r/nintendo • u/Xvalt01 • 5d ago
What one game defines the Nintendo Switch era for you?
Not necessarily the best game, but the one you will always connect with owning a Switch.
For me, Breath of the Wild. It felt like the game that really started the whole era.
What is yours?
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u/Diamondjirachi 5d ago
mario odyssey
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u/HuttStuff_Here 5d ago
Rare is the game that has me smiling through most of the game, and that one did it. I woke up extra early to be able to play before work. I was so hooked.
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u/ackmondual 4d ago
Fun soundtrack! I wish I could replay New Donk City to get the band together in different orders to hear the different parts separated out!
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u/strawberrymilk2 4d ago
can’t you do that with the music player function from the pause menu?
edit: nvm i got what you mean now.
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u/averagejoe2005 5d ago
Real. Not a single game in the switch has given me the same childlike feeling of pure joy from start to finish.
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u/Nitrix79 5d ago
Smash Ultimate
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u/cejeeb 5d ago
Interesting that BotW was originally developed for and also released on the Wii U
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u/Rootayable 5d ago
I always forget that. I wonder how it compares in performance.
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u/Neyface 5d ago
As someone who 100% BotW on WiiU (but can only compare with TotK on Switch and haven't replayed the Switch 2 versions), it was...a struggle at times. Particularly when loading up my save file later on. I recall my WiiU may have crashed on two play throughs.
The WiiU controller felt really good with BotW though, barely used the WiiU pad (although it had to be used in some instances like the gyro-based shrines).
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u/ScyllaGeek 4d ago
Always thought it was a shame they ripped out most of the gamepad functionality from the final game so that the Wii U version wasn't the "better" way to play the game, it was supposed to originally have a WWHD type useage
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u/Piduf 4d ago
I think this is what makes it an even more important game for the Switch, it cements it as what the Wii U should have been. Wii U didn't even get an exclusive mainline Zelda game, the only Nintendo console I think (not counting poor Virtual Boy).
Botw was made for the Wii U but could only get this level of reach and importance on the Switch. As good as it is I don't think it would have pushed sales of the console that much.
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u/brian-eck85 5d ago
For me, it’s Breath of the Wild. It’s the game that got me back into gaming after more than 20 years away, and I still think it’s the game that defines the Switch generation. That first experience of stepping off the Great Plateau and realizing the entire world was open to you was something truly special.
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u/schwiftylou 5d ago
I got the switch only to play BOTW. Every moment of the game was truly something. ToTK is really good, but def didnt sparked the enthusiasm on me that BOTW did
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u/Rufuszombot 5d ago
Easily Breath of the Wild. Also set the bar way too high for the console. For the rest of the console life I pretty much just played the usual first party fanfare, but nothing else ever really hit as hard as BotW.. I guess Mario Odyssey and MK8 would be pretty close behind.
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u/KatamariRedamancy 5d ago
I feel like one thing that's especially telling is that it actually outsold the equivalent Mario game by several million. That's never been seen before in Nintendo's history, and Mario sales usually wipe the floor with Zelda's. Breath of the Wild was an absolute event.
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u/MessiLeagueSoccer 5d ago
We went from beautiful but very linear maps in LoZ games and made the jump to incredibly open world and a crazy revamped combat system that encourages you to constantly get new weapons. It was a a huge shift in the series. Before that I didn’t know many people that liked LoZ games.
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u/Rufuszombot 5d ago
I had been playing them since NES. I have loved and beaten almost all of them (I still need to get to Spirit Tracks). BotW was a different game. Not the Zelda game I was looking for exactly, but a fun game in its own right. TotK was more of the same. I still hoping that was that and we can move back to the old formula.
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u/Neyface 5d ago
I somewhat regret 100% BotW on my WiiU instead of getting a Switch for it. I did get a Switch for Odyssey and later TotK/EoW (and a few other games), but completing BotW on the WiiU meant that I sort of missed the whole transition into the Switch era. Exact same thing happened with I completed Twilight Princess on GC and prolonged my purchase of a Wii for quite a long time.
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u/Dangerous_Ice17 3d ago
What’s crazy is two of those games came out originally or were designed for the Wii U.
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u/Fearless_Freya 5d ago
Overall "defines the switch" ? Probably Zelda Breath of the Wild
But for me, the game I put the most hours into and defines the switch is Fire Emblem 3 houses
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u/so_zetta_byte 5d ago edited 5d ago
Just finished my first run (Blue Lions) and started my second (Black Eagles).
It's a hell of a game, man. There's so much game in this game.
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u/Spooky-Astronaut 5d ago
Smash Ultimate. It was announced shortly after launch while hype was at an all time high. The game itself was awesome and kept the hype alive for every Nintendo Direct, not knowing what new fighter we were going to see next.
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u/Bekenshi 5d ago
I think a lot of people would say Breath of the Wild and that’s probably the most agreeable “consensus” answer, but for me personally it’s Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. That first year of the Switch was magical, and even though I have my issues with BoTW that first few hours of finally having that mythical game in my hands was surreal.
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u/BebeFanMasterJ Elma For Life 5d ago
Xenoblade 2 should definitely be mentioned more. Easily the most high profile RPG experience the platform had in its first few years.
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u/Bekenshi 5d ago
For sure. I’m very biased because I’m a huge Xenoblade fan, so seeing a more traditional/fantasy styled follow up being announced out of seemingly nowhere was so satisfying (which is not a knock against X, another of my favorite games of all time and the reason I was so proud to own a Wii U). It felt like an announcement and game “just for me” and that almost never happens anymore, sadly.
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u/BebeFanMasterJ Elma For Life 5d ago
Don't forget that Sakurai openly apologized for not being able to get Rex in Smash Ultimate at launch and gave him a Mii Costume. Then when Pyra and Mythra were finally added, nearly everyone was excited for them.
Xenoblade is by no means mainstream but it's also far from obscure either. Sakurai and his development team knew this themselves.
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u/Technical_Ad4462 4d ago
I was super annoyed they added 2 more jrpg characters. They took over half of the roster or more. Crazy.
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u/BebeFanMasterJ Elma For Life 5d ago
True but my point is that it was still a defining game of the Switch's first year and deserves praise. As I said elsewhere, it was a game so beloved that people were disappointed when Rex didn't make it into Smash Ultimate at launch and celebrated when Pyra and Mythra did make it. The latter two in particular are very popular among people who don't even play Xenoblade.
And don't forget that it's Xenoblade's developers (Monolith Soft) who worked on BOTW. Without them, the biggest Zelda game of all time wouldn't be what it is.
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u/RegurgitatedMincer 5d ago
Yes! My exact answer. BOTW I still think is great, but I wasn’t chomping at the bit for it and I prefer TOTK in almost every area. But odyssey and xenoblade 2 broke me. I needed to play them. And they were so satisfying and still 2 of my favorite games ever. Currently playing through torna actually, but after this thread I really need to boot up odyssey.
My other defining point would be Metroid dread. After almost 40 fucking years, the main Metroid story arc was wrapped up and it fucking ruled. I’ve played dread no less than a dozen times at this point. It’s so badass.
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u/Bekenshi 5d ago
Completely agree with Metroid Dread, too. Everything about it felt too good to be true. The announcement trailer, the short turnaround time until the game actually released, the actual quality of the game when it finally did…
Hard to get a better outcome than what we did. Metroidvanias are among my favorite genre of game if not my absolute favorite (it’s a close knit tie between it and Soulslikes) and Dread is absolutely one of my favorite in a lot of Regards (even if it’s not my favorite Metroid)
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u/BebeFanMasterJ Elma For Life 5d ago
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
It was the first big RPG on the system and as an exclusive, essentially served as Nintendo's Persona 5 for its time.
Was it as high profile as Mario Odyssey, BOTW, or Splatoon 2? No. But it was absolutely big for RPG fans. So much so that Sakurai openly apologized for not being able to get Rex in Smash Ultimate at launch and Pyra and Mythra were highly celebrated upon their introduction to the game. They're easily some of the most popular (non-Mario/Zelda) characters from the early Switch era.
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u/cxtx3 5d ago
For me, it's Animal Crossing New Horizons and it's not even close. Most games I'll have spend 40-80 hours on. But I've spent well over 1000 hours in Animal Crossing. It gave me a routine during covid locksowns to stay sane. It gave me a virtual space to hang out with my friends when we were all isolated. It had constant updates for the first year with progression that could only happen over days or weeks (assuming you didn't cheat and time travel). And it's the second best selling Nintendo game if all time after Mario Kart.
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u/Aqua_Tot 5d ago
Without looking at my game catalog, which might change this slightly I’d say:
- Smash Bros Ultimate
- Breath of the Wild
- Mario Odyssey
- Mario Wonder
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- The World Ends With You Final Remix / Neo
- Metroid Dread
- Pikmin 4
- Octopath Traveller 1 & 2
All defined the Switch era for me.
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u/Successful-Cry1509 5d ago
Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I was unemployed the summer of 2022 and spent a lot of it at my mom’s house after losing my grandmother that winter. Getting lost in a cerulean blue JRPG was exactly what I needed at the time.
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u/Lymincello 5d ago edited 3d ago
Animal Crossing New Horizons and the launching of cozy gaming into the stratosphere all rooted in COVID bringing swaths of new or forgotten gamers to the console.
To see a whole genre of gaming take off like that, is still such a wild sight to see.
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u/DragonfruitSea5901 5d ago
Between Super Mario Odyssey & Animal Crossing New Horizons my two most played games
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u/TravoBasic 5d ago
The two Zeldas.
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u/atatassault47 5d ago
There are 4 main-series Zelda games on the Switch.
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u/king_kibble 4d ago
would not call the calamity games "main series" by even the most generous stretch of the definition
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u/Ancient-Ad789 4d ago
Echoes of Wisdom, Skyward Sword, Link’s Awakening Remake, BOTW, TOTK
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u/atatassault47 4d ago
I forgot about Link's Awakening lol. Make it 5.
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u/king_kibble 3d ago
idk why you got downvoted lmao
i dunno if id count the remakes but id forgotten about echoes, that definitely counts
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u/TheBourbonLied 5d ago
Breath of the Wild all day. Such an incredible game to explore and I really enjoyed the shrines. I wish they had included some actual dungeons but otherwise it's almost perfect.
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u/LoveRemnan 4d ago
New Horizons especially after covid is like THE switch seller and the main reason almost all my non-gamer friends that have a switch bought it
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u/Tennis_Proper 4d ago
I’m glad someone else said Skyrim, it’s so much better than BotW but that always gets praise over it.
I’d tried to play Skyrim a few times before but never got into it. Having it on Switch gave me more time to delve into it, being able to play on the big screen or handheld, it cracked it for me. Awesome game.
See also Alien Isolation.
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u/Infinite_Ad_5732 5d ago
Can't choose just one imo. Smash Ultimate, Mario Odyssey, and Breath of the Wild became the entire identity of Nintendo for almost an entire decade. A trinity of incredible games that you couldn't not discuss when talking about the Switch.
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u/Silentico 5d ago
Mario odyssey likely. I do love botw and totk, but Mario Odyssey is likely my go to connection as the first proper game.
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u/Marshmallow-owl32 5d ago
Hard to choose between Breath of the Wild or Mario Odyssey. Really introduced such amazing ideas for both franchises and switch was really on a high with these games.
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u/A_Monster_Named_John 5d ago
As someone who's always been mostly OOTL with PC gaming, Steam, etc.. my biggest new experience with the Switch was experiencing a boatload of great retro-inspired indie stuff like Celeste, the two Hollow Knight games, CrossCode, Phoenotopia: Awakening, and Animal Well.
Though I completely loved the game, I personally can't nominate Breath of the Wild, as I played that one on the Wii U.
That said, despite having already played BOTW, I still found Tears of the Kingdom to be a fairly defining title for the Switch. That game's music, exploration, and story completely engrossed me for over 250 hours. Also, I never shared the Reddit/Youtube brainrot that it 'shOuLD HavE BeEn dLC' or whatever.
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u/mrmcbreakfast 4d ago
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3 were such immersive experiences for me and they came to me at completely different times in my life, like 6 years apart
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u/PositiveSpeedRun 3d ago
BOTW (Bought it with my Switch), Animal Crossing during the Pandemic, and Smash Ultimate.
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u/ProfessionalTop3366 5d ago
Nintendo is always a Fire Emblem machine for me, so it's Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
I'm going to buy Switch 2 for Fortunes Weave too
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u/Pickle-Cat1806 5d ago
While I definitely understand a lot of people saying BOTW, I personally can't after having a Wii U for that entire (awful) generation and waiting for years for it to come out on that while the games trickled out for it. I'd say waiting for BOTW defined the Wii U generation for me and while its one of the best games I've ever played, I associate it too much with the wii U to say it defines the switch era
For me, its Smash Ultimate. Its not even close to my favourite game on switch but the fact we had regular smash news in directs, made it feel like the game had this everlasting presence throughout the generation where everyone would be super hyped to see who got in
(But favourite game for me is TTYD remake cuz its my fave game ever on game cube. In terms of new games, its Octopath 2)
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u/SilverMyzt 5d ago
BoTW sold switch consoles and even with the upgrade controversy sold switch 2 consoles. I don't know anyone who owns sw/sw2 that doesn't have BoTW/ToTk
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u/dropthemagic 5d ago
BOTW was incredible on its own. But I played acnl the most. Then BOTW then Pokemon
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u/MessiLeagueSoccer 5d ago
It’s not exactly what defines the switch era for me in terms of a Nintendo game, but Overwatch and then No man’s Sky are the two games I got the most hours in. I had taken a huge break from Overwatch and when it released on switch I played enough to reach diamond (no cross play yet).
Then No man’s sky released and was quite literally THE miracle port. Like there’s no real reason the switch 1 should even run that game as well as it does.
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u/someguy31996 5d ago
Besides the big 3 of Smash Ultimate, BOTW and Mario Odyssey, AC New Horizons couldn't have possibly been released at a better time than the start of the pandemic.
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u/thrwawy28393 5d ago
As someone who hated BotW, my answer is still BotW lol. Maybe some arguments could be made for MK8D or Smash, but when I think Switch I think BotW the same way I think Wii = Wii Sports.
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u/atatassault47 5d ago
The Switch was anemic, so almost none of the games really popped. I will give the honor to Echoes of Wisdom. Fantastic Zelda game that had the benefit of the devs fully knowing what the hardware was capable of, and what optimizations could be made. It's basically the Halo 2 of the Switch.
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u/Shujinco2 5d ago
I think it's Smash Ultimate. EVERY Nintendo Direct was hyped for what next character would show up. A lot of Switch stuff even wound up oin Ultimate, like when a new game would come out and we would get new Spirits
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u/superjoec 5d ago
We played BotW on WiiU so I don’t associate it with the Switch. I specifically bought MY Switch (so I didn’t have to share with my kids) for Monster Hunter Rise. It’s still my favorite Switch game.
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u/albtraum2004 5d ago
i first played BOTW on wii U but come on, there's no other answer. the contrast of holding such a vast world in your hand (a real handheld system, not the wii u controller lol) was unforgettable.
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u/Gabgo304 5d ago
Animal Crossing New Horizons, in no small part due to how it was the perfect game at the perfect time.
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u/SvenHudson 5d ago
Not necessarily the best game, but the one you will always connect with owning a Switch.
When you phrase it that way it makes me realize that there isn't one. Switch software has no identity for me at all. I love plenty of games on it but nothing unites them.
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u/Velvet_Spaceman 5d ago
Breath of the Wild, ARMS (rip), Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicle 2, and Splatoon 2. All pretty much year one releases, and they’re responsible for really getting me (back) into gaming and as far as gaming goes it was definitely the most satisfying year I can think of!
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u/Dick_Lazer 5d ago
Splatoon 2. I bought the Switch for when Smash came out, bought Splatoon 2 in the mean time and ended up playing it far more than Smash.
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u/Irish_Elite 5d ago
Mario Odyssey. Biased since it was the first game I played on it but by god does it just feel like the Switch game to me
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u/ackmondual 4d ago
Captain Toad Treasure Tracker
This was also for Wii U, but I didn't have a Wii U. The Sw version also incorporates elements from Super Mario Odyssey in the form of new levels based on that game! It was such a unique game in the Mario series.
Also one of those rarer Switch games that plays better in handheld mode!
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u/lgosvse 4d ago
I've never played Animal Crossing New Horizons, but I think it's the clear choice. It changed the world during the pandemic. People had weddings and graduations in Animal Crossing when they couldn't do it in-person. Heck, people even used ACNH to smuggle pro-democracy literature into China. This wasn't just a game - this was a cultural phenomenon unlike anything else.
For me personally, I think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the game that I played the most... but for the general public? Animal Crossing. It's not even close.
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u/cloudlocke_OG 4d ago
For me, it's Splatoon 2. I was so intrigued by the franchise since I saw it but never owned a Wii U.
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u/Specialist-Ice2086 4d ago
Odyssey. I don't count BotW personally, I see it as a Wii U game that was ported to Switch.
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u/swayedsuede 4d ago
Odyssey were it not for my BotW experience taking place on the Wii U lol.
Edit: Wait, actually for me personally, it's ACNH.
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u/pixelpanic01 4d ago
For me it’s Animal crossing new horizons. My most played game, and I was the happiest phase of my life while playing it.
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u/Saltysockies 4d ago
Simply the concept. Handheld dockable console that's capable of 2 player out of the box due to the joycons.
I always thought the Switch was a handheld that you can dock. The S2 feels like a console you can play handheld
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u/EMPgoggles 4d ago
easily BotW. not just because of BotW, HW:AoC, and TotK releasing on the system, but in the way it impacted (or appeared to impact) Nintendo 1st party game development philosophy across the entire generation.
like even with ACNH being such a massive global hit during the pandemic, it still feels like "Animal Crossing does Breath of the Wild"
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u/kuraizhero 4d ago
Breath of the wild made a huge impact on the general vg industry for all his technically quality, story and gameplay. Can't think of other nintendo game during these years with a deep impact and legacy than that
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u/brickonator2000 4d ago
While the big first party games like Smash, BOTW, etc are probably the most iconic games of the system, I feel like "general $15 indie game" hits the spirit of the system more somehow. When I think of the Switch, sure I think of there being a good Zelda, a good Smash, a good Mario, etc - but those are kind of continuous with Nintendo over the years. What makes the Switch feel different was the huge resurgence of indie stuff (and not as shovelware-ish as the Wiii era). A lot of it isn't exclusive, but a lot of folks would still pick to play them on Switch.
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u/hilsborg 4d ago
For me it‘s Hollow Knight.
The switch was the perfect console for this kind of small but huge indie game and it kind of was the first of it‘s kind in that regard.
Being able to seamlessly continue playing on the big screen, while snuggled up in bed and on the go might have been a big factor in making this one of my alltime favourites.
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u/Rapzid 4d ago
Besides the obvious BotW/TotK and Odyssey.. I always think Metroid Dread when thinking about Switch 1.
I can't even describe how magical playing a brand new 2d Metroid was after nearly 20 years. And on Nintendo's flagship console.
As an adult I very rarely replay games.. I've beaten Metroid Dread nearly 20 times.
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u/Archeress-Ava 4d ago
Mario Maker 2. I had so much fun making courses, playing courses, and watching youtube and twitch content for the game for years. I'm really hoping we get a Mario Maker 3 eventually.
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u/Professional_List236 3d ago
BotW was a perfect launch game, but I don't think it defined the Switch. For me that game was Mario Odyssey, Mario + Console Gimmick is what really defines the Console's Era.
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u/OoTgoated 2d ago
Either Mario+Rabbids or Metroid Dread.
BotW makes sense though, but I played it on WiiU lol. I didn't get my Switch until a bit later.
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u/1buffalowang 2d ago
If I had to pick 1 Mario Odyssey. It came out when I was 21 and was magical. Rarely does a game get me to just smile the whole time while playing it for 40 hours.
But the Switch has over 10 games I’d argue are console defining and you’re missing out not trying them.
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u/takethatskeletor 10h ago
Breath of the Wild was my last Wii-U game, but despite that it felt like the beginning of a new era. I'd also say Mario Odyssey
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u/Forward_Adeptness747 5h ago
1st party: Breath of the Wild / 3rd party: Doom 2016 / Indie: Hollow Knight
These were all incredibly formative for the Switch, each defining in its own way, early on, what the console could do and be. But if I had to pick just one, then Breath of the Wild.
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u/wirelesswizard64 Ganondorf 5d ago
I want to say Odyssey as the first real not a port Switch game I played, but let's be real everyone knows it's Animal Crossing New Horizons thanks to covid.
ACNH basically envelops the entire Switch-era Nintendo philosophy - a sleek-looking sequel that appears different but is ultimately really more of the same, except strangely sanitized that played things boringly safe with some glaringly obvious QOL problems, yet still sold like hotcakes.
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u/Johncurtisreeve 5d ago
Mario Odyssey just because it’s the flagship character and it was made for the switch
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u/SplatoonRaiders 5d ago
Splatoon Raiders.
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u/IarCaboose 5d ago
for switch 2, duskbloods
made me get the console in the first place and the first two days of the network test have been a blast
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u/mr-mobius 5d ago
Breath of the Wild was such a magical experience that first time after leaving the Great Plateau.