My Favourite Switch Games (so far)▲

February 18, 2018

It hasn’t even been a year and the Nintendo Switch has now fully consumed my gaming life. All other gaming machines, whether they be consoles, PC, or my phone, have taken a back seat to the Switch. The pull of a console that can play full games at home and those exact same games on the go is just too strong to ignore. Not only is the console’s portability amazing it’s also a really well done piece of hardware, with a beautiful screen, powerful Joy Cons, and an excellent docking solution. The Switch is easily the best hardware Nintendo has put out since the DS Lite in 2006.

That said though, hardware is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to what makes any gaming platform truly a must have, and the games that have come out for the Switch in the last year have just solidified how amazing this console is. Here’s a list of my favourite games that are available on the Switch as of today.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It’s no secret that in order to make a successful games console it helps to have that one absolute must have, killer title. Halo made the Xbox and Breath of the Wild makes the Switch. I don’t even think I need to be telling you this, with a 97 on Metacritic and multiple awards last year, this game was such a success it’s nuts.

I think what truly made me fall in love with Breath of the Wild was just how different it was from the most recent entries in the franchise. Having played all of the major titles I was fully prepared for another 4-7 dungeon and puzzle adventure with maybe a sidequest here or there and probably some annoying helper/companion to annoy you. But the go anywhere, do anything, non-linear exploration and discovery gameplay that Breath of the Wild delivered kept me playing for well over 100 hours and I bought the DLC immediately just so I could go back for some more. Breath of the wild is so refreshingly different from any past Zelda or even other open world games that I expect it to be influencing games and gaming for years to come.

Snipperclips

Another launch title alongside Zelda and this one came as a welcome surprise. I fully expected Snipperclips to be a throwaway game much like 1-2-Switch was but it wasn’t. What it was instead was a short but great 2 player puzzle game about working together to solve physics based puzzles. The cute charm of the little Snipperclips figures and the nice relaxing nature of a stress free puzzle game makes Snipperclips great.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about paying another $60 for a game I already had purchased. I can understand the full price tag for the port because most Switch owners never owned a WiiU but I do wish Nintendo had found a way to reward their most loyal fans instead of just charging them full price again. That said though, Mario Kart 8 is easily the best entry in the franchise to date and the Deluxe version adds just enough to make it feel refreshed for the switch. I just spent a Saturday playing Mario Kart 8 with a friend and I can tell you I don’t for one second regret the double dip into this great game. Given the inbuilt capability for 2 player gaming on the Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a solid entry in any Switch owner’s library.

Golf Story

A nice relaxing RPG about golfing and following your life’s dreams. Another non-Nintendo title that surprised me last year. I’ve already reviewed Golf Story so I’ll send you over there for my full review.

Has Been Heroes

Has Been Heroes was an odd one but for a certain type of gamer it’s great. With basically no story to speak of the gameplay is what needed to carry Has Been Heroes and it does so very well. With a nice mix of rougelike, RPG, a cool cast of playable characters, and a really innovative combat system Has Been Heroes is a game we don’t get to see too often. I think the game does have too steep a learning curve but despite that I’m now 20 hours in and I barely feel like I’ve scratched the surface of this game.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

If you had told me I would be talking about a Rabbids game on this list last February I would have laughed you out of the room. Yet, here I am to tell you that Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is worthy of your attention. At first blush it may look like a cheap knock off of X-COM and it very well could have been, but it’s really not. Mario + Rabbids does simplify some things from it’s contemporaries but at the same time it manages to streamline and de-stress what can sometimes be a very “micromanagy” and stressful time.¹ Mario + Rabbids has lots of characters to play around with, level up, equip with fun tools, and it also has tons of enemies, maps, and colorful worlds to pit them against. I had a great time with Mario + Rabbids and I’m excited to see where they take this combo in the future.

Super Mario Odyssey

If you were unconvinced that Breath of the Wild is the system seller I say it is then how about another system seller? Mario Odyssey doesn’t feel like the complete revolution for the Mario series that Breath of the Wild was for the Zelda series but more like a refinement of that pure Mario experience we have come to expect from Nintendo. None of the forced camera angles from 3D World, none of the 2D remake stuff from New Super Mario Bros. Just pure 3D platforming fun. Odyssey is Nintendo at its best, again. The addition of Cappy and everything he brings to platforming Mario games is going to make me really sad if he doesn’t come back again for the next title. I think that says a lot because I definitely wasn’t waiting around for F.L.U.D.D. to make a return. With tons of worlds to run around in and maybe, somehow, too many moons to collect, Super Mario Odyssey was an amazing statement of what makes Nintendo and Mario great.

Stardew Valley

Not a Switch exclusive and definitely not a surprise but welcome nonetheless as another title to add to my Switch catalog. It took me a while to pick this one up just because I knew when I did it was going to eat all of my free time, and I was right. So far I have nothing but good things to say about this game; the simple but deep farming gameplay, the cast of characters and the music. It’s all stellar. If you ever wondered where Harvest Moon went, well, it’s right here.