Following a core part of the Nintendo community waiting with bated breath for the “traditional” arrival of a February Nintendo Direct, the Big N finally dropped a new Partner Showcase for February 21.
As the first Nintendo Direct presentation for 2024, it focused primarily on games releasing in the “first half” of the year, clocking in at over 30 announcements spanning a variety of genres.
“The Nintendo Switch has games”
That was a tagline for a marketing promo a few years back, and this latest Partner Showcase confirms that statement is still true. Despite a deluge of rumours suggesting the Switch is set to be replaced seemingly any day now, there are still a number of releases in its calendar, including marquee announcements such as Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, World of Goo 2 and Endless Ocean Luminous, just to name a few.
The latter of those mentioned games are series that haven’t been seen since the Wii days, and now they’re making a grand return with new entries on the Nintendo Switch.
World of Goo 2 sets to bring players back to the weird, wacky universe of Goo; now with there being a variety of Goo types to chain together and solve physics-based puzzles. Its predecessor was a highlight of the WiiWare collection back in the day, and now the series is finally making a comeback with this new entry on May 23.
Endless Ocean Luminous is the new, third entry in a series that was a sleeper hit back on the Nintendo Wii. Just like its predecessors, Luminous invites players to descend into the enchanting depths of the ocean, this time in the fictional Veiled Sea.
Containing over 500 species of marine life, including some extinct and “mythical,” the game’s objective is to find and learn about as many types as possible, all while exploring the ins and outs of the ever-changing landscape of the Veiled Sea. Online play is also a big part of the experience, as up to 30 players can explore the depths together. Endless Ocean Luminous takes a dive on May 2.
Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is an all-new entry in the long-running action puzzle series, and contains a variety of new moves and over 200 levels to conquer. It’s also been outfitted with a robust online mode and a collection of different game modes that will allow up to 16 players to compete against each other. There’s also 4-player local co-op for couch competitions. Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble rolls onto the Switch on June 25.
These are just a few highlights of this month’s Partner Showcase. For the full rundown, the entire showcase is viewable, here.
