A Year of Nintendo Switch Games
Nintendo’s new flagship console had a fantastic year. Here is my experience with it
I got a Nintendo Switch in late April this year, becoming one of the many who got caught up in the massive hype train surrounding this new console. At least half of the reason that I wanted a Switch was to play Breath of the Wild, and this graph demonstrates that I spent a great deal of time with this title. The Switch is somewhat surprisingly filled with many other great games, several of which are also represented here. As the year comes to an end, I’ve decided to present a breakdown of how much time I have spent with each game and which games out of this bunch are my favorites.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
It’s difficult to decide where to start when describing Breath of the Wild. Should I start with the beautiful art style, the majestic open world, or the sheer amount of options that confronts players when they emerge into the opening area? Publication after publication is anointing Breath of the Wild as the best of 2017, and it’s hard to argue with this assessment. It’s a fantastic game from almost any angle.
It was also my introduction to the Zelda franchise. Besides a few rounds of Mario Kart at various houses of friends and family, I had little to no experience with any Nintendo franchise. I know I’m missing out on decades of fantastic games (something I hope to remedy), but I think this game was a pretty decent starting point for someone like myself.
The game’s second DLC pack gave me a reason to jump back into the world of Hyrule, and it may be a while before I leave. I also want to try a play-through on “Master Mode,” which I’ve heard turns the game into a fundamentally different experience. The DLC reminds me of what I discovered in April, though: this is a fantastic game worthy of inordinate amounts of time. It easily ranks as my most-played game, and I don’t think I’m even close to being done.
Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2 lands at second on this list for two reasons: the first is that it released in July when I still had loads of free time, and the second is that it’s a compelling, deep foray into the competitive shooter genre. Nintendo attacked one of the few genres it has no presence in with Splatoon (the original), and the followup is equally fantastic. There’s no straight-up team deathmatch mode — every game pits teams of four against each other going after some objective. Shooting, or “splatting” people is always a sound strategy, but there’s far more here than twitchy reactions.
Surprisingly, I’m a big fan of the motion controls. I tried them after reading a plethora of posts on the Switch subreddit, and nearly every user I encountered swore that this was the best way to play the game. After 85 hours, I agree. As long as Nintendo continues to support the game via free updates (which should happen for a while), this is easily one of the best games to buy for a Switch.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart is one of the best Nintendo franchises in that it has instant appeal and fantastic design. Anyone can learn the controls within a few seconds, and the cartoony style of Nintendo’s most famous characters make the game an instant classic for kids. The deep gameplay mechanics appeal to adult audiences as well, and the end result is a great game that I never spent much time with since I don’t own a Wii U.
I played a great deal of Mario Kart over the summer, but I keep coming back to it. The game looks great in handheld mode, and the combination of HD rumble and beautifully-designed courses keep the appeal fresh for race after race. The game isn’t as complex as Breath of the Wild or Splatoon 2, but its classic nature make it a game well worth anyone’s time. It certainly got plenty of mine.
Super Mario Odyssey
Since this game lags so far behind Zelda, Mario Kart, and Splatoon 2, one might infer that I enjoyed it much less than these titles. That would be a false assumption, since I’m a huge fan of Odyssey. The game is a fantastic playground of creativity, color, and intriguing design, and the level of detail in every section is breathtaking. The ways that this game handles movement and motion are particularly worthy of note. Mario’s skill set is fairly simple — run, jump, etc — but the amount of combo moves that players can quickly learn set up crazy sequences and actions.
I plan to return to Odyssey soon. I’m still collecting moons, and I’m woefully bad at finding every secret in levels the way this game demands. I know I’m not even close to finding all of its secrets, though, and I can’t wait to find all of them.
Stardew Valley/Rocket League/Golf Story
These three games are nothing alike in style or substance, but they’re all fantastic indie games that execute ambitious goals well. Stardew Valley is a farm life/small town simulator, and is packed with charm and depth. Like several other games on this list, the amount of time I’ve spent with this game is nowhere near complete and I feel as though I’m still only scratching the surface. Golf Story is a pixel-art golf RPG that combines great writing with interesting golf gameplay. It went from virtually unknown to indie sensation overnight, and it deserves every ounce of praise it has received.
Finally, Rocket League is one of the most fun games I’ve played recently. It reminds me of Splatoon 2 in that it combines short multiplayer matches with deep gameplay and strategy. I’m starting to finally transition from “bad” to “mediocre,” and it’s incredibly rewarding. Rocket League still holds several secrets that I haven’t uncovered in the form of advanced maneuvers and techniques, and I can only hope to learn them with time.
Overcooked
Imagine a game where you cook a certain dishes within a certain amount of time. Now, imagine that this game quickly becomes close to impossible, demanding incredible precision and planning, with the smallest misstep resulting in a burning kitchen and expiring orders. Finally, imagine that this game is deeply engrossing and fun. This is the formula for Overcooked.
I can’t recommend Overcooked enough. It’s a fantastic game to play with friends, and the developers vary each level enough to make sure that the experience never gets stale (what a great food pun). I wish there were a few more levels, but this is my only true complaint about the game.
2017 was a great year for the Switch. Mario and Zelda rank among the best games in recent memory, but there’s far more to this console’s young library than these two gaming mainstays. As I hope this chart shows, there are plenty of reasons to own a Switch right now.
