10. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
This port of the 2014 Wii U title combines puzzle games with inventive platformer action to give a refreshingly unique take on the genre. Rather than sprinting or jumping your way to your goal, you have to rotate the camera view to open new paths of access. All this makes for an engrossing, challenging experience coupled with Nintendo’s trademark charming veneer.
9. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
This port of the cult classic JRPG offers a fresh coat of paint to its original 360 and PS3 release, with the cell-shaded art style looking particularly gorgeous on the handheld console. Up to three local players can jump in to assist in any of the game's battles, meaning that all four members of an active party can be controlled by humans. What’s more, the Definitive Edition contains all previously available DLC features, including content that was once exclusive to Japan!
8. Overcooked 2
The original Overcooked was one of the first games to truly show off the multiplayer capabilities of the Switch, as you team up with friends to play as chefs scrambling to get orders out of the kitchen. Overcooked 2 is equally as entertaining, and fixes some of the kinks of its predecessor. Sure it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but when it comes from such a widely celebrated series, it really doesn’t need to. The ideal MO of a good sequel is ‘more but better’, and Overcooked 2 fulfils this with aplomb.
7. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
We’re heading back to where it all started, yes that’s right the mean streets of the Kanto Region, where you can now retread the maps of Pokemon Red and Blue in glorious high definition. All of the original 150 odd Pokemon can be found in Let’s GO, as well as their moves, their stats and their evolutions. The game allows a second trainer to drop-in whenever you want, with player 2 acting as a supporting character which makes the game far easier for younger gamers.
6. Diablo III: Eternal Collection
The standard when it comes to horror-themed dungeon crawlers, Diablo III should absolutely be on your radar. Although the package offers very little brand new aside from a Ganondorf armour set, it is objectively the most polished version of the game to date, making it well worth a pick up for old and new fans alike. Although character design struggles a bit in dock mode, this is not an issue in handheld, looking good in 720p and playing oh so buttery smooth.
5. Unravel Two
This sequel continues the adventure of Yarney, an anthropomorphic bundle of yarn, only this time he/she/it has a friend for co-op action. Whereas the original game is perhaps more remembered for its character design than its puzzle mechanics, Unravel 2 goes a long way in allowing its challenges to stand out from the crowd. The physics are spot on and beating a level feels genuinely satisfying. Also expect a heartfelt story that packs an emotional punch.
4. Kirby Star Allies
What makes Kirby Star Allies stand out from other recent platformers released by triple-A publishers is its heavy focus on local co-op. Up to four players can jump in and out of gameplay seamlessly, with players 2 to 4 taking the role of former enemies, who have been brainwashed by big cartoon hearts (it’s Nintendo, just roll with it). In a culture when gaming is becoming more isolated, this really does harken back to a time in which gaming was a more traditionally social pastime.
3. Yoshi’s Crafted World
For anyone who’s played a Yoshi title before, you already know the deal; you eat baddies and poop out eggs… which you can then throw at other baddies! It’s a winning formula that certainly didn’t need changing, and coupled with the adorable art style it’s definitely worth picking up. You can play the entire campaign in co-op, with player two able to drop in and out at will, meaning nothing will stop your adventure!
2. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
Arguably the last big Wii U release to be ported to the Switch, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. is a delight that not enough people have experienced. Whereas as 2017’s Mario Odyssey pushed the limits of what a Mario platformer could be, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. takes the formula back to its 2D basics, a move that proves to be equally successful. Up to four players can play in local co-op, making for a great party experience.
1. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
If you’ve played any of the earlier entries in this series, The Black Order will feel very familiar, except this time all the action is team-based as you form a squad of four heroes to play in either solo or multiplayer combat. Now, there isn’t much in the way of a grand, arching narrative like we’ve seen through the MCU, rather a loose plot that allows for some awesome, mindless battles. But where it lacks in plot, it more than makes up for it with its character roster.
