Can you believe the Switch is 2 years old? March 3rd 2017 changed gaming forever, as people around the world were taking their new Nintendo console with them, gaming wherever they wanted.
Now, as we celebrate the second anniversary of the platform, we took some time to look at the games that meant the most to us and then we ranked them. Some choices were pretty obvious, other ones were a little tougher, but even as we were debating our first list, more games were released that demanded an inclusion. Well you need wait no longer as here are the Top 19 Games for Switch, in 2019.
Harvest Moon might be the grandfather of digital farming, but in the past decade there has been an explosion of games offering their take on it, which makes Stardew Valley even more amazing. Taking the best parts from Harvest Moon, mixing in a whole host of things that players have wanted to see.
The entire game is just utterly compelling, with so much attention paid to the most humble of elements, including all the NPC’s. The ability to work on the farm, mine for ore, romance someone in town and even more social activities helps make this game one you can return to, time and time again.
When your game is classed as part Metroid-vania and is released on a Nintendo platform, then you had best be sure it is good and with Dead Cells, it is. Taking the role of a slime who takes control of a corpse, players fight their way through legions of enemies as they attempt to stop your escape.
The game manages to keep you playing, with just one more run, each time you die and with procedurally-generated levels, there is no limit to how much you can experience, or how in this excellent roguelike action game.
The idea of taking one of the best hits from the DS and bringing it to Switch could have been enough to get most people excited, but Square Enix decided to buck the trend and add more content to an already exceptional title.
Be it the funky characters, catchy tunes or the game’s integration of gameplay into the real life location of Shibuya, there is something about the game that continually draws players in. Having the ultimate experience on Switch, well that just makes things even better.
The most recently released title on this list, Tetris 99 could have easily been a laugh, but Nintendo proved back with Tetris DS that they know the Tetris formula. Being able to target random players, or return fire to those that are targeting you, adds a level of strategy that you never knew Tetris needed.
While the game is simple to understand, taking on 98 other players to be the best is a challenge that is fun to aim for, which is what adds it to our list.
The running joke that Skyrim has been on everything is honestly true, but it had never been truly portable before, until it released on Switch. A world that begs to be explored, with towns, caves, ruins and more, all have things worth looking for.
Being able to take down a dragon on the go, or discover a den of werewolves, whilst over-encumbered and low on wheels of cheese was always fun, but doing it anywhere was a treat. Plus the fact that we also got all the content, makes this the ultimate version of Skyrim. I could say more, but I took an arrow to the knee.
It is indie Advance Wars, oh you wanted more, well take all the parts that you love about the Advance Wars series, but remove some of the bad stuff and add a host more and you get Wargroove.
Not only does the game come packed with a great campaign, it also offers an arcade mode, as well as multiplayer, which even supports Cross-Play, there is a lot to enjoy. But it is not even that, the game not only nails the story and core gameplay, but the addition of a map maker and a campaign maker helps elevate the game even further.
The last time we got a Blizzard game on a Nintendo platform was back on the Nintendo 64, with Starcraft 64 back in the year 2000, it is also the first time many fans of the Big N, got to experience Diablo.
The game has a literal ton of loot to discover, which can keep many players coming back time and time again. Not only does the game come with its main story mode, but also the Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer expansions and the Adventure Mode, which has kept players on other platforms going for 6 years now.
This is the game that when it was leaked, no-one wanted, but when we got our first look at it, everyone had to have it. The idea of taking Mario and mixing in the Rabbids could have been a disaster on its own, but making it a turn based tactics game was sure to destroy it.
But then it released and the praise for it quickly reached astronomical heights, the gameplay was solid and refined, but provided a challenge to those players who sought one. Add in the excellent Donkey Kong DLC and the game is a twisted love letter to the Mushroom Kingdom and we would not have it any other way.
While both games have released on Wii U previously, the lack of systems sold there hurt the game, so it getting a re-release on the Switch proved to be a wonderful decision. Taking control of the umbra witch, in two massive and totally over the top adventures, was nothing but sheer joy inducing.
Couple that with a challenge that, if you let it, could easily sway you to repeating stages for the best score and the Bayonetta games easily provided a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, with a third adventure coming, Switch is truly the home of Bayonetta now.
Be honest, Golf is not a sport that many people find all that thrilling and many golf games offer up the same level of excitement, but Golf Story not only has fun in spades, it also bucks the trend of many sporting games.
The game takes the form of a traditional RPG, but quickly adds more layers to itself, including adding more versions of golf to the line up. With sidequests, minigames and 9-hole courses, there is a lot to discover, plus with a feeling that harkens back to Mario Golf on the GameBoy, this is one game you should not pass on, unless you want to be a double bogey.
Games that are funded via Kickstarter can easily fall into three groups, one of them is the ‘oh my god, this is amazing’ and Hollow Knight easily takes the top spot of that. Taking the best parts of Metroid, but adding a difficulty that would not be out of place in Dark Souls and layering it under some wonderful animation, Hollow Knight is one impressive title.
But it is not all the inspirations alone, that help make this game what it is, there is a charm here, that is hard to deny. Having a system that lets you refill your health, or Masks, whenever you wish, also adds a level of strategy to the game, as you need to decide if you need that health, or the next possible upgrade.
Mario Kart is a series that has evolved with each entry and while the original release of 8 was fun but lacked a few features, the Deluxe version not only corrected the original’s mistakes, but added even more content to an already packed release.
With all the tracks from the first release, including the DLC, plus a completely overhauled battle mode, with 5 original tracks and 3 retro ones, there is enough game here to keep game night happening for months to come. I mean there is a reason that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is second most popular game on Switch, it is just so good.
There is something about games that challenge us and just with a platforming challenge, but also on an emotional level and Celeste managed to do both.
While climbing up the mountain might seem like a simple task, with Madeline’s ability to air dash, discovering when best to use, provides a challenge that is easy to think you can conquer. Combine that with the story, that has Madeline facing off against her darker self, and you get a story that explains it is ok to be afraid, that depression is something that many people deal with, but there is always hope.
When Nintendo first created Splatoon, many people were shocked that Nintendo would craft a shooting game, but when the game showed its reliance on control over kills, people got on board.
Splatoon 2 kicked things up a notch in almost all aspects of the game, the single player content was actually worth experiencing, it even had length this time. The main multiplayer mode, Turf Wars, was as fun as always, but now complemented with Salmon Run, that had you working with players in a horde style mode, that provided a different type of challenge. If that was not enough for you, the constant stream of content, both paid with Octo Expansion and free updates, have helped keep the community alive and fresh.
Being the first Pokemon game on Switch, Let’s Go could have just been more of what we have had on handheld in the past and it would have been ok, but the developers introduced a host of changes, including being able to see wild Pokemon as you explore the world.
But it was not just that small change that made the game, revisiting the original games location, playing with a friend and even interacting with Pokemon Go, all together helped elevate the series. Given that the game was also quite charming and fun to play, was merely icing on the cake.
With Retro taking the vines of Donkey Kong, there were people that were sceptical and with their first effort, it did not help sell many, Tropical Freeze however changed everything. The Switch release not only added Funky Kong, making the game far more open to more players, but put the spotlight back on what is one of the best 2D side-scrollers of all time.
The levels are wonderfully designed, with each having their own music tracks, which help set up the mood, but that is not all. The worlds all have a theme that is easy to overlook, but once you see it, you will go bananas, from a level where fruit is collected, to the final boss battle happening because he dropped his icy pole, made from that fruit, it is all connected. Plus it does not hurt that the game is just fun and challenging to play, that is always good.
Everyone is here! Those three words set the excitement for the game when it was announced at E3 2018 sky high, adding more characters before the game even released and it really made this the Ultimate game.
The core of Smash is still here, picking your favourite fighter and seeing who will win in a battle is great fun, but the game packs in many more modes and options, making it even better. World of Light is the best story/single player mode that the series has ever had and while they had not had many, if there is another game in the series, it will have a very high bar to exceed.
When we got our first look at Super Mario Odyssey, there was no doubt we had no idea how good a game we were going to get, seeing Mario throw his hat to capture a T-Rex at E3 2017, proved that any expectations were wrong already.
The worlds of Odyssey are not only fun and exciting to explore, but each offered a host of things to do and discover and if you combine that with the abilities of Cappy, they beg to be explored. While Mario dress-up might not be your thing, you must also acknowledge that you are wrong and it is a crucial part of the game, as defeating Bowser whilst dressed like a Samurai is beyond amazing and it defines what Odyssey is about, your choice to experience the game your way, something we last got with Super Mario 64.
Honestly, could there be any other title that took top spot? Breath of the Wild was not only an amazing title to launch with the console, it also changed what open world games could be, which is made even more impressive as it was the first time Nintendo really crafted an open world title.
You ask anyone who has played the game and they will all have a different story, something epic that happened to them and only them. With hundreds of hours of game to explore, this is a game that was the talk of the town for weeks and months after its release, something a lot of games, these days, fail to repeat. We’ll be talking about this one forever.
Well, there you go, our picks for the top 19 games on Nintendo Switch, in celebration of the system’s 2nd birthday. How many of these games do you own, or is there any game you think we should have included?
It's Black, Back Again.
If these aren't the coolest graphics...
Loco Motive, MySims: Cozy Bundle, Stray, Nine Souls, Servonauts.