Once, the toys-to-life craze was dominating the gaming industry, with numerous developers trying to come up with the newest thing. Years later, only Nintendo’s amiibo figures are still in production, slowly being added as more of a collectible instead of an added feature in certain games.
Nintendo and other developers put a lot of effort into incorporating amiibo into certain games – in the worst cases, entire modes were locked away by the purchase of a figurine. However, in the best cases, amiibo enhanced a game, giving a welcome boost of replay value to their experiences to make great games even better.
10 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo’s longest-running Mario Kart game is a juggernaut in both sales and fun factor. Among the many reasons to purchase this game as a Nintendo Switch owner is the amiibo support. You can race as your own Mii in the game, but scanning certain amiibo will unlock new costumes for them.
Captain Falcon, Kirby, Sonic, Pac-Man, and more all get their own outfits when you scan their respective figures. Certain outfits have your Miis cosplaying as those characters, further extending the already expansive roster for the game. If more racers were added with the Booster Pass, then the game would have quite the impressive legacy.
9 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gained its success by being a drastic departure for the franchise. However, those who wanted to have a more aesthetically traditional experience could scan various Zelda amiibo to get the job done. Depending on which version of Link you scanned, you would be rewarded an outfit from the respective game. The Ocarina of Time amiibo would give you the outfit from that game, the Wind Waker amiibo would give you Toon Link’s outfit, etc. This is all without mentioning the Wolf Link amiibo that can bring the canine version of Link from Twilight Princess alongside your journey.
8 Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker was a phenomenon when it launched on the Wii U. While the sequel on Nintendo Switch has several added features, one thing that was notoriously left out was the amiibo costumes. In the original game, you could scan just about any amiibo on the market at the time and gain an 8-bit version of that character as a costume for Mario. Greninja, Sonic, Charizard, Link, and more were all represented as costumes in the game. This also required the developers to create 8-bit sprites for characters who never had one before.
7 Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Shovel Knight was a resounding success on Nintendo’s consoles, which led to it becoming one of the most well-known Kickstarter projects. Years after its release, Shovel Knight had an amiibo that unlocked a co-op mode, a customizable player character, and more.
That wasn’t the end of Shovel Knight’s amiibo support, as a three-pack containing the protagonists from each of the other campaigns received their own figures that all had notable functionality in the game. They added new costumes for the characters as well as extra minor upgrades to your adventure.
6 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
When it comes to customizing your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one thing that people love to tinker with is the villagers. Fans prefer their own villagers, which means that any way to manipulate who visits your island is a welcome one. New Horizons is compatible with the Animal Crossing amiibo cards, which allow you to call forth any villager as a guest as long as they have a card. This is an inexpensive way to bolster your Animal Crossing collection while having greater customization for your island.
Skyrim’s release on the Nintendo Switch was a monumental shift for the Big N’s third-party support. However, it didn’t stop just there. Players of the Switch version of Skyrim who owned an amiibo from The Legend of Zelda could scan it and get access to Link’s outfit from Breath of the Wild, including the Hylian shield and Master Sword. This gives you an official way to cosplay as the Hero of Hyrule in one of the most iconic open-world RPGs ever created.
4 Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2 is a game about tweaking your character to make sure they look and play the way you want. While there are more than enough options for customization baked into the game, you can take it even further by scanning Splatoon amiibo.
Figures related to both Splatoon games will give you unique cosmetics that can’t be earned any other way. This includes a futuristic robot suit, a samurai costume, and more. If you want to stick out from the Inkling crowd, then the Splatoon amiibo are worth it. They will also be supported in Splatoon 3, meaning that they are still functional on current games and hardware.
3 Codename STEAM
It’s a shame that people forgot about Codename STEAM so quickly. This tactical RPG had you controlling a group of iconic literary figures in a steampunk setting to defeat aliens and save the world. It was a unique setup couple with fun gameplay. Perhaps the most interesting feature, though, was the game’s amiibo support. If you had any of the previously released Fire Emblem amiibo (Marth, Ike, Robin, or Lucina), then you could scan them into the game and recruit those characters for your team. Being a tactics game, Codename STEAM was a welcoming home for those iconic heroes.
2 Yoshi’s Woolly World
While it’s been years since Yoshi’s Woolly World released (and its followup, Yoshi’s Crafted World, was dropped on the Nintendo Switch), some would still argue that it’s one of Yoshi’s best adventures. Unlike its successor, Yoshi’s Woolly World featured amiibo support that gave many people’s collections a reason to be used. Throughout the game, if you collected enough special yarn, you would be rewarded with a new pattern. Another way to get new patterns is by scanning amiibo. The pattern depended on which amiibo you scanned, allowing you to get Mario, Shulk, Donkey Kong, and more character-specific patterns.
1 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The debut game for amiibo remains one of the best uses of them. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, 3DS, and Ultimate, you can take an amiibo, scan it into the game, and create an AI fighter that learns from the attacks you put it through. The data for the fighter is stored on the figure itself, meaning you can train one, take it to your friends, and immediately have a partner ready to go. The best part is that a Super Smash Bros. series figure isn’t required for this feature. As long as the amiibo is of a character represented in the game, it can be from any amiibo lineup you have.
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