Update: Metacritic has now released a "top 40" list, of the highest-scoring Switch games of 2021. You can see the rest of the list at the bottom of the original article.
Original [Thu 30th Dec, 2021 02:05 GMT]: Last week, Metacritic revealed the worst-rated Switch game of 2021 was Square Enix's Balan Wonderworld. Now, on a more positive note, we've got a list of the highest-scoring games on Nintendo's hybrid platform.
The Switch game of the year, which you're likely probably already well aware of is The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants, sitting on 96. Tetris Effect: Connected is in second place, and the highest-rated Nintendo-made exclusive is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.
Further down the list, you can see titles like Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise and the award-winning MercurySteam release, Metroid Dread. Here's the full list:
- The House in Fata Morgana - Dreams of the Revenants Edition - 96
- Tetris Effect: Connected - 95
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - 89
- Death's Door - 89
- Dusk - 88
- Fez - 88
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat - 88
- Monster Hunter Rise - 88
- Metroid Dread - 88
- Quake Remastered - 87
- Unpacking - 87
- The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles - 87
- There is no game: Wrong dimension - 87
Everything else not listed above received an aggregate score of 86 or lower.
List continued >
14. Bustafellows - 86
15. Overboard! - 86
16. Sumire - 86
17. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - 85
18. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 - 85
19. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! - 85
20. Shin Megami Tensei V - 85
21. Loop Hero - 84
22. Mushihimesama - 84
23. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights - 84
24. Castlevania Advance Collection - 83
25. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - 83
26. Knockout City - 83
27. Cupid Parasite - 83
28. Undermine - 83
29. Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack - 82
30. Dreamscaper - 82
31. Espgaluda II - 82
32. Tadpole Treble Encore - 82
33. Shadowverse: Champion's Battle - 82
34. Sky: Children of Light - 82
35. Danganronpa Decadence - 82
36. Little Nightmares II - 82
37. Ruined King: A League of Legends Story - 82
38. NEO: The World Ends With You - 82
39. SOLAS 128 - 82
40. Tied - Gnosia, Olympia Soiree, Astalon: Tears of the Earth - 82
How many of the games have you played on the above list? Were any of them your favourite Switch games of 2021? Leave a comment, and be sure to check out our reader-ranked top 50 Switch games of 2021 below:
[source metacritic.com]
Comments 96
Tetris Effect, 3D World, and Metroid Dread are amazing games and in my top 5 for the year. I personally found Fez confusing and don't like the combat in Rise but I still understand why people enjoy them. Fata Morgana and death's door are on my wishlist.
Zero interest in overcooked. I may avoid Dusk also because I can't handle too many creepy games.
I love how Tetris Effect Connected is the second highest rated when it's just Tetris. It's very pretty Tetris, I love the game, but Tetris is Tetris lol
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Glad Monster Hunter Rise made the list. Love the faster gameplay compared to it's predecessors. : P
Bowser's Fury is the best game I played this year. I can't wait for the next 3D mario game from Nintendo EPD!
@ShePenny Nice bait
Is the Fata Morgana the game you guys kept in making articles of? Because I still have no idea what it is
@HotGoomba I wouldn't rate tetris effect GOTY, but it's a high quality and enjoyable version of Tetris with no real drawbacks so I can understand why it gets high metacritic scores. Some games just do what they are trying to do very well.
@Slinkoy1 Yep, that's the one. Kate reviewed it last week, if you want to learn more:
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/the-house-in-fata-morgana-dreams-of-the-revenants-edition
Only two 10/10s I've given this year are to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and The House of Fata Morgana so good to see them up there I guess, not that I care too much about review scores.
The other games on that list that I've played are Tetris Effect: Connected, Fez, Monster Hunter Rise and Metroid Dread (and the original version of 3D World but not the Switch port) but they're all 8/10 at best for me so there are a lot of other games I liked more this year.
Disclaimer.
I will get Overcooked All You Can Eat, but the PS4 version. 😅
Btw, i don't care with Metacritic scores.
Games are very subjective, what games are great by some peoples, it is Blah for other peoples and vice versa.
By my own personal score,
Portal Knights PS4 = 92
The Sims 4 PS4 = 95
Dragon Quest Builders 2 PS4 = 96
ACNH + HHP = 91
@HotGoomba Yeah, that's basically my impression. I bought it soon after launch on Switch because everyone kept going on about it but then it was just like this is indeed Tetris. Still a good game, as most Tetris games usually are, but mostly just felt like more of the same.
Ok now I have to get Tetris Effect now! I mean, If its just basic tetris, and got that high, I need to check it out.
@ShePenny spoken like someone who knows absolutely nothing about video games.
@BenAV I'm sure the psychological effect is not the same on everyone, but when I use headphones on Tetris Effect the visuals and music/audio essentially puts me in a hypnotic trance. The actual tetris-playing aspect has a couple cute changes but nothing exciting which is why I rated it 'only' 9/10. I've always found Tetris relaxing, but this version basically blisses me out in a way no game ever has. I think a lot of the high-raters feel the same.
I guess the best part of the game is the part which has nothing to do with actual gameplay.
I only finished 6 games on Switch this year out of 125 games in total including other platforms. Dang. And only 2 of them are on that list, or 3 if you count playing the same game on a different platform.
@Snatcher It's not "just" basic Tetris. It's much more. The best version of Tetris imo.
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@Blakeava1821 Incredible! Nintendo Switch will Definitely Outsell the Wii and Gameboy for Sure!
On the other hand, Bowser's Fury, Metroid Dread and Monster Hunter Rise are Incredible Games! 10/10 Masterpieces thar are A MUST PLAY!
@SnesSwitch by that logic, you would also be saying that the Switch will overtake the PS1 and PS4 in terms of hardware sales too right?
Just asking. And I am pretty sure it is very possible Nintendo Switch can overtake the PS1 and PS4 and Game Boy and Wii
@Slinkoy1 "Because I still have no idea what it is"
Same. I just followed Liam's link to Kate's review and the problem is I have no idea what a "visual novel" is. And I'm being dead serious. Is it just words with pictures and no gameplay? I'm genuinely confused.
@BTB20 Best you say? I'm totally going to give it a try now.
Death's Door is currently on sale and I'm very tempted to buy it even though my backlog has over a dozen games right now.
Mario 3d world & metroid dread , tried the demo for monster Hunter but wasn't very impressed
@Key19 oof. I'm in the same boat.
Tetris Effect is just not even 1/10th as neat when it's not in VR..it's just another Tetris game playing it on a screen.
Own - 16
Played - 9
Beaten - 2
There just ain’t enough time to game!
Edit - Updated to reflect new list, and prove there still ain’t enough time to game…
Hey! There Is No Game squeaks in at the end! It is a truly wonderfully meta take on the point and click adventure game, and everyone should play.
I've played only three games on this list: Metroid Dread on Switch, Tetris Effect: Connected and Quake Remastered on PC.
@BTB20 I played almost all Tetris games on Nintendo consoles, but Effect isn't the best Tetris. It's not even the best Tetris on a Nintendo Switch.
To me the best Tetris will always be Tetris DS, number two is Tetris 99 and Tetris Effect is number 3.
Shin Megami Tensei V got down from 87 to 85 since last time I checked. But it doesn't matter. It's my favorite game of the year!
I downloaded all of those bar 3. Yet to play 3 of those, but the others were brilliant. Good year
11/13, some on another platform.
Only 2, but played a couple on other systems. Hopefully 2022 is a stronger year for the Switch
To me, the best tetris is Tetris II on ZX Spectrum, but alas it's in past. Great list — I've played only Tetris Effect from it, bought Fata Morgana and low-key looking for discounted 3D World and Quake.
Of five 2021 games I've played, Doki Doki Literature Club would be the best.
I just learned the historic sales numbers of all of the metroid games. For every 40 copies of Mario Kart 8, 1 person bought Metroid Dread. WTF is wrong with people? 😳
@ShePenny I’m replaying Superman 64 which makes me the only true gamer in the world tbh
Couple hours into Fata Morgana, “door 2”, and… it’s long. It feels a bit too long. I get that I have to push through but dayum.
@K1LLEGAL believe me, it is long, but absolutely worth it. The story is amazing and it gets better and better the more you go on. The start is nothing compared to what comes next.
Love to see that Death's Door made the top five here, awesome game
This is why I don't take any notice of review scores, imagine saying tetris is better than any of Nintendo's other exclusives
Tetris is quite amazing. The only thing i play half an hour this days on my switch. Music is brilliant. The nostalgic teenage years kicks in, everytime i start the game.
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an average list that sums up Nintendo in 2021
So the best Switch games in 2021 is some visual novel, a port of a PS4 game form 2018, and a port of a Wii U game from 2013?
Haven't played any of these (been going for a lot more older stuff this year like the AA Trilogy, Doom and NSO stuff) but I did get the Great Ace Attorney in that Turnabout bundle with the trilogy so I'll try and play that once Pokemon lets go of it's grip on me by the end of February.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/870/394/fc2.jpg
That #1 looks really boring, I'm pretty sure that would make me fall asleep playing that.
I tried to like Death's Door but after dying at least 8 times on the first fight without even a way of upgrading anything, I definitively decided it was not a game made for me.
Dusk rates highly here, just seen it’s currently 25% off on the European eShop
Man, I played absolutely zero games on that list. Switch has become my shmup machine. And I have so many that I have not bought very many lately.
The fact SMT V doesn't make the list is rather sad. Glad Dusk made it though as its fantastic and an excellent port to Switch.
I feel like the only person who doesn't like Overcooked.
Bowser's Fury wasn't that fun.
Yup. That's a list.
2022, anyone?
@Key19 It's great! Especially at $15. I'm holding out for Tunic. I hear it's only console exclusive temporarily.
@AstraeaV Really hoping Tunic gets announced for Switch. Fell in love with the trailer.
Tetris effect really? I found it very meh, played once, finished the solo mode... and thats it.... I love Tetris, but this one is just tetris, again. I suspect that playing it in VR could be awesome, and truly great. But on the Switch is just a pretty Tetris.
@UglyCasanova I imagine the non-VR game will get a lot more play time though. It's just way more convenient to play.
@anoyonmus most definitely
This is why Metacritic is a joke
@WallyWest SMT V deserves a 90 in my book. I wonder how much of these reviews weighed down the ratings because it was trying hard to compare it to Persona.
It says "40 - tied".
But this goes for half the list as well. Why the ranking then?
No new Pokémon snap? How sad…
I know you won't see any Kemco old school RPG'S on the list. However, I just played back to back, Ruinverse, Chroma Quarternion, Ghost Sync, and Fernz Gate, and thought they were great. So if you like old school RPGs, I recommend them. Fernz Gate being the oldest, doesn't have the colors and graphics like the others but it had a very "matureish" theme. I was like "wow" at the end. I'd like to see a sequel to that.
They may have missed out on the top 40, but I am glad we got Mario Golf, Skyward Sword, Monkey Ball, WarioWare, and a better Mario Party!
I'm glad to see Astalon just barely made it in there 😁
Currently trawling through The House in Fata Morgana. Around 8 hours in and nothing has really happened so far. One "decision" made at the start and that is it. I was aware it was light on options so that isn't an issue. I'm wondering at what point the story picks up as barely anything has happened so far and have had to take a break before I lose the will to live.
Never thought I would post a review on metacritic, let alone a very negative one. Yet House in Fata Morgana made me do it. I know it's a visual novel and not for everyone, but damn it doesn't deserve such high praise. Doki doki club literature is way better.
Exactly zero. My gaming time is limited to a few hours a week and I’ve mostly played older games - final fantasy x, Skyrim, Mario 3D Allstars, Into the Breach, Dead Cells, Civilization 6 and others.
Looking forward to trying some of these in 2023!
None, sorry but I dont trust Meta Critic anyway as there are still people saying that Balan Wonderworld is a 10 and is brilliant. Must mean they have never played any other 3D platformer.
Took a glance at that list and saw half a dozen or so highly rated games I'd never heard of... every one of them a damn visual novel.
@anoyonmus I think the Switch is already way passed the Wii.
Am I only seeing 2 first party titles in the top 40?
And ones a re-release with some dlc
I haven't played any of these yet, but I suppose there's a whole new year for that starting now.
@anoyonmus
The Switch supposedly managed to outsell the Wii here at the end of the year. Meaning it will outsell PS1 during January, and PS4 likely during spring. :v
The original Game Boy is a little further off at 118 million, but even with production limitations, Switch should manage that before we enter the 2022 holiday season.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand Loop Hero…
I downloaded it, but can’t comprehend the game play.
FAQs are not helpful
Only 9 out of 40 on there that I haven't played or downloaded onto the backlog! I think 2 of those 9 may be in the depths of my wishlist
How is Disco Elysium rated so low on Switch? I also play games on PC and it's considered one of the best, possibly best ever PC CRPG. It has a 97% rating on Metacritic. 97%! That's the highest rated PC game of all time (Half Life 2 is second in 96%)
What went wrong with the Switch port?
Overcooked ahead of Metroid..... LOL
Only 2021 games I've played so far are Miitopia and Picross S Genesis & Master System Edition. Soon I hope to play WarioWare: Get It Together!, Metroid Dread, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and hopefully Tetris Effect: Connected and Cruis'n Blast.
I was doing mostly catch-up and rebuilding my classic consoles collections.
I haven't played any of these games, though I do plan on playing Metroid Dread and Disco Elysium at some point.
I've never found meta scores all that useful. How much one enjoys a game is subjective. My preferences are my own and not the average of a collective group of people's opinions. It is useful to find individual critics with similar tastes to mine but what value is the average of critic's opinions, all of whom have disparate preferences, which an aggregator cannot tell me? It is a completely useless number to me.
But that said, it is interesting to see which games are being well-received just as an insight into the industry and culture.
I find your lack of Mario Party: Superstars disturbing.
@HotGoomba Dude..its not just Tetris, it has so many modes and backgrounds and music. Thats like saying "Mario is just mario" yes, its a platforming game, but each entry offers something you can only experience in said game. Dumbest ***** comment I've read on here, and that's saying a lot.
@Streetsoforion Are you really gonna take someone with a pumba goomba pfp seriously? Look at me.
Also,
"it has so many modes and backgrounds and music"
What the f**k do you think "very pretty Tetris" means?
Also it's not like I don't love the game, it's just that #2 highest rated 2021 Switch game on Metacritic was unexpectedly high.
WHAT?!????! no Skyward Sword???????
The port that people begged and and begged and begged for ??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Man…I have quite a few of those games. Some are still on backlog even..I’ll get around to them eventually! DUSK…recently picked that one up. At 1st it was kinda meh to me…as the levels progress as does the game….very solid port of a very solid rendition on the “boomer shooter” genre. Heard a ton about Deaths Door, I’m looking forward to giving it a go! 2022 could have some more highly rated titles in tow….perfect 10s for BOTW 2 enroute?
I love Tetris 99 and play it every day, can't justify buying a Tetris game when I can play this one for £8 a year!
I own Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! Premium Edition and I ordered Quake Remastered and Dusk through Limited Run Games. The House in Fata Morgana, Danganronpa Decadence and SMT V are on my wanted list.
@BenAV You forgot DDLC Plus, lol
@FineLerv Where you been since 1983?! Lol!
@Dethmunk To be fair, I would never play BOTW but The House in Fata Morgana is at the top of my wanted list.. I'm getting it for $90 on my next check actually. I spent $250 on the Collector's Edition of Clannad so it's not that big of an expense to me. Visual novels are always the most expensive but they also last the longest. My most played VN / game of 2021 was Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue with 98 hours. So the high price for some of them it worth it.
@JustMonika "Where you been since 1983?! Lol!"
We never used that term in '83. Even text adventures have been retroactively given the name "novel" but to us they were dungeons and dragons games.
@FineLerv I've actually only been into them since last Summer but I've been hearing about them for over 20 years. I started hearing alot about them once I got into anime back in 2018 because alot of anime series are adapted from visual novels. They're very niche in the West outside of a handful of them such as Doki Doki Literature Club, Steins;Gate, Clannad and a few others. I mentioned 1983 because that's officially when the first one came out in Japan. They're only mainstream in Asia.
I don't see Balan's Wonderworld on this list, and I would think that if it truly was better than Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, then it would be #2 here. Looks like someone here on NintendoLife is wrong...
@JustMonika They're definitely a blind spot for me. I don't play games like I did when I was young, so I think a lot of video game stuff gets sieved out of my awareness and I'm left only really tracking the titles that would appeal to me.
So, are they actually just largely storytelling experiences, as the name implies? Or is there puzzles and choices and things that you would normally associate with a more traditional game?
@FineLerv There are decisions and different routes in both romance and mystery visual novels. I just finished Maitetsu: Pure Station which has 8 routes and took me 6 weeks and around 85 hours. I see visual novels as an extension of anime. So if you're heavily addicted to anime like me then you'll enjoy them. I turn 40 in September and anime and gaming is my life outside of my hospital career.
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