Seems like everybody is reporting on how Nintendo will be releasing the Switch successor by some time in 2025. This means we’re in the homestretch of the Switch’s prime. So many of my favorite entries of Nintendo’s most beloved series are on the Switch. Mario Kart and Smash Bros have arguably never been better. Mario Odyssey and Kirby and Forgotten Lands are borderline masterpieces. Zelda has had a barrage of fantastic titles. The entirety of Pikmin is now playable on the Switch. But Nintendo has a massive backlog. Many of those franchises don’t have remakes, remasters, collections, or sequels on the Switch. I think being on the Switch has a force multiplier aspect about itself. If Nintendo put Ice Climbers on the Switch I think it would sell well. So let’s look at some franchises that deserve a shot on the Switch.

We’re going to start with Donkey Kong. Maybe this is technically cheating, because Tropical Freeze did get ported over to the Switch early in it’s lifespan. However, if I’m not mistaken, Donkey Kong has gotten a new game on every Nintendo console. If things hold as they are, that streak will come to an end. I’d love to see a true sequel to Donkey Kong 64, or at least an open world DK game. But if Donkey Kong Country got a new entry, no one would complain. Especially since players have long viewed Nintendo platformers in three tiers: Easy, medium, hard. The easy platformer being Kirby. The medium platformer being Mario. The hardest being DK. That’s why it’s very weird Donkey has not got a new title in the extensive life of the Nintendo Switch.

Next up is F-Zero. My only explanation here is Nintendo believes in the cannibal theory. This is to say that F-Zero would eat Into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s sales or player base. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the highest selling Switch game to date. But again, if Nintendo would just use the same tier system it does for the platformers, I don’t think it would be a problem. In this instance, Mario Kart could be a more wacky arcade racer. While F-Zero could appeal more to speed Junkies. Personally I feel as if both games could occupy a spot in Nintenon’s online repertoire. Nintendo did test the waters with F-Zero 99. Hopefully that was enough of an experiment to motivate Nintendo into launching a new game in the series!

The next title I’d like to talk about is Kid Icarus. Honestly, I don’t have a lot to pull from for this one. Sure, Kid Icarus is one of Nintendo’s oldest titles, dating back to the NES. And sure, it wasn’t totally forgotten about thanks to its 3DS release. But that’s about it. Pitt and Palutena have been represented In Smash Bros, making that the last time we’ve seen Kid Icarus characters. I will say Kid Icarus Uprising on 3DS is often cited in people’s top 10 3DS games, so that game does seem to have been a roaring success. My fear though, is that the game came out 12 years ago and has had no traction since then.  I also think the Wii U would have been a perfect console to do an Uprising sequel. At this point I’m not sure where they would go with the franchise. However, the Switch seems like a perfect time to reinvent the series.

Now we move on to Chibi Robo. Chibi Robo started off life as a hidden gem all the way back on the Gamecube. It did go on to get some sequels on the DS family of handheld. But I want to see Chibi on the Switch. The internet and home appliances have been revolutionized over the last couple of decades which I think could make game design interesting. You could have a roomba that moves in and tries to steal Chibi’s job or constantly trying to suck him up on his vacuuming adventures. All the appliances could be sentient (like a talking fridge or what have you.) I don’t know, I feel like in this day and age a new Chibi adventure could have some really fresh ideas with that Nintendo storytelling and world building charm. It’s something I want to see sooner than later.

Last game today is Star Fox. Star Fox has always been my favorite designed Nintendo character. The dude screams cool. I have played Star Fox 0 and I’m not a hater of it. I get it if the unique control scheme turned people off or if it didn’t capture that nostalgic feel of Star Fox 64, but I definitely didn’t hate it. What I want out of the next Star Fox game is a perfectly blend of linear, on rail shooting levels, mixed with sections on feet and in the other vehicles. Star Fox could probably pull off a big open world adventure thanks to all the machines he has access to or could be created for the purpose of this game. But it doesn’t have to be a big sprawling adventure. It doesn’t have to be Star Field to be an awesome mix of both genres. I loved Star Fox 64 and Adventures. If you could take the best of both and create a hybrid escapade, that sounds awesome. Though, they may take him more back to his roots and be a strict on rail shooter. Let me know how you think they should handle whatever comes next for Star Fox.

So that’s the franchises I think deserve life on the Switch before we move on to whatever next. I know we left off some great series like Ice Climbers and Punch Out, so let me know below what are some other series that deserve some love right now! Thanks for watching.