Think back to March 2017. The Nintendo Switch had just come out, and everyone wanted one. Takealot worked overtime to get everyone their Switches on release day, driving through a storm of note (in Edenvale, anyway). It all worked out in the end with everyone managing to get their new-fangled Switch one way or another.
The problem was; there weren’t many games to play other than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A fine problem to have, sure, but if open-world games weren’t your thing, you were stuck with Just Dance 2017 or World of Goo. Six years later, that is no longer a worry. The Nintendo eShop has plenty of games now – and some are actually decent.
Warning: If you’re here expecting to find The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker you’re going to be thoroughly disappointed.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
At Breath of the Wild’s release, Stuff considered it one of the best games of all time. Our opinion hasn’t changed. The number of times we’ve beaten the game couldn’t be counted on one hand. Heck, we might even run out of space on our other hand. It’s just that good. It was one of the Switch’s original launch titles, and for good reason. Breath of the Wild was originally built for the Wii U, though it really shines on the Switch. Especially on the beautiful OLED screen of Nintendo’s newest version.
This is the Zelda game that broke tradition and the world thanked Nintendo for it. It’s the franchise’s first open-world game that lets you discover its sprawling overworld at your own pace. There’s one mission: Defeat Ganon. Obviously, there’s other stuff to do along the way. That’s what’ll take up most of your time.
Breath of the Wild isn’t cheap. On the Switch’s digital store – Nintendo eShop – it’ll set you back R1,330. It’s worth it.
Rocket League
We had to give the second spot to this game. Rocket League isn’t a “Switch” game. It’s on the eShop though, so it counts. The best part? It’s free. Yup, you read that right. You don’t even need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play online. That part is free too.
You’ve probably heard of Rocket League. If you haven’t, think ‘car soccer’. Players drive around the pitch trying to put a giant ball into the back of the other team’s net. The cars can even drive on the walls or fly if that’s your thing. There’s no skill cap which can be daunting at first, but once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll be scoring goals from the ceiling in no time.
Fortnite
Okay, this one you’ve definitely heard of before. It was all the rage in 2018 when it launched, and it changed the Battle Royale genre forever. Every online game has felt the need to try and replicate Fortnite’s success at some point. Some managed to garner some fame. Others… let’s just say they’re not on this list. All these years later and Fortnite is still on top. This one’s also free-to-play and doesn’t require an online subscription but you’ll wind up paying for it in other ways…
Super Mario Odyssey
We’ve only played through this one once when it came out in October 2017. Fond memories are still all we have of that time, and we’re pretty sure it was because of this game. It takes what made Super Mario Galaxy so good and improves on the formula in almost every way. Mario travels between worlds to do the one thing he’s good at: saving Peach. Oh, and plumbing. But he doesn’t do that here. Much.
Super Mario Odyssey may be the best Mario game currently on the market. We’re not including the hundreds of games Mario appears in like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Unfortunately, Odyssey falls victim to Nintendo’s expensive games curse, costing more now than it did when it was released five years ago. Be quick about it and you can grab it before it goes up again.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Ah, Mario Kart. As children we started with Mario Kart: Double Dash – which we’d argue is still one of the better Kart titles out there that had the misfortune of being on the GameCube – an underrated (and obsolete) piece of Nintendo tech. As the only Mario Kart game currently on the Switch, we’re lucky this is as good as it is – we don’t really have any choice otherwise.
It wasn’t even originally built for the Switch, but for the Wii U. When the time came to make a new game, Nintendo opted for throwing the word ‘Deluxe’ on the cover and calling it a day. We’re glad though, as it features some of the best tracks we’ve seen in a Kart title.
Chuck in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course and you’re golden. That’s the (unfortunately) paid-for DLC that’ll eventually see 48 new and old tracks come to the game. Nintendo likes to release this DLC in batches – of which we’re on the third. There are still two left to release sometime in 2023. The best part? You pay only once for all 48 tracks. And the fee is rather nominal.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Nintendo took one look at Breath of the Wild’s success and thought: “Screw it”, giving its player-base access to a Pokémon open world for the first time (except for Pokémon GO but that doesn’t count, right?). It’s not the be-all or end-all of Pokémon games though it’s certainly the most exciting the franchise has been for quite some time. Yes, it’s a bit rough around the edges and combat isn’t the game’s focal point, but the setting and new direction make up for all that. If you’re not a Pokémon fan, however, it may be better to check out some actual gameplay before diving right in.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
You might have been expecting something quite similar to Super Mario Odyssey the first time you laid your eyes on Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Traits are similar, but more often than not Kirby is a traditional 3D platformer – the first fully 3D outing for the character in its history.
Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is meant for kids – most of Nintendo’s games are. But adults will also enjoy eating both “enemies” and a bunch of other random objects scattered throughout the game. Give it a try, you might just be surprised.
The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
The last traditional Zelda game out there is one of the series’ worst. That’s by no means a diss on Skyward Sword, but a compliment to the entire Zelda franchise. Even when it’s not exceeding its own standards, it still manages to be brilliant. And with its HD re-release on the Nintendo Switch last year (eleven years after the original release), it manages to fix some of the problems that made the first playthrough on the Wii such a slog. Instead of motion-controlled combat, the Switch locks it to the analogue sticks. It takes a while to get used to, sure, but it’s far improved once you get the hang of it.
Nothing much else happens in this one. Link gets to fly sometimes which is fun, and he can also travel through time. And he saves Zelda at the end, don’t forget about that.
Whether this’ll tie into Tears of the Kingdom next year remains to be seen.
Mario Party Superstars
If your parents, spouse, or your own wallet tell you you’re only allowed one Mario Party game – make sure it’s this one. That is, if you’re on the Switch. If you’re on older consoles, then that’s on you. You saw the headline – you know what we’re up to here.
The Switch only has two Mario Party titles in its arsenal – Super Mario Party and Superstars. The first was… fine because it was all we had. The second Superstars was released; it was a no-brainer to say goodbye to Super Mario Party. There are a couple of reasons why – it’s faster than its Super counterpart by a long shot. Characters run to their next block as if their life depends on it.
The second is board selection. Superstars includes boards from the first three Mario Party titles but with 2022 graphics and… it’s beautiful. As die-hard Mario Party 4 fans (we feel old), we were surprised to find plenty of mini-games from across the entire series here.
Overall, both of the Switch’s Mario Party games are good. Superstars is just superior in every way. Grab some friends (even one is okay) and let the trash-talking commence.
Stardew Valley
Finally, there is Stardew Valley. We struggled a bit to decide where on the list it deserved to go. It’s not our favourite genre, but it’s hard to deny Stardew’s quality and the warm cozy feeling you get when you’re playing it. We eventually settled on number 10, though we felt it could have gone straight to number one were anyone else writing this article.
Stardew Valley is massive. Despite only having one creator behind it, ConcernedApe has managed to build a lively, vibrant farm town that sucks you in as hard as that yearly Minecraft playthrough. You know the one we mean.
At its core, Stardew is a farming game. The “story” is simple: your grandpappy is dead and it’s your job to keep his farm running. But it becomes so much more than that the second you step foot into the town of Stardew Valley. Stardew is certainly for slower-paced gamers. It rewards those that take the time to play it how it was meant to be played. Oh, and it’s the perfect game for when Eskom decides to take away your power.