Nintendo Direct Mini 1-11-18 Recap: Switch Gets Dark Souls and More

Nintendo went into 2018 knowing how much its fanbase wanted to see a new Nintendo Direct. And while the company didn't have a full Direct to reveal, it did offer up a mini-version of its video presentation.

This came mostly out of the blue, so many Nintendo fans were caught off-guard by the sudden news blast. So for those who missed it, Shacknews it here to offer a recap, directly to you, in the order revealed.

• The World Ends With You was a cult classic on the Nintendo DS, but received little follow-up from Square Enix aside from a handful of cameos in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. So it was a surprise to see that The World Ends With You -Final Remix- will come to the Nintendo Switch to celebrate the game's tenth anniversary. It's one of Square's more artistic action-RPG efforts and will contain a new story scenario. Look for it to arrive later in 2018.

• Pokken Tournament DX has a couple of DLC batches incoming. The Pokken Tournament Battle Pack will release DLC in two waves, with the first featuring playable Aegislash and support Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu. The second wave will include playable Blastoise and add Mew and Celebi as support characters. New avatar items are also getting tossed in across both waves. Wave 1 will arrive on January 31, while Wave 2 will hit on March 23.

• We got to see some new copy abilities from Kirby Star Allies, including an Artist ability that has Kirby draw up trouble for his enemies and a Spider ability that webs up foes. Friend abilities also allow co-op Kirbys to combine their abilities to create new combinations. Look for Kirby Star Allies to arrive on March 16.
• A pair of demos are up on the Nintendo eShop: Kirby Battle Royale (which is NOT Kirby jumping aboard the Battle Royale craze, it's actually just a name) on the 3DS and Dragon Quest Builders on the Switch. Those are both live today.

• Hyrule Warriors is now making the jump to the Switch and it will feature all of the content from both the Wii U and 3DS versions, including their DLC packs. It'll also toss in new Breath of the Wild outfits. Look for Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition to hit Nintendo Switch this spring.

• Who's ready for tennis? Nintendo Switch is getting its first Mario Tennis game with Mario Tennis Aces. Get some more details on this from Charles' news post. It's coming this spring.

• The Nintendo Switch is getting some more JRPG action with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA. This adventure puts players on an island filled with giant evolved creatures, all roaming the wild and looking to kill you. Players can recruit allies to hunt some of these beasts down, but Ys VIII will also toss in some base-building elements. Look for Ys VIII to hit this summer.

• Did you collect all 999 Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey and want to collect even more? Sorry, this announcement is not that. Instead, it's the announcement of an interesting hide-and-seek online mode called Luigi's Balloon World. Despite how Luigi's dressed, this is not Balloon Fight, but rather a game mode that has characters hide balloons for other players to search out. Because Odyssey's worlds are so big, finding these balloons becomes quite the endeavor. Finding the balloons or hiding your balloon in a hard-to-find place can lead to big coin rewards. A trio of outfits will also debut with the game's next update and they include a Knight Helmet & Armor, a New Donk City Musician Hat & Outfit, and Sunshine Shades & Outfit that should be something cool for Super Mario Sunshine fans. The free Super Mario Odyssey update will arrive in February.

• SNK's leading ladies are taking over in an upcoming fighter for the Switch. SNK HEROINES Tag Team Frenzy is an interesting fighter that only works with a single button, making it sound more like a rhythm fighter. Fighters can also switch between characters and utilize items to get the upper hand before polishing them off with Dream Finish. The game will also feature customization options for every character. Look for SNK HEROINES Tag Team Frenzy to arrive this summer, while ACA NeoGeo Art of Fighting 2 gets a Switch release today on the Nintendo eShop.

• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is geting the King of Swing in an upcoming DLC update. Donkey Kong will join the battle this spring.

• The Nintendo Switch will get one of its first M-rated games with Payday 2, which is also set to include an exclusive character named Joy. Donovan's news post will have more details, but look for Payday 2 to come to Nintendo Switch on February 27.

• There's a corner of EA that has allowed indie games to thrive under its umbrella, which brings us to Fe. This is a 3D adventure that has players exploring a mysterious forest, filled with majestic creatures. The world is illuminated and filled with secrets. Players will get to explore those secrets when Fe hits the Switch on February 16. The game is also slated to come to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

• If the Celeste art style looks familiar, that's because the game comes from Matt Makes Games, the creator of TowerFall. This game follows the journey of Madeline, as she climbs the treacherous Mount Celeste. She comes equipped with an air dash ability, which is useful, because the mountain can be extremely hazardous. Having played some of creator Matt Thorson's Super Mario Maker stages, I'm well aware of how tough a platformer this man can create, so it should be interesting to see how difficult this adventure gets. Fortunately, Assist Mode will be around for those looking to turn the toughness down a notch. Celeste comes to the Switch on January 25. Look for it to also hit PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

• Did you miss the masochism of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze? Well, now it's coming to Nintendo Switch. But Funky Kong is also coming along for the ride and his surfboard gives him several helpful abilities, including floating in mid-air and on spikes. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze arrives on May 4.

• And finally... YOU DIED! Prepare to die all over again in Dark Souls Remastered. Charles' news post has all the details. Dark Souls Remastered comes to Nintendo Switch on May 25.

And there you go, you're all caught up! What are you looking forward to? Join the conversation and let us know in the comments.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?