Skip to main content

Nintendo shows off summer fun with ‘Splatoon 2’ and ‘Arms’ for Switch, lots of 3DS games

Nintendo Direct 4.12.2017
A Nintendo Direct event on April 12 gave us information on an enormous number of games, including the Switch exclusives Arms and Splatoon. Here is a rundown of everything we saw.

Switch

Arms, an inventive multiplayer boxing game, will arrive to the Nintendo Switch on June 16. The game features a variety of weaponized “arms,” including heavy arms that do additional damage, and the chaotic multishot arms. Each type of arm has an additional special ability that can be activated for a strategic advantage. Each fighter can mix and match two different types of arms in order to customize their attack style. A new “neon yellow” Joy-Con controller and Joy-Con strap add-on that go along with the game will be made available on launch day. A Joy-Con battery pack, which extends the battery life for longer sessions, will also be available on June 16.

Splatoon 2 – Nintendo Direct 4.12.2017

Splatoon 2 arrives to Nintendo Switch the following month, on July 21. The multiplayer shooter will include a new mode called “Salmon Run,” where Inklings gather “power eggs” as they fight off waves of smaller fish creatures, as well as the enormous “Steelhead” boss. Along with the normal eggs, the “freelancers” playing on each map must also gather special golden eggs and transport them to a central location. Three new Amiibo characters will also be released alongside the game, and they can save your favorite in-game outfits for quick swapping if you’re playing at a friend’s house. Original Splatoon Amiibo figures will also be compatible.

In addition to the Nintendo Switch news, Nintendo also revealed a plethora of information on upcoming 3DS games.

3DS

Nintendo’s presentation gave us another look at Hey! Pikmin, a 2D platformer that marks the return of Captain Olimar, who has crash-landed his ship on a mysterious planet, as the series’ protagonist. Available on Nintendo 3DS, the game uses the touchscreen to allow Olimar to easily toss his Pikmin allies at enemies and obstacles. The game will be available on July 28, along with an adorable Pikmin Amiibo figure that will be usable in the game. Nintendo promises more details on its functionality at a later date.

Speaking of Amiibo, have you been waiting on the figures for Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta to arrive for Super Smash Bros.? The wait is almost over. All three arrive on July 21, and each is available in two separate versions.

Culdcept Revolt – Nintendo 3DS Trailer

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, a 3DS remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, arrives on May 19, and will feature both paid and free downloadable content that will offer new maps and explorable dungeons . A season pass that grants buyers access as individual pieces are released will be available alongside the game.

Grezzo’s Koichi Ishii, the creator of the Mana series, stopped by the presentation to talk about his latest 3DS RPG, Ever Oasis. The role-playing game, which features action-oriented combat, clever puzzles, and a story built around “kindness,” arrives to the handheld on June 23. More information on the game will be provided in the “near future.”

Monster Hunter Stories, which originally arrived to 3DS in Japan last year, will arrive in North America this autumn. The spinoff features a brighter, less-realistic art style than the main series of games, and features turn-based battles that bear a resemblance to another monster-focused series available on the 3DS. Also arriving in autumn is Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters, which features new, exclusive quests, a new resort area, and an expanded “Yo-Kai Watch Blasters” mode.

Other 3DS games shown off during the Nintendo Direct event include Culdcept Revolt — a card/board game hybrid arriving August 29 — and RPG Maker Fes, which hits the system on June 27. Miitopia, a customizable role-playing game featuring your friends as characters, will also arrive to 3DS later in 2017.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe – Ready for Launch! - Nintendo 3DS

For Kirby’s 25th anniversary, Nintendo has also produced a couple of games for the 3DS. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe is a Smash Bros.-like cooperative brawler available Wednesday, while Kirby’s Blowout Blast is a 3D action-adventure game that will be available through the eShop this summer. An unannounced Kirby multiplayer game will also hit the 3DS this holiday.

Bye-Bye BoxBoy! is the final chapter of the BoxBoy trilogy, and comes packed with 18 worlds and more than 100 puzzles. It’s out today, and owners of the previous games get special screen filters when they purchase it.

For a full rundown of announcements, including additional Nintendo Switch ports and accessories, check out the Nintendo Direct video at the top of the page.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Nintendo Switch 2: 5 features we want in the next-gen console
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years.  Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was first teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement that would warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we won't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Read more
Nintendo Switch’s weirdest launch game is getting a surprise sequel
Key art for Everybody 1-2-Switch!

Nintendo has quietly announced Everybody 1-2-Switch!, a sequel to one of the oddest launch titles for Nintendo Switch.
1-2-Switch! was a Nintendo Switch launch title that served as a tech demo of sorts for the Joy-Con controllers, with players completing minigames based on direction from actors in live-action clips. It's a very quirky and critically divisive Nintendo Switch game, so it's a bit surprising to see a follow-up. According to the eShop listing for Everybody 1-2-Switch!, this game lets players use their Joy-Cons or smartphones to complete a variety of team-based minigames. And that's about all we've seen or know about this $30 game ahead of its June 30 launch alongside some new pastel Joy-Cons.

Everybody 1-2-Switch!'s announcement was quite unorthodox for Nintendo. It simply tweeted about the game's existence and opened up preorders on the eShop. This all happened with no reveal trailer less than a month before the game's launch. It's unknown why Nintendo's taking this approach instead of including the game in a Nintendo Direct or other major showcase, but a 2022 report from Fanbyte may reveal the answer. According to that report, Everybody 1-2-Switch! tested horribly, and Nintendo worried that the game could "damage the company’s reputation as a great software developer." 
Almost a year after that report, it seems that the game has improved enough to release, or maybe Nintendo is just willing to take the hit after the impressive launch and critical reception of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Either way, this is a weird sequel to a weird Nintendo Switch launch game that's being mutedly marketed so it doesn't elicit much hype. We'll just have to wait and play it for ourselves if we want to know whether Everybody 1-2-Switch! is an enjoyable game or not.
Everybody 1-2-Switch! will be released physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch on June 30.

Read more
As the 3DS eShop closes, devs reflect on a golden age of Nintendo indies
Best Nintendo 3DS games

The 3DS eShop is no longer allowing Nintendo fans to make new game purchases, marking the end of a long era of DS-branded handhelds. Not only that, but it's also sunsetting a vibrant indie community in the process. After helping smaller developers break through with WiiWare and DSiWare, the 3DS eShop was where indies really started to flourish on Nintendo consoles. Multiple games and developers built success stories on the platform, starting series that are still recognized in the eyes of Nintendo fans and stand as some of the 3DS’ most iconic games.

Within a year of the eShop's launch, WayForward's Mighty Switch Force provided one of the system's best 3D experiences, Renegade Kid's Mutant Mudd showed the potential of a platformer where players can hop between the foreground and background, and Hörberg Productions' Gunman Clive provided a short, sweet, and cheap throwback platformer experience with lots of styles. By 2014, Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight had cemented itself as one of the best indie games of all time on the 3DS. Titles like that gave the 3DS a reputation as a haven for smaller developers. a platform where they could break out of a niche and connect with a larger audience.

Read more