by Bryce William

There are many new Switch owners each and every day, many of which are enjoying getting lost in Hyrule, racing karts, shooting ink at one another, or jumping around in New Donk City. There are a swell of great games available at retail right now completely worth your time and money. There are also many games only available on the eShop worth checking out too.

Below are a list of a few games that I think are worth your consideration.

SteamWorld Dig 2

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 246 MB
Number of Players: 1
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Action/Platformer/Adventure/Puzzle
Time I put into it: 10 hours or more

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a wonderful Metroidvania title, where you explore, dig, battle, and get lost underground. As the “2” implies, this is a sequel to the series, but you don’t need to have played the first one to enjoy it. In terms of Indie Games, this is the gold standard.

Graceful Explosion Machine

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 319 MB
Number of Players: 1
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Action/Arcade/Shooter
Time I put into it: 5 hours or more

This shmup is a colourful, fun, action-arcade shooter. You can learn how to play it very quickly, but to get high scores will take time, patience, and skill. If you enjoy shmups, or pick-up-and-play experience, GEM is a great addition to your Switch library.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 188 MB
Number of Players: 1-2
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Action/Adventure/Platformer
Time put into it: 15 hours or more

This sidescrolling adventure has not one, but three campaigns currently. At the time of writing this, the final (free) update campaign will be launching this year. If you enjoyed classic games like Mega Man, Duck Tales, The Legend of Zelda II: Link’s Adventure, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is a must buy.

Axiom Verge

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 209 MB
Number of Players: 1
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Adventure/Action/Platformer
Time I put into it: 10 hours or more

This is a gritty, Metroidvania style game, where you explore, get lost, and upgrade your gear throughout. Unlike Metroid, this game has a grit-feel to it, with dark themes, and overall creepy atmosphere. It’s one of the best games I played all year.

Golf Story

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 1.2 GB
Number of Players: 1-2
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Adventure/RPG/Sports
Time I put into it: 20 hours or more

If you enjoy golfing games, and RPGs, you need to stop reading this, and download this game. Mixing the tried-and-true format of three-button press golf games, and quirky and hilarious RPG elements, Golf Story will have you laughing, cursing, and trying again to get your best score. Have you ever played a golf game with zombies in it? Well soon you will. Picture below non-zombie related.

Tumble Seed

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 706 MB
Number of Players: 1-2
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Action/Adventure
Time put into it: 5 hours or more

Imagine balancing a marble on a ruler, while sliding that up a wall with holes in it. Now imagine that marble can take damage, and enemies are gunning for you. Now imagine that wall changes, and enemy placement differs each time.

A quick YouTube video will give you a better idea of gameplay. This Roguelike will keep you coming back for more.

Snake Pass

Supported Play Modes: TV, Split Joy Con, Handheld
Required Space: 4.2 GB
Number of Players: 1
Supported Controllers: Pro Controller
Genre: Adventure/Action/Platformer/Arcade
Time put into it: 5 hours or more

A platformer where you can’t jump, seems crazy, right? Snake Pass has you ‘thinking like a snake’ in order to get from point A to point B. This is a collect-a-thon kind of game, where you slither and wrap your way through obstacles.

There are so many games out there still to play, I hope you’re all enjoying your Switch. If there are any other eShop games I missed, leave a comment.