5-Star Switch Games: My Favourites of the Era

With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, it’s time for a retrospective: Which were the Nintendo Switch 1 gems you really should have played?

I bought the Nintendo Switch on launch day back in 2017 — boy, was I excited! —, and I took a few days off in which I finished Breath of the Wild.

What masterpieces, both the console and the game!

But there were more great games to come. On the Nintendo Switch, I completed 112 games in about 2,234 hours, and there were quite a few I rated 5 stars.

Disclaimer: This is supposed to be a list, not a series of reviews, and so I will keep the individual entries rather brief, only pointing out the most important aspects which immediately come to mind when I think of each game.

My 5-Star Switch Games

So, without further ado, here they are. 30 Switch games I loved. In chronological order.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

As I said: a masterpiece! Who would have thought you could actually make a game like this even better? But more on that later …

I don’t think I really need to describe Breath of the Wild. If you don’t know what it is, well, go and watch some trailer or review immediately! You won’t be disappointed, I promise. Even if you’re not into action and/or adventure games, you will probably understand why so many people were absolutely hooked by this game.

If you don’t, um — well, then I’m a bit surprised that you’re even reading this article, to be honest. You’re probably not a gamer.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Well, with this list being arranged in chronological order, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 actually comes before the (remastered) first game.

It was a Christmas present, this second game, and I still remember playing it on New Year’s Eve. I think I was pretty far into the game at that point, only a week after getting the game, which tells you something about its quality.

If you like games that are both very long and very emotional, you should definitely give it a try. It has one of the most epic cutscene themes you’ll ever hear, so at least check that one out! It’s called Counterattack.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

This may surprise some of you, but honestly, I’m a big fan of the Shantae series. The games have just the right amount of content to encourage 100%ing them. Yes, you can actually finish a Shantae game — and therefore be pretty satisfied with the whole experience.

My next game should definitely be a little more like that, even though I think you can 100% all of my games within a reasonable amount of time already. It should just be made clearer how easy it actually is, I guess.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

I heard people didn’t like this game all that much, but to me, it was a 5-star platformer, no doubt. Where Shantae had just the right amount of content, this had just the right level of difficulty: You lost a few lives here and there, but it never got to the point of becoming frustrating. It always seemed fair, you know?

In addition to that, I think the theme of the game was awesome. A tropic jungle covered in ice? Viking animals as enemies? It just made sense!

Owlboy

Is this considered an indie game? Well, it’s a pixel-art game and has a retro vibe to it, which already sold it to me. But it also managed to remain interesting throughout the whole story, with new ideas and gimmicks being thrown into the mix at a regular pace.

I also love owls, so … yeah.

Octopath Traveler

A classic JRPG. Need I say more? 

I mean, it could have had a better story. Let’s be honest about that. The character stories were fine, but there was nothing to get emotionally invested in, and there was no attempt at tying it all together somehow — which everyone who heard of the premise of the game would have expected, right?

I still rated Octopath Traveler 5 stars because the battle system, the visuals and the music were just so, so good.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

This was a rather short game set in the same game world, kind of, as Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Even though it was so short, I gave it the highest rating. It was just perfect for its length, and since I loved the base game, I really appreciated the devs releasing this ‘encore’, if you will.

Pokémon: Let’s go, Pikachu!

I heard many people didn’t really like this game. I guess the argument was that the original games were better? Which isn’t true, and I say that as someone who has vivid memories being excited for the first Pokémon games as a child, buying them on release day and, in the dark of the autumn evening, returning once more to the city to also get the official game guide, so I don’t miss any Pokémon or items.

Um, so, anyway, the remakes were, in fact, awesome!

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

A metroidvania, a genre I really like. I have never played any Castlevania game, though. This should be pretty close to those games, right? If you like metroidvanias like I do, you must give this one a try!

Hollow Knight

How can you not love Hollow Knight? Oh, I’m really looking forward to Silksong!

I haven’t 100%ed this game, semi-obviously, but I think the core experience was a masterpiece. 

The theme also made that much sense, I mean, it’s set underground as a creepy adventure like this should be, yeah, but then — bugs! Of course! They can be cute, but they can also be fearsome and literally creepy. I don’t know if you can understand this, but I really like it when the theme of a game makes sense like this. When it doesn’t seem arbitrary.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Fire Emblem is one of my favourite IPs. So, naturally, I enjoyed Three Houses. And gave it 5 stars. It wasn’t as memorable as the 3DS titles, though. Not sure what it was that was missing. I mean, the protagonist’s design was kinda ugly, to be honest, but that was only part of the problem. Maybe there was simply too much to do outside of battles, dimishing the core experience?

Oh, and in case you’re wondering: Edelgard. Of course.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

This may sound strange, but to be honest, I don’t remember much about this game. I know (because I can look it up) that I gave it 5 stars, but I’m not sure why. 

Wasn’t this just a kinda-strange JRPG with monsters as allies that you couldn’t even control? 

Huh. I shouldn’t have liked that too much.

I must have had my reasons. But take this recommendation with a grain of salt. Go watch a video review before you buy it.

Trials of Mana

The situation is similar for Trials of Mana, actually. I don’t remember very much about the details, but I do remember that I enjoyed this game.

The battle system was fun, so I didn’t mind the grinding at all that I had to do for a particular boss in a cave, that much I can still recall.

And the graphics were nice. My favourite art style, this colourful anime kinda-semi-celshaded-with-oulines look.

There was also something interesting going on with the character progression system. There might have been a class-change mechanic? With choices?

Xenoblade Chronicles

My favourite part of the series. I actually played it twice: on the 3DS and on the Switch. It has the best story of the Xenoblade Chronicles games, and frankly, one of the best stories in general. That fantasy/sci-fi mix is exactly my cup of tea. The music is awesome — I own the OST, of course, and a song or two might have come up while writing this article in my shuffle playlist.

I also really like Fiora. And her voice. Carina Reeves has such a nice accent. The British voices in the game are great in general. I mean, the fact that they are British is a selling point to me already. British is the definitive English — sorry! Criminally underutilised in games.

Ori and the blind Forest

Well, it’s a metroidvania with beautiful graphics, what more can you ask for? The creature you play is also a very cute one, so maybe that’s a bonus.

The game had just the right difficulty in my view and just the right length, which kinda makes it a perfect experience. And that’s what 5 stars are for.

CrossCode

This one was a surprise. I mean, it looks great, and I was ready for another retro experience with pixel graphics. It was an action RPG with a focus on the ‘action’ part, but it also had a ton of puzzles, some of which were super tricky! If you like puzzles, you absolutely need to give this game a try, even if you don’t really like the action or RPG aspects.

I really liked the concept of the silent protagonist who learns to express herself, like, one word or phrase at a time. Such a nice idea! Very adorable in some of the awkward scenes that occurred because of this limitation. I wonder if it was an original idea or if this had been done before. Do you know of any games, films or books where this is the case as well?

Still, I would have given the game 4 stars, had it not managed to step up its game constantly towards the end. And when I write ‘step up’, I really mean it. The game actually goes beyond any reasonable ‘stepping up’. I can’t explain it any better without spoilers, sorry. If you know, you know, I suppose. But it’s well worth the extra star.

Ys Origin

Another ‘perfect’ game in that it has just the right amount of content requiring just the right amount of dexterity on the player’s part. A very, very solid experience. And quite a lot of fun.

I wonder if the newer Ys games are like this? They do look very different, so I’m still skeptical about them …

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Well, see above. More of the (awesome) same. Oh, and this one had a cute little owl! Which would warrant another star, actually.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Apparently, many people think that this entry in the series is overrated. I disagree. I 100%ed this game back in the days and watched my sister play it right afterwards, being super entertained a second time, and I would say that I find Skyward Sword just perfect. It’s not quite as good as Ocarina of Time — of course! —, but it’s certainly up there.

The art style is also one of my favourite art styles ever. If I had the chance to art-direct a game with a team of talented people, I would probably go for this kind of style.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Another one of those games where people are torn, as far as I can tell. I loved it. I was pretty much addicted to it.

Needless to say, I’m very excited for the Switch 2 take on the open-world Pokémon game! Even though it’s not that open, as it seems to take place only within the confines of the city? We’ll see.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 isn’t my favourite game of the three, maybe it’s the worst even — counting Torna —, but that doesn’t say much. All four of the Xenoblade Chronicles games are such epic masterworks!

I think I finished this one in 5 days. While on vacation. Not sure how I could have done that.

I haven’t played the DLC, though, and I heard it’s very, very good. Maybe I should at least watch a letsplay.

Persona 5 Royal

I think this game took the longest to beat of all the games I ever played. Three months semi-addicted? Are you kidding me? Well, it did overstay its welcome just a little bit, I have to admit. There were sections you could cut. But still, there’s a very, very solid game in there! 

And here as well: great music, a soundtrack I also own and listen to regularly.

You know, I liked the game so much I even watched the anime series — yes, there is one! On Netflix. I don’t think I finished it, though, now that I think about it. Huh. I should do that soon too.

Fire Emblem Engage

This is, in my view, the better Fire Emblem on Switch. Don’t get me wrong, Three Houses was excellent as well (as I said), but this one felt more … polished? Not in terms of production value, but in terms of concept and scope. I’m sure many of you will disagree. But I had the feeling that Engage was more focussed on the core experience of the franchise.

I also liked the protagonist’s design way more. The red and blue, just awesome. Byleth on the other hand? Forgettable. In fact, I’m not sure if you could design a Fire Emblem protagonist more boring than Byleth.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Breath of the Wild was phenomenal. I think hardly anyone was expecting a sequel to it, and much less that this sequel would be an upgrade in so many regards. I mean, there wasn’t much to upgrade anyway, but Tears of the Kingdom levelled up the formula in exactly those things.

Dragon Quest Treasures

Another surprise hit!

Dragon Quest Treasures was quite an addictive game, even though its structure and its combat were very simple. It just had a lot of charm, with the colourful graphics, the cheerful music and the retro sounds. They made it really fun to revisit soon-familiar locations, collect a number of treasures and increase your wealth whenever you returned to the base.

I definitely recommend giving it a try!

Sea of Stars

One of my favourite games of all time. Certainly my favourite turn-based JRPG.

This game deserves 6 stars, actually.

Maybe I’ll write a lengthy article praising Sea of Stars one day.

Let me just say this here: If you haven’t played Sea of Stars as an RPG fan, what are you even doing with your life?

Unicorn Overlord

And yet another surprise 5-star rating. I mean, Unicorn Overlord looks fantastic, and I thought the gameplay would be fun, but this game was so addicting! 

If you like to spend just as much time in the menus preparing for battles as in the battles themselves, this is a game for you.

If you don’t, please have a look at the art at least. It’s wonderful!

Pikmin 4

The perfect Pikmin game. It really makes you want to complete just one more objective. Tick just one more box. 

And the dog’s tackle move! And the sound design! So … heavy and crisp? I don’t know how else to describe it.

If you played the older Pikmin games with their limited time or limited resources and other shenanigans and thought that wasn’t for you, give Pikmin 4 a try! It’s different. It’s more casual maybe, but it’s better for it.

Lunar & Lunar 2

The Lunar games. How could I miss them? I had never heard of them. I had, without knowing where they were from, seen the skill and item icons as a teenager, however, because they were used as RPG Maker assets back in the days of RPG Maker 2000/2003. That was kinda funny.

Well, the Lunar games are really, really good. They are fun, they have great music — and even songs! —, they have anime cutscenes, they have nice stories.

There’s also a documentary about the development of these games on YouTube, which I highly recommend. That passion! Makes you wish you had been part of it. Seriously.

The Lunar Remastered Collection contained two Lunar games (Silver Star Story Complete and Eternal Blue Complete) which I would both rate 5 stars — so the collection counts as two games.

Conclusion

And those were the 30 Switch games I really, really liked.

All the other good Switch games that ‘only’ got 4 stars aren’t even in here! The now-retired console had an awesome library of games, that’s for sure. Let’s hope the Switch 2 will be similar in terms of game quality.

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Which of the games on this list did you play? Are there any other games you would give a 5-star rating? Did this list help you find a game you’ll be looking into now?