The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an action-adventure game released in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U systems. The game is part of The Legend of Zelda franchise and takes place at the conclusion of its history. The player takes control of an amnesiac Link, who awakens from a hundred-year hibernation and strives to reclaim his memories in order to prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying Hyrule.

Breath of the Wild was developed over a five-year period in response to fan requests for a wider gaming environment to explore. Nintendo included components such as comprehensive chemistry and physics engines in order to rethink the series' norms. Monolith Soft, best known for its work on the open-world Xenoblade Chronicles series, helped with landscape and topographical design. The game was supposed to be released in 2015 as a Wii U exclusive, however, it was postponed twice. Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, 2017, as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch and the final Nintendo-published game for the Wii U. An expansion pass was used to offer two rounds of downloadable material in 2017.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Link to buy: amzn.to/3sRvEUC

Chrono Trigger will always be remembered as one of the most adored retro games ever created. Chrono Trigger, released at the height of the 16-bit renaissance, provides excellent fantasy RPG gameplay with mind-blowing storytelling features that make it so much pleasure to play.

Jumping between the past, present, and future, players must traverse a complicated network of parallel realities where decisions made in one moment have far-reaching consequences throughout the game. Combine it with collaborative fighting systems and in-depth character arcs, and Chrono Trigger is one of those games that you can replay as you uncover alternate ending sequences and level up your character.

Platforms: PlayStation, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo DS ·

Link to buy: amzn.to/3anmAAJ

Super Mario 3D World is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U in 2013. Its fundamental logic is a mess, even for Mario (why are dinosaurs everywhere? And just Yoshi-style ones, but full-on T-Rexes) and you receive Moons for almost everything you accomplish. Super Mario 3D World, on the other hand, is a stunning combination of the long-running Mario World and Mario Land platforming series, perfectly suited to the Wii U's controller and capabilities.

Levels are brief, snappy obstacle courses designed to take a concept, deploy it once, and then discard it, never to be used again. It becomes as tough as old boots encased in cement and defended by piranha plants later on.

Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo Switch

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Advance Wars is a well-liked series of turn-based strategy games for Nintendo's handhelds. When it came to making a game for the then-new 3DS in 2012, Intelligent Systems questioned everyone, 'wouldn't this be more enjoyable with people instead of robots?' After all, people may betray one other, fall off pegasuses when shot, and, most importantly, hook up. So the Fire Emblem franchise was resurrected — and in spectacular fashion! Back came the rock-paper-scissors techniques, as well as the dreadful, horrible terror that permadeath instills (only this time you can turn it off if it really is too stressful).

Back also came the amazing, mind-bending intrigue that comes with allowing your people to speak, marry, and have children who can instantly start fighting under your flag. It was a wonderful, intoxicating combination of the two, and the greatest of the current slate of Fire Emblem games, which have shifted more and more towards Japanese dating sims with each release.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

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Nintendo's rigorous world-building and attention to detail have long been one of their strong points, yet it has resulted in a pretty restrictive approach to their most popular characters. So it's safe to say that when Super Mario Maker was released in 2015, the whole gaming community was taken aback when they were handed the keys to their most renowned castle. The game had two primary options, which effectively boiled down to create and play.

The 10 Mario Challenge allowed players to dive into a series of (often surprising) levels created by Nintendo developers, but the real fun was discovering what craziness was built by other players – plunging their hands into Nintendo's toybox and creating things you'd never see Mario hop over (including some that tested the boundaries of good taste and others that disregarded said boundaries entirely). The gameplay was excellent, but it was the flexibility of creativity and a fresh manner of experiencing an old classic that distinguished Super Mario Maker. Oh, and the sequel is fantastic as well.

Platforms: Wii U, Nintendo 3DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/3LHvXbp