Strategy games have undergone a recent resurgence across all major platforms, particularly on the Nintendo Switch with notable releases like Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the upcoming Unicorn Overlord. While the most popular strategy games over the past two decades have been expansive battlefields on PC such as Civilization and Europa Universalis, there’s been a recent trend towards pushing the boundaries of this genre on the Nintendo Switch.

It’s easy to forget that a plethora of esteemed strategy games have found their home on Nintendo consoles since the early 2000s. Despite Nintendo’s reputation for fun, colorful, and lively games, they’ve also published numerous challenging strategy games that not only test players’ tactical acumen but are also fun and rewarding to conquer. Some of the best games in the genre are known for their difficulty and intricate gameplay.

Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4 offers a delightful experience. It’s a real-time strategy game packed with exploration, looting, and thrilling combat. Players have access to a variety of customization options and different classes or types of Pikmin, each with its own niche.

While the base game isn’t particularly difficult, players should expect numerous challenging levels and tough-to-beat enemies in both the Night Expeditions and the Dandori Levels. The Purple Key challenge, in particular, stands out as one of the toughest parts of the entire franchise. Players looking to optimize their gameplay on higher difficulties will also find it quite challenging.

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon

Shadow Dragon is arguably the toughest game in the Fire Emblem franchise, and consequently, the most challenging strategy game published by Nintendo. The DS remake of the original Fire Emblem game follows Prince Marth’s journey through five hard difficulty modes, with the final two being extremely difficult. This is an unforgiving and demanding game. Enemy units have extensive movement and high weapon ranks, resulting in their high accuracy. Therefore, players can’t rely on luck or “dodge tanking.” The combination of cavalry, ballisticians, and powerful mages makes every map a grueling test.

To make matters worse, the game features ambush reinforcements that spawn in and attack on the same turn. Players must take numerous factors into account, especially during the first three chapters, which also feature some of the toughest bosses in the series. It’s entirely possible that if players lose Ogma early on, and if Abel and Cain haven’t leveled up well, players may need to get the boss to break their weapon to clear these early chapters.

Triangle Strategy

Triangle Strategy is a recent release in the vein of Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, with a major focus on players’ choices and their moral consequences. On higher difficulties, however, this is a very challenging game, and players can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. While there’s no permadeath as in Tactics Ogre or Fire Emblem, the hard mode of this game is undeniably tough. Even the tankiest of units get worn down quickly, and players need to rely on the supporting cast, particularly Benedict. The reduced damage enemies take and the intricate map design complement each other perfectly. Players must learn how to bait in enemies, manipulate enemy focus, and efficiently utilize their ranged units like Hughette. Overall, it features some of the best map designs in the genre.

Fire Emblem Binding Blade

The first portable Fire Emblem game was also one of the hardest. Published by Nintendo, Binding Blade follows the story of fan-favorite Roy as he tackles a country-wide invasion by the enigmatic Zephiel with the help of a few staunch advisors.

Binding Blade can be unforgiving at times; the early levels are difficult, and players have to navigate the weapon triangle amidst an onslaught of different enemies while trying to bolster their modest army. The Wyvern Riders in the Ostia maps, in particular, can be a shock to newcomers. While the game’s difficulty decreases over time, the initial seven or so chapters are extremely challenging, requiring players to heavily rely on Marcus and Dieck to progress.

Advance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp

The original Advance Wars game is very challenging, to the point where it can be frustrating. While, admittedly, in this remake, the original game isn’t as difficult even on the classic difficulty, it still presents a challenge. What sets this remake apart from Advance Wars 1 is the difficulty spike in the second game.

The sequel features some extremely tough-to-beat levels, and players’ strategic skills are put to the test. There are several difficulty spikes, and if players aren’t at the top of their game, they’ll quickly fall behind, leading to long, grueling battles lasting over 40 in-game days. Players must learn how to micromanage everything efficiently. This difficulty ramps up even more on the “challenge” difficulty level.

Comparison

The revised text maintains the essence of the original article while presenting the information in a slightly different format. The key points regarding each game’s difficulty and gameplay remain intact, providing an authentic perspective on the toughest strategy games available on Nintendo platforms.