Fantastic though it is, there’s no getting around the inevitable fact that the Nintendo Switch is aging hardware that was already graphically behind the times when it was released. However, graphical power has never been a priority in Nintendo systems, and the long and illustrious life of the Nintendo Switch has proved that a whole menagerie of great games, even Western RPGs that boast incredible graphics, can fit onto the handheld with little issue.
Whether it’s an adventure through a storybook world or the most widely played RPG of the 21st century, the Switch has plenty of Western RPGs that run great and are a treat for gamers of every stripe.
This list’s ranking is based on a balance of game quality and performance. That means some brilliant games may have been dropped slightly because they don’t run quite as well as the games above them.
Released as part of an indie game initiative pushed by Ubisoft in the early 2010s,Child of Lightis a fantastic little 2D Western RPG that takes the aesthetics of storybook fairy tales and turns it into an exciting and touching adventure through a fantasy land filled with whim and whimsy.
Its strange but compelling combination of rhythm game and RPG mechanics gives its combat a unique flavor, and its low-key graphics mean it runs like a dream on the Switch. For those looking for an RPG that won’t demand hundreds of hours, this is one of the very best options.
Expectations in 2014 for the newSouth ParkRPG were about as low as they possibly could have been. Yet, the gaming world was taken off guard whenSouth Park: The Stick of Trutharrived and not just impressed, but utterly blew away everyone’s expectations with the game’s loving parody of fantasy RPGs as well as the history of South Park.
In hindsight, it should have been obvious that the venerable Obsidian Entertainment wouldn’t release anything less than a great RPG.South Park: The Stick of Truthis a perfect for those looking for a little more humor in their fantasy and want something that will run as smooth as butter on the Switch. Best of all, it’s probably stillthe bestSouth Parkgame ever made.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a point in describing whatSkyrimis, because there’s a very high chance that anyone reading this has not only played it but probably played it a couple of times. Yet, even still, the most recent and most popular entry inThe Elder Scrollsfranchise remains culturally relevant and ubiquitous on almost every platform available.
That, of course, includes the Switch. ThoughSkyrimis showing its age in some departments, it’s hard to deny that its fundamental charm is still as strong as it ever was, and it acts as a comforting return to the snowy Nordic region that played host to a lot of old memories navigatingthe many in-game factionsand quests. The handheld Switch gives that experience a whole new texture, and one well worth exploring if already a fan, or if the land of Skyrim remains uncharted territory.
As indie game popularity began to become mainstream in the mid-2010s, no game defined the new breed of indie creativity thanUndertale, an old-schoolEarthbound-inspiredtop-down story-based RPG made by a single man, Toby Fox. To describeUndertaleis to only tell half its story, and its legions of fans who remain loyal to this day speak to the game’s enduring emotional power, particularlyif the player chooses to do some truly evil deeds.
If any gamer hasn’t playedUndertalebefore, the Switch is a perfect place to do so.Undertaleis the opposite of graphically demanding and runs smooth as butter on the older Nintendo hardware.Undertaleis a wholly unique experience that everyone needs to play if they haven’t already.
Some RPGs likeSkyrimare tailor-made for wide audiences, but before RPGs became the mainstream phenomenon that they are today, there was a contingent of the hardcore that still relied heavily on their TTRPG roots. None of those games is as well respected asPlanescape: Torment.
Playing as “The Nameless One”, an amnesiac plunged into a mystery to try and discover the true identity in the multiverse of the D&D setting,Planescape: Tormentis an old-school CRPG that doesn’t hold the player’s hand and is widely considered to have some of the best game writing ever made. To make things even better, it runs perfectly on the Switch.
While it might put some off thatThe Witcher 3runs at 30FPS and has a diminished visual quality on Switch, it’s still high on this list due to the sheer excellence of the game that continues to shine on Nintendo’s console.
Taking the role of the legendary monster hunter Geralt, players are cast into a massive world as they’re tasked with finding their adoptive daughter in the midst of a dark fantasy land on the brink of total collapsefilled to the brim with secret side quests. Well known for its great world-building, deep quest structure, and incredible writing, it’s safe to say thatThe Witcher 3is one of the best RPGs released in the past ten years.
By this point, most gamers know whether they’re fans of Soulslike games or not. However, if anyone has yet to try the games with a fearsome reputation, thenDark Souls: Remasteredon the Switch is an excellent place to start.
Sporting all the QOL improvements of the remaster as well as some enhanced graphical capability, taking the classicDark Soulsto a handheld is an amazing experience that works incredibly well. Best of all, it runs great with few technical hitches and introduces a whole new audience to the great games of From Software.
Thanks toDisco ElysiumandBaldur’s Gate 3, the gaming world may be in the middle of a CRPG renaissance. ThoughBaldur’s Gate 3is sadly not on Switch, Nintendo gamers still have the opportunity to play the brilliantDisco Elysium: The Final Cut.
In a wholly unique game where the dialogue system is based around interacting withinthe interior voices of the protagonist’s drug-addled boozed-up brain, players must try and solve a murder as well as the nature of their own identity. What results is a philosophical, mind-bending, and utterly compelling journey through the heart of modern darkness, culminating in one of the very best Western RPGs ever made.
