The success of Nintendo Switch has led to a flood of quality games on the platform that not even the most optimistic Nintendo fan could have dreamed of in the leaner Wii U years. The constant stream of games from studios large and small means that even in the quieter periods between tentpole releases — the Monster Hunter Rises and Skyward Sword HDs of the world — there are dozens of smaller games to enjoy, not to mention a backlog of brilliant software on Switch eShop, often discounted to the point where lack of space on our micro SD cards is a more pressing issue than the cost.
We do our utmost to highlight as many of these smaller games as possible at Nintendo Life, but with the huge number of titles coming to Switch every week, it's a struggle to highlight deserving titles in news articles, let alone review each and every game that piques our interest. In an effort to highlight games we'd missed, we asked the Nintendo Life community to nominate Switch games worth showcasing. We did the same last year with an initial twelve nominations, and again six months later with a further twelve. Now we're back with part three, and a dozen more Switch games worthy of investigation.
A huge thank you to everyone who responded. Discounting several nominations for games we've already reviewed, we've assembled the following list of intriguing Switch games recommended by Nintendo Life readers. In fact, we're still collating and reading through even more, so we'll have another selection going live sometime in the next week or two.
So let's take a look — in no particular order — at some NL reader recommendations to look out for. Each entry features a brief user comment (lightly edited in some cases), and a trailer for a little context. There's also a poll at the end — let us know which of these games you've played and enjoyed in the comments.
Jenny LeClue - Detectivu (Switch eShop)
Here's doddlewhizz on Jenny LeClue - Detectivu:
One of my favourite adventure games in recent years. It puts a neat spin on the murder-mystery point and click genre by casting you not only as the smart, vivacious kid detective Jenny, but also the in-universe creator as he goes through the writing process under pressure form his publishers. It's very accessible in terms of puzzles but the simplicity doesn't detract from the experience thanks to some great voice work and dialogue.
shining_nexus had this to say:
What I love most about it is the witty dialogue and lovable characters. The characters are very expressive and convey human emotions very well and I love to see Jenny interact with everyone and everything.
The puzzles can be very clever and there are light platforming elements, which isn’t very good. The story starts off light-hearted and eventually gets really mature, but still retains that charming presentation throughout the game.
Stonefly (Switch eShop)
This one's a recent release from Flight School Studio, the team behind Creature In The Well. Here's what Vincent had to say about Stonefly:
Stonefly is a game about tiny humans the size of bugs, who build mechs to survive in this world. The game's protagonist is Annika Stonefly, who is on a quest to retrieve her dad's stolen mech, and during her adventure, she will have to mine for resources to upgrade her mech as a myriad of bugs will swarm her to get these resources for themselves.
The game also features exploration atop tree canopy, marches and rivers alike, with bouncing and gliding with the mech as the primary means of transportation.
Puddle Knights (Switch eShop)
NL user Tinglemies is a fan of Puddle Knights:
A puzzle game in which you help an aristocrat to pass moist puddles by lending the help of your cape. Levels are focused and the pacing constantly adds new mechanics to the mix.
Ghost of a Tale (Switch)
Here's what GrailUK has to say about puzzle-y action-RPG Ghost of a Tale:
Absolutely charming sneakerama as you look for clues to find your missing wife. But first you have to escape your prison cell. Your journey takes you through a small, well realised world meeting some NPCs full of character. Masterfully crafted. Adorable. Elder Scrolls Lite. A Morrowind meets Wind in the Willows vibe with tons of character and a story that hooked me in.
Regions of Ruin (Switch eShop)
According to user gamecrawler, Regions of Ruin is what you'd get if "Kingdom Two Crowns and Skyrim had a baby". Sounds promising! Here's a little more detail from them:
Regions of Ruin is described as an open world 2D pixel side-scrolling RPG with town-building. You can build a base, craft, recruit a party of followers, solve in-game mysteries, acquire powerful loot, survive against waves of foes in 'raid' events, and help NPCs in quests around the world... there are tons of activities to keep you engaged and you're not forced to partake in anything in any particular order.
A random game I stumbled across in the eShop and unexpectedly had quite a lot of fun with!
Dezatopia (Switch eShop)
Switch has no shortage of sweet shmups, but gojiguy reckons we were fools to let Dezatopia pass us by:
Dezatopia has a wild, manic visual style accompanied by some of the freshest mechanics the shmup genre has seen in years. You can shoot in four direction with four different types of shots - the more you shoot simultaneously, the slower you move. When you're not shooting they charge up a powerful shot- encouraging you to swap weapons constantly.
It's got fantastic tunes, multiple routes, a fine-tuned difficulty dial, and even unlockable gallery items. If you want a fresh shmup that will entertain even the uninitiated, this is the one!
Comments (46)
This is my favourite feature you do. It's easy to keep track of the big and the hyped, but if a little-known game gets a 5-7 on review sites I'm likely to forget about it.
I’ve played Felix the Reaper but I didn’t think much of it tbh. Which was a shame because the trailer and art style are quite interesting and I like puzzle games. Something just didn’t click for me.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is criminally underrated IMO. It got a 7/10 - really?
I know there are at least a few people on this site who love the Etrian Odyssey series and so it surprises me that this game has gone so largely unnoticed in terms of conversation on NL.
Like, so far as I know - unless I've somehow missed it - Labyrinth has never been included on any of NL's various lists of best Switch RPGs - ever. (This despite there being games on it that aren't technically even RPGs 😆).
What's cool about the title is that you can tell right away that this game draws a lot of inspiration from the amazing EO series.
Granted, Labyrinth is nowhere near as challenging as Etrian's often soul-crushing degree of difficulty (which I would say is probably the title's only really disappointing aspect), but I think it's still a very fun, charming, and well-written little game.
Plus, it kinda sorta demonstrates what an Etrian Odyssey game might be like if or when Altus should ever decide to bring the series over to Nintendo's one-screened wonder.
Bought Jenny LeClue in a sale a while back, but haven't really touched it as of yet.
I'm very intrigued by Stone Fly but at £17.99 it could do with a demo... 😕 Heavy Burger and Puddle Knights possibly too... The latter does have a demo.
I know you already reviewed this game and gave it a whopping 9/10, but I feel like Night in the Woods never gets enough love for just how incredible that game is. Very few games have characters that feel that alive and personable. It's a masterpiece of storytelling.
Ghost of a Tale looks quite amazing visually
Just want to say that Dezatopia is an awesome shoot em up with great graphics, music, and gameplay. I love that your ship can water plants and make them bloom with a neat sound effect every time you do so.
@brunojenso The animation is well done, with loads of attention to detail and little touches throughout the game. The design of Tilo (the protagonist) is similar to Mario (with his short legs) so you don't get that clunkyness (like turning circles) in most 'serious' rpgs. It's beautiful on the Switch and a delight to play. (I'm no writer so I can't do it justice I'm afraid. But you can see so much effort went into it.)
Some interesting games, including some I hadn't heard of, but I'm not sure any of them other than Ghost of a Tale are going to ever see the insides of my micro SD card.
@Clyde_Radcliffe
I should’ve described Heavy Burger’s premise, which is one of the coolest things about it: There are two rows of arcade cabinets facing each other. Both rows lead to one arcade cabinet, which is your goal. You play within the games themselves, obviously, and have to carry a money bag all the way to the “goal cabinet.” So, basically, each arcade cabinet is like a level in which a game is playing but you’re there against the cpu (and possibly a human player) twin-stick shooting each other trying to carry the money bag to the next cabinet while crazy action from the game you’re in causes mayhem. Once you get to the final cabinet, take the money bag to the bank and you win. If your opponent grabs the bag before you can make it to the bank, he’s gotta go through all the cabinets and take it to his bank. It’s intense back and forth, trying to get the bag to the bank. The game controls perfectly and has a great style to it and is only eight bucks.
I really want to play Stonefly. I loved Creature in the well (some absolutely magnificent use of complimentary colours in that game.)
HOW DID I MISS GHOST OF A TALE ON SWITCH?
I played an earlier version on my PC and absolutely loved it. It is a really cool exploration game based on stealth...as the little mouse, you can't hope to fight the big rats.
It also had some great background lore in game. Overall it is a fantastic title. I would highly recommend it if you like 3D open-world (-ish) exploration and stealth gameplay.
I've been sitting on ghost of a tale for a while now. Saw the missus play last year on PS4 and couldn't help myself when I saw the switch version.
I just picked up Fuze Player recently. I love when builder tools release a separate player for those interested in just playing the games. You can reach a much broader audience.
I’ve been waiting for a sale on Ghost of a Tale, but haven’t seen a significant dip yet. Not that I need a sale, just that I already have so many games I don’t have time for.
Stonefly is definitely on my list, something about that style speaks to me. Liked Creature in the Well for that same reason.
And just like CitW, I suspect a physical soon enough.
+1 for Ghost of a Tale. It's very Redwall-like and looks amazing for an indie title.
I'm buying Stonefly soon. Never knew Flight School made a second game! Here's hoping they make a sequel to CitW!
Everyone who likes puzzles should play "Chained", it's not very expensive and offers a simple but enjoyable experience.
Heeeey, Jenny LeClue! That was one I recommended last time, but it didn't make the cut. I'm glad it did this time!
Thoroughly second the recommendation for Ghost of a Tale. A very well-told story that doesn't have to sacrifice gameplay to tell it.
I haven't played any of these, but Stonefly, Ghost of a Tale, and Felix the Reaper have definitely piqued my interest
Wow I should really get round to Fell Seal then. Have it on Steam as well.
Darkwood. Holy crap, unless you don’t like creepy atmosphere, play Darkwood.
There’s a reason all of these were missed.
Really happy to see Jenny LeClue being included here, I feel like that game went under a lot of people's radar. It definitely feels more aimed at kids for the first half or so given how the story goes and the simple nature of the gameplay, but it's SUCH a good story and the dialogue and voice work is incredible
Really like this feature.
I actually downloaded Puddle Knights and Fuze Player in previous sales whilst searching through the vast Switch eShop library. Looked at the footage abd descriptions before purchasing (cheap enough for me not to necessarily look at reviews). They're "interesting" and "not bad" at best, I'd say.
I'll investigate a few on here further that have piqued my interest!
This is an outrage! My surname has been redacted from my Felix The Reaper review. The Beales are a proud people; lawyer up NL.
@Andy_Witmyer All I can say is I tried the demo for this game and wasn't a big fan, and I adore the Etrian Odyssey series
Absolutely love these features - other publications please take note. More of these please!
Puddle Knights looks (and sounds) wonderful. Who says chivalry is dead? 💛
Usually I have only heard of one of these hidden gems, but this time I knew at least three. Felix the Reaper caught my eye on the eShop, while Ghost of a Tale and Fell Seal were already on my radar Stonefly, though, I had missed entirely. Looks great.
Is it me, or are the hidden gems becoming better quality and bigger budget? Far fewer mobile ports and quirky timewasters. Shows how flooded the eShop is now when even titles of this quality are sinking with little trace.
Anarcute is cool game ^^
Stonefly sounds like something I was daydreaming about as a kid, I.e. imagine shrinking to the size of an ant, getting into a vehicle (a combat car in my head) and go on an adventure in the giant backyard. I will check it out for sure! Fell Seal sounds like my jam as well.
@Clyde_Radcliffe you're not willing to pay that much for a game? Kind of messed up so many people constantly advertise a desperate refusal to pay a fair price to support developers. And then people wonder why we are inundated by so much p2w, gacha and shovelware while some of the best games never get proper follow-ups. A bargain should be taken advantage of but why encourage people to sandbag the artists we love?
Bought Jenny LeClue a while back for £3 in a sale after it was recommended in the comments of an article here about the best point n clicks.
Really enjoyed the narrative and art style.
Hoping the devs will make a sequel.
Ghost Of A Tale was hugely tedious to me. I really don't understand how other people enjoy this, but of course i'm happy for them! Just wanted to say that your mileage can still vary. Also the trailer isn't Switch gameplay :/. It's severely downgraded and lost some of its magic for me on Switch.
@Clyde_Radcliffe I feel like this about so many games. Looks interesting, but they're asking just a bit too much money for a game that I might not like.
Edit: this is in regard to games not having demos.
The Fuze Player is a mega deal, so many games for next to nothing and Fuze itself is less than half the price of Game Builder Garage and you can do so much more with it! a real bargain
@Andy_Witmyer Being a big Etrian Odyssey fan, I tried the demo and found the gameplay quite fun. The writing, on the other hand, was utter garbage IMHO. Painfully unfunny nonsense (I'm assuming they were trying to be funny, though I may be wrong) flowing from the mouth of obnoxious characters that just kept gabbing endlessly. It was such a chore to sit through the stupid cutscenes that I have yet to go back to what otherwise seems like a fine enough etrianlike.
If you own Fuze4, let me recommend that join in on our Weekly High Score challenges. This week we are playing this amazing puzzle game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4U733ZWVW0
Here is the challenge:
https://fuzearena.com/forum/topic/1704/weekly-high-score-challenge-40
I have to buy Fuze player,looks great.
I'm really enjoying these articles (hanging out for my suggestion to appear in the next one!) but there's one thing that I don't understand:
So we can only suggest games which don't have an NL review... But if it gets picked up for one of articles, it still doesn't have an NL review. Which makes it hard to know which games are truly worth suggesting (since they're not going to be featured a second time).
I wonder if there's any plan for NL to take some of these suggestions and write a full review...
The only one of these I've played before is Jenny LeClue. I thought it was fantastic! I really dug the character development. What I'm really excited to check out is Ghost of a Tale. That one slipped by me, so I'm gonna have to find out more about it.
If this is part 3, then where is part 1 and 2?
A link would be nice, since the search function on this site is horrendous.
Jenny LeClue is a very cool game, full of personality and with really great writing, but be warned that it ends in a cliffhanger. I was mildly upset at that, but my playthrough was definitely worth it.
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