The whimsical adventure game follows a young Bayonetta as she sets off on a quest to find a source of magic that will cure her "cowardice." This mission soon leads her to the forbidden Avalon forest, where she accidentally summons a demonic cat, Cheshire, to help her solve puzzles and navigate the treacherous woods. Yet despite Bayonetta's reputation and Platinum's legacy of making exhilarating action games, Bayonetta Origins just works. And it is precisely for this reason that when Platinum Games announced the next entry in the Bayonetta series would follow the future dominatrix as a young girl, more than a few heads turned. Since her debut in 2009, Bayonetta has been defined by her demonic powers, sexual magnetism, and dazzling flamboyance. Sometimes, it's enough to simply have a relaxing activity." - Kurt Indovina The more Pikmin 4 leans into fashioning itself after a more traditional game, with competition and fail-states, the more prone it is to getting in its own way. "It's all just very agreeable and sweet, and there's a certain gratification that comes from directing your little army of plant-people to gather treasures like fruits and Game Boy Advance cartridges. "That story, like most of Pikmin 4, is gentle and unobtrusive," Steve Watts wrote in our Pikmin 4 review. It's not just one of the best Switch games of the year, but one of the best in the system's library. All these new features, topped on everything else the series has done before, makes Pikmin 4 feel like a complete package and vision for the franchise. New game modes-allowing players to embrace the different offerings in its strategic gameplay, such as Night Expeditions, which is like Pikmin's version of tower defense, and Dandori Battles, which existed as Bingo Battles in previous games-are interwoven through the story to showcase the competitive edge of its mechanics. Pikmin 4's companion character, the dog-like creature Oatachi, is the best version of the series' take on playable companions yet. Pikmin 4 demonstrates Nintendo's iteration on the series, taking everything the games had done in the past and honing it into the most approachable and strategically deep Pikmin has ever been, including its more horror-like elements. And more than any Pikmin before it, Pikmin 4 encapsulates that best. As small of a detail as it is, I think it's emblematic of the series' entire tone: the joy and terror of exploring unknown territory. It's off-cue just enough that the deliberate placement of that single piano note turns the inspiring tone into something more unsettling. There's a moment in the opening title music of Pikmin 4, where in the flutter of piano notes invoking wonder and curiosity, there's a singular note played slightly off-timing with all the others. If this is ultimately going to be the last year for the Nintendo Switch before a new console takes some of its shine, 2023 was a strong way to finish.įor even more of the best games of 2023, be sure to read our choices for the top games of 2023, as well as our overall Game of the Year winner, Baldur's Gate 3. For this list, we considered all console exclusives, meaning games on Switch and PC were eligible, although this year, everything we selected ended up only being available on Switch. We also got excellent remakes like Metroid Prime Remastered, and some notable third-party support. This year, the system put its biggest names forward with both a long-anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as a new mainline Super Mario Bros. You wouldn't know it's on its way out from the library, though, as this year is one of the strongest that the little console-handheld hybrid has ever seen. The Nintendo Switch is approaching its twilight years as persistent rumors of a successor start to seem imminent. These are our very favorite Nintendo Switch games of 2023, showing just how strong the year has been for Nintendo's console-handheld hybrid.
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