When I look at my library of Nintendo Switch games, something strange catches my eye: The Switch is the only console I own where I own more indie games than triple-A ones.
While I've been putting lots of hours in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Dragon Quest XI, I've also been playing games that are less time-intensive and commitment-heavy. Sayonara Wild Hearts has been one of my favorite experiences this year, and both City of Brass and Transistor have been my go-to games when I'm away at work.
But why is that, exactly?
Part of it stems from less competition, to be honest: If I want to play Hollow Knight on my PS4 or Monster Prom on my PC, I'm always going to be tempted by, well, everything else I have installed. As much as I would love to actually finish Undertale this year, I've also got four different Battle Passes to grind through('For the last time', Noelle lied) and so many ranked matches of League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege to level up in. Those indie games all have heart, but the pull of big budget adventures is strong.
On the Switch however, those temptations are gone. I could buy some of the triple-A games I already own to take them on the go, but I'm more interested in finding new experiences. Despite buying Sayonara Wild Hearts and Dragon Quest XI S at the same time, I actually played through all of the former well before I made a dent in the latter. I've been having lots of fun with DQXI and I can't recommend it enough, but when I turn on my Switch, I've been wanting to fall more and more into Sayonara's pop music wonderland.
Not to mention, while it is nice to play triple-A games, those are also more fun in longer sessions. During my lunch break, I have about 50 minutes or so to comfortably sit and play my Switch; Astral Chain is fun- sorta- but it's more fun when I can comfortably sit and marathon it like I can at home. That need to sit and focus to make gains is nowhere near as prevalent when I play any of my indie titles- I can do a few battles in Transistor and maybe take a walk before I get back to work, or work on making a little progress in the rogue-like City of Brass. They both have a pick-up-and-play aspect that work very well for short gaming sessions or rides on buses, planes, etc.
One of my favorite activities now is trying some of the indie games I previously missed out on or didn't give enough of a full treatment on my PS4 and PC. Right now, it's Transistor, but after that it's going to be Hollow Knight. After that? Who knows. But I'm certain that whatever indie game is next to charm me, I can't wait to give it a try on my Switch.
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When not Switching it up(HA!), Noelle 'Lyneriaa' Raine can be found doing...something of merit on twitter @Lyneriaa.
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