The Nintendo Switch released back in March of 2017, bringing along with it the stellar Zelda title ‘Breath of the Wild’. Since it’s release, the Nintendo Switch has been graced with many wonderful games, as well as many bad games. However, we are not here to talk about bad games. We are here to talk about good games! So what five games are, in my opinion, the absolute best titles released on the Nintendo Switch?
5) Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition(Source: Mojang)
Minecraft, just like Skyrim, has been released countless times on every platform imaginable. From the Xbox 360 to the Wii U, to even mobile phones and the Nintendo 3DS… you name it, Minecraft and/or Skyrim have probably been released on it. Besides, it wouldn’t be a “top five” list without Minecraft, right? I mean, come on, it’s MINECRAFT. What’s not to love?
4) Animal Crossing: New Horizons
(Source: Nintendo)
3) Breath of the Wild(Source: Nintendo)
Breath of the Wild released alongside the Nintendo Switch back in 2017, and four years later is still one of the most fun you can have in a Zelda game. Breath of the Wild presented players with a vast open-world, full of secrets to find, trials to overcome, and enemies to slay. Sporting an incredibly unique and beautiful visual style, a subtle, relaxing soundtrack, and intriguing exploration, Breath of the Wild is, without a doubt, one of the best games to ever release on the Switch. (And one of the best Zelda games, for sure!)
2) Octopath Traveler(Source: Square Enix)
Octopath Traveler released in 2018 on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. In Octopath Traveler, you follow one of eight adventurers on their travels. Each character has their own storyline, and each storyline ends intertwined with the other travelers. The combat is good old turn-based goodness, and Octopath seems to draw from the Bravely series mechanic of “Braving” and “Defaulting”, or in this game “Defending” and “Boosting”. These mechanics allow each member of the party to do multiple moves per turn, which if used effectively, can turn the tide of any battle in the parties favor. The game sports a beautiful pixel art style and one of the most incredible soundtracks I’ve heard in any video game in my life. No, seriously. Octopath Traveler is one of the best JRPG’s available, regardless of where you choose to play it.
1) Fire Emblem: Three Houses(Source: Intelligent Systems/Koei Tecmo)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the sixteenth installment in the long-running Fire Emblem series. However, despite being a part of the Fire Emblem series, it is much different than the other games. In previous titles, you usually took control of a Lord of some sort, and the gameplay was rather simple. You had levels of enemies you had to clear out, in a grid, nearly chess-like environment to traverse. It is very complicated to explain how Fire Emblem works gameplay-wise, so here is a photo of what I’m trying to explain. (Source: Intelligent Systems/Koei Tecmo)
In combat, each unit can move a certain amount of spaces per turn. Depending on the class, the number of spaces that the unit is allowed to move may increase or decrease. In terms of general gameplay, Fire Emblem: Three House’s general gameplay comes across as more of a “unit-leveler” and “dating-sim” than “Tactical combat simulation” like the other games. While the tactical combat is still a large part of the game, another large portion is spent ranking up relationships with various other characters, recruiting them to your house, leveling them up, and.. the process repeats. At the end of the game, if you have achieved the maximum rank with a unit the player character (Byleth) is allowed to marry that unit. Although, the game refers to this as “Spend the rest of your life with” and does not outright mention marriage. The game sports beautiful graphics, an intense, wonderful soundtrack, and an unforgettable story filled with unforgettable characters. This is a game that you should not miss if you have a Nintendo Switch!
Despite the fact that the list is over, there are still many good games that have been released on the Switch that I was unable to cover in this article. Below is my list of honorable mentions:
Katana Zero, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Mario Kart 8, Resident Evil 4, Undertale, Super Mario Odyssey, The Alliance Alive, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, Katamari Damacy Reroll, Basically every Final Fantasy Game released on the Switch.
Well, that’s all for now. Do you agree or disagree with my list? Let me know in the comments below!
