While some fans were saddened by the delay ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, 2022 was still a great year for the Switch.Kirby and the Forgotten Landwas an early release in 2022 and was one of the biggest entries in the series to date. Around this time is also whenTriangle Strategywas released, a new tactical RPG from Square Enix.
RELATED:Great Multi-Platform Games (That Are Best Played On The Nintendo Switch)
Bayonetta 3was a long-awaited title along withSplatoon 3which also did well. TheSwitchcertainly had its fair share of AAA games, but the smaller titles deserve some love too. These games may have slipped through the cracks initially, but it is never too late to go back.
7Airoheart
Airoheartis a love letter toThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastwithout a fraction of doubt. The game looks like the developers used some sort of building blocks engine similar toSuper Mario Makerto build Airoheart. The two biggest differences are the emphasis on the story and the magic system.
Players will collect runes to imbue their family staff with elemental powers for some cool puzzles and combat opportunities. The narrative, on the other hand, gets in the way of the top-down action. Other than that, it is a blast from the SNES past for good and bad.
6Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions
Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensionsis a tactical RPG that seemingly takes place in the imagination of a young child. He calls himself Captain Velvet Meteor and he sails across the galaxy fighting aliens. His journey takes him tofamiliar anime universesincludingKaiju No. 8which is the first manga players will interact with.
RELATED:Best Free-To-Start Nintendo Switch Games
Hibino Kafka from that series becomes an ally and more heroes will unlock as the story progresses. The tactical nature of it all isn’t as involved as something likeTriangle Strategy. It does get points for the bold blending of universes though.
5Demon Throttle
Demon Throttleis a Switch exclusive that is almost guaranteed to have missed a majority of players in 2022. Even though it was released by a big indie publisher, Devolver Digital, it was sold in physical copies only. It’s an old-school vertical shooter that looks and plays a lot like the old NES game,King’s Knight.
Players can switch between a cowboy and a vampire who teamed up to get revenge on their enemies. The game can beplayed in co-opwhich is almost a must as this is one tough nut to crack. It can be hard, but it is a rewarding throwback for those missing the shooter genre and days when physical games were the only way to go.
4Haiku The Robot
Haiku the Robotis a console for the Switch but it is on PC too.It’s a Metroidvaniawith a similar aesthetic and plot to a game from 2020,Kunai. InHaiku the Robot, the world was destroyed two hundred years ago. All that’s left is scrap and the remnants of a robot empire.
Go through a maze of interlocking paths, collect parts to upgrade and repair the body, fight bosses, and repeat. It’s a typical action-based Metroidvania without the RPG elements. It doesn’t broaden the genre and again, with Kunai as an example, the idea overall has been done before. That doesn’t mean the game won’t be entertaining though.
3The Pinball Wizard
The Pinball Wizardwas an Apple Arcade exclusive for a couple of years but now it is out for Switch and PC. It’s a combination ofa pinball game, an RPG, and a roguelike. Instead of hitting a ball around, players launch their hero in bite-sized tables as they climb up a seemingly endless tower.
The more they play, the more they can level up their hero with new stats buffs, and abilities. It can get tricky to maneuver on some levels, but it gets full points for being a creative take on the pinball genre.
2The Ramp
The Rampis a skateboard gamebut one of the most chill in a while. There are four ramps players can dive into from standard setups to empty pools. Players can choose from a small variety of avatars and their range of movement is pretty average.
RELATED:Best Turn-Based RPGs On The Nintendo Switch
The game feels more like a demo than a full game as there aren’t many other options, stages, stories, or missions. The only goal is to practice on each stage and to have fun which is the purest form of video games. It’s like having a virtual toy to play with for short bursts and the Switch makesThe Rampa perfect home.
1Wolfstride
Wolfstrideis two games in one. Most of it is a visual novel wherein players are the manager, Shade, of a mech fighter who goes by the name Cowboy in the ring. Shade is in charge of setting up fights and getting cash to repair and upgrade the mech before a fight.
The battles do not have to end in victory and are set up liketraditional turn-based RPGswith a few tactical mechanics such as movement. The boss fights are okay, but players will be enthralled with this rags-to-riches story thanks to the number of fun characters introduced. The black-and-white manga/anime aesthetic works too for an RPG.
