Switching Up Games This Quarter with New Sequels for the Nintendo Switch
Post includes items received for review
As a college student studying music performance, it is hard to find time where I can sit down and play video games. Most of my down time consists of practicing, working, or attending concerts for my peers. When I do get the chance to sit down for myself, it’s at 11PM and I play the same games I have played for months since I do not have the time to start a new game. For the last couple of days, I have been on a holiday break, which has allowed me to enjoy some of the latest and hottest new Nintendo Switch games.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) was nominated for the 2023 Game of the Year from The Game Awards as well as several other categories. It earned the win for Best Action/Adventure Game. This open world game is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW), which also received positive feedback from the community.
TotK starts you out below the surface in ancient ruins. In this exploration, you (Link) will get sapped of your powers, Zelda disappears, and the Master Sword breaks. These introductory scenes describe why you returned to square one after BotW. You will start on the floating islands, where you are free to explore (with tutorials, of course). Some mechanics include cooking, hunting, and using the Ultrahand to manipulate the world around you!
The beauty and graphics of TotK absolutely overwhelms any other Nintendo game thus far.
The next game I played on my Switch during my time off was Pikmin 4. Up for The Game Awards’ Best Family Game and walking away with the title of Best SIM/Strategy Game, this cute game has captured the attention of Pikmin-lovers everywhere! If you’ve played any of the previous Pikmin titles, you are familiar with the style of finding this adorable creatures and using them to solve puzzles, and Pikmin 4 is no exception. The story is a little bit different, however!
You are a novice rescuer who is in search of Captain Olimar and the crew of the S.S. Shepherd. The S.S. Shepherd was first sent to find Captain Olimar, but after an unlucky stroke of fate, their ship crashed onto the planet as well. You can design your character with your favorite hairstyles and colors and set off towards rescuing everyone!
One of the key features to fixing the broken spaceships is finding fuel made of Sparklium. You will find them on human treasures (such as a bell, a pencil, a Gameboy, etc.). You are then able to use the Sparklium to power up your spaceship, unlock new abilities, and rescue the officers!
It has been a while since I played a Pikmin game. The last one I played was on the Wii. The only reason I stopped playing was because I did not like seeing my Pikmin get killed by the enemies! But as I’ve grown, I’ve only learned to appreciate the mechanics in the game.
The final game I got to play on my Switch this break is the newest addition to the Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. Wonder. This game is also nominated for the 2023 Game of the Year and other categories, earning the top slot for Best Family Game. The story consists of Bowser stealing the Wonder Flower, transforming into a castle, and gathering the energy to take over the world. It is your job as the main character to put a stop to Bowser before he succeeds in his plans.
This wonderful game features a couple new components to the standard story, including an elephant and the Wonder Flower, which transforms the world into a psychedelic adventure. Pipes move, piranha plants sing, and the wackiest things unfold, literally! In a way, it’s almost like being on drugs (not endorsing that!). There are also Wonder Seeds, where you gain these through levels. You need the required amount to keep progressing the story. This new Mario game is a ton of fun and I highly recommend taking a dive into it.
As you can tell from the multitude of nominations and wins at The Game Awards this year, Nintendo focuses on putting out quality products. You can order digital copies through your Nintendo account or grab either physical or digital copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Pikmin 4 from Amazon. Please note that these links are tagged with our referral information and we may receive a commission from Amazon (at no additional cost to you) for qualifying purchases.
All three of these new Nintendo games were a blast to play. I highly recommend trying out all of them, as they each have their own great style of gameplay. I will be returning to my Switch and sinking all my free time into Mario, Zelda, and Pikmin for the rest of break and whenever possible in upcoming months!
Which Nintendo games do you use to take a break from your normal schedule?
