Despite being the Switch’s sixth year on the market, 2023 saw several highly anticipated games release and break new records for Nintendo’s hybrid console. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom felt like a once-in-a-lifetime release and the year closing out with a remake of Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars was a fantastic way to send things off.
2024 doesn’t currently have quite as stacked of a line-up, but Nintendo is known for throwing some surprises out whenever it needs a win. Just look at Metroid Prime Remastered, which had fanfare for about the length of its trailer before Nintendo revealed it was on the eShop that same day. Currently, 2024 seems more subdued, but then we could finally get our hands on Metroid Prime 4.
With that said the staff at Nintendo Wire has voted for its top five most anticipated Switch releases for the new year. Some will be obvious while others may surprise you.
Penny’s Big Breakaway
This might be the first time some of you have even heard of this game, but Penny’s Big Breakaway has made the list for one very clear reason: this is the first major release for indie developer Christian Whitehead since Sonic Mania in 2017. Since Mania is still the best Sonic release in almost 30 years, it stands to reason that Penny’s will be just as good.
Even if it can’t quite reach those same heights, Penny’s Big Breakaway looks to spiritually revive another of Sega’s cult-classic favorites: Billy Hatcher. With colorful visuals and a legendary indie team behind it, we have every reason to believe that this game will be one of the best platformers released in 2024.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
To those in the know, Nintendo’s acquisition of developer Next Level Games in January of 2021 made perfect sense. Having done support work for 10 years before being given the reins of the Luigi’s Mansion IP, the company created a sequel that improved upon the foundation of the cult-classic original in numerous ways and then followed that up with one of Nintendo’s finest-looking games ever in 2019 with Luigi’s Mansion 3. The company was living up to its lofty name.
So while it might be a little disappointing that this is simply a remaster, Luigi’s Mansion 2 (previously known as Dark Moon in North America) is an excellent game that deserves another shot at life. As mentioned above, it improves upon the formula of the original with bite-sized levels, more interesting environments, and a solid multiplayer mode. With the 3DS servers going down in 2024, this will ensure that fans can continue climbing the scarescraper for the foreseeable future.
Hades 2
This is probably the one entry we won’t have to detail too much. Who doesn’t love Hades? While the game feels complete as is, would you say no to a sequel? Developer Supergiant Games has made some absolute classics since the release of Bastion, so getting Hades 2 seems like a no-brainer.
The only caveat here is that the final version of Hades 2 may not release in 2024. Much like the first game, Supergiant has chosen to release Hades 2 in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Q2 2024. It didn’t take too long for the original to hit consoles, but this game could wind up missing a 2024 launch on Nintendo’s platform. Let’s hope for the best.
Princess Peach: Showtime
The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom only has one solo game to her name, the somewhat maligned Super Princess Peach from 2005. Despite a rise in popularity in recent years and even some playable appearances in proper Super Mario games, it’s taken until 2024 for Peach to get another solo outing. Thankfully, Princess Peach: Showtime looks great.
The biggest gimmick here is that Peach can change into different roles by wearing new costumes. While that might come off as a stereotypical cliche, the fact that one of Peach’s new roles is “Kung Fu Peach” means this game might be the greatest thing to ever exist. That’s not hyperbole, either. Who doesn’t want Peach performing wushu on her foes?
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Remake
Despite once being a high-quality series, Paper Mario has fallen out of favor in recent years. Nintendo tried to win some favor with The Origami King back in 2020, but with stripped-back RPG elements and a lack of challenge, fans were left clamoring for the original duology. So, why not finally revive that original series?
It seems surreal that Nintendo would not only remake Super Mario RPG, but the fan-favorite Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door within a year of each other. Celebrating the game’s 20th anniversary, this remake will update the visuals to an HD sheen, bring some quality-of-life improvements to the UI, and present new players the chance to experience one of the very best Mario RPG games ever made. It seems like we’re in a dream scenario here, but we’ll take it!
That concludes our list of the top five most anticipated Switch releases of 2024. There were some other games we had in contention, but these five stood out more from the pack. In a show of good sportsmanship, we’ve listed the other titles as runner-ups below. Here’s to a fruitful 2024!
- Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Remake
- Unicorn Overlord
- Metal Slug Tactics
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
- Another Code: Recollection
- Contra: Operation Galuga
Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
