Digital Trends
If 2023 was our final full yr with the Nintendo Switch, what a heck of a sendoff it received.
The rumor mill has been buzzing for months now, claiming that Nintendo plans to disclose and launch its Switch successor subsequent yr. While that’s a rumor it is best to take with some skepticism, there’s good cause to imagine it could occur. Nintendo reportedly confirmed off the system to builders behind closed doorways at Gamescom this yr, and the Switch’s present 2024 lineup appears like the ultimate drop we’d get proper earlier than a brand new system. The Switch may very well be previous information this time subsequent yr.
If that’s the case, Nintendo positive didn’t let it exit with a whimper. In reality, 2023 might have been the system’s strongest total yr since launch, because of a wealth of wonderful first-party video games. Not solely did we get two true Game of the Year nominees in Zelda and Mario, however a number of surprises helped make this one among Nintendo’s strongest years but. If you want additional proof of that, right here’s a listing of simply among the highlights we noticed on Switch this yr.
Trending Deal:
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo
Even earlier than 2023 began, we knew it could be a giant one for Nintendo. That’s as a result of Switch launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would get its long-awaited sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. Expectations had been impossibly excessive, however Nintendo nonetheless met them with a top-notch sequel stuffed with improvements. While it could look similar to Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom builds on the open-world journey’s components with its ingenious Ultrahand device. That system would let gamers construct absolutely functioning machines, from one thing so simple as classic steam engines to full on mechs. Tears of the Kingdom promotes a form of limitless creativity that few video games have ever completed. I think about that we’re going to see not possible creations birthed out of it for a few years to return.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Nintendo
As if Zelda wasn’t sufficient, Nintendo additionally snuck a top-notch Mario sport into the Switch’s sixth yr. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a stunning return to the plumber’s 2D platforming roots, nevertheless it’s not only a nostalgic blast from the previous — it’s essentially the most joyful artistic Mario platformer because the sequence’ Super Nintendo video games. That’s because of its namesake Wonder system, which provides unpredictable transformations to every stage. It nearly performs like a Kirby sport, with Mario reworking right into a Goomba or using a large snowball because it crashes by means of a stage. Delightful surprises like that remind us why the Mario sequence continues to be so beloved in spite of everything these years. It’s a celebration of our everlasting childlike surprise.
Fire Emblem Engage
Nintendo
With so many hits, it’s simple to overlook the Switch video games that launched on the very begin of 2023. Take Fire Emblem Engage, for example, which kicked Nintendo’s yr off in January. While it received misplaced in a flood of wonderful releases, the technique RPG is one other sturdy entry for the ways sequence. It sports activities a unbelievable artwork fashion, has sharp technique gameplay, and brings again tons of fan-favorite characters for a surprisingly wealthy story that will get higher the deeper it goes. It might not be as thrilling a shake-up as Fire Emblem: Three Houses was in 2019, nevertheless it stands tall beside it and presents a purer Fire Emblem expertise for followers of video games like Awakening.
Pikmin 4
Nintendo
What’s stunning is that Fire Emblem Engage wasn’t even Nintendo’s finest technique sport of 2023. That honor goes to Pikmin 4, which can very effectively have been the yr’s most stunning sport. While the sequence has at all times been revered, Pikmin 4 reinvented the components in all the best methods, making it extra approachable than ever. It’s nonetheless the identical cute sport about directing a military of plant creatures to hold objects like employee ants, however its emphasis on Dandori makes for a extra enjoyable journey in regards to the energy of fine group. It’s one of many sequence’ finest entries, establishing Pikmin as a top-tier Nintendo sequence as soon as once more.
Metroid Prime Remastered
Nintendo
It was a powerful yr for remakes and remasters on Switch. Games like Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe did some previous classics justice, however no challenge was extra profitable than Metroid Prime Remastered. The GameDice basic loved a triumphant arrival on Nintendo Switch with touched-up visuals that made one among Nintendo’s most putting adventures even higher. Two a long time later, Metroid Prime nonetheless feels not like something out in the present day because of its distinctive first-person platforming, eerie ambiance, and all-time nice soundtrack. Even if it wasn’t a totally “new” launch, the remaster nonetheless feels each bit as fashionable in the present day on Switch.
Super Mario RPG
Nintendo
Metroid Prime wasn’t the one standout rerelease this yr. Nintendo ended its yr sturdy with a shock remake of Super Mario RPG, a cult basic SNES journey. Developed by ArtePiazza, the challenge stays devoted to the unique whereas turning it right into a extra absolutely realized cartoon, full with detailed animations. While it isn’t essentially the definitive model of the sport, it’s a way more approachable model of it that feels custom-made to be a gateway RPG for youths. And for individuals who find yourself being charmed by it, an HD rerelease of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door that’s coming in 2024 will make for an amazing subsequent step.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
Nintendo
Perhaps essentially the most forgotten Switch sport of the yr, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon feels destined for cult basic standing. The kid-friendly spinoff of the mature Bayonetta sequence sounds weird on paper, however developer PlatinumGames delivers a mechanically artistic journey sport minimize from the basic Zelda material. The most notable piece of it’s its solo co-op hook, the place gamers management each Cereza and Cheshire on the identical time. That system works extremely effectively, permitting for some surprisingly deep fight that calls again to Platinum greats like Astral Chain. If subsequent yr runs gentle on huge Switch video games, that is one it is best to positively return to.
WarioWare: Move It!
Nintendo
While it wasn’t essentially the most technically astounding Switch sport of the yr, WarioWare: Move It! received my coronary heart. The microgame assortment is a return to kind for Nintendo’s weirdest sequence, bringing again the identical motion-control gameplay that made WarioWare: Smooth Moves! a Wii basic. Built with multiplayer in thoughts, Move It incorporates an entire bunch of artistic modes that’ll have gamers working in place, wiggling their butts, and extra. Its most memorable moments, although, come from its Nintendo-themed minigames, which recreate scenes from Metroid Dread, Super Mario 64, and extra. It’s the form of go-to celebration sport each Switch proprietor ought to have of their library – and it could be the final one the system ever will get.
Editors’ Recommendations