This holiday season is the swan song for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo told us as much when it said a long-awaited Switch successor would be announced by April 2025. But Nintendo thankfully didn’t get a case of senioritis as it looks to graduate to a Switch sequel, as 2024 had a litany of excellent titles come to the nearly eight-year-old console. So we’re taking a little look back at some of our favorite games on the Switch for 2024. One of the great things about this year’s offering of Switch titles is that they all should work on the follow-up to the Switch — since Nintendo confirmed its next generation will be backward-compatible. (And hopefully any performance issues of games on the current Switch will be resolved when playing them on the next model, if we’re so lucky.)
We all have to remain patient as we continue to wait for the Switch’s successor, but these games are without a doubt worthy of playing during your current Nintendo console’s final months in the limelight.
I know there are a handful of us on staff for which Balatro was our personal Game of the Year, and I don’t think any of us are gamblers or big fans of poker. That’s the beauty of this indie roguelike; you don’t have to be a stan of card games or know a thing about poker to enjoy its unique dopamine rush. From the music and sound effects to the lo-fi visuals, Balatro hits all the right notes to sink in its hooks and lock you in. You’re likely to find yourself muttering “just one more run” many times over. Next thing you know, it’s 3AM and the baby will be up in just a few hours — or perhaps that last part is just me.
Princess Zelda finally got her own game, allowing you to play as her full time in a Legend of actual Zelda. It may not be perfect in its execution, but it’s a worthwhile adventure where Zelda solves puzzles and defeats baddies by summoning previously defeated enemies and everyday objects.
There’s an air of mystery about Animal Well that may entice you or straight-up confuse you. If you’re the type that loves forgoing any guides and figuring everything out on your own, there’s a really good chance you’ll love this pixelated 2D platformer. It blends a bit of Mario-like jumping puzzles with a Metroidvania sense of open exploration and adventure — complete with some mysterioso vibes.
Image: Fellow Traveller Games
1000xResist takes place in a postapocalyptic world where humanity is driven underground by the arrival of an alien race. You play Watcher, one of many clones of a young girl who is somehow immune to the mass disease brought by the alien Occupants. And of course, all is not what it seems. It’s capital-S, capital-F sci-fi for sure.
It’s been a big year-plus for Mario RPGs. But after the remake of Super Mario RPG and the remaster of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario & Luigi: Brothership shows us that our favorite plumbing duo can still keep things fresh in the roleplaying space. Brothership has a lighthearted and playful story, fun turn-based combat, and an adorable art style. You can sum up how charming this game is with a singular, two-worded game mechanic: Luigi Logic.
Be prepared to feel feelings. Neva is the most recent indie from the developer of Gris, and in addition to being a lovely work of visual art, it tells a story about caring for a baby fox that’s sure to make some folks weep (especially if you’re a parent).
“I wanna take you for a ride.” And what a ride this classic fighting game collection is, encapsulating the various Marvel and Capcom crossover 2D fighters and even including The Punisher beat-’em-up that kick-started the long-running collaboration. This best-of compilation is worth the price of admission just to finally get Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on modern consoles, complete with online play.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was the earliest gem of 2024, coming out way back in January. Fast-forward to October, and Ubisoft sadly disbanded its development team. But The Lost Crown remains an amazing side-scrolling Metroidvania / Soulslike mash-up with some challenging (yet fun as hell) combat and platforming. And while the game world is quite large, with lots to explore, the game respects the player’s time by offering helpful in-game tools — like pinning screenshots to the map.
Pepper Grinder is a unique 2D platformer that has you traverse its colorful sprite-filled world with a drill, dolphin-diving into and up from the ground. The game’s key mechanic feels frenetic and extremely rewarding when you expertly traverse the world’s obstacles via the violent path of your drill and fallen enemies. It then ups the ante later by adding a grappling hook. Be still my beating heart. (No, really, the fast action gets my heart rate up at times — in a fun way, not in a concerning way.)
Image: Annapurna Interactive
If you’ve ever enjoyed an escape room, you’re likely to dig Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Its slick black, white, and red art style and eerie setting fill the game with a sense of mystery, and its challenging puzzles are sure to tickle your brain. Just be prepared to take notes, so as not to feel overwhelmed when the game makes you think outside the box — or do basic math.
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