SB Recommends Switch Games

Nintendo's second eighth-generation system — a console/handheld hybrid. It comes with two detachable controllers — ahem, Joy-Cons — that can be used either by one player together, or by two players separately.

• Blaster Master Zero (also on: 3DS)

• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (also on: PC, PS4, XB1)
  • 2501: Remarkably true to what was promised: a Greatest Hits Igavania game with the Konami serial numbers filed off. Not stunningly original, nor likely to win over anyone who doesn’t like the Igavanias enough to play more than one of them, but it truly is just like Uncle Koji used to make with a healthy dose of goofy idiosyncratic charm. Switch version asks you to make some truly disappointing compromises in exchange for portability.

• Collection of Mana
  • 2501: Your first time playing Seiken Densetsu 3 in English, with an actual controller!

• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition
  • 2501: Yes that is actually the full title. It really is the definitive edition of the game, though!

• Golf Story
  • VirtualClint: cute and funny, would recommend

• Into the Breach (also on: PC)
  • 2501: Super meticulously designed turn-based tactics game with a Pacific Rim-esque mech theme. All the variables of these types of games (damage values, map tiles, unit numbers, campaign length) are pared down to the bare minimum, but the result feels anything but “simple”. Very little RNG. You’re tasked with defending civilian infrastructure from attacks and win automatically after surviving so many turns, a defensive gameplay style which significantly alters the flow and feel of battle from similar games. Cool, challenging stuff.

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (also on: Wii U) - forum thread
  • felix: one of the best parts of this game is encountering a confusing new challenge and immediately thinking “I must not have the key for this gate” yet you always do. such an overdue inversion of Zelda.
  • Tony: the game art style and the palette produce great atmosphere, many overworld environments are unforgettable (my favourite being the snow area with the japanese quest); certain fights (Lynels) are furious and epic. Though, the game has so many defects: the weapons breaking at obsessive frequency; the retarded cuscenes involving Zelda; the all-samey shrines, which are a very poor replacement for dungeons. There is a wonderful shrine in one of the DLC, full of traps, which reminded me strongly of the feeling I used to have when being in the dungeons of Ocarina of Time. Most other shrines feel like busywork, or demos for the gravity gun. Finally, there is really too little monster variety (too few assets); and the final battle with Ganon was a total mess.

• Puyo Puyo Tetris

• Romancing SaGa 2 (also on: SFC, PS4, Vita, Android, iOS, Win, Xbone) - forum thread
  • idiot: if it’d had a western snes release back in the day or a timely fan translation it’d be an sb sacred cow, or at least looked upon very fondly by the third of the forum that can still tolerate menu-based battle systems

• Snake Pass (also on: PS4, XBone, Win)

• Snipperclips - Cut it out, together!
  • The_Blueberry_Hill: Especially great when you have a room of people yelling and laughing at each others goofs.

• Splatoon 2

• Super Mario Odyssey - Forum Thread

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• Xenoblade Chronicles 2
  • 2501: Really mixed bag with high highs (gorgeous, huge environments, A+ soundtrack, some catchy combat mechanics) and bottom-scraping lows (character design/writing that succumbs to the most noxious moe/loli tropes, shrill interminable voice acting, a truly glacial first third of the game). It eventually gripped me, but not without massive caveats.

• Switch! - General Switch-related forum thread.