Congrats OP!
RPGs are my favorite genre so here are some recommendations - but I'm not sure if you do not like specific kinds of RPGs so these are just a list of what I love:
-Xenoblade Chronicles 1 / 2 : Epic, long, unique RPGs with a cooldown-based auto attack battle system. Incredible world, music, story, etc. These games are amazing.
--Moonlighter: Do you like dungeon crawling + owning a shop to sell things you get/make + restoring a town? This game is just really fun all around. You delve dungeons at night (well i do), and sell things during the day. You sell raw materials you get, and use them to also craft new gear for yourself. I've lost so much time to this game :)
--Undertale: Have you played this? Old school graphics, super super unique battle system that has some bullet hell DNA but it's more than that, A+++++ music, and a world and a story that makes you care. It also subverts some genre conventions. Only 8-10 hours long but wow it's seriously almost a 10/10 game. Cheap too. Buy this!
--Golf Story: This is actually a golf RPG. It's a really cool 16-bit-ish world where you go around to golf courses and get up to all kinds of shenanigans. You have stats, it's not like Tiger Woods. There is a story, there are lots of minigames and different takes on golf. Seriously unique game and it's sequel Sports Story comes out in the next few months too. I don't like golf and I loved this.
--West of Loathing: This a a black and white, stick figure, western RPG. Ok that sounds REALLY BAD, but it is so, so, SO good! Decent amount of content, you and 1 partner (you pick between a few) travel an overworld that gets populated with towns, dungeons and lots of other stuff. You explore, have turn based battles, and stats/equipment. It's a super solid game and it's not expensive. Highly recommended.
--Octopath Traveler: Square's "HD 2D" RPG. I was skeptical of this before launch. It is still very divisive. What I will say this that I adore it. You have 8 party members spread across a world that has tons of towns and dungeons. Each character has 4 chapters, and this is the game structure - you can tackle one person's chapters all at once, or do the 1st chapter of all of them, then the chapter 2 etc. The battle system has a "Break" system where you hit enemies with their weak points and eventually they break where you deal massive damage. You can also store up to 4 "turns" so you can unleash holy terror on them. It's great fun. The soundtrack is probably in my TOP 10 of all time! The story is 8 "little stories" with not really a huge overarching thing so if you think you would like more bite sized stories, this game is wonderful.
--Rune Factory 4: Do you like farming RPGs? If so, this is in the top 3 all time. It's a fantasy take on Harvest Moon. You farm, but you also explore the world, dungeons, battle enemies, level up stats, learn new skills and magic, and build relationships with people in town. It leans heavy into the RPG aspect and a little less on the farming. Great game.
--Collection of Mana: This has the first game in the series which was on Gameboy I think? But it also has Secret of Mana, and newly released in the U.S. Trials of Mana. These games are absolute classics. Not sure if you have played them, if not I very highly recommend checking this out. 16 bit action RPG goodness <3
--Dragon Quest 11: The definitive version of DQ11. The only thing it's lacking is the insane graphics of the PS4/PC version. In trade, you get a TON of QOL additions and features the other versions do not have. This game is RPG comfort food. It's a very long game with endearing characters, fun traditional battles, and just a great time. One of my favorite games on Switch.
--Stardew Valley: Remember when I said Rune Factor 4 was in the top 3 farming games? This one right here is the #1 all time. It's got a more major focus on farming, but also has the relationship building, mining, foraging, fishing, festivals. This game has it all. I probably give this a 10/10. I played 150 hours on Switch and am going to be replaying it on PC soon. That good.
--Steamword Dig 2: This is a game with machine robots as the characters. This is at its core a mining game - you are always mining deeper, exploring making money to upgrade things. There is a story as well. It's a very polished very fun game that I would consider an RPG and also a must play.
--Blossom Tales: This is a game that pays homage to Zelda LTTP. If you liked that game, you should like this. It's a bit shorter, but filled with charm. It has a main town and and overworld and dungeons. If you want old school Zelda this is cheap and fun.
There are also a lot of roguelikes and Metroidvanias on Switch that are excellent:
-Slay the Spire
-Dead Cells
-Hollow Knight
-Kunai
-Timespinner
-Chasm
-Gato Roboto
-Swords of Ditto
-Wizard of Legend
-Bloodstained
-Guacamelee 2
-Mummy Demastered
-Shantae Pirates Curse / Half Genie Hero
-Iconoclasts
--Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
-Owlboy
-Ori and the Bilnd Forest
-Yoku's Island Express
I own and really like all of the above!
Thanks to Nintendo Life (they do great features and I always use those to remind myself of everything in the genres, I picked out my favorites from their lists since there are just too many to remember lol)
Have fun OP. You have millions of hours of RPG goodness in the future :)
