The Nintendo Switch has been a successful System with many great games on it. The fact is though, that many great games are not getting the attention they deserve. These come in a variety of genres and all are worth your attention. Here are ten such titles.
SOL DIVIDE -SWORD OF DARKNESS
Zerodiv has been bringing PSikyo games to the eShop over the last two years and this is one of the best. A side scrolling shooter with a neat story and multiple attack options, Sol Divide has something for everyone. The visuals have aged surprisingly well compared to its contemporaries and the multiple characters all have unique playthroughs and stories, which adds an immense amount of replay value to the game. If you want a good shooter, then look to the masters!
IMMORTAL REDNECK
Immortal redneck is a rougelike FPS about a drunken redneck who gets mummified. That sentence alone should be enough to sell you on the game, but if its not, then the fact that its an expertly designed game with fun quick paced action will do it. You can play as the shotgun wielding redneck going through multiple floors of enemies in three pyramids, and also gain new abilities to use as you play. With gyro controls added on Switch, this is an experience not to pass up.
KNIGHT TERRORS
Autorunners get a bad name among players but Knight Terrors is one that has an attractive nature to it. It began by adding combat to what started as a flappy bird inspired game, and then letting it truly become something else. A uniquely dark autorunner that nonetheless has an epic feel to it, Knight Terrors is available at a cheap price and offers hours of fun. It is a budget title done right.
XENON VALKYRIE+
A Platformer Rougelite, Xenon Valkyrie+ is a game that manages to have an addictive hook that few games can achieve. It manages to hook you in with its action packed nature and keep you playing till your Switch battery is drained. You pick from a variety of characters and then start your descent into an enemy filled area. With just the right amount of challenge included within, Xenon Valkyrie+ is a game for everyone. Excellent music and visuals, and tough battles make this one you will not be done with anytime soon.
MERCENARY KINGS
I am a big fan of the Metal Slug series and that was a major reason I was excited for Mercenary Kings Reloaded Edition. This is a game that not only pays tribute to the games of the past, but expands and refines it. With extra characters included in the reloaded edition, you must fight the evil forces of CLAW. in this humorous but challenging game. You cannot just run in and shoot everything because you have a limited amount of shots before you need to reload. While reloading is unlimited, different weapons will have different amounts of shots they can carry. That said, you will gain new items that let you craft new weapons as you progress and this allows you to customize your arsenal. With music and visuals that harken back to the Neo Geo era, a sense of exploration and hours upon hours of replay value, Mercenary Kings is the modern Metal Slug game fans have wanted.
VICTOR VRAN
Victor Vran is a game that fell victim to bad timing. An action RPG in the vein of Diablo II, it came out just a short time after Diablo III was announced for Switch and took all the attention. That is a shame, because there is more than enough to set the game apart. Whereas Diablo III gives you a sense of overwhelming power in your character, Victor Vran gives you the feeling of being in a street fight. Every move has to be considered and every enemy can kill you if you aren’t careful. Victor Vran harkens closer to the Diablo II Skill and build shift style and additionally adds jumping mechanics, all of which set it apart from the other big ARPG on the system. This isn’t even mentioning Motorhead Through The Ages, an expansion that turns the game into the Motorhead game we never knew we needed and is just another Reason Victor Vran should be in your collection.
99VIDAS: THE GAME
99Vidas is one of the best modern beat em ups in gaming right now. It not only pays tribute to all the past greats, but manages to bring something new as well. Based on the popular Brazilian gaming podcast of the same name, 99Vidas not only provides intense action, but humor and an excellent challenge. It is great for a single player but even better for multiple players. This is one not to miss at all.
MILES & KILO
Miles and Kilo is an interesting game. A sequel to Kidd Tripp, it takes a very different approeach and reminds me of a modern take on classics like Alex Kidd and Adventure Island (moreso the latter). The game starts out easy enough but quickly picks up in difficulty, and you will soon realize that this is in fact a punishment platformer. Unlike most punishment platformers though, Miles and Kilo has the right amount of charm to keep you hooked. When you finally completed the harder levels, you will see that the game acknowledges it in small unique ways. This game is well designed and is one for those who want to try harder platformers and receive encouragement as you play.
GATE OF DOOM/WIZARD FIRE
The Johnny Turbo’s Arcade series from FTE Games has brought many Data East classics to Switch and these are two of the best. The re-releases have high production values that I feel surpass HAMSTER’s Arcade Archive releases, and the games themselves are great. Both are inspired by classic Dungeons and Dragons but take an interesting path. Both are Isometric hack n Slash fantasy games that involve transformations, fighting large amounts of enemies, gathering loot and fighting bosses. Gate of Doom was first and a bit rougher but still immensely fun. Wizard Fire was its sequel and ironed out all the issues and upped the production values. These are two classics not to be missed.
20XX
Mega Man is a legendary series and while Mega Man 11 was great, we all want more. That more comes in the form of 20XX, a rougelike platformer that is heavily inspired by Mega Man X. With a perfect art style and a wonderful soundtrack to the game that calls back to the best of those days, mixed with gameplay perfectly refines, the game ends up feeling like a “Best of” Mega Man game without all the baggage. A level might start you out easily enough if encountered as the first level, but if that same level is played as the third or forth level, then it is a very different story. In this case, the level will be longer and have increased difficulty, and the boss fight will be changed significantly. These changes can include new forms, new attacks and so on. The result is a near infinite amount of replay value included. This isn’t even bringing in the multiple characters you can play as, and the modifiers you can use. If you are a Mega Man fan, you need this game.
And there you have it. Ten games that deserve more attention. What games do you feel are underrated?
Disclaimer: The above was the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of ROG or its staff