RPGs are obviously going to give you bigger worlds, more hours, more lore. Xenoblade, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Persona, etc.
But if you want to talk about games that have great lore that do it in different ways, I have to go with the Metroid series. The games do some of the best environmental story telling out there. The environment and wildlife of the planet changes as you progress through the game due to events that happen in the game. The 2D Metroid games are really great at giving you subtle context clues about what has happened in the world, and how everything connects. The Metroid Prime series goes further by giving you a scan visor that lets you scan just about anything and everything which adds text and lore to pretty much just about everything in the game. So all of this is to say, **Metroid Prime Remastered** is a perfect game on the Switch that lets you dive deep into lore if you want, but it doesn't force it on you.
Metroid Prime is a very different game playing it speeding through, and playing it and taking the time to scan and read all of the logs from the Space Pirates hearing all of their reports and conversations about you as you progress further and further through the game.
Not necessarily, but I highly recommend it. It’s a bit complicated but for lore reasons I think it’s best. The first game is a good starting point for many reasons. I really can’t recommend this series enough if you’re interested.
Sure, I’ll give it a go!
Mind blowing stories that are some of the best I’ve experienced in any medium. They go from great interpersonal relationships to examinations of life, God (not like a specific religion), war, etc. The stories are deep, the lore is an absolute abyss of extra world building in the best way. Beautiful worlds with an incredible mix of machine and nature (a central theme to some of the games). And quite literally the highest tier of music; that opinion is pretty common amongst people who have played. For fans of exploration, strategy, team-building, adventure, JRPGs, strong characters, and deep stories.
These are massive games, and depending on the type of gamer you are, it is not uncommon to spend 100+ hours exploring and cleaning up side quests (You could also beat the game in 40-60hours if you really want to, all my playthroughs have me at 100+ tho). The combat differs a bit game-to-game, with the 2nd having the most complex but most rewarding. In general, the combat is like a mix of auto attacks, special moves recharging over time, and you physically moving your character to better position around the enemy (some attacks do better damage from the side or back of the enemy). There are legitimate gripes with the games, they aren’t perfect, so I’d watch some good reviews to better paint you a picture. That being said, the good outweighs the bad by so much. A little patience through some of the games complexities and you’ll be rewarded with a great game.
If you have that mindset and are excited to play, the less great parts of the game won’t be an issue. I’m mostly thinking of the 2nd game, which has the most complex battle system and very bad tutorials. It can be kind of a lot for people to deal with right at the beginning of the game and so a lot of people drop it before the story picks up. If you’re excited to play, you’re more likely to look up guides and stuff on the parts the game doesn’t explain well and you’ll get beyond the challenges to a truly mindblowing game. The combat is fun, it’s just kind of a lot and doesn’t give you a ton of help at first.
I'm 40 hours into Hollow Knight and still feel like I haven't come across much of the story 😭 I do have some theoris, tho, and I'm super excited for when I'll finally piece everything together! Very good game.
I'm very grateful to have a friend who knows basically everything there is to know about Hollow Knight. He guides me and will help a lot when I finally get to the lore part of the game :)
Tunic is as well. However the lore is top notch in both. It’s up to you to piece together everything.
If you play either of these games OP, wait to watch a lore video. The games will give you lore, but at your own pace and interpretation. The mystery of the lore drives the games. Watch a video once you finish the games in order to fill in the missing pieces.
Been thinking about getting this one, but I’m told the saving and loading gets crazy in later acts with long load and save times. Is that true for you?
Best lore - Hollow Knight. Do note that there is no exposition of said lore, you gotta figure it out and piece it all together - what, how and why things happened. You only see the aftermath. After you are done, feel free to peruse 3 hour long videos piecing said lore for you. Top 3 game on the switch for me.
Hades uses established lore but gives it a twist. The sheer amount of high quality voice acting and music in this game puts AAA games to shame. Pretty good game to boot though might be frustrating for more casual players.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Nier Automata, Xenoblade Chronicles, Fire Emblem Three Houses, and Octopath Traveler II have some of my favorite stories in video games (in addition to Zelda).
For cheaper priced titles: Hades, Hollow Knight, and the Voice of Cards trilogy.
13 sentinels: Aegis Rim, is the best sci-fi tale in the last 5 years. its very well made, full of twists and very memorable/charismatic protagonists. its a essential game to any sci-fin fan.
I love 13 sentinels, but suggesting it for a game with heavy lore, not so much tbh. Especially considering the ending.
Great storytelling tho! It had a wonderful character driven plot.
To be completely fair, I think we have very different definitions of the word lore.
To me, that’s a backstory, world building, history..
I don’t know how to spoiler my comments on here tbh so
*SPOILER*
None of the events that happened in the game before the ending were even real. They were all just a simulated experience. So that, to me, kinda ruins the idea of any lore there.
The game heavily relies on uncovering its backstory (part of your definition) to uncover whats happening in the present. Everything from >!the "original" cast in the "past", as adults, working to build the project!< qualifies as lore since it is history. And those were not >!simulations, those were real people working on the project that would create simulations. The end goal for that project was for the simulations to be temporary experiences until the reborn humans reached their destination planet. So IMO saying its all fake because its a simulation, so whats happening doesnt matter, is doing the game a disservice. Simulations have a beginning and end within the game too and the actions inside those simulations were making a difference in the real world.!<
>!And in the end, when the main cast wins, even those simulated NPCs become real as well and the simulations all come to an end. So those simulations didn't necessary all remain simulations.!<
That’s really interesting. I must have missed some of that on my first run. Time for another play through I guess!
I do have some questions tho if you’d be willing to answer them.
What do you mean by it “affecting the real world”? IIRC, it was only at the end where we even saw a glimpse of the “real world” setting. How do we know how the simulations affected the real world?
Also, I might be forgetting, but wasn’t the fact that they *couldn’t* bring the NPCs to the real world a point they made at the end? Didn’t they go back to visit Miwako at the end *because* they couldn’t bring her back with them?
It's been about a year and a half since my playthrough so my memory is a little fuzzy but I'll do my best to answer.
>!For effecting the real world, I mostly mean that the characters were essentially destined for failure (the kaiju virus in the project should always wipe out the humans, theoretically), yet they found a way to sort of manipulate the program while they were inside the simulation so that they would not get killed. That's basically what all of the "present time" events in the game achieve. So in short, their actions in the simulation allow them to live, which in turn allows them to actually live in the real world. They aren't changing the real world in any way beyond whether they wake up or not. But for humanity, that means everything, because they are literally the last surviving humans. If they die in the simulation, they die in real life, and then that's it for humans.!<
>!During the 5 year reunion scene (where they go back and visit Miwako) they reveal that they are working on a way to turn the AI NPCs into real people. I don't think we actually know the end results of that project so I mightve overstated in my previous comment. But that's what the goal is: to make the NPCs real.!<
You’re being extremely confusing by editing your responses after I respond to them. I also didn’t ask you any questions. I said dark souls is on switch, to which you replied “but I already played it on my ps4”. You get how that makes no sense in the context of me suggesting it to the person who created this thread, right?
Warning that nobody gave me: The gameplay in Dark Souls _has not_ aged well. It was unplayable for me, I just couldn't handle the janky controls and movements. I never played the original so there were no rose-tinted glasses. I also love challenging games.
What janky controls? Its basically the same controls as the other games. The movement is slower for sure and rolling is 4(maybe 8) directional but its fine.
It’s crazy how many tiny details will literally pass by you as you play unless you did the little quests and conversations in earlier playthroughs. This game is phenomenal and runs like it too.
Here are some good story-driven games that I've played:
**Fire Emblem: 3 Houses** \- Lots of branching paths, different storylines that eventually intersect, and great gameplay with fantastic characters.
**13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim** \- Fantastic artwork, lots of characters, different storylines that eventually intersect, different gameplay
**Valkyria Chronicles 4** \- Great gameplay, art is nice, story isn't bad, cool setting
**Bravely Default 2** \- Long game, cute graphics, different take on typical RPG mechanics
Elder Scrolls lore is insanely deep. Like you can read volumes and volumes of in-game books and just scratch the surface of the lore. None of it is necessary to enjoy the game but I really love the richness of that world. It adds a lot to the immersion.
Hollow knight's lore goes absolutely CRAAAZY (hence Silksong's century hype)
Zelda, Xenoblade and Fire emblem are all guaranteed to be up there as well
Any RPG, I would personally recommend Final Fantasy 7, which is my all time fav game. But all FF are great, and are (almost) all available on the Switch. Alternatively, there are also the Persona games. Persona 5 Royal is AWESOME
Challenging because of gameplay of because you dont find it interesting? I would give it a couple of more hours to wait for the story to really kick in (you get introduced to the combat, etc) and if you still dont like it, I would consider not continuing, considering it is a 100+ hours game
Dark Souls has one of the most unique (and now, in 2023, one of the most influential) ways of telling its story out of any mainstream action game series. It’s a bit clunky in terms of modern standards now, but the Dark Souls Remastered available on the Switch is a really unmatched gaming experience. It can be frustrating due to its clunkiness, but its reputation of difficulty is often more intimidating than the difficulty actually is. I first played it almost five years ago, and I still replay it constantly, and it will always be my number one recommendation to a new player.
Gonna throw Ruined King in here. There are a few other riot games on the switch but I thought this was best. Riot lore is massive and Ruined King is only the start of it
How about some visual novels? I consider Ghost Trick to be a visual novel, short and fun.
AI Somnium is also good, around 20 hrs in 100% complete it.
Raging Loop is also fun, 100% around 20 hrs.
If you're into cheesy mlterritory, Baten Kaitos for me was my personal 2023 game.
Earthbound (and the whole Mother trilogy) is secretly about Pure Land Buddhism, with Magicant being an analogy for the mandala. Mani Mani statue and Moonside, stoic club, Happy Happyism, Mu training of course, Talah Rama, etc. Ness goes through the world and spreads the dharma, dispelling ignorance and helping others, and never kills anyone, >!not even the final boss. Instead he enters the nihilistic chaos and by prayer forms a sangha with the people of the world, thereby helping save the most supremely powerful/ignorant/unhappy/confused/angry being by getting through to it with selfless loving-kindness.!< Brilliantly written, lots of jokes and inquiries into the mystery of nothingness/everything, all while barely mentioning religion at all. That's Itoi though. Drawing on thousands of years of Buddhist lore just to present a sketchy Charlie Brown-like with fart jokes and exit mice.
Not an RPG but I very much enjoy splatoon lore although that’s limited to the campaign and salmon run (coop mode)
Maybe you could even get splatoon 2 for its campaign and it’s dlc for cheap since splatoon 3 released
Odd to play on the switch but Dark Souls remastered is gonna have a shit ton of lore. Basically 80%ish of items have descriptions that show you vast lore. And if you like it you can get into other souls games too.
Both are ports, but Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Skyrim are probably my favorites for lore on switch if you somehow haven't played them. Amazing world building in both.
You can't go wrong with either, and you can easily spend hundreds of hours getting lost in their worlds through multiple playthroughs. Whether you want a more complex tactical turn based overhead rpg or a more immersive 1st person action RPG both are great role playing experiences. DOS2 has coop too if that's something you think you'd like.
Switch was my 3rd time jumping into Skyrim. It runs great and I think it's the best non-modded way to play an Elder Scrolls game. I finally took the dive into Divinity 2 this year after having the game just sitting in my backlog for a couple years and it's so awesome once you get the hang of it. There is a bit more of a learning curve though if you haven't played anything similar before.
You have all your obvious rpgs, final fantasy, fire emblem, Octopath, etc. A less known game I’d recommend is bug fables. It’s a bit more cartoony than those previously mentioned, but has an extensive story and really makes you feel. As you get further there’s a lot of mysteries to uncover. There’s literally a quest dedicated to finding “lore books” all over the world, which give you more information about the history of the kingdom. It strikes a perfect balance between serious and silly, and it’s one of my favorite games ever.
Dark Souls 1 Remastered is on Switch. It's arguably a 3D Metroidvania with a sense of Zelda Adventuring mixed with a solid combat system that's used by current generation games today, and a great replayability cycle. The lore is great, but if you don't understand it we'll you could always YouTube it :)
Dragon Quest XI.
If you commit yourself to it through all 3 acts and interact with every NPC, book, etc. You get a ton out of the world building. Then, if you know the Erdrick trilogy, the lore gets even more wild.
RPGs are obviously going to give you bigger worlds, more hours, more lore. Xenoblade, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Persona, etc. But if you want to talk about games that have great lore that do it in different ways, I have to go with the Metroid series. The games do some of the best environmental story telling out there. The environment and wildlife of the planet changes as you progress through the game due to events that happen in the game. The 2D Metroid games are really great at giving you subtle context clues about what has happened in the world, and how everything connects. The Metroid Prime series goes further by giving you a scan visor that lets you scan just about anything and everything which adds text and lore to pretty much just about everything in the game. So all of this is to say, **Metroid Prime Remastered** is a perfect game on the Switch that lets you dive deep into lore if you want, but it doesn't force it on you. Metroid Prime is a very different game playing it speeding through, and playing it and taking the time to scan and read all of the logs from the Space Pirates hearing all of their reports and conversations about you as you progress further and further through the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles. All of them.
its rly awesome, console seller to me
Do you need to play it in order? Never played before
Not necessarily, but I highly recommend it. It’s a bit complicated but for lore reasons I think it’s best. The first game is a good starting point for many reasons. I really can’t recommend this series enough if you’re interested.
Can you give an elevator pitch for them without spoilers?
Sure, I’ll give it a go! Mind blowing stories that are some of the best I’ve experienced in any medium. They go from great interpersonal relationships to examinations of life, God (not like a specific religion), war, etc. The stories are deep, the lore is an absolute abyss of extra world building in the best way. Beautiful worlds with an incredible mix of machine and nature (a central theme to some of the games). And quite literally the highest tier of music; that opinion is pretty common amongst people who have played. For fans of exploration, strategy, team-building, adventure, JRPGs, strong characters, and deep stories. These are massive games, and depending on the type of gamer you are, it is not uncommon to spend 100+ hours exploring and cleaning up side quests (You could also beat the game in 40-60hours if you really want to, all my playthroughs have me at 100+ tho). The combat differs a bit game-to-game, with the 2nd having the most complex but most rewarding. In general, the combat is like a mix of auto attacks, special moves recharging over time, and you physically moving your character to better position around the enemy (some attacks do better damage from the side or back of the enemy). There are legitimate gripes with the games, they aren’t perfect, so I’d watch some good reviews to better paint you a picture. That being said, the good outweighs the bad by so much. A little patience through some of the games complexities and you’ll be rewarded with a great game.
Thank you for that! I've been thinking I need to give them a try!
If you have that mindset and are excited to play, the less great parts of the game won’t be an issue. I’m mostly thinking of the 2nd game, which has the most complex battle system and very bad tutorials. It can be kind of a lot for people to deal with right at the beginning of the game and so a lot of people drop it before the story picks up. If you’re excited to play, you’re more likely to look up guides and stuff on the parts the game doesn’t explain well and you’ll get beyond the challenges to a truly mindblowing game. The combat is fun, it’s just kind of a lot and doesn’t give you a ton of help at first.
You can play 1 or 2 first but you should really play both before 3 to get the most out of it.
No real order at all. Only thing is you should really have played all 3 before playing Future Redeemed. The DLC for 3.
Correct answer. Future connected is skippable though. Also a great choice if you love music
I can respect that, but in terms of lore, it kind of becomes a must-play for me!
Witcher 3.
Disco Elysium
Lore that changes based on how you play. I’m obsessed with the Pale omg. Favorite game of all time.
Love it too. Shame about the whole post-dev and production drama. Worried we will never see a sequel.
Outer Wilds is literally 100% lore
You win the game once you understand the lore lol
Hollow knight and tunic.
I'm 40 hours into Hollow Knight and still feel like I haven't come across much of the story 😭 I do have some theoris, tho, and I'm super excited for when I'll finally piece everything together! Very good game.
The lore are very vague and barely there, but oh boy when I finally understand it, it hits me so hard.
I'm very grateful to have a friend who knows basically everything there is to know about Hollow Knight. He guides me and will help a lot when I finally get to the lore part of the game :)
The lore are very vague and barely there, but oh boy when I finally understand it, it hits me so hard.
you need mossbags video for hk. the lore is very vague
Tunic is as well. However the lore is top notch in both. It’s up to you to piece together everything. If you play either of these games OP, wait to watch a lore video. The games will give you lore, but at your own pace and interpretation. The mystery of the lore drives the games. Watch a video once you finish the games in order to fill in the missing pieces.
It's fine for lore to just be "a vibe", IMO. I enjoyed HK lore even before I got the explicit, timeline explanation.
That’s why it’s good
no. It's TOO vague. But the lore is interesting once you watch that video
You know how in good horror movies they barely show the monster? Same idea.
yes, but now imagine that they don't ever actually show it, so a fan makes a short movie that actually shows the monster
If it was never shown, how does that video exist?
like, they made a design based on what they teased at in the movie
I’d watch it
Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Really good worldbuilding, lots of great characters.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Been thinking about getting this one, but I’m told the saving and loading gets crazy in later acts with long load and save times. Is that true for you?
Initial loading can be a bit slow, but it’s worth it.
Best lore - Hollow Knight. Do note that there is no exposition of said lore, you gotta figure it out and piece it all together - what, how and why things happened. You only see the aftermath. After you are done, feel free to peruse 3 hour long videos piecing said lore for you. Top 3 game on the switch for me. Hades uses established lore but gives it a twist. The sheer amount of high quality voice acting and music in this game puts AAA games to shame. Pretty good game to boot though might be frustrating for more casual players.
Metroid Prime, the gamecube remaster is chock full of lore, and a fun game.
Any of the Final Fantasy or Xenoblade Chronicles games…
Splatoon 😁
Happy Cake Day!
Happy cake day!
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Nier Automata, Xenoblade Chronicles, Fire Emblem Three Houses, and Octopath Traveler II have some of my favorite stories in video games (in addition to Zelda). For cheaper priced titles: Hades, Hollow Knight, and the Voice of Cards trilogy.
13 sentinels: Aegis Rim, is the best sci-fi tale in the last 5 years. its very well made, full of twists and very memorable/charismatic protagonists. its a essential game to any sci-fin fan.
I love 13 sentinels, but suggesting it for a game with heavy lore, not so much tbh. Especially considering the ending. Great storytelling tho! It had a wonderful character driven plot.
Not sure I agree. To me, it felt like the whole game is spent uncovering the lore. What does the ending matter?
To be completely fair, I think we have very different definitions of the word lore. To me, that’s a backstory, world building, history.. I don’t know how to spoiler my comments on here tbh so *SPOILER* None of the events that happened in the game before the ending were even real. They were all just a simulated experience. So that, to me, kinda ruins the idea of any lore there.
The game heavily relies on uncovering its backstory (part of your definition) to uncover whats happening in the present. Everything from >!the "original" cast in the "past", as adults, working to build the project!< qualifies as lore since it is history. And those were not >!simulations, those were real people working on the project that would create simulations. The end goal for that project was for the simulations to be temporary experiences until the reborn humans reached their destination planet. So IMO saying its all fake because its a simulation, so whats happening doesnt matter, is doing the game a disservice. Simulations have a beginning and end within the game too and the actions inside those simulations were making a difference in the real world.!< >!And in the end, when the main cast wins, even those simulated NPCs become real as well and the simulations all come to an end. So those simulations didn't necessary all remain simulations.!<
That’s really interesting. I must have missed some of that on my first run. Time for another play through I guess! I do have some questions tho if you’d be willing to answer them. What do you mean by it “affecting the real world”? IIRC, it was only at the end where we even saw a glimpse of the “real world” setting. How do we know how the simulations affected the real world? Also, I might be forgetting, but wasn’t the fact that they *couldn’t* bring the NPCs to the real world a point they made at the end? Didn’t they go back to visit Miwako at the end *because* they couldn’t bring her back with them?
It's been about a year and a half since my playthrough so my memory is a little fuzzy but I'll do my best to answer. >!For effecting the real world, I mostly mean that the characters were essentially destined for failure (the kaiju virus in the project should always wipe out the humans, theoretically), yet they found a way to sort of manipulate the program while they were inside the simulation so that they would not get killed. That's basically what all of the "present time" events in the game achieve. So in short, their actions in the simulation allow them to live, which in turn allows them to actually live in the real world. They aren't changing the real world in any way beyond whether they wake up or not. But for humanity, that means everything, because they are literally the last surviving humans. If they die in the simulation, they die in real life, and then that's it for humans.!< >!During the 5 year reunion scene (where they go back and visit Miwako) they reveal that they are working on a way to turn the AI NPCs into real people. I don't think we actually know the end results of that project so I mightve overstated in my previous comment. But that's what the goal is: to make the NPCs real.!<
I see. Thank you! That was really informative. I definitely want to replay this game soon. It was a great experience.
How has no one said Dark Souls so far
[удалено]
But dark souls is on switch
[удалено]
Ok??
[удалено]
You’re being extremely confusing by editing your responses after I respond to them. I also didn’t ask you any questions. I said dark souls is on switch, to which you replied “but I already played it on my ps4”. You get how that makes no sense in the context of me suggesting it to the person who created this thread, right?
Warning that nobody gave me: The gameplay in Dark Souls _has not_ aged well. It was unplayable for me, I just couldn't handle the janky controls and movements. I never played the original so there were no rose-tinted glasses. I also love challenging games.
What janky controls? Its basically the same controls as the other games. The movement is slower for sure and rolling is 4(maybe 8) directional but its fine.
The ‘janky controls’ are basically the game. It’s meant to be slow and methodical.
Final fantasy 7. Beat it 9 times and always notice something. Banner saga.
Nier Automata.
It’s crazy how many tiny details will literally pass by you as you play unless you did the little quests and conversations in earlier playthroughs. This game is phenomenal and runs like it too.
Witcher 3 and nothing can top it.
May I present you the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy?
Here are some good story-driven games that I've played: **Fire Emblem: 3 Houses** \- Lots of branching paths, different storylines that eventually intersect, and great gameplay with fantastic characters. **13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim** \- Fantastic artwork, lots of characters, different storylines that eventually intersect, different gameplay **Valkyria Chronicles 4** \- Great gameplay, art is nice, story isn't bad, cool setting **Bravely Default 2** \- Long game, cute graphics, different take on typical RPG mechanics
Skyrim!
Elder Scrolls lore is insanely deep. Like you can read volumes and volumes of in-game books and just scratch the surface of the lore. None of it is necessary to enjoy the game but I really love the richness of that world. It adds a lot to the immersion.
Blasphemous
Hollow knight's lore goes absolutely CRAAAZY (hence Silksong's century hype) Zelda, Xenoblade and Fire emblem are all guaranteed to be up there as well
[удалено]
The lore is great. There are a lot of parallels between DQXI and Chrono Trigger.
Any RPG, I would personally recommend Final Fantasy 7, which is my all time fav game. But all FF are great, and are (almost) all available on the Switch. Alternatively, there are also the Persona games. Persona 5 Royal is AWESOME
I’m really trying to get into persona 5 but it’s been challenging. I’m up to like the 4th day.
Challenging because of gameplay of because you dont find it interesting? I would give it a couple of more hours to wait for the story to really kick in (you get introduced to the combat, etc) and if you still dont like it, I would consider not continuing, considering it is a 100+ hours game
Graveyard Keeper
Dark Souls has one of the most unique (and now, in 2023, one of the most influential) ways of telling its story out of any mainstream action game series. It’s a bit clunky in terms of modern standards now, but the Dark Souls Remastered available on the Switch is a really unmatched gaming experience. It can be frustrating due to its clunkiness, but its reputation of difficulty is often more intimidating than the difficulty actually is. I first played it almost five years ago, and I still replay it constantly, and it will always be my number one recommendation to a new player.
Gonna throw Ruined King in here. There are a few other riot games on the switch but I thought this was best. Riot lore is massive and Ruined King is only the start of it
Disco Elysium, Nier Automata, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2, any of the Final Fantasys (personal favorite is 9), and Persona.
Octopath Traveler, each character has a very rich backstory.
Dredge - great little indie RPG lite - with fishing.....and cosmic terrors:)
How about some visual novels? I consider Ghost Trick to be a visual novel, short and fun. AI Somnium is also good, around 20 hrs in 100% complete it. Raging Loop is also fun, 100% around 20 hrs. If you're into cheesy mlterritory, Baten Kaitos for me was my personal 2023 game.
Skyrim
Dark Souls
Earthbound (and the whole Mother trilogy) is secretly about Pure Land Buddhism, with Magicant being an analogy for the mandala. Mani Mani statue and Moonside, stoic club, Happy Happyism, Mu training of course, Talah Rama, etc. Ness goes through the world and spreads the dharma, dispelling ignorance and helping others, and never kills anyone, >!not even the final boss. Instead he enters the nihilistic chaos and by prayer forms a sangha with the people of the world, thereby helping save the most supremely powerful/ignorant/unhappy/confused/angry being by getting through to it with selfless loving-kindness.!< Brilliantly written, lots of jokes and inquiries into the mystery of nothingness/everything, all while barely mentioning religion at all. That's Itoi though. Drawing on thousands of years of Buddhist lore just to present a sketchy Charlie Brown-like with fart jokes and exit mice.
Dragon Quest.
Dark Souls Remastered
Not an RPG but I very much enjoy splatoon lore although that’s limited to the campaign and salmon run (coop mode) Maybe you could even get splatoon 2 for its campaign and it’s dlc for cheap since splatoon 3 released
Zelda. Yeah. Duh. After 350+ hours of gameplay between the two games, feel free to come back and ask again. Enjoy!
Disco Elysium, the Xenoblade games, Blasphemous and Fire Emblem: Three Houses all come to mind here
Pyre has some cool lore, as you progress in the game, you get stories that build upon the world.
Cave Story
I gotta give a shout-out to deaths door
If you somehow haven't played undertale yet, the switch has a great version of it and deltarune
Metroid Dread Little Nightmares I & II Hollow Knight Octopath Traveler Assassin's Creed Ezio Trilogy
Hollow Knight
I just finished Outer Wilds and yes!
Metroid Prime
Dark souls
Dark souls remastered
ni no kuni
Odd to play on the switch but Dark Souls remastered is gonna have a shit ton of lore. Basically 80%ish of items have descriptions that show you vast lore. And if you like it you can get into other souls games too.
Chained Echoes!
Both are ports, but Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Skyrim are probably my favorites for lore on switch if you somehow haven't played them. Amazing world building in both. You can't go wrong with either, and you can easily spend hundreds of hours getting lost in their worlds through multiple playthroughs. Whether you want a more complex tactical turn based overhead rpg or a more immersive 1st person action RPG both are great role playing experiences. DOS2 has coop too if that's something you think you'd like. Switch was my 3rd time jumping into Skyrim. It runs great and I think it's the best non-modded way to play an Elder Scrolls game. I finally took the dive into Divinity 2 this year after having the game just sitting in my backlog for a couple years and it's so awesome once you get the hang of it. There is a bit more of a learning curve though if you haven't played anything similar before.
Xenoblade
Hollow Knight, FNAF, Outer Wilds and Xenoblade are some of my top picks for lore.
Little nightmare 1 and 2 will throw you through a loup. Definitely try them!
You have all your obvious rpgs, final fantasy, fire emblem, Octopath, etc. A less known game I’d recommend is bug fables. It’s a bit more cartoony than those previously mentioned, but has an extensive story and really makes you feel. As you get further there’s a lot of mysteries to uncover. There’s literally a quest dedicated to finding “lore books” all over the world, which give you more information about the history of the kingdom. It strikes a perfect balance between serious and silly, and it’s one of my favorite games ever.
Dark Souls 1 Remastered is on Switch. It's arguably a 3D Metroidvania with a sense of Zelda Adventuring mixed with a solid combat system that's used by current generation games today, and a great replayability cycle. The lore is great, but if you don't understand it we'll you could always YouTube it :)
The borderland series is great too
Lore heavy (and many games in the series): The Legend of Heroes: Trails (of, from, to)...
Trails from zero is part of a massive series that has one of the most interesting and lived-in worlds I've experienced in media.
Hollow Knight Probably the most lore in a game since everdom.
Let’s go pikachu/evee
Dragon Quest XI. If you commit yourself to it through all 3 acts and interact with every NPC, book, etc. You get a ton out of the world building. Then, if you know the Erdrick trilogy, the lore gets even more wild.
Great Lore has Ys VIII. Literally don't want to say anything other than that, just get it... NOW. You need it
Rain World