The Nintendo Switch has a huge library of games, but some of them can only be played in Japan.
In the last few years, more and more Japanese-made games have been ported to other countries. However, there are still a lot of games that can only be played in Japan. Some of these games are only available on the Nintendo Switch, which is probably because it is so popular.
Some of these Switch games are improved versions of games that were released abroad before but didn’t come back because they didn’t sell well, while others are new games in long-running series that are only available in Japan. Some are even brand-new IPs that have never been outside of Japan for some reason. There are many great ones, but only a few that can truly be called the best.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
It may come as a surprise that there is a Switch version of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. This action RPG got great reviews when it came out in 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It has beautiful graphics and a huge open world. Amazingly, it never came out outside of Japan, even though it works on the Switch.
The only bad thing about it is that it’s a Cloud form. It’s a shame that you need an internet link to play, but this is the easiest way for Switch owners to play the nominated for Game of the Year adventure right now.
Super Robot Wars T
Super Robot Wars is a great cartoon if you like mecha shows. Bandai Namco made this tactical role-playing game series where you control huge robots in fights that are planned out ahead of time. It’s kind of like Fire Emblem or Advance Wars mixed with crazy sci-fi cartoon action.
The series doesn’t really go outside of Japan, which is a shame, and Super Robot Wars T is another game that can only be played in Japan. The game has both fast-paced battles and parts that look like visual novels. There are even cameos from well-known anime shows, like Cowboy Bebop’s Spike.
Jake Hunter Detective Story: Prism Of Eyes
You may remember seeing a few Jake Hunter games for the DS or 3DS, but this detective series is only available in Japan. It’s a mystery light book series like Funny Shooter 2, but with a darker, more noir feel.
You play as Jake Hunter in Detective Story: Prism of Eyes. Jake is a tough private detective who has to solve a string of mysteries. You talk to witnesses, look for clues, and draw conclusions that help you find the truth. Its exciting story makes it one of the more interesting Switch games that is only available in Japan. The jazz music and inner conversations give it a film noir feel.
Megaton Musashi
When an army of aliens attacks Earth in a brutal way, the last few people left must build an army of robots to take back the world. Megaton Musashi is a Switch game that can only be played in Japan. It feels like you’ve stepped into a sci-fi cartoon.
There are two parts to the game. During side-scrolling sections, you can look around in beautiful hand-drawn landscapes and talk to characters. When you’re ready to fight the aliens, you jump into a huge mech suit and fight them quickly in 3D. Even an anime based on the game was made, but sadly, it’s only available in Japan.
Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban!
Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban! is the first game in Konami’s Japan-only Momotaro Dentetsu series that can only be played on the Nintendo Switch. you to travel by air, land, and sea to make money through good business deals and deal with any competitors you may face.
The Momotaro Dentetsu series is known for games that are mostly played like board games. For people outside of Japan, this game may look a lot like Monopoly, which is another game that the series has been compared to a lot. People have also said that it’s like the Japanese board game Sugoroku, which gave rise to the Mario Party series and the minigames in the Dragon Quest series.
Power Pro Kun Pocket R
The first two Power Pro Kun Pocket baseball video games came out on the Game Boy Color in 1999 and 2000, but Power Pro Kun Pocket R is a remake of those games set in 2021. The series also branched off from Konami’s Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyu series and became eBaseball: Powerful Pro Yakyu.
You can recruit and teach players in the story mode of Power Pro Kun Pocket R. The game also has a survival mode, a co-op multiplayer mode for up to four players, and other game modes and minigames.
Buddy Mission BOND
Buddy Mission BOND is a visual novel mystery adventure game made by Koei Tecmo’s mostly female development team, Ruby Party. You can choose two of the four characters to solve cases by talking to NPCs and looking for clues. Once you have enough information to solve a case, you can go into the main suspect’s base. How you do this will depend on the clues you found.
Luke Williams, the main character, wants to be a hero like his late father, who died doing his job. To show this, the game has a Hero Gauge that goes up or down based on the choices you make and gives you a score when the mission is over. It’s one of the more interesting Switch games with a story that you can only play in Japan.
Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020
Bandai Namco made the baseball game Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020. It is part of the Famista or Family Stadium series, which is mostly only available in Japan. Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 is only available on Nintendo Switch. It has 12 professional baseball teams and players from nine other teams that you can choose from.
The story mode, on the other hand, is what makes the game stand out. One of these teams is Namco Stars, which only has Namco figures like Pooka from Dig Dug. In the story mode, the team has to play against aliens to save Earth from being taken over. There’s also a mode where up to four people can play a minigame.
Yo-Kai Watch 1 For Nintendo Switch
Yo-Kai Watch 1 for Nintendo Switch, a better version of the first Yo-Kai Watch game for Nintendo 3DS, came out for the system in October 2019. It had been four months since the beginning of the Yo-Kai Watch 4 line.
This enhanced port takes the first game in the series and makes it better by adding new graphics, voiced dialogue boxes, new control schemes, and online fights against other players. It did this by moving from the Nintendo 3DS to the Switch. In July 2021, the Yo-Kai Watch 1 Smartphone cell phone version came out.
Medarot Classics Plus
Medarot Classics Plus is a set of eight games from the Medarot series, which is called Medabots outside of Japan. Between 1997 and 2002, these games were first released on Game Boy platforms. There were two versions of most of them: the Kabuto version and the Kuwagata version. This collection also has both forms.
There are digital versions of the original manuals, save states, a speed feature that lets you double, quadruple, or octuple the speed of a game, and a skip feature that lets you automatically win fights. Those are all added to the collection.
Tabe-O-Ja
Do you remember the cartoon Fighting Foodons from the early 2000s? Tabe-O-Ja is similar in idea and is also only available in Japan. Tabe-O-Ja is a one-of-a-kind monster-fighting game where you can summon Tabe-Gami, the creatures that live in each dish, by successfully cooking dishes from different cultures using the Joy-Con motion controls.
The better the cooking acts you do, the better the Tabe-Gami that you make. You can then add it to your team and call it to fight other chefs. For extra realism, Tabe-O-Ja also came with the Ouja Gear and the Extract Potion Pepper Ripper, which could be used with the Joy-Con.
Dragon Quest Monsters RETRO
Dragon Quest Treasures, a spinoff game that only works on the Nintendo Switch, came out everywhere, but it’s not the only Dragon Quest game that only works on one platform. Another name for Dragon Quest Monsters RETRO is Dragon Warrior Monsters. It is a better version of Dragon Quest Monsters for the Game Boy Color. Back in September 2019, it came out on the Japanese eShop. Two months later, there was a version for smartphones.
Dragon Quest Monsters RETRO is interesting because it’s a port of the original game, not the makeover that was only available in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS and mobile phones. New things in RETRO are solid backgrounds, the option to play in black and white or color, and information bubbles that appear on top of the game so you can always see your monsters’ stats. Even though it’s a port, this is the best Switch game that’s only available in Japan.
