What were EdEN’s best Nintendo Switch games of 2022! If you missed the previous posts for our best games of the year, you can review them right now!
– 2022 PS4Blog.net Gaming in Review – Ceidz
– 2022 PS4Blog.net Gaming in Review – ThaRaven403
– 2022 PS4Blog.net Gaming in Review – Ajescent
– 2022 PS4Blog.net Gaming in Review (PlayStation) – EdEN
My Nintendo Switch Game of the Year: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Having grown up playing a bunch of them at arcades, I’m a huge fan of beat ‘em ups. And some of the best beat ‘em up experiences are those from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade and home console experiences. Dotemu and Tribute Games got to work on an old-school infused beat ’em up that pays homage to the classics while giving us a fresh single-player and multiplayer experience in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge on Nintendo Switch.
You can play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge in one of two options: Story Mode and Arcade Mode. There are also three difficulty settings available from the start: Chill, Okay, and Gnarly. For the Story Mode, you’ll be able to progress through the game at your own pace, as your progress is saved as you complete each stage or when you go back to the world map. You can also go back to the character selection screen and select another character to carry on with your run. Arcade Mode gives you a more classic arcade-style experience, with limited lives, no saved progression, and you will use the same character from start to finish.
The story for this one has you rushing to save the people at Channel 6 since Bebop and Rocksteady are up to no good and are stealing super gnarly devices to aid in Krang and Shredder’s latest plan. You’re going to battle a ton of foot soldiers in this one, as well as take on a set of bosses that will bring you back to the 80s in an instant. Channel 6 is just the start since you’ll be traveling from Manhattan and Coney Island to the sky as you try to save the day before it’s too late. You’ll even get to visit Dimension X!
My Nintendo Switch Honorable Mentions
Lost in Play
Lost in Play is a gorgeous and charming adventure game that is a must-play on Nintendo Switch. This one is from Happy Juice Games and Joystick Ventures, and it tells the story of siblings Gal and Toto who go on a journey through dreamscapes and befriend magical creatures. Lost in Play has no dialogue per se, going for a gibberish Star Fox-like set of sounds for the characters as they speak and sometimes wildly gesticulate. Clues for puzzles will be presented to you by way of visual cues, which makes it possible for gamers of all skill levels from all over the world to jump into this one without any language barriers.
The game also does away with some of the classic elements of old-school point and click adventure games to offer a more streamlined experience, so you won’t have to move a cursor around the screen as you pixel hunt for the right spot you can interact with. It also doesn’t have a ton of items for you to collect, which means you won’t find yourself trying to use dozens of items any time you want to try and solve a puzzle.
There are also some mini-games to complete along the way. You might need to help a dog herd sheep so that they move to specific spots on a board, beat a small demon-like entity at a modified game of checkers, or take on a set of puzzles in which you must decide what the best path is to escape from the giant enemy that is chasing you. That last one can prove to be a bit trickier than expected since the monster can outrun your character if you only move while remaining within its sight.
The Spirit and the Mouse
The Spirit and the Mouse from Alblune and Armor Game Studio is a charming 3D platforming journey. It begins on a rainy night in the quaint village of Sainte-et-Claire. While all the villagers are sheltered in their cozy homes, some are not as lucky. This is the situation of a small mouse named Lila who, after being chased by a cat, ends up all alone in an alley, searching for a purpose. Little does she know that something extraordinary is about to happen that will change her life.
She’s noticed how humans always seem to have a problem that needs solving and how they’re not as happy as they could be. Maybe if someone helped them, that would make it possible for them to enjoy life! But she’s only a small mouse, and she lacks the skills to be able to do something about it. But maybe, just maybe, there’s a way for her to make a difference! After a scarf is sent flying by the harsh winds, the mouse decides it can go and get the scarf to help the human. It’s then that the lighting rod in which the scarf has been trapped attracts all of the might of the storm!
The good news is that, for some miraculous reason, this won’t fry up the mouse! Instead, it will gain special powers that will allow it to travel through electrical wiring as well as perform other actions. You’ll learn about these once you meet Lumion, who is the spirit in the game’s title. Lumion was sent to Sainte-et-Claire to help people with their problems to improve their happiness, and he won’t be able to return home until he’s generated enough happiness. Since the mouse now has Lumion’s powers, they must work together to help the people of the village.
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative
Murder mystery sequel AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative from Spike Chunsoft is an outstanding game that is a must-play on Nintendo Switch. I greatly enjoyed playing through AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES back in 2019, so I was definitely up for checking out what the sequel brought to the table. You’ll be playing as Ryuki Kuruto and Mizuki Okiura on a case known as the HB files – Half Body. The culprit is known as Tearer since, you know, victims were cut in half. It’s been six years since the right half of a body popped up, and now the left half has suddenly shown up… intact and without any decay!
Because of this, your journey through AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvana Initiative will take you on a bit of a time travel experience, with your time with Ryuki’s taking place in the past six years ago when the other half of the body first showed up. It’s because of Ryuki’s experience with the case that Mizuki seeks some extra assistance in the present when the right side of the body shows up on a field. Oh, and did I mention that, according to the initial analysis, it seems that the new half that has popped up was killed 9 hours before it was found?
Along with the excellent story for AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative, we’re also getting a game that looks even better than the prequel did. Add a solid performance from the voice cast, and we have a game that is going to be a thrill for you to play on Nintendo Switch. It stands on its own, so you can play it even if you didn’t get a chance to enjoy AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES – nirvanA Initiative. In fact, the game will have a short segment at the start during which you’ll be quizzed about some of the events in the prequel so that you can prove that you’ve indeed played through it… or not. If you have played through the first game, then some of the dialogue will reference what you experienced during your time with it.
Bright Memory: Infinite
Bright Memory: Infinite from FYQD-Studio and PLAYISM is an action-packed sci-fi first-person shooter. It follows up on Bright Memory, which was released on PC a couple of years ago, and was developed by a single indie dev – Zeng. It’s now 2022, and the game has been remade, improved, and expanded, which is why we’re now getting Bright Memory: Infinite on Nintendo’s console after its 2021 launch on PC. The game places you in the role of Shelia, who is tasked by the Science Research Organization (SRO) to prevent military organization SAI from acquiring a legendary ancient power that can reawaken the dead.
And yes, the game does look as good when playing it as it does in the above trailer and on the screens in this Bright Memory: Infinite review. When played in Docked Mode, the game supports up to 1080p running at a very steady framerate with multi-sampling of TAA anti-aliasing. When playing in Tabletop or Portable Mode, the resolution is lowered to up to 720p, which was to be expected. Of course, the game does not look like the PlayStation 5 version since that one is presented in 4K resolution with Raytracing, but it does a lot on Nintendo Switch by squeezing every drop out of the console.
Bright Memory: Infinite is one of the best-looking games on Nintendo Switch. Sure, the game can be completed in 2-3 hours, but the game is all killer and no filler, packed into a 1.8 GB download – witchcraft! Do know that the console’s fan will go into overdrive in Docked Mode and that in Portable or Tabletop Mode, the console’s battery will last you around an hour and change at most.
Infernax
Infernax from The Arcade Crew and Berzerk Studio is a pixeltastic 2D action game that pays homage to classics of the NES era with a 21st-century twist. It brings to mind two NES sequels in particular: Castlevania II and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. You’ll be taking on a grim adventure with elements that change depending on if you’re exploring an area during the day or at night – enemies will change, and some quests might only be available during a specific time of the day – giving you an incentive to search each spot more than once.
You’ll take on a dark adventure in which you play as Lord Alcedor, a hero who returns home after taking part in the violent crusades. After finally getting there, he finds everything is falling to pieces due to the dark, unholy forces that have invaded. You must, therefore, search high and low to find the source of all this corruption, to once again bring peace to the land. You’ll meet enemies big and small, and as long as you pay attention to their movement and attack patterns and learn from your mistakes – mistakes that will usually lead to your death – you’ll be having a good time.
The game sets things up with an interesting premise for a 2D action game: your actions will have consequences. Will you slay or help someone who is in need? You might think you’re doing the right thing at one point when you’re actually sealing the fate of someone else down the road. Some changes will be subtle, while others will change how the story develops. This increases the replay value since you won’t be able to make all choices during a single run, nor will you be able to see all of the potential combinations. You can see this right at the start of the game when one character asks that you kill him. Do this, and you’ll notice that another character has witnessed your actions, running away in fear. And if you don’t kill him right away? He’ll turn into a huge monster that you’ll have to defeat before carrying on with your quest!
River City Girls 2
With a bigger threat looming on the horizon, now that Sabu has broken out of prison and is joined by Ken – who you might remember from River City Girls Zero – things are not what they used to be. With Sabu running things in town, you end up being expelled from school! With trouble hitting strong, it’s time for Misako, Ky?ko, Kunio, and Riki to jump into action… along with some friends! They’re now joined by Marian and Provie, along with a rumbletastic four-player mode.
If you’re not up to speed, Marian is the very close friend of brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee from the beloved Double Dragon series, and she made an appearance in River City Girls as the owner of one of the shops. As you can tell from the video above, Marian has a very toned physique, with solid abs that are perfect for taking a punch or two while she unleashes a powerful counterattack. If you don’t remember, Marian is kidnapped at the start of Double Dragon after being punched in the stomach by a lowly regular enemy. That was not the first time she was kidnapped, which left her with plenty of time to exercise and improve her skills.
Provie is a character that makes her way from River City Ransom: Underground from Conatus Creative. This was a game that acts as an officially licensed sequel in the River City Ransom series, and it was originally funded by way of a Kickstarter campaign way back in 2013 – a project that I backed and for which I got a very cool physical NES cartridge with a secret inside. She’s a breakdancer with a fighting style that shares some elements with Capoeira. While not as powerful as Marian, she more than makes up for it with her speed and her ability to link moves for longer combos. Provie is searching for her friend Chris, who she believes has been abducted by Ken.
Shovel Knight Dig
Shovel Knight Dig is the latest spin-off from the beloved Yacht Club Games series with the help of Nitrome. You might remember developer Nitrome thanks to the pair of gems that are the colorful 2D platformer Bomb Chicken as well as the action-packed Gunbrick: Reloaded, which you should definitely also check out on Nintendo Switch! This new game is more action-packed than Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, but it does share one trait with this new game: Shovel Knight Dig is also a roguelite!
Your journey beings when you cross paths with evil criminal leader Drill Knight, who destroys the camp of Shovel Knight and Shield Knight while drilling his way into the underground, escaping with all of their stuff! Shovel Knight must now chase after Drill Knight and try to find him to recover their knapsack and all of their belongings before it’s too late. So off you go and jump into the well with your shovel by your side as you prepare to dig your way through each section of the well.
If you’re too slow while moving through the well, you’ll be reminded of how this is an action game thanks to the evil Omega Saw! As its name suggests, the Omega Saw is a huge saw that will pursue you down the well if you’re too slow. If it catches up to you, prepare for a world of hurt! The good news is that even if it does manage to find you, you’ll still have one last shot at surviving if you time things just right and bounce off from its shielding. This could be a bounce that allows you to continue digging deeper to put some distance between yourself and the Omega Saw.
What are your best Nintendo Switch games of 2022?
