Rhitankar Nath
After the failure of the Wii U, hardly anyone hoped for Nintendo to come back in the console market. Despite the company’s best efforts to bring about a novel approach to console gaming, its execution was found lacking the necessary panache. What transpired later is perhaps the greatest comeback in recent gaming history.
The Nintendo Switch has redefined our conventions of a console ever since its release in March last year. Along with its singular design, and unparalleled hybridity, it also had two legitimate ‘Game of the Year’ contenders in its first year itself. ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ and ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ now count among the best games of all time. With its magnificent success and the unique position it holds, it should be no surprise that there’s plenty of great games coming up for the system. Without further ado, here is the list of most anticipated new Nintendo Switch Games coming out in 2019 and 2020 — with their respective release dates. We can only hope that these latest Nintendo Switch Games are as good as some of the recent one.
18. Final Fantasy VII (March 26, 2019)
Final Fantasy is one of the most critically acclaimed and beloved franchises of all time having first made its mark in the video game industry way back in 1987. The games are developed by Squire Enix and have sold over 142 million units worldwide making it one of the bestselling video games of all time. The series is known for its hardcore RPG elements and extensive storytelling though cut scenes and animations. The game follows individual stories and plot lines with recurring themes and game mechanics. Final Fantasy VII is not the only game that is coming to the Nintendo Switch this year, but also Final Fantasy IX and X sometime later this year. However, we only highlighted FFVII in this list as this is a classic and the only one that has a confirmed release date, March 26th 2019. We still do not know why Final Fantasy XIII didn’t make the cut but perhaps we will receive a port later on. If you are a fan of the series but didn’t get a chance to try out the older titles, this is the opportunity for you to try out the classic series in all its glory.
17. Yoshi’s Crafted World (March 29, 2019)
Arguably the most adorable game on this list, fan favourite Yoshi returns in his own game once again after the unexpected but thoroughly welcome success of ‘Yoshi’s Woolly World’ back in 2015. The game seems to take strong influences from ‘Paper Mario’, and the dioramic world of cardboard cutouts and origami figures is striking. The platformer will make players guide Yoshi through such paper-based obstacles and throw eggs at oncoming enemies. The Switch’s cuteness quotient will take a massive rise when this releases. ‘Yoshi’s Crafted World’ is a new side scrolling adventure platformer being developed by Good-Feel studios for Nintendo Switch. The title will be the eighth installment in the ‘Yoshi’ franchise and will feature a two player multiplayer mode where player will be able to control individual characters on the screen in order to complete the objectives of the stage in a cooperative environment. The basic gameplay mechanics remain the same with the players being able to kill enemies using Yoshi’s tongue or turn them into eggs for future endeavors. The game is set to release on the 29th of March, 2019 and is a must play for all fans of the Mario franchise.
16. Mortal Kombat 11 (April 23, 2019)
Mortal Kombat is a long running series of fighting games where the players are given the choice of selecting characters with special abilities and engage them in combat against one another. Mortal Kombat 11 was announced last year at the Game Awards 2018 and should follow the footsteps of its predecessors. The last installment for the game was made available in 2015 and fans all over the world cannot wait to try out the new game mechanics and fatalities. A new character will also be introduced to the game called Geras who controls the power of time and overwhelms the enemy with sand based attacks. Mortal Kombat 11 will be released on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on the 23rd of April, 2019.
15. Resident Evil Games (May 21, 2019)
Resident Evil is Capcom’s largest selling video game series with over 90 million units sold worldwide as of January 28th, 2019. The game has been adapted into various live action films, animated films, cartoons and comics. The game mainly revolves around the survival horror genre with action/adventure and RPG elements. The series has also been known to introduce puzzle-solving elements into the mix as well from time to time. The series has been mostly revered for its dark and spooky atmospheres and a wide range of enemies. So it is not surprising that fans of the genre were delighted when Nintendo announced that ‘Resident Evil: Zero’, ‘Resident Evil 4’ and ‘Resident Evil 7’ will be ported to the Nintendo Switch. The game will be released on May 21st and pre-orders for the game are already live.
14. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (July 26, 2019)
Not much is known about Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but the Nintendo Direct upload did make a few details clear. The game will deploy markedly improved graphics, which is expected considering ‘Three Houses’ will be the first ‘Fire Emblem’ game on a home console of any kind in around 11 years. Turn-based battles look as great as ever, and the game promises to provide more complex strategies to defeat enemies. With Byleth, Edelgard, Claude, and Dimitri coming back, it promises to be one hell of a ride.
13. Daemon X Machina (2019)
Mecha combat has a storied tradition in video games since time immemorial, and next year will be no different. Developer Marvelous’ latest venture, ‘Daemon X Machina’ employs a breathtaking cel-shaded art style, a striking departure from photorealistic depictions of fighting games. With seamless multiplayer being at the core of the game, one can safely expect that it will unfold as one of the emerging Switch games of 2019.
12. Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019)
It has been quite some time, six to be exact, since we received the last installment in the widely popular ‘Luigi’s Mansion’ series. The franchise has been extremely well received by the fans and we were all eagerly waiting for news on the launch of the next title in the series. Nintendo first revealed details on the working title, Luigi’s Mansion 3 at a Nintendo Direct conference on the 13th of September last year. However, not many details were further released other than a tentative release date set for late 2019 and that the title would support Nintendo Switch. The trailer also did not reveal additional details about the plot or gameplay and simply shows Luigi entering the mansion and being spooked by ghosts and specters. It will be interesting to see what new changes are made to the gameplay or the mechanics of the game and this is one title we are definitely looking forwards to play in 2019.
11. Team Sonic Racing (2019)
Mario and Sonic have been the biggest names in the gaming industry for quite some time now and it is extremely welcoming to see both the franchises receiving decent support for the Nintendo Switch in 2019. Team Sonic Racing is the next installment in the ‘Sonic: The Hedgehog Franchise’ and will feature Sonic along with fifteen other characters from the series competing against each other in kart racing. Kart racing has always been a fan favorite on consoles and handheld devices. The team developing the game at Sumo Digital has had previous experiences in developing racing games for the ‘Sonic’ series. Both ‘Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing’ and Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed’ were developed by Sumo Digital and were both phenomenal titles. This time the player may take control of any of the playable characters from the franchise and attempt to cross the finish line before their opponents all the while collecting and using power-ups. The graphics for the game look amazing and the gameplay seems fluid and if all goes according to plan for Nintendo, the game is all set to compete for the top racing game spot for Nintendo Switch this year.
10. Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (2019)
‘Trine 4’ is the latest game in development for the Trine series by Frozenbyte and after the mediocre performance of their last Trine title back in 2015, the studio is all set to make a comeback. The developers have also teased the fans by saying that they have taken all the challenges faced by the last game into account and that the new Trine game will be the best installment in the series as of yet. We do not have a confirmed release date yet but judging by the announcements made by the team, we can expect the game to be out later this year. The game will follow the basic gameplay pattern for the series where the players will have to solve puzzles in order to progress in the game. ‘Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince’ will be available on PC, Xbox One, the PS4 and Nintendo Switch when it comes out later this year.
9. Town (2019)
Town is an upcoming turn based role playing strategy game being developed by Game Freak, the studio behind the massively popular role playing game, Pokemon. The company has not released a console in quite some time other than the Pokemon games but the studio does have some experience in the same. Game Freak has previously released titles such as the ‘Drill Dozer’ for Game Boy Advance, ‘Pocket Card Jockey’ for the Nintendo 3DS and ‘Tembo, The Badass Elephant’ for PC and PS3. ‘Town’ will feature a town and the whole story takes places in that town, going by the trailer. The town is often attacked by huge monsters which the players have to fight and defeat in order to save the tow. Now if you think there’s too much town in the town, that’s because not much information is available on the game and we promise to keep you updated as soon as Game Freak releases more details.
8. Animal Crossing (2019)
Animal Crossing is a game that has generated a lot of hype online lately due to Nintendo announcing a new working title for the Nintendo Switch. Animal Crossing is a beloved series and also quite an important series for Nintendo as helps to generate a lot of revenue for the company. There are four titles in the franchise (this being the fifth one for the Nintendo Switch), one each for the Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo 3DS. The game has also seen its fair share of expansion packs and even a port to mobile devices. Nintendo has not released many details on the development of the game or the gameplay or even what characters will be made available for the fifth installment, but going by their previous installments, we can conclude that the hype for the game is justified.
7. Saints Row: The Third (2019)
Saints Row is a video game series that simulates violence, gore and edgy gameplay mechanics. The game has always managed to stay on top of the radars for game critics and the activists do not waste a moment to slam the game for its violence, blatant mockery of political figures and racial comments. Even though the game has been widely criticized and ridiculed for its mechanics and gameplay, Saints Row has managed to deliver what it promised every single time. The game is similar to the Grand Theft Auto series but much more whacky, edgy and comical. The game drops the player in an open world and provides the player with several devices of deadly destruction. One weapon allows you to instantly vaporize your enemies and the other inflates the bodies of those you shoot. The game is tons of fun to play and at time hysterical. We highly recommend you check this game out if you haven’t already, especially now that it’s getting its very own port to the Nintendo Switch.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (TBA)
There are very few gamers out there who have never played a Zelda game, given the immense popularity of the franchise and now that the classic game is getting its own port to the Nintendo Switch, it shall provide these players to play one of the most legendary games of all time. ‘Links’s Awakening’ was the fourth installment in “The Legend of Zelda” series and was developed and published by Nintendo in the year 1993 for the GameBoy and GameBoy Color. The game was a massive hit and scored 10/10 in a number of game magazines. It was the first game in the series that did not take place in the land of Hyrule and also did not feature Princess Zelda. This however did not stop the fans from gobbling up the game that was a first for any handheld console. The game was widely regarded as one of the best RPGs of all time and recently Nintendo announced a port of the game to their latest console, the Nintendo Switch. An official release date has not yet been confirmed but we will update the same as soon as we receive further details.
5. Doom Eternal (TBA)
The year’s 1993 and a little known company known as id software is working on a title that will take the whole of the gaming industry by the storm. No one could really predict with absolute certainty the level of influence the title will have on the overall gaming industry and its progress but once the game was released, there was no looking back. For the next couple of years, all we got to experience was one Doom clone after another with all the notable names in the industry scrambling for a piece of the cake. Doom is considered the grand daddy of all FPS shooters and also the inspiration behind a lot of games today. All FPS shooters that are available in the market today owe its existence to this one and only title. The franchise has released several games over the course of the years but none of them even come close to the legacy of Doom. So when a new working title for the series was announced by id software for release later this year for all major consoles including the Nintendo Switch, the hype that was generated was justified. A proper release date is not yet known but going by the development process, it seems we have to wait for a couple of more months before we can test the game for ourselves.
Read More: Upcoming PS4 Games
4. Shin Megami Tensei V (2019)
Developer Atlus is a formidable player on the JRPG scene, with the flawless ‘Persona 5’ released in 2016 furthering its credentials. The ‘Persona’ games are spin-offs of the famed ‘Shin Megami Tensei’ series, which awaits its fifth main instalment sometime next year or perhaps even later. Details are scarce, but expect more attention to demons, and refined turn-based battles that are seamless on both portable and home setups.
Read More: Upcoming PSVR Games
3. Bayonetta 3 (2019)
‘Bayonetta’ is undoubtedly one of the most iconic series in all of gaming, and its much awaited third instalment promises tighter action, and more fluid combat. In true Platinum Games tradition, not much is known about the narrative or where the game will take place. However, it is highly likely that the game will follow right off from where its immediate predecessor ended. Our beloved Umbra Witch returns with the developers promising even more gargantuan monsters and angels to fight.
Read More: Upcoming Horror Games
2. Metroid Prime 4 (TBA)
The ‘Metroid’ series of games have a rich legacy and devoted following rivalled by only a few other franchises in all of gaming history. With previous developer Retro Studios focusing on first-person action of eliminating aliens across stunning planets, this highly anticipated fourth iteration is seemingly going in a different, more nuanced direction. With a different developer also in the wings, ‘Metroid Prime 4’ does look likely to live up to the massive hype around it, and with aplomb.
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1. Pokémon Sword and Shield
There have been several leaks online about the development of a new Pokémon game and it seems the sources have been confirmed. Nintendo just released the details for the new Pokemon game that will hit the markets at the end of this year and honestly we cannot wait to try it out. Nintendo has also confirmed that the game will be called ‘Pokémon Sword and Shield’ and will allow the players to traverse the Galar region, an area heavily influenced by Great Britain owing to the several landmarks that also includes one that looks like the Big Ben. The Pokédex for the game has not yet been released but the three starter Pokémons have been revealed, the grass type Grookey, the fire type Scorbunny and the water type Sobble. This is the first installment in the eighth generation of Pokémon video games and will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. A late release is expected, as the company has had strange rules regarding game releases, with main games released on home consoles, and spinoffs on portable ones. The Switch’s hybridity changes all of that, of course. Nevertheless, this is still the most anticipated game on this list and when it does come out, it will certainly be the beginning of a new chapter for the Switch.
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