Japan’s Nintendo Direct Mini featured even more games that the English-language Direct didn’t showcase. Announced the night before it aired, the surprise Direct showcased focused on third-party games partnering with Nintendo, with the biggest announcement being the release date for Shin Megami Tensei V after years of its initial announcement in 2017.
A Nitnendo Direct was rumored to air this month after a supposed leak. While that proved true, the reception to the mini Direct has been less than stellar, with likes and dislikes on Nintendo of America's video nearly equal at the time of writing. The North America Direct only showcased five games, two of which were the aforementioned Shin Megami Tensei V and the HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster. This, along with the fact that a full Nintendo Direct hasn't been released in nearly a year, is an understandable explanation for fans disapproval of the mini Direct.
What's strange is that the English-language Direct left out indie games from the Japanese Nintendo Direct that are being released worldwide, excluding five minutes of footage. The Japanese Direct included the announcement of Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy, the sequel to the JRPG Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout. Also included was Sakuna of Rice and Ruin, a 3d side-scroller platforming adventure that also incorporates farming set to release globally on November 12.
It's noteworthy that the initial announcement for the Nintendo Direct Mini was said to be the "first" partner showcase, implying that more of these Direct Minis will exclusively feature indie and third-party games. It's possible that a drip feed of announcements is due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nintendo also stated that its launch lineup for this year isn't majorly affected by the virus.
For now, there is at least a small comfort in knowing that there are a few more indie games to be released this year than what was presented during the North American Nintendo Direct. It's still a weird couplet of omissions, though, as they would have slightly lengthened such a barebones set of announcements. However, at least there are still games worth getting excited about from July 20th's Nintendo Direct Mini.
Source: Nintendo