Only Nintendo would schedule a press conference on 1 April to announce its plans for the coming year without a shred of irony. Fortunately, this means that news of a new Fire Emblem game set for release in 2016 is true; and more importantly, the upcoming wool Yoshi Amiibo is a real thing that will be appearing soon enough.
Yoshi’s Woolly World is a side scrolling adventure for the Wii U; with graphics that make everything look like it was made of wool. It’s being made by the same studio that made Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which is pretty much the same idea. The big news about the game is not the game itself, but the special Yoshi Amiibo being released. Made of wool, it is easily the best Amiibo idea ever.
Aside from that, there will also be a new Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights app which allows Amiibo to unlock classic demos of classic SNES and NES games. It isn’t terrible useful, but it does provide a use for all those Amiibo lying around. This app will be free for download for the Wii U in May.
In the front of real games, the next Fire Emblem has been announced for 2016; despite not having a titles just yet. The Fire Emblem/Shin Megami Tensai crossover game that was announced two years ago is also due next year; despite the development going quiet for a very long time. Fortunately, there is a trailer to keep build excitement for the game.
The Animal Crossing series is also receiving a spinoff in the form of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. Players will take on the role of an interior designer decorating the homes of the various NPCs. The catch here is that Nintendo will be releasing Amiibo cards to go along with the game. These cards have NFC chips embedded and function just like the Amiibo figurines, albeit more portable versions of the figures. These cards will unlock new characters that will visit the homes, and presumable make things harder for the player.
There were a few other announcements also made, mostly concerning more DLC and Mii costumes. Fortunately, Nintendo has made the entire Nintendo Direct keynote available for viewing on Yotube. It isn’t too long, although there doesn’t appear to be much about the highly awaited Project STEAM.
