Top Nintendo Switch Games 2023

Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise on the Nintendo Switch is a sequel to the original cult classic from Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, which is just as strange and demanding as the original.

For everything Aragami 2 gets right about being a sneaky ninja assassin, several tragic missteps rear their ugly heads to thwart any fun before long. Levels are lovely to sneak about in initially, especially with good company, but returning to the same ones repeatedly for a needlessly drawn-out campaign's sake gets old, especially when the story falls flat. Add some aggravating melee brawls complete with often-devastating bugs to the mix, and you've got proof that even ninjas can't carry everything. I desperately wanted to love Aragami 2, but in the end, all it left was a nasty taste in my mouth.

Despite a few bright spots, it’s hard to recommend Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World to anyone who’s not already invested in some way in this old-school platformer series. This is an authentic remake to be sure, but it’s bogged down in outdated design and new graphics that are hit and miss at best. Anyone who’s explored the world of retro games knows that there are plenty of skippable entries in any console’s library, and Asha’s journey will go down as such on Nintendo Switch and PS4.

Harvest Moon: One World has a novel idea for an exploration-focused farming game, but then sets that idea in an empty, uninteresting world. Its characters are dull, its quests are often confusing or frustrating, and it lacks the personality of just about any other farming sim option out there, including most of its direct predecessors. At best, One World's farming elements are satisfying enough to mindlessly pass the time with, but there's just not much else here... and so much else in other games in this genre.

The shooting also feels deeply unsatisfying. Guns lack a significant punch, and the puny little red crosshair that appears whenever you hit an enemy doesn’t exactly add much impact, either. What’s worse is that the reticule looks the same when you both hit and kill officers, meaning you don’t know whether or not you’ve downed them for good unless you lower the gun –particularly worse when playing portable thanks to the smaller screen – and doing so can be costly in trickier heists.

Ubisoft’s second Mario + Rabbids game for the Switch might just be the closest thing to a proper Mario game ever made by anyone other than Nintendo. It marries an authentically Mario-esque vibe with gloriously strategic turn-based gameplay, which feels like a gateway to the likes of XCOM. Throw in some decent puzzling, rewarding exploration and a satisfying meatiness, and it feels as though, with its second take on the franchise, Ubisoft has really fleshed it out into a well-structured, coherent triumph.

Signalis is out now on the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The survival horror game channels the best of classic PlayStation-era games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

Endling - Extinction is Forever is a narrative tale about the last foxes on earth and the ravages of climate change. Your heart will get broken, but that’s kind of the point.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain on the Nintendo Switch follows Mario Party and WarioWare as part of the console’s growing library of party games. It launches on December 3rd.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is a fun return to some classic Super Monkey Ball levels and modes, but I found some of the single-player levels punishingly difficult.