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Our 5 favorite Nintendo Switch games that aren’t Mario Kart or Zelda

Published May 26th, 2017 1:07PM EDT
Image: Serpell-Rand/REX/Shutterstock

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It’s still not easy to get your hands on a new Nintendo Switch video game console, but if you do have one there are two games you obviously have already. The first is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which launched last month and is an absolute blast to play. The second is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it truly is a masterpiece. Those two titles are more than enough to keep you busy for a while, but you’re going to want a little more variety than that after a while. Below, you’ll find our five favorite Switch games available right now that aren’t Breath of the Wild or Mario Kart.

LEGO City Undercover

Join the Chase! In LEGO CITY Undercover, play as Chase McCain, a police officer who’s been tasked with going undercover to hunt down the notorious – and recently escaped – criminal Rex Fury and putting an end to his city-wide crime wave. With two player co-op, friends can explore the sprawling open-world metropolis that is LEGO City, with more than 20 unique districts to investigate, car thieves to bust, hilarious movie references to discover, vehicles to drive, and hundreds of collectibles. LEGO CITY Undercover brings together witty, original storytelling with signature LEGO humor to create a fun-filled experience for players of all ages to enjoy.

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FAST RMX

Jump into the driver’s seat of your anti-gravity vehicle and put your skills to the test in high octane competitions. Play locally with three of your friends in splitscreen or online against 7 other players from all around the world. Drive through abandoned mines in the depths of the earth, to dense jungle areas, futuristic cities, crossing vast deserts and finally up into the stratosphere and beyond. Become a legend and master all courses on even the highest speed! Features: Race anti-gravity vehicles in this lightning-fast arcade racer Play with anybody, anywhere you like Zoom through 30 tracks set in canyons, alpine peaks, futuristic cities and much more 15 futuristic racing machines Master the art of boosting and phase switching to stay ahead of the competition Splitscreen-multiplayer with up to 4 players Local play against up to 7 players Online play against up to 7 players Non stop adrenaline pumping action at 60 frames per second in 1080p Unlock the HERO MODE to play with new rules and new challenges!

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Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the full and complete edition of Shovel Knight, a sweeping classic action adventure game series with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic! Become Shovel Knight, wielder of the Shovel Blade, as he runs, jumps, and battles in a quest for his lost beloved. Take down the nefarious knights of the Order of No Quarter and their menacing leader, The Enchantress. But that’s not everything! Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove also features three additional campaigns that are games all unto themselves! Take control of Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight on adventures of their own! Together, they form a grand and sweeping saga! With a fully cooperative campaign, a full-featured challenge mode, a 4 player battle mode, and body swap mode, you’ll be digging for a long time. With Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, you get it all. Uphold the virtues of Shovelry, earn relics and riches, and discover the true meaning of shovel justice!

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Has Been Heroes

Has-Been Heroes is a roguelike action game featuring a band of heroes on a quest to escort the King’s twin princesses to magic Academy. The game combines strategy and action into a mix where you control three characters and focus on combining spells and items for devastating combo effects! Has-Been Heroes features a young rogue, a wishful wannabe hero, who stumbles across a pair of old, battle-worn heroes. They receive the ultimate quest from the King – escort his precious twin princesses to Princess Academy, on the far side of the world. Eager for heroics, the young rogue joins the band of heroes and the trio put their best foot forward. As the heroes travel across the world, they come across a wide variety of enemies – ranging from bad-breath skeletons and zombies to evil spirits, the meanest of all enemies (100% evil!). Each enemy type (and enemy subclass) has specific attributes and immunities – evil spirits cannot be hit by melee attacks, for example, so the player needs to make them hittable by using spells of a certain type. New characters are unlocked during the course of the game. The new heroes are each unique with custom attributes and a set of different starting items/spells that give the player an edge in combat – or a vulnerability. Each run is unique with random encounters, spell and item drops, as well as regions. The game features 200 items and 100 spells to unlock. Only a fraction of these are available in the first run, and obtaining new items and spells is a game changer for the player. Death in Has-Been Heroes is a common occurrence and permanent, and the player has to start over. However, death comes bearing gifts, literally! Over 100 hours of gameplay Has-Been Heroes has a story that keeps on growing as the player plays and completes the game. New story layers are added with each playthrough. 2D art style with visually stunning spell effects.

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Puyo Puyo Tetris

Two puzzle game juggernauts collide as Tetris, one of the largest-selling and recognized brands in gaming history, and Puyo Puyo from SEGA have combined to create a fun-to-play, fast-paced, competitive party game like no other! Up to 4 players will get to choose whether to play the classic Tetris or Puyo modes to compete against each other, or they can try any of the game’s inventive fusion modes, including one where players have to master both Puyo AND Tetris together! And whether it’s trying to top the online leaderboards of worldwide competition or just being the best player on your couch, Puyo Tetris is chock full of puzzle action!

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Maren Estrada Deals Editor

Maren Estrada has been the Editor of BGR Deals since it launched in 2013. She has more than 20 years of experience testing more than 1,500 products, and reviewing a wide range of consumer electronics including mobile devices, smart home products, computers, and home appliances.

Previously, she was a leading consultant specializing in copywriting, product development, and new product launches.