The biggest Japanese game announcements of September’s Nintendo Direct Mini

In what is seemingly becoming a monthly tradition, Nintendo have broadcast yet another Direct Mini, showcasing more games in development by third-party studios. Between a couple of new game announcements and more information on existing titles, it was a solid Direct overall. For fans of Japanese gaming, here are the biggest titles shown off during the Direct Mini that you can look forward to in 2021.

Monster Hunter Rise and Stories 2

Kicking off the Direct Mini was a duo of Monster Hunter announcements. After World skipped out on the Switch, Monster Hunter Rise is the series’ return to a Nintendo console. Even with the visual downgrade, it’s easy to see how World has influenced the development of this latest mainline title. Hunters can now grapple around each area freely, and run along walls to traverse cliffs and other obstacles. We only got a see a small selection of monsters and locations that would be appearing in Rise, but it’s looking like a solid portable Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter Rise will launch March 26 2021, alongside a trio of compatible amiibo.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin was the second of Capcom’s reveals, having relatively little info shared in comparison to Rise. It certainly looks pretty, being a big upgrade visually over the previous game. It’s set to release during Summer 2021, so there’s plenty of time for a full reveal later down the line.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny

Having been teased by NIS earlier in the year, Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny was fully revealed during the Direct. The protagonist this time is the Zed, a zombie who’s facing off against a God of Destruction. Seems like an uneven match-up, but by constantly reincarnating, Zed can continue to grow stronger. Even the stat limits have been boosted in Disgaea 6, adding on some extra digits to allow for overkill level caps and damage numbers.

The Western release date is set for Summer 2021. Oddly enough, Disgaea 6 is planned for release on both Switch and PS4 in Japan, but NIS America are only mentioning the former here.

Rune Factory 5

Other than the announcements of Monster Hunter Rise and Stories 2, this was the biggest surprise of the Direct. When Rune Factory 5 was initially revealed, pretty much nothing was shown, so it seemed like we’d have to wait a while for new info. And yet, here we are with a new trailer for the farming RPG.

The trailer gives us a look at both the male and female protagonists, some of the new characters we’ll meet, and the vastly improved visuals. It’s a massive leap over Rune Factory 4, which only used simple character models and low resolution backgrounds. Rune Factory 5 is coming next year, with the Japanese release happening in Spring.

Join The Discussion

Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook

Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!

Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!

Isaac Todd
Spread the love!

Related post

This will close in 0 seconds