5 best Nintendo Switch games where you can play as an animal

Nintendo Switch's expanding library of games includes titles that are spread across many genres and time spans. These range from hardcore FPS games to challenging third-person action games. However, there is a small sub-category among them that gets many gamers excited.

The category involves games with animal protagonists. Since most games out there have human or humanoid characters, these are a rarity to see and play. While not intended to be completely realistic, these games emulate the mechanics of their derived animals in one way or another. At the same time, they deliver exciting gameplay experiences.

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5 Nintendo Switch games that feature animals as playable characters

5) Snake Pass

Sumo Digital's 2017 3D platformer is an odd one. That is because, unlike most platformers, the player's character, Noodle, cannot jump. He is, after all, a coral snake. Snake Pass takes players on a journey through colorful levels to find the mysterious intruder that is stealing the Keystones.

With the hummingbird Doodle in tow, Noodle must traverse these obstacle-filled levels, find collectibles and progress to the next section. The control mechanism is the most unique element of the game, with Noodle having to slither to gain momentum and wrap himself around obstacles to slither in order to overcome these challenges.

Players should note that the control scheme can and will leave their hands sore. Players should ensure to take breaks between levels.

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4) Webbed

Webbed is an underrated little 2D puzzle platformer originally released on PC in 2021. In Sbug Games' cute adventure, players can play as a peacock spider who must rescue her boyfriend captured by a satin bowerbird. Gameplay sees Buddy the spider swing and crawl her way across the game's numerous levels.

The web system allows her to attach a rope of web to swing across gaps or create bridges. She can also shoot enemies and drag items using the game's 2D physics system. There is not much else like this game on the market, and it is definitely something Nintendo Switch fans would enjoy. Webbed was released just a couple months ago on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

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3) Yoku's Island Express

Players have seen many games combine different genres to great effect. Vila Gorilla and Team17's game, released in 2018, brings together two more unlikely genres: Metroidvania and Pinball. In Yoku's Island Express, players take control of a dung beetle called Yoku, who is tasked with delivering letters across the expansive open world island.

Since Yoku cannot jump, which is a standard feature of Metroidvanias, players must rely on the pinball level design of the island. With paddles and flippers littered around, players can move Yoku while also manipulating the triggers that make the critter bounce and dance around. There are lots of collectibles to find and NPCs to meet in the game. However, players should not be fooled by the adorable artstyle, as the game can be fairly challenging at times.

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2) Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game was unironically one of the most anticipated Nintendo Switch games of its release year of 2019. It lets players live out the ultimate fantasy, that of a naughty goose. It is fundamentally a puzzle adventure with stealth elements.

Each area will have certain objectives that are required to be completed, such as throwing someone's picnic basket and ingredients into the pond. The game is renowned for its innocently vicious humor, ranging from stealing items off humans to terrifying children with honking screeches. It is a short game, but a unique one in the market

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1) Okami HD

Often called one of the best games ever made, Capcom's 2006 PS2 adventure is nothing short of a cult classic. Best described as a Legend of Zelda clone, the game launched on Nintendo Switch in August 2018. As the wolf reincarnation of the goddess Amaterasu, players must stop a rising evil that has been accidentally unleashed upon Nippon. Based on the PS3 HD version, Okami HD takes players through wonderful open locales and dungeons.

The cel-shaded Sumi-E inspired watercolor artstyle renders this Japanese adventure timeless, as Ammy revives the wilting nature and fights foes using the Celestial Brush. This special mechanic lets players summon elements like fire or create tools like a bomb with just a few strokes of the magical brush. The Nintendo Switch version, in particular, also features motion controls (for dock/tabletop mode) and touch controls (for handheld mode).

Throw in some DMC-esque action combat and memorable characters, and you have got something that is just shy of a masterpiece, which is no surprise, since Platinum Games' co-founder Hideki Kamiya directed it while under Clover Studios