2024 could be the last relevant year of the Switch. It’s hard to know when Nintendo will announce the “Switch 2” and when it will be coming out. What games will launch with it and what games announced for the Switch will switch over development? There are a lot of questions in the air and fans are hungry for answers.
Either way, it has been an impressive almost decade-long time with the Switch which has unsurprisingly redefined gaming which Nintendo has done many times before. The system became so popular that even Valve made a system to rival it. Valve! Now, in its waning hours, it will be fun to look back at the Switch’s history and ask one more question. Will the following games get sequels? Let’s explain why it may be hard and why fans may have towait a while.
ARMSisa fighting gamethat launched just a few months after the Switch debuted in 2017. The gimmick of this one gave characters two spring-loaded arms with various powers from common boxing gloves to dragon heads that shot fire. It was a good game to fill in the gap while fans waited to playSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatein 2018. Reviews forARMSwere mostly positive but there wasn’t anything glowing about it. Characters have appeared elsewhere like the aforementionedSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatebut Nintendo hasn’t seemed keen on continuing the game into a franchise.
Astral Chainwas another earlier Switch title that saw the light of day in 2019. It wasdeveloped by PlatinumGamesand it reviewed very well. Most of their titles are hits except for some of the licensed-based stuff. In Astral Chain, players were a futuristic cop who got a Persona-like monster attached to them via a handcuff that aided in the action gameplay. Even for PlatinumGames it was unique but the problem is that they mostly do one-offs except for theBayonettafranchise. So, that’s probably whyAstral Chainwon’t get a sequel.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zeldawas a crossover game and a sequel that was released in 2019. Brace Yourself Games is an indie developer who made the rhythm-based roguelike,Crypt of the NecroDancer. Cadence of Hyrule then saw that game’s star, Cadence, come into Hyrule to help Link and Zelda save their kingdomwith roguelike mechanics.
Still, all these years later, it’s one of the best games on the Switch let alone one of the bestZeldagames. While the game was popular, Brace Yourself Games has its own thing going on and probably can’t come back toZeldaanytime soon. That said, Nintendo should contract more indies to make spinoffs of their illustrious properties since this was a success.
Deadly Premonitiongot raked over the coals when it was released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. Most of the general public seemed to think it was one of the worst games ever. However, from those ashes rose a cult following that saw the charm in Agent Francis York Morgan, the protagonist, and the game’s director, SWERY. It still baffles the mind but Nintendo got an exclusive sequel calledDeadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguisein 2020. Eventually, it was ported to the PC but that was it and that’s probably it for this franchise too because it didn’t get as many true believers on board. Maybe things will change in 2030, but for now, all signs point to thiscult horror franchisebeing done.
4Little Town Hero
A Side Story To Pokemon
Game Freak mostly developsPokemongames for Nintendo but every once in a while they will sneak off to make something unique. Their last big non-Pokemonventure wasLittle Town Heroin 2020. Players got to defend their town from monster attacks in turn-based battles sort of likeFinal FantasymeetsShadow of the Colossus. While charming in all of the best Game Freak ways, it did not win fans or critics over. For that reason alone, there’s probably not going to be a sequel or any more ports any time soon.
Nintendo Labowas one of the most bizarre ideas Nintendo has ever had. Period. It was a series of mini-games that began in 2018 which were bundled with cardboard kits. Players could build and bind to their Joy-Cons thus turning them into “Toy-Cons” which was a cute but goofy name.
There was a giant robot game with an exosuit made out of cardboard, cardboard goggles for VR, and a cardboard fishing rod. They were extremely expensive, did not store well since they were awkward heaps of cardboard, and the games were amusing but not game-changing. It’s easy to see why Nintendo would never want to invest in a project like this ever again.
Princess Peach has put up with a lot of stuff over the years as the damsel in distress archetype. The least Nintendo could do is givePeach a game series. So far, there have only been two games starring Peach and Peach alone and it has been about forty years. First, there wasSuper Princess Peachfor the DS in 2005, and most recentlyPrincess Peach: Showtimedebuted in 2024 for the Switch. Neither relates to the other besides Peach being the star, so it’s safe to assume that if Nintendo ever approves another solo project, it will be something completely unique.
Starlink: Battle for Atlaswas a Ubisoft game that launched on most major platforms back in 2018. The best version to get was on the Switch though because it featured exclusive Star Fox content. It’s the only “new” Star Fox experience on the Switch. Most major Wii U games got remasters on the Switch butStar Fox Zerodidn’t which is one of the only holdouts. It’s a shame but this campaign was shockingly good. A lot of people didn’t get to experience it though because it was an expensive investment, like Nintendo Labo, as it was another Toys to Life game. Given Ubisoft’s recent financial status, it’s almost 100% guaranteed thatStarlink: Battle for Atlaswill become one of those forgotten Switch games.
