Nintendo Spring Game Releases: 2021 is a Good Year for Gamers

Last week, we were invited to attend an online event with Nintendo, where we were coached through some fun Easter egg crafts while getting scoop on all the upcoming Nintendo Spring game releases for the Nintendo Switch. It was such a fun way to spend an hour with my daughter and to dust off my painting talent…which, to be honest, needs a LOT more dusting off.

Nintendo sent us all a big block of air dry clay, paints, brushes and a fun Nintendo-themed tablecloth — everything we needed to knock out some handmade Easter eggs. We spread it all out on the dining table, joined the Zoom call and got started. My daughter chose to create four eggs based on the Legend of Zelda, and she did a fab job at her portrayal.

Nintendo had a lot of news to share with us. I had clay-covered, grimy fingers from painting while listening, so I’ll share my photos I took from my cell rather than get my Mac all clay-covered and grimy, too. (And while my eggs get an A for effort, the finished product left much to be desired, so I’ll spare you a photo that will make you say ‘bless your heart.’)

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout debuts a little later, coming in the summer of 2021. It looks like something we totally need to have on hand in the event we can finally have a friend gathering…and if not, I want to have a family game night. With all the different levels and challenges, I can see this one being a hit with all of us.

We’ve spent a lot of time with our Miis playing golf in prior iterations, and I am looking forward to this one coming out just in time for the weeks of being stuck inside because it’s just too hot outside to go real golfing. Due out June 25, it is going to be a late Father’s Day gift for the husband here…and then we can all play it.

Speaking of Miis, have you heard that a new game devoted to them is hitting shelves on May 25? This single-player game lets you make virtually anyone into anything you want. (Who doesn’t want to turn their least favorite aunt into the Dark Lord??) Learn skills, go on adventures to the beach or cafe and even engage in combat. There’s no limit to how often you can play this game or what you can do with it.

Then there’s the one everyone’s talking about: Pokemon Snap. Anything Pokemon is a huge hit, and this one’s going to be no exception. Based on the 1999 Pokemon Snap game for the Nintendo 64, this game has you traversing from island to island as part of an ecological survey, photographing Pokemon and building your Pokedex. Blast from the past, right? It also allows you to edit your photos, add stickers and share with friends. I honestly miss the days of roaming the neighborhood to find Pokemon so this is going to bring back some of that excitement without having to leave the house.

This is just a brief overview of Nintendo spring game releases that are going to be available in 2021. If you have a Nintendo Switch, the online membership is so well worth it. On my personal switch, I have the individual plan, but we’ll be upgrading it to the Family Plan in another couple of weeks, when our new game room is complete. We had it built with family gaming in mind, and we want to encourage everything to gather together here. What’s better than doing it around a Nintendo Switch, where we can all take turns challenging each other to our favorite games?

And what’s already come out this year is an impressive list. Which ones of these are your favorites?

The Nintendo Switch has been a blast during the pandemic. It’s given us many laughs, and I’ve spent far too many hours improving my island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons. My favorite time is when the island’s scenery changes, and I may have gotten too excited when it started to snow. (I just wish I had been able to decorate my cabin with a Christmas tree! It’s like the perfect place to live otherwise….but maybe I take it too seriously.)

If you don’t have a Switch, now’s the time! These spring game releases make it a solid investment for the whole family’s enjoyment. Nintendo Switches were hard to get a hold of for a little while there last year, but now they appear to be readily available at many major online and brick-and-mortar retailers. You can find package deals that come with a game or special color joy-cons, the controllers.

We spent part of Easter afternoon playing some classic games on my daughter’s Switch. I learned I am not good at darts, still, nor am I really good at the Nintendo version of Yahtzee. We sure had a lot of fun though, razzing each other and cheering people on. But mainly laughing.

Thanks again, Nintendo, for the fun!