So over a year after our original Nintendo Switch Hidden Gems we figured it was time to revisit the topic. The Nintendo Switch’s game library has grown immensely in the last year and here are ten games we recommend you give a play.
1. Slain: Back From Hell
Slain: Back from Hell. A heavy metal inspired arcade combat game with stunning pixel art visuals, challenging old school gameplay and gore galore. Plus the most metal soundtrack you’ve ever heard!
You control the fate of Bathoryn, a doomed hero in a Gothic world, who seeks to liberate six cursed realms from six deadly overlords.
He must battle his way through this blighted land, packed with gruesome and lethal creatures before ascending (or sometimes descending) into a stronghold, all the while defeating fiendish traps and vile monsters alike.
Accompanied by the heavy metal visuals is an even heavier metal soundtrack recorded by Curt Victor Bryant (formally of Celtic Frost).
2. The Long Reach
The Long Reach is an intricate adventure, where you solve puzzles, run, and hide. The story takes place in Baervox, fictional American town. The scientific institute designs a revolutionary system of accelerated knowledge transferring. As it usually happens, everything went wrong. Technology went out of control. As an aftermath, Institute, and the whole town turned into a real nightmare, and the experiment participants grew into… well, we cannot tell you that for now, because we hate spoilers!:)
3. Membrane
Membrane is a creative-action puzzle game in which you build, bend and break the world around you while experimenting to create your own solutions. Bendy bridges, wobbly ladders and shaky structures are just the beginning of what you’ll make to test the limits of this weird, day-glo world!
Membrane was designed to allow creative space for the player to interact and build their own unique solutions. The puzzles are NOT designed to rely on deception or a single solution, lock & key approach to test players. Instead the game was built to reward creativity and experimentation from the player.
Get your creative, thinking cap on friends!
4. Manual Samuel
Manual Samuel is a classic adventure game with a wild twist. After making a deal with Death, our hero, the spoiled rich-kid Samuel, must survive for 24 hours controlling his entire body manually. From breathing and blinking to driving and working, all these tasks will fall to you. It won’t be easy, with Death himself tagging along for the ride, you might be in some very deep feces!
Don’t forget to check out our review of Manual Samuel.
5. Tricky Towers
With your brilliant robe and magic powers, it’s time to build some Tricky Towers!
Tricky Towers is a multiplayer physics-based tower building game. In a game of Tricky Towers you stack your bricks to create a stable tower and try to topple those of your opponents. To spice it up you can cast magic to support your structure and fend off the dark spells of your rivals in this frantic physics party game.
Tricky Towers offers local and online multiplayer with up to 4 players in Race, Survival and Puzzle mode. It also features 50 single player trials for players to test their skills or practice for online play.
With spells flying everywhere and bricks tumbling down, Tricky Towers makes for a chaotically good time!
6. Volgarr The Viking
Remember when games were tough? Return to the Golden Age of arcades with an all-NEW hardcore action experience that pulls no punches! Volgarr the Viking possesses all the hallmarks of the true classics – simple controls, high challenge, and meticulous design – combined with hand-made pixel animation, an epic soundtrack, and buckets of blood. Flex your gaming muscles and step into the arena with Volgarr the Viking. We dare you.
7. Sundered
Sundered is a chaotic hand-drawn action-adventure game where you resist or embrace ancient eldritch powers. Confront hordes of terrifying enemies in an ever-changing world inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Sundered is a challenging and unique take on a classic genre from the creators of Jotun. Sundered: Eldritch Edition includes the Magnate of the Gong Update, adding local co-op multiplayer support for up to 4 players, along with new areas and a chaotic battle against the new Magnate of the Gong boss! Resist or embrace.
Sundered is a game that builds on the strengths of Thunder Lotus’ first game, Jotun: hand-drawn art, epic boss battles, and a fully immersive world. In addition, Sundered has been designed to be a more varied and replayable experience than Jotun, including more complex mechanics and meaningful player choices. Further, with Sundered, Thunder Lotus delves into a darker universe heavily inspired by Lovecraft’s writings.
8. Rage In Peace
Rage in Peace is a story-driven action adventure with elements of surprise and memorization. Unravel the last day of Timmy’s life, as he races against time to get back home and fulfill his sole dream of dying peacefully in his pajamas, in the warmth of home, in peace, and with no drama.
On one fateful day, a Grim Reaper appears bearing news that Timmy will die today. With his head cut off. But the Grim Reaper did not specify when, where, or what will kill Timmy, giving him one final chance to realize his dream.
But achieving his dream will not be an easy task for Timmy. To reach his home, Timmy will have to avoid all the traps and obstacles that mysteriously show up to stop him from “cheating” death. Surprise and memorization will be the key for you to help Timmy postponing his demise, receive inner peace, and dying the way he always wished to.
Don’t forget to check out our review of Rage In Peace.
9. Shikhondo
Shikhondo – Soul Eater is a Korean bullet-hell shoot ‘em up set within a beautiful and bizarre world of Asian mythology.
Armies of demons known as yokai have escaped from Limbo. They are spreading like a plague across the land, sowing fear and stealing souls. You must destroy the pestilent invaders and free the captured souls from eternal torment.
Don’t forget to check out our review of Shikhondo: Soul Eater.
10. 1979 Revolution: Black Friday
A new story driven adventure about choices and consequences, chaos and order, where you are dropped into the thrilling world of a real revolution.
The year is 1978, the place is Tehran, Iran. You play as Reza Shirazi, a young photojournalist who returns home to find his people in a cold-blooded uprising against the ruling King, the Shah. Your efforts to take photographs entangle you into the underground web of revolution as you meet a vivid cast of characters who challenge your morality.
The fates of those around you hinge on the consequences of your choices. Based on true stories and historical events.
Don’t forget to check out our review of 1979 Revolution: Black Friday.
We hope you enjoy the games on our list and if there’s any you think we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments and be sure to check out our previous Nintendo Switch Hidden Gems list and for all things gaming stay tuned to ABG!
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Gamer, dad and supporter of @SpecialEffect Charity. Dark Souls fan and gooner!