I’m going to write about each game that I finish. But I’ve been keeping a running list of what I’m playing for at least the last 5 years. I’ve had an interesting mix of consoles: Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, iPad, and PlayStation 4. Shortly after it launched, about 3 years ago, I got a Nintendo Switch and have done the majority of my gaming there. Here’s almost a complete list of what I’ve played since then.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Much has been said about this game, and it’s deserving of all the praise. I put a lot of time into this game, but still finished with quite a few things left to complete.

Divinity: Original Sin

Played on PS4. After the more open nature of Zelda, I wanted a more strict RPG. I liked what I played of this, but didn’t make it terribly far. I was too tempted by the other eagerly awaited Nintendo game in 2017.

Super Mario Odyssey

I never played the early 3D Mario games, so I was excited to finally see what I was missing. This game is exactly what I was looking for. Easy to pick up, but it scaled up to a good challenge. I completed nearly everything.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Another RPG, but back to the Switch. I really enjoyed this one. Lots to explore, fun combat mechanics, and the progression was a bit addictive. I finished with max level characters.

Shovel Knight

Moving to a bit lighter game. Played all 3 available campaigns. King of Cards is out now, but I’m guessing the other games in my backlog will come first.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I didn’t have another game I was dying to get into, and my play time told me I spent more time in Mario than Zelda, so I figured I should jump back in. This is pretty rare for me to repeat a game, but I found it even more enjoyable the second time through. Partly because of real life obligations, and partly because I’d already finished it once and didn’t have anything pushing me, I took a break about halfway through the game.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

I had seen nothing but praise for this game, and it was on sale (including DLC) for $20, so it seemed like the right time to jump in. This is where I learned that even if a game is one of the highest rated of the year, it might be in a genre I don’t love. I can certainly see the appeal of the game, but open world and quick reflexes just aren’t what I want in my games right now.

Hollow Knight

As much as Horizon wasn’t for me, Hollow Knight was right up my alley. I’ve replayed Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in the past few years; this genre fits my play style. Great platforming, combat that takes some effort, and enough leveling/progression elements. I really liked this game. When I finished, I think my completion percentage was around 87%.

Celeste

There were a number of interesting indie games out for the Switch, and this one was getting great reviews, so I jumped in. I enjoyed this game and completed it, but I definitely didn’t take advantage of everything it had to offer. A quick look at some speed runs for this game shows you what’s really possible. I didn’t even scratch the surface.

Dead Cells

I don’t remember exactly why I picked this one up. On the surface, it doesn’t seem exactly like my style of game. Some games feel like a bit of an addiction, tapping right into my brain’s reward system; this was one of them. Great controls, easy to pick up for either a short session or “just one more run,” and progression that gives you just a bit more each time. I spent a lot of time with this.

Into the Breach

Oh, my. This is high up on my list of favorite games I’ve ever played. It was perfect for me. Great strategy, pretty quick to get through a single game, but lots of replay value with different units and difficulty. There are a few squads I still haven’t beaten on Hard mode, but other than that I’ve done everything else in this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It was time to get back to my second play through. I tried to do as much as I could. I finally downloaded played through the DLC (except for completing the master quest, sadly). I found almost all of the shrines. I still didn’t cook very much. This session would be the most time I spent with the game in one go, and will likely keep Zelda at the top of my play time on Switch — as it should be.

Final Fantasy XII

I played, but never completed, this almost 10 years ago on PlayStation 2. I liked it, but I got stuck somewhere and my interest waned. Now, again after playing Zelda, I wanted more of a full RPG experience, and the remastered version for Switch seemed just right. This is where I’ll say that I have a bit of a problem with some RPGs, specifically Final Fantasy games. I have such a fear of missing out on certain weapons or equipment that I feel the need to follow a walkthrough. Even before playing, I overanalyzed the characters and roles to make sure I could find the “optimal” combination. It certainly makes for a different experience while playing the game, but I also enjoy the time spent outside of the game learning about the mechanics and strategies. I don’t think it takes too much away from the game, and I still really enjoyed the gameplay and story.

After taking a bit of a break and spending a bit more time with Mario and Into the Breach, I’m now in the middle of Divinity: Original Sin 2 on PS4. My Switch backlog is growing and I’m a bit tempted to jump ship again (portable play is so convenient!), but I’m a lot more invested in this one than the first and I really like it. I’m hoping to complete it at some point. After that, my next game will probably be one of these: Civ 6, Fire Emblem, Astral Chain, Dragon Quest, Link’s Awakening, Luigi’s Mansion. Since I’ve got a limited amount of time to play, and these games tend toward the long side, I’ll be happy to finish 3-4 games this year.

Finally, here’s my play time on Switch for the longer games:

• Zelda, 145 hours
• Xenoblade, 105 hours
• Into the breach, 75 hours
• Dead Cells, 70 hours
• FF XII, 70 hours
• Mario, 50 hours
• Hollow Knight, 35 hours