2024. It was a bit of an odd one for Switch, with the impending announcement of Nintendo's follow-up console. It never materialised, but its shadow has been looming over the entire year. Still, if there hasn't been an absolute avalanche of games to dig into!
Nintendo had many first-party releases — some weird and surprising, others long-time-coming remakes or new series entries — but it's also been an outstanding year for smaller, independent games. And with the sheer variety, there's bound to be many some you've missed.
So, put aside your Balatros and your Zeldas and make some room on your SD card, we're bringing you a list of the games — presented in alphabetical order — that came out on Switch in 2024 that we think have flown under the radar.
Angel at Dusk (Switch eShop)
Angel at Dusk is wonderful, weird, and built on a foundation of deep understanding of the genre, and an intelligence and self-awareness that elevates its potential to delight.
Not all will take to its theme, but it presents a deeply authentic hardcore bullet hell experience, a dazzling wit, and a suite of game systems that are a joy to explore.
And the fact it welcomes a wide range of players to an authentic shmup? It’s one 2024’s most enticing genre contributions.
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (Switch eShop)
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure dares to be different, and it succeeds with aplomb. By interweaving a heartwarming and inclusive story with addictive gameplay, Furniture & Mattress teaches us that puzzle games can be more than just a vehicle for making the cogs in your brain turn.
If you’re looking for pure puzzling, then the game won’t be for you, but a simple story and simple gameplay loop are both elevated to new heights because of the thought and care that’s gone into them.
Berserk Boy (Switch eShop)
Its very reasonable price tag isn’t the main selling point of Berserk Boy. Rather, it’s a very competently made indie action adventure that has the feel of a 16-bit title, powered by the oomph of current-day consoles. It’s far more arcadey than both Mega Man and Gunvolt; faster, and altogether more interesting owing to its multiple character forms and deft stage design. Its hub world is easily navigable, and the upgrade shop, Metroidvania backtracking, and prisoner liberating side-missions encourage players to squeeze the most from the experience.
Even when it's borrowing from other genres, Berserk Boy regularly shows up larger development studios with its creativity, and comes easy to recommend to 2D action enthusiasts.
Beyond Galaxyland (Switch eShop)
Beyond Galaxyland is a well-written, artistically diverse space adventure which mixes several different flavours of RPG with puzzling and semi-open exploration. The story is filled with well-rounded characters and emotional narrative payoffs and, as much as Enright's galactic adventure is a collection of stylistic and mechanical homages, it doesn't feel like a patchwork of fan service.
For all its influences and adherence to specific genre execution, Doug’s journey through multiple worlds is still very much its own thing.
Bloomtown: A Different Story (Switch eShop)
Despite a few minor issues, Bloomtown: A Different Story is a game that’ll stick with you long after you put it down. The blend of comforting and creepy is masterful, and the game presents a surprising amount of challenge in places.
With everything from boss fights and puzzles to intricate crafting and skill-building, there’s a lot to get excited about here. Bloomtown was clearly made with a lot of love and attention to detail, and it’s the perfect pick for anyone who enjoys rich stories paired with riddles and tricky, turn-based combat.
Can of Wormholes (Switch eShop)
Wiggling onto Switch from solo dev Munted Finger, Can of Wormholes dares to open that proverbial can and launch squiggly bird food straight at a wonderful array of cross-dimensional puzzles. The variety is seriously impressive. Challenges are grouped in sort of wormy spaceships, and hopping between ships – a meta-puzzle in its own right – introduces new concepts alongside new visual themes. But even within each ship, the range of logical tests is impressive, with new ideas stacked on top of each other continuously.
With ingenious puzzles, a high level of difficulty, and an educational hint system, be careful or this will have you hooked.
Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi (Switch eShop)
Although Carpathian Night is certainly basic in some respects, it really nails the classic Castlevania feel with its gameplay, and we were impressed with the length of the stages themselves. Granted, skilled players could get through the game in as little as an hour or two, but the variety along with the surprising level of depth from the unlockable abilities makes this an experience begging to be replayed. Heck, we'd start over just to listen to the excellent music.
Iconic Dracula actor Bela Lugosi's inclusion is extremely limited and feels like a wasted opportunity, but otherwise this is a great little homage to gaming's most famous series of vampire killers.
Cavern of Dreams (Switch eShop)
We can't say that players raised on the likes of Super Mario Odyssey and other modern platformers will respond the same way, but if you dream in 64-bit and your formative 3D games featured visible polygons, you won't regret exploring Cavern of Dreams.
Bynine Studios gets in, delivers its payload of fairytale platforming feels with a hint of darkness, and gets out smartish. If you're a Banjo fan looking to recapture that sense of wonder you first experienced exploring Grunty's Lair, this is probably the closest you'll get without time travel or memory wipes.
Crypt Custodian (Switch eShop)
Crypt Custodian is a pretty traditional Metroidvania elevated by its fantastic world, aesthetic, characters, and soundtrack, with solid combat and a lot of build flexibility.
These aspects all help alleviate some visual clutter issues and frame rate hiccups, ensuring that Crypt Custodian shouldn't end up lost in the eShop bargain bin like so many other Metroidvanias.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster (Switch eShop)
Yes, El Shaddai did get a rerelease in 2024. April was a long time ago. Hence why it's here.
Even over a decade after its original release, El Shaddai feels genuinely more creative and interesting than a lot of the titles it would consider bedfellows today. It shares a place with the likes of ICO, Nier, and Panzer Dragoon in its arcane design and historically inspired symbolism. Elsewhere, it borrows from the likes of Okami and Mizuguchi’s Rez for its abstract, acid-trip beauty.
Though not without problems, El Shaddai is, more than anything, a game of many moments. It’s certainly one of the most intriguing titles in the action-adventure, hack-and-slash genre, and deserves the attention this time around that it never achieved on its original release.
Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines (Switch eShop)
Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is everything fans could hope for in a sequel, as it improves upon every aspect that made the first Grapple Dog so great.
Strong level design, a fantastic soundtrack, high gameplay variety, and lots of replayability make this perfect for anyone looking for an excellent, pure platformer to add to their Switch library. It's the most fun platformer we’ve played in quite a while.
Inkulinati (Switch eShop)
It might not be the best strategy game on the Switch, but few in the genre are quite as entertaining as Inkulinati. In fact, none of them let you use a creature’s butt quite as frequently or as effectively.
The absurd humour doesn’t stop the game from offering some unique tactical options, even if it errs on the easy side for our liking. If you're looking for something different, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with this one.
Megaton Musashi W: Wired (Switch eShop)
Megaton Musashi W: Wired proves to be a strong return to form for Level-5, offering up an addictive mech-battling action experience that feels like the most slept-on release of the year.
Its heartfelt story, dumb-but-fun combat missions, and in-depth character progression offer up an experience that’s tough to put down, even if some elements—like the lacklustre online—drag it down a bit.
If you’re at all a fan of action RPGs or that distinct Level-5 charm you can find in all the beloved company’s games, Megaton Musashi W deserves your attention as soon as possible.
Mission in Snowdriftland (Switch eShop)
Originally sponsored by Nintendo back when it was released as a flash game in 2006, Mission in Snowdriftland came to Switch in December this year, but may have slipped under your radar.
This really is a perfect holiday platformer, with 24 short levels (like an advent calendar), cute visuals, and retro charm. Static screenshots give off a Flash vibe which may be offputting, but this is a charming — and challenging — little platform game with some fun narrative wrapping that displays affection for gaming's classics.
Given its unique place in Nintendo history, it's well worth checking out, even if you save it for next year.
Have we missed one of your favourite games? Seen something that's caught your eye? Share your favourite hidden gems from 2024 in the comments, and spread the holiday cheer!
You can also check out our Games We Missed series for reader recommendations of games we weren't able to review.