Best Nintendo Switch Adventure Games (That Aren’t Zelda)

Highlights

• The adventure genre, especially action-adventure games, has become dominant thanks to advancements in gaming hardware.
• The Legend of
  
  Zelda
  
  series, particularly Breath of the Wild, has had a significant influence on the adventure genre.
• The Nintendo Switch offers portability and immersive experiences, making it a popular choice for adventure games.

The adventure genre of gaming, particularly the action-adventure genre, has started to dominate the industry. This is largely thanks to improvements in gaming hardware that have allowed developers to create more immersive experiences than ever before. Nintendo’s

The Legend of Zelda

series has been one of, if not the most influential franchise in the history of the adventure genre.

Unsurprisingly, the iconic

The Legend of Zelda

series returned on the Nintendo Switch with

Breath of the Wild

, and the game’s sequel set the world on fire once again! With most people already having experienced

Tears of the Kingdom

in its entirety, anyone who wants to visit somewhere else instead of Hyrule can try out the

best adventure games on the Nintendo Switch

to fulfill this fantasy.

Updated on October 21, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra:


The Nintendo Switch is definitely reaching the end of its lifespan, enjoying a great run with some of the greatest video games of all time being featured on this console, either as exclusives or impressive ports. Players can genuinely get into the adventure of a lifetime while playing on the go, which is a serious technical achievement in every way.The portability of the Nintendo Switch is something that will be enjoyed by players for years long after the successor to this famous handheld console has been released.

25


Sonic Frontiers

Many people were absolutely salivating for a good 3D

Sonic

game, with the hedgehog’s reputation being hacked down with each and every bad Sonic game released in the modern era. While

Sonic Frontiers

may not be perfect, many people feel like it’s a return to form for Sega’s beloved mascot.

The open world of this game is pretty fun, and the platforming challenges are a blast… even though these levels feel rather disconnected at times. Regardless,

Sonic

fans can’t get enough of this brilliant game, and it seems that the future of the blue hedgehog is fairly bright for now.

24


The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

is an open-world RPG that immerses players in a vast and intricate dark fantasy world. Players take on the role of Geralt of Rivia, a skilled monster hunter on a quest to find his adopted daughter, Ciri. Along the way, players will explore sprawling cities, treacherous mountains, and haunted forests, encountering a diverse cast of characters and creatures.

The Witcher 3

‘s main storyline is supplemented by countless side quests and activities, ensuring that players always have something to do. The game’s narrative and characters are expertly crafted, drawing players into the amazing adventure presented by this game and making them feel like they are a part of Geralt’s story.

23


Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

is a classic RPG that pays homage to the genre’s roots while also introducing modern gameplay mechanics. The game follows a young hero on a quest to save the world from destruction… so basically, it’s like most JRPGs when it comes to the stakes.

Players will explore a beautiful world full of memorable characters and charming monsters, which really lends to the sense of adventure in

DQ11

. The game’s turn-based combat system is easy to learn but offers plenty of depth making each encounter in this title worthwhile… especially with the series abandoning random encounters!

22


Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

is a massive and ambitious RPG that takes players on a journey through massive awe-inspiring worlds. It’s easy to see why the developers behind this game’s world design helped in the development of

Breath of the Wild

, so it’s pretty clear that the sense of adventure in this game is going to be off the charts.

The game’s combat system is fast-paced and engaging, requiring players to think strategically and react quickly to changing circumstances. All of this, coupled with the game’s epic narrative, makes for a great JRPG that will take players on the ride of a lifetime.

21


Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter Rise

is an action-packed RPG that tasks players with hunting down massive monsters and using these skills to upgrade their gear. As a hunter, players embark on several quests to become stronger, exploring different unique biomes in the process.

The game’s combat system is deep and rewarding, with players having to carefully choose their

weapons

and equipment to best take on each monster. Teaming up with friends and exploring the game world while hunting down gigantic monsters is a ton of fun and shows why this series was so successful. That said,

Rise

does not have expansive areas to explore since the focus is squarely on its combat.

20


Minecraft

Minecraft

is a sandbox game that gives players the freedom to create, explore, and fight in a vast and procedurally-generated landscape. Players can mine resources, build structures, and interact with a variety of flora & fauna.

The game’s endless possibilities and infinite replayability make it a great title to get lost in. Whether players want to build an elaborate castle or explore deep underground caves,

Minecraft

provides endless opportunities for adventure and creativity.

19



Pokemon

Sword & Shield

One issue that


The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild


has invertedly dealt Nintendo is that fans want a

Breath of the Wild

-style open world in many of Nintendo’s other IPs now, particularly

Pokemon.

So, when

Sword & Shield

was released and had a very similar structure to previous games in the series, many fans were disappointed.

Despite this,

Sword and Shield

still thoroughly deserves a spot on this list as – although it failed to reinvent the series in a way that fans hoped – it still provided a visually stunning modernization of the classic

Pokemon

formula.

18


Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread

was released in October 2021 and garnered the opposite reaction from fans as the aforementioned

Pokémon Sword and Shield

, in the sense that

Metroid

fans were delighted to play a modern entry in the series that stuck to the franchise’s roots.

Along with classic side-scrolling gameplay,

Metroid Dread

also incorporates newer elements of the series, such as the melee attack and free aim that were introduced in 2017’s

Metroid: Samus Returns.

17


Paper Mario: The Origami King

Paper Mario: The Origami King

was developed by Intelligent Systems and released in July 2020 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Like every game in the

Paper Mario

series, fans were hoping that

The Origami King

would reach the sky-high quality of the franchise’s first game and were disappointed that it fell short.

Still,

The Origami King

is another solid entry in the long-running

Paper Mario

franchise and is well worth playing for fans of

Mario

or the RPG genre in general.

16


Hades

Hades

was released in September 2020 and immediately turned heads with the way it seamlessly blends multiple genres together, including action-adventure, action-RPG, dungeon crawler, and roguelike. As the name suggests, the game’s story and lore are based on Greek mythology, with the protagonist being Zagreus, the son of Hades.

The quality of roguelike games is heavily dependent on their gameplay mechanics, which is what makes

Hades

one of the genre’s very best releases, as the game’s excellent combat makes fighting through numerous rooms of enemies and bosses a joy.

15


Death’s Door

Death’s Door

is an excellent choice for fans of

The Legend of Zelda’s

top-down perspective days, as Acid Nerve’s game is clearly inspired by titles like

The Legend of Zelda:


A Link to the Past

and

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

.

Death’s Door

is simple in terms of gameplay mechanics and combat but thoroughly ambitious in terms of its visuals, level structure, and boss design which collectively helped make the game one of 2021’s most memorable adventures.

14


What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch

has become a cornerstone of the so-called “walking simulator” genre, a style of game that tends to feature minimal gameplay mechanics and limited exploration but a rich and fleshed-out story.

As the title suggests,

What Remains of Edith Finch

requires players to delve into the history of the Finch family and investigate why the family’s members always seem to die in odd ways. The game’s narrative received an outpouring of praise from fans and critics, so there was little surprise when the game won the Best Narrative award from The Game Awards 2017.

13


SteamWorld Dig 2

SteamWorld Dig 2

was initially released in September 2017 on Switch, PC, PS4, and PS Vita before coming to 3DS, Xbox One, and even Stadia. The game requires players to explore undiscovered mines with the help of numerous abilities, to obtain resources that can be traded in the game’s hub world.

SteamWorld Dig 2

opts not to have procedurally generated areas, a bold decision that pays off as the game’s levels are wonderfully designed and meticulously crafted in a way that only hand-made areas can be.

12


Astral Chain

2019’s

Astral Chain

was developed by PlatinumGames, a studio that is continuously growing in notoriety thanks to continuously high-quality

hack

-and-slash releases such as

Bayonetta, MadWorld,

and

Nier: Automata.

PlatinumGames’ track record clearly isn’t going noticed, as


Astro Chain’s

director Takahisa Taura thanked fans

for the game surpassing 1 million sales.

Astral Chain

is set in a dystopian future and puts players in control of a detective from a special police force who is fighting to defend humanity against an invasion.

11


Axiom Verge

Axiom Verge

is a side-scrolling adventure game with a well-crafted Metroidvania structure. The game was initially released on PlayStation 4 in 2015 before coming to almost every modern console under the sun until finally reaching the Nintendo Switch in October 2017, receiving a Metascore of 87 and a User Score of 8.4.

The critically acclaimed indie game was made by Thomas Happ of Thomas Happ Games, and the sequel is just as good as the original.

10


Katamari Damacy REROLL

Katamari Damacy REROLL

was initially released in 2018 and is the 18th entry in the long-running

Katamari

series that began back in 2004 with

Katamari Damacy

on the PlayStation 2. As the name suggests,

Katamari Damacy REROLL

is a remake of the original game.

Bandai Namco didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and kept the core gameplay of

Katamari Damacy REROLL

similar to the game that it was based on. Players need to roll a ball of items around each level while collecting progressively larger objects along the way, thanks to a snowball-like effect.

9


Kentucky Route Zero: T.V. Edition

Kentucky Route Zero: T.V. Edition

is a fitting game to kick off this list as it takes players back to the early days of adventure gaming. Point-and-click titles were a dominant force in adventuring gaming during the 90s, led by LucasArts and Sierra.

One issue with the genre that led to its downfall is that the plethora of tough puzzles that would flesh the games out would often break up the story’s flow.

Grim Fandango,

one of the point-and-click genre’s most beloved releases, is a prime example of this, as its excellent story was extremely disjointed due to the game having some of the toughest puzzles in the genre’s history.

Kentucky Route Zero: T.V. Edition

differentiates itself from the 90s titles by simply removing puzzles from the game completely; putting

Kentucky Route Zero’s

story at center stage, and letting it flow naturally.

8


L.A. Noire

Originally released in 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,

L.A. Noire

came to the Nintendo Switch six years later. Rockstar’s game put players in the shoes of a 1940s detective and tasked them with solving crimes around Los Angeles.

The original release is somewhat divisive today; some see it as being revolutionary in the improvement of facial animations, whereas others dismiss it and believe that it has aged extremely poorly. The enhanced edition that was released on the Switch made significant strides in fixing the game’s shortcomings by improving the visuals and changing the fairly ambiguous “Truth,” “Doubt,” and “Lie” buttons with “Good Cop,” “Bad Cop” and “Accuse.”

7


A Short Hike

One of 2019’s most critically acclaimed indie titles,

A Short Hike

came to the Nintendo Switch in 2020. The game tasks players with finding golden feathers in a beautifully designed open world that has numerous side activities to partake in.

Adam Robinson-Yu’s

A Short Hike

will only take players around 2 hours to complete, but that didn’t stop the game from receiving an 88 Metascore and winning the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2020 Independent Games Festival Awards.

6


Hollow Knight

Team Cherry’s

Hollow Knight

is one of the key games responsible for the recent resurgence of the Metroidvania genre that was prominent in the late 80s and early 90s.

With beautiful, eerie visuals and a wonderfully designed, interconnected map,

Hollow Knight

was able to capture the essence of titles like

Super Metroid

and

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

while implementing enough innovative mechanics to make the game appealing to modern audiences.