This 12 months has been incredible for all platforms and I’ve struggled to search out enough time to play most video games I’ve been thinking about testing. With so many games releasing every month, some go under the radar. This also means we can’t cowl every single Switch game in a well timed manner due to launch schedules, entry, and extra. I wished to highlight some games that might have gone under the radar for most people in 2021. These include some that we have reviewed earlier than and others that I’ve been enjoying over the previous couple of months that launched earlier in the yr.
($24.99)
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights was a giant surprise when I performed it on PS5 and Nintendo Switch around release. It looked gorgeous in the trailers, but I wasn’t prepared for just how superb the environment is in-game. Ender Lilies is amongst the finest metroidvanias I’ve played despite the issue spikes. It also deserves to be checked out for its outstanding soundtrack. There is not any scarcity of video games in the style on Switch proper now, but Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is value your time. If the aesthetic appeals to you, I’d suggest grabbing Ender Lilies when you probably can. It isn’t a revolutionary take on the genre, however remains to be price enjoying. Ender Lilies was already great at launch, but the builders have continued to usher in further content through free patches making it a a lot nicer experience right now. I hope will get a bodily launch sooner or later.
($24.99)
There was a lot of buzz around Gnosia when it released on PS Vita in Japan for getting good evaluate scores. When it lastly hit Nintendo Switch, I obtained to strive it via the localized launch and was impressed with the genre-blending experience despite some repetition. It is structured just like the get together sport Werewolf or Mafia and is ready on a drifting spaceship where humans are trying to do away with the Gnosia. The cast is well-written and while the real endings take some annoying RNG to get via as you loop to make progress, Gnosia has a narrative I’m glad I could experience. It is a social deduction RPG I’d advocate to anybody looking for memorable stories.
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Sumire is a well-paced adventure game about making the most out of restricted time. It has sensible visuals and an excellent soundtrack. You play as a woman named Sumire longing to meet her grandmother who appeared in a dream after passing away. Sumire’s grandmother seems in a dream and that is the place the story begins. This includes your old associates, townspeople, various magical creatures, and more by way of a really emotional story. As an journey game, you do some mild puzzles that normally contain bringing a specific merchandise to a specific particular person or interacting in a particular way to transfer ahead. This isn’t an experience you purchase for simply the gameplay. You’re here for an emotional narrative and if you get pleasure from these, Sumire is worth your time.
($15.99)
Just like Sumire, The Kids We Were is a story-driven adventure sport. You play as a kid named Minato who has a little sister affected by a terminal illness and parents who’re divorced. Minato is visiting a town called Kagami with his mother and sister. This town is where your father lives and Minato goals to see if he can meet his father in the hope of helping his sister. This voxel aesthetic journey has a stunning story about time travel the place you meet old and new associates and try to fix your future. There are some beautiful collectibles as properly across the town. The Kids We Were on Switch (and PC) includes an additional episode not found within the cell model that may be a nice conclusion to at least one specific part of the narrative as well.
($39.99)
I hadn’t really adopted Fuga: Melodies of Steel before it launched on actually all current and last-generation platforms earlier this 12 months. CyberConnect2 is most identified for excellent anime video games and Fuga is an interesting change of tempo from what I was used to from the developer. This flip based strategy RPG has you controlling kids who’re driving a huge tank on a journey to find their mother and father and family members. It has a really charming aesthetic and I want I had performed it sooner. Over the last few weeks, I’ve lastly managed placing in a good period of time enjoying Fuga on Switch and ended up appreciating the structure, group formation elements, and animation on show. If the aesthetic appeals to you, that is an RPG value your time for positive. I hope CyberConnect2 does extra with the brand in the future.
($59.99)
Japanese developer Experience Inc is generally known for quality first individual dungeon crawlers among followers of the style. We’ve had many Experience Inc releases come to Nintendo Switch as nicely through Aksys Games and NIS America, but the developer’s newest release is one of its most interesting. Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi looks like a culmination of all of the developer’s games so far with quality of life improvements and a memorable story to boot. Undernauts is an accessible and well-designed first particular person dungeon RPG with an interesting Yomi flower mechanic. It has putting art and great music that are each to be expected from a top quality Experience Inc recreation. If you’ve by no means played a recreation within the genre or are a fan of Wizardry-style video games, that is worth testing. It additionally could be very good in handheld on Nintendo Switch.
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($59.99)
Blue Reflection: Slot88 Second Light is the second game in Koei Tecmo and Gust’s Blue Reflection brand. Blue Reflection: Second Light is a slice of life JRPG with plenty of coronary heart. It builds on the original and is a great entry point to anyone seeking to play a extra laid-back RPG on Switch with nice visuals and an incredible soundtrack. While Koei Tecmo’s warriors games and Atelier games are extra popular, you’d be doing a disservice to your self if you don’t at least take a glance at the Blue Reflection: Second Light free demo as a JRPG fan. My only criticism is the shoehorned stealth mechanic. If you benefit from the Atelier video games or are new to Gust, this is a great entry level as well with an excellent Switch port.
Hopefully you discover one thing you enjoy from this list of games. I’ve enjoyed enjoying all of them. If you have a sport you assume flew beneath the radar, let us know in the comments. I’d love to seek out one thing I missed as well from 2021. Thanks for reading and joyful holidays.