A look at what the Nintendo Switch has on offer for 2019

Nintendo’s hybrid console has been kicking goals ever since it released back in March 2017. Things aren’t slowing down over at Nintendo though, and they still have a big year planned for 2019. In fact, before this article was even ready to be published, there were 2 games released this year exclusively for the Switch with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes! Now let’s take a look at the other big games that the Nintendo Switch has planned for us in 2019.

You can also listen to our thoughts on the Switch’s 2019 in podcast form below!

Yoshi’s Crafted World

March 31st

The only thing more wholesome than a new Yoshi game is a new Yoshi game set in a world of arts and crafts. Yoshi’s next adventure is arriving soon and it looks to be sticking to the tried and true formula of past games. Yoshi’s Crafted World will be a 2D sidescroller that puts you on the hunt for gems that are scattered around the world.

Even if you believe Nintendo are relying on the crafts / yarn / paper aesthetic too much for their games, it can’t be denied that Yoshi’s Crafted World looks gorgeous. It’s an adorable adventure that will hopefully be able to recapture the kind of wonder and glee that old Yoshi games were capable of evoking. The game will also introduce a new mechanic that alters the player’s viewpoint after Yoshi performs a stomp. This will allow the player to view things from a new perspective and allow previously unseen things to become visible. It won’t be too long to wait for this one with Yoshi’s Crafted World releasing in March.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

2019

Fire Emblem quickly became an iconic franchise for Nintendo that’s been going strong for well over 20 years now. The next instalment is due out this year and goes by the name Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

The game retains the turn-based tactical combat the series is known for where you lead your troops into battle. This time around it will focus on four protagonists: Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude. What makes Four Houses so enticing is the fact that there hasn’t been a mainline Fire Emblem game developed for a home console since 2007’s Fire Emblem: Radiant. That’s a long time for fans to wait! And we can’t wait to have our thirsts quenched and see how grand a modern Fire Emblem game can be.

Luigi’s Mansion 3

2019

If you would have told me back in the year 2000 that Luigi would finally become the star of his own game where he hunts ghosts in a haunted mansion with a vacuum cleaner, I would have called you a liar. Yet here we are, almost 20 years later, and the man himself is gearing up for his leading role for the third time.

The Luigi’s Mansion series has always been special to me because it is so charming and so damn entertaining. Taking a Ghost Busters approach to lighthearted ghostly spooks but never forgetting to collect all the gold along the way! This is the second proper home console Luigi’s Mansion game and boy oh boy are we ready for it. Unleash the ghosts and get prepared for a hauntingly good time when Luigi’s Mansion 3 releases this year.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

2019

Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance is not historically a Nintendo published franchise, although the next entry into the series is coming exclusively to the Switch. Those who have played previous iterations of the series will know exactly what they’re in for with this next release. For those less familiar get ready to be propelled into an action RPG with fast, sweeping combat manoeuvres and all of your favourite Marvel heroes and villains.

Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order has a lot to live up to, especially considering how powerfully successful the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become over the last decade. Luckily this new game will have a lot of crowd favourites with some exciting cross-overs that fans have grown to love. We already know there will be a whole bunch of characters from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, the Inhumans and X-Men, but who else is going to fill out this exciting roster?

Animal Crossing 2019

2019

One game Nintendo fans have been demanding for a very long time is a new entry into the Animal Crossing franchise. One of the most beloved series of all time, Animal Crossing 2019 is likely to make a huge impact when it releases.

There’s very few game franchises that are as charming as Animal Crossing. So much so that you’re likely to lose track of time and be startled to discover you had accidentally played all night. We don’t know too much about the 2019 Animal Crossing game that is on the way, but fans are gearing up for something big. It’s about time for another Animal Crossing fix so here’s hoping Nintendo are able to live up to our collective anticipation.

Daemon X Machina

2019

A brand new intellectual property is on its way to the Nintendo Switch by the name of Daemon X Machina. The game boasts about combining the strategy of a mech game with the speed of an action game.

Mech combat is always a big win in my books, but what makes me particularly excited about Daemon X Machina is that it’s being developed by Kenichiro Tsukuda who is well known for his work developing the Armored Core series. This gives players like myself a huge amount of hope for the future of this game because it has a well respected developer who has already proven himself within the genre. I don’t think I’m alone when I say there aren’t enough mech games out there. So I can’t wait for the release of Daemon X Machina later this year.

Town (working title)

2019

Game Freak aren’t usually known for games outside of the Pokémon series, although they do occasionally venture into new territory. Town (working title) is the next non-Pokémon game to come from Game Freak. It’s an interesting looking game that was originally announced back in September of last year and we’ve been waiting with bated breath for more information ever since.

Town takes place entirely within a single village, although that village is unfortunately being invaded by monsters. Your role is to defeat the monstrous threats in turn-based battles by enlisting the help of other villagers. The game looks like a tactical affair where you’ll have to keep your wits about you in order to succeed. There also appears to be a deeper secret to the town that you’ll uncover along your journey. We don’t know too much about the game outside of those details, but it will be very interesting to see how Town (working title) looks when it releases to Switch this year.

Pokémon RPG 2019

2019

With Town (working title) and a new Pokémon RPG releasing in 2019, Game Freak are going to have one very busy year. There aren’t many game franchises larger than Pokémon, and after the success of Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, fans are excited to see what’s next. This will be a next gen release for the franchise, which means all new Pokémon to discover and a brand new world to explore. As a Pokémon fan myself, it’s always exciting to see these new generational leaps and we can only hope Game Freak are able to deliver on the very high expectations.

The game was announced to be releasing toward the end of 2019, however we don’t even have a name for it yet! And we certainly don’t have any gameplay footage or juicy details. Nevertheless it’s exciting to predict where the series is heading. Personally I’m hoping for a game that’s substantially different from the previous mainline entry, Pokémon Sun and Moon. I want to be surprised by the series once again rather than watch it rest on its laurels.

Sayonara Wild Hearts

2019

Sayonara Wild Hearts describes itself as a pop album video game. It’s a chaotic and beautiful little game about “being awesome, riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph”.

This game debuted not too long ago and watching it in action has my heart racing. It’s by a development studio known as Simogo who had previously worked on mobile games such as Year Walk and Device 6 that reached a cult following. This is the studio’s first foray into Switch development and it looks like they are going big. You’ll travel through a futuristic neon world where you’ll ride and fight to the beat of a custom-written pop album. Whilst Sayonara Wild Hearts is expected to release on other platforms alongside the Switch, for now the Switch is the only confirmed platform for this joy-filled title.

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With 9 exciting titles still yet to be released for 2019, it’s clear Nintendo are set to have another big year. Looking even further into the future and there are games like Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4 and Shin Megami Tensei V that are due to release exclusively for the Switch at some point in the future. Whilst we don’t necessarily expect to see them this year, it’s certainly a possibility.

What is your most anticipated Nintendo Switch game for 2019?