Nintendo announced earlier today that a 50-minute Nintendo Direct is happening tomorrow. It feels like ages since we’ve had a proper Nintendo Direct to look forward to.
They’ve already shared that there will be information focusing on available games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as well as games coming to the Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2021.
Since we don’t know a whole lot of what’s in store for Nintendo during the first half of the year, we decided to take a stab at what we might actually see tomorrow. We don’t expect all of these things to happen, but we think most of them are pretty realistic as individual announcements.
Smash Fighter Predictions
We know for certain that we’ll get information about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tomorrow, and although Nintendo didn’t explicitly say it would be a new fighter, there’s a pretty good chance that’s what will be announced.
So far, the majority of DLC fighters for Ultimate have been in their own Smash Bros. presentation, not in a typical Nintendo Direct style.
Also, there isn’t a generation eight Pokemon in Ultimate so far, and the past few generations have had at least one fighter. Therefore, it’s possible we could see a Pokemon rep announced tomorrow.
Possibilities could include Rillaboom (to complete the trio of starters with Greninja and Incineroar), Urshifu (to promote the Isle of Armor/Crown Tundra DLC), or Toxtricity (who would actually be a genuinely fun fighter).
If it’s not a Pokemon, another possibility could be one who fans have been wishing to be added to Smash for a long time: Crash Bandicoot, whose latest game was just announced for the Switch last week.
Sakurai reminded his Twitter followers to tune in for information, saying “Hoho” twice in his tweet. Could this be some sort of hint?
No matter who the newest fighter is, I suspect we’ll get a short trailer/reveal and then an announcement stating there will be an extended showcase with Sakurai taking place within a week or two.
The Legend of Zelda Announcements
Sunday, Feb. 21 marks the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Some fans were predicting we’d get a special direct dedicated to the series, just like the Super Mario Bros. anniversary direct, but it seems more likely that announcements will appear in this one.
Since it’s a pretty big deal, I’m predicting we’ll get a segment dedicated entirely to Zelda. The direct is going to be about 50 minutes long, so there’s plenty of time for Zelda to get a 10-15 minute chunk of that.
A few months ago we discussed ways that Zelda’s 35th anniversary could top Mario’s. While we don’t expect all of those ideas to come true tomorrow, there are a few that seem more likely than others.
A Zelda collection of some kind seems like the obvious one. Personally, I could see some kind of double-pack, like Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora’s Mask 3D together, or Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD together.
Another possibility is the long-rumored Skyward Sword remaster. It would be a big project to rework the controls to work for the Switch, but this year mark’s the game’s 10 year anniversary, so it’s very possible.
I don’t think we’ll get news on Breath of the Wild’s sequel since this direct seems to be focused on games releasing in the first half of 2021. If they mention it, though, it’ll make a lot of people very happy because there has been no word since it was revealed back in June 2019.
Age of Calamity DLC
Additional Zelda-related content that we could see tomorrow is DLC for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The original Hyrule Warriors received additional updates and DLC, so I’d be surprised if Age of Calamity didn’t receive some too.
This seems like it would be the perfect time to announce it. The game released in November, so most players who bought it at release or received it for Christmas are probably finished with the main story and are ready for new content.
Besides new stages or areas, there are plenty of characters they could add as DLC, including Robbie and Purah, or even other Breath of the Wild characters absent in the game, such as Kass.
I’d also love to see some throwbacks to older characters who weren’t in Breath of the Wild, just like how the original Hyrule Warriors used characters from multiple games. Let’s bring back fan favorites like Midna, Marin, Tingle, Lana, and Linkle.
A bonus side story added as DLC would be a treat as well.
Mario Golf
It’s about time that we got a new Mario Golf game, and the first half of 2021 is the perfect time.
The last Mario Golf released on the 3DS in 2014, so it’s been quite some time. It’s a pretty popular series as far as Mario sports games go, as there have been five of them in the past.
They’ve been developed by Camelot, whose last game was Mario Tennis Aces in 2018. They must be working on something new, and Mario Golf makes so much sense.
The Joy-Con seem to be perfect for a golf game, and besides Golf Story (which is more of an RPG anyway) and What The Golf!, there aren’t really any good golf games on the Switch.
It makes a lot of sense for Mario Golf to be a filler title in late spring or early summer before the bigger games start releasing in the second half of the year, which is why I predict it could be announced tomorrow.
Bravely Default II Trailer
Bravely Default II is releasing on Feb. 26, roughly one week after the direct, so Nintendo won’t pass up the opportunity to do some last-minute advertising for this game.
There have already been a few trailers released for it in the past few months, but I think one last “launch trailer” during the direct is a safe guess as they push for it one more time before it releases.
I’d expect we’ll see new gameplay in this trailer, showing off more footage, possibly additional story details (without giving away too much), and characters.
There’s also a chance Nintendo could reveal some sort of eShop pre-order bonus or promotion for Bravely Default II to get people to buy the game before it releases next week.
Animal Crossing Mario/Year One Update
We already know that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is having a crossover event with Super Mario Bros. in March, but we don’t know any details about it yet.
The latest update video teased that the event is still on schedule to happen in March, so we’re going to need to know information about it pretty soon. There’s a strong possibility we could find out about it in the direct.
In previous Animal Crossing games, there were Mario-themed items such as super mushrooms, pipes, and coins. It wouldn’t be surprising if these items were brought back in New Horizons.
Most New Horizons events have had a special character come to the island plaza to host the celebration, so it would be fun if someone like Mario, Toad, or a Koopa visited.
We’re also approaching the one year anniversary of New Horizons, so I wonder if Nintendo will share any plans of a celebration or update for that.
Updates on High-Profile Indie Games
We’ve had several Indie World Showcase presentations showcasing indie games coming to the Switch, but sometimes they tend to appear in main directs as well.
Notably, Hollow Knight’s sequel Silksong has been absent from previous showcases, so it’s about time we have an update on that. Surely it must be close to releasing, or at the very least a trailer may be ready for us tomorrow.
Other high-profile indie titles that could get trailers and release dates include Sports Story, Cris Tales, Mineko’s Night Market, Axiom Verge 2, and Garden Story. They’re all slated for a 2021 release date, if they haven’t been delayed.
I would imagine these, with the exception of Hollow Knight: Silksong, would be in some sort of quick highlight reel towards the end of the direct to remind us of just how many titles are coming to the Switch this year.
New Game From a Smaller IP
Finally, I think we could see an announcement for a brand new title from one of Nintendo’s smaller IPs that don’t already have a game on the Switch. This would be something in addition to Mario Golf that would be a filler title in the first half of 2021.
Possibilities include a new WarioWare or Rhythm Heaven game. Even though these games aren’t huge projects, they tend to have a decently sized audience, and they have creative mechanics that would translate well to a Switch game.
Star Fox is another possibility, and although it’s bigger than those other two franchises, it hasn’t received a whole lot of love in recent years. The latest game on the Wii U in 2016 didn’t have magnificent sales numbers and fans had mixed reactions to it.
It could be time to see a new entry on the Switch, one that can do the series justice and make it a popular IP once again.
Published: Feb 16, 2021 02:53 pm