Switch 2 third party support fails to convince in new Nintendo Direct

The Partner Showcase for the Nintendo Switch 2 has new footage of Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment and Octopath Traveler 0.

After all the build-up and anticipation, there’s no way to describe the latest Nintendo Direct other than a disappointment. It did feature some new games (one of which had leaked earlier) but nothing of any great significance, while big name titles such as Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake went unmentioned.

What’s taking so long is unclear but it now seems unlikely they’ll be released this year, which leaves the Switch 2’s third party line-up looking relatively underwhelming.

There were some major multiformat releases mentioned, including EA Sports FC 26 and a brief nod to Borderlands 4 but the rumours of Assassin’s Creed Shadows came to nothing and there’s still no sign of any new Xbox games, despite all Microsoft’s promises to support the console.

The Direct was only 25 minutes long and strangely there was no mention of the new game from Nippon Ichi, which was accidentally announced ahead of time by the publisher. So when that’s going to get officially unveiled is now a mystery.

Altogether, it was not a particular convincing showcase for third party support on the Switch 2 and while the new console does seem to be fairing better than the Switch 1, at least in terms of Western publishers, the lack of major support from Japanese companies is both surprising and concerning.

Technically, there was three games from Square Enix but they all look like something that could’ve appeared on the original PlayStation. There’s a good chance they’ll all be good games but they’re clearly quite low budget and from a technical perspective do nothing to prove the Switch 2’s abilities.

Still, here’s an overview of everything that was announced, although in some cases it’s not entirely clear whether they are Nintendo exclusives or not.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

The showcase kicked off with a new entry in a franchise that is going to be of little interest to anyone in the West, and that’s ignoring the recent collapse of interest in Monster Hunter Wilds. The Monster Hunter Stories spin-off series started as a 3DS exclusive – a relatively traditional turn-based role-playing game set in the Monster Hunter universe, with a much greater emphasis on story than the mainline entries. This new sequel is multiformat and due out next year, but with no exact release date.

Once Upon A Katamari

Nintendo Switch

It’s not yet clear if this new Katamari Damacy sequel is multiformat or not, but that’s all that’s been announced so far. Series creator Keita Takahashi has long since left Bandai Namco, but they’ve kept making new games anyway, despite the concept clearly not being that malleable. As the recent remasters proved, the originals are still a lot of fun and while the time travel gimmick for this new one doesn’t sound like it’ll add up to much the thought of online co-op and a brand new soundtrack is certainly appealing. It’ll be out on October 24 but only for the original Switch, with no sign of a Switch 2 specific version.

Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2

Also leaked before the Direct, and rumoured for some time now, this seems to be a Switch exclusive, although that’s slightly surprising as the franchise has no special history with Nintendo formats. It’s a remake of the original tower defence game from 2009 and as the trailer makes obvious (but presumably wasn’t trying to) it still looks almost exactly the same, just in HD. It has new local co-op and competitive modes though, which is always good, and it’ll be out on October 23.

EA Sports FC 26

Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Considering the two companies have never got on well before, EA is proving to be one of the biggest supporters of the Switch 2, especially in terms of Western companies. There was only a brief look at EA Sports FC 26 and NFL Madden 26, but both were implied to be on par with other formats in terms of features – although that won’t necessarily be true of the Switch 1 version. FC 26 is out on September 26, with no delay for the Switch versions. Also from EA, a new Switch 2 version of Apex Legend is arriving on August 5, along with the new season of the free-to-play game.

Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles

PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Although the continued absence of Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a concern, Square Enix did up its support for the Switch 2 considerably in this Direct, with two brand new games and this remake of the PS1 tactical role-playing classic. The new version will be fully voiced, with new difficulty options and other features, even though it looks more or less the same. It’s out on September 30 for all formats.

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment

This was only included on a technicality as while it’s published by Nintendo in the West, and is a spin-off from The Legend Of Zelda, it is published by developer Koei Tecmo in Japan. The new footage, including what seems to be Mineru’s Construct from Tears Of The Kingdom, looked fine but while the previous games were good by Dynasty Warriors spin-off standards this new one is still likely to be very shallow. It’s presence in the showcase was particularly surprising because there was still no confirmation of when it’ll be released, as the promise of ‘winter’ could easily mean January or February next year.

Hela

Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC

Although this seems to be developer Windup Games’ first title this new AA indie game looked quite intriguing. Seeming to take some cues from Pikmin, you play as the mouse familiar of a sick witch, as you gather materials to help her recover. It’s described as involving a ‘cosy journey’, which implies it won’t be terribly difficult, but the four-player co-op seems fun. It’s out sometime next year.

The Adventures Of Elliot: The Millenium Tales

Nintendo Switch 2

So far this seems to be a Switch 2 exclusive and while it looks like another Octopath Traveler game there’s no indication it has any connection to the series, beyond them both using the HD-2D graphics engine. The big difference here is that The Adventures Of Elliot is an action role-player, rather than being turn-based, which brings to mind Secret Of Mana rather than Final Fantasy. Whether it’ll be quite that good remains to be seen but there’s a demo out today and a co-op mode with Elliot’s fairy pal. There’s no release date for the full game though, just sometime next year.

Octopath Traveler 0

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2

This also hasn’t been confirmed for any other formats yet, although there’s a good chance it’ll be ported to them sooner or later, like the first two games. For now though, it seems to be a Switch exclusive and will be out on December 4. It’s not clear exactly what’s going on in terms of the story but ‘restoration’ appears to be a major theme, with what looks like the ability to build and upgrade your own villages. The combat still seems to be turn-based but beyond that it was hard to discern much of what was going on in the trailer.

Other games mentioned in the Direct include Just Dance 2026 Edition, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, Persona 3 Reload (out on October 23), Chillin’ By The Fire (out today), Star Wars Outlaws, Cronos: The New Dawn, Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2, Goodnight Universe, NBA Bounce, Hello Kitty Island Adventure – Wheatflour Wonderland, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge Of The Seven, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, and Borderlands 4.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

Comments