Best Nintendo Franchises Of The Last Decade

Nintendo has had an incredibly volatile last decade. The last few years of the Wii U life cycle were unfortunately marred with disappointment. While the console had some unique and futuristic ideas, they didn’t all pan out. Most importantly, it suffered from a lack of high-quality releases, be it third-party games or some of Nintendo’s mainstay franchises.

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Fortunately, the latter half of the decade has been an uncontestable success with the release of the Nintendo Switch. It is not only a fun and versatile console, but it features a ton of incredible games. Most of Nintendo’s big franchises have had extremely successful releases on the Switch. While a decade is a very long time in terms of reviewing a franchise, it’s clear that some Nintendo franchises have had remarkable performances over the last decade, with the best of them enumerated below.

6 Metroid

Sidescrolling Royalty

The “Metroidvania” genre of games has been a successful mainstay of the Nintendo platform for decades, including classic games from both the Metroid and Castlevania franchises, as well as a plethora of games in the same vein experimenting with the formula. For Nintendo, however, Metroid always stands out as one of the most beloved franchises they have. The past decade has been no different. The latest remaster is a great entry point into the series for newcomers too.

Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch was an incredible game. It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but it essentially perfected the “Metroidvania” formula, with some incredible boss fights, apt music, and great stage designs. Its predecessor, Samus Returns, was of a similar quality. So, while recent releases have been of premium quality, because only four Metroid games have been released since 2014, and one of them wasn’t too well received, it narrowly misses out on the top spots.

5 Pokemon

Nintendo’s Magnum Opus

Pokemon is one of the most iconic video game franchises out there, with consistent success for multiple decades. The anime, the card games, the main franchise games, and all the spin-offs have been a stalwart of the industry, and this decade was no different. Pokemon GO revolutionized the scope of video games, particularly mobile games, and its real-life integration was dynamic and exciting.

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Mainline Pokemon games such as Legends Arceus and Sword & Shield were both solid entries, with tons of new Pokemon, and altered the established formula just enough to avoid everything getting stale. On the other hand, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet and Let’s Go Pikachu had some interesting concepts but didn’t quite deliver. Pokemon’s impact on the last decade of gaming cannot be overstated. However, some of its contemporaries have constantly churned out high-quality releases, setting a high bar.

4 Super Smash Bros

The Ideal Platform Fighter

Super Smash Bros is Nintendo’s premier fighting game franchise. It always features gigantic rosters packed full of characters from a variety of games, such as Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and a dozen others. Smash Bros also has incredible stages, with tons of variety and unique features. Coupled with this is how easy the franchise is for casual players to get into, and how seamlessly the local multiplayer works.

Super Smash Bros has had two releases this decade, with the latter standing out as one of the most impactful fighting games of the decade entirely. Conclusively, Super Smash Bros has always been one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, regardless of the decade, and fans hope the trend continues.

3 Fire Emblem

Turn-Based Mayhem

The last ten years have been an incredible time to be a Fire Emblem fan. The franchise has established itself as a successful blockbuster, the pinnacle of turn-based JRPGs, and, of course, as a Nintendo mainstay. The decade started strongly with the commercially successful Fire Emblem Fates trilogy. Each game had a twist on the Fates story, and while Conquest is known for its incredible and challenging turn-based gameplay, the games did fall short in terms of narrative building and plot progression.

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Fire Emblem went from strength to strength with the beautiful remake game, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, and of course, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, featuring Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard was a massive success and is lauded as one of the best games on the Switch as well as one of the best turn-based games of the modern era. While fans weren’t thoroughly impressed with the simplified Fire Emblem Engage, overall Fire Emblem has solidified its status recently, and its impact on Nintendo platforms in the last ten years is an overwhelming net positive.

2 Super Mario Bros

Nintendo’s Everlasting Mascot

The Italian plumber, and his colorful collection of allies and foes, stand as the most memorable and iconic video game character of all time. The name Mario is synonymous with both Nintendo and video games, and it’s safe to say this has never been more true than in the last ten years.

The Super Mario umbrella has seen a ton of delightful releases recently, including Super Mario Odyssey, the quintessential 3D platforming game, as well as Super Mario Maker 2 and Paper Mario, both creative, fun, and breezy games. As always, Mario has been spearheading Nintendo’s success. However, there is one franchise that slightly beats the mustached hero out.

1 The Legend Of Zelda

The Premier Nintendo RPG

For The Legend of Zelda, the last ten years have been a tale of unequivocal success. Breath of the Wild is widely considered one of the best RPG games of the last decade. A commercial and critical success, the game is basically the poster child of the Nintendo Switch even seven years on. Beyond Breath of the Wild, the Zelda franchise has seen some impressive releases recently.

Skyward Sword and Majora’s Mask were both well-received remakes of incredible games. And, of course, the recent release, Tears of the Kingdom, has arguments for being the best game in the entire franchise. The Legend of Zelda series has had an astronomical rise in recent times, and it would be exciting to see what comes next.

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