Nintendo’s hybrid console’s success came at a time when the company needed it most. Since its launch in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has went on to sell more than 150 million units, completely trouncing efforts made with the Wii U and even surpassing the sales of the Nintendo 3DS. Regardless of its popularity, the Switch has been home to a number of amazing titles. While we live in a day and age where region exclusive games are becoming rarer and rarer, there still were a number of games that did not see release outside of Japan. Sure, some of these may be educational games or eShop shovelware, but there definitely are some games that have released and are still available for you to check out. This is The Famicast’s list of Top Japan Only Nintendo Switch 1 Titles.
Note
Lists like this are highly subjective. Perhaps you have your own ideas about the titles that players are missing out on outside of Japan. If that’s the case, be sure to sound off in the comments! We’d love to hear from you! Anyway, without further ado, let’s get into our top five Japan only Switch 1 titles.
5. Dragon Quest X Online & Offline
Release: September 21, 2017 | September 15, 2022
Language Barrier: High
The past two times I’ve made lists like this (for the 3DS and Wii U), Dragon Quest X Online has come up. Well, this is going to be a bit of a hybrid entry but still a valid one. A completely offline version of the game, aptly dubbed Dragon Quest X Offline is also available on the Switch. The base version of this contains a single player story of the game based on the first “version” of the game, with the ability to purchase DLC based on the second version. Of course, with the online version, you’re going to have to worry about paying for the game on a monthly basis. However Offline, just as the name suggests, takes away this aspect of the game entirely, leaving fans with a beefy single player experience. The biggest difference outside of the offline nature is the complete overhaul of the visuals. DQX Offline features chibi-fied versions of all of the characters found in the original. While I personally prefer the look of the original, the characters in Offline have their own charm. At any rate, even though the language barrier for both titles will be quite high, if you have some kind of an understanding of the Japanese language or are willing to give the game(s) a try, there are hours and hours of enjoyment to be had.
4. Momotarō Dentetsu World: Chikyū wa Kibō de Mawatteru!
Release: November 16, 2023
Language Barrier: Moderate
Following up on the success of the release of Momotarō Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban! in 2019, Konami released a new version on the Switch in 2023. Titled Momotarō Dentetsu World: Chikyū wa Kibo de Mawatteru (translated as “The Earth Spins with Hope”), this version has a bit of a different take on the series. For those that don’t know, the Momo Tetsu series would usually see players travel around a game board with locations set in Japan. This board game has you rolling dice, buying up properties and trying to be the best “president” in Japan all while avoiding NPC characters that can send you to the poor house. World is a bit different. As the name suggests, players are traveling around the world doing in a similar manner. It’s proven to be a successful formula for Konami over the years. The first title on the Switch has sold over four million units in Japan alone which played a role in the company releasing an “Asia Version” of the game in December 2024 which supports English. Unfortunately for World, the game is currently only available in Japanese. If you’re looking for more fun in the world of Momo Tetsu and don’t mind tackling some Japanese, this one might be worth looking into.
3. Densha de Go!! Hashirō Yamanote-sen
Release: March 18, 2021
Language Barrier: Moderate
It doesn’t get more Japanese than driving trains around Tokyo and that’s exactly what players are tasked to do in Densha de Go! Hashirō Yamanote-sen. The game allows fans to check out all of the stations around the famous Yamanote Line in Tokyo. While the visuals may be a little lackluster, Hashirō Yamanote-sen makes up for this with solid gameplay and a number of modes to keep players busy for an extended period of time. The mission based mode, Engineer’s Road, is chock-full of a variety of challenges that are both fun and challenging. Not only this, but you can also just cruise around Tokyo at a more leisurely pace via Free Run. The Japanese may be a bit tricky for some of the very specific mission parameters, but once you get the controls down, the game is an absolute blast to play.
2. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Cloud Version
Release: October 5, 2018
Language Barrier: Low
Back in 2018, cloud gaming on the Switch was somewhat of a rarity, but it was happening in Japan. One of the most high profile of these was Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey: Cloud Version, which released on the Switch in October 2018, day and date with all versions on other platforms. There were a few oddities with this release, namely related to the purchase and limited availability. After paying roughly ¥9,000 (over $80 USD), players would only have access to the game for a two year period, essentially making it a glorified rental. Not only this, the game was region locked to Japan, making it completely inaccessible to those outside of the country. Of course, Japanese was supported here, but Odyssey could be changed to 100% English from the in-game options, making this super easy to play…if you were in Japan…
Regardless of these high barriers of entry, Ubisoft, alongside cloud partner Ubitus, crafted a competent port of the game that featured everything found on other platforms. I picked this one up to cover for our podcast and YouTube channel and had an amazing time with the game, spending well over 100 hours with it. While it was a visual downgrade when compared to versions on more powerful hardware, I hardly ran into any issues with the streaming aspect of the game. Ubisoft sunset this Switch cloud version on October 31, 2023 with play tickets no longer being available to purchase. While cloud versions are a less than ideal way to play games, Odyssey on the Switch and its limited availability makes it a curious addition to the game library, and one that unfortunately can no longer be played.
1. Buddy Mission: BOND
Release: January 29, 2021
Language Barrier: High
It may strike you as strange, but back in 2021, a joint Nintendo and Koei Tecmo game was released exclusively in Japan without ever having seen the light of day in English speaking territories. Buddy Mission: BOND is an adventure game/visual novel that is somewhat similar to Phoenix Wright titles, however things here also feature some action elements and a presentation that is akin to manga. The game features deep story elements, a variety of gamely options and full voice acting. The amount of marketing that went into the game and the overall story was impressive. On top of the release of the game in 2021, numerous concerts were held and tons of merchandise went on sale over the years.
I covered the game quite extensively on our YouTube channel and website. I even translated a short comic that you can check out, too. BOND is a cool game that oozes style, but I understand it’s not a game that will be for everyone. Oddly enough, BOND was released outside of Japan in both Korea and Hong Kong. Still, there is no English language support and at this point and it doesn’t seem like there ever will be. If you’re into Ace Attorney style games, you will probably enjoy this one. Just beware that the Japanese in this one is pretty dense.
Conclusion
The Nintendo Switch has been home to some great titles on a worldwide level. It’s a shame that the games we talked about on this list didn’t make it outside of Japan as I’m sure there are a number of people who would have enjoyed them. The good thing is that you still can for most of these. There were still a few other titles that could have made this list (like Yo-Kai Watch 4, Power Pros…probably not one of the nine entries into the horse racing Winning Post series), but this is what I narrowed it down to.
With that being said, let’s turn things over to you. What are some of your favorite Japan only titles on the Nintendo Switch? Were there some that you didn’t check out but wanted to? Sound off in the comments down below! We’d love to hear from you.
by Danny Bivens
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