Nintendo revealed a number of new games on the way for Wii U in a new Nintendo Direct yesterday, as well as additional details about previously-announced titles.
Star Fox Guard: Players set up 12 cameras to find and defeat enemies who are attacking the mining site of Slippy Toad’s uncle, Grippy Toad. The game includes about 100 stages, but players can also create their own stages by editing the placement of enemies and uploading their levels online. The only way to get the physical version of Star Fox Guard is by purchasing the packaged version of Star Fox Zero. The game can also be purchased by itself from Nintendo eShop for $14.99. Customers that purchase the digital version of either Star Fox Zero or Star Fox Guard will receive a $4.99 Nintendo eShop discount toward the other game.
Paper Mario: Color Splash: Prism Island is being drained of its color and it’s up to Paper Mario to stop it! Use Paper Mario’s paint hammer to splash paint on anything it hits and bring the color back to the island in this new action-adventure game. The game will launch later in 2016.
Super Mario Maker: More than 6.2 million courses from players around the world are available for others to play, and now a free March 9 update will add a Super Expert mode to the 100-Mario Challenge. The mode is unlocked after players clear Expert mode. Super Expert Mode dishes out six extremely tough courses. Additionally, 12 new Mystery Mushroom costumes have been added to 100 Mario Challenge. The update also provides level creators with even more tools:
Shake a P Switch to turn it into a key. Shake a Door to turn it into a Key Door. Creators can make enemies hold keys, meaning players can’t advance without defeating mandatory bosses.
Shake a Coin to turn it into a Pink Coin. Players must collect them all to make a key appear.
Shake a Thwomp to turn it into a massive Skewer column from Super Mario World.
Additionally, the Super Mario Maker Bookmark site will see additions such as ranking categories for world records and the number of first clears on courses, inspiring new ways to experience the main game.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: The Wii U version of the game launches on June 24 and includes two events new to the series: Rugby Sevens and Rhythmic Gymnastics Clubs. Every event in the game takes place in locales modeled after the actual venues in Rio.
Splatoon: The hit multiplayer game is getting more updates. An update on March 8 balances some gear abilities to improve some of the lesser-used ones and make them more appealing. Additional tweaks to matchmaking, Ranked Battles and Splatfests aim to improve the overall user experience. Another update arrives in two waves, with the first coming in April. It will adjust some existing weapons and add new weapon set recommendations as “Sheldon’s Picks.”
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Slay monsters—and slay like a pop star—all at the same time, in this brand-new RPG from acclaimed developer Atlus. A sinister force from another dimension has invaded modern-day Tokyo, resulting in a fantastical barrage of style, fashion, music and, of course, danger. So play to your strengths in high-energy turn-based battles, then fuse items to craft powerful weapons and crush your foes. Around every corner you’ll find fan-service—including Fire Emblem references—original songs by Japanese entertainment giant Avex, dungeons themed after the entertainment industry and eye-catching music performances. The one-of-a-kind game launches June 24.
LOST REAVERS: BANDAI NAMCO’s latest free-to-play online co-op action game asks players to team up with other adventurers online to fight zombies and solve puzzles as they search for valuable treasure. As players complete missions, characters will level up, unlock additional skills and increase their in-game funds to acquire new weapons. An open beta version is launching April 14 with the full version coming to Wii U on April 28.