In the 5 years since its launch, the Nintendo Switch has constructed up an extremely sturdy library of video games. Nearly each main style is properly represented on the console, and that holds very true for RPGs.From long-running franchises like Dragon Quest to classic-styled originals like Triangle Strategy, Nintendo’s hybrid system boasts a wealth of epic adventures that may scratch any participant’s role-playing itch. Here are our picks for the perfect RPGs on Nintendo Switch. And for extra suggestions, make sure to take a look at the perfect Switch multiplayer household video games and the 42 finest video games on Switch.
Nintendo
Don’t let the odd moniker idiot you; Bravely Default II is, at coronary heart, a conventional Final Fantasy journey by one other title. In the basic mildew, the sport follows 4 ragtag warriors on a quest to revive stability to the fundamental crystals governing the world. Even lots of the spells and gadgets you purchase alongside the way in which are lifted instantly from previous Final Fantasies. But Bravely Default introduces its personal distinctive concepts to the combination as properly, resembling its namesake Brave and Default instructions, which let characters skip turns to accrue factors that may then be spent to unleash a number of actions directly. It’s deep and ingenious, and when coupled with the versatile job system, affords an virtually dizzying quantity of freedom in tinkering along with your get together construct.
Nintendo/Square Enix
Nearly 30 years on from its unique launch, Secret of Mana stays one of the vital beloved RPGs ever produced, and Switch homeowners can expertise the basic once more–or for the primary time–by way of the aptly named Collection of Mana. This three-game compilation packs Secret of Mana along with its Game Boy predecessor (often known as both Final Fantasy Adventure or Mystic Quest, relying on the place you reside) and its beforehand Japan-only sequel Trials of Mana, providing an ideal introduction to considered one of Square Enix’s most revered franchises.
Nintendo/Bandai Namco
The sport that made Elden Ring developer From Software a family title, Dark Souls stays one of many studio’s crowning achievements–each bit as difficult and darkly alluring as when it first launched in 2011. This remastered version packs the unique journey along with its Artorias of the Abyss DLC growth. While the Nintendo Switch model of this contemporary basic might lack the technical constancy of different platforms, it compensates with some system-exclusive options, specifically Amiibo help and the flexibility to play wherever.
Nintendo/Square Enix
The archetypal Japanese RPG, Dragon Quest stays considered one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, and its newest entry demonstrates why. Boasting the collection’ signature mix of conventional gameplay and heartfelt storytelling, Dragon Quest XI follows the adventures of the Luminary, a legendary hero destined to save lots of the world of Erdrea from the encroaching forces of darkness. Though the self-esteem could seem timeworn, Dragon Quest XI’s story is charming and poignant, supported by a colourful solid of characters just like the brash thief Erik and the flamboyant Sylvando. This version of the sport additionally offers you the choice to play by way of the journey both in 3D or in retro-style 2D, a function initially unique to the unlocalized 3DS model.
Nintendo
The newest installment in Nintendo’s honored RPG collection can be one of many most interesting. Building upon the franchise’s tactical basis, Three Houses casts you within the function of a brand new professor on the Garreg Mach Monastery, the place it’s essential to take one of many titular three pupil homes beneath your wing. You play the a part of each navy commander and schoolteacher, nurturing your pupils’ development each on and off the battlefield. It’s an impressed spin on the basic Fire Emblem gameplay, additional strengthening the connection you are feeling with every of your models. And with three divergent paths to select from, every affecting the path of the story, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is compellingly replayable.
Nintendo/Capcom
Capcom has spent years progressively sanding down the sides of its well-liked however notoriously dense Monster Hunter collection, and the most recent installment, Monster Hunter Rise, is probably the most accessible entry level but. As in earlier video games, your mission is to band along with different hunters and take down fearsome monsters, utilizing the supplies you have gathered from them to forge more and more extra highly effective weapons and armor. The gameplay loop is irresistibly compelling, and Rise accentuates it with a number of refinements and new traversal options, such because the Wirebug–an elastic insect that permits you to slingshot your self across the atmosphere. Thanks to those tweaks, monster searching feels extra cellular and satisfying than ever earlier than, making Rise a terrific title for longtime followers and newcomers alike.
Nintendo/Square Enix
Many fashionable Japanese RPGs have strived to recapture the essence of the style’s mid-’90s golden period, however few have replicated the appear and feel of that point interval as successfully as Octopath Traveler. As its peculiar title suggests, the sport follows eight protagonists, every navigating particular person tales and missions that finally weave collectively into one interconnected quest. It’s a well-executed throwback to SNES RPGs, with sufficient concepts to present the sport its personal identification. But its defining innovation is its pioneering “HD-2D” visible fashion, a superbly fashionable spin on the 16-bit aesthetic that different RPGs, just like the upcoming Dragon Quest Three and Live a Live remakes, would finally co-opt.
Nintendo
Although Paper Mario has lengthy since shed its RPG roots, The Origami King recaptures the magic of the collection’ earliest installments. Told with the franchise’s signature wit and sharp writing, The Origami King is a lite role-playing journey that runs the gamut from hilarious to heartrending. Buoying the story is a singular panel-sliding battle system, which successfully turns each enemy encounter right into a rapid-fire micro puzzle. Despite its unconventional method to the style, The Origami King is the perfect Paper Mario sport since The Thousand-Year Door.
Nintendo
After years of incremental refinements, Pokemon Legends: Arceus marks the collection’ most radical reinvention but. Upending greater than 20 years of conventions, Arceus drops gamers into an unlimited world the place persistence and fast reflexes are simply as important to catching Pokemon as kind benefits. Every wild Pokemon might be seen roaming in regards to the discipline, and you’ve got an array of choices in the way you go about capturing them–be it by distracting them with bait, concealing your self in tall grass, or sending out your personal monsters to battle them. This freedom makes Arceus probably the most thrilling Pokemon sport in ages, and it is a must-play for all Switch homeowners desperate to embark on a grand journey.
Nintendo
There are loads of Pokemon video games on Switch, however Pokemon Sword and Shield are nonetheless your best option for these craving a conventional Pokemon expertise. Following the collection’ tried-and-true method, Sword and Shield solid you within the function of a fledgling coach on a quest to turn into Pokemon champion, touring in regards to the world, elevating a group of handpicked monsters, and difficult formidable gymnasium leaders alongside the way in which. This gameplay loop stays as alluring as ever, and with an array of actions to do after you have conquered the primary story (together with two meaty DLC expansions), Pokemon Sword and Shield stand among the many collection’ finest entries.
Nintendo/Atlus
Though Persona might now be the higher recognized of Atlus’ many RPG collection, Shin Megami Tensei stays the studio’s most hardcore providing, and the most recent entry is among the many franchise’s finest. Set in an arid, post-apocalyptic model of Tokyo, Shin Megami Tensei V casts you within the function of the “Nahobino,” a supernatural being fashioned after your common highschool pupil avatar fuses with a mysterious man often known as Aogami. The ensuing journey has you trekking by way of the ravaged wastes of Tokyo, utilizing your new supernatural powers to recruit different demons and battle in opposition to gods. Dark and difficult, Shin Megami Tensei V is likely one of the system’s most interesting exclusives.
Nintendo/Atlus
An ignored gem plucked from the Wii U library, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is an unabashedly colourful collaboration between Nintendo and RPG stalwart Atlus. Though billed as a mashup between the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem franchises, the sport is extra akin to Persona, following a bunch of aspiring teen idols who should drive again shadowy forces which have invaded Tokyo. During battle, characters will rework and may summon legendary Fire Emblem heroes like Chrom and Tiki, utilizing their powers to beat foes in turn-based encounters. The battle system is deep and attracts parts from each Fire Emblem and SMT, whereas the story is charming and instructed with anime earnestness.
Nintendo/Square Enix
Whereas Octopath Traveler was a heartfelt throwback to classic 16-bit Japanese RPGs, Triangle Strategy lovingly channels a selected basic: Final Fantasy Tactics. In the vein of that beloved title, Triangle Strategy is a turned-based tactical RPG through which you command a small military of troopers round a chessboard-like battlefield. The gameplay affords layers of depth as you think about positioning, elemental alignments and different variables when maneuvering your models, and it is spurred alongside by a compelling, choice-driven story centered round political machinations and the weighty penalties of your selections. Despite the sport’s gradual opening, Triangle Strategy is a riveting RPG, and one of many most interesting Nintendo Switch video games of 2022.
Nintendo
Despite initially releasing on the underpowered Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles stays one of the vital formidable and absorbing adventures Nintendo has ever produced. The story is compelling sufficient, stuffed with twists and anime drama, and the MMO-like battle system affords loads of strategic depth. But what actually makes Xenoblade particular is its setting. The total journey unfolds throughout the backs and limbs of two titanic gods, and every locale you go to is extra fantastical and breathtaking than the final. It’s an epic in each sense. The core sport can take upwards of 100 hours to finish, and it is capped off by a brand-new epilogue story that units the stage for the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Nintendo
After sci-fi-flavored Wii U installment Xenoblade Chronicles X, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 returns the collection to extra acquainted territory, each visually and thematically. Like the primary sport, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a sprawling journey set on (and inside) continent-size beings often known as titans. You’ll discover a collection of awe-inspiring environments as you journey throughout these colossi, from lush plains to dusty wastelands. Each locale is huge and superbly realized, rivaling the style’s finest settings, whereas the revamped battle system affords a better diploma of strategic nuance than earlier than. Although the story leans much more closely into anime tropes than its predecessors, the sense of scale and surprise that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 conjures up stays unmatched on Switch.
More Nintendo Switch ideas and guides
