Welcome, everyone, to 2021. Last year was pretty difficult. That’s not controversial. But even in the darkest days, I had something to help get me through it: My Switch. Well, okay, that’s not true. It was my marriage and buying a house and getting my job back. Those were all super dope. But my Switch got me through the doldrums of quarantine. If you picked up a Nintendo Switch at some point during quarantine and aren’t sure what games to be looking at, I’ve compiled a list of the most essential games available on the console as of January 2021.
#20: Eliza
The perfect game for the Trashfuture generation. In this visual novel, you play Evelyn, a programmer who helped develop “Eliza,” an AI therapist. Afterwards, she burned out bad and sunk into a three year depression. Coming out of it, she decides to sign up as a “proxy” for Eliza, a human contractor who interacts with Eliza’s clients to give them a more personal feeling. But she can’t stay hidden for long, as figures from her past pop by to tempt her. Will you join Nora, programmer-turned-DJ, and reject burnout culture? Rainer, the CEO of Skandha and your boss, in further perfecting Eliza? Soren, a psychiatrist hoping to push mental health wellness apps to the next level? Regardless of where you take things, you are in for some of the finest writing and voice-acting in gaming, as well as a timely story about Silicon Valley.
#19: Super Mario Maker 2
Who wouldn’t want a Mario game with near-endless content? Well… okay, so some of that content isn’t the best. A lot of it isn’t, actually. And it can be tough to find the gems. But if you find a great creator, or fall into a truly great World with a series of interesting levels, there’s nothing better. You can play in modes based on Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. U, and Super Mario 3D World, with added sub-modes for Super Mario Bros. 2 and a Mario-fied Legend of Zelda. There is so much to play in here that it can keep you entertained for months. And, of course, that’s before you get into the game’s robust level-creation tools. For a certain kind of person, Mario Maker 2 isn’t just a game; it’s a lifestyle.
#18: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
One of my favorite party games. Too bad there aren’t any parties going on. Oh well, they’ll return. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is fun for casual players, deep enough for professional play, and has a robust single-player campaign. If you like a very particular type of fighting game, this is the kind of thing you could lose yourself in for days. If you’re a longtime gamer, you’ll delight in the sheer number of characters’ from gaming’s (well… mostly Nintendo’s) history that you can run into or play as. Even if you’re new, however, the game’s casual controls and expansive single-player campaign offers plenty to enjoy.
#17: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
Is Moon a good game? That’s hard to say. It is a game that demands a lot from its players. I don’t mean that in the sense that it is difficult; rather, in the sense that it is profoundly obtuse. The first time I played Moon, I got a game over and had to start over from scratch… because I stayed up too late. My character stayed up too late and just died. It is a dense, strange game — that is also absolutely charming. A playful metacommentary on classic JRPGs and a cult-classic itself (and a major influence on another title on this list), Moon is basically a puzzle adventure game in which you essentially try to bring a little love into the world.
#16: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I confess, this one has dipped a bit. At release, it was essential. But with a dwindling playerbase, one of the game’s great joys — visiting friends on their islands — is no longer as relevant. That said, this is still a great chillout game. You move to an island, where you are immediately given a house, put in charge of island maintenance, and saddled with loads of debt. The island is small, but its resources are plentiful. Chop down trees, or plant them. Build roads and gardens. Help fill out the local museum. There’s always something to do in the game, and you can bet it will be charmingly animated and warmly welcoming.
#15: Stardew Valley
Like Animal Crossing, you come into a new home and have to make it your own. But Stardew Valley focuses more on farming and community. Rather than anonymous animal companions, here you have a handful of villagers with distinct personalities — and romantic storylines. It’s a game that can be anything you want. I’ve seen people build wonderful, elaborate farming operations in Stardew. But I’ve also seen folks keep their farms small and simple so they can focus on the townsfolks, the festivals, or the more fantastical elements. And it’s a great Nintendo Switch game because it’s the perfect game to load up on a commute or at lunch to play through a quick day.
#14: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Perhaps the strangest Zelda game in history, Link’s Awakening was initially a 1993 Gameboy game. Rather than exploring Hyrule, here, Link is found shipwrecked on a beach. The island is strange and mysterious, with something odd happening involving a gargantuan egg in a volcano. Nintendo completely remade the game, though they stayed loyal to the original story and style. Old players will delight in returning to one of Nintendo’s oddest sequels, remastered for a more modern look. New players (like me!) looking for a top-down adventure game will enjoy exploring the game’s off-kilter island for the first time.
#13: Paper Mario: The Origami King
I don’t think I was ready for how beautiful this game was. The Nintendo Switch isn’t the most powerful console, but good designers know that hardly matters. The Origami King uses bold splashes of color to paint a truly gorgeous Mushroom Kingdom for you to explore. And the puzzle-based combat is easy to learn and difficult to master. In it, you rotate enemies around a circle to try to line them up in patterns based on your weapon type. I’m not much of a three dimensional thinker, so I struggled with the puzzles. Thankfully, the game has tools to make it easier for folks who are bad at puzzles. Regardless, though, the game is worth playing as much for its writing as its beauty. Consider the Bob-omb, and the way your friendship with one of Mario’s traditional enemies in the game will bring you one of gaming’s most emotional moments.
#12: Cadence of Hyrule
One of the most inventive spin-offs in history. Crypt of the Necrodancer was a charming roguelike rhythm adventure game in which you moved and fought on the beat. Cadence of Hyrule finds the heroine of Crypt of the Necrodancer falling into Hyrule — and bringing the beat with her. Link, Zelda, and Cadence have to team up to free Hyrule from the musical tyrant who has taken it over. Delight over the game’s techno remixes of classic Zelda tunes. Enjoy the sense of exploration of a Hyrule like nothing you’ve seen. And, if you end up loving the rhythm-based mechanics, you have a whole other game to really dig into!
#11: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
This beautifully updates one of the iconic tactics franchises. Play as Byleth, a mercenary who gets roped into joining the Garreg Mach Monastary as a teacher at their Officer’s Academy. You choose a House early on — Black Eagle, Blue Lion, or Golden Deer — and join that house’s characters as their mentor. Each week, you have a free roam segment, where you explore the monastery and complete side quests; a teaching segment, where you choose what stats to focus on for your students; and a combat segment, where you take them into the field for live training. You get to know your students. What do they like? How do they work together? And, as their teacher, you shape those abilities and those bonds while unraveling a mystery at Garreg Mach. The game’s difficulty settings are if anything a tad too forgiving, but offer alternatives for most types of players. If you want a tactics RPG with strong characters and high replay value, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is for you.
#10: Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire has turned out to be a surprisingly influential indie game. It combines the popular roguelike genre (every life is a new ‘run’) with a deck-building game in which you have to build a strong deck out of randomly-discovered cards. The power in the game lay in the diversity of builds, in their immaculate balance. Each of the four character classes has a handful of tactics you can mix or pursue. The Rogue you’re playing may be heading for a powerful poison build, but then you find a run of great dodge cards. You can mix and match to make strong combos and intriguing effects. If you were ever into card games like Magic: The Gathering, you’ll find that Slay the Spire will be a natural and engaging console alternative.
#9: Super Mario Odyssey
One of the finest 3D Mario games, Odyssey only suffers in not being quite as ambitious as its counterparts. Mario 64 brought him into 3D. Mario Galaxy found newer and more expansive ways to use 3D space and movement. But, like Mario Galaxy 2, Odyssey is less about inventing than it is about perfecting. The game finds new ways to let Mario move, switching between two and three dimensions at will and letting you ride electricity. As with old Mario 64, this is a game about giving you a gigantic area and letting you explore it as fully as you want before you move on. Thankfully, these are beautifully designed worlds you’ll want to spend time in. I admit, I was nervous when I saw “Mario in the normal human world” as a hook. But even that ended up being a delightful, weird addition to the series’ standard formula.
#8: Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight quickly ascended to classic status upon its 2017 release. An action-adventure game in which you explore a vast underground insect kingdom, the game’s impeccable design and crisp controls won it plenty of fans. The game has a wonderfully diverse set of environments to explore and secrets to unearth for dedicated fans. But even the casual player will find this Metroidvania gripping. And, as a bonus, a spin-off featuring one of the game’s side characters is already one of 2021’s most anticipated titles. You better believe Hollow Knight: Silksong is something we’ll be talking about on ScreenRex.
#7: Golf Story
This is one of the most charming games out there. Golf and RPGs seems like a strange fit. Ignore that impulse. The story, about an amateur who dreams of becoming of a professional golfer, is a simple sports narrative hook. Through that hook, though, opens a quirky but engaging story about following your dreams. You might find yourself shooting golf balls to chase animals off a beach so a tournament can start, or mastering a digital training golf simulator to appease a tough trainer. It would seem like a game in which the main mechanic is golfing would get old fast. Thankfully, Golf Story is too charming to stick around past that point.
#6: Undertale
Undertale is among the funniest, most empathetic RPGs ever made. And as I said above, the Nintendo Switch is phenomenal for RPGs. Undertale, for me, was the perfect winter game. Curling up under a mound of blankets in a cold apartment and loading this game up was how I spent a good amount of time last winter, and I can’t recommend the experience enough. You play a child who has fallen into the Underground. Toriel, a matronly monster, takes you in and tries to protect you — but you want to escape the Underground and return to your family and friends. Part of the joy of Undertale for new players is learning the secrets behind the game’s message, but its twist on popular RPG mechanics is the stuff of legend for a reason. Pick this one up.
#5: Blasphemous
A gorgeous update of the classic Castlevania formula, with a hint of Dark Souls to give the game a modern update. The Penitent One has arrived in Cvstodia on pilgrimmage, seeking to avenge the church’s attack on the Brotherhood of Silent Sorrows. The game is heavily influenced by Spanish culture and Spanish Catholicism, which leads to some truly memorable design choices. There are images in this game — NPCs, rooms, bosses — that stick with me months later. And the combat! I found the game’s movement slick and enjoyable, falling in love with the quick dodges and parries. The fights aren’t just pretty; they’re fun, too. This is the definitive 21st century Metroidvania, hands down.
#4: Celeste
Nintendo’s most iconic brand, Mario, made platforming one of gaming’s most enduring genres. Celeste damn near perfects that genre. In it, you play Madeline, a troubled young woman looking to climb Celeste Mountain to — what? Prove that she can? Find herself? Regardless of what she intends, the mystic happenings of the mountain will force her to do both. Featuring inventive, puzzle-like screens and crisp controls over the jumping mechanics, Celeste deserves the attention of anyone looking for a modern take on classic 2D jumping platformers.
#3: Dark Souls Remastered
Look, it’s one of the best games of all time. You can’t really overstate its influence on modern gaming. It’s definitely one of the most challenging games on the list, with no difficulty settings to mitigate that. But I like the Switch for difficult games. There’s something nice about being able to take it to bed with me, because this is a game that I can play forever. If you’re looking for a challenging fantasy adventure with some of the best action and exploration in gaming history, this is the pick for you.
#2: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild is perhaps the finest open world action game ever made. Indeed, just like Ocarina of Time brought the series into 3D, Breath of the Wild brought it into the 2010s. Open world games were everywhere in the 2010s, and I’ve played a lot of them. None can even come close to Breath of the Wild. The first hour or two can be difficult, as the game doesn’t do much by way of handholding. But once you’re off the introductory plateau and the world opens up ahead of you, there’s nothing quite like it. I still routinely find new puzzles, new side-quests, and new interactions every time I load up the game, and I’ve had a couple years with it. This was a Nintendo Switch launch title, and it remains one of the finest games on the console.
#1: Hades
Look, it’s the game of the moment. It’s gargantuan and warmhearted. It’s lovingly animated, and has a truly beautiful soundtrack. There are few games this dedicated to being sexy without being sexual. Most importantly: It just feels amazing to play. I’m not kidding. Learning the ins and outs of combat and exploration, seeing the way they tie those fights to your relationships — it’s incredible. If the Top 3 games on this list share anything, it’s durability, the ability to discover new things even after years sticking with the game. Hades was built to satisfy this itch. Hundreds of hours in, and I still feel like I’m learning the game. And I mean that in the best way possible.