Summary
After the Wii U, Nintendo returned to its roots by utilizing game cartridges. This preference holds some benefits, though a major issue is its size capacity. It’s difficult for highly demanding games to compact into the cartridges compared to the discs’ larger storage. It requires excelling compression to make those games work, which Nintendo can use.
Many 1st party Nintendo games aren’t big compared to the next-gen games on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Rarely do they ever reach over 7 GB likeSuper Mario OdysseyandMetroid Prime Remastered.This plan diminishes the concern for managing the Nintendo Switch’s storage.
Nintendo games are slowly improving their overall scope in content and graphical fidelity. This results in their IPs becoming more demanding in their size, making them reach over double digits.
Mario & Luigi Brothershipis the recent entry that is sized to be the largest entry in the franchise. The brothers use the ship to sail the grand seas of Concordia, an expansive world broken into multiple islands. Like pirates, they can discover each location, exploring various terrains like forests, deserts, lava, and more.
The game exaggerates its character expression with its whimsical, cartoony designs, especially when the plumbers use their bros attacks. From how each character reacts like Bowser and Concordia inhabitants, it feels like the most animated entry in the series.
Pikmin 4follows its predecessors by having a group of explorative aliens respond to an SOS signal before a malfunction crashes them onto Earth. Players can actually customize their controllable character rather than play as defined characters like Olimar and Alph.They must explore the widened areas of Earthto find their lost comrades and the SOS signal source.
This entry covers a lot of ground, including outside nature and within a house. Caves make a return fromPikmin 2to find rarer valuables. The most newest expeditions are at night when dangers are more intense with aggressive enemies. The player is equipped with various tools for certain situations like new Pikmin and Otachi, a space dog that can carry the player or discovered treasures.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxewas brought out from the Wii U collection for the Nintendo Switch. It’s thedefinitive Mario Kart 8 versionwith a huge roster of characters from available series likeSuper Mario, Animal Crossing, Splatoon,and evenLegend of Zelda. It offers the largest customization options for Mario Kart with its arrays of vehicle bodies, wheels, and gliders. It even features new mechanics during racing like dual item slots and enhanced drifting.
Players can race through over 40 racetracks. Additional game modes are included with normal racing like Balloon Battle, Renegade Roundup, Shine Thief, Bomb-omb Blast, and Coin Race. Its race tracks are varied, referencing familiar games likeMario Kart DSandF-Zero.
Xenoblade Chronicles IIfollows Rex on his adventure in the Cloud Sea. After accepting a dangerous job, the protagonist accepts a significant quest that involves taking a girl to the World Tree, the center of the world of Alrest. His journey will take him across different titans, sentient worlds that inhabit the life of humans and blades. Several human races have varied relationships between themselves and blades, which results in war between them on different titans. The characters are very animated, easily revealing their reactions to each scene, including more devastating events.
Following its predecessor, the story occurs on the bodies of moving Titans. There are more than two titans, offering more varied terrains, cultures, enemies, rewards, and more. There are no invisible boundaries, allowing players to explore as they please with caution. Along with different inhabitants are various side quests, includingBlade quests that reveal their backstories and abilities.
Fire Emblem Warriorsbrings Nintendo’s beloved RPG series into a more action-packed Dynasty Warriors style. Familiar units are summoned from across the series such asFire Emblem Fates, Awakening, The Blazing Blade,and others. They fall into an original plot occurring in two unique kingdoms: Aytolis and Gristonne.
The main story progression is straightforward with different soldiers interacting between each battle. During combat, the units can be commanded similarly to an RPG. Not only can the units automatically follow the player’s demands, but they can be switched into freely at any time. Players can even pair them with the currently controlled soldier for beneficial attacks.
Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopesexpands the formula of Fire Emblem Warriorswhile including features from Three Houses. Similar features did transfer into the game like duo pairs as adjutants or awakening skills. Other features that closely resemble Three Houses are relationship status and students. Ally units are more customizable with various options for class, weapons, equipment, skills, and more.
This game does a lot with its influence fromFire Emblem Three Houses, including its ever-changing story. With the three main houses, the protagonist can join one of them to experience different perspectives of the overall plot. It provides moments for the protagonist to make decisive choices, which can greatly change their fate. They even interact with the previous protagonist fromFire Emblem Three Houses.
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Editionis the ultimate version of what startedthis JRPG franchise. The story simply starts with two Titans in a death battle before freezing in place. Life forms on both titans over time, though the two races hold a hostile relationship. This aggression influenced them to war, which resulted in many lost lives, including the protagonist’s loved ones, Shulk. This hatred encourages him to quell his revenge and end the war entirely while figuring out the truth behind the races’ spite.
The game takes place on two massive titans: Bionis and Mechonis. The exploration scope is massive, hiding many secrets and dangers within the tall beings. Players can teleport around the large landmasses by finding regular landmarks and secret locations. The game doesn’t hold the player’s hand, letting them go anywhere they please. Caution is necessary when lingering in areas with threatening enemies.
Following its predecessors,Xenoblade Chronicles 3takes place in the world of Aionios. Two major nations clash in an endless war that results in thousands of bodies slain or crushed. Noah and Mio are enrolled off-seers who send the dead away within their respective nations. When the two protagonists clash with their allied groups, some event breaks their connected need for war. This new power encourages the soldiers to journey for the truth behind their nations’ hostility and face the Consul, the higher authority of Aionios.
The game takes lots of influence from its predecessors into its world’s design, mixing new and familiar locations like the Sword of Mechonis and Uraya Titan. There’sa lot to find in the war-driven reality, such as faction battles, campsites, secrets, settlements, and many dead bodies. Players can explore to continue the grand main plot or find smaller, yet expanded side stories that reveal more about the world’s order.
Legend of Zelda Breath Of The Wildbrought the series into a brand-new direction with its new structure. Hyrule Kingdom expanded as agrand open world sandboxfor players to explore out of one’s desires. No longer is the player forced to follow a linear story or pathway, but rather any points of interest or towards the final boss.
Once Link awakens, the game reveals the inspirational scope of the Hyrule kingdom devastated by Ganon. After gathering himself and his necessary tools, he can do anything within the kingdom to prepare for the evil within Hyrule Castle. He can interact with many activities such as finding hidden collectibles, cooking, gathering ingredients and materials, shield-surfing, gliding, completing requests, finding treasures, and much more.
Legend of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdomtakes its predecessor’s map before greatly growing its size to reveal much more.Brand new discoveries and locations are opened for Link to investigatewhile allowing him to travel from anywhere. Link can not only explore anything on Hyrule Kingdom, but anything above and way below the kingdom for brand new experiences.
Link’s new powers allow him to interact more with the environment to his advantage, including slipping through ceilings and rewinding time. His strongest ability is his Ultrahand, allowing players to create anything within their imagination such as walls, vehicles, weaponry contraptions, and more. It greatly encourages the player to be imaginative with their solutions just likeMinecraft.
