91-Rated Nintendo Switch Console Exclusive Game Is a 500-Hour Sci-Fi Masterpiece

A new 91-rated Nintendo Switch exclusive game is a sci-fi masterpiece. One of the best games of 2024 was a PC exclusive that many missed, partially because it was a smaller indie release, partially because it was PC-only, and partially because it released right at the end of the year when most were checked out of the hobby and the industry for the holidays. That said, the game in question earned a 91 on Metacritic, making it one of the top 10 highest-rated games of 2024. Now, it is coming to Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch only, making it a console exclusive for the aging piece of Nintendo tech.

Come February 16, Nintendo Switch users — and Nintendo Switch 2 users via backward compatibility — will be able to play Caves of Qud, a sci-fi roguelike that actually debuted all the way back in 2015 via early access before fully releasing at the end of 2024. And for sci-fi fans, it was worth the wait.

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One of the Best Sci-Fi Roguelikes

For those just learning about the game, Caves of Qud is a science fantasy roguelike that is “steeped in retrofuturism, deep simulation, and swathes of sentient plants.” In it, you play as a living, breathing world that must journey through layers of dead civilization to determine if this world is a dying earth or something about to be reborn anew.

Of course, sometimes, especially with smaller indie games, critics are falling over themselves to praise and champion, but the average consumer finds the game less compelling. This is not the case here. To this end, on Steam, after more than 10,000 user reviews Caves of Qud has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating, the highest rating a game can earn on Steam. This is thanks to a 95% approval rating.

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500 Hours for $30

Like many roguelikes Caves of Qud can be beaten much quicker than it can be completed. However, even the former takes roughly 40 hours, while the latter takes about 500 hours. At $30, Caves of Qud is one of the best values in gaming. Is anyone playing it for 500 hours? Well, the top review on Steam has 224 hours with it. The next has 195 hours. The one after that: 259 hours. This is not quite 500 hours, but that’s still an incredible amount of time and an absurd amount of value.

It is worth noting, though, that developer Freehold Games and publisher Kitfox Games have not confirmed the Nintendo Switch version will be priced the same as the Steam version. This will presumably be the case, but it has not been confirmed yet.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.