The More Obscure Parts of the February Nintendo Direct
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Pikmin 4. Metroid Prime Remastered. We all know they’re coming out, and we’re all excited. But what about some of the other games that were announced in last month’s Nintendo Direct? I’ll be taking a look at a few of them, as succinctly as I can manage. Let’s-a go!
The first game addressed after the Pikmin cold open was SEGA’s Samba de Amigo: Party Central, a rhythm game releasing in Summer 2023. It offers a co-op mode and will contain over 40 different songs to play along to. While this isn’t a groundbreaking release and was certainly placed here as a way to ensure most people didn’t need to pay attention to the continuing Direct while they reacted to the Pikmin announcement, it seems like a fun game and one suitable for families to come together and play.
Fashion Dreamer proposes to give the player a chance to live their “new life as an influencer”, complete with plenty of outfits to choose from and other people to impress. Your character will act as a “muse” to other players from around the world with wireless play enabled, and your task will be to set the trends and get the likes that everyone else wants! The graphics are clean and the animations are smooth, both important factors for a game that’s all about how you look.
Moving further forward in the Direct, DECAPOLICE presents a world where law enforcement enter a virtual copy of reality to study mysteries and solve crimes. However, the machinations of a mysterious hacker start messing with the virtual world and threaten to ruin the police force’s operation. This detective RPG has been likened by its developers to the classic Professor Layton series of games — another franchise which was revealed to be returning in this Direct! — and looks like it may also share the vibe of WATCH_DOGS (2014) with the blending of physical and virtual reality in its mechanics.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is less indie than you might expect from the titles I’ve chosen to speak about, but it still looks cool, so I’m covering it anyway. The game mechanic of controlling both Cereza and her demon friend Cheshire at the same time harkens back to nostalgic cornerstones of childhood like Fireboy and Watergirl (what do you mean, you’re meant to play that with a friend?) and provides an interesting strategic challenge to players who are looking for fun and unique play styles in their video game combat experiences.
On the other hand, Disney Illusion Island appears to offer the exact opposite of a unique playstyle. This 2D platformer offers 4 player local co-op, but so does every recent 2D Mario game, and beyond its interesting art style which seems more inspired by the Mouse’s recent TV ventures than any typical video game’s graphics, there’s not much to write home about here. Still, with money like Disney’s behind it, IIllusion Island will undoubtedly be top quality and perfectly fun to play through either alone or with friends. Just don’t expect it to be anything groundbreaking.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a narrative-heavy adventure game with deep-rooted worldbuilding and some serious stakes. You’re tasked with using your precognitive powers to see the branching paths of the future — with that knowledge, you’ll choose a godly patron to side with, and hope they have humanity’s best interests in mind. The similarly divine musical talents of Celeste’s Lena Raine will play you through your attempts to save the world. This one looks like it will be a favourite in the indie gaming community, and I for one can’t wait to see the Doom All Of Humanity% speedruns.
Finally, Sea of Stars promises an RPG with all the beautiful pixelated graphics you could ask for. Playing as a pair of magically gifted siblings, you’ll be able to fight, fish and ffffexplore your way across the ocean and towards the fleshy enemy that only the two of you can destroy with your unique Eclipse Magic. The world looks great, the combat looks solid, and the side activities remind me of so many life simulator games that have come before this one, but what’s life if you can’t microdose on the joys of cooking pretend delicious meals every so often?
And time! If there’s a game you’re excited about from the Direct that I didn’t cover, it’s probably because somebody else did in more detail elsewhere. This was a Direct full of awesome announcements, and I’m so ready to dive into the rest of Nintendo’s 2023!
