The Best Nintendo Game Every Year 1983 - 2024
6. 2019 - Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Famously, Fire Emblem Awakening was the game that really caused the long-running strategy sim to blow up in the West and also - by extension - saved its neck from the chopping block. Ergo, its debut on the Switch needed to maintain the momentum.
And Three Houses met expectations by totally refreshing itself for the new age. Swapping out tired mechanics for something much deeper, the stakes of battles are now far greater as each unit has so much more individuality based on how you train them.
Training is part of the monastery, which houses the expanded social side of the game. This allows for greater control of the pace of the experience for both developers and players, who are rewarded for checking in with classmates rather than just bouncing from one battle to the next. This is made all the sweeter by incredible writing and voice performance, which is consistent across its gigantic cast.
With four possible major story paths and a seemingly endless amount of customisation, Three Houses is one of those perfect Switch games as it gets better the more you play.
Fire Emblem Awakening lit a fire under the series and Three Houses cemented it as one of Nintendo’s most worthwhile properties, making sure that it’s here to stay.