Hey everyone! I just bought a Switch which is my first Nintendo console since...the SNES lol. Anyway, I'd like some suggestions on games. Mostly I'm looking for RPGs that haven't been published on the Playstation.
I'm eyeing Fire Emblem Three Houses as I've only heard great things. I know BotW is out there too. Golf Story looks quirky and fun. Do you have other suggestions? Must haves?
As an RPG fan and a Nintendo fan, I'll cut through the crap and try to give you the skinny on some RPGs that you can't find on the PS4 or its predecessors, but you can find on the Switch. I will refrain from mentioning too many games from other genres that are worthwhile to check out on the Switch, though there are many other kinds of games on the switch that are also great.
First off, the two you mentioned are superb:
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- The Legend of Zelda: BotW
Fire Emblem is very different from a lot of the previous games in the series, but still manages to retain a lot of great things from the series in this new outing. The focus in 3 Houses is really on your relationship with your students and comrades at the academy, and deciding how you want to spend your weeks at the academy via a nice Persona-esque time management system.
BotW is a fantastic game, and possibly the best Zelda game ever made from a gameplay perspective. If you haven't played it, get on that. Just make sure you clear your schedule so you have some free time to work on it, since there is plenty to accomplish in it.
So now let's talk about some other RPGs on the Switch:
- Wargroove
So okay, my first mention is a game available on the PS4. But hear me out. Wargoove is directly inspired by Intelligent Systems' Advance Wars games, and while it isn't quite as great as those are, it's pretty damn close from a graphical and gameplay standpoint. Advance Wars (the Famicom Wars series in general) hasn't had a new release in over a decade, and was one of the greatest Nintendo IPs in my opinion. This is a love-letter to that game series, complete with hours and hours of options for solo and multiplayer play. The Switch is probably where this game deserved to be to begin with, if we're being honest.
- Steamworld Quest: Hand of the Gilgamech
I have not played this yet, but have heard nothing but good things about this RPG spinoff of the Steamworld series. What I have played of the Steamworld games is frickin' great. The games feature robotic characters in a steampunk world, but each spin-off is set in a different world. The Heist game is set in space, the Dig games are set in a Western, and Quest is a fantasy world. They really aren't afraid to mess around with new genres in their spin-offs, and the results are pretty decent. Image & Form Games is an unsung hero on the indie front, and worth keeping an eye on the new releases of.
- Into the Breach
This is a tough little strategy game where you control three mech units, and man them with pilots. Each mission takes place on a small map, but there are certain conditions you need to meet to earn mission rewards, and keeping all three units alive is difficult because they all play completely different. You also have to pay attention to how much damage your cities and the power grid are taking from the alien threat. Whenever you die, the game restarts and sends you back in time, and you can start over as pilots you've saved before.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2
I have played some of this and personally enjoyed what I saw of it. This takes place in a world where most of the land is endless sea, and people are running out of places to live on, building their cities on the backs of gigantic sea creatures until they die off. It's kind of an action-rpg, but works sort of like an mmo, you auto-attack, but select different special attacks and choose items as the battle ensues. If it's anything like the first game there is a ton to do. I have seen very polarizing opinions of XC2 on the Internet - some people say it is one of the best games on the Switch, others couldn't be more disappointed with it. There was also a prequel to the game released - you can get it either stand-alone, or as DLC. Responses to the game's prequel have been more positive from what I've seen, but it's recommended you play the main game first.
- Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Okay, I can say without a doubt...this game is pretty great. The original Xenoblade will come to the Switch next year. This is a pretty huge game. If you have ocd like me, you will love this game, but you will hate it lmao. You will recieve quest, after quest, after quest, from townspeople. And you will fight tons of monsters, and pick up tons of loot. And just when you thought you talked to an NPC and they've said everything they needed to say, you will talk to them a few more times and they will say more and give you a new quest. AND, this game has a day/night cycle, so at certain times of day different NPCs will appear, and move around throughout the day, so there are even more quests to come across. You can spend many hours in the first area alone - it's nuts - and there are still monsters in the starting area that are far too powerful for you to take on until much later in the game. It's really up to you how much time you want to devote to the side-quests, or if you want to get on with the story. This game takes place on the bodies of two gigantic creatures that were battling each other, but they went dormant and people live on them like they are worlds, and you explore both monsters from top to bottom. If you have never played Xenoblade, it is a pretty unique game. This will be out sometime next year.
- Octopath Traveler
Personal opinion? I don't think it's as great as it could be. But OT is sort of a callback to the JRPGs of old, and features a handful of characters you play as whose paths intersect. As intriguing as my time with the Apothecary was, I haven't felt the desire to buy this game yet. You can check out the very generous demo whenever you'd like.
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE: Encore
A Wii-U game being given a second shot at exposure. I was always iffy about it, but might give it a shot next year. This game is a Shin Megami Tensei game, but has Fire Emblem characters from different games appear as these otherworldly spirits that help the main characters battle. The game supposedly doesn't have a ton of depth and doesn't do anything too new, but is supposedly pretty fun and combines the battle systems of both games in an interesting way. Comes out January.
- The Legend of Bum-Bo
The sequel to The Binding of Isaac, Legend of Bum-Bo stars a side-character from that game in a dungeon RPG adventure with papercraft stick-puppet inspired graphics. It looks amaze-balls! Definitely one to get. Will likely come out sometime next year.
- Dragon Quest 11 S
Okay, so again, it is on the PS4....but the Switch version lets you switch between the original game, and a version with 16-bit graphics for that original DQ feel! It also includes new story content in the late game in the 2D mode. People keep telling me this game is pretty great, so I'll have to check it out at some point since I am a DQ fan.
- Astral Chain
This is an action game, but you will devote a lot of time to upgrading your legion partners for battle, and searching around for information since you're on a police force. It's probably a pretty great game since Platinum Games made it, so I'd take a look at it and see what you think.
- Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee
I'm still on the fence about it, but this is a remake of Pokemon Yellow. It is made to be a very easy pokemon game, and one that casual gamers can really get into, but also includes quality-of-life improvements that take ideas from Pokemon Go and incorporate them into the main series. At the very least it looks good graphically, and you get to start the game off with one of two very OP starter pokemon. If you're looking for a fun RPG you can just relax with, I know my buddy enjoyed playing through Let's Go.
- Pokemon Sword/Shield
This is pretty much the biggest RPG of the year. The first main series Pokemon game on a console, it includes a massive wild area to explore and giant pokemon to topple and claim as your own in raid battles. It will likely be the most ambitious Pokemon game yet. It remains to be seen just how good it will be, but it will likely be a very decent JRPG.
- Shin Megami Tensei V
This is still in development for the Nintendo Switch. Little is known about the game, and it hasn't received any news in a year or two, but is still very much in the works. SMT is a highly-beloved JRPG series, and the main-series games have a cult following. Lucky for us, Atlus has taken a real liking in Nintendo consoles as their premiere place for this series, while Persona has become more of a Playstation series. It's coming, we just don't know when yet.
- Ring Fit Adventure
So apparently the Switch Ring peripheral comes with a lengthy RPG adventure. You perform different exercises to execute attacks, and go on a quest to stop a buff dragon that you freed from the ring. While a somewhat casual outing, it might be a lot of fun if you want to get in some cardio while you use the Switch.
@Jendeh: As the guy said: Zelda, Breath of the Wild is an absolute must have.
Obviously, there are a lot of people who would disagree (because there always is) but, the truth is that the way that BotW was made has managed to draw in a lot of different typesof gamers is unique: casual explorers have fallen in love with wandering the countryside, dungeon delvers are enjoying hunting the various baddies and animals, puzzlers are adoring korok seed hunting, Zelda fans are digging on spinning theories and picking apart the story line, etc, etc, etc....
Whether we love or hate certain mechanics within the game-- almost everyone has agreed that the world building in BotW is definitely one of the best ever done. So, yeah, definitely pick up Wild.
RPG-wise, yeah, best bets are: Dragonquest, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Darkest Dungeon.... I also hear some good things about Torchlight 2 (haven't had the chance to play it though) or maybe one of those RPG re-releases Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, etc.
There's obviously going to be more and YMMV (because it always does for everyone) but, I'm betting that those would be a good place to start.
@Ovirew This list is insane! Thank you so much. I'm starting with Fire Emblem Three Houses and love it so far. (Minus the tiny font in handheld mode) I'm planning on loading up on several titles during the holiday season. I haven't played a Zelda game before, but the general consensus is that you can start with any title, so BotW is probably next for me.
Xenoblade Chronicles sounds awesome. And I'll admit that I'm intrigued by Pokemon.
I have played Dragon Quest 11 and while I know that this will be the definitive edition of it, I'm not sure I'll want to go through it again. It was an amazing game though. That game is actually part of why I started looking at the Switch. I just wanted to play a certain flavor of RPG that isn't really common on other consoles.
Once again, thank you so much. You mentioned a ton of titles I hadn't even heard of and that is really what I was looking for. Holiday spending should be fun!
@dlist4ever Agree about BotW. Gonna be honest, I've never been overly tempted by Zelda games. I heard they were amazing, but somehow have never really had the chance to try one out without buying a system for it. So, after Fire Emblem, I'm finally going to find out.
@Jendeh: Glad to hear you can finally get around to a Zelda.
And, everyone who tells you that not having played one before doesn't matter is absolutely correct.
Part of the "metaplot" that runs through them all (such as it is) basically rests on the fact that none of the characters remember what happened in the games previously so you don't ever need to either.
You can..... but you don't needto. LOL.
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