Feature: The Best Hidden Gems And Underrated Switch Games Of 2019

AI: The Somnium Files, for sure. Uchikoshi's next big mind-bender pretty much came and went with so little attention or fanfare.

No Master Blaster Zero 2?

I would add Door Kickers, Action Squad. It is a side-scrolling tactical shooter, with you playing SWAT members fighting terrorists, saving hostages and disarming bombs. Near the end it all goes bonkers with those you kill turning into zombies and hunting you back.
If you like a more thoughtful, less twitchy old school shooter you cannot go wrong with Action Squad.

OMG no Celeste??!!??

@Ralizah Absolutely agree, that game was one of my GOTY.
Except that the final ending was only in English (probally a glitch as I played the rest of the game with Japanese audio) it was fantastic

Two other games I would say is hidden gems / underrated

• Tokyo school life
• Our world is ended

I strongly agree with Mechstermination Force. I played through once solo and once co-op. Great fun!

I cant say enough good things about gato roboto.. especially when's its on sale, take advantage and grab it. This list reminds me of two games I had my eye on a while ago that I need to play, timespinner and blazing chrome. Side note: I did not like creature in the well. I ended being pretty frustrated with it and put it down a while ago.

Ape Out is an absolute gem. The first game I played through PC Game Pass and I’m so glad I got to play it since I probably would have never paid the price to get it on Switch. Don’t sleep on it people.

Here are some games I'd personally add to the list:

Umihara Kawase Fresh!
Definitely NOT on the same caliber as, say Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze or Shovel Knight, but this one has great gameplay in that your fishing roe is your tool for both platforming and catching enemies, the former in which if mastered can present some kickbutt results in satisfying platforming. It also helped relieve my need for a great platformer this year that Yoshi's Crafted World utterly failed to do, especially a "challenging" one.

The Legend of Dark Witch
No, this is not a port of the Steam version, but a fairly-built-from-the-ground-up remake of the first game with various improvements that added the much-needed Capacity Gauge from its sequel (which I hope will get the same treatment as this game here on Switch). It boasts some of the most satisfying and unique run n gun Mega Man-esque gameplay that manages to stand on its own, as well as some additional content like a few fan animations and some translated short manga that are fairly fun to look into. Definitely not the best indie sidescroller on Switch (ask Shovel Knight about that), but hoo boy is it great to play this game again...

Gensou SkyDrift
It's no Mario Kart or Team Sonic Racing or Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, but it's definitely a good cheap racer option at the $24, especially for Touhou fans. This game mixes up the run-of-the-mill Kart racer gameplay in a unique way in which you'll rely on flying through rings constantly to both gain enough power to get an item (or in Touhou's case, Spell Card) and staying ahead of the pack while relying on drifting for those crazy sharp turns (even though a few courses don't play fair in this regard). I mean, sure, this isn't the kind of game I'd stay on that often, but I don't regret playing or buying this at all.

Puyo Puyo Champions
Another good cheap multiplayer option for the puzzle wagon on Switch, at $10. While Puyo Puyo Tetris is still much superior, Champions does have the in-the-flesh Fever Mode that PPT doesn't have. Alongside this, the game does boast some good tutorials and a better Replay option.

Scrap Rush!!
It's somewhat similar to Bomberman in a way, but it's still an intensely fun game that manages to please for those multiplayer nights, especially at the $15 price tag. You make scrap blocks (for a cost of collected scrap) and you use them strategically, one of in which you use to kill your opponents with by crushing them into walls.

I'm waiting for many of these on physical format. I'm getting tired of buying it digital then a physical is announced soon after. Gotta wait it out!

A lot of decent games here, but a lot of them are indie games designed around a particular niche audience so it isn't surprising how they weren't big hits.

Ni No Kuni is easily the best "Pokemon" type game on Switch with a much bigger and far more interesting world, a much better story and better gameplay. Super Luckys Tale a hidden gem? It's a solid 6 out of 10 at best

However Blazing Chrome and The touryst are comfortably amongst the very best games I've played this year

@baller98 I agree. Ni No Kuni is no hidden gem. Aside from my distaste for the games combat and inconsistent voice acting, it had a lot of buzz on other platforms when it was released a long time ago. After the second game bombed, it's not really a surprise people don't care any more about it.

i have 2 of my own:

1. blaster master zero 2: the story is really campy but has it's charm. the gameplay is a massive improvement from the first and is an overall great metroidvania with great music

2. Anodyne: so this game actually came out in 2013 but it released on the switch this year and i wasn't aware of it's existence till it showed up on the eshop. the gameplay is really simple and very similar/ simplified version of the legend of zelda however the star of the show is the atmosphere and great writing along with it's story and music that compel you to keep going. i didn't get it until it was temporarily on sale but if your'e interested in game with an interesting narrative this is worth full price($10)

Still waiting on a regular physical edition of Blasphemous for which I don't have to dish out 50 quid or so.

Highly recommend Rolling Gunner, in my top three Best Games of 2019. One of the best shmups I’ve had the pleasure of playing.

Skullgirls for sure. Such a great fighting game with a story that emotionally got to me with lovable characters.

Mediocre indie games list

Walk into hidden gems article... Recognize 90% of games mentioned. Walk out uttering well I guess if it's not from a 30 year old company it's a hidden gem.

I love Super Lucky's Tale on PC, and loving the new Switch version now that I started to play it. I didn't really consider it to be a hidden gem.

Not putting down the game at all, I love New Super Lucky's Tale, to me a hidden gem is usually a game I don't see talked about much.

@tobibra Oh yes, Tokyo School Life. I loved that visual novel so much. There's a game I don't see spoken much of. I only think I've seen one other person mention it.

The best hidden game this year has to be Pikmin 4. So so hidden...

@BenAV it's not missing from the hidden gems list if you say it's your GOTY

Slay the Spire deserves to be here.
Addictive rogue like card game.

Sayanora Wild Hearts deserves way more love.

I recently bought Fight'n Rage on the Eshop after reading a minireview of it on Pushsquare. That game had gone completely of my radar when it originally released and I'm very thankful for that site for putting it there, that game was awesome and the soundtrack on it was amazing and I managed sate my craving for a good beat-em-up after the Scott Pilgrim game has pretty much vanished off the face of the earth. Highly recommended from me.

I'd argue that The Touryst felt overpriced for what it was - a decent enough game, but it certainly felt slight and as though it was more of a Part 1, rather than a complete game in itself.

Ni No Kuni is a beauty. Not for everyone, but I love it.

Just finished Timespinner and I have to say it’s the best indie game I’ve played all year.

Great list! This reminds me that I need to pencil Gato Roboto onto my wish list.

Too bad Ni No Kuni got buried below other main releases this year. I really like it, it's a great RPG with AMAZING visuals and sound.

My hidden gems :
1. Portal Knights
2. Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles
3. Earthlock
4. Evoland Legendary Edition
5. 99 Vidas
6. ARMS
7. 1-2-Switch
8. Sushi Striker
9. Override Mech City Brawl
10. Penguin Wars

@TossedLlama not funny didnt laugh 0verused joke

I personally think. Castle crashers and a hat in time could be on this list.

@Camo-joe just play the fan translation

@ShaiHulud some people need to stop doing this. I like physical too but dont wait for indies to make a physical as most of them won't and most companies only make a very small number because of their budget

@Anti-Matter Arms and 1-2-Switch were "hidden?" I'm pretty sure they were actually both high profile.

But I totally agree with you about Penguin Wars. Not only was it hard to find a copy, but it's a really fun game.

Ni no Kuni is a must-play for JRPG fans. It was very reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII and i had no complaints about the story.

No No Kuni frustrated me later on, I didn't enjoy the randomness of taming familiars and the team AI did my head in to the point I literally just controlled Oliver and watched them die. The story was good though as was the soundtrack and the Ghibli influence was crazy good. I can see why it got rave reviews it just wasn't for me unfortunately.

@TheFox
I put ARMS and 1-2-Switch as Hidden Gems due to :
1. Not everyone have interest with Quirky Boxing game from ARMS since Boxing in real world is less popular than football. Also, if ARMS get the sequel, i really wish if i can create my own ARMS fighters from head to toe and since ARMS is Boxing game, i really wish there is a Boxing mode where we can play ARMS without stretching arms and can have boxer attires during gameplay. I really want a Cartoonish Boxing game with Stamina and Super Power Bars displayed and shirtless male fighters since almost no developers want to create newest Boxing game on console.
2. 1-2-Switch is always described as Tech Demo. The game was very short but it was fun, like an appertizer before get ready for Main Course games. I really like some mini games from 1-2-Switch such as Telephone, Raising Flag, Quick Draw, Zen, etc but the best part is i can play it SOLO, just play alone but i still handle Two Joy Cons like being played by two peooles and it worked. Whichever side win (P1 or P2) doesn't matter for me as long there is a winner.

Most of these games are on my wishlist. The Touryst is the one I want the most, followed by Mechstermination Force. Purchased Gato Roboto in the sale recently.

Ni No Kunk looks awesome! Will eventually pick up Ni No Kuni after I beat more of my JRPG/RPG backlog. Will grab The Touryst as soon as it goes on sale! Really a great year for games 😁

@TossedLlama but have you played the game? If not you have no reason to complain

@PickledKong64 Don't get me wrong, I buy a lot of indies and a lot of the time prefer them to AAA games. I've mostly had the wrong end of the stick though, and bought them just before a physical release announcement. The developers of Blasphemous have been talking about a physical release right from the get-go, so this time I've been holding out.

Hidden gems are games you never (maybe once) heard about before.
Some people here don't understand the meaning, including some NL writers.

My hidden gems for Switch in 2019 are

• The Rainsdowne Players
• Rock Boshers DX - Director's Cut
• Agartha-S
• Reventure

I completed them all 100% and give them each a 9/10. They're very original and fun games for just a couple of bucks.

Big names like Bandai Namco and their well-known PlayStation JRPG megahit Ni no Kuni don't even belong on this list. That's one for the ''Best Switch RPGs of 2019''.

New Super Lucky's Tale is from Microsoft and even got a demo!! It's a great game for a ''Best Switch Platformers of 2019'' list, but I'd rather have some more hidden gems in a list about hidden gems.

agree with New Super Lucky's Tale, I waited till it came out physical in the UK which was middle of December for some reason and ive had a blast, as someone who enjoys platformer's it is tons of fun and I would suggest New Super Lucky's Tale to others thinking about buying it

Rolling Gunner definitely deseves more attention then it got, it's WAY better then some shoot'em ups that people talk more about just because they had better marketing (Devil Engine, Freedom Finger...).

Many of these games are not overlooked by me. They are simply too expensive and I'm waiting for a generous sale. River City, blasphemous, creature in the well and various others on this list have had me hovering over the buy button but then thinking, 10-20% off what I saw as an ambitious asking price wasn't enticing enough. I'd pick up any of these games for 7.50 but 19.99 or even 14.99 is slightly off putting.

@Kejomo I really enjoyed Timespinner too, played it on Vita. The only gripe I had with it was the slight lack of exploration but otherwise, it’s a well crafted Metroidvania with an interesting plot and characters outside the norm.

From what I've seen of The Touryst, it looks good, but the isometric viewpoint definitely appears to interfere with the platforming bits.

West of Loathing and Tangledeep are my favorite hidden gems on the switch. WoL is the only one I bought limited run and digital for both pc and switch I love it so much. I plan to do the same for Tangledeep if they ever get a physical. Many on this list as well known indies and not really hidden gems in my opinion.

Y'all forgot Doom 3, it's also a rare 2019 hidden gem on Switch that no one talks about and the only first person shooting game that achieved that awesome smooth 60fps greatness.

@TossedLlama what’s mother 3? Is it a joke I’m not getting?

@Anti-Matter I thought you always wanting shirtless men as characters was a joke! I didn’t realise it’s because you are actually gay! Good on you.

I'll add

Crossniq+
So hidden you didn't review it
Btw it's only $1 now that's on sale, it's one of those score-attack puzzles, in this one you rotate rows and columns in a grid to create crosses of the same color. There's some special blocks and some special habilities in versus mode, all in a dreamcast-inspired soundtrack and aesthetic

Invisigun Reloaded - basically you're invisible and you only show up when you bump into something or use your weapon. Versus matches are kinda the core of the game but there's a single player mode that's kinda like a series of puzzles. Every character has a special hability.

Also I recently picked a game (it has a nice discount right now) called The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human, it's a Metroidvania but it's underwater and you're controlling a submarine, there's some interesting sea life and boss sea monsters, all in a nice artstyle and soundtrack

@SKTTR yeah I was bit disappointed by that. I think most of the listed games appeared on Nintendo Directs...
There's dozen of games being released weekly, sure there's some great games hidden out there
I'll take a look at your picks!

@DockEllisD @graysoncharles I think they are referencing a running joke on Reddit, if someone says anything about hidden gems, someone will mention Celeste in response, like, "There's also a hidden gem, I'm pretty sure nobody heard of it, called Celeste" or something

Gato Roboto, Ape Out, Katana Zero and Blasphemous were literally my top 4 2019 games.

I'd be interested in every single one of these games! Many of them have been on my radar for some time now!

I've either already got or I'm waiting for physical releases of most of these. Ni No Kuni is an odd choice though. Everyone knows it's a good game, but underrated? Not really, the main issue is that it's a really old game that's way too expensive. The reason it hasn't sold well is cause it's still £45 at most retailers, not because it's gone under the radar. I'm guessing most people are waiting for it to get to below £20 just as I am.

No hidden gems or under rated games on this list. Anyone who keeps half an eye on games will be well aware of these titles and their various pros and cons.

@cyrus_zuo I’ve just started Ni No Kuni and I’m having a blast. I can’t wait to experience this story - I love Level 5 games anyway

@Anti-Matter awesome avatar photo!

Jamestown+ is an easy favorite. Nice gameplay mechanic to only lose credits when everyone dies and respawn with revive powerful or after 10 seconds. Nice historical fiction story and gun variety in the shoot 'em up too.

As usual the comments section has way better advice than the article.

@BenAV Love that game, when the penny drops on a particularly hard level I feel like this guy: https://images.app.goo.gl/bAaHa5AhbBKm51Wg9

@matdub Spot on! Came to this article to see Baba Is You finally get its due. At least it made the first comment... One of my top three games of the year.

Thanks for this - never heard of some of these games and many are on sale.
Might pick up the gato game as <£4.

@TossedLlama good to hear man. Sorry for sounding rude. I have played it my self and agree it's an amazing game but personally feel no need to voice for its official localization. It has a very little chance. I also just assumed you were memeing like most people do, which has gotten quite old considering most people who say they want it never played a mother game. I personally think if you want to play it you would just play the fan translation

@Camo-joe but it's not going to happen. Ninte do would've done it by now or would've taken down the fan translation. But they havent

@ShaiHulud makes sense. I could see that if they've announced a physical.

Good idea to make that kind of article since there are so much games in the Switch eshop it's hard to spot the good ones. Rolling Gunner is really awesome.

Allow me to add, The Sexy Brutal👌
Fantastic majoras mask like game with amazing game/sound design!

City of Brass, you say? Very interesting.

I picked up 3 hidden gems based off this list: Blasphemous, Ninja Saviors, and Rolling Gunner. Didn’t know about any of them.

@Anti-Matter it seemed like 1-2 Switch could have been so much more. I agree with ARMS. That was a very cool game. I just wish it had a story mode and the learning curve was not so steep.

Screen shots would be nice just saying.

I’m just gonna add CROSSNIQ+ here. Somehow it’s gotten passed over by almost every gaming outlet, the only one I’ve seen do anything on it is Kotaku. It’s stylish arcade puzzle action with a banging soundtrack and a hell of an artstyle. It’s pretty niche, but if you like Puyo Puyo, Tetris The Grandmaster, or the Puzzle League games, check it out.

Hardly well kept secrets but cant recommend enough Baldurs Gate I&II and Out Run.

I think as far as under rated goes its possible what they actually meant was "never sold well"

Played quite a few. Couple I'm not interested in. But Creature in the Well I really didnt like. Kept hearing pinball comparisons, but it's more Breakout/Arkanoid. Never found the controls intuitive.

Gato Roboto and Ape Out were superb.

It's amazing how spoiled we are now. I remember paying 59.99 for SNES games, sometimes 69.99...in 1994...which if you adjust for inflation... Just wow the quality of games we get for ten or twenty bucks. Not complaining at all, im just old and jealous I don't have time for all these games!

The titles I couldn't recommend enough but hardly ever get a mention are:

Slime San - Pure platforming joy, seemingly endless content and challening as heck. It's under a tenner as well. Great for short pick up and play sessions.

Slay the Spire - A card deck-building based roguelike that has an absolutely superb, almost flawless battle system. Offering hundreds of hours of challenge.

Sushi Strikers - A Nintendo exclusive - jap-poo crazy storyline involving sushi, offering a unique battle system and a pokemon-esque collection and levelling system. Also includes a well polished anime to help push the obscure surreal story along.