5 Legendary Nintendo Games We Want To See On The Switch
The Nintendo Switch has become a beacon of both modern and retro gaming thanks to its hybrid play-on-TV and on-the-go capabilities, as well as its extensive library. It's a catalog that includes not just modern indie and AAA releases (sometimes with notable compromises), but also a backlog of classics thanks to re-releases, remasters, and an assortment of classic console offerings via Switch Online.
And yet, despite the vast array of first- and third-party titles from just about every Nintendo era, the Switch is still lacking some very notable choices. It's something that will hopefully be rectified with more time, as we've seen with the recent addition of Game Boy and GBA libraries that are still expanding.
With all of that said, here are five of SlashGear's top picks for beloved Nintendo (either first-party or exclusive) favorites that are sorely needed on the Switch in one form or another. Meaning that games that are already playable through subscription plans like "Super Metroid" on Switch Online, one-stop series assortments like the "Castlevania Anniversary Collection," and remasters like the recent "Metroid Prime Remastered" won't count.
Faxanadu (Hudson Soft)
First released for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989, "Faxanadu" offered a side-scrolling platforming adventure with a RPG twist. The World Tree is in trouble, your town's water supply has dried up, and there are monsters about, as always. It's your job to climb the World Tree and set things right before the town is gone forever.
As you ascend the tree you'll come upon a number of other villages and strongholds, typically at some well-stocked shops so you can purchase new spells and equipment. Because without them you'll have a very tough time getting past the monstrous legions that have infested the tree's giant branches.
"Faxanadu" did receive a re-release (of a sort) by way of the Wii Virtual Console in 2011, but it hasn't been seen on a Nintendo console since. Not even on the NES Classic Edition, despite its extensive assortment of pre-installed favorites.
Chrono Trigger (Square Soft)
"Chrono Trigger" hit the American SNES in 1995 and has stayed firmly at the top of many RPG fans' "best" lists ever since. As the name implies it's a time-hopping adventure featuring a cast of characters from throughout the world's history, against a seemingly insurmountable threat from beyond the stars.
The game featured a now-celebrated "Active Time Battle System" (ATB) that gave enemies the opportunity to attack whether or not you were still deciding what actions to take, and the extensive cast of playable characters could learn a number of special techniques and combination attacks that would often make the difference in a fight. Add to that multiple endings and key events that would sometimes change based on your previous actions and you have an action-RPG that was, for lack of a better term, ahead of its time. Character designs by Akira Toriyama ("Dragon Ball" et-al) didn't hurt, either.
What makes the distinct lack of "Chrono Trigger" on the Switch more painful is that it's been released on so many other platforms over the past several decades. Outside of the SNES you can find it on PlayStations, Steam, both the Wii and Nintendo DS, and even smartphones. But no Switch yet, despite the game's pseudo-sequel, "Chrono Cross," releasing its own HD remaster in 2022.
Metroid: Zero Mission (Nintendo)
There are a lot of "Metroid" games available on the Switch right now, from the NES original to a remaster of Samus' first-person outing on the Gamecube, plus the first new "Metroid" title in years by way of "Metroid Dread." And yet, the "Super Metroid"-ified remake of the NES classic, the GBA's "Metroid: Zero Mission" from 2004, is nowhere to be found.
"Zero Mission" is, by many accounts, one of the GBA's biggest hits thanks to its refinement of not only the series' 2D search-action formula, but its reworking of the 1987 original's everything. This is, for all intents and purposes, the first "Metroid" all over again, but now with a bevy of improved graphics, some new gameplay mechanics, an expanded map of the planet Zebes, and an unexpected twist towards the game's latter half that you should avoid spoiling for yourself if you can help it.
Playing "Zero Mission" on anything other than a GBA was a bit of a challenge for many for quite some time, too, because even though Nintendo did re-release it (kind of) as a digital download for early DS adopters, everyone else had to wait until 2016 for it to come to the Wii U Virtual Console. Though in fairness, there are rumblings that "Zero Mission" may just make its way to the Switch now that GBA games are part of Nintendo Switch Online.
Chibi-Robo!: Plug into Adventure! (Nintendo)
Nintendo's Gamecube played host to a spectacular number of absolute bangers over the span of its lifetime — many of which have already been given ports and remakes on the Switch. 2006's "Chibi-Robo!: Plug into Adventure!" has received no such love — not even for its often-maligned spin-offs. In fact, aside from a limited release for the Wii in Japan and Taiwan back in 2009 the original "Chibi-Robo" hasn't seen the light of day since its initial launch.
"Chibi-Robo" puts you in control of the diminutive automaton who exists to make his family (i.e. owners) happy. And to do this you have to clean. Everything ... a lot. While it may sound like a chore — because it technically is — "Chibi-Robo" garnered an enthusiastic following because it made cleaning fun and interesting. Picking up gum wrappers off the floor is mundane, sure, but when you're only four inches tall it becomes something of an adventure. Add to that a steadily-expanding variety of tools, a growing number of robo-abilities that let you explore more and more areas of the house, and toys that come to life at night and you have yourself a very charming to-do list.
The tragedy of "Chibi-Robo" is that the sequels never quite measured up, and the series as a whole seems like it might be finished. But if Switch Online ever gets a Gamecube library, here's to hoping it includes the little guy.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Nintendo)
The Switch is an absolute "Zelda" machine, with almost every game in the series available as an eShop purchase or Nintendo Online package deal — especially now that the Game Boy and GBA have been added. And yet, one of the fan-favorite-est games of the whole franchise, 2003's "The Wind Waker," is missing despite the less-acclaimed "Skyward Sword" receiving the HD treatment in 2021, even.
"Wind Waker" was a bit divisive at first due to the far more cartoonish visual style and depiction of series protagonist Link as a more obvious child, but, before long, it became a hit with just about everyone willing to look past the superficial. Eventually most people changed their minds about the art style, too. What's more, the game already had a very well-received HD port in 2013 for the Wii U, which sharpened up the graphics, made the late-game grind less irritating, and added some new elements that were built around the Wii U's unique control scheme.
So the HD version already exists (though it would probably need some touching up since it's been a decade), and the various motion control-centric additions would likely still work just as well thanks to the Switch's Joy-Cons, but still no "Wind Waker." A 20-year anniversary seems like the perfect time for Nintendo to hit "Zelda" fans with a bombshell — one that isn't related to "Tears of the Kingdom" — but all we can do is keep our fingers crossed.