Ahhh, nothing beats getting sidetracked in a video game. From sprawling open-world games to turn-based RPGs, side quests are almost an essential part of the adventure. After all, can you really say you've saved the world or discovered your friends' secrets if you haven't collected all the magic coins or helped the village mayor pay off his debt?
As we near the end of the Switch's life, here at Nintendo Life, we've been thinking about all of our favorite side quests we've experienced (or re-experienced) on the lovely little hybrid console. And there is no shortage of optional but magical expeditions.
So what do we mean by side quests? Basically, any optional mission unrelated to the main story that will often reward you with new weapons, items, or even lore.
We're talking special moments like The Witcher 3 'The Bloody Baron' a huge side quest where Geralt tries to find his family in Velen in exchange for information on Ciri's whereabouts. Anyone who's played at least part of that quest knows that things aren't that simple — it's an incredibly emotional and arduous quest, and a rare feat where the quest itself and the payoff are of equal measure. The Witcher 3 is the gold standard for side quests in video games, and this quest line is just one of many examples.
To look at an outstanding example from Nintendo, let's take a look at Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which arguably has some of the best side quests in a series full of them. Tasks that focus on the main group, such as Eunie and Taion, bring even more life to the cast; Hero quests that bring you new supporting characters, such as Ashera, complete the world of Aionios. And don't get us started Anguis the stranger. It still brings a tear to our eyes.
It doesn't matter if the game is exclusive to Nintendo Switch or not — if it has an awesome side story, then we absolutely want to hear you rave about it. And yes, NSO games absolutely count — we're sure we can think of a game or two on that service that have some nice side activities.
And look, we know Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have some awesome side quests — are you really playing those games if you're not diving into 20 different quests at once or rebuilding the city of Tarrey? — but there are so many of them that we don't want to be bombarded with only hundreds of tasks from those games. Heck, Echoes of Wisdom and Link's Awakening are right there!
Tell us about your favorite Nintendo Switch side quests in the comments below, and we'll pick the best of your picks below and combine them with ours for a piece… coming soon!
