anyone says. I love that this exists. Not that you’d ever see me buy one.
The first Yoshi game since Yoshi’s Crafted World was announced as Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. In keeping with the last few games, it uses an aesthetic that seems to combine scratchy drawings and stop motion animation. Also in keeping with the last few games, it seems painfully sedate and slow. Releases as a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive ‘next spring.”

Image: Nintendo. Normally I would prefer to include a new game and not a port of a 15-year-old game, but, and with all due respect to Mario Tennis Fever, you ain’t Galaxy 2

The rest of the show:

Storm Lancers, an Eighties anime-themed 2D brawler announced earlier this year, releases as a Switch exclusive today!
Dinkum, an Australian survival life sim set in the Australian outback, was announced for Switch after an April release on Steam. It has a blocky aesthetic and . Releases as a timed Switch exclusive November 5, with a demo available today.
Popucom, a multiplayer only co-op shooter, announced after its June release on Steam. It, and I cannot stress this enough, is also a Puyo Puyo-esque match three game where you have to chain your bullets to enemies to make them disappear. Releases “this holiday.”
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream got a short, mild, but still aesthetically strange update. You create a society of Miis living an island life and try to get them to befriend each other. It’s also exceptionally strange, with robotic voice acting and surreal imagery. Releases “spring 2026.”
Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, the compilation release previously announced (that’ll be on Switch and Switch 2), was shown off. Features an interactive documentary and interviews. Releases digitally October 30 and physically December 12.
The Switch 2 port of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade got its release date: January 22. Physical version is Game-Key Card only, sad to say.
- In addition, although it had been heavily implied repeatedly, Square Enix has fully confirmed that alongside Intergrade and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the unnamed conclusion to the Remake Trilogy will also be coming to Switch 2.
Lynked: Banner of the Spark, which released in May on Steam, is a mix of 3D brawler and life sim. Features mouse controls. Releases on Switch and Switch 2 today!
After two years in early access, Hades II finally got its formal release date as a timed console exclusive: September 25. Better get my Silksong review right quick now, huh? It includes the wealth of content, characters, roguelike shenanigans, and, for the Switch 2 version, a 120fps mode.

Image: Nintendo. It’s been a long wait, but those of us who don’t play on Steam can finally die a million times to the Titan of Time.

Kirby Air Riders will be getting Kirby and Bandana Dee amiibo. They work like the amiibo of Super Smash Bros., AI characters who learn from how you play the game. You can actually switch their Rides, which is cute. Releases alongside the game; other Riders amiibo are planned.
In addition, Masahiro Sakurai will be hosting another dedicated Direct in the future.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was shown off. Zonai devices are a feature, GameShare is supported, and a Korok is a character. Releases November 6, with pre-orders now available.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, a remake of the 2000 PS1 classic, announced with a cute art style that complements the Akira Toriyama aesthetics. Releases February 5 in digital and Key Card.
To coincide with a Kirby theme on the smartphone press release app, Nintendo Today! will be getting exclusive Air Riders news.
Virtual Boy, yes, really, is coming to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. It requires an emulator for the notorious eye-straining headset priced at $100, and there’s also a $25 cardboard version. Fourteen games will be released for it over time, but don’t expect more—there were only 22 in total. Releases February 17.
Here’s the full list of games: Virtual Boy Wario Land, Galactic Pinball, Red Alarm, Teleroboxer, Mario’s Tennis, Jack Bros., Vertical Force, Mario Clash, Golf, Virtual Bowling, Insmouse No Yakata, Space Invaders, V-Tetris, and 3D Tetris.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE, whose highly regarded original version released twenty-two years ago, was announced. Releases “early 2026.”
Several games are getting dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. By the by, there’s no consistency with how these are titled:
- Once Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition will feature more on-screen enemies.
- Overcooked! 2: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (not the Overcooked Collection, apparently?) will feature CameraPlay in conjunction with GameChat.
- Stardew Valley: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has mouse controls, 4-player local split-screen, and GameShare.
- Human Fall Flat Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is getting five new levels and mouse controls.
Announced earlier this year for other platforms, Powerwash Simulator 2 is coming to Switch! It’s got, well, more powerwashing (and also extra new stuff for cleaning, and a home base, and a number of towns outside Muckingham, and four-player online co-op, and two-player splitscren)! Releases “fall 2025.”
Suika Game Planet, the sequel to the shocking phenomenon Suika Game, was announced. You combine fruits to cause “super evolution” and garner bonus points. Releases “this winter.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is giving Samus the blatantly Akira-esque bike Vi-O-La, as the game’s setting is apparently far larger than previously assumed. Full-on deserts going on here! She also has an electric whip, fights packs of wolves, and a lot of other stuff that makes this seem like the strangest Metroid release and a big ole’ release. Despite that, very little concrete news about the basic gameplay, the progression, the story, or any other Metroid pillar was revealed, so hopefully this finally gets a dedicated show down the line. Releases December 4.
- Beforehand, a number of Metroid paraphernalia will be released, including the art book Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective and amiibo of Prime 4 Samus, Samus on her bike, and antagonist Sylux.
Donkey Kong Bananza is getting paid DLC! Released today (a demo of the base release is also now available)! It consists of two parts:
- DK Island: A new level based on the Donkey Kong 64 hub. There are plenty of Kongs, and Squawks, and it looks very pretty. You can also get trophies and toys from the other mode to display here.
- Emerald Rush: A roguelike postgame mode where Void Kong sends DK back to various Layers to punch as much emerald ore as he can in a time limit. Hit the quota and move to the next level. You hit Fossils to gain random Perks, and every run resets those powers.
The life simulator Pokémon spinoff Pokémon Pokopia was announced as a collaboration between Game Freak and Koei Tecmo. You play as a Ditto who turns into a human and explores an island of Mons. Ditto can copy abilities from the Mons it meets, letting you use moves like Leafage, Water Gun, and others to build up your island. You know what, Metroid? You’re no longer the weirdest part in this list. Releases sometime in 2026 as a Switch 2 exclusive.

Image: Nintendo. Wow, a Pokémon that isn’t from Gen I? Why, my word!

Pokemon Legends Z-A got an quick update, alongside a short trailer showing off the game’s mechanics. Mega Evolutions of Kalos starters Chestnaught, Delphox, and Greninja were announced (after having been leaked months ago, alongside seemingly every other Mega Evolution and huge chunks of the plot). Pre-orders are now available before its launch.
- It will also have a paid expansion: Mega Dimensions, which is based around Raichu having two Mega Evolutions.
Danganronpa 2 is getting a remake, four years after its Switch port. It’s also getting an additional expansion based around different victims and culprits, and collectively this title is called Danganronpa 2×2. Releases “next year.”
Dynasty Warriors Origins is getting a Switch 2 port. It’s also getting a paid expansion, which was already announced. Releases January 22.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection got its release date: March 13, 2026.
Sizzle reel: Two Point Museum (October 28), Disgaea 7 Complete (October 10), EA Sports FC 26 (September 26), Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (October 30), Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage. (“this winter”), Lego Voyagers (September 15), Little Nightmares III (October 10), Persona 3 Reload (October 23).
Resident Evil Requiem, the Resident Evil 9 announced at Summer Games Fest, is coming to Switch as one of the two “just one more thing” games! FBI Agent (and daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak character) Grace Ashcroft explores the ruins of Raccoon City decades after its bombing. Releases on Switch 2 February 27, day and date with the PS5 and Xbox versions.
- In addition, full releases of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village will release on Switch 2 the same day, and ain’t that just dandy?
- Incidentally, Requiem actually featured footage that hadn’t previously appeared.
Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave announced as the second “one more thing.” Alongside more standard battles, it also seems to build much of its story around a large arena. The gridlike standard of the series is back, along with large monsters, magic, crazy outfits, and… and an adult version of Sothis from Fire Emblem: Three Houses!? Because this is a prequel or sequel or side story to the biggest game in the series!? Releases 2026.
In addition, the Japanese version of the Direct also announced the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, compiling one of the few kingdoms in the Blue Bomber’s empire that had not yet been re-released.

The Direct and choice trailers:

Wolfman’s Soapbox: Okay, so to be open about this, this could’ve literally just been the release date for Hades II and I’d be fine. Fortunately, a lot more of the show was pandering to me specifically. We finally got Super Mario Galaxy 2 on modern hardware again, with the first Galaxy also available outside of a silly timed exclusive. Resident Evil Requiem is launching the same date as the other versions, not coming out months or years later. I’m not at all certain that Pokémon will translate at all to a Minecraft-y life simulator, but it certainly looks as wacky and ridiculous as I want from that franchise’s spinoffs. Sakurai is still working his pitchman magic, so we’ve got more of that to look forward to. While I found Bananza to be a more than complete release, turning the concept into a demented roguelike is beyond inspired. Mario Wonder is playing its single player content close to its chest, but hey; it’s Wonder. It’s probably got some great levels. And while I didn’t need the next Fire Emblem to be a follow-up to my beloved Three Houses, that’s certainly a nice jump into the comfort zone given my, uh, mixed feelings on Fire Emblem Engage.

Image: Nintendo. If this thing has these graphics, Engage‘s levels, and Three Houses‘ writing, it’ll be amazing. Let’s just hope it doesn’t have Three Houses‘ levels and Engage‘s writing, because WOW, is that script horrible.

It’s also nice to just have a good confirmation of what 2026 is gonna look like. A Year 2 with Fire Emblem, Resident Evil, and, uh, Mario Tennis isn’t bad at all. This is what I wanted from more of the Switch 2 show and especially a more standard summer Direct, and it’s great that it can live alongside the reminder that the end of 2025 is just an absolute beast. There are so many damn games, and I’m only gonna have time for so many.

What wasn’t here? A fair few things, at least. I was surprised that Donkey Kong was getting DLC shown off before Mario Kart World; it’s a better game, but World could probably stand to get some more love. Each small snippet of Metroid Prime 4 looks great on its own, but the thing was formally announced in June of 2024, well over a year ago, and we really should have a better idea of what it’s more like overall. While it makes sense to give a lot of room to the Mario Movie, almost none of that was actually spent on news; there were no new characters announced, or actors, or what plot there will actually be (though I am glad we’re getting Kevin Michael Richardson’s stunningly excellent Peter Lorre impression back). And I guess there was a very loopy and overall ungainly structure to the thing that’s hard to quantify. The Mario Anniversary segment needed to be big but went on too long, though it was better than the 35th Anniversary one from forever ago. There were less interesting stuff, though that’s always true.

Overall, this was fun. I do think this should probably be the upper limit of length for these kinds of shows—not that it’s like Summer Games Fest in that regard, thank the lord—but it had a genuine lot of stuff. I wouldn’t call it “something for everyone,” but… Okay, my notes writing this up are almost four whole pages long. Sure, that includes some color commentary, but it’s rare for a Direct to warrant that much time. I dunno if this will go down in the annals of “best Directs ever,” if only because there was a lot of time spent that could’ve been trimmed, but between the March show, the July show, and this show, I think this was definitely the best.

Image: Nintendo. I hope fans don’t sleep on Requiem, or 7 and Village getting proper Nintendo releases either. This has been an amazing decade for Resident Evil.

Well, guess I’ve gotta keep on Silksong‘ing if I have any chance of powering through Hades on launch day, huh? Ooh, and then Kirby, and then Galaxy 2, and I’m sure Metroid will come across more strongly with a dedicated Direct, and…