After years of rumors, Metroid Prime Remastered is real.
Em fevereiro de 2023, a Nintendo abriu suas portas digitais para revelar um calendário denso e variado para o Switch — um gesto que, mais do que anunciar jogos, reafirmou o papel da empresa como guardiã de franquias que atravessam gerações. Entre surpresas imediatas e promessas para o ano, a apresentação traçou um arco que vai do nosso passado nostálgico ao futuro ainda por explorar, com Zelda como estrela e Metroid como o presente inesperado que ninguém sabia que precisava.
- Metroid Prime Remastered foi lançado no mesmo dia do Direct, encerrando anos de rumores com uma surpresa que chegou sem aviso — disponível imediatamente na eShop.
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dominou o encerramento do evento com gameplay inédito, edição de colecionador e novo amiibo, consolidando-se como o título mais aguardado do ano.
- Pikmin 4, Sea of Stars, Bayonetta Origins e Advance Wars 1+2 formam uma fila de lançamentos que se estende por todo o ano, cada um carregando seu próprio peso de expectativa.
- DLCs de Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Fire Emblem Engage, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe e Splatoon 3 garantem que os jogos já nas mãos dos fãs continuem vivos e em expansão.
- A chegada de títulos de Game Boy e Game Boy Advance ao Switch Online fecha o círculo entre o presente e a memória afetiva de quem cresceu com esses cartuchos.
A Nintendo realizou seu Direct de fevereiro no dia 8, prometendo quarenta minutos de atualizações sobre o Switch. O que se seguiu foi uma sequência de anúncios que mapeou o calendário da empresa ao longo de 2023 — com surpresas que recompensaram tanto os pacientes quanto os céticos.
A maior delas foi Metroid Prime Remastered, confirmado e lançado no mesmo dia na eShop, com cópias físicas previstas para 22 de fevereiro. O remaster traz controles de dois analógicos como padrão, mas preserva a opção do esquema original para quem quiser reviver aquela sensação específica.
Pikmin 4 abriu a apresentação com uma introdução ao seu mundo tranquilo e ao novo companheiro Oatchi, um cachorro capaz de atacar inimigos, remover obstáculos e carregar o jogador pela água. O jogo chega em 21 de julho. Sea of Stars, prelúdio de The Messenger, tem lançamento marcado para 29 de agosto, com demo já disponível. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon explora a juventude da bruxa ao lado do demônio Cheshire, com poderes elementais e chegada prevista para 17 de março.
O evento também foi generoso em expansões: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ganha novo volume de DLC em 15 de fevereiro; Fire Emblem Engage recebe personagens clássicos e um novo capítulo; Mario Kart 8 Deluxe adiciona a pista de Yoshi's Island e Birdo como pilota no outono; e Splatoon 3 promete retorno a Inkopolis com as Squid Sisters e uma segunda onda de conteúdo solo.
No campo do retro, títulos de Game Boy e Game Boy Advance chegaram ao Switch Online — de Tetris e Super Mario Land 2 a Minish Cap e Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga — com suporte a multijogador local e online e filtros visuais da época.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom encerrou o evento como era esperado, com novas imagens de gameplay, edição de colecionador e amiibo do Link, confirmando seu posto como o grande título do ano. Entre relançamentos, DLCs e estreias, o Direct desenhou um 2023 movimentado para os donos do Switch.
Nintendo held its February Direct presentation on the eighth, and the company had been coy about what it would reveal. The promise was straightforward enough: forty minutes of updates focused on Nintendo Switch games arriving in the first half of 2023. What followed was a cascade of announcements—some major, some modest—that mapped out the company's release calendar through the year and beyond.
Metroid Prime Remastered arrived as the event's most stunning surprise. After years of rumors and speculation, the remake was not only confirmed but released immediately on the eShop the same day. Physical copies would follow on February 22nd. The remaster introduces dual-stick controls as the default option, though players who want to experience the original's control scheme can opt for an alternative setup that recreates that particular feel. It was the kind of announcement that rewarded the patient and the skeptical in equal measure.
The Zelda presentation came last, as these things often do. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom received fresh gameplay footage, offering another look at the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild. Nintendo also unveiled a collector's edition and a new Link amiibo, positioning the game as the event's centerpiece even as other franchises received their own moments.
But the Direct was not built on blockbusters alone. Pikmin 4 opened the presentation with a peaceful look at its world and creatures. The game introduces Oatchi, a dog companion who attacks enemies, clears obstacles, and carries the player and Pikmin across water. It launches July 21st. Sea of Stars, a prequel to The Messenger, will arrive August 29th, with a demo available immediately on the eShop. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, a spin-off exploring the witch's early days alongside her demon partner Cheshire, comes March 17th, letting players solve puzzles using elemental powers of wood, stone, water, and fire.
DLC and expansions filled much of the schedule. Xenoblade Chronicles 3's Volume 3 expansion arrives February 15th with a new hero and the Archsage's Gauntlet, a roguelike challenge mode. Fire Emblem Engage's fourth wave of DLC brings characters including Chrom, Robin, and Veronica, plus a new story chapter called Fell Xenologue. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Wave 4 Booster Course Pass, coming in autumn, adds Yoshi's Island as a track and Birdo as a playable character. Splatoon 3's expansion pass will return players to Inkopolis from the original game, with the Squid Sisters returning for special performances in autumn, while a second DLC wave called Side Order hints at new single-player content.
Nintendo also expanded its retro offerings. Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles are now available through Switch Online, with Game Boy games including Tetris, Super Mario Land 2, The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening DX, Metroid II, and Kirby's Dream Land, while Game Boy Advance launches with The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap, Super Mario Advance 4, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Both tiers support local and online play with period-appropriate filters.
Other releases round out the calendar: We Love Katamari receives a remaster arriving June 2nd with new challenges and a photo mode; Samba de Amigo: Party Central, the first game in the series since 2008, dances onto Switch in summer with over forty songs; Omega Strikers, a free-to-play multiplayer game blending soccer and air hockey, launches April 27th; Disney Illusion Island, a platformer starring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald with unique abilities for each character, arrives July 28th; and Advance Wars 1+2: Boot Camp, delayed for years, finally releases April 21st. Octopath Traveler 2 gets a demo today with save transfer to the full game, which launches February 24th.
Citações Notáveis
Nintendo promised approximately 40 minutes of updates focused mainly on Nintendo Switch games arriving in the first semester of 2023.— Nintendo Direct presentation
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Nintendo release Metroid Prime Remastered the same day they announced it? That's unusual.
It's a statement move. They'd been sitting on this remake for years while rumors circulated. Dropping it immediately says: we're done waiting, and so should you. It rewards the people who've been asking for it.
The control options matter, then—the dual-stick and the original scheme.
Exactly. The original Metroid Prime used a lock-on system that felt alien to modern players. Dual-stick is what people expect now. But some players have muscle memory from the GameCube. Nintendo's giving both groups what they need.
Zelda came last. Is that the real story here?
It's the anchor. Everything else—Pikmin, the remasters, the DLC—those are the year's furniture. Zelda is why people tune in. But the Direct works because it's not just one thing. It's breadth.
What strikes you about the retro games on Switch Online?
They're filling a gap. People want to play these games legally and conveniently. Game Boy Advance especially—those games have been locked away. Now they're accessible with online play. That's not trivial.
Does this feel like a strong year for Nintendo?
It's front-loaded. You've got Metroid, Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pikmin all in the first half. The second half thins out. But yes—if you own a Switch, there's something here for you.