The seventh year of the Switch provided a few great surprises across the year. The biggest release for me would be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It was a return to the Hyrule I loved from Breath of the Wild, now with extra areas in the sky and underground. Sure, the structure was similar to that first game, but that didn’t bother me too much.
Another surprise of the year was Hitman: Blood Money – Reprisal, remastered as part of the IO Interactive 25th anniversary celebrations. It was great to give some classic Hitman a try. Then there was Farming Simulator 23, the next mobile entry of the series on Switch. Despite its restrictions, the core gameplay loop was still intact, and so I played this for longer than I expected.
Speaking of farming games, Fae Farm provided some magical theming that was just lovely to enjoy. Then there was the dinosaur taming of Paleo Pines, which provided a very cute representation of dinosaurs. For platforming fun, the two rivals were once again close to each other with their release dates. Super Mario Bros. Wonder I felt was more worthwhile than Sonic Superstars, though they are both very fun.
In terms of new games to me, I might have played PowerWash Simulator a bit through Game Pass, but it was the Switch where I dedicated the time on it. The ability to play it handheld meant I could clean up the neighbourhood while in bed. A job at a time, I eventually completed all the base game levels. I’m interested in the DLC, but with me now working my way through it in VR, I could be tempted to get it all there.
I was excited about The Precinct, announced during the Future Games Show in July. Having looked it up, the developer had a previous game in the same style. Titled American Fugitive, the top down gameplay was fun. Aiming guns was a bit awkward, but everything else proved to be great. A lot to do here even after completing the story, so I’m very much looking forward to Fallen Tree Games’ next.
Always interested in racing games, Disney Speedstorm was always going to be on my radar. I warmed up to this one quickly, then cooled on it owing to its free-to-play progression systems. As new content started coming for it, I did warm up to it again thanks to free play allowing me to completely ignore any of those free-to-play systems. Some great tracks are within this one, and some good racing mechanics.
There were a few games I’ve played elsewhere that I picked up on the Switch. Two of which are among my favourites of their series. Yes, I enjoy The Force Unleashed. I’ve played this one on quite a few systems, experiencing the various versions of it that were made. The one that made it to Switch is the Wii version, complete with motion controls. Which I refused to use. The game has a great combat system without having to muddle with various motions to work it, after all.
Then there’s LEGO City Undercover. Which, if I wasn’t showing restraint, would be on that top row with my all-time favourites of the year. Why isn’t it? Well… That would make the third time it would end up on that all-time favourites spot. It’s certainly deserved, with a great plot full of comedic pop-culture references tying it all together. Some great characters and puzzles, too. And that finale. Oh, how I love that finale.
TemTem I had played via Steam during its Early Access period, and I did enjoy it. A focus on double battles would do that. When it arrived on the Switch, it took a while before I bought into it. But when I did, I was loving it all over again. Progressing further than I did when playing via Steam, I loved every new area I came across and every new ‘Tem I encountered.
With Red Dead Redemption, it was originally bought for the PS3 close to its release, but I didn’t really do much on it. Just messed around a bit. Then I got it on the Xbox many years later in anticipation of the second game, and barely played it again. Third time the charm on Switch? That was indeed the case, where I was getting invested in the wild west setting. Progressed quite far, too. But then I needed to be rid of it to free up space.
Another racing game of the year was Horizon Chase 2. I never played the first, but was up for some arcade action. As such, I dove right in. And loved every minute of it. Along with getting first in each race, there were things to collect on each track that would also count to progression, so I made it a point to not move on until I had them all. And then stuff such as time trials would see me endlessly try to better myself to grab that highest reward.
A weird one I found in a sale on the eShop, Out of Space is a game where you clean ships of monsters. Literally. Mop in hand, you clean the goop and attack the monsters to knock them out. Then put them in a machine to grind them up and sell them. Meant as a co-op game, the small map is easy to solo. Medium is doable, but I have yet to master a large map. Maybe in time it will be possible.
Suika Game was a surprise hit. A puzzle game where matching fruit turns them into a larger fruit, the goal is to aim for as high a score as possible. Larger fruits provide a larger score, with the ever elusive watermelon bringing a huge amount of points. When playing, it always had that one more go vibe to it, so in a single session I’d usually have three high scores on the daily leaderboard up. And I have yet to get that watermelon.
There are plenty more games I could talk about. The seventh year has many more purchases than any other. So many greats, it was difficult to even finalise a focus for the article. The eighth year of Switch seems light for me, though there’s a few I’ve already got my eye on. The remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is one people praise as the best of the series, so I’m willing to give it a go. Then there’s Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time from Level-5, which was recently dated for October.
A few multi-platform games I’ll likely get on the Switch, with the Star Wars Battlefront: Classic Collection and Little Kitty, Big City being two of them. The largest announcement during the eighth year of Switch is likely to be that of the successor console. Is it going to be revealed this year? I sure hope so, but rumours paint a picture of its release date falling ever further back within 2025.
Images Taken From:
Paleo Pines | Nintendo Switch [Handheld]
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Nintendo Switch [Handheld]
Out of Space: Couch Edition | Nintendo Switch [Handheld]
