10 Best Twin-Stick Shooters on Switch

Nothing feels better than de-stressing after a rough day at work. A great way to take out your frustrations would be firing away at a couple of virtual enemies on your favourite console. The Twin-Stick Shooter subgenre has plenty of games where players can gun down their rivals. All you need is two joysticks to control your character, and you’re good to go. The Nintendo Switch’s unique switching system and its portability make it a perfect fit for titles in this subcategory. In the article below, we dive into the 10 best Twin-Stick Shooter titles available on Switch.

10. Twin-Stick Shooters on Switch- Dust & Neon

Plunge into a Western game world and control a dead cowboy brought back to life by a mad scientist. The protagonist is on a mission to defeat ravaging robots. Players get access to a hub world that offers them shops and missions. After, they go to battle, where killing their enemies earns them money and cores. In combat, you can access several weapons, such as pistols and shotguns, that you occasionally have to reload. Unfortunately, if you die, you lose all your money and weapons.

9. Xeno Crisis

In this multidirectional shooter game, similar to Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV, you control one of the space marines, Marsh or Ridley, on a quest. Their commander, Darius, receives a distress signal from Outpost 88. In response, the protagonists set off to face the aliens at that facility. You make your way through seven procedurally generated levels. Each level has multiple enemies, with a boss battle at the end of most of them. After killing your enemies, you receive either an item, a weapon drop, health, or in-game currency.

8. Hotline Miami

Scour the city of Miami in 1989 while simultaneously committing mass massacres of members of the local Russian mafia. Hotline Miami features 19 chapters. Each one starts with a phone call to the protagonist, where he receives instructions about his mission. It involves him going to a certain location to kill the enemies he’ll encounter there. Before each level, players choose one of many masks that offer different abilities. Additionally, you get access to various weapons, such as firearms and crowbars, that you use to take down your enemies. 

7. Assault Android Cactus

As one of nine Androids, you immerse yourself in a deadly match where you battle against several enemies. Each Android has a different set of primary and secondary weapons. The first Android, Cactus, an Interplanetary Police Department (IPPD) junior constable, crashes into a space freighter called Genki Star. Here, she must fight through many deadly robots to regain control of the Star. You play through 25 stages, which change as the level advances. Again, Assault Android Cactus includes both single and multiplayer modes, with the latter holding up to four players.

6. Yars: Recharged

From the creators of the Atari Recharged series, Yars: Recharged marks the return of Atari into the Yars universe. It blends arcade, shoot-em-up, and bullet hell aspects to create a thrilling match. Players stay alert to pick up on the visual and audio cues that warn them of danger. Further, you must learn the rhythm of each boss as they steer through the enemy defenses in place. You shoot your enemies from a distance while taking cover to avoid their fire.

5.  Twin-Stick Shooters on Switch- ITTA

The game takes place in a gory, open world called Garden. Here, players control a young girl named Itta, who is awake next to her dead family. After, she goes on a journey in the company of a ghost cat, trying to unravel the puzzles behind her situation. Along the way, she meets enemies who attack her by shooting at her. In retaliation, Itta fires back using various weapons. She starts the game armed with a revolver. However, as the game advances, she upgrades her weapons, giving her better chances of survival in combat.

4. XenoRaptor

In this title, you play as a cyber dragon, blasting swarms of rocket-propelled chainsaws at high speed. You can also kill a large group of enemies by tricking them into killing each other. After destroying enough regular enemies, the game pits you against death machines like the Killdozer. Players collect the parts from the wreckage of their enemies and use them to create weapons. Different weapons and character build allow you to explore several different playstyles. Additionally, XenoRaptor features both a single-player and an 8-player cooperative mode. 

3. NeverAwake

If you hate eating vegetables or hold a grudge against your childhood dentist, then this title is perfect for you. The protagonist, Rem, goes to battle with everything she hates. Instead of fighting off deadly creatures or demons, she goes toe to toe with vegetables. She also fights dogs, school friends, dentists, and everything she hates. The creatures and objects turn into monsters and attack her. NeverAwake features over 80 levels and a ton of bosses. You combine weapons and accessories in battle to defeat your enemies.

2. Twin-Stick Shooters on Switch- Thoth

Amid an ongoing war between the S’pht, the Pfhor, and the humans, Jjaro created an ancient AI named Thoth. Though powerful, the AI pays no regard to the ongoing war. Instead, he focuses on keeping the W’rkncacnter imprisoned. Moreover, Thoth obsesses over balance and sometimes intervenes to aid the weaker side in the war. Players move through different levels of the game, defeating their enemies. The enemies then transform into ghostly voids that relentlessly chase the player. You go through a series of 64 levels that, upon completion, unlock procedurally generated levels.

1. Tesla vs Lovecraft

Here, players control a character based on one of the greatest minds in history, Nikola Tesla. Follow him as he attempts to stop the horror author H. P. Lovecraft and his band of monsters. Possessed by Cthulhu, Lovecraft steals all of Tesla’s inventions and uses them to create a gateway for monsters. As Tesla, you embark on a mission to destroy these creatures armed with conventional weapons and a teleporter. Players who kill a large hoard of monsters in Tesla vs. Lovecraft receive certain perks that temporarily grant them special abilities.