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Nintendo’s nostalgia nod
Hey, so as expected, we got a Direct this week! It was a bumper showcase, with plenty of stuff to like I thought.
The main takeaway for me, beyond the obvious joy of seeing that — yes, Ocarina is in fact returning — was just the sheer volume of third-party support. It’s so incredibly strong, and really makes the case for the Switch 2 — especially when Nintendo’s hardware is increasingly looking like the best deal in gaming right now (despite a price hike!).
Back to the Ocarina remake — there’s been so much chatter and discourse this week talking about the look of the game…and well, it’s just far to early to make much of a judgement I reckon. Nintendo, for some reason, opted to mearly tease, rather than give us a good look. A dedicated Zelda Direct along with a first look at the movie feels like an obvious place to share more. We shall see.
Right, there’s just under 30 games landing on the eShop over the next week, including The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales. You’ll find the list below, and there’s a trailer highlight reel here, which also includes a few of the games that have seen a surprise release over the past week.
Alrighty, that’s all from me. Let’s get into issue #487 of Hanafuda Report. Catch you next time!
Cheers,
Chris ✌️🎮 Currently Playing: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (NSO)
▶ Nintendo Direct — June 2026 — A 50-minute presentation, highlighting some stellar third-party support, a closer look at the new Fire Emblem, a new Xenoblade, and the (sadly spoiled) Ocarina remake. I thought this was rock solid. If you’d rather a text round-up VGC have you covered.
Nintendo // YouTube
I didn’t care about the new Star Fox until I found out who’s making it — New York-based Velan Studios, developers of Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, are the team behind the spruced up 64 remake.
Mark Delaney // GameSpot
▶ Ocarina of Time Remake Trailer Analysis — Somehow, Zeltik manages to get 11 minutes of analysis from the teaser trailer. Every possible detail covered with context.
Zeltik // YouTube
A list of weird little guys in Ocarina of Time I want to see in the remake
Rebekah Valentine // Kotaku
Ocarina of Time remake, Call of Duty 4, and more: Nintendo Direct proves the Switch 2 can finally be your only console — He ain’t wrong.
Jordan Minor // PCMag
Nintendo fans don’t know what they want — Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the Celda furore when Wind Waker was first introduced. Well, following a round of ‘hire this man’ discourse Alan asks whether Nintendo fans’ tastes have changed or if they just don’t know what they want.
Alan Wen // GameSpot
▶ It’s 2026 and Nintendo just got fined millions for Joy-Con drift
Hanafuda Report // YouTube
Four years later, we finally got another look at Kingdom Hearts 4 (and it’s coming to Switch 2 at launch) — This was a big surprise after such a long absence, and quiet the get for it be showcased in the Direct first. Although, the actual trailer didn’t look overly exciting to me…
Dom Peppiatt // Eurogamer
Nintendo is playing things too safe
Andrew Webster // The Verge
I don’t know if we need all these remakes, guys
Luke Plunkett // Aftermath
Is our obsession with video game remakes hurting the potential for new ideas? — Not a new piece, but one that seems relevant again after all of those summer announcements.
Jordan Oloman // NME
INTERVIEW Big Walk’s creators reflect on their six-year journey — Big Walk is from Melbourne-based developer House House – the same team behind 2019s hit Untitled Goose Game. It’s arriving on Switch 2 in August.
Ignas Vieversys // GamesIndustry.biz
Video game ratings icons aren’t enough anymore — Whether ESRB, PEGI, or other, Katya claims that “age, as the crux on which the whole system rests, is the ratings’ biggest weakness“.
Katya Ryabova // Crossplay
PREVIEW Alien Isolation 2 feels like exactly what fans want – more of the same
Jordan Middler // VGC
PREVIEW Nintendo Switch owners are still eating good in 2026 thanks to Rhythm Heaven Groove — “I walked out of my hands-on session with a huge smile on my face and, honestly, can one really ask for anything more?”
Dashiell Wood // TechRadar
One year later, Switch 2’s biggest gimmick has failed to make an impact
Giovanni Colantonio // Polygon
INTERVIEW Naoki Hamaguchi on bringing Final Fantasy back to Nintendo — As Brian notes on Bluesky there’s something rather poetic about FFVII being the game “that took the series from Nintendo to PlayStation, and now, nearly 30 years later, the remake of that same game seems intent on bringing Final Fantasy back to Nintendo“.
Brian Shea // Game Informer
REVIEW Tetris: The Grand Master 4 — Absolute Eye — “a fine version of Tetris that is tailored to those who are looking for the highest possible challenge“.
Willem Hilhorst // Nintendo World Report
Nintendo’s Switch 2 pricing strategy keeps getting smarter and smarter
Oli Welsh // Polygon
Mikhail Madnani // RPG Site
By definition, Pokémon TCG is no longer a hobby
Alan Lopez // Nintendo Life
How music brought the new James Bond game to life — Yes, the Switch 2 version ain’t here yet, but this is worth a read for any Bond fan.
Mark Savage // BBC News
Upcoming Releases
⭐️ = One to Watch 📦 = Physical Release 🔑 = Game Key Card 🎮 = Demo Available Tue 16 - The Coma 3: Bloodlines — A shadowy 2D run-and-hide horror adventure.
- Car Guys — Budget online multiplayer 3D racing.
- 2️⃣ Junkster — A 3D comic book style action platformer adventure with a building mechanic.
- ⭐️2️⃣ Demeo X Dungeons and Dragons: Battlemarked — Fantasy tabletop adventure set in the D&D universe with quick turn-based combat.
Wed 17 - Grand Vegas Casino
- ⭐️ #drive Rally — Arcade-inspired rally game set in the 1990s.
- Just. Press. the Button.
- Space Dragons — Classic horizontal shoot ’em up
- Soccer Kid Collection (QUByte Classics) — 2D platformer in which your ball is your weapon.
- Whisper of the House — A cozy game about organizing and decorating.
Thu 18 - P.I.S. File — A budget-friendly point-and-click puzzle. P.I.S is Postal Inspection Service btw.
- Dialoop — A slide-puzzler roguelite.
- ⭐️ R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos — Sci-fi strategy duo.
- Speed Dates Summer Edition — Full motion video dating sim on the beach.
- Egg Console Zodiac PC-8801 — Sci-fi adventure from 1985.
- ⭐️ Parking Garage Rally Circuit — An arcadey driving game where precision and tight controls matter. Cool 90s style presentation.
- ⭐️ Super Scram Kitty — A curious looking blend of rails platformer meets shooter.
- Dungeon Raze — An intense top-down pixel shooter.
- 2️⃣Observer: System Redux — First‑person cyberpunk horror detective story set in 2084. M for mature.
- ⭐️2️⃣ The Last Salvage Squad — A rather rad looking retro sci-fi 2.5D FPS.
- ⭐️2️⃣📦🔑🎮 The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales — A new HD-2D action RPG from Square Enix. (Physical release)
Fri 19 - Offroad Craft Runner 4×4 Simulator
- Alien Cat 2: Retro Collection — 2D action puzzler.
Release dates are for Europe & U.S. markets unless otherwise stated.
Data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores.
Quick Links
- There was a handful of things only shown in the Japanese Nintendo Direct, this video runs through them quickly.
- A publisher has snapped up Bradley the Badger, the new IP from Mario Rabbids creative director Davide Soliani.
- Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster gets a dedicated Switch 2 port next month.
- Ben Starr auditioned for the 007 job in First Light, but was ‘happy’ not to get it.
- The schedule for the new Games Done Quick event at Gamescom has been announced. Includes a few Nintendo classics.
- A new book tells the 40-plus-year history of mega-hit game Tetris.
- Get Adventures of Elliot from Amazon US and you get a double-sided poster.
- ..and finally, to get you in the mood for the Zelda remake, here’s the Kokiri Forest theme, but it’s a rad Ska cover.
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