Last Updated: 2/11/22!
Two Point Hospital [Two Point Studios] - Sharing a thought, in many ways
I still have a real beef with EA and the fact that they absorbed and pretty well
ruined at least two classic studios that were dear to me. One was Origin, and
the other was Bullfrog. One of my favorite titles Bullfrog made, that I’ve found
myself returning to repeatedly over the years, was their sim classic Theme
Hospital. If you’re familiar with the game all I should have to say is that Two
Point Hospital is pretty well an enhanced remake of that classic to make the
sale, it even has the same PA announcer voice (creepy fact but it provides
glorious flashbacks). For people unfamiliar with that title it’s essentially a
very goofy hospital simulator where you can explore your OCD tendencies, setting
up rooms and providing proper benches, bins, and snack machines to keep people
happy. Oh, and you’ll also want adequate treatment rooms, doctors, and nurses as
well. The further into the game you get, the more it slowly diverges from its
inspirations though many of the basic details remain the same. If you’re a sim
fan the Switch has had a tough run to date, with too many games that have failed
to be interesting, were hampered by terrible interfaces, or some combination of
both. Thankfully, Two Point Hospital addresses all of those normal issues with
smart and silly play, a highly usable (and generally unencumbered) interface,
and plenty of details you’ll want to focus on to have the best hospitals in the
business.
Suzerain [Torpor Games] - If you’ve ever pondered what it would be like to take control of the reigns of
government, or perhaps that being in charge is all upside and basking in the
adoration of your country, Suzerain is here to give you an education. After a
pretty lengthy opening set of questions that help you establish your
perspectives and the events that will help shape the leader you’ll be at the
point your take control, you’ll be in charge and the challenges of being the
one calling the shots is pretty immediately apparent. With limited resources
and what could be fleeting support of your staff or people if you make
unpopular decisions, the game does an effective job of keeping you feeling
like you’re constantly being pulled in both directions. Will you favor the
good of the people or the elite? Focus on short-term investments that can be
measured as progress and provide more immediate dividends or in longer-term
projects that could be more transformative? Armchair quarterbacking
governmental leadership is much easier when you don’t need to concern yourself
with both the intended and likely unintended consequences of your combined
decisions but here you’ll get a taste of how difficult threading that needle
effectively can be. Consistently well-written and quite replayable as you try
to correct for mistakes you made in previous runs, Suzerain is an engaging and
thought-provoking experience that illustrates the diverse challenges of being
the person in charge.
King of Seas [3DClouds] - Whenever you embark on a journey while raising your Jolly Roger on the high
seas, pretty well everyone out there is going to evaluate the experience
against the genre-defining Sid Meier’s Pirates. I wish it didn’t have to be
that way, and there’s no doubt that going back and playing that title now
isn’t all that hot, but it set a crazy bar long ago and the fact is nobody has
hit all of the things it did right since. Out of the gate King of Seas
actually shows quite a bit of promise and captures the essence of fun seen in
that classic title with solid ship-to-ship combat, plenty of incentive to
explore, latitude in how you want to get your business done through trade or
more violent means, and an amusing sense of humor. The problem is it doesn’t
feel very ambitious to break too far beyond that, leaving it with a feeling of
some potential unfulfilled. Throw in some general glitchiness and hitches from
time to time and while it’s the most satisfying swashbuckler on the system, to
be fair it doesn’t have much in the way of respectable competition either.
112 Operator [Jutsu Games] - Simulations can be a tricky business on consoles since they typically feature
more complex controls better suited to the PC, but the ones that get it right
are sometimes a real treat. While it won’t be a flavor everyone will love, 112
Operator fits this mold well, though part of its success has to do with the
relatively simple controls you’ll quickly become accustomed to. With the means
of control out of the way you’ll be able to enjoy a surprisingly intense game
that, perhaps at a distance, seems simplistic or dull, but when you’re
immersed in the moment can be heartwarming or tragic at times. Your work as an
emergency switchboard operator will put you right in the thick of things,
monitoring incident reports and dispatching the proper personnel to handle a
variety of scenarios. Where the game truly shines is in the calls you take,
which will put you right on the spot to make sometimes very difficult
decisions on the fly… which can lead to happy successes or absolute tragedy.
It’s the unexpected that can really make 112 Operator compelling, and I
understand that as you play it more and more the novelty of certain calls may
diminish, but I’ll absolutely admit that having someone on the other end of
the line relying on me to help them through a very tough situation is unique
and quite compelling indeed.
WRC 9 [KT Racing] - While simmy racing and I don’t often get along I can at least appreciate
titles that are meant to appeal to folks looking for a tougher challenge. In
the past the WRC series has always felt to me like it was on the edge of
having the entire package put together but this iteration seems to have really
found the right balance quality in all of its aspects to be worthy of
attention. Rally racing here will be a challenge to get used to as you’re not
just dealing with windy and usually narrow tracks that have no shoulder, but
then throwing in weather and surface type considerations as well. Getting the
feel of how to make optimum turns will take some investment and early on my
tendency to oversteer was also hard to get over. Behind the racing there’s
then an entire team management component as well, adding another layer to the
experience as you’ll need to be savvy about your personnel in the hopes of
making your life progressively easier with new sponsors and refinements in
your racing performance. Granted, there’s really no competition in this space
right now but if you’re bored with the relatively simplicity of the platforms
many more arcade-oriented racers WRC 9 has proven to be worthy of your time.
YouTubers Life 2 [U-Play Online] - While the original YouTubers Life was certainly novel there was just something
about it that felt more one-dimensional to me overall so it didn’t quite click
for me. With this second crack at what’s essentially a life sim mixed with
trying to find success as a social media icon I think they found a better and
more satisfying balance in things. One part learning the ropes of how best to
manage your time and finances, and the other exploring how to start from
nothing and leverage every trick and technique possible to get eyes on you and
build a following it may be a bit repetitive in some of the tasks you’ll need
to repeat quite a lot, but that doesn’t mean you can simply go through the
motions and gain a following without learning some strategy and tricks of the
trade. While some may want to play the game to get a taste of the lifestyle of
a social media icon, if anything I found that it reinforced the things I would
imagine would make it miserable after a while. Constantly trying to find ways
to mine trends and maintain an appearance of being happy and affable must be
truly exhausting and when trying to caption and hashtag my 50th or so post
that really began to settle in. Still, this offers an experience that’s pretty
unique so if you’ve ever had aspirations to being a social media star it will
likely have more to offer you than yet another farming sim for sure.
Pure Pool [VooFoo Studios] - While I’ve never been super serious about
playing pool it is a sport I’ve enjoyed in quite a number of pool halls and
friends’ homes over time. There have certainly been pool simulators that have
come and gone over the years, but while there were some good ones I can’t say
it ever quite felt like they properly captured the entirety of the experience
for me. That changed with Pure Pool, as in just about every regard it has
managed to pull me in. Whether it’s the crisp and detailed visuals, the
accurate and tight controls, or the helpful but not too helpful visual assists
for working out the angles of your shots I’m not sure how much more you could
ask from a simulator for the sport. Then, going the extra mile beyond the mere
mechanics of the experience on the table, there are a lot of new avenues that
will force you to improve and broaden your game here beyond mere 8-ball,
9-ball, and snooker. Special challenges will force you to maximize your
efficiency, carefully set up your next shot, and then execute as you try to do
things like clear the table in a short amount of time. Throw in support for
taking on challengers locally or online with cross-platform support and
billiard fans should have a great opportunity here to bring the pool hall
experience home with them or anywhere they go.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw [Double Damage Games] - As an old school fan of the
Wing Commander series I’m always excited to take on any new space sim
promising dogfights, exploration, and excitement. Typically new attempts at
the genre have a tendency to be incomplete in some way, lacking in their
combat, coming up short in terms of an overarching story, or just not putting
together all of the pieces in a thoroughly satisfying way. While not without
its faults in a few areas I’d say anyone looking for that nostalgic sort of
experience with Wing Commander vibes (well, specifically Privateer), or simply
someone who enjoys a well-made space sim with RPG-like elements and some
actual story will likely dig the hell out of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. Starting out
from extremely humble beginnings, flying what essentially looks like a space
garbage truck, you’ll take on missions that offer some variety from hauling
cargo to clearing out bogeys to perhaps going on the shadier side of the law.
What you choose will carry some consequences in terms of where you’ll be able
to fly or land so don’t take that decision lightly. One of the game’s
downsides is that it can get to be a grind, working simpler missions to buy
new ships or gear, and that can make for some repetition. Don’t worry, if you
try to tackle anything outside of what you’re capable of the game will quickly
and almost rudely tell you so as you’ll get blown to bits. Combat can be
intense, but I think the left shoulder button which essentially allows you to
let your ship fly itself to pursue a target is the key to it all remaining
fun. You’ll often be taking on numerous enemies at once, so letting the ship
keep pace while periodically dodging and fine-tuning your aiming to maximize
damage is more practical than trying to do it all yourself. Feel free to try
to do it all yourself but pretty quickly I found its use invaluable to staying
alive. With a great deal of freedom, choice, and trouble to get into Rebel
Galaxy Outlaw is probably the best overall package of a space sim on the
system, delivering both rewarding combat and a story with characters that
helps to knit everything together.
Fuze4 [FUZE Technologies] - Have you ever
wondered how games are developed and what it takes behind the scenes
mechanically to make it happen? Have an interest in learning how to code with
the motivation being to make your first game? If so, this will be of interest
to you. Sporting a library of assets, tutorials walking you from baby steps to
more advanced concepts, a variety of examples that you can tinker with to see
how things are done, and full keyboard support (thank god), FUZE4
is a lot to take in. There’s a great deal of opportunity at your fingertips if
you’re willing to invest the time and effort, and unlike books or online
courses that have you learn in a vacuum the advantage here is the ability to
more immediately appreciate the fruits of your labor.
Megaquarium [Auroch Digital] - Simulation/building games have always
been a genre I think of the PC for in general, and indeed many have their
roots there. While they can be ported over to consoles, more often than not
the PC-based core tends to be very noticeable and a mix of clunky menus and
controls hamper the experience with a controller. Megaquarium exhibits
practially none of those issues, is both intuitive and controller-friendly as
a whole, and if you’ve been itching to get your build on it may be just what
you’ve been looking for. The goal is to take on an aquarium that’s either new
or in need of help, get your tanks and gear to support them set up, manage the
aquatic and vegetative life in each, and then oversee the expansion and
maintenance of it all to keep it growing and thriving. While perhaps lacking
in the extra thrill you can get from something like Rollercoaster Tycoon this
is still a very competent and rewarding sim, and it scratches an itch I’ve had
on the system for a while now nicely.
RiMS Racing [RaceWard Studio] - Oh, the challenges of being a racing
fan on the Switch. While there have been some pretty solid titles over the
years it’s definitely one of the genres with pretty thin overall
representation and variety on the system. Bearing in mind some reasonably-good
recent arcade-style racers RiMS Racing is a title in a completely different
direction, going for a pretty hardcore simulation style that is about far more
than just the action on the track… and whose overall difficulty level on it
won’t be for the patience challenged. You won’t just be doing the normal team
and equipment management, there’s a really hands-on aspect to the maintenance
of your ride, having you actively participate in a mini-game-like way breaking
down or assembling your bike components and even jumping into the role of a
member of your own pit crew. It’s a big swing sort of move that I’d imagine
people will either love or hate but I respect the choice that’s been made to
run with the simulation angle at full speed with no hesitation. If you’re on
board with the heavy management and participatory elements the only other
warning is that the racing controls can be very fussy, in particular with the
lack of analog triggers for acceleration and braking making for a challenge in
feathering them both to avoid throwing yourself off your bike. If you’ve grown
bored of arcade racers this moves as far in the other direction as you could
ask. It may not be as accessible as perhaps would have been wise, smoothing
out its rougher edges, but it’s unapologetically committed to doing things its
own way.
SnowRunner [Saber Interactive] - Realistic all-terrain driving games are an odd breed that has emerged in
popularity in more recent years, and to date hasn’t been represented too well
on the Switch. They can be hard to get used to at first as your enemy isn’t
another driver or often even the clock, instead the focus is on simply
overcoming the elements and a variety of horrible driving conditions to break
through and deliver your loads. There’s no doubt that the controls in
SnowRunner aren’t perfect, for instance trying to figure out how to turn on
the headlights was an odd challenge until finally the game prompted me on how
to use them after I’d been struggling in the dark for quite some time. I
wouldn’t say this is a mainstream sort of experience by any means, but
recognizing that it’s a legitimate form of play in the genre a chunk of the
public appreciates, it would be a shame to dismiss this pretty challenging and
engaging driving title that will reward people who stick with its often slow
pacing.
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 [Frontier Developments] - Ever since the
original title in the series way back in the day I’ve been a big RCT fan.
While management games like this aren’t always very creative or fun (looking
at a variety of theme park managers over the years, including a few duds on
Switch), for the most part the proper titles in this franchise (not the
terrible mobile-ized ruined ones) have been a treat. Everything about the game
on the PC is here, including laying out and tweaking every detail of your
rides and attractions, plotting out your research plans, managing your
personnel, monitoring your guests to see what’s working and not, laying down
scenery and theming to make things special, and best of all creating some
truly wild and outstanding rollercoasters. The one big issue is that there’s
no getting around doing all of that is pretty cumbersome with console
controls. To the credit of the development team the radial menus and control
scheme in general works well, though it does have a bit of an initial learning
curve. Just competing against a mouse and especially a keyboard altering
things like names or getting into deeper menus just takes far more time. Throw
in the need to fight a bit too much with the camera in critical spots like
during coaster construction and it’s hard to ignore some of the shortcomings
in the control implementation. If you don’t have access to a PC that can play
the game be assured, the depth of play here is 100% intact and absolutely
worthwhile, just be ready to work for it a bit harder than you would where the
game was designed to work first.
Speaking Simulator [Affable Games] - This is one of those titles that
is likely to divide people firmly between the lovers and the haters, without a
whole lot in between. As the game’s name implies the focus of the majority of
the gameplay is in manipulating the mouth of your character, a robot, in order
to get it to not just speak but also exhibit some other characteristics within
your interactions that would make you seem human. The humor ensues as you go
through a number of social situations where you’re trying your best to remain
composed as you struggle to get your words out and eventually begin to show
visible signs of wear and tear. The question will be whether the novelty of
the experience can keep its grip on you as more elements slowly get added,
making your undertaking increasingly challenging or hopeless depending on how
you see it. It’s a tricky balancing act and it will likely vary from person to
person where the needle moves, whether in the direction of frustrating or
quirky and entertaining.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town [Marvelous Inc] - When you’re
making a new iteration of a revered and classic series I don’t doubt the
greatest concern lies in how great a risk you’re willing to take in changing
things. The wider the audience and probably the more casual the series happens
to be the higher the stakes are if you make some tweak that doesn’t end up
working out. I think Animal Crossing: New Horizons demonstrates where
generally keeping things the same, but then making a few key changes for the
better, both plays it safe and innovates effectively. Story of Seasons, on the
other hand, feels like it chose the easier and “safer” path. Generally serving
up precisely what its fans expect, complete with a great (and cute) visual
overhaul, Friends of Mineral Town is undoubtedly a terrific farm/cultivation
RPG… but there’s no mistaking that the experience is also extremely familiar,
perhaps to the point of detriment depending on your tastes. You’ll be able to
farm, fish, mine, explore, attend special events, and develop relationships
with your fellow townsfolk… but aside from the obvious improvement in visuals
the game also feels a bit stuck in a time warp. Fans of the series, and even
converts from other titles like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing, will
likely find plenty to enjoy here if you’re looking for the repetition and
relaxing pace of the farming sim life. Just where I think the aforementioned
games generally feel a bit more modern and refined this feels incredibly safe,
for better or worse.
This list will continue to grow and be pruned as time goes on, as well as numerous other lists that try to keep track of all of the best titles the Nintendo Switch has to offer in the Indie space!
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