Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is proof Nintendo can still make an eight-hour game that feels complete rather than rushed. I never finished Diablo IV because it never earned the hours, so a tight campaign like this matters more to me now. Samus moves faster and meaner than she ever has in 2D. The E.M.M.I. sections, unarmed, hunted through vents by a robot that can one-shot you, are some of the tensest stretches on the whole console. I died to the same E.M.M.I. zone four times straight and loved every attempt. The learning curve is steep from hour one. No hand-holding. If you want a Metroidvania you can finish in a normal week instead of a month, this is it.

Metroid Dread has the tightest controls and the best movement feel of any game on this list. The E.M.M.I. chase sequences are the rare instance of a horror mechanic in a Nintendo game, and they work because the tension is built on skill rather than randomness. It sits here rather than in the top ten because the difficulty spikes and the genre's specific demands make it a harder broad recommendation than the picks above. If you have finished the main list and you want the most technically sharp single-player game the Switch has to offer, start here.