With thousands of titles crowding the Nintendo Switch library—both physical and digital—the best-selling franchises inevitably overshadow countless exceptional games that never captured the mainstream spotlight. As the marketplace grew increasingly cluttered, many players stopped browsing altogether, allowing a wave of high-quality releases to slip under the radar. Now, a curated selection of ten near-perfect Switch games has been identified as titles that deserve far more attention than they received at launch, spanning puzzle games, rhythm roguelikes, Metroidvania adventures and arcade-style racers.
These selections were chosen not merely for their quality but for the specific circumstances that kept them from reaching a wider audience. Several launched exclusively on physical cartridges with no digital presence whatsoever, while others arrived as Apple Arcade exclusives before being quietly ported to Nintendo’s handheld console. Together they represent some of the most overlooked achievements in modern Switch gaming.
A Claw Machine Puzzle With Hidden Depth
Part Time UFO, released in October 2020 by HAL Laboratory—the studio best known for the Kirby franchise—originally debuted on mobile devices before arriving on Switch with additional features and modes. Players command a cute claw-machine-equipped UFO to complete whimsical “jobs,” from moving cows into a farmer’s truck to lifting bones into assembling a dinosaur skeleton at a museum. Behind its charming exterior lies surprisingly complex physics that keep the puzzles engaging.
The Switch version added local multiplayer, allowing friends to tackle more challenging versions of familiar jobs together. With the game no longer available for purchase on iOS or Android, the Switch release stands as the definitive way to experience it, yet it remains largely unknown outside a devoted minority of players.
A PlatinumGames Gem That Outsold Its Peers—Yet Still Slipped Away
Astral Chain launched in August 2019 under Nintendo’s publishing banner, tasking players with a police special task force battling monsters through a futuristic megacity. The studio behind it, PlatinumGames, has earned a devoted following through past triumphs like Bayonetta and NieR: Automata, though its original creations have historically drawn more admiration than sales.
Astral Chain found a healthy audience of more than a million players—impressive for an original property—but when weighed against the latest Mario and Zelda releases, it came up short. Millions now own a Switch without having played this one, and they should.
An Arcade Shooter Trapped in Physical-Only Limbo
Demon Throttle arrived exclusively on Nintendo Switch in July 2022 from Doinksoft, the relatively new studio behind 2019’s charming Gato Roboto. Its publisher took an unusual route by making the game available solely as a physical cartridge—unavailable both standalone and within The Doinksoft Collection, which was itself physical-only. This made Demon Throttle a genuine collector’s item that most players never encountered.
The game itself is a scrolling shooter in the vein of Pocky & Rocky, complete with old-school visuals and audio designed to evoke an era when every mall housed an arcade. Its exclusivity from the Nintendo eShop ensured it would remain a rarity on shelves everywhere.
A Rhythmic Crossover That Rewired How You Play Zelda
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer launched in June 2019, building upon Brace Yourself Games’ indie darling Crypt of the NecroDancer by focusing its design on the Nintendo Switch. Featuring Legend of Zelda characters and a rhythmic structure, it delivered an experience that felt surprisingly faithful to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
The crossover initially feels strange because players instinctively want to move their hero directly—but movement must instead occur in time with the beat. Once mastered, the result is delightful, earning its reputation as possibly the best Zelda spinoff ever made despite a player base that barely scratched its surface.
Underwater Exploration From an Unexpected Source
Shinsekai: Into the Depths first appeared as an Apple Arcade title before Capcom ported it to Switch in March 2020. There, it rewarded curious players with thrilling underwater exploration through labyrinthine ruins of past civilizations, requiring careful management of oxygen reserves while relying on a robot companion who is far from helpful.
Satisfying Metroidvania design and beautiful environments kept players coming back even as the game’s mobile origins occasionally showed through. Those willing to look past those roots found one of the Switch’s most quietly accomplished adventures.
A Suite of Quirky Co-Op and Puzzle Experiences
Nintendo published several unusual titles from indie partners during the Switch’s lifetime, including Good Job! by now-defunct Dutch developer Paladin Studios, which arrived as a surprise release in March 2020. Setting its puzzles within an office environment, it transformed mundane professional dynamics into creative—and frequently destructive—problem-solving challenges that encouraged heavy replayability and supported chaotic multiplayer.
Vitamin Connection from WayForward launched in January 2020, letting players control Vita-Boy and Mina-Girl on a journey to destroy pathogens across six colorful worlds. Its asymmetric multiplayer—one player holding a JoyCon vertically to move and shoot while another holds it sideways to rotate and aim—showcased the Switch hardware’s true potential through endearing visuals and music.
The Stretchers, released in November 2019 by Tarsier Studios—the team behind the darker Little Nightmares—offered a physics-based puzzle experience that truly thrived when played with a friend. Its pleasant visuals and unconventional challenges earned praise even as its brief campaign left players wanting more.
Racers and RPGs That Deserved Greater Recognition
Fast RMX launched in March 2017 as one of three indie titles debuting alongside the Switch, delivering Shin’en Multimedia’s take on F-Zero or Wipeout with enough speed to justify its name. It included all courses and DLC from Fast Racing Neo for Wii U plus several new tracks, though aggressive computer opponents and rubber-band difficulty occasionally dulled first-rate performances.
Golf Story, released in September 2017 by SideBar Games, became one of the earliest Switch success stories while quietly defying expectations. Masked as a straightforward sports game, it actually delivered a 16-bit RPG or action-adventure experience following a golfer’s final chance to fulfill his dreams through courses and companionship—drawing clear inspiration from Mario Golf on Game Boy Color.
A Diverse Library Demands Fresh Eyes
These ten titles illustrate how the sheer volume of Switch releases can bury exceptional games beneath blockbuster franchises. Whether trapped by physical-only distribution, launched as a surprise, or overshadowed by Nintendo’s own giants, they represent some of the console’s most overlooked achievements. For players willing to look beyond the bestsellers, these near-perfect experiences offer plenty of reasons to rediscover what their Switch has been missing.
2 comments