The Nintendo Switch is an amazing machine with an ever-expanding list of top titles in its library. 2020 marked another fantastic year for the system, with lifetime hardware sales continuing to make up ground on the PS4 and software sales tearing up the charts in every major region. Animal Crossing: New Horizons led the way with more than 26 million sales while Paper Mario: The Origami King and the Super Mario 3D All-Stars pack also performed strongly. Not every release has been quite so successful though.
As solid as the Switch library is, there are plenty of titles that have failed to make the grade. 2020 has seen its fair share of these games, with many of them failing to impress either critics or players. Much of this is the result of Nintendo encouraging indie developers to release their games on the system which, in some ways, is watering down the overall standard. There are certainly a few gems hidden amongst the rough, but many lack the polish to shine anywhere near as brightly as the system’s big-hitters.
Disclaimer: Only games that have received a sufficient number of reviews to appear on Metacritic’s Nintendo Switch 2020 releases page will be considered.
10 Last Encounter (52)
When it comes to visuals, Last Encounter is a good looking game, especially considering its low price. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t offer anywhere near enough variety to keep players engaged for the full duration. It starts out exciting enough, but that excitement quickly dissipates leaving behind the musty odor of stale gameplay.
Those that love a challenge will certainly find one here, although the mediocre enemy AI can quite often cheapen the experience. Some critics did respond positively to the game’s frantic gameplay, but most were less than impressed with what Last Encounter has to offer.
9 Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia (52)
For a full-price release, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia leaves a lot to be desired. Granted, it released very recently and subsequent updates could improve the experience. Right now though, it’s a weak effort. Action RPGs are a dime a dozen these days and so games really need to have something about them in order to stand out from the crowd. This one does not.
Given its similarities to Pokémon, Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia was always going to struggle to measure up, but it really doesn’t do itself any favors. Some of the ideas aren’t bad, but the execution is incredibly poor throughout which can make for a tiresome experience. Fans of the anime may well like it, as too might fans of Pokémon who are looking for something new to play after wrapping up The Crown Tundra DLC. For everybody else, however, this one is a hard miss.
8 Jump Force: Deluxe Edition (51)
Jump Force: Deluxe Edition offers over 50 playable characters and yet it just barely managed a Metascore over the halfway mark. Critics slated the game for its simplicity and its failure to offer anything more than an inferior, albeit portable, version of the game.
Neither the PS4 nor the Xbox One versions performed much better, scoring 56 and 61 respectively. The user response to the Switch port was a bit more positive though. After 16 ratings, Jump Force: Deluxe Edition has a User Score of 7.3, suggesting that it’s not quite as bad as it might first appear.
7 PONG Quest (47)
Pong is one of the longest-running series in gaming, and the fact Atari is still showing the franchise love nearly 50 years after the original first hit arcades is admirable. It’s safe to say, the company has definitely seen a healthy return on the original game’s development costs. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely they’ll be making too much from PONG Quest.
The game combines the classic Pong formula with RPG and Adventure elements which, on paper at least, should work together quite well. Unfortunately, they just don’t. It feels more like a mobile game than something one would expect to find on consoles and, as such, its low price does not excuse its mediocrity. Pong Quest‘s Metascore of 47 is a generous one that’s greatly inflated by a 71 rating from one critic.
6 Cooking Mama: Cookstar (46)
Previous Cooking Mama titles have typically performed quite well on Metacritic, but Cooking Mama: Cookstar wasn’t so fortunate. Its 46 Metascore is by far the lowest in the series, and rightfully so. There’s very little innovation to be found and the motion controls are poorly implemented. The voice acting is atrocious too, but, worst of all, the game is incredibly boring.
Considering the step up in power from the 3DS to the Switch, this should have been a much better game. Not only did the developers fail to utilize the power of the new machine, but they also struggled to nail the fundamentals. Fans of the series seemed to enjoy Cookstar nonetheless, at least if the User Score is anything to go by. For everybody else though, Cookstar will likely prove to be far too undercooked.
5 Make War (46)
Make War is an ambitious indie strategy game with a very likable art style. Its gameplay offers plenty of innovation, but the way it’s all put together can at times make for a monotonous experience. This isn’t helped by an ill-conceived interface and a frustrating cursor. Ultimately, it’s a game that is perhaps too ambitious for the size of its development team.
To No Gravity Games’ defense, the PC version of the game does play a lot better. This will offer little comfort though to those who shelled out $10 to play it on the Switch. Granted, it’s not a huge amount, but, given the huge variety of low-priced indie games on the market, it’s $10 that could have been much better spent elsewhere.
4 The Elder Scrolls: Blades (42)
For those who love repetitive and grindy gameplay, The Elder Scrolls: Blades might prove enjoyable. For everybody else, however, it’s a game that’s best left well alone. Blades is, at its heart, a mobile game that was ported to the Switch more than a year after its IOS debut. While it’s definitely a lot more palatable when played in short bursts, for a home console release, Blades is just far too repetitive.
Players have come to expect a lot more from big developers like Bethesda, not to mention huge IPs like The Elder Scrolls. It is perhaps these names that saved the game from an even weaker Metascore. Unfortunately, players were not so generous, as Blades currently has a User Score of just 2.8 based on 58 user ratings.
3 Gleamlight (42)
There have been some incredible 2D platformers over the years. Gleamlight ain’t one of ’em. What makes this so frustrating is that the game’s presentation is beautiful. Unfortunately, it’s a game that’s massively let down by its gameplay. It’s very short and, at times, incredibly dull.
Its ideas and features aren’t at all bad, but they can at times feel a little half-baked. As a result, Gleamlight feels like a game that could have really done with more time in the oven. Although some critics were a bit more forgiving of its flaws, its User Score paints a far bleaker picture. After 8 ratings, Gleamlight currently sits on a 2 rating.
2 Arc Of Alchemist (36)
Action RPGs typically demand a lot of the player’s time. As a result, crafting an engaging narrative to draw the player in is something of a necessity for those hoping to find success in the genre. Arc of Alchemist falls spectacularly at this hurdle. Its plot is nonsensical and mundane in equal measures, with the characters struggling to string together coherent sentences more often than not.
Given that the game was developed in Japan, this is likely a result of poor localization. Regardless though, for a full-price release, it is unacceptable. Those able to move past the game’s awful story will likely struggle to come to terms with its bland visuals. The graphics, like the game itself, would be more at home on the PS1.
1 Tiny Racer (29)
The worst game on the Switch in 2020 is, surprisingly, not actually a bad game. To be clear, it’s not the Mona Lisa of racing games or anything. Far from it. It is however a lot better than its 29 Metascore would suggest. It’s not without its flaws, but, for the most part, Tiny Racer provides an enjoyable racing experience that works well in small, bite-sized chunks.
Tiny Racer is fairly reminiscent of the classic Micromachines games and something that both younger and older players should be able to pick up fairly easily. The physics can be a little frustrating at times and the developers’ decision not to allow car-to-car contact is a little baffling. Ultimately though, it is a perfectly serviceable racing game that’s worth every penny of its $10 price-tag.
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