Nintendo Direct reveals new Kirby, Mario Party game, and more

Fans of the Nintendo Switch game console have lots to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. Today the company took the time to showcase a number of upcoming Switch games as part of today’s latest Nintendo Direct virtual event.

Here’s a quick rundown of what was revealed today, which included the latest Kirby game and the surprise reveal of the release date of the upcoming Mario animated movie.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

The latest Kirby will take place in a full 3D world which feels like some kind of post apocalyptic setting with abandoned cars, buildings, and overgrowth everywhere. Plenty of enemies to deal with as well! Kirby’s next chapter arrives in spring 2022.

Mario Movie release date and voice cast revealed

The Mario animated movie, which is being created by the Despicable Me and Minions studio Illumination, now has a release date of December 21, 2022 in theaters. Members of the voice cast were also announced, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong.

Bayonetta 3

The latest trailer showing off gameplay from the long awaited (and we mean long-awaited; it was announced in 2017) third game Sega’s Bayonetta action game series looks terrific. It’s due in 2022.

Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak

This will be a “massive” expansion to the hit Monster Hunter Rise game from Capcom that’s due in the summer of 2022.

Splatoon 3

The arcade shooter is coming back for a third installment. It’s due out in 2022.

Mario Party Superstars

The next big party game from Nintendo will have remakes of boards from previous Mario Party games, and new events, with online support. It’s coming on October 29.

Chocobo GP

This Mario Kart-style racer features characters from Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series and is due sometime in 2022.

Animal Crossing New Horizons

A new free expansion for the popular sim game is coming this fall, and Nintendo will devote an entire Direct event to the expansion in October.

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack

Switch gamers will soon be able to sign up for a new expansion membership plan that will include the ability to play a collection of Nintendo 64 games like Super Mario 64, Starfox, and even many games from the Sega Genesis console system. Pricing and a release date for the new membership plan will be announced later. Also, those same members can purchase Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis controllers for the Switch for $49.99 each.

One of the other new Switch games that were revealed today was a port of BioWare’s classic RPG Star Wars: Knights of the New Republic which is coming to the Switch on November 11. Also Dying Light Stay Human – Cloud Edition is due on February 4, 2022, and will use cloud streaming tech to make the game playable on the Switch.