Switch Hidden Gem RPGs You Should Play

Is there a genre better suited for the Switch than the RPG? It’s always good to sit down and lose feeling in your legs as you watch the levels go up. The hybrid console has helped Fire Emblem and Xenoblade become more popular than ever, the Octopath Traveler games have “streets won’t forget” written all over them, and the thing is also an absolute port factory for the classics. But the Switch also has some hidden gems RPGs like these that deserve to star in your library.

 

Star Renegades

Sometimes, the most creative and daring games are the ones built on old ideas. Developed by Massive Damage (are they in the business of attacking giant enemy crab weak points?), Star Renegades tosses gorgeous pixel art, JRPG mechanics, a roguelite gameplay loop, and even Shadow of Mordor’s Nemesis system into a blender, and the result is rich in flavor: complex, yet great for playing in short bursts.

The big bads of Star Renegades are The Imperium, a nigh-unstoppable empire bent on conquering every reality they can reach. This is where the roguelite aspect comes in; if your ragtag team of rebels fall in battle, that dimension is doomed, and you’ll start over in another reality.

The story is ultimately a surface level justification for the gameplay loop, which is the real star of the show. Star Renegades is incredibly complex with lots of different mechanics to pay attention to, such as shields and armor, turn order, character relationships, and even child units a la Fire Emblem. Unlike most RPGs, information about enemy intent is given up front: who they’re gunning for, what they’ll do, and when it’ll happen.

On top of that, if enemy captains survive encounters with your team (or otherwise get resurrected), they’ll remember it for the next time you meet, while also getting stronger in the process.

If you can get to grips with the complex combat, joining the rebellion in Star Renegades is well worth your time — and proof that patenting game mechanics is bad for everyone.

 

Triangle Strategy

First impressions matter, and quite frankly, Triangle Strategy’s opening hours don’t make for a great one. It’s a slow burn in both gameplay and story, and if you by chance tried the demo when it was available, it ended just before things started to get good.

It also sounds like some kind of how-to guide for playing everyone’s favourite instrument while under artillery fire.

But stick with it, and you’ll find a fantastic strategy RPG with a surprising amount of challenge. There’s no permadeath, but it’s still a fair bit tougher than other SRPG heavy hitters.

The story is one of Square Enix’s most grounded tales, with its central conflict revolving around salt, which is just as integral to Norzelia’s history as it is to real world history. It won’t be for everyone, but if this sort of thing is up your alley, you’ll find yourself locked in like Ramona Flowers with Walter.

While Triangle Strategy’s battle system brings to mind Final Fantasy Tactics, its story features a unique twist. Throughout the game, you’ll be forced to make difficult choices. But the choice isn’t yours alone to make, as the central cast will all gather to cast their votes on the next course of action. You can sway their opinions, but doing so requires both the right dialogue choices and enough Morality, Liberty, or Utility points, earned based on your actions in both exploration and combat.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses fans or RPG fans who just want a story that isn’t about saving the world would do well to check this one out. Tokyo time with it.

 

Tokyo Xanadu eX+

Falcom may be busy putting out new Trails games at a frankly silly rate, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have time to experiment every now and then. Originally released for the Vita and then ported to PS4, PC, and Switch, Tokyo Xanadu eX+ takes us to the fictional Morimiya City, where high school students secretly fight monsters known as Greed. Sound familiar?

Tokyo Xanadu as a game is quite derivative. It’s got simple action combat like Ys, character customization similar to Trails, and even Trails’s big emphasis on worldbuilding and tons of NPC dialogue. And that’s before we get into the Persona comparisons that this game’s premise tends to invite.

Yet Falcom manages to make it all work. The characters may all be more cliché than the studio’s usual fare, but they’ll quickly grow on you. The combat and dungeon crawling are surprisingly fun once you start getting more characters and equipment to play around with, and the setting brings with it a vibe you won’t quite find in Trails or Ys, helping Tokyo Xanadu stand out from its cousins.

Those looking to check out this hidden gem — especially now that a sequel is coming — will find that the best place to play Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is on Switch. It’s got all of the extra story content and cosmetic DLC of the previous versions, as well as a completely overhauled localization that breathes new life into the script.

 

Atelier Dusk Trilogy

Fans of cozy RPGs will likely at least be aware of the Atelier series, especially after Ryza catapulted it into the relative mainstream. But those of you who want even more chill, slice-of-life vibes after finishing Ryza should make the Atelier Dusk Trilogy your next stop.

The Dusk Trilogy’s just as cozy as any other Atelier trilogy, but it stands out from the rest of the pack by being set in a post-apocalyptic era of decline. The world is dying — pollution fills the skies with unnatural hazy colors, plant  life is dying off, and by the third game, droughts are becoming a serious issue. But unlike, say, Fallout, the Dusk games have no interest in making a spectacle out of it. Civilization is long past its prime, but people still eke out an existence and live fulfilling lives.

Unlike Ryza’s ATB style combat, battles in the Dusk trilogy are completely turn-based, with each successive entry in the arc adding or altering mechanics to keep things fresh. Alchemy is quite a bit more complicated here as well, demanding more careful consideration of the ingredients you use and the properties they have.

The Dusk trilogy may look rather dated these days, but with solid storytelling and a uniquely somber tone for this series, these games are a great way to dip your toes into Atelier’s pre-Ryza era. Live a little!

 

Live A Live

Sometimes, miracles do really happen. We hit 100k subs! How’d we manage that? After being stuck in Japan for nearly three decades, Live A Live not only came west, it did so in spectacular fashion with a full HD-2D remake.

Live A Live presents you with seven different scenarios that can be done in any order. These vignettes are all scattered across history, with settings ranging from ancient China to a space ship in the dis ant future. Every chapter has its own central gimmick, and finishing these seven chapters will open up an eighth, set in a medieval kingdom where everything starts to come together.

While turn-based, Live A Live’s combat stands out from Square’s other games thanks to its grid system. Battles take place on a 7×7 grid that characters and enemies can move around in. There’s no MP system, so skills can be used freely, though certain skills will take time to charge. Beyond dealing damage, some skills can also alter the battlefield, like creating damaging tiles.

At about 22 to 30 hours long, Live A Live’s Switch remake is also quite brisk for a modern JRPG — a plus if you’re in the mood for something lean after finishing a 100 hour blockbuster.

 

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree

Every now and again, a game will revolutionize its genre and spawn a whole subcategory of imitators. You’ve heard of Soulslikes, now get ready for Hadeslikes. Now, it’s not the most RP of RPGs here, but it is interesting.

On the surface, Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree will quickly evoke comparisons to Supergiant’s roguelike masterpiece. You’ll fight your way through rooms full of enemies in isometric view, and earn rewards based on the room you decided to enter. Die mid-run, and you’ll lose everything sans a permanent currency that can be spent to make upgrades for future runs.

But Towa has a few twists that help it step out of Hades’s shadow. The most obvious one is its setting — a village and surrounding biomes that draw heavily from Japanese mythology. The art direction is absolutely lovely, and while it’s no Ōkami, fans of Capcom’s PS2 classic will still find themselves at home here.

Rather than featuring different weapons to pick from, Towa has multiple playable characters, and each run has you bring along two of them. The Tsurugi wields two swords and is your primary attacker, while the Kagura follows along and casts magic. The gut-wrenching twist to all of this, though, is what happens if you manage to finish a run: your Tsurugi must sacrifice the Kagura, killing them in a ritual to send mana back to the village, removing that character as an option for future runs.

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a bit too dialogue heavy at times for its own good, but it’s got heart, and its unique mechanics help it stand out in a genre that’s still seeing a massive boom.

 

Cosmic Star Heroine

Fans of Cthulhu Saves the World might be pleased to know that its developer, Zeboyd Games, is still alive and kicking. Not too long ago they released This Madness Lies that is pretty underrated on its own. But before that, there was Cosmic Star Heroine.

Like Cthulhu Saves the World, Cosmic Star Heroine is a love letter to RPGs new and old, drawing inspiration from games like Chrono Trigger, Bravely Default, and Mass Effect.

These inspirations are easy to see from the moment you start the game. Combat takes place on the field like in Chrono Trigger, and incentivizes using the defend command (like Bravely Default) to recharge skills. You’ve even got a home base in the form of a ship, evoking the Normandy from Mass Effect.

The story, on the other hand, is one of Cosmic Star Heroine’s few shortcomings, being rather rushed and underdeveloped. It starts out rather promising, with protagonist Alyssa L’Salle being tasked by the Agency of Peace & Intelligence with defusing a hostage crisis, but ultimately moves too quickly for its own good, with most of the 11 party members not getting enough screen time or development.

Still, its concise runtime and reasonable price means it’s worth a look, especially if you’re a fan of the classic Phantasy Star games.

 

The Cruel King and the Great Hero

RPGs can sometimes have a bit of a fairytale-esque quality about them, with concepts like chosen heroes, sacred weapons, dragons, and many, many forms of pure evil that can corrupt the land itself.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero, developed by Nippon Ichi Software, takes things a step further. With an art style that looks like it came straight from a storybook, this RPG tells the story of you, no Yuu, the daughter of a great hero. That hero has long since perished, having entrusted the Dragon King — who he once bested in battle and befriended — with raising his child to become a great hero herself.

Yuu’s journey is, by modern RPG standards, a bit basic and unoriginal. You’ve got simple turn-based battles (with Yuu being joined by one partner from time to time), as well as typical side quests that can sometimes bog the pacing down later in the game.

The story and art direction is where this game truly shines, with an endearing premise and cast of characters. Yuu’s dragon dad even looks out for her, hiding in the background and using his fire breath to secretly help his adopted daughter in combat. It all makes for a cute and cozy experience, perfect as a palette cleanser after a darker game, or for simply escaping the horrors of modern society. QR codes as menus. What did they do to us?

 

Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi

Dungeon crawlers aren’t the most mainstream genre these days, but there are plenty of hidden gems if you know where to look. If you’re a Shin Megami Tensei veteran who misses the vibes of the first two games or Strange Journey, then consider delving into this deadly labyrinth beneath Tokyo.

Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi is a first-person, turn-based dungeon crawler RPG that has it all, from character classes to good ol’ random encounters.

When a labyrinth full of dangerous monsters appears in Tokyo, a new energy source is discovered inside of it. Naturally, that means one thing: corporations springing up left and right to mine the heck out of the place, regardless of the dangers within. That’s where you come in; the titular Undernauts are customizable characters with different backgrounds and job classes to choose from.

Dungeon crawler fans will likely feel at home in Yomi, but this game’s got a few tricks up its sleeve. For one, your loot after combat can be boobytrapped, and if you don’t have any lockpicks to bust them open, you’ll have to guess what kind of trap it is, with the odds of getting it right falling as your team loses mana. Meanwhile, tools like Yomi Flowers can be used to find hidden passages, or mark specific spots to always force a random encounter — perfect for grinding.

If you’ve been itching for a moody, grindy experience, this is the one for you.

 

Langrisser I & II

All you Fire Emblem sickos out there have, at this point, probably already played every game in the series available on modern platforms. If you’re looking for something to tide you over until Fortune’s Weave, then look no further than Langrisser I & II.

Originally released for the Sega Genesis, both Langrisser games tell stories of warring countries, malicious monsters, and higher powers. Both games also offer dialogue choices and branching story routes, with multiple different endings to see.

Plenty of other SRPG staples are here. You’ve got a weapon triangle (or unit type triangle, in this case), a class system, as well as different types of terrain that affect unit performance.

Langrisser I & II also feature the ability to hire mercenaries to accompany your ally commanders, bulking up your army size and making for large scale battles. These mercenaries don’t get EXP or level up, with all their kills transferring EXP to their assigned commander. This means that you can use them to pull off any risky maneuvers you can think of with endangering your core characters.

Of the two games in this collection, Langrisser II has the better story by far, but both games are solid additions to any SRPG fan’s library. Those of you who are nostalgic for the 90s can also use the original music and character artwork in place of the remakes’.