Today during Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation, the publisher revealed an expansion pass for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which first released back in 2020. The expansion becomes available in just three days on June 18, Nintendo revealed. 

Called "Pulse Of The Ancients," this is the first wave of two expansions planned for Hyrule Warriors, developer Koei Tecmo's musou game set in the Legend of Zelda universe. A brief trailer unveiled during the Direct showed the expected large-scale battles but also provided glimpses at controllable guardians, new weapons, and even Zelda riding a motorcycle – much like the one added in Breath of the Wild. A splash screen after the trailer expanded on the new additions, revealing the expansion would bring an "Apocalyptic" difficulty, new challenges in the Royal Ancient Lab, and new enemies, such as higher-ranking Wizzrobes and a Giant Chuchu.

Check out the new trailer in full below:

To catch up on Hyrule Warriors, make sure to read our review, where we said the game is "far from a revelation, but it is an adequate diversion."

For all the news, trailers, and game reveals from this year's E3, get up-to-speed over at our ever-updating and growing hub page.

For years, gamers have grumbled about the dearth of 2D Metroid experiences on home Nintendo consoles. At times, it has seemed like Nintendo simply isn’t paying attention to how much its players love the classic 2D experience of navigating Samus through a vast interconnected 2D world. But all that is set to change this October, when the newly announced Metroid Dread is set to release.

The surprise announcement was part of today's E3 2021 Nintendo Direct, and we saw an extensive trailer showing off some of Samus’ adventures in this new game, which was also informally introduced as “Metroid 5.”

In the game, a focus appeared to be on Samus’ flight away from a large multipedal robotic nemesis, name E.M.M.I., who chases her through the tunnels and pits of the game world. In addition to an increased focus on the fear element implied by the title, the video showed a number of different moves from Samus, from sliding underneath low overhangs, to melee uppercuts against enemies, a wall-climbing ability, and even a black camouflage that hides her from the robot’s scanners. We also saw a variety of big and scary monsters to fight.

The reveal of Metroid Dread is notable on a number of counts. For several years, Nintendo has seemed reticent to put a brand-new, mainline entry in the series on its flagship home console, but Metroid Dread seems to reverse that trend, bringing us the first brand-new story based in a 2D game in approximately 19 years, and it's being built for the Switch.

Metroid Dread itself, as a title for a sequel, has been rumored for many years. According to a concurrent press release, Metroid Dread "concludes the five-part saga focusing on the strange, interconnected fates of bounty hunter Samus and the Metroids." In short, it's a game title that has been long anticipated, and with a significant legacy behind its arrival. 

Metroid Dread is targeting a release on Switch on October 8. 

At today’s E3 Nintendo Direct presentation, we finally got a release date for Shin Megami Tensei V. On November 12, players can finally catch a collection of demons all over again. Save the world? Doom it to chaos? Create a bold new order of law? If the other Shin Megami Tensei games are any indicator, we’ll have many of the same systems and structures coming back for another go, this time on the Nintendo Switch.

The Shin Megami Tensei series is actually the parent franchise to Persona, which over the years became more popular. Shin Megami Tensei titles eschew the high-school time mechanics and relationship building of Persona and are more about hardcore dungeon crawling. Fans of Persona will recognize aspects similar to the Velvet Room with things like the Cathedral of Shadows, where players can collect, combine, and assemble a perfect demonic composition in order to take on challenging and often unforgiving battles. The difficulty level of Shin Megami Tensei games is often on the top end of JRPGs, which has led to a bit of a notorious reputation. Clever use of buffs, debuffs, and correct demons for the job makes things easier, but you can’t just mash the attack button to get through them in most cases. 

Unlike Persona’s focus on hanging out with friends, dates, and finding your way through drama class, Shin Megami Tensei games often hinge on high-level philosophical and moral quandaries that let the player determine the outcome of a new world. Yeah, that’s pretty deep, but on the surface the games can be likened to a kind of demonic, occult Pokémon of sorts. If you like a lot of the demons in Persona, you’ll find a ton of them here in Shin Megami Tensei as well, from the adorable Jack Frost to… well, other things that ride chariots. I wonder if Mara will make an appearance in Shin Megami Tensei V.

It will be interesting to see if the Persona fervor fostered by the popularity of Persona 5 Royal and Persona V Strikers will carry over to the IP that started it all. I was a fan of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and I enjoy the sheer absurdity and weirdness that radiates from the franchise, it’s quite unlike almost any other game you’re likely to find today. 

Shin Megami Tensei launches on Nintendo Switch on November 12.

Are you going to give Shin Megami Tensei V a try? Do you wish it was coming to other platforms? Are you going to chat with demons to recruit them?  Let us know in the comments!

The Danganronpa series is finally making its way to Switch. Danganronpa Decadence bundles the four games in one neat, twisted package to celebrate the franchise’s 10th anniversary. 

The collection includes the three main games in the Danganronpa series, which are: 

• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition
• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition
• Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition

Decadence also includes the brand-new Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, which is a board-game style title that features many of the same characters engaging in new interactions told through additional cutscenes. 

Nintendo also states that each game in the collection will be sold individually, though it’s unknown when that will happen and how much each game will cost. 

Danganronpa Decadence launches sometime later this year. You can also pick up a physical collector’s edition that includes a special outer box and remixed soundtrack.

What do you think about Danganronpa finally coming to Switch? Let us know in the comments!