The new Nintendo Switch console is out for a week and a lot of gamers are picking it up in stores. What game should you get with your new console? Check out our buyer’s guide to help you out.
The Nintendo Switch launched with a couple of games, both physical as downloadable. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll give you a nice summary of all the launch games and our reviews. If you want to read more about the games, be sure to click on the banner, this will take you to the review page where we discuss why a game deserved a certain score. We hope this summary can help you out to decide what game you’re getting next on your new Nintendo Switch!
Physical games
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild doesn’t disappoint. It marks a new start for the franchise and it offers an unforgettable journey at the same time. The freedom you get is amazing but it makes it a lot harder to survive than you’re used to. Finding the right path at the right time is challenging at some points but in the end, it’s always worth the struggle. This isn’t just a new Zelda game, this is one of the best the franchise has to offer and an instant classic for sure. Buying a Nintendo Switch? Be sure to get Breath of the Wild since this is a game you’ll want to play anytime and anywhere. Be prepared for the biggest and most emotional Zelda experience to date.
Skylanders Imaginators is another great entry in the Skylanders franchise. By giving the players the option to create their own character, this is the most personal Skylanders ever. I was unlucky enough to just take my Switch with me, having scanned all my Skylanders once, I thought I was ready to go. But alas! When I was at work, I tend to play during my 1-hour break at noon, I found myself without playable Skylanders in the game. Finally figuring out you need to scan the figures twice to really save them to the system. Another fact that kinda bummed me out, you get no support for traps or vehicles and while this is quite a big change compared to the Wii U version, it did not hinder my gameplay at all. The main point, this is a great game, kids will love it and being able to play this anywhere now, for me, this is a dream come true!
I hate to admit it, but I actually liked Just Dance 2017. It’s what it is, a dancing game but a really fun one with amazing visuals. The Nintendo Switch is the perfect platform for this game. A great game to play together with friends or with your girl/boyfriend. I liked it for a while but I don’t think I’m going to play this game that much. My girlfriend however, loved this game. Which made her very happy and made her like the Switch more, which made her less jealous when I play Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all night.
1-2 Switch isn’t Nintendo’s best product to showcase the new features of their newest console. It won’t do what Wii Sports did for Wii and that’s a bit of a shame. Some mini-games are truly fun to play and showcase the potential of the Joy-Cons in the best way possible. Other mini-games are just too awkward or too strange to play while facing the other player. The idea behind it is great, forcing the players to look each other into the eyes, but the mini-games aren’t all as fun as they should be. This in combination with the high price doesn’t make it worth spending your money on. Just wait until it gets way cheaper to give it a shot.
Downloadable games
Snipperclips is a hidden masterpiece that might be overlooked due to the high quality of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you want to see something else than Hyrule, Snipperclips should be the second Switch game you get. Its simplicity is what makes it so good. The puzzles, characters and art style are all adorable and don’t need extra explanation. This is one of those rare game that can be enjoyed by everybody, gamer and non-gamer. Be sure to give this one a go!
Voez. On mobile, you need to play (and pay) in order to get more tracks, on the Nintendo Switch, you just get all of them at once, while this is nice for some, myself included, but I can see that this might not be liked by everyone.I wouldn’t mind having to try the latter part myself, but then again, now I can just enjoy all the amazing music this game offers from all over Asia.My suggestion is to first try the free demo on your mobile prior to forking out 20,99 euros. It will allow you to get a perfect feeling of the game, before making the switch to this version, pun intended.
All in all Fast RMX is a good launch title for Nintendo’s new system and I haven’t even elaborated on the best part: it only costs €19,00/$19.00 on the e-shop. This is by far one of the best price/quality downloads I’ve ever made! It’s a fast racer you can play at any time since it’s stored inside your Switch’s memory and you can pull it out as fast as you want for some quick racing on the go! Whether you play it with your friends or by yourself. Fast RMX leaves some features behind compared to its previous WiiU entry but you get an even prettier, faster and play on the go experience that you should get for the miserably low price during this launch window! If there’s a dedicated F-Zero on the way for the system, Fast RMX will already have set the bar pretty high
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove: in conclusion, I would recommend this game for everyone that liked the original game, the game has that great original Megaman feel, the same kind of difficulty in its levels and overall just a good gaming experience, which comes accompanied with a really satisfying soundtrack, Yacht Club has announced more future content and I can’t wait to try it all!
I am Setsuna is definitely a must own if you are into JRPG and if you love a good story. For newcomers to the RPG genre, I recommend to give this a try and push your way to learn the mechanics to discover the amazing and beautiful story that I Am Setsuna has to offer.
Shock Troopers is a great arcade game that is best enjoyed with a second player at your side. Combine this with tight controls and great visuals and you get a fun action game that you can take everywhere with you on the Nintendo Switch.
In conclusion, I think Othello is a great buy for a few Euro or Dollar on the Nintendo Switch’ eShop and it can be quite tough on the harder levels. I would recommend it mostly to players that like board games, chess, checkers, …If you are a casual gamer, I am not certain if this game is for you, it’s basically a game of tactics and your brain will go into overdrive for the harder levels if you’re not prepared.
So how well has it aged and what is its value in the eShop? Metal Slug 3 is still the fast easy to pick up shoot ’em up it has always been and it’s nice to have this well-ported arcade shooter in the Switch’s launch line up. It is a timeless classic and with the addition of the unlimited lives anyone can pick it up. It has a “quick join” story co-op so you can play with another friend and the best part is; You can play it by sharing single Joy-Cons! Perfect!.
Waku Waku 7 is a fun little fighting game that most people can enjoy. The extra options in the port are a nice addition and can improve the experience for some. The controls are confusing, but after a couple of games, you’ll get the hang of it.
Super Bomberman R is definitely an awesome launch game. Sure, there are some flaws but I hope they get fixed soon. The biggest problem I had with this game was the price. €49,99 is just way too much for what you get in a game like this. If this game was around €30,00 I would definitely rate this game much higher. Multiplayer, both local and online (minus problems), is enjoyable. But if you are looking for a fun multiplayer game on the Switch I would rather suggest Fast RMX or Snipperclips which both are €19,99 and have at least an equally fun multiplayer option.
In conclusion, this may not come as much as a surprise, but World Heroes Perfect has some issues with being too difficult on the entry level. If you are looking for a challenge, I can only recommend it! I would give this old skool game a 6 out of 10 for casual gamers. Hardcore gamers may rate it higher, but I just could not… Much like my other review of a Neo Geo classic, I will be revisiting this game when I get my hands on an arcade stick!
King of Fighters ’98: The Slugfest. In conclusion, don’t get me wrong, this is a 2D fighting classic that deserves all credits, but my experience playing it on the Nintendo Switch can not be called a great one, hence my 6 out of 10 for the game.
New Frontier Days: Founding Pioneers is not a game worth buying unless you are a big fan of Farmville and other Facebook games. A game like this doesn’t belong on a console and it’s actually shocking that Nintendo thought this was a good enough title to launch together with their newest console.
Vroom: In the Night Sky. I think I’ve said it all in this review but if, for some reason, I’m not that clear: stay away from this product. It’s not worth your money and definitely not worth even a second of your time. How do you rate a game this bad? Well, I won’t think about it that much since the developer clearly did the same. 0.5 out of 5 for the effort of including the most annoying rumble function ever
And that’s it. We hope this guide can help you decide on what game you’re getting for your new Nintendo Switch console. Keep a close eye on our website since we’ll be reviewing other Nintendo Switch games as well in the near future.
