The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2019

By Gustavo Caperutto Da Mota

The year of 2019 has brought some of the best games on the Nintendo Switch. As the year gets closer and closer to its final stretch, looking back and pinpointing the games worth playing is a must, so we will be doing just that in this 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2019 list.

It should be noted that games that are still blooming and delivering in 2019 but were released in 2018 or 2017 are out of this list by default, since they have already had their time to shine.

Without further ado, here is the list of the 9 Best Switch Games of 2019!

Super Mario Maker 2

Developed & Published by Nintendo

An instant classic, Super Mario Maker 2 makes a carbon copy of its first installment on the memorable (for all kinds of reasons) Wii U, but adds oh so much more to it. For starters, you can now enjoy multiplayer stage creation while in co-op mode, or go online and play together with up to 4 other players from all over the world. It is a first for the Mario series as a whole!

Since it is a game that offers countless possibilities of creation, it lasts practically forever and so has great value, as you’ll be playing thousands of new levels created every minute. True, not all of them are great, but the rating system has improved a bit from the original game and now allows more detailed searches to get you to levels worth your time.

You can’t go wrong when deciding to invest your hard-earned cash and precious time on Super Mario Maker 2. It is full of nostalgia, yet abound with tons of new possibilities.

Tetris 99

Developed by Arika

Published by Nintendo

It’s still alive and kicking. Tetris, the grandfather of puzzle games from Russia, has a very enticing and addictive installment that is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, Tetris 99. As the name suggests, it is a somewhat regular Tetris game, but with the delightful twist of having 100 players facing each other at the same time, in a truly unbelievable battle royale adaptation. It is like Fortnite on Tetris – or would it be Tetris on Fortnite?

Despite the comparison with the global phenomenon of battle royale, Tetris 99 is no clone. It is offered freely when you sign up to Nintendo Online and its networking capabilities work like a charm. As you drop Tetriminos, you will see the other 99 players’ screens and watch one by one fade into losses. Very upbeat music marks the rhythm of this frenetic puzzle reinvention. Can you be the best – the last man standing?

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Developed by Team Ninja

Published by Nintendo

Yet another exclusive Nintendo Switch game, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order brings a plethora of characters from the Marvel Universe and a blast from the past. The first two games in the series were simple, fun and long enough to be a great value, and The Black Order does not disappoint, either.

True to its formula – and the Nintendo Switch coop gaming formula as well, you can choose heroes to form a group and go through the story, unlocking more characters and upgrading powers – and you can do so by playing solo or with a group of friends. It brings to mind the time when Final Fight and other brawlers – or beat-’em-ups – reigned supreme, since Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 delivers the improved, remixed 2019 version of a formula that never gets old: punch your way through hordes of enemies!

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Developed by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo

Published by Nintendo

Fire Emblem has been the main strategy series on Nintendo platforms since its dawn on the Famicom, but it has only recently gotten the traction it has always deserved, with three excellent major games on the Nintendo 3DS. Now, it is the Switch’s turn to be the stage for an epic story where stalwart warriors fight a war of virtues, treason and the supernatural.

Three Houses is a great game in many aspects: it is stunningly beautiful, has remarkable music choices for its soundtrack, impeccable voice acting both in English and Japanese and an entirely new and fresh academic simulation system that – spoilers aside – sets you in a scholarly position, in order to guide one of the three ruling houses of noble students.

The Nintendo Switch has its share of impactful RPGs and now Fire Emblem: Three Houses joins the fray skillfully, as a game that pleases both strategy veterans and those who are searching for a story full of personality and discoveries.

Mortal Kombat 11

Developed by Netherrealm Studios

Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Finish him! The news of a port of the worldly-acclaimed fighting game Mortal Kombat 11 took Nintendo Switch owners by storm back in 2018, when it was first announced at The Game Awards. It hardly seemed possible to have such a graphics-heavy game performing well on the Switch, but boy, were we in for a surprise.

While MK11 was released in April for all platforms in the US, the Switch port was delayed in Europe, and the news of that delay almost had us thinking a portable Mortal Kombat experience wouldn’t be doable and might not come to fruition. All fears were cast aside when the first gameplay videos started popping up everywhere, as the game performed quite well to the portable Nintendo Switch.

With a cast of 25 characters right out of the box, plus DLCs and several modes of laying the smack down and ending battles in gruesome fatalities, MK11 offers fighting fun for everyone, be it solo through a detailed story that spans the ages of MK canon, or through local or online versus modes.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Developed by Grezzo and Nintendo

Published by Nintendo

The remake of the namesake Game Boy classic from 1993, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a charming piece of gaming history that got the proper redesign it deserves, while still retaining the simple, laid-back gameplay and story – and adding extras.

If you have never had the chance to play the original game, Link’s Awakening on the Switch is the definite way to enjoy the experience. Graphically, Nintendo opted to follow through with the art style of the first game, greatly improved by the tech available on the Switch as of 2019. There is even some compatibility with the ever-alluring, exclusive Zelda series amiibos for mini-games and a few spoiler-ish unlockables that shall not be mentioned here.

Since its original platform was the Game Boy, Link’s Awakening was then limited by its shortage of buttons. Well, not anymore. This new Legend of Zelda on the Switch features enhanced gameplay controls to make the whole experience more enjoyable, be it while navigating through your inventory or building your own customized dungeons in the freshly new Dungeon Maker mode. It is as close to a Zelda Maker we’ve ever got!

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Developed by Next Level Games

Published by Nintendo

The amazing Luigi’s Mansion series is back on the Nintendo Switch in great style. After trying their hand with a different idea of having 5 different locales to explore on Nintendo 3DS’s Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the developers have now decided to make Luigi climb up the floors of a terrifying skyscraper.

This time, the green-loving, teeth-chattering, mustachioed plumber isn’t alone, though! Professor E. Gadd has come up with another crazy invention: Gooigi, which is basically a double for Luigi that is quite squishy. That offers lots of opportunities for new puzzle ideas.

If Gooigi isn’t enough to make you feel you are not alone in this scary journey into the unknown, you can play with others locally or hop online with the Nintendo Online service and face challenges along with 3 other players, in a multiplayer mode that has been inherited from Dark Moon for its greatness.

Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield

Developed by Game Freak

Published by Nintendo

The lushful Galar region awaits you in Pokémon Sword and Shield, with an entirely unseen generation of pokémon waiting to be added to the Pokédex. For the very first time, a true Pokémon RPG lands on a console that allows for TV-playing, since all of the previous games were focused on handhelds because of the ease of meeting other players up and trading pokémon on the go. Yes, the Switch is a handheld console, but it also gives the comfort of playing on a TV, so that counts as a first in my books!

Most of the core mechanics of the Pokémon franchise have been maintained, but there are additional changes that add spice to the 20+ year-old recipe of the series. For example, the gyms have been overhauled considerably and have larger importance to the plot.

You should be warned, though, that not all changes have been well-accepted. Such as the removal of many pokémon from previous generations, which enraged hardcore fans. Nonetheless, both Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield are gems worth playing for the TV experience alone – and if you can look past the lack of pokémon, you are in for an awesome, first-time desktop treat.

Astral Chain

Developed by PlatinumGames

Published by Nintendo

PlatinumGames is the cradle of Bayonetta, The Wonderful 101 and NieR Automata, to say a few. And now, they bring us Astral Chain, a much-anticipated Switch-exclusive action game.

Astral Chain features killer graphics, intense combat options and animation, and sublime soundtrack – all of it wrapped up in the story of a special police force that can use a top-notch invention: the Legion. By connecting themselves with the Legion, huge battles against alien invaders get to epic proportions.

If you are a fan of games like God of War, Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, this Nintendo Switch exclusive has all you need to satisfy your appetite for spectacular combos.
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