Super Mario Odyssey
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Though it may have been pipped to the post for game of the year honors by its open world contemporary (which we will be getting to in due time), Super Mario Odyssey is in fact the best-selling title on the Switch, eclipsing 10 million units sold. It is with good reason, because in no uncertain terms, Mario Odyssey is everything we love about Nintendo, bundled up and simply oozing with magic.
The addition of Cappy and the capture mechanic may sound like a gimmicky alteration to a proven formula, but it truly adds to the gameplay, adding another element of puzzle solving and exploration. Even the seemingly mundane transformations, such as turning into a sentient zipper, are enjoyable to perform, unveiling new areas and secrets. There’s a reason why more than half of the people who own a Switch also own Mario Odyssey (unless one person inexplicably bought thousands of copies for themselves) – it will be the console’s flag bearer for years to come.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
As usual, anything that Nintendo’s plucky mascot gets his hands on turns to gold, as this port stakes its claim as the definitive multiplayer experience on the Switch. In just under a year, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has outsold the original version on the Wii U, which had the added benefit of being included as part of a console bundle. In case the point hasn’t been hammered home yet, the Switch is everything the Wii U was not, on the sales front.
Freed from its shackles, Mario Kart 8 now shines brightly, packed with a huge roster, tons of items, and a staggering 48 courses spread across 12 cups. Add in guest characters and vehicles from Zelda, Splatoon, Animal Crossing and F-Zero, and you have a recipe for success. The AI may seem brutal and exploitative at times, but this has been true of the series all the way back to the first game on the Super Nintendo.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is not the greatest launch title in the history of gaming, it is most certainly in the conversation, at least. By placing Link in a sprawling open world, Hyrule became more alive than it had ever felt before.
Breath of the Wild is also a shining example of DLC done right, with its expansions adding to the experience, rather than feeling like core data that should have been available from the start. You don’t need them, per se, but taking one look at Link astride a motorbike is certainly enticing enough to convince you otherwise. A horse with wheels sells itself, really.
Splatoon 2
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Quirky and frenetic, Splatoon is another franchise that was slow coming out of the gates due to premiering on the Wii U. Though they could have probably just ported the first game and called it a day, it received a proper sequel on the Switch, and now finally has some legs under it. We’re sorry to keep raining on your parade, Wii U, you had your moments. Plus Netflix!
Splatoon 2 is unlike any other Nintendo IP, focusing almost exclusively on its online multiplayer, but in a way that bucks the trend of the tired old FPS genre. You may be directing most of your fire at the opposing team, but your ultimate goal is to cover as much of the arena as you can with goop, meaning that less skilled competitors can find their own strategies for victory, merrily painting the floors in a secluded corner away from the melee. Honestly, I am one of those people, and it makes me very happy.
1-2-Switch
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Alright, so it’s not really everything it was supposed to be, but the sales figures don’t lie: in the shallow pool of launch titles for the Switch, this one bobbed up as a ‘sure, why not’ purchase to supplement the time invested in Zelda. To its credit, it’s better than Vroom in the Night Sky, at least.
Continuing in the tradition of tech demos laid out by Wii Sports and Nintendo Land, while never coming close to reaching the levels of pleasure either of those games provided, 1-2-Switch acts as an opportunity to try out all of the Joy Con’s neat little features. To be honest, it would have been underwhelming as a freebie, let alone a full-priced release, but it has its highlights. Some of the games contained within are worth a few laughs and go a long way to show off the enticing potential of the curious controllers.
ARMS
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Here comes the new kid on the block.
Nintendo’s newest IP, much like Splatoon, takes the familiar and turns it on its head, this time with a boxing match contested by freaks with deformed, stretchy limbs. Should we pity the ARMS people, or celebrate them for their innate ability at reaching things from high shelves? Perhaps our pity should be reserved only for Master Mummy, for he looks like he is in grim agony at all times.
The beauty of ARMS lies in the way its accessibility belies its depth. Anyone can pick up a pair of Joy Cons and jump into the fray, limbs a-flailin’, and find a modicum of success. But if you’re willing to embrace the nuances, the strategies, and the timing, you’ll find that there is a lot more to this wacky fighting game than meets the eye.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 takes a bold step away from the characters and lore of the beloved original, ushering in mythical new lands and enigmatic protagonists for us to enjoy. It follows the exploits of the daring young Driver Rex and the scantily clad Pyra, who also happens to be a weapon. Why does a weapon need to dress so inappropriately? Because JRPG. Try not to overthink it.
Its combat system is innovative and multilayered, and though it may take some getting used to, once you have gotten the hang of it, you will be amazed by how intuitive it really is. The game as a whole has a satisfying level of polish to it that rivals the efforts of Nintendo’s heavy hitters.
Breath of the Wild may rightfully have claimed the throne as the console’s preeminent RPG experience, but for its deeper storyline and gratifying combat system, you can’t go past Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Kirby: Star Allies
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
By far the newest entry on this list, Kirby: Star Allies quickly shot up the sales charts to miraculously leapfrog other contenders, a testament to just how much people love that charming little ball of fluff.
Admittedly, a major drawback of the game is that it is far too easy, especially when four people are playing at once. Kirby by himself is a powerhouse, but when surrounded by an angry posse, he becomes as untouchable as Don Corleone. So don’t expect to be feeling excessive levels of relief when you finally overcome a challenge or solve a puzzle where the answer is literally right in front of you.
Doom
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Because after Kirby Star Allies, this was the most logical next step. After doing the rounds on the PS4 and Xbox One, Doom finally returned to a Nintendo platform late last year, finally bucking the trend that the Switch would be ‘just for kids’. It is the same gory, nasty mayhem you’ve grown to know and love, with the added benefit of portability. It’s murder on the go!
Though it is by no means the definitive version of the game, Doom performs admirably on the Switch, showing better than FIFA, NBA 2K18 or WWE 2K18 what the console is capable of, as far as conversion goes. Admissions had to be made to accommodate the technical limitations, but for the most part, they were pulled off with aplomb, and if you can put aside the downgrades, you will end up gobsmacked by what id Software have managed here.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Pardon the deja vu, but let’s echo the sentiment established in the previous entry: It’s portable Skyrim, guys. Portable. Freaking. Skyrim.
Across its six and a half year existence, the Elder Scrolls V has been re-polished and rereleased more times than you can count on one hand, but each version has offered something a little different. The Xbox One version looks breathtaking with the newest hardware at its disposal, while the PSVR version is great fun if you’re fond of motion sickness. On the Switch, it doesn’t compare visually to its rivals, but it doesn’t have to, because it remains one of the best games of all time, and now it can be picked up and played at any time, at home or on the go.
Sonic Mania
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
For years, Sonic the Hedgehog has been oblivious to his own mistakes, whizzing blindly through bad games like a field littered with dog poop.
“No, Sonic!!” you cried in agony, “Stop stepping in all of that dog poop! You smell terrible, and you’re hurting my feelings!”
But he cared not. For he had to go fast, and as much as dog poop is displeasing to the nostrils, it doesn’t particularly reduce one’s running speed. Something had to be done, and through some shrewd decision-making (read: they took the character away from Sonic Team), Sega were able to give the treasured mascot a lifeline, embracing the things that we had fallen in love with in the first place.
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Indie games are thriving on the Nintendo Switch in 2018, and it is thanks in no small part to trailblazing titles like Shovel Knight that we got to this point at all. When it first arrived on the Wii U and 3DS, Yacht Club Games were an unknown entity, and they hedged their bets on the public’s affinity for retro aesthetics.
The gambit thankfully paid off, because not only does Shovel Knight appease that soft spot dwelling down in our blackened hearts with its graphics, it is just a genuinely amazing game underneath it all. It comes to the Switch as a victory lap of sorts, and may have found the perfect platform in the versatile hybrid console.
Stardew Valley
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
Stardew Valley took the world by storm when it came to Steam after a four-year development cycle undertaken by a lone developer. Eric Barone couldn’t find programming work coming out of college, and began the project while working as an usher in a theater. But he worked tirelessly, he bet on himself, and he built something beautiful, something that the world would enjoy.
Sounds inspiring, doesn’t it? Then you’ll be thrilled to know that in this seemingly humble farming sim, you get to vicariously follow in Barone’s footsteps, leaving your hollow existence as part of the rat race behind and pursuing something more meaningful out in the pristine countryside.
Stardew Valley is joy in gaming form. Embrace it, surround yourself with it, live it.
Minecraft
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
It’s impossible to ignore the tidal wave that has been Minecraft, a game based on the simple premise of having a world before you with very few limitations. Refreshingly straightforward, deceptively ambitious, Minecraft is a massive list of contradictions that should help give you some context as to why it was so successful.
Basically, you get out of Minecraft what you put into it. It’s alchemy before your eyes, a land with a few simple rules to guide you, but you can bend them to your will, eventually coming out the other side with a gigantic portrait of Hugh Laurie. How did that happen, exactly? Because someone made it happen.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Top 15 Most Popular Switch Games
It’s okay if you let out an exasperated groan when you first laid eyes on this bizarre crossover. Mario is well and good, but Rabbids? Those noisy little rascals from those party games you stopped playing when you were twelve? It had shovel-ware written all over it, and many chose to dismiss it right there on the spot.
But fortune favors the bold, and for Nintendo and Ubisoft, the unlikely strategy title lets its gameplay do the talking. Just after a few hours of clearing out stages, hiding behind cover and catapulting your teammates to higher ground, it all feels natural, and so damned amusing. The difficulty level sneaks up on you, and though it is punishing, it rarely seems unfair. It just compels you to be better, think smarter.
Published: May 11, 2018 09:37 am