Games We Missed Part 9
Image: Nintendo Life

Hello there, and welcome to the latest edition of our 'Games We Missed' series.

As you might gather from the name, this is our bi-annual round-up of reader-recommended Switch games which we weren't able to cover for one reason or another.

We asked Nintendo Life readers to send in suggestions for Switch games they thought were deserving of a spotlight. Following our callout, we have a whopping 41 games to look at today! We can't vouch for any of them personally, but we've got a bunch of very fine-looking candidates in the list below, many of which have gone on our personal wishlists.

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Each entry is accompanied by notes from whoever recommended it, occasionally edited for brevity or typos, plus a trailer where available. At the end, there's a poll to help you decide where to spend those Gold Points, too.

We here at NL will continue to do our very best to review as many games as we can covering as wide a range of genres and styles as possible. But for those we're forced to leave behind, this one's for you.

Peglin (Switch eShop)

First up, Peglin shadow-dropped during the August Indie World X Partner Showcase blowout and we weren't able to fit a review in. Here's what NL readers liked about it:

Peglin is like a mash up of Peggle and Slay the Spire and is brilliant despite how odd that combination sounds! Playing games of Peggle is translated into damage you do to enemies. There are power ups and upgrades galore to improve your killing power. It's a genuinely strategically deep roguelike, though the randomness of the Pachinko/Peggle mechanic may make you curse at times! Peglin has the same 'just one more run' addictive quality of Balatro, and playing handheld on the Switch is a great way to play a couple of games.
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A creative roguelike, in which the combat mechanics are based around playing Peggle. The game uses a Slay the Spire style map and upgrade system, in which you collect relics and upgrades and your balls in order to create higher damaging builds to take on progressively stronger enemies. The ability to save mid-run makes this a great game to play in short bursts.
Munchlax

I also notice you haven't reviewed Peglin from the latest Indie Direct. That game is incredibly good!
Quarth

Touhou Mystia's Izakaya (Switch eShop)

Touhou Mystia's Izakaya is worth a look even if you don't know your tous from your hous, according to Hee-ho-master.

Its a cute game where you manage an izakya and you get to meet tons of wacky characters! i personally played it on pc, but the switch version comes with all the dlc built in, which is cool. also dont worry about it being a touhou fangame, i dont know anything about touhou and i understood the game just fine.

Desktop BaseBall 2 (Switch eShop)

Mark thinks Desktop BaseBall 2 hits a home run.

SAT-BOX seems to have a whole series of 'Desktop' sports games, but Desktop Baseball 2 is the clear standout. It's a simple style of baseball game that is reminiscent of the Game Boy and SNES ones, but combined with a playing field that resembles a board game. The game starts simple but gradually reveals greater depth, such as the ability to customise your players' roulette wheels and change their stats with new bats.

If you want a game to play in quick sessions that can also be deep and challenging, DB2 provides that along with great visual and sound direction.

The Land Beneath Us (Switch eShop)

Next, we've got two recommendations for The Land Beneath Us:

A roguelite dungeon crawler. It sort of plays like a chess match where when receiving your attack upgrades you get to select the inputs those attacks will be attached to. Really tactical and freeing when you get a moveset you can combo with.
edgeforth64

I stumbled upon it by chance and it immediately hooked me. At the highest level, it is a turn-based dungeon crawler with rogue-lite elements based on a fixed movement grid.
Direct game analogies can be a little reductive, and I don't want to diminish the developer's work, but, the game plays a little like Crypt of the NecroDancer if you remove the time/beat mechanic. But this game is far from a copy and features some really great details layered on top of the core gameplay that add depth to the experience.
You assign weapons to each d-pad direction, so your attacks are direction-specific. There are also relics that you find and equip for stat boosts. And both weapons and relics are upgradable per run. So each new run allows a huge array of build customisations. On top of that are rogue-lite elements that provide permanent upgrades that persist for each run.
NB

Q REMASTERED (Switch eShop)

HammerGalladeBro recommends Q REMASTERED, a 2015 mobile game which came to Switch in 2022.

I discovered it in late 2023 when the Japanese comedy duo Yoiko played it. It got a follow-up this year in Q2 Humanity.

If you like Puzzle games that make you think out of the box and with a surprisingly good soundtrack, then this is for you.

The game allows you to play with a USB mouse on TV Mode.

Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils (Switch eShop)

Syrek is enamoured with Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils, an indie platformer from Colorgrave.

Easily one of the best platformers I’ve played in years. Tons of secrets, it has a Gameboy aesthetic and a character whose movement options are plentiful thanks to the main character being an acrobat and her sentiment bell companion who can be used for attacking enemies to speedrunning through levels. Oh and the soundtrack is superb! It also has a fairly in-depth story for those who want to explore everything this game has to offer. Easily a 9/10 game in my opinion!

TriggerHeart EXELICA (Switch)

TriggerHeart EXELICA shot straight to the top of Adam's list.

Highly recommend Triggerheart EXELICA for the shmups enjoyers. It has everything you want out of a shumps game: cute anime girls, interesting mechanics, and many many bullets to dodge! Triggerheart EXELICA stands out with its unique anchor mechanic for capturing enemy ships to use as a shield and battering ram. This port has several gameplay modes: arcade, story (with good/bad endings), and arrange. It seems to run great in both handheld and docked modes. A Western physical version is also expected in November 2024 for all the collectors out there.

planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet & Snow Globe (Switch eShop)

Adam also recommends planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet & Snow Globe, a collection of "a classic visual novel and its prequel."

The original story features a heartwarming story between a cold-hearted junker and a slightly broken robot girl (Yumemi) in a dystoipian future. The prequel explores Yumemi's past a little bit, prior to world collasping events. This is a kinetic novel, so the gameplay is largely just reading. Great for both VN veterans and newbies, given its low cost and shorter read time.

GYLT (Switch eShop)

GYLT is Tequila Works' latest game, and ScalenePowers is a fan.

In my eyes this team can do no wrong, though Rime and Sexy Brutale did struggle on Switch. Gylt has no such struggle!!
It also manages to tell an interesting story about a youth and bullying, while using mechanics not dissimilar from Luigi’s Mansion. There is no ghost vacuuming, but the small environments, and limited tools to solve objectives make Gylt feel like a must for enthusiasts of Nintendo’s playful horror series

Flying Tank (Switch eShop)

Al Ortiz is big on Hexage's Flying Tank.

Flying Tank is one of the better shooters to come out in a while. Every aspect about it is top-notch. I’m really shocked you guys haven’t reviewed this one since you’re normally all over shooters. Anywho, check it out if you’re a shooter fan…you’ll thank me.

Super Woden GP II (Switch eShop)

Al is also a fan of Super Woden GP II (and Laika : Aged Through Blood, although that's not actually on Switch yet, so we can't be blamed for missing that one, Al!).

An awesome old-school type isometric racer. My only complaint are the menus. Other than that, it’s got everything an awesome racer needs: great handling, sweet rides, excellent car-sound effects and plenty to do. Also, I adore the graphics (it’s got an incredibly unique visual style…never really seen anything like it).

#blud (Switch eShop)

Fredrik Sandvik calls us 'Nintendolife' (all-one-word) and also thinks we'll be reviewing these games, but we'll forgive him as #blud (that's 'Hashtag Blud') looks good.

An action-adventure game with an awesome cartoon aesthetic, not reviewed yet on Nintendolife. The game has a lot of heart put into it and deserves a bit more publicity I think. The crew at PushSquare reviewed the PS4 version earlier this year.
I feel #Blud would be a good fit for reviewing at this time of year (October) since it has a Halloweeny theme and revolves around a girl hunting vampires. The game has some funny Zelda references too!

Orbital Bullet (Switch eShop)

jufonuk keeps their praise short and sweet, but likes the rather neat-looking action-platformer Orbital Bullet.

Orbital bullet is a solid game. Really good old school run and gun.

Lotus Reverie: First Nexus (Switch eShop)

Munchlax sent several noms, including Lotus Reverie: First Nexus and Atlus' Kowloon High-School Chronicle - both interesting for Persona fans, in particular.

If you can get past the wonky menus, you have a surprisingly enjoyable visual novel inspired by the likes of Persona and Danganronpa, in which the last 7 survivors of a Battle Royake make a pact to try to live in peace with each other for as long as possible. Has a unique, but confusing combat system, but also a pure novel-only mode.