So you’ve played through both open-world Zelda games, Mario Kart and Odyssey and cozy favorites like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. Here are some games that you might not have experienced yet.
1
Super Mario RPG
Nintendo’s first Mario RPG crashed onto the SNES in 1996, marking the plumber’s final outing on the company’s 32-bit console. 27 years later and the beloved title received a full remake for the Switch, with the arrival of Super Mario RPG in 2023.
Unfortunately, many were quick to write the game off as yet another remake. Though it received solid review scores, RPG was overshadowed by the year’s big releases like Jedi Survivor and Hogwarts Legacy thanks to its holiday release window. But don’t be fooled, Super Mario RPG is well worth your time.
It features beautifully faithful 3D graphics, your choice of original or reimagined (Yoko Shimomura) soundtrack, and the same cheeky humor that earned the original so much praise.
2
Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle certainly earned a lot of fans within the first few years of the Switch’s life. While early adopters were clamoring for games, Ubisoft managed to pull off a successful blend of cartoon nonsense and turn-based strategy. This earned the game rightful praise.
But in the years that followed, the game was too easy to dismiss. If you only picked up a Switch within the last few years, you might have never considered giving the game a shot. If that sounds like you, you’re missing out. Not only is the game supremely silly, but this is the closest we’ll probably ever get to XCOM: Mario, and it’s especially addictive once it gets its hooks into you.
As a bonus, you can usually pick it up for next to nothing (even used copies are cheap since the game was often given away as a pack-in).
3
WarioWare: Move It!
Though failing to reach the heady heights of beloved Wii title Smooth Moves, Move It! is still fundamentally a WarioWare game and for that we should all be grateful. The game follows the usual formula of offering a chaotic mix of microgames that best suit a multiplayer setting, though there’s the usual single-player mode to work your way through too.
Unlike 2021’s Get It Together! which introduced a poorly received character system where each player had special abilities (which affected how you approached the various activities), Move It! returns to the simple formula that defined the original titles.
If you’re looking for a party game that goes a little harder than Mario Party and is well-suited to short bursts, this is the one.
4
Endless Ocean Luminous
Endless Ocean Luminous is probably the most divisive title on this list. A sequel to 2009’s Endless Ocean 2 for the Wii, the game received mixed reviews with reviewers from the likes of Famitsu and The Verge praising its unique and chill atmosphere while GameSpot, IGN, and Digital Trends averaged a 5/10 rating.
Ultimately, this is a scuba diving simulator that emphasizes free-form exploration with no real goal in mind beyond documenting the marine life you encounter along the way. For that reason, it’s best to adjust your expectations before you go in (and maybe wait for a sale). There’s a whole cooperative multiplayer mode to partake in if you’re keen, too.
5
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
Advance Wars is a franchise that debuted on the Game Boy Advance in 2001 and has since been remade and released on the Switch. Nintendo initially announced the game at E3 2021, with a release slated for later that same year but decided to delay the release when Russia invaded Ukraine. The game was eventually released in March 2022, with the delay probably not helping the game’s impact and eventual sales.
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is a turn-based strategy game. Command a variety of units with various perks and drawbacks and use the terrain to your advantage while navigating obstacles. There’s a huge amount of content here since both games are rolled into a single package, with greatly improved visuals over the Game Boy Advance classic.
The game is often cited as the inspiration for modern masterpiece Into the Breach (which you can play for free with a Netflix subscription).
6
Golf Story
Golf Story answers a question that nobody asked: what if there was an RPG that solely revolved around golf mechanics? The game appeared from seemingly nowhere in 2017, long before the Switch secured its spot as Nintendo’s best-selling console. To date, it’s the only place you can go to experience this utterly unique adventure.
Delightful pixel-art graphics set across a range of courses keep the game fresh throughout. You’ll need to collect and choose your clubs carefully, use your swing to solve puzzles in the world, deal with unfavorable wind and topography, and eventually complete a full round of golf to progress the story.
It’s the perfect game if you enjoy “computer golf” but would fall asleep just looking at a real-life set of clubs.
7
Snipperclips
A Nintendo Switch launch title, Snipperclips is what happens when a company the size of Nintendo decides to make a delightful cooperative game to help sell its vision of detachable Joy-Cons. The game is designed for two-player co-operative play, and centers around solving a series of puzzles with a unique cutting mechanic.
As the name might imply, Snipperclips involves cutting characters down to size in order to accomplish goals like balancing a pencil, transporting a ball, or filling in the outline of a shape. You snip by lining your character up with a buddy’s and hitting ZR.
The game embraces a loose and humorous playstyle, with cutesy characters and plenty of opportunities for hilarity as you cut your co-op partner down to size.
8
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
The Switch is certainly showing its age at this point, which might be why Mario & Luigi: Brothership struggled out of the gate when it launched in late 2024. The game is the first entry in the Mario & Luigi franchise since Paper Jam in 2015, continuing in the usual RPG style in which players control both Mario and Luigi as they work to restore balance in the land of Concordia.
Players will need to work to reconnect splintered islands by solving puzzles and defeating bosses. The game features a combination of turn-based combat and timed button presses, which adds an engaging dynamic element to the core gameplay (a trope that’s common in many JRPGs).
The game received mixed reviews but overall left a positive impression. While the visuals are unique and impressive, several reviewers criticized the performance. This might be one of those Switch games to play on the Switch 2 when it finally launches later this year.
9
Ape Out
Ape Out is a masterpiece of game design that everyone should experience at least once. The game puts you in the role of an ape who must escape increasingly complex mazes while being pursued by captors armed with guns. You must run, bludgeon, and outsmart your opponents in a bid to find your freedom. Sounds simple, right?
The real genius of Ape Out comes from its soundtrack, a relentless dynamic score of jazz percussion that follows your every move. As a result, it’s well worth breaking out the headphones for this one. Ape Out only ever released on the Nintendo Switch and Windows, so if you haven’t got a gaming PC then Nintendo’s handheld is your best bet.
As a fun aside, the official Ape Out soundtrack is an audio-only recording by the game’s author Gabe Cuzzillo.
10
Dorfromantik
Dorfromantik fuses city building and puzzles, resulting in one of the most relaxed strategy games of a generation. The game presents you with a set of hexagonal tiles that you must place in order to score points. The main game mode has additional requirements, like making sure settlements reach a certain size, which requires some careful planning and plenty of luck.
There are six land types, including railroads and rivers that must be connected. Tiles cannot be moved once you’ve placed them, but you are able to see the next three tiles (though you can only play the top tile). The game also features a variety of additional play modes, including a zen mode in which you are left to your own devices to build beautiful landscapes.
Dorfromantik is only available on Windows and Nintendo Switch, though fans might be interested to hear that Dorfromantik: The Board Game is also available (if you can find it).
11
Card Shark
A single-player narrative adventure game about cheating at cards, Card Shark is a game that’s all about not getting caught. Use real-world card tricks to outwit fellow players through careful timing and superior knowledge of the game. Get caught and it’s all over, since the opponents you’ll be facing in 18th century France don’t take kindly to cheaters.
Like cheating at cards in real life, the stakes are pretty high with this one. A single false move can result in failure, whereas pulling off a successful deflection and diverting attention away from your deceptive tendencies can make you feel like an evil genius.
If you’re not a fan of QTEs, you might want to sit this one out. Otherwise, it’s an entirely unique experience (and it’s only available on Switch and Windows).
12
If Found…
If Found is a visual novel that has the player navigate two interconnected stories via a unique game mechanic that involves erasing the words and images on a page. While that might sound deceptively simple (and it is), the game received critical acclaim for both its gameplay implementation and tactful handling of an emotionally charged subject matter.
Clever storytelling blends a tale of a black hole causing a world-ending event and a young transgender woman’s struggles with her family and friends into one overlapping narrative. The core mechanic of erasing the page is indelibly tied to the events in the game, and the art style perfectly complements it.
If Found… is only available on Windows, Mac, and Switch but the erasing mechanic arguably works best on a touchscreen.
These games are all worth a look, though you may find some better suited to your tastes than others. Two other games that are far from under-appreciated but that also might be worth checking out on the Switch are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and The Witcher 3.
In addition to being massive-yet-pocketable RPGs, Skyrim plays beautifully and launching arrows and spells with gyro controls feels better than playing with a non-gyro controller. The Witcher 3 is also worth experiencing, partly to just admire the incredible work of engineering that went into getting the game working in the first place.
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Nintendo Switch OLED
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$21The premium Nintendo Switch experience features a brighter and more colorful OLED display that offers better contrast, twice the internal storage, better speakers, and a dock with a built-in Ethernet port.
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Nintendo Switch
Nintendo’s latest console lets you take your console gaming on the go. Start up a game at home on your TV, then pull the Switch out of the dock and you can continue right where you left off.
