It’s ridiculous to think about, but the Nintendo Switch is turning one year old this week. Can you believe it has been a whole year already? It feels like just yesterday that pre-orders went live and we had to choose between grey and neon Joy-Cons. Perhaps you waited a bit after launch to see if this would be the console to bring Nintendo back from the pits of despair they found themselves drowning in due to the Wii U.
Regardless whether you were a day one adopter or a new believer, the Switch is for real and we cannot get enough of the console here at Handsome Phantom. The trips we take to California or Boston for various gaming conventions are now made even sweeter now that we can play games like Mario Kart together on the flight. What a brave new world we live in.
So let’s cut right to it… a console is only as good as the games that inhabit it, and thankfully the Switch has some doozies. So, without further adieu, we bid you our top ten games on the Nintendo Switch year one edition.
10. Bayonetta 2:
Bayonetta 2 is one of the many gems that was given a death sentence on the Wii U. Thankfully, with an announcement made at The Game Awards last year, Reggie made everything right. After the success of last years Nier: Automata, Platinum’s stock has never been higher. Re-releasing this game and the original to the Switch was a no-brainer… which is exactly why it was unexpected. Nintendo in the past would have left it in their backlog to die, but with a new outlook and console times have changed.
Bayonetta 2 is a hack-n-slash adventure game where you fight baddies with your hair. Improving on the first game in every way, Bayonetta has never looked or controlled better than she does here. You will have a blast slashing through waves of angels and demons, dodging enemy attacks that lead to “witch time” moves that will slow down time enabling her to complete puzzles easier, and completing monstrous special moves or torture attacks as they are called here. If you haven’t played this game yet, now is the time.
9. Oxenfree:
Oxenfree was on numerous platforms before eventually found its way to Switch. Night School, developer of the series, calls their game a supernatural mystery graphic adventure… and we think that description nails it. Oxenfree has been named multiple publications’ mobile game or app of the year and adding the Switch controls only enhances the experience.
You control a group of friends who are headed to an island by ferry for an annual bash. The plan is to drink, eat and play games such as truth or dare. After a short time the kids get way more than they bargained for as a trip to the caves on the island leads them on a supernatural adventure that will test not only their friendships but their own mental stability as well. Since the game uses the “walk and talk” game mechanic you have to pay attention at all times or you’ll miss a chance to respond which could lead to making a decision that you didn’t want to make. Oxnfree isn’t an incredibly long game so make sure you see this one to the end because you won’t be disappointed.
8. Puyo Puyo Tetris:
Everyone knows exactly what Tetris is. We’ve all spent countless hours dropping shapes into holes, creating lines that disappear and trying to get the ever elusive four in a row orTetris. Mixing the game with Puyo Puyo was exactly what the franchise needed. There is so much content here for the value price of the game that you can play any way you see fit. You can play Tetris, Puyo Puyo, the single player adventure and even a mode that has you swapping back and forth between both puzzle games. What you do in one has an immediate effect in the other. This is the perfect game to pop in when you are in between shrines in Breathe of the Wild or need a breather from hunting down moons in Mario Odyssey. Of course, just be careful when playing multiplayer because it can get nasty.
7. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley became so much more than creator Eric Barone could have ever imagined. While the game originally was only meant to be a farming sim in the vein of Harvest Moon, in time it became so much more. After playing farming sims his whole life and realizing that as time went on they were becoming less and less enjoyable, Barone sat down to create a game in a few months that he and maybe a few friends could enjoy. What ensued was him giving up the next few years of his life and sanity to create a cultural phenomenon.
While on the surface it’s a farming sim, if you dig in you will find that it is so much more. You inherit a farm and head to the country leaving your noisy desk job behind. Once there you need to clean up the farm, find a way to make crops grow as well as become a staple in the community. Relationships blossom in time and the world is your oyster. You have a day/night cycle to deal with and only have so much energy to complete tasks throughout the day. How you decide to complete tasks is up to you. By the end of 2017, Stardew Valley had sold more than 3.5 million units. Not too shabby for a little game made by one man that was merely expected to be enjoyed by him.
6. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove:
Shovel Knight has managed to find its way onto nearly every platform this side of last generation. When the Switch was announced, so was the ultimate edition of the game. Treasure Trove includes the original game in all of its glory, you also get all three of the other campaigns.
- Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope
- Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
- Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Not only do you get all of these campaigns, you also get to play the campaigns with co op as well. This includes challenge mode, body swap mode and four player battle mode. In your quest to take down the knights of No Quarter, you play as the Shovel Knight- wielder of the Shovel Blade. You will run, jump and attack your enemies in all of the classic 8 bit glory that you miss from your childhood. Like most games on this list, if you haven’t played Shovel Knight yet there is no better way to experience it.
5. SteamWorld Dig 2:
Steamworld Dig 2 may be the most perfect game possible to be played on the Nintendo Switch. The game just feels portable in general. You can pop in and out of gameplay quickly, but the story is still present at every turn. As much exploration as there is in Steamworld Dig 2, there is just as much, if not more, enjoyment in the puzzles that you’ll encounter throughout the world. The environment and enemies are against you, and battling puzzles as you fight them makes for really interesting gameplay. There are also caves, which essentially act as bonus rooms, that are a blast for platforming and a little bit of thinking. If you’re a fan of exploration, digging, platformers, puzzles, or the first Steamworld Dig game, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that you should sleep on buying Steamworld Dig 2. Its unique mechanics and innovative gameplay is a treat you don’t want to miss, especially on the Switch!
4. Splatoon 2:
Splatoon 2 is the direct sequel to the criminally underrated Splatoon on the Wii U. Having outsold the Wii U in the first year, the Switch will be the platform on which many of last generation’s games will be enjoyed. Splatoon 2 includes the multiplayer that made the original so enjoyable while adding a deep single player campaign and a horde mode known as Salmon Run. The premise is simple- cover as much of the real estate with paint as you can, splatting the other team along the way. Score isn’t racked up by how many splats you have, rather by how much of the turf you have covered in your teams color. With more weapons and fashion combos than you could ever imagine there are ways to make this simple idea fresh round after round. The short match times make it an easy game to jump in for a brief play or marathon for hours and hours . There is no wrong way to play Splatoon 2. This is by far the best new IP that Nintendo has delivered in quite some time.
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe:
The last of the Wii U cast-offs on this list is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The deluxe part of the title just means that you now get all of the DLC from the Wii U version included with the game. This is the complete package. No further DLC will be released so this has every character, kart and track together in one place. The Switch’s portability has taken the console quality Mario Kart experience and mobilized it. you can now enjoy the fast paced racing with friends while traveling on an airplane, sitting in an Uber or really anywhere else. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was recently named racing game of the year at the DICE awards and that is no small feat.
2. Super Mario Odyssey:
Super Mario Odyssey, for all practical purposes, is the heir apparent and spiritual successor of Mario 64. Never satisfied with repeating the same experience over and over again, Nintendo has taken nearly 20 years to make a game in the same vein as their mascots marvel on the Nintendo 64. While few of the Mario titles ever disappoint, it is safe to say that countless fans of Nintendo have been anxiously awaiting this return. With the new mechanics surrounding Cappy, you now have a friend to join you on your quest. Mario games need no introduction and any fan of the series must play this game. The only reason that it isn’t number one on the list is because it had the “bad” luck of coming out in the same year as the nearly unanimous game of the year.
1. The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild:
Let’s be honest, is anyone even surprised at this pick by now? Breath of the Wild has won game of the year for 2017 pretty much everywhere. This is an incredible honor in a year that was packed full of so many great games and experiences. Ditching the usual Zelda format they opted for an open world experiences and perfected it in every way. See something on the horizon? You can get there. Want to climb to the top of that mountain? No problem! Unless of course it’s raining, in which case you’ll have to wait it out. Breath of the Wild has everything you love about Zelda games….plus dragons. How you accomplish everything is completely up to you. The story is simplistic, yet it works here. You were a great warrior and you’ve been asleep for 100 years. Zelda has taken it upon herself to keep Gannon at bay until you return. At any point in time you can storm the castle and fight him. Your time is spent exploring the world and preparing for that battle by regaining your strengths and abilities. If you could only play one game on the Switch since it launched look no further than Breath of the Wild.
When you step back and take a good hard look at this list of games any console would be lucky to have this be a top ten list at the end of their console’s life cycle. This is just the first year for the Switch. Imagine what this list will look like in another five years. What a time to be alive.
