In recent years, the Switch has become home to a wide variety of quality ports from other platforms. Games from around the world have made the leap to Nintendo’s portable hybrid, including minor mobile hits, cross-console releases from a few years ago and more unexpected and recent cross-platform titles. 2020 was no exception, with some fantastic ports arriving on the island, including Goliath efforts like DOOM Eternal and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, excellent renovations of old games like Xenoblade Chronicles and the Subway sensitive remasters and custom adaptations like Evolution of the Jurassic World and Hypnospace Outlaw.
In the past few years, we’ve seen the ports we’d love to see come to the Switch, and it’s nice to look back and see how many ports have been activated on the console in one way or another. Below, we’ve collected just a few of the games we’d like to see arrive on the Nintendo console in the next twelve months. Some of them are remnants of previous years for which we still have our fingers and toes crossed, while others are new releases that we think would complement the Switch library perfectly.
There are still a few remaining Wii U ports that haven’t made it to the Switch (which we collected and evaluated elsewhere), although Super Mario 3D World is coming in February. We are also looking forward to the announced Switch versions of the indie classics Spelunky, Spelunky 2 and Braid in 2021.
Let’s take a look at our top 10 port-based hopes for Switch in 2021, all but one of which debuted on non-Nintendo systems.
Autumn staff
One of the biggest hits of 2020, Autumn staff is a battle royale platform game that has given blocked players a social outlet with its collection of chaotically fun mini-games. Our friends at the sister site Push Square loved their brand of colorful multiplayer chaos, and ‘colorful multiplayer chaos’ sure sounds like you’re at home on a particular Nintendo console.
What are the odds?
Strong, we would say. After an extremely successful release for PC and PS4, the developer Mediatonic has been trying to update itself by making content available and eliminating bugs. Season 3 is on the air at the time of writing, so as long as Devolver Digital’s creators and publisher can find time to build a strong game build for other platforms, we’d imagine there’s a will, even if the way it’s a little foggy at the moment.
A good FIFA game!
Zing! We got to the point where we just got tired of the ‘Legacy Edition’ treatment. If EA is not going to invest in bringing the full FIFA experience to Switch, we would really prefer that they don’t even care.
What are the odds?
Depressively thin. We’ve seen the nearsighted egg and chicken situation that EA worked on, and despite supporting the Switch elsewhere with releases like Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered It is the next Apex Legends, clearly does not care about the comparative exchanges to be made from a major Switch port while FIFA Ultimate Team continues to earn millions elsewhere every week.
It seems that our greatest hope is that someone else will fill the void of football on Switch.
Outer Wilds
Yes, it appeared on our wish list last year and we are still looking forward to it on the Switch. Not to be confused with the similar name The Outer Worlds (which did will come to Switch in 2020), Outer Wilds is a mysterious FPS of open world (s) based on space that involves a repeating 22 minute time loop. As lovers of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, we are big fans of time loops and the publisher Annapurna Interactive has a good history of bringing games to Switch.
What are the odds?
As we said last year, Outer Wilds is built on Unity and its stylized art and solitary exploration would work well on the Switch. The biggest problem against this is the workload for the small Mobius development team and 2020 probably hasn’t helped in that regard. We are still hopeful, however.
Bugsnax
One of the joyful highlights of the year for Playstation owners, Bugsnax is a delicious first person insect hunting adventure with a surreal (and marginally horrible) touch and a Pokémon Snapthat’s about it. If nothing else, your catchy Kero Kero Bonito theme song is worth the price of admission and we would love to hear it on the Switch.
So, are we talking about Bugsnax on Switch?
Perhaps. Independent studio Young Horses may have signed with Sony to make Bugsnax an exclusive PS release, but as far as we know, there is nothing to stop the game from reaching other platforms at a later date. Performance was somewhat unstable on PS4, but given the proper care and attention, a Switch version is well within the realm of possibilities.
It’s hard to argue that your colorful creatures wouldn’t fit Nintendo’s hardware very well, would it? Nintendo players also can’t get enough of picking up catalogs of cute creatures.
Persona 5
There is a fantastic library of JRPGs on the Switch and the inclusion of the Joker in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate led us to believe that Persona 5 on Switch was a mere formality – perhaps a launch of Persona 5 Royal with extra content? But no, next April will mark the fourth anniversary of the game in the West and Persona 5 is still not available on a Nintendo system.
Yes, yes, we are doing it Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, a Musou crossover (and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity turned out very well), but it does not replace the dripping style of the original. Come on, Atlus!
What are the odds?
10%? Err …, 90%? It sounds like a no-brainer, but we gave up trying to define Atlus and its controller Sega in things like ‘logic’. Remember, Persona 5 was released on PlayStation 3, so Switch could ‘handle’ P5 very well. Not launching a Switch port feels like Sega is leaving a lot of money on the table.
Speaking of Sega …