Nintendo Direct Unveils Metroid Prime 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

The latest Nintendo Direct presentation has revealed a 2025 release window for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, while The Legend of Zelda series welcomes a new installment, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, where Zelda takes on the role of the protagonist, leveraging a novel ability to duplicate objects and enemies. Initially announced at E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4's development was restarted in 2019 under Retro Studios, the original creators of the series. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is set to launch on September 26, 2024, accompanied by a special Hyrule Edition of the Nintendo Switch Lite. Additionally, the first new Mario & Luigi series entry in nine years, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, is scheduled for release on November 7, 2024. Nintendo also showcased Fantasian Neo Dimension, an RPG from Square Enix and the minds of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, previously exclusive to Apple Arcade, now slated for a winter 2024 release. Furthermore, Super Mario Party Jamboree, supporting up to 20 players online, is announced for October 17, 2024. The HD version of Donkey Kong Country Returns, originally on Nintendo Wii, will be available on Switch from January 16, 2025, featuring 80 levels and additional content from the 3DS version. A collection of Marvel vs Capcom arcade games is also coming to Switch this year. Several titles are being added to Nintendo Switch Online, including Zelda: A Link to the Past Four Swords and Metroid Zero Mission, along with mature games for the N64 like Turok and Perfect Dark. Other announcements include the NES Edition of the Nintendo World Championships on July 18, 2024, Ubisoft's Just Dance 2025 Edition in October 2024, and Annapurna Interactive's Stray coming to Switch this winter. Square Enix is remaking Dragon Quest 3, set for November 14, 2024, with the first two installments to follow in 2025. Lastly, Capcom's Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, including a previously Japan-exclusive sequel, is launching on September 6, 2024.