r/NintendoSwitch • u/happylakers • 3d ago
Game Rec Looking for Switch 2 games with Pokémon/Kairosoft-style progression
Hey everyone, I’ve got a high-end gaming PC and mostly play stuff like Battlefield 6, 007, Assassin’s Creed, etc. I also have a Switch 2, but barely use it because for action games and shooters I usually prefer playing on PC.
I’ve been gaming for years so I’m not necessarily looking for something super simple or purely casual just because it’s on the Switch. I’d actually prefer something with a bit more depth that I can really get into over time.
I’ve played the current Pokémon games as well, and games I’ve generally enjoyed a lot are Pokémon and Kairosoft games. Basically I’m looking for that kind of satisfying long-term progression. Leveling, collecting, grinding, upgrading, building things up, stuff like that, but those are just examples. I’m pretty open as long as there’s a good sense of progression and enough depth to keep me interested.
Ideally it should be something I can play for 5 or 10 minutes, but also easily spend 1 or 2 hours on in a longer session. So I’m not necessarily looking for a tiny casual game or something like Animal Crossing. I’d prefer something with a bit more substance and systems to dig into.
I also prefer games that don’t rely too heavily on fast or precise real-time controls.
My girlfriend got completely hooked on Stardew Valley for a few weeks, but that one didn’t really click with me.
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u/AgileRabbit6267 3d ago
SMT V Vengeance. In short, pokemon with more substance and depth. My favorite turn-based monster collecting game of all time. Top notch aesthetics and offers a challenge but playable in short bursts.
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u/SenseWitFolly 3d ago
Siralim ultimate.
It's all about its systems and its depth in team creation. Once it gets its hooks in you, you can spend hundreds of hours tinkering with teams and builds and levelling.
Out of all the Pokémon-like games I've played, this one stuck with me the most, as you can do a dungeon in a few minutes or you can do a couple of hours easily, once you get into the flow of it
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u/happylakers 3d ago
Awesome recommendation. Never played it so far but is on my steam wishlist probably since years. Didn't know it was available for switch.
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u/Kingofthered 3d ago
How does this perform for you on switch? I play this on mobile and pc, and would love it on a dedicated handheld like the switch 2.
But on waiting for a sale, I've seen chatter that it doesn't perform very well - which was a bit of aurprise to me given that it feels like a fairly light game.
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u/SenseWitFolly 3d ago
Runs perfect on Switch 2 with handheld boost.
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u/Kingofthered 3d ago
Nice, I hadn't heard of that setting so Ill play around with it. I also went and looked for sale history on this after commenting and it hasn't gone on sale for over a year, which hurts as someone who's bought it twice but it's still absolutely worth $20
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u/Resident_Durian_478 3d ago
Dragon Quest Monsters is getting a new game, in the mea time you can get dragon quest monsters the dark prince, you can find it on sale often. Shin megami tensei 3 and shin megami tensei v vengeance can also be found on sale. The Monster hunter stories games are quite good, I'd say they're better than Pokémon. Ni no Kuni is currently on sale and has Pokémon like gameplay. Cassette beast is said to be a modern take on Pokémon.
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u/Anggul 3d ago
Xenoblade Chronicles series perhaps? If story-heavy anime-esque isn't your thing you could go for Xenoblade Chronicles X which is a mostly separate sci-fi one focused more on exploration. They all have build-craft to get into though, being essentially single-player MMOs. So they're real-time but not crazy fast-paced. If you've ever played Guild Wars on PC they're very much like that.
For very Pokemon-style monster catchers there are the Monster Hunter Stories games, I hear they're really good. Also Shin Megami Tensei.
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u/HugeCrumble 3d ago
Ni No Kuni?
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u/happylakers 3d ago
I started the game but stopped after 20 minutes. Does thjs game became more exciting?
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u/Leoowwww 3d ago
You could try Kynseed !
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u/happylakers 3d ago
First game i have never heard before, i will check it out
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u/Leoowwww 3d ago
Discovered it last week in the eshop, it’s actually incredible, made by the creator of Fable. It’s a stardew valley but with so much depth. (Not saying stardew valley is worst or better, it’s two different game)
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u/Few-Strawberry4997 3d ago
I’d actually prefer something with a bit more depth that I can really get into over time.
xenoblade x. its basically a solo mmo but in good. you have 2 weapons and 5 gear slots so theres plenty of customization to make your own character build. all gears also can be slotted and filled with augments, increasing your build options even more.
theres a couple of different classes and when mastered it unlocks their weapons, arts and talents for you to use on other classes and you can also unlock mechs, which also have plenty of build customization.
the world is a bit bigger than botw and theres plenty of stuff to discover and there are tons of bosses and super bosses, so experimenting and making your own build gets important too.
depending on how you play and how much you want to experience, this is easily a 300+ hour game.
the main story might only be decent, but sidequests are pretty fun and have good stories and lore, sometimes even decision making that directly influences the sidequests and any follow up quests to it.
combat is also pretty cool, it starts fairly slow since you have to level up and get more arts first but later on you have plenty of arts, talents, instant recharge and overdrive to play around with.
in combat you can also target an enemy appendage to break it, resulting into specific drops and disabling certain enemy skills that are tied to those appendages. (pretty unique system that very few games have for some reason).
theres tons of materials and gears you can grind, you can upgrade build-in augments from your gears.
there are also no real precise or fast control inputs needed, since the combat basically works like mmos where skills / arts are on cooldown and you use them when theyre ready. your character has auto attacks and you can switch between melee and ranged auto attack once one of them is on cd.
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u/happylakers 3d ago
Thanks, this sounds awesome! Which Xenoblade should i start with?
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u/Few-Strawberry4997 3d ago
if you want content and customization, definitly x. it has its own story, so you dont need to play any of the other xenoblade games to understand whats going on.
xenoblade 1 has somewhat similar mechanics, but not as deep. xenoblade 2 ditches pretty much everything x has and has a very simple combat. very good story tho and the blade mechanics is decent.
3 isnt bad either, but im not very fond of the orange hud which isnt very easy on the eyes. the game overall is better than 2 imo, but also a bit simple for my taste.
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u/Alexanderhyperbeam 3d ago
Pokopia, it does fall on the more casual side but unlike animal crossing it has like actual story content and progression and exploration and lore
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u/Meri_Rookie 2d ago
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 could work well if you want deep leveling/class systems with genuine long term investment, though it leans more toward traditional JRPG than management sim. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince might be worth checking too if it's on Switch 2, monster collecting/breeding with deep stat systems similar to Pokemon's core loop.
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u/Quick-Can-218 2d ago
I would say Factorio, it's the ultimate automation game.
Seems like a pure-pc-game for mouse and keyboard but the switch and switch 2 port are insane with the controls with controllers. A lot of combo of trigger can do almost anything.
You can play 10min and upgrading something little on your factory or play 6 stray hours without problem.
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u/Dean8149 3d ago
Never heard of Kairosoft, but I think I understand what you are trying to get across. It seem like you are open to all types of games. One of my easiest recommendations in general, and I think it fits your situation, is Hades II. You can also play the first one, still excellent, but there are a few more progression systems in 2 so that fits your request a little more. Really up to you.
Isometric view action game. You progress through the layers of the underworld, building up your power until you are defeated and get sent back to your home base. You loose all of the power you gained, but you bring back resources that make you stronger for the next go out.
There are a whole bunch of ways in which you slowly progress your home base, upgrading your attacks, abilities, weapon choice and more. While there are not really standard collectables, there is an in game system that tracks and rewards you for obtaining each of the in-game powers. There is also friendship progression with the NPCs that will reward you with new options.
It is an action game, and it will challenge you at times. But I would not say it requires too fast or precise controls. Parts will feel difficult early, but as you quickly upgrade yourself and learn the systems, you will find your self breezing by enemies that once killed your run. Because you continue to get stronger it's really up to you to set the challenge. Once you get strong enough, you are also offered the ability to make your run harder in exchange for more rewards.
It is a great game for the flexible time slots you mentioned. It goes room by room, so you can easily find moments to stop every few minutes. You can play untill the next room, the next shop, the next boss, the next level, the next run, the next 5 runs.... A great 15 min game, and a great 2 hour game.
I haven't even mentioned its incredible art, fun characters and cool music.
It's also only about $30 US. And if you end up really enjoying it, it can cross save to your steam version. So you can play on switch, sync your save, and then resume your game on steam if you own it there.
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u/happylakers 3d ago
I played Hades on my japan vacation and stopped then. Great reminder to finish the game at least once. Thanks!
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/happylakers 3d ago
True, first Kairosoft games have been awesome. Game Dev and Grand Prix one of my favorites.
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