The Big List of Nintendo NX Games: October 2016 Update

The calendar will turn over to March 31, 2017 in exactly 176 days, which is the last possible day for Nintendo to release the NX and still hit their planned March 2017 launch date for the console. And if that seems abnormally short, it should, no console in history has ever been released with such a small window of time between its public unveiling and its launch. It’s disappointing that we still don’t know anything about it yet (though yet another executive has hinted at the handheld/console hybrid concept), but it’s kind of exciting as well.

E3. Gamescom. PAX West. Tokyo Game Show. All of them have come and gone with nothing. Even though it was ultimately a bad idea for Sega to drop the Saturn on an unsuspecting public, this information blackout is almost enough to make me hope Nintendo pulls the same trick. And they just might be able to pull it off too, as the latest rumors around the NX say Nintendo performed a trial production run of their upcoming console in preparation for the beginning of full production.

But what about the games? Thankfully, we learned a lot more about the NX’s in-development lineup of games in recent weeks.

Officially Announced

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
When Nintendo pushed the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild out of Fall 2016, they did so by saying the game would launch sometime in 2017, and ever since, fans have worried that it won’t be available as part of the NX’s launch lineup.

But a few weeks ago, Nintendo France updated their official website to add a March 4, 2017 release date for the three Amiibo figures in the Breath of the Wild series. Nintendo France quickly amended the listing, but not before a Reddit user captured a screenshot of the page.

There’s a chance that Nintendo France was using a placeholder date on their website, but it’s equally possible the consolemaker plans to launch the Amiibo figures and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and, by extension, the NX console) on March 4. Each step in this chain requires its own grain of salt, but Nintendo has previously said that the NX will launch in March, so it’s not that far-fetched. Though we also have to consider the possibility this release date only applies to the Amiibo figures. It’s not uncommon for the company to launch Amiibo figures before the game they’re connected to, and Nintendo could be planning to launch Breath of the Wild at a later date.

For now, I guess we’ll all have to be content with a new Breath of the Wild mini-trailer. The latest one focuses on “Cooking.”

Puzzle Box
After previously announcing Tank It!, a “war simulation game” with an “anti-war” message, for the NX, Austrian developer Bplus has also confirmed that they’ll bring Puzzle Box to Nintendo’s next console. Currently available to download through Steam, Puzzle Box asks players to recreate a series of pixel art images using a “paint-by-numbers” control scheme. After rebuilding each level, players will be able to explore them in a grab bag of action-oriented modes including Kubi Mode (a platformer starring a block named Kubi), Claw Mode (a side-scrolling flyer where players have to collect coins using a claw), and Run Mode (an endless runner).

In Development, But Unannounced

Pokemon
It’s almost unthinkable that Nintendo would launch a brand new console without having a Pokemon game in development, but thankfully, Pokemon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara recently confirmed that such a game is officially in the works. The executive also inadvertently lent further credence to the persistent rumor that the NX is a console/handheld hybrid, telling The Wall Street Journal: “The NX is trying to change the concept of what it means to be a home console device or a handheld device.”

We don’t know what form the first Pokemon game for the NX will take just yet, but previous rumors have suggested that it’ll be a new “main series” entry developed by Game Freak. This same rumor also pointed towards a 2017 released date for the game. That’s pure speculation at this point, but it does jive with Nintendo’s desire to rocket out of the gate strong with the NX.

Rumored

Beyond Good & Evil 2
Last week, Michel Ancel teased fans with concept art from a possible prequel to Beyond Good & Evil. and other Ubisoft executives have dropped hints about the followup since its original announcement back in 2008, but this was the first concrete proof that development might soon begin in earnest.

And just a few days ago, Ancel did indeed confirm that Beyond Good & Evil 2 had entered the pre-production phase. The developer didn’t make any specific references to the NX, but there are rumors out there that Nintendo has latched onto Beyond Good & Evil 2 with the same zeal in which they funded the development of Bayonetta 2.

World to the West
Rain Games has hinted that World to the West, an overhead action-adventure game and sequel to Teslagrad, might also be released for Nintendo’s NX next year. The developer has a fairly cozy relationship with Nintendo, and the consolemaker even demoed the Wii U version of their game in the Nintendo booth at PAX West this year. Rain Games has experience working with many different platforms, so it would almost be more of a surprise if World to the West didn’t eventually make its way to the NX.