Nintendo DS in your Switch

We're huge fans of the Nintendo DS. That's because this handheld has received some truly special games. This collection includes the three Castlevania games released on the Nintendo DS. And they just happen to be three of the highest-rated Castlevania games. You also get two extra games. In short, a collection of five Castlevania games on one disc. Sounds like a good deal.

The three Nintendo DS games are also fantastic on the Nintendo Switch. They're among the absolute best. Let's go through them:

• Dawn of Sorrow is the successor to Aria of Sorrow (GBA) and looks the same, plays the same, but is more extensive, making it a fantastic successor to one of the very best GBA games. One drawback is that you have to seal bosses. This requires the touchscreen to perform certain movements to confirm the seal. That wasn't ideal on the DS, but on the Switch, you have a choice: either the touchscreen or the analog stick. This makes sealing much easier.
• Portrait of Ruin uses the touchscreen less, but introduces an additional playable character you can switch between during the game to, for example, solve a puzzle with unique abilities. Switching between Jonathan and Charlotte is a simple button press and really adds to the gameplay. All in all, this is a fantastic game, though it's a bit lower in quality than Dawn of Sorrow, mainly due to some of the enemies and environments.
• Order of Ecclessia, on the other hand, sits somewhere between the two games and focuses primarily on the Glyph system, where you collect Glyps to unlock new items and abilities. This game tries to be different and offer more environments, and it partially succeeds. The downside of this approach is that some sections feel rather linear.

Because all three games are from a dual-screen console, you can configure the display settings on the Switch. This works quite well. Save states have also been added to make it a bit easier to save mid-game. There's also a rewind function, but of course, we won't be using that.

Finally, various bonuses have been added, such as music samples, art, manuals, and two extra games: Haunted Castle and Haunted Castle Revisited. Haunted Castle is the arcade game from Catslevania, which is incredibly difficult. A nice bonus, but not really playable at the moment. Haunted Castle Revisited, on the other hand, has received a huge upgrade and also addressed the difficulty. Want to experience this classic? Then do it this way.

All in all, a fantastic package that deserves a spot on the list of best games on the Nintendo Switch.

This is no standard Mario game, absolutely not! Ubisoft, the creators of Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed, and Rayman, was eager to create a Mario game. Nintendo agreed on one condition: the game had to be different, and Mario wasn't allowed to jump, according to Shigeru Miyamoto. Ubisoft set out to meet that requirement. The result is truly astonishing. The annoying Rabbits are back in this game, with the accompanying humor. Due to a failed experiment, the world of the Rabbits has been mixed with that of Mario. This results in characters such as a Piranha Plant combined with a Rabbit (Pirabbid Plant). So, don't expect a classic Mario game, but a tactical game similar to Xcom. In this game, you control three characters and with them you take on the Rabbits. Each level consists of a closed playing field with squares you can navigate. Think of it as chess. One player can get further than the other, and you have to get within a certain radius to eliminate your opponent. Each turn, the player has two actions: move or attack. There's also a passive option that buffs your team or debuffs your opponents. Knowing when to use which move is crucial for success.

Furthermore, team members can work together to advance or reach higher ground. One team member can serve as a springboard for another, for example. There's also a dash option to knock your opponent down. You can also choose between close-range and long-range attacks, upgrade weapons, heal yourself, and so on. To keep the battles challenging, your opponent can do the same.

The small battlefield allows for a lot of action. Combined with the humor and increasing difficulty, this game rightfully deserves a spot among the best games on the Nintendo Switch.

Publisher Atlus guarantees delivering interesting games. And when developer Vanillaware is also involved, you almost always have a recipe for a game that can easily be fantastic. Unicorn Overlord is a tactical game with around fifty hours of gameplay. So you'll have to put in some time. However, the story is wafer-thin: fight evil and free the nation. To defeat evil, the protagonist (Alain) must unite four nations (Fevrith). Your journey spans the entire continent, and you can freely roam the map. From the map, you can buy resources and visit cities and forts, among other things. More importantly, however, you assemble units of mercenaries who will form your army. This number can grow to as many as ten units, each with a maximum of six people arranged in two rows. The placement of the characters is crucial here. If you only use flying characters, you'll move much faster across the map and can cross mountains. If you use a night, your physical defense is much higher, while a wizard grants you magic but has virtually no physical defense. You can imagine the endless combinations you can use to create the right units. For each unit, you can also configure which skills someone can use and when. And like any good game, units can grow and gain more capabilities as their experience increases. Finally, there are also friendships among them. In Unicorn Overlord, you can really let loose when it comes to optimizing your armies. Once you've assembled a great unit, you can use it to further explore the map and start stages.

Stages

Stages are an essential part of the game, zooming in on a section of Fevrith to engage in battle. The classic battle pits opposing factions against each other, and it's up to you to emerge from the battle with as little damage as possible. From your command post, you position your units. If a unit hits an enemy, a turn-based battle begins. Your positioning often determines the success of the battle. If you ultimately manage to capture the enemy's command post, the stage is successfully completed.

Tactics and recognition play a crucial role here. After all, a timer also runs throughout a stage. You have to make sure you've taken over the command post before it reaches zero.

For tactics enthusiasts, this is the crème de la crème and therefore deserves a spot on the best games for the Nintendo Switch list.

Prince of Persia has been around for a while. The series became popular as a 2D platformer, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown largely capitalizes on this. This game plays like a Metroidvania, meaning you have to explore and upgrade yourself to progress. To become stronger, you have to collect amulets. As weapons, you start with swords, and a bow is soon added. As you progress, the possibilities expand significantly. Your abilities as Sargon are determined by the amulets you've collected and chosen from that set to wear. You can, of course, only wear a limited number, so you'll have to make choices. Some amulets increase your parrying power, while others enhance your attack. These adjustments aren't always available. They're only available at Wak-Wak Trees, which you have to find throughout the game. This is also where you can recover and save the game. If you choose to rest, all defeated enemies will reappear. Thankfully, the game follows a fairly consistent path, although certain points require specific skills to pass. The game truly excels in speed and action. The gameplay is consistently smooth (60fps), and parrying opponents and launching a counterattack using a quick-time event will never feel dull. It should be noted, however, that the difficulty can spike significantly at times, so you really need to be up for a serious challenge. However, the way you run, slide, jump, and fight through this game makes up for everything. Those who persevere will immediately understand why this game has earned a spot among the best games for the Nintendo Switch.

Two games in one package

Super Mario 3D World doesn't really feel like a 3D game, but more like an extension of the classic Super Mario 2D game. This means that this platformer primarily uses a frontal view to hide secrets in out-of-sight places. This limited range of motion is reminiscent of the classic Mario games on the Nintendo NES and SNES. In 3D World, you won't be exploring vast worlds, but rather smaller surfaces that guide you to an endpoint (a pole you have to jump over, like in classic Mario Bros.). After a few of these levels, a boss battle naturally follows. What makes this game so enjoyable is a combination of factors: the exceptionally beautiful graphics, the fast-paced gameplay, the upgrades in the form of, for example, a cat suit, but above all, the ability to tackle the levels with multiple players, both locally and online. The gameplay is accessible, and the challenge gradually builds. This means this game is suitable for everyone. Playing together with your friends or children is no problem at all and adds to the fun. Mario 3D World spans 12 worlds with over 100 levels. Whether you're playing alone or together, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy it. You can only enter the last four worlds once you've defeated Bowser. We can safely say that the difficulty level increases significantly after that. Have you mastered the controls completely? Then you can truly shine here. We died a whopping 80 times in the final level. You've been warned!

Bowser Fury

While Super Mario 3D World is a slightly modified port of a Wii U game (from 2013), Bowser Fury is a completely new addition and addresses exactly what Mario 3D World doesn't. Bowser Fury is a concept open-world game and offers a glimpse into the future of Mario games. In this open world, you explore Lake Lapcat, full of cats and micro-challenges. You have to find the challenges yourself, and some only appear after you've solved another. The game is considerably shorter than Mario 3D World, but such a worthy addition that we can completely understand buying it just for Bowser Fury. Here too, you can go wild in your cat suit, but everything is more open and much darker. The tension is palpable in this game, especially when Bowser makes his rainy entrance, combined with the ominous music. Also fun, an old enemy helps you in this game: Bowser Jr. He uses his paintbrush to attack enemies, sometimes points you to secrets, and helps you with power-ups. In this game, you don't collect shines, but cat tokens. You need these to battle as a giant Mario cat and defeat Bowser.

The combination of a full-fledged Mario game and a concept open world makes for a fantastic package. This deal is unmissable and belongs in every Switch collection.

Bowser wakes from his slumber every few minutes and starts launching attacks from the center of the screen. The music, the whole game, adapts accordingly. The tension is immense, and you want to defeat Bowser.