There are so many Switch games coming out I’m hyped for I decided to bang up a quick piece for my own benefit. If it helps someone else discover some great games too that’s even better! This is a super weeby list and I don’t quite know how that happened. I’ve been falling down a rabbit hole for a wee while now and there’s no going back.

I’ve purposefully left off obvious titles like Pokemon and the Breath of the Wild sequel because nobody needs more reminders of those fucking games. I also left off Persona just because I’m not 100% on it yet. I know, I know. One day I’ll pull that trigger.

Crayon Shin-chan “Ora and Dr. Summer Vacation” – A Seven-Day Trip That Never Ends

This is a game that dropped in 2021 in Japan, and was definitely never going to get a western release, except now it is! It’s from the makers of Boku no Natsuyasumi (My Summer Vacation (which I desperately want an english translations for)) and Attack of the Friday Monsters. I actually swear that they’re reusing the exact same cicada and cricket ambient sounds from Attack of the Friday Monsters. But hey, bugs haven’t had an update in a couple millennia, so why re-record em?

Apart from the Crayon Shin-chan branding (which I have no affinity for, never watched it) this game is going to be a breath of fresh air. All these games are relaxing as fuck and this looks to be no exception. It’s short, but that’s part of the beauty of these titles. THey don’t want to be your forever time waster game like Animal Crossing. It want’s to give you a vacation, not a purgatory.

Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection

Strangely Battle Network was a series I’ve just recently gotten back into after a friend shared a random screenshot from the game as a meme. It’s a ridiculously good Gameboy Advance series that has no right to work so well and it’s incredible we’re getting them all packaged up now for the switch. If you told me you had an idea for a game and it was a tile based action RPG with deckbuilding elements I’d tell it sounds pretty lame, but Megaman Battle Network pulls it off. The digital edition is split into two parts while the physical release will be the entire collection. It’ll also have a “high res” mode which looks like it tries to intelligently smudge the pixels with a bizarre filter. Not a fan of that, but I guess maybe they don’t have the time, ability or inclination to bust open the games and remake everything with higher res models. Personally I think the pixel art still works just fine. Great aesthetic. And the scrolling background looks like it would go perfectly in a webcore Vapourwave youtube video.

Drops sometime 2023

Little Noah: Scion of Paradise

This one wasn’t initially on my mental list when I started this post but after bumping into it while looking up the other games this one has started to grow on me a whole lot. It has DNA of the chibi aesthetic of Bravely Default II and features the first art of Akihiko Yoshida after leaving Square Enix. It’s a 2D platformer roguelite with companion and customizable combo mechanics. After the jankiness of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin I think I’m ready to try a game that has a far more polished take on side scroller combat.

Little Noah actually started out life in a completely different genre on Mobile called Battle Champs. It was a Clash of Clans clone with better visuals. I don’t believe it’s around anymore. But when googling this one up, make sure you don’t get the two confused.

It should be out now on Switch, Steam and Playstation. Only like 15 bucks or something!

Edit: It’s just ok if you want a little dungeon delver. Coulda been better.

Dragon Quest Treasures

I’m linking the Japanese trailer as it actually has gameplay in it to check out. Dragon Quest has a pretty solid track record for it’s spin off titles, and this monster tamer open worldy (?) treasure hunter title looks like no exception. It follows Erik and Mia prior to the events of DQ11, hence their younger chibi aesthetic. Honestly, any chance I have to go back to DQ11 I will take like a mofo.

If you’re looking for another Dragon Quest spinoff game to play in the meantime pop out your old NDS and give Rocket Slime a shot. It’s solid! It should work just fine with an emulator also as it doesn’t use the touchscreen at all. I’ve also seen that DQ Heroes 1 & 2 are getting Switch ports! I’ll need some convincing though, musou games have never reaaaally been my thing. The recent drop of Fire Emblem Three Hopes only reinforced that opinion. Something about a million units bouncing in perfect unison when you do a little slash just doesn’t do it for me.

Dragon Quest Treasures drops December 9th!

Splatoon 3

I got Splatoon 2 completely by chance via a code from work. I don’t think I would have ever got it otherwise, but holy shit. I can see what the hype is about now. That’s been my experience with most Nintendo titles I’ve never tried before. A leery caution that gives way to full fanboyism after giving it a go. To be honest with you The Switch is the first proper Nintendo system I’ve owned outside of the handhelds, so I’ve come crashing headfirst through a lot of these titles with fresh eyes. Anyway, if you know you like Splatoon, get it, if you’ve never tried it, I’d say give this one a thrash when it comes out!

Drops September 9th