Nintendo tends to be fairly regimented when it comes to things like Direct presentations. Since Nintendo has started doing Directs, there has almost always been one in the month of February. Over the last few weeks, fans had started to grow more and more excited over the notion that a Direct would occur in February, and their hopes weren't unfounded, as a few reliable leakers stated that a Direct would happen soon.
Well, the leaks were right, Nintendo just announced their first Direct presentation of the year, set to take place February 8, 2022, at 2 p.m. PT/ 5 p.m. ET. In the short Twitter announcement, Nintendo stated that the Direct would "mainly focus" on the Nintendo games releasing during the first half of the year. While there are a few games already slated for release in the first half of 2022, Nintendo's slate looks a little bare right now, leading fans to speculate that Nintendo is going to make some surprise announcements.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
The first Nintendo game on the official schedule, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the mascot's first foray into a full 3D adventure, and looks as though it's going to provide Switch players with another very bright and colorful open-world game. The game's plot seems fairly simple, with Kirby being tasked with saving some Waddle Dees from the Beast Pack across the Forgotten Land.
In a recent trailer, fans got to see a fairly sizeable chunk of gameplay, with a few of Kirby's new copy abilities being showcased, alongside a glimpse at the open-world structure of the game, and the enemies players will be encountering along their journey. The game's co-op mode was also shown off, giving a second player the ability to hop in and assume the role of Bandana Waddle Dee, who uses his spear to attack.
As the player rescues more Waddle Dees, the hub area of Waddle Dee Town increases in size, and more mini-games can be unlocked. These mini-games can be played in solo, or online, with an online leaderboard tracking players' scores. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is set to release March 25, 2022, firmly placing it in the first half of the year.
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
Originally set to release December 3, 2021, before being delayed, Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is a remake of the first two Advance Wars games that originally released on the Game Boy Advance. These turn-based strategy games were classics of the Game Boy era, and hold a place in the hearts of many Nintendo fans.
This remake, being developed by WayForward, is going to change up the gameplay and presentation of its source material a little. Advance Wars Re-Boot Camp is going to use 3D graphics, along with a slightly new and updated art style. The soundtrack of the original two games is also being re-recorded and tweaked slightly.
Aside from these details, not a lot is known about the game. It's unclear whether the game's playable characters will have the abilities from the first game, or the second game, or will feature a hybrid of both. Similarly, it's not even known if the remake is going to combine the original two games, or will choose to keep them as two distinct experiences. Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is slated for release in Spring 2022, making it a likely candidate to be shown during the next Nintendo Direct.
Triangle Strategy
While technically only a Nintendo-published game, Square Enix's Triangle Strategy is releasing exclusively on Switch. Being led by Tomoya Asano, the producer of Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default, Triangle Strategy looks like it's going to be the next big thing for turn-based RPG fans.
Over the last few weeks, fans have gotten to see quite a bit of the game, with character and story trailers dropping once every week or so. These trailers have showcased each of the game's main playable characters, and their place in the world of Triangle Strategy. The game seems to lean heavily into political diplomacy and civil unrest, and wants to emphasize this notion of choice, and accountability.
Triangle Strategy looks like it's going to weave a complex, but engaging narrative that's steeped in political drama and intrigue, making it the perfect video game for any fan of fantasy political dramas like Game of Thrones' earlier seasons. The art style of the game is also pretty eye-catching, taking old SNES 8-bit graphics, and smoothing them out to make pixelated HD models that really stand out. Triangle Strategy is set to release on March 4, 2022.
Nintendo Games With No Confirmed Release Date
The real excitement for this upcoming Nintendo Direct comes from what Nintendo isn't showing players. With Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp being the only fully confirmed Nintendo games releasing in the first half of 2022, it seems likely that the Direct will pull some pretty big surprises out the bag, perhaps confirming some release dates of 2022 Nintendo games that don't have a specific release date yet.
Nintendo has plenty to choose from, as Bayonetta 3, Splatoon 3, and the Breath of the Wild sequel all have a release window of 2022, but don't have a specific release date. If there's one thing you can rely on Nintendo being, it's unpredictable, and that works both ways. While it is fairly likely that fans might get another look at any of these three games, and finally get a release date, it's also just as likely that they won't.
But 40 minutes is quite a long time, and Nintendo Directs tend to be a fairly quick, in-and-out affair. Hopefully tomorrow's Nintendo Direct has a few surprises, and gives fans plenty to look forward to in this first half of the year.
Nintendo's first 2022 Direct will take place on Wednesday, February 9 at 2pm PT/5pm ET.