Feature: 7 Switch Games We Played At PAX East 2025 - Here's What We Thought

PAX East 2025 just finished up this past weekend, and Nintendo Life was there sampling lots of juicy upcoming Switch releases.

Yes, there's plenty to look forward to with the old Switch, even as the new Switch looms in the distance. So we're sharing our hands-on impressions of some of the games we had a chance to play - from irreverent indies to secret Switch 2 releases.

We've collected our thoughts and jotted down our impressions below so that you can read all about the show's offerings and decide for yourself which up-and-coming titles to add to your own list!

PAX East 2025 Hands-On Impressions

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster - 5th June 2025

BRAVELY DEFAULT, the incredible first instalment in the BRAVELY series returns, remastered in High Definition! Without warning, the Great Chasm opened a hole in the world. Tiz is the sole survivor of a village swallowed whole by the chasm. In the depths of his despair, he encounters a young vestal named Agnès. Together they set off on a journey with the goal of closing the chasm and freeing the crystals swallowed by darkness... They set off, entirely unaware of the significance of that goal.

Our thoughts:

The first of the Switch 2 games we got to try, while you probably know this best as a turn-based RPG from the 3DS, we actually got to focus on the minigames.

Specifically, two new minigames have been added to the HD Remaster: Luxencheer Rhythm Catch and Ringabel's Panic Cruise. While this is all we were able to demo and share for the game at this time, we can tell you that the minigames themselves are enough to make us want to pick it up on day one.

While splitting up the controllers is not the prescribed way to play them — and was only done during this demo to allow multiple people to play — it gave us some delightfully chaotic results. Luxencheer Rhythm Catch is a rhythm-based game that mimics dancing with LED light sticks - and you can imagine what happens when one person is holding the left stick, and other the right (spoiler alert: it's not rhythm).

And with Ringabel's Panic Cruise, the control scheme was already inherently awkward - but having two different people pilot the same airship in first-person using the mice as their hands to control the dashboard and juggling the wheel and elevation lever at the same time - it reminded us of a mashup of Overcooked, and the Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disney World.

The entire experience was glorious, and these minigames are sure to be a blast to play in group settings, even if it's not what the development team originally intended. We personally can't wait for the release next month - it'll almost definitely be our new favourite party game. Oh, and RPG.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma - 5th June 2025

The Celestial Collapse — a calamity caused by a colossal object crashing into the eastern lands known as Azuma. The devastating impact sent fragments of terrain to the skies above and the seas below. With the earth shattered, the power provided by the runes ceased to flow. The gods of nature vanished soon after. Mountains crumbled and fields withered, leaving the people with nothing…not even hope. You awaken, startled by a dream of dueling dragons. You don’t remember how or why, but a voice resonates within you. “Accept the power of an Earth Dancer. Use this power to save the land.” Thus begins your lengthy journey to restore the gods…

Our thoughts:

Rune Factory has always been a classic for fans of the combined farming and battling mechanics that provide a harder-edged contrast to its sibling series, Story of Seasons.

Guardians of Azuma, the newest entry in this series, features entirely revamped graphics — these are gorgeous, but definitely following in the footsteps of the Genshin Impact-style graphical trend that's become so common over the years. In that vein, the game's more anime-esque landscapes and character design seem to be a homage to the clear Japanese inspiration inherent in the game, which sets it apart from most of the previous Rune Factory entries.

We were pleasantly surprised by how much texture the voice acting added to the gameplay. Unfortunately, we experienced a bit of a steep learning curve with the weapons systems; toggling between all of the different mechanics wasn't necessarily intuitive at first, and there are a significant number of new battle mechanics and features to get used to. However, players will be able to customise and map the buttons to their liking, so we're confident it should be manageable when playing the full game.

Despite that learning curve, the PC demo played well on the floor, so we're hoping the Switch version (and Switch 2 version) is equally strong.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar - 27th August 2025

Inspired by the original handheld game, the latest title in the STORY OF SEASONS series has a grand new entry! Welcome to Zephyr Town, a place full of fresh breezes and colorful characters. Here you can enjoy a life on the farm and work to make the town's bazaar better than ever before.

Our thoughts:

Speaking of Story of Seasons, the newest entry to the beloved farming franchise also had a showing this year: Grand Bazaar, a remake of the 2010 DS game and a massive upgrade over the original release.

The graphics have obviously been significantly revamped, with immersive new relationship cutscenes, and the ability to jump on top of buildings and sail over the village?! We loved it. The voice acting provided a huge amount of depth. Of course, time-tested elements we all keep coming back for are polished but left pure - specifically the satisfying farming mechanics we all know and love.

There are SO MANY animal interactions this time around, too - playing with all of the pets was easily our favourite part of the demo. It's always a good sign when you find that you can't actually pick a stopping point in the game, and end up falling into the trap of completing just one more task or day (thank you to the staff at the booth who re-set the play timer for us multiple times while we made homemade training treats for our dogs and pet all of the cows...).

We definitely tried bribing the team to let us take the demo home and play the full game early, because this is one of the titles we're most excited for in 2025.

Constance - 2025

Constance is a Metroidvania with puzzle and jump’n’run elements. The focus is on exploration, combat, and riddles. It is currently in an early stage of development and will be released for PCs and consoles. The game’s story is about the name-giving protagonist Constance, who one day mysteriously finds herself imprisoned by her inner demons in her subconscious. Players take on the role of Constance and help her face these demons and fears, overcome her mental blocks and strengthen her acceptance and awareness, so that she can develop the strength and balance to leave her inner prison behind. The game’s visual style is defined by detailed hand-drawn environments and frame-by-frame animations of the characters that lend the game world a deep and lively atmosphere. The game deals with themes of mental health, creativity, art, passion and work culture. The worlds are diverse, imaginative, and filled with dangers, puzzles, obstacles, and unique characters, all waiting to tell players their own little stories.

Our thoughts:

We were initially drawn to this Metroidvania by its stunning hand-drawn 2D graphics, depicting intensely emotional and relatable scenes of an artist's journey with mental health and maintaining their creative energy in a chaotic world. However, when we picked up Constance and gave it a go, we immediately realised the team developing the game is intensely attuned not just to storytelling and art, but have ensured the gameplay and mechanics are top-notch as well.

Playing Constance almost felt like a study in game design - equal parts stunning, sentimental, and satisfying, the mechanics are clearly very precisely tuned to ensure every attack, jump, and glide feels like a pure dopamine hit. The team explained to us that they've actually been drawing and re-drawing the game's scenes over and over again to ensure everything flows perfectly.

The masterful attention to detail and thoughtful care that has been put into every element of this game was very impressive, and we thoroughly recommend checking it out when it releases later this year.

Tales of Tuscany - 2026

Tales of Tuscany is a fast-paced, hilarious RPG where you control your own story. Build a team of misfits to take on bosses with and make choices that shape the world around you! Tuscany has been obliterated by the evil wizard Thunder Goober for his own personal entertainment! Play as Lambypoo and adventure through the broken land of Tuscany, either making friends and having them join your team or defeating enemies for their EXP in your efforts to save your cousins and reunite Tuscany... Each journey through Tuscany is completely unique to the player at the wheel, and you'll be awarded something called a Rhapsody each time you complete the game - a postcard which details your entire playthrough which you can trade cross-platform between friends! You're tasked with reuniting Tuscany, but nobody is telling you how... do whatever you want!

Our thoughts:

What can we say about this zany JRPG to effectively describe its quirky mechanics, "choose-your-own-adventure"-style progression system, and absolutely hilarious narrative? Honestly, you just need to check it out for yourself. Don't worry if you haven't played its predecessor, Athenian Rhapsody, the core theme of both games is to have fun, make it whatever you want it to be, and ignore the rules.

The booth at PAX (where both games were on display) was consistently filled with laughter from the watching crowd as irreverent storylines reminiscent of EarthBound played out in Pokémon-style battles with WarioWare-like elements. Playing as "Lambypoo" (which developer Nico Papalia confirmed was inspired by his dog's Lamb Chop toy), you're encouraged to be as ridiculous in your decisions as possible - and none of the options are boring.

We couldn't get enough of Tales of Tuscany, and are anxiously awaiting the game's release. Until then, we highly recommend checking out the first game, Athenian Rhapsody, for a taste of this topsy-turvy universe.

Demonschool - Q3 2025

Demonschool is a new-style tactics RPG where motion equals action. Defeat big weirdos in between the human and demon worlds as Faye and her misfit companions, while navigating university life on a mysterious island.

Our thoughts:

The long-awaited tactics RPG from Necrosoft is finally coming to Switch this summer, and it should definitely be worth the wait. If you’re looking for a grisly horror-style JRPG with chess-like strategy and a solid friendship & romance system for building your party, you’ll love Demonschool.

We also enjoyed the mechanics of boosting our party’s skills via the school-based activities - extracurriculars, class schedules, training, and side quests. A darker, more demonic take on some of the best elements of Persona and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Demonschool is looking like it could be an (oc)cult hit.

Bearnard - Out Now

Step into the furry paws of Bearnard, a master archer and reluctant hero. He embarks on an epic adventure to begrudgingly reclaim a legendary bow and defend his woodland home. In this single-player, story-driven journey, you'll explore diverse landscapes, battle countless enemies, solve physics-based puzzles, and meet a cast of quirky characters. Collect and unleash powerful cards in turn-based battles, carefully strategizing each move to outwit and overcome your foes.

Our thoughts:

At first glance, Bearnard appeared to be just another 2D indie platformer on the show floor at PAX - the kind we all love, but frankly have seen dozens of. However, when we sat down and gave it a go, we quickly realised it was far from the expected; it puts a surprising twist on this age-old genre by focusing specifically on physics-based puzzles and deck-building elements alongside turn-based combat mechanics.

While probably not for those who want a fast-paced hack-and-slash, it’s absolutely a unique spin on a familiar genre. If you can get past the surprisingly steep learning curve, and stick through the sometimes groan-worthy narration, you’ll find Bearnard is a charming, challenging, and (occasionally) comedic entry into the indie adventure world.

Were you at PAX East this weekend? Did you get a chance to try any of these games out? Let us know which one(s) you're planning to pick up in the comments!