What to play on your new Nintendo Switch
Many systems in their fifth year of activity are close to retirement or, even, already retired. Nintendo Switch on the other hand seems to promise a great, very great 2022. A year that, to be honest, will follow a rather subdued period. 2017, the first, was the best year of the platform: month after month, heavyweights followed one after the other. In 2018 Nintendo tried the Nintendo Labo gamble and dedicated itself to expanding multiplayer (offline) experiences. During 2019, until March 2020, the Japanese company has dedicated itself to transposing those productions that, in the past, were relegated to the portable world. 2021 was a year of transition, however marked by some prominent titles.
Let's see the best you can draw from all these years on the market, taking into account not only the quality of the games, but also the public to which they turn.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: one of the many biomes in the game Our review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildSuitable for: Everyone, except casual players from hit and run games
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the best titles of the past decade, a video game milestone, a contemporary classic that continues to sell like no other episode in the series before. He has tackled the dominant setting of recent years, namely the open world, refining and deepening it, as well as smoothing it: the almost total absence of bugs - right from the release - is something amazing. It is an exceptional game from every point of view, offering a quality of interaction second to none, and a giant world full of surprises, memories, details. And we are waiting for the sequel, still unnamed, of which you can find our preview here: it is currently scheduled for 2022.
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey: an image from the game commercial Our review of Super Mario OdysseySuitable for: children, adults, platform fans
Super Mario Odyssey is the best three-dimensional platformer of recent years, it has an extremely high level design creative and magnificent controls, "soft" and accommodating as never before. The transformations the plumber undergoes are fun to play and watch, and Super Mario has never been so vivid - and consequently well animated - as in this game. It is an excellent work, suitable for young and old: the playful atmosphere, as with many Nintendo works, could make it less attractive for a teenage audience. If - and only if - you want to experience a three-dimensional Super Mario multiplayer adventure, then you could turn to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: despite the years, it remains an exceptional racing game Our review of Mario Kart 8 DeluxeSuitable for: everyone, those looking for multiplayer experiences
Mario Kart 8 was originally released in 2014, on Nintendo Wii U; the version published on the Nintendo Switch contains all the previously released DLCs, plus an unprecedented battle mode. It is one of the best episodes of the series, certainly the best of the last fifteen years: it is immediate and profound at the same time, and has - without a doubt - the best circuits of the whole saga. It features many characters, and even more karts and combinations, between tires and gliders: through the online, hundreds of hours of potential fun await you. It is so well done that it has never been so long between Mario Kart and the next: we would not want to be Nintendo, when - soon - Mario Kart 9 will have to release. You, in the meantime, enjoy this.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight: its graphic style is unmistakable Our review of Hollow KnightSuitable for: passionate and capable gamers
We have recently talked about the history of metroidvania, of which Hollow Knight - an indie title developed by the Australian Team Cherry - probably represents, at the moment, the apical point. It is a complex work, with a dark and grotesque atmosphere, originating from a skilful visual and sound composition: the level design is extraordinary, deep and labyrinthine, with a substantially perfect control system, which enhances the very difficult fights. In short, assuming you have the desire and the guts to face it, we highly recommend it: even in this circumstance there is a sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, whose release date is still unknown.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: the variety and quantity of characters is amazing Our review of Super Smash Bros. UltimateSuitable for: competitive gamers, video game enthusiasts
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, keeping to its name, is the definitive episode of the saga born in 1999. It represents an ecumenical synthesis of the mechanics of each previous episode, to which it associates an exceptional cleanliness of the experience, and a wealth of content literally unprecedented: including the DLC - now finished - there are 89 fighters available, from the world of Nintendo and beyond, for a total of match-ups that we do not dare to calculate. In addition to an exceptional fighting game - or brawler, depending on your infatuation level - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the symbol of the gigantism of its creator, Masahiro Sakurai: the amount of stages, music, modes and information is simply amazing. Keep in mind that, for certain angularities of the control system, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is not suitable for everyone like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: the transition between the first impact and the deep understanding of the mechanics is less harmonious (but, perhaps, still more satisfying).
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons: the game symbol of the first lockdown Our review of Animal Crossing: New HorizonsSuitable a: non-competitive players, those looking for relaxing experiences
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the symbolic game of the first lockdown; it is possible that the pandemic has favored its success, but Nintendo's merits are certainly more important than those of the cloister. From Nintendo 3DS to Switch, the leap has been smoother than we could have imagined: in addition to the island setting, the game has found a new, beautiful visual identity. It is one of the most stylistically successful projects of the entire Nintendo production. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is particularly suitable for all those players who prefer calmness to challenge and competition. The house is furnished, we talk to the other inhabitants, trees are planted and fruit is harvested; even the morphology of the island has changed.
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread: the return of Samus Aran Our review of Metroid DreadSuitable for: those looking for a well-made and challenging action
Metroid Dread represents the conclusion of a series, or at least part of its history, which began in 1986. This year the saga turned thirty-five, and there was no new original chapter from 2002: it was legitimate to expect anything, for better or for worse. Instead MercurySteam, together with the creatives of EPD7, gave life to a very beautiful chapter. A chapter that refuses the direct comparison with modern metroidvania, to focus more on the action aspect: the fights of Metroid Dread are memorable and adrenaline, and the atmosphere - as usual - oppressive at the right point.
Mario Party Superstars
Mario Party Superstars: fun for everyone, experts and non-experts Our review of Mario Party: SuperstarsSuitable for: those looking for a multiplayer experience suitable for everyone, including non-players
Super Mario Party came out years ago on the Nintendo Switch, and it was a great episode that showed the peculiarities of the console; however Mario Party Superstars is certainly not a superfluous chapter. On the contrary. It collects the best minigames of the Nintendo64 / GameCube era, and above all presents a versatility absent in Super Mario Party: the title does everything possible to be enjoyable in any way you use Switch (on the TV, laptop, in table mode), for any minigame. Mario Party Superstars is able to entertain anyone, making games uncertain: perfect for multiplayer challenges between experienced players and newbies.
Ring Fit Adventure
Ring Fit Adventure: a game to keep yourself in shape Our Ring Fit Adventure reviewSuitable for: those who want to do fitness at home, video game enthusiast or not
It is no longer the days of Wii and DS, but Nintendo, after the earthquake caused by mobile systems has found new ways to address casual gamers. Ring Fit Adventure is a title for keeping fit but, at the same time, it is also a game: it has a narrative context, however superficial, and obstacles to overcome. A setting that puts gamers at ease, and that is not "weird" enough to turn away those who just want to sweat a little. At present, it has sold more than twelve million copies.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: the evocative settings of the game Our review of Xenoblade Chronicles 2Suitable for those who: love Japanese RPGs
It is impossible not to include Xenoblade in this list: Monolith Soft, strongly desired by Satoru Iwata in the Nintendo family, has given birth, from the Wii era onwards, to a extraordinary series of Japanese RPGs. For now Xenoblade Chronicles X remains exclusive to Wii U (one of the last, to tell the truth), but on Switch you can enjoy both the first - wonderful - chapter restructured, namely Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and the second episode, dated 2017 , which is a Switch exclusive. We refer, of course, to Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Like so many other titles on this list, this one should also be in the process of receiving a following, whether spiritual or actual: Monolith Soft has been standing still for too long to remain silent for much longer. In the meantime, if you haven't already, we recommend that you retrieve the episodes just mentioned.
Splatoon 3
Splatoon 3: Coming in 2022 Our preview of Splatoon 3Suitable for: competitive gamers, shooter enthusiasts
We close this article with a strange tip: we didn't want to keep Splatoon out of this list, which actually offers something unique, but for these titles it is very important "to live "live online. For this reason, with Splatoon 2 no longer receiving updates, and with Splatoon 3 coming next year (presumably before the fall season, we should guess we'd say between April and July), we can't help but advise you to wait for the third episode. While waiting to discover its quality and uniqueness, we are sure that, at the very least, it will be able to preserve the dynamic and playful (and extremely competitive) soul of its two predecessors.
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