Rumors of when Nintendo's next Direct showcase will be is routine among players, and while the latest presentation wasn't the general one many hoped for, it had its fair share of interesting announcements. The Nintendo Direct Mini showed off a slate of upcoming third-party games coming to the Nintendo Switch.
While this Nintendo Direct Mini/Partner Showcase was smaller in scope, fans on Reddit still found some noteworthy reveals, namely some high-profile and highly-anticipated ports. This is especially the case with the Persona series, alongside a surprise appearance for NieR:Automata and Monster Hunter Rise's DLC expansion Sunbreak getting one more spotlight ahead of its release.
Persona 3 Portable, 4 Golden, & 5 Royal Ports
It's been one of the most highly sought-after ports for the Nintendo Switch ever since the original version of Persona 5 was released worldwide, and Atlus finally fulfilled many requests at the latest Direct. Even better than just getting either version of 5, it's been confirmed that Persona 3 Portable, 4 Golden, and 5 Royal will all be on the Switch within the next year or so. Redditor Spy_Fox64 was pleasantly surprised, saying "Wow all those surveys weren't useless. Hope everyone who didn't get a chance to play them before gets to enjoy these great games."
Persona 5 Royal was widely acclaimed as one of the best modern JRPGs, and it's great to see Atlus finally recognize the success of PC and other gaming platforms following the smash-hit re-release of 4 Golden in 2020. The writing was on the wall after these ports were also announced for Xbox earlier this month, but this still bodes especially well since Persona 3 hasn't seen a re-release in any capacity since the PSP days.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Trailer
The Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion has been one of the most highly-anticipated DLC of 2022, and the Nintendo Direct Mini gave it one more trailer spotlight before its release. This latest trailer showed off some of the new and returning monsters from games past, as well as the story premise that this new expansion will revolve around. Redditor FunstuffQC commented, "I'm beyond excited for this. I'm enjoying Rise immensely. I've been playing MH for a very long time (Tri) and while it's definitely not the same game, I really really enjoy the movement and how fast everything is."
Sunbreak looks to lean more into western fantasy for this new kingdom's atmosphere, with the new flagship monster Malzeno being a vampiric-themed dragon taking a page from Dracula. The base game has been praised for streamlining its gameplay even more than World without sacrificing its addictive gameplay loop, and Sunbreak looks to be continuing off that success.
NieR:Automata The End Of YoRHa Edition Port
What started as the middling Drakengard games on the PS2 evolved into the lauded hit that was NieR:Automata during the PS4 and Xbox One generations. NieR:Automata was a widely well-received action RPG for its high-octane brand of combat -- courtesy of Platinum Games -- and game director Yoko Taro's thought-provoking and deeply emotional storytelling.
Redditor Joseki100 had nothing but praise for the game, saying "You can make an argument for it to be the best game of the generation. A true experience. I hope people buy it." Automata took a particularly creative approach to its narrative structure, encouraging players to "replay" the game more than once to get the full story.
Pac-Man World Re-PAC
On a smaller scale but refreshing change of pace, Nintendo revealed that a remake of the PS1 original Pac-Man World is on the way with the subtitle Re-PAC. The 1999 original was well-received for its colorful atmosphere, characters, solid control scheme, and fun platforming gameplay.
Redditor ImAnthlon was pleased by the surprise announcement, saying that the "Pac-Man World remake took me by surprise the most to be honest. I had completely forgotten about that game and I got hit by the nostalgia wave," and "I'm liking the trend of remaking old 3d platformers." Other beloved platforming mascots have been receiving similar treatments, most notably being the well-received Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
Portal: Companion Collection Ports
While Valve is understandably much more known for their Steam PC storefront given how sparse their work in game development is, the publisher's Portal games are still often regarded as some of the best games ever made. The Direct Mini showcased a Portal: Companion Collection launch trailer that announced the release date would be later that same day.
Redditor TheOsttle is a longtime fan and appreciated the ports, saying "I’d love for these to come to other consoles as well. Portal 2 is probably my fave game of all time so I’m down to buy it as many times as I need." Portal and Portal 2 were acclaimed for their creativity in the genres they tackled. Both games struck a smart and engaging balance between a compelling sci-fi story, dark humor, puzzle-solving, platforming, and cooperative play.
Dragon Quest Treasures
Square Enix's Dragon Quest series is another franchise that's seen a welcome rise in international fame since XI was released to critical acclaim in the last console generation and quickly became one of the best RPGs on the Switch. The publisher is looking to expand the series further with spinoffs to complement the mainline games, with Dragon Quest Treasures next up to launch this December.
Redditor Hoshi321 was optimistic over the state of the franchise as a whole, commenting that "DQ Treasures looks great. Great time to be a DQ fan with DQX also coming out this year (JP only) and DQXII probably not too far away either." Dragon Quest: Treasures looks like it'll incorporate elements from other Dragon Quest spinoffs like the monster-collecting of Monsters and the base building and crafting of Builders.
Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher
Though an unexpected announcement, the Japanese Nintendo Direct Mini presentation showed off an exclusive look at Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher. Monster Rancher is a beloved niche series of life-simulation RPGs where players raise monsters with some Pokémon-like battling mechanics.
Redditor ragnakor101 noted this slipped-in reveal, saying "As customary for Nintendo Directs, JP got one additional announcement: A new Monster Rancher. Of Kaiju. Kaiju Monster Rancher. I need it." It seems like a fun natural progression to incorporate giant monsters into the mix, and while it's only set with a Japanese release, the Nintendo Switch is region-free and Bandai Namco confirmed it will create international English-language versions for those willing to import Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher.