Below, you’ll find 21 games which came to Switch in 2023 and comments from NL staffers who adored them. Naturally, there are titles which didn’t quite make our personal top-five cuts, including a beloved late-arrival, so check out our list of honourable mentions at the end.
NL staff key: Alana Hagues (AH), Alex Olney (AO), Felix Sanchez (FS), Gavin Lane (GL), Jim Norman (JN), Liam Doolan (LD), Ollie Reynolds (OR), PJ O’Reilly (PJ)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo EPD
I’ve always really enjoyed Pikmin, but I was bowled over with Pikmin 4. It leans into the things I love the most about the other three games — the weirdness, the feeling of being small and powerless, and the ability to coordinate. The Ice and Glow Pikmin are perfect, and the Night Time levels are a fantastic new addition. Pikmin 4 is pure joy from start to finish — even with that terrifying final boss. AH
Waiting for something for so long and then seeing it pay off is a rare experience, but Pikmin 4 was absolutely one of them. This warm hug of a game was everything that I could possibly want from my beloved little strategy series and I really, really hope that we get more. JN
The Pikmin series has been such a heartwarming experience over the years and the latest entry Pikmin 4 manages to take it to the next level with the addition Oatchi. He’s definitely up there as one of the best video game pups of all time! LD
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Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: indies zero
This is the most self-indulgent pick I could make, but I’ve played Theatrhythm Final Bar Line for a couple of hours basically every single month since I reviewed it. It’s a dream game — a follow-up and send-off to one of my favourite 3DS series’, with over 500 songs from Final Fantasy and Square Enix’s history.
The game is beautifully simple to pick up and play but a monster to master — I don’t think I’ll ever be the maestro of Theatrhythm, but my goodness the rush of completing a song on Ultimate is unbeatable. And I have to get every single character to level 99, right? This is the perfect celebration for Final Fantasy’s 35th anniversary, for a franchise that has kept me going for years and allowed me to do what I do for a living. I unabashedly love Theatrhythm, and I’ll be playing it for years to come. AH
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Retro Studios
Nothing could have prepared me for Metroid Prime Remastered’s shadow drop; it was truly one of the most jaw-dropping announcements from Nintendo for quite some time. That it somehow turned out to be even more spectacular than the GameCube original is a lovely bonus. OR
This was an incredibly awesome surprise when it arrived on the Switch earlier this year. If you’ve never played Samus’ 3D adventures before, you absolutely need to check this out! LD
Publisher: Sabotage / Developer: Sabotage
Sea of Stars has its faults, but it’s a game that effortlessly kept me hooked from beginning to end. The visuals are exemplary and I love it when developers add a bit of a ‘real-time’ twist to the standard turn-based RPG combat. OR
In a year of great-looking games, Sea of Stars might just take the biscuit. There is a moment that lands about two-thirds of the way in which had me sitting with my mouth actually agape at the screen. There’s no greater praise than that. JN
Publisher: Poncle / Developer: Poncle
I first started playing this on mobile but it reactivated an old RSI. Therefore, when the Switch version finally appeared, I had an idea of what I was getting into. Vampire Survivors has become the quintessential auto-shooting survival experience, and Poncle’s excellent port brought a selection of features, including co-op, which makes it one of the best value time sinks on the system.
It will suck days from you if you let it. A delicious, dangerous game. GL
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
After playing it relatively safe with the ‘New’ 2D Mario games, Wonder felt like a true breath of fresh air. It’s a 2D Mario game with all the inventiveness and ingenuity of a 3D title. Marvellous stuff. OR
Nintendo made me fall in love with Mr. Mario all over again this year. I think Wonder manages to pull the 2D games just that little bit closer to the magic and inventiveness of the 3D Mario adventures. It introduces and disposes of new mechanics in the same carefree way, it’s clever and wildly inventive, and, most importantly, it blows away the creative dust that’s been settling heavy since NSMBU and its Switch port. 2D Mario is awesome again and I am here for it. PJ
Despite being a Mario game, I managed to keep my expectations in check for this, and it easily surpassed them. A delight from start to finish. GL
If Tears of the Kingdom didn’t release in 2023, Super Mario Bros. Wonder would have likely been my top pick. It’s familiar but different enough for long-time fans of the series, a fantastic entry point for newcomers and the level of polish from beginning to end is simply outstanding. LD
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: ArtePiazza
There’s so much this game does right. Outside of being an almost perfect remake, it’s just a really fun, charming, humorous adventure. Combat is snappy and has enough elements to it that it never outstays its welcome. The writing is some of the very best I’ve seen, and it all culminates (with help from a fantastic soundtrack) to make something very, very special. FS
Publisher: Capcom / Developer: Capcom
I hadn’t played Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective until it landed on Switch this year, but great Scott, what a game! The twisty-turny story kept me hooked, the character animations were to die for (heh) and the central ‘Ghost Trick’ puzzle conceit was unlike anything I had come across before. It also contains maybe the most adorable dog of 2023, which in a year that brought us Oatchi is really saying something. JN
Publisher: Atlus / Developer: Atlus Persona Team
Persona 5 has quite rightly taken the hearts of Switch players since its eventual launch, but folks really shouldn’t miss out on Persona 4 Golden. Its overall tone is a bit more lighthearted and I personally think its core cast of characters is the best of the franchise so far. Like the other Persona entries, it requires a huge commitment, but it’s a game that — much like its original launch on PS Vita — is perfectly suited to handheld play. OR
Publisher: Nexon / Developer: MINTROCKET
Rumblings of Dave the Diver’s brilliance over the summer piqued my interest, but its arrival on Switch in October caught me hook, line, and sinker. Dave the Diver is so many different things at once, that it’s really hard to put into a box. It’s the kind of game that I just can’t put down — calming, addictive, and moreish at the same time. Pepper in a little bit of stress — customers walking out of my sushi restaurant unhappy, weeds killing my plants, and being chased by a hammerhead shark — and it’s a recipe for perfection.
But the thing I love most about Dave the Diver is how stupid and over-the-top it is. Every time Bancho learns a new recipe, or upgrades a dish on the menu, you get an amazing pixel art cutscene. You’ve got a mobile with a Tamagotchi-style app on it. The writing is really funny. And you can feed cats! That free Dredge DLC may also be a sign of things to come, so I’ll probably be diving even more come 2024. AH
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
I went into this one with almost zero expectations, but its fourth-wall-breaking mechanics and intriguing storyline kept me well and truly hooked. There’s really nothing else quite like it on the Switch, and if you’re a fan of horror and visual novels, it’ll be right up your street. OR
Much like Ollie, I had precious little idea what to expect from Paranormasight starting out, and really — as it turns out — that is the best way to drop into this incredible tale. If you’ve played the like of Zero Escape you’ll have some grip on the general idea, but just don’t go looking up any specifics, dive into this horror gem and be wowed by just how gripping and thought-provoking it all is.
Paranormasight is disturbing, unsettling, thrilling, otherworldly, and utterly compelling stuff from beginning to end, the sort of smart game full of wonderful puzzles and characters that you’ll be thinking about for a long while after you’ve wrapped it up. Don’t miss this one if you get a chance to nab it, it’s genuinely been one of this year’s nicest surprises in my book. PJ
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