I had been looking forward to the new Pokémon generation and was going to ask for Pokémon Violet for Christmas. However, in light of the myriad reviews detailing severe technical problems, I don’t think I can justify this game even as a gift. It’s a shame given many reviews have said the game is genuinely fun and enjoyable. A particularly interesting review came from the Washington Post: “[After ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Violet,’ we can’t give Game Freak a pass](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/11/18/pokemon-scarlet-violet-graphics-glitches-problems/).”
What are other great Switch games from 2022 in the $40-$60 range? Not Pokémon-likes because I’ve never been interested in third party takes on this type of game.
Games I already have from 2022:
* Pokémon Legends Arceus
* Xenoblade Chronicles 3
* Nier: Automata
* Live A Live
* Astroneer
* Cult of the Lamb
* Rogue Legacy 2
* Potion Permit
* No Man’s Sky
Update: I’m not really looking for other games like Pokémon, but just other 2022 games. I’m a big solo gamer that loves RPGs. I like many other types of games though as well, though they have little representation in the $40-$60 range (usually indie games).
by burningzenithx
25 Comments
Not a 2022 game, but have you tried Shin Megami Tensei V?
Temtem – needs online.
Coromon is a fun monster-catching RPG that I’d highly recommend. It’s heavily influenced off of Pokémon’s GBA aesthetics but builds off of it to that help make it stand out.
All these other comments talking about monster catching games when that’s not what you want.
I picked up Splatoon 3 on launch, and it’s been a blast. Is NOT a monster catching game, has a good single player story (not super long), the big chunk of the game is online multiplayer battles. In 10 weeks I’ve sunk about 300 (maybe more) hours into it.
Maybe some of these?
– Digimon Survive
– Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
– Triangle Strategy
It’s not out yet so I can’t say if it will be for you or not but it sounds like Dragon Quest: Treasures might be worth looking into? I think it’s coming out in early December.
And if you haven’t played it yet (not 2022, but doesn’t matter frankly), I would highly recommend Dragon Quest 11. Might be a controversial opinion but I think it’s better than just about every RPG that came out this year. It’s such a charming and pure RPG that doesn’t try to be something that it’s not.
Triangle Strategy and even though it’s a 2019 game, Astral Chain.
Siralim Ultimate in a couple weeks.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Or just Pokémon. Seriously, people are having a blast with it. And you’ll know in a month if it’s patched. I watched a stream today, looks fun.
I’m having a blast with Persona 5 Royal and it’s on sale in the US for $30.
New Pokemon Snap maybe? Such an enjoyable game.
Cheaper, but Hades is always a solid pick.
Astral Chain. If you like Nier, you might like it as it’s from the same developer.
Mario and Rabbids… Kingdom Battle first, and then Sparks of Hope if you liked it.
Not a 2022 game, but Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is better than any Pokemon game that has released since the DS era in my opinion. It’s everything that Legends Arceus should have been, and everything Scarlet and Violet want to be. Definitely worth a look-in!
For 2022 games, one I had a surprising amount of fun with was The DioField Chronicle. It works better on Switch than you might expect it to, and the narrative style is definitely unique, even though it may or may not be to your taste.
The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a tragically overlooked gem of a title too. It’s not the most complicated of titles, but it doesn’t need to be, it has a charming story and visual style, and combat that is perfectly functional…although the encounter rate can be very aggravating at times.
We’ve also had two Voice of Cards games this year. Just sayin.
Temtem
The only reasonable alternatives are Tem Tem, Digimon or Dinal Fantasy World.
Shin Megami Tensei V or Persona 5R are also a viable alternative if you are fine having monsters instead of cutesy pokemons as companions.
However, if you are fine with the more traditional jrpg turn based games, then your options are virtually limitless from Atelier to Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest and everything in between.
For indie games, I did enjoy Battle Chaser, Ruined King, and Child of Light
I wouldn’t call the technical problems “severe”. There are a bunch of drops in handheld and lag when pulling up dex entries, but nothing game breaking going on.
Original Sun and Moon had similar performance issues in battles on the 3DS. They had pretty intense frame rate issues,especially during Totem. Battles. Those were worse than what SV are seeing so far. And later it was all better and fixed with USUM which in SV’s case would be with a patch.
Kirby And The Forgotten Land, easily game of the year for me. 100%ing it took me about as long as it does to beat the average Pokemon game.
Tactics Ogre Reborn sucked me in and won’t let me go.
Grand teft auto v
Kirby & The Forgotten Land
Monster Hunter stories 2, nexomon, monster sanctuary, Coromon, monster crown, siralim…
Shin Megami Tensei V? I don’t remember if it released on 2022, but I discovered and played it this year and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Monster Hunter stories 2
Coromon, monster sanctuary.