Digital Foundry has put out a new video taking a look at some of the best-looking Nintendo Switch exclusives since the console launched in 2017.
There are some pretty obvious choices here that won’t come as a surprise to regular readers, including the likes of Metroid Prime Remastered, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Shin’en’s awesome launch title Fast RMX.
The game that trounced the competition, however, was Next Level Games’ Luigi’s Mansion 3, released back in October 2019. DF highlights its exceptional lighting, model quality, physics, and shadows, stating that the visuals are “so beyond what we usually see on Switch, it does genuinely feel like a game designed for a more powerful platform”.
It even goes so far as to compare the visuals to a pre-rendered movie, and honestly, we can’t really bring ourselves to disagree. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is an absolute stunner, and it’s one of the reasons why Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD faced a bit of backlash for its pricing upon launch in June this year. As good as the game looks compared to the 3DS original, it still pales compared to the Switch’s true sequel nearly five years ago.
If there’s one game missing that we feel deserves a spot on DF’s list, however, it would probably be PlatinumGame’s Astral Chain. That game is a true knockout, launching in 2019 just a few months earlier than Luigi’s Mansion 3.
It’s worth checking out the full video to see what the team says about its other picks, but while you’re at it, be sure to check out our feature on the best-looking games on Switch. We not only highlight the exclusives, but every game that we feel goes above and beyond in the graphics department.