The Best of the Best! (January 2025 Edition)

It’s time to say, “Goodbye December, ” and “Hello January,” as we take a look at the four biggest games, releasing on the Nintendo Switch in January 2025:

[Guide] The Biggest Games Releasing on Nintendo Switch | January 2025:

#1) Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana (January 7, 2025)

Publisher: Marvelous, XSEED | Genre: Action, Adventure, Role-playing

File Size: 2.9 GB | Price: $29.99

No. of Players: 1 (Single System)

The classic Ys title returns, remastered for the Nintendo Switch™ — Originally conceived as a reimagining of the 16-bit console classic Ys III: Wanderers From Ys, this fan-favorite entry returns, newly remastered for the Nintendo Switch™ system as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. Nearly 15 years after its previous release, longtime fans can look forward to numerous improvements and upgrades, including an all-new voiceover for legendary protagonist, Adol Christin. With remastered high-definition visuals and music, the epic adventure has never looked or sounded better.

Additional features include multiple versions of the sweeping soundtrack, accessibility options, and brand-new character illustrations, making Ys Memoire the definitive edition of the acclaimed masterpiece.

• Classic RPG Excitement Remastered — Experience the old-school action RPG combat the Ys series is known for, with added difficulty options and quality-of-life enhancements like “Turbo” mode, as you fight your way through a memorable fantasy world.
• Refined Visual Variety — Ys Memoire features all-new “Refined” character illustrations throughout the game, but players who want the original experience can switch to the “Classic” versions at a whim.
• A Silent Protagonist No Longer — Newly recorded voice acting for Adol Christin, including an opening narration that sets the stage for adventure, gives new depth and gravity to the famous hero.
• A Sweeping Soundtrack Reborn — Well-regarded for its outstanding soundtrack, this version features three different iterations of the epic score (Original, PC-8801, and X68000) for players to choose from, all remastered in high-quality audio.

#2) Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (January 16, 2025)

Publisher: Nintendo | Genre: Platformer, Action

File Size: 9 GB | Price: $59.99

No. of Players: 1 – 2 (Single System)

Jump, roll, and stomp through Donkey Kong Island in 2D platforming action — Help Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong recover their precious banana hoard from the villainous Tiki Tak Tribe! Stomp enemies, blast through barrels, and ride rockets and mine carts (and even Rambi the rhino) in 80 levels across nine worlds.

Play the game as it was first designed for the Wii™ system, or reduce the difficulty for extra hearts and other goodies to make your journey a little easier. This barrel-blasting adventure is visually enhanced in HD for the Nintendo Switch™ system and includes the extra levels from the Nintendo 3DS™ version!

Team up with a friend and take on the whole game as Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong – Pass a Joy-Con™ controller to a buddy and take on the Tiki Tak Tribe as DK and Diddy in two-player local play. Pelt foes with Diddy’s Peanut Popgun and hover using his Barrel Jet, and slam bad guys into submission with DK’s Ground Pound—or just Barrel Roll right through them. Work together to reclaim those bananas by the bunch!

#3) Tales of Graces f Remastered (January 17, 2025)

Publisher: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment | Genre: Role-playing

File Size: 10.2 GB | Price: $39.99

No. of Players: 1 – 4 (Single System)

Bonds Transcend Time — Tales of Graces f is back with a beautiful and easier-to-play version!

The game also includes Lineage and Legacies, an after-story to the main scenario!

Tales of Graces f is an action RPG about adventure in fantasy worlds and overcoming obstacles through friendship and determination.

A child’s promise is the world’s last hope — On a lush green planet called Ephinea, three young children make a promise to each other that could save the future.

Asbel, heir to a local lord, Richard, prince of the Windor kingdom, and Sophie, a strange girl with no known past, all swear a special friendship oath after helping each other survive a dangerous attempt on Richard’s life in the land of Lhant.

Years later, the world has changed. Asbel and his friends must face grave danger when Lhant becomes the battleground for a power grab among the three great nations of Ephinea. It is at this moment when an even greater threat is revealed and the bonds between the young heroes are put to the test with everything at stake.

Exhilarating continuous action with two styles to choose from! — The Style Shift Linear Motion Battle System allows players to switch between two very different battle styles, Artes and Burst.

You can choose the strength and range of the party’s attacks, the size of the attack, and how close or far away you need to be to the enemy for maximum effectiveness.

Addition of convenient functions and improved graphics — Quality-of-life functions have been added, such as auto-save, various skip functions, the ability to turn off enemy encounters in fields and dungeons, and more.

Full character development and item elements — There are more than 100 different equipable titles that players can rank up through battles, allowing them to learn various skills and techniques that strengthen their stats.

Lineage and Legacies depicts the world after the ending — Six months have passed since the journey around the world. Sophie is troubled by uncomfortable thoughts about her eventual future and she is determined to find a way out.

At the same time, strange changes spread throughout Ephinea once again. While Asbel is concerned about Sophie, she and her friends set out to investigate the cause of the anomaly…

#4) Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero (January 30, 2025)

Publisher: NIS America | Genre: Strategy, Role-playing

File Size: 2.6 GB | Price: $59.99

No. of Players: 1 (Single System)

Set sail to save the day in this colorful strategy RPG! Join Marona – a gifted young girl with the power to speak to Phantoms – as she traverses the ocean world of Ivoire, providing aid to those in need. When a fleet of ghost ships attack, it’s up to Marona and her new friend Apricot to assemble the legendary crew that once defeated these spectral foes.

Recruit Phantoms, bind them to objects, combine them with Gadgets, and even merge them with Marona herself to unleash show-stopping abilities and sink the Shipwreck Fleet!