Unlike its competitors and their large library of licensed video games, the Nintendo Switch actually has a rather small library of video games about superheroes. While there are plenty of action and adventure games about powerful fantasy heroes saving the world from utter destruction, there are few games on the system that actually feature traditional, colorfully-clad superheroes with secret identities fighting outlandish monsters and supervillains on a regular basis.
Even so, with its various quirky IPs and ports of overlooked games, the Switch still has some sweet superhero action for gamers to sample. Here are some of the best games on the platform that feature explosive superhero action, complete with spandex and camp.
South Park: The Fractured but Whole
This irreverent superhero parody game is a sequel to the hit RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth and an adaptation of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's crudely hilarious comedy series. Carrying over the original title's excellent gameplay, The Fractured but Whole once again follows player character the New Kid as they join Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny on another over-the-top adventure lain with offensively hilarious antics.
This time, Cartman leads his group of kids as his raccoon superhero identity (with an appropriately offensive name) in a fight against the criminal underbelly of their beloved town, only to start a superhero civil war with Kenny (a.k.a. Mysterion). In reality, Cartman just wants to start his own multi-billion dollar superhero franchise, but the kids end up discovering actual dangerous supervillain crimes mostly by accident. Fans of South Park will definitely enjoy the series' trademark humor and writing, especially if they're also superhero fans desiring of a harsh roasting.
Lego DC Super-Villains
There's an abundance of licensed Lego games available on Nintendo Switch, including several from both Marvel and DC. However, the best one might just be the game where the superheroes actually don't get top-billing: Lego DC Super-Villains. The game delivers on its title by finally shifting focus from Batman, Superman and the others to shine a spotlight on the villains and the DC Universe as a whole.
As its title suggests, the main characters are not the Justice League and their allies, but the dozens of lovably horrible criminals that plague the DC Universe. Led by classic arch-fiends like Lex Luthor and the Joker, the Legion of Doom must save the world from the control of the evil alternate Justice League known as the Crime Syndicate -- so they can take over the world themselves. While a lot of villains are playable, Lego DC Super-Villains also has many heroes as unlockable characters, including rather obscure ones such as OMAC and Orion.
Batman: The Telltale Series
With the acclaimed Batman: Arkham series unfortunately unavailable on the Nintendo Switch, Batman fans will have to settle for the next best thing in Telltale Games' unique re-imagining of the Gotham mythos. Much like its other games, Batman: The Telltale Series is a point-and-click adventure game with puzzles to solve and choices to make. Its gameplay revolves around Batman's detective skills and the mysteries he must uncover from the underbelly of Gotham City.
Typical for a Telltale game, Batman is also given a series of choices that greatly affect events in future episodes, such as what member of his rogues gallery he will fight or whether to attend an event as Batman or Bruce Wayne. Players can make decisions based on which interpretation of Batman they prefer: the compassionate, calculating defender of justice, or the aggressive vigilante who puts fear in the hearts of criminals. Either way, Batman still proves himself to at least be the World's Greatest Detective.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
Marvel games have recently been a mixed bag, with Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite flopping and Marvel's Avengers failing to meet audience expectations at launch and beyond. Outside of Insomniac's PlayStation-exclusive Spider-Man games, Marvel games are a far-cry from the hey-day of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and the original Ultimate Alliance games. In light of that, Dead or Alive developer Team Ninja finally released a new installment of the once-beloved action-RPG series, 2019's Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.
Beyond some quality of life improvements and new characters, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 more or less plays exactly like previous games. Each hero has unique abilities faithful to their comic book counterparts' powers and personalities, and there are various customization systems so players can make a unique team. Its story may not be groundbreaking, but fans of the mid-2000s era of Marvel games will find a quality title on the Switch to enjoy.
The Wonderful 101: Remastered
From Hideki Kamiya, creator of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is essentially Power Rangers combined with the Legion of Super-Heroes with a side dish of shonen action anime. Following the adventures of the titular organization led by the superhero Wonder Red, the group fights against an evil alien terrorist organization with the power of combining.
The Wonderful Ones literally combine into gigantic limbs, weapons and tools with 100 other citizens of Blossom City to fight against giant monsters and evil space aliens. That, along with charming character designs, Kamiya's signature quirkiness and a sheer love for the camp associated with the super sentai genre, made The Wonderful 101 one of the best games that was overlooked on the Wii U, and it's finally available to a wider audience on Switch.