June 2023 Nintendo Direct Recap

The June 2023 Nintendo Direct has arrived! Here's a recap of everything you missed:

----------------------------------------------------​

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC

A two part DLC that has players leaving the Paldea region to explore an all new area featuring different kinds of Pokémon. Part 1: The Teal Mask will be available in Fall 2023, while Part 2: The Indigo Disk will arrive in Winter 2023.

Sonic Superstars

A new trailer for Sonic Superstars was shown off. Players will be able to enjoy playing as 4 characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy) as they speed through 12 original zones. Sonic Superstars releases on Switch in Fall.

Palia

A free-to-play adventure game that was previously announced for PC, Palia finds its way onto Nintendo Switch this holiday season.

Persona 5 Tactica

Previously announced for Xbox, the latest entry featuring the Persona 5 cast is officially confirmed for Switch now. This time around, you'll have to fight enemies using terrain-based tactics. Persona 5 Tactica releases on Switch on November 17th, 2023.

MythForce

MythForce is a first-person adventure game with a Saturday morning cartoon feel akin to such shows such as He-Man. The game will surely provide fun for you and your friends when it releases later this year.

Splatoon 3 Splatfest

The next Splatfest was revealed during the Direct. The theme this time is... which flavor of ice cream is best? Vanilla, strawberry, or mint chip? Players will duke it out over these flavors during the Splatfest lasting from July 14th-July 16th. There will also be challenges during the event.

Detective Pikachu Returns

Detective Pikachu has returned for another entry of a fun detective spin on the Pokémon series. The game launches on October 6th, 2023.

Super Mario RPG

A remake of the classic 1996 game of the same name was just announced. Now a new generation of players will be able to traverse the world of the Mushroom Kingdom as they recruit allies such as Mallow and Geno to defeat the evil Smithy. Super Mario RPG releases on November 17th, 2023.

Untitled Princess Peach game

Princess Peach will star as the main character of her own game. No details were given apart from a very brief clip. Whether this is a direct sequel to 2005's Super Princess Peach or something different will be revealed to us later on. The game is estimated to have a 2024 release date.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

The 3DS title Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon will be getting a visually enhanced version for the Switch sometime in 2024.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy

The critically acclaimed games Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight will finally be coming to Switch this Fall.

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven is a grim challenging Tactical RPG with 17 unique mercenaries and over 1000 abilities. The game will release on September 18th, 2023.

Just Dance 2024

It's time to dance to 40 songs in the latest Just Dance entry. From classic hits like Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance with Somebody to more recent songs like Flowers from Miley Cyrus, there's a lot to dance for when this game releases on October 24th. The Switch version of the game will even come with a 1 month free trial to the JustDance+ streaming service. This service includes hundreds of other songs among other benefits.

Silent Hope

Seven Warriors: no words. Explore an abyss with ever-changing dungeons to undo a spell that has left an entire kingdom unable to speak any words.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope DLC 2: The Last Spark Hunter

Available today, the latest DLC has Mario and allies exploring a musical planet where they will meet new friends and foes.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince

The latest entry in the popular Dragon Quest spin-off series. Play as a cursed prince as you explore the demon realm of Nadiria and recruit monsters to help you. Players can even combine them if they wish. Releases on December 1st, 2023.

Pikmin 4 (and 1 + 2)

The highly anticipated Pikmin 4 got an extended trailer showcasing several new features of the game. The biggest standout was the nighttime expeditions where you can use Glow Pikmin. And luckily, there’s a demo available on June 28th, 2023. All of this should help keep players excited until the game's July 21st, 2023 release date.

Additionally, the first two Pikmin games are being ported to Switch. You can download Pikmin 1+ 2 off of the eShop right now. A physical version of the game will be releasing later this September.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

Metal Gear Solid, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty, and MGS 3: Snake Eater finally make their way onto a Nintendo system in this neat collection. Additionally, the NES versions of the original Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge will be included as well. Plenty of bonus content such as artbooks will be included too. Releases on October 24th.

Vampire Survivors

The hit game Vampire Survivors will be coming to Switch. Face an onslaught of monsters that get stronger the longer you survive. Releases on Switch on August 17th.

Headbangers Rhythm Royale

A rhythm-based battle royale featuring lots of catchy tracks and plenty of birds. Releases on October 31st.

Penny's Big Breakaway

From the team behind Sonic Mania comes this acrobatic 3D platformer. Use Penny's yoyo to complete stages and complete time trials. Releases on Switch in early 2024.

Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Edition - Wave 5

The latest Mario Kart 8 DLC news is here! A new bathroom themed course called Squeaky Clean Sprint is included in this wave. And there's more, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek all joined the race as playable characters. The wave 5 DLC releases sometime in summer 2023.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R

A remake of the second Star Ocean game originally released for the PlayStation 1. The remake of this classic PS1 game features 2D pixel characters in beautiful 3D environments. The game releases on November 2nd, 2023.

WarioWare: Move It!

Still craving even more WarioWare fun on Switch even after Get it Together? Well Nintendo has an answer for that in the form of WarioWare: Move It! Complete a variety of hilarious and tricky microgames using the Switch's joycons. The game releases on November 3rd, 2023.

Amiibo figures for TLoZ: Tears of the Kingdom

New amiibo figures for Zelda and Ganondorf will be releasing this holiday.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Ending things off, we got our first look at a brand new 2D Mario game titled Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The game features a ton of extra wacky features, like pushable pipes and an elephant powerup. The game can be played by 4 people at once, and several characters are playable including Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi. The game releases on October 20th, 2023.

That's not even all the games shown either, there were three other games. They are:

• FaeFarm
• Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged
• Manic Mechanics

----------------------------------------------------​

That's all for the Direct recap, hopefully you enjoyed everything! And of course, you can watch the Direct right here if you wish!

Credits:
Writing: Sari
Editing: @Zerp
Thumbnail: @Zerp
Social Media: Sari


Author's Note: What were your favorite things from the Direct? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Quite mixed overall but plenty for me to look forward to

 

I like the direct overall.

The Star Ocean remake and Silent Hope looked interesting to me for single player games.

Like 3D World and NSMB Wii, SMB Wonder looks like a fun co-op platformer.

Squeaky Clean Sprint looks really nice, and Wiggler is a nice surprise to the roster as he doesn’t appear in Tour.

 

I liked the Direct for the most part. I'm thinking about picking up the following:

• Sonic Superstars - I realize that some people have issue with it being a full-price game, but the way I see it, I'm fine with that as long as it's enjoyable. Plus, the four playable characters and co-op will add more to the game.
• Super Mario RPG - one of the first games I remember playing as a kid, so I'm definitely picking this up even if not much has changed between the original and the remaster
• Dragon Quest Monsters - I haven't played a Dragon Quest Monsters game since the Game Boy, and it seems like it's based on Dragon Quest 4, which I'm not familiar with, but I played Dragon Quest 11 to 100% completion as far as the bestiary is concerned, so I feel like I'd have a better appreciation for the various monsters
• Pikmin 4 - this trailer sold me on it. Maybe I'm forgetting some details from past Pikmin games, but the new features and areas that were shown off got me interested.
• Metal Gear Solid 1 - might pick up the full collection depending on the extras (seeing the NES Metal Gear and the extremely non-canonical Snake's Revenge was a surprise), but at the very least, I'm planning to pick up MGS1 - I haven't played the original before, only The Twin Snakes, so I'm interested to see how the original compares.
• Penny's Big Breakaway - I was intrigued by the game even before they mentioned that it was by the developers of Sonic Mania, and I'm up for more indie 3D platformers.
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder - it seems a lot more inventive than the New Super Mario Bros. games.

Admittedly, the last time that I bought a Mario game and a Sonic game in close proximity (with Mario coming out in October and Sonic coming out some time in the fall), it was Super Mario Odyssey and Sonic Forces back in 2017, which is like the platformer equivalent of that "hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby" meme. Still, I'm hoping that the Mario and Sonic games will be closer in terms of quality this time. (ideally, with both of them being high-quality, not both of them being low-quality)

 

We ain’t gonna hear the end of “this is how Geno gets in Smash” for at least three years.

 

super mario-oh rpg it is the only one just for me

also I love the Pikmin stuff and the new 2D Mario game, this has been one of the best Directs imo. The ghostly Glow Pikmin is really cool, green is my favorite color so that makes it even cooler.

 

We ain’t gonna hear the end of “this is how Geno gets in Smash” for at least three years.

only 3?

 

I LOVED this Direct! SMRPG remake made my day, and SMBW takes 2D Mario in a fresh new direction. Both games look so great!

 

only 3?

I'm just assuming that's how long we'll wait until next Smash is out but clearly I'm not thinking ahead enough.

 

At least we did get a sneak peek of the Booster Course Pass's 5th wave, but that upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder game looks to be highly interesting.

 

The wonder game looks like the devs were on something. I like it

 

I've been busy lately at work so I didn't have time to watch the direct until recently, regardless my thoughts.

Super excited about the Super Mario RPG remake, it's great to see how much care and effort they're putting into remastering it.
Super Mario Bros Wonder looks amazing, as one of the most creative 2D Mario's in a very long time. Love the aesthetics, mechanics, playable characters, etc.
Peach game seems intriguing, wish they at least gave us a title though, kind of too little information for now, but looking forward to seeing more.
Pokemon DLC looks great, I enjoyed the base game so looking forward to the expansion.
Pikmin 1 + 2 is great for people that didn't have the opportunity to play the first two, now the entire mainline series is available on Switch.
Pikmin 4 is super hype, been waiting for the game for a long time and excited to check out the new mechanics.

 

For a Direct that I did not know what to expect -- and thus was not expecting too much -- I was pleasantly surprised. Dragon Quest Monsters looks great and I loved how Solo showed up for a cameo. Silent Hope looks like something fun. I was really hoping for some Fantasy Life info (specifically a solid release date), but I was happy with all the other RPG goodness.

Remakes of Pikmin 1 & 2 as well as Super Mario RPG are unexpected and very much welcomed. Perfect reasons to go back and play these titles again. I've never played Star Ocean, so this gives me a new classic to pick up and play. Then there's the Meta Gear collection which just goes and makes the list all that much bigger and better.

Super Mario Wonder looking amazing. I loved everything about it and nothing shown disappointed in the least. I feel like Nintendo is still keeping a lot of surprises under wraps (and I'm not just talking about Metroid Prime 4). Makes me think there are plenty of awesome games they'll be showing off by next year which is really exciting.