Nintendo Direct game announcements you might’ve missed

Nintendo Direct made its return last night, and while you’ve likely heard the biggest announcements by now, there are some that might’ve slipped under your radar.

New games:

• If we're being honest, this should be a bigger announcement, but Professor Layton is getting another entry! Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will be available on Switch. The trailer is nothing more than an announcement, with no gameplay or release date provided, but we're excited nonetheless.
• Fashion Dreamer, a Switch exclusive, will be released in 2023. The player will be able to live out their dream of becoming a fashion designer in the title, with heavy customization and the ability to improve influencers' styles to help their reach grow larger. Many fans have noted that the game appears to be a successor to the Style Savvy and Style Boutique series, generating a lot of excitement from those who have been waiting six years for another entry. You can watch the English reveal trailer here.
• A follow-up to 2012's 3DS life-sim Fantasy Life is in the works. Fantasy Life I The Girl Who Steals Time is set to be released this year, just two days after the services for spin-off Fantasy Life Online were shut down.
• Sea of Stars, a turn-based RPG from Sabotage Studios, will be released on August 29 with a playable demo available now on Nintendo's eShop. According to its Steam store page, the game was "inspired by the classics," and its art style is reminiscent of SNES-era RPGs. It will be available on Switch, PC, Mac, and PlayStation 4/5, and the full trailer can be viewed here.
• A trailer for Disney Illusion Island is up next. Players will be able to control Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, or Donald in the platformer, which also includes four-player couch co-op, an increasingly rare addition. The rather adorable title will be released on July 28.
• After its initial reveal last year, we got a better look at Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, a prequel to the fan-favorite franchise that tells the story of Cereza and her first demon, Cheshire, as they search for Cereza’s mother. PlatinumGames’ trailer for the game can be seen here.
• We managed to get a look at some gameplay for the dark fantasy detective game Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE, from the developers of the Danganronpa series. The game is scheduled for release on June 30, 2023.
• Tron: Identity, a narrative-puzzle game from Bithell Games, is coming to the platform in April. Interestingly, it appears to have a somewhat in-depth choice system when it comes to the story, affecting the outcome of events throughout the game. Check out the game’s trailer here.
• A crime-solving turn-based RPG, DecaPolice, is on the way with a release date of March 17. Developers Level-5 are also behind the Professor Layton series, so this is no stranger to a good detective game.

New expansions and DLC:

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is getting wave 4 of its Booster Pass Course DLC, including Birdo, who is finally making a return to the series after being absent in a playable form since Mario Kart Wii.
• Splatoon 3 is getting an expansion pass, with wave 1 coming this Spring. The first wave includes Inkopolis, the hub world from the original Splatoon, and the second wave will feature a new campaign.
• Fire Emblem Engage has received a trailer for future waves of its expansion pass, with wave 2 now available, featuring new characters Hector, Soren, and Camilla. Chrom, Robin, and Veronica are confirmed for wave 3, and a new story called the Fell Xenologue will be added for wave 4.
• Dead Cells is receiving a DLC called "Return to Castlevania" on March 9. The DLC includes iconic characters from the Castlevania series, including Richtor Belmont, Alucard, Dracula, and Death, with Dracula and Death starring in boss fights against the player. It’s all come full circle with Castlevania being one-half of the inspiration for the Metroidvania genre, to which Dead Cells belongs. The DLC trailer can be found here.
• On February 15, the third "volume" of Xenoblade Chronicles 3's expansion pass will be released. The volume introduces a new hero, Masha, as well as a new challenge mode in which the player must defeat wave after wave of enemies as a single character until they reach the final boss. At the end of the trailer, Nintendo teased Volume 4 which brings back Shulk and Rex, the main characters from Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2. The full trailer and teaser can be seen here.

Re-releases and remasters:

• Cult-classic Gamecube RPGs Baten Kaitos 1 and 2 are both receiving a remaster for the Switch. The games will be sold together as a pair titled Baten Kaitos Ⅰ&Ⅱ HD Remaster, similar to the upcoming Suikoden remasters coming later this year. Baten Kaitos Ⅰ&Ⅱ will release this summer, and the full trailer is available here.
• The remasters of Advance Wars 1 and 2 have finally gotten a new release date and trailer after multiple delays, the latest due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. The remastered Game Boy Advance titles will arrive on April 21 and will feel right at home on the portable console.
• The free-to-play air hockey game Omega Strikers is releasing on Switch on April 27. The game was available on PC in beta form until January 1 and received great reviews for its gameplay and lack of pay-to-win features, so this looks like a good one. The launch trailer can be found here.
• The Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection is launching on the Switch in June and is a remaster of the first three dungeon-crawler titles from the Nintendo DS. It will reportedly be based on the original versions of the games, as opposed to the 3DS remakes.
• On June 2, a remaster of We Love Katamari titled We Love Katamari ReRoll + Royal Reverie will arrive on the Switch and other major platforms. It follows the 2018 remaster of Katamari Damacy, a strange but beloved puzzle game revolving around the main character rolling up objects to create a massive sphere of everyday goods. Check out the trailer here.
• A remaster of Capcom’s DS and iOS puzzle adventure Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective will be released on the Nintendo Switch in Summer 2023. With many heralding it as one of the greatest examples of an underappreciated game, it’s the perfect time to give it a shot.