Sublevel Zero Redux (Switch eShop)
A roguelite shooter that puts you in a gunship as you zap your way through a procedurally-generated underground facility, Sublevel Zero Redux gets the nod from both Jasper and Lapses:
Sublevel Zero Redux. Lovely game in an under-represented genre (Descent-inspired). Clear and attractive art style, occasional slowdown is tolerable. Very satisfying pew-pew weapons. Roguelike loop is not the best, but the core gameplay holds the experience up. Flying feels spot on.
A fine homage to Descent that is worth a look because we don't get too many examples of 6-degrees-of-freedom flying/shooting games and this one is strong where it counts. The flying feels fast but controlled, the shooting is neon lasers and chunky bullets, the explosions are poppy and the cavernous stages are twisty but with an excellent map. There's some roguelite progression sitting over the top but it doesn't intrude on the structure of the runs, which are an hour or two if you're careful. Perfect for quick sessions, but deep enough if you want to play longer.
Evan's Remains (Switch eShop)
A puzzle-platformer with adventure game elements, Howard was very enthusiastic about Evan's Remains:
Evan’s Remains: This gems combines light puzzles with an incredibly emotional and touching story. If you have six hours and want to see the depths of what gaming can be, take this journey. From the art, to the music, and character interactions, this gem is a once in a lifetime experience. You will not be disappointed.
Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition (Switch eShop)
We received several recommendations for this rather dark survival experience from Failbetter Games, but they didn't include any substantial comments (no, eShop blurb doesn't count!). Still, Sunless Sea has been on our radar for a while and we wanted to include it — please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments and we may add them into this entry.
In the meantime, take a look at the trailer and decide if you've got the fortitude to add this downbeat game to your 2020 roster.
Dude, Stop (Switch eShop)
We have to admit that this one slipped our notice entirely, but Pak-Man's description caused our ears to prick up like a rabbit (sorry, wabbit):
Dude, Stop (that's actually the name of the game.) It's pretty much a point-and-click game by way of the great Looney Tunes classic, Duck Amuck (the one where Daffy is tormented by the animator) only it's your goal to torment the game designer.
Banner Of The Maid (Switch eShop)
Nintendo Life reader Chanh acknowledges that tactical RPG Banner of the Maid isn't without faults, but believes there's still plenty there to enjoy:
Banner of the Maid is a very overlooked tactical RPG that absolutely nails the gameplay. Taking place in an alternate Napoleonic Wars, the map design perfectly translates real world conditions to the in-game battles. The art style, while fan servicey at times, matches the regal-ness of the time period. Characters are uniquely designed, strengthened by the lack of games from this era. While its localization is poor, there’s enough context clues to know what’s happening in the story.
BodkinDQ is also a fan of this game's rough-around-the-edges but spirited turn-based strategy:
Banner of the Maid is indie SRPG done right, but had a lot of love put into it which made the budget seem bigger. An unorthodox game, as it it based on the actual French Revolution, but somehow it really works. Very Fire Emblem-esque game, but stands on its own merits. Ludicrously enjoyable combat that requires a lot of strategy and you really have to think about skills and character placement. The character art portraits are beautiful and absolutely stunning to say the least. I cannot recommend this game enough!
Marble It Up! (Switch eShop)
And finally, rolling marble platformer Marble It Up! came in for praise from several Nintendo Life readers, including sketchturner and Tom:
Typically, I feel that the eshop games truly deserving of praise manage to get noticed. However, "Marble It Up!" is a phenomenal game that has flown shockingly under the radar. Whether you want to play casually or with pixel perfect precision, this game can be enjoyed by anyone. There is enough depth here to get dozens of hours of enjoyment. If you enjoy platforming, exploration, speed running, or all 3, this game has something for you. For me, it matches or even surpasses the original two Super Monkey Ball games (which I hold in very high regard).
It has a great sense of speed and loads of levels catering for all difficulties as well as weekly challenges with modifiers to keep things fresh. Instant respawns and rock solid frame rate make it feel great to play and it fits the switch perfectly. I would love for more people to get chance to play it.
Our thanks to everyone who responded. Let us know below if you've sampled any of the games above and if you agree with the recommendations. We're off to scour the Switch eShop and catch up with some of these.
If you've got a recommendation for us, you can send them to us by following the guidelines and instructions below:
Submission guidelines
- 100-word limit - Keep it brief! A history of the genre and deep-dive into every mechanic is unnecessary. Concentrate on what the game is about, what sets it apart from other games and why you enjoyed it.
- One entry per game - Feel free to send your thoughts on multiple games, but there's no need to duplicate.
- Choose only games that we haven't reviewed on the site - To check if a Nintendo Life review exists, simply type the name of the game into the search box at the very top of the page (look for the magnifying glass icon in the top left corner) and click on the game page that appears. If there's no review, you're good to go!
How to send a recommendation
- Head to Nintendo Life's Contact page and select the subject "Switch eShop Hidden Gems" from the drop down menu (it's already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email and beautifully-crafted message into the appropriate box, hit send and Bob's your uncle!
Comments 61
Can't say that any of these ones really appeal to me. That's not a big surprise though. I pay pretty close attention to the eShop so not too many that interest me slip through the cracks.
Can't wait for Part 3:
Man we're really out of touch.
This is definitely lacking Princess Party...
Discovering games like this is the reason I started frequenting Nintendo Life in the first place... way back in the WiiWare days.
Please keep doing this once a quarter or so... and thanks for including trailers.
Wuppo and Mini Metro are easy recommendations, really brilliant.
This is a pretty great lineup! Mini Metro, Wuppo, Evan's Remains, and Marble It Up are particular highlights for me.
I may check a few of these out. Like me some hidden gems
I want a mini metro and 911 operator review love these games
@HobbitGamer I googled this and found a trailer but no reviews on Metacritic is this a good or bad game.
@HobbitGamer I'm not opposed to it! I just need a sentence or two on what makes it great, or at the very least what makes it better than other games with princesses and parties.
Thanks for including Siralim 3! It really is a fantastic game. There’s a sequel currently in development which will be on switch at some point next year:
https://www.thylacinestudios.com/
Sunless Sea is an absolute gem. Feels like a modern ‘text only’ game; visuals are there to accompany and boost the brilliant writing, gameplay is slightly performative but it’s absolutely worth slogging through to enjoy the world. Really unique, special piece of work.
Both 911 operator versions are on sale. 911 operator deluxe version that has the 4 dlcs is $5 dollars usually being $22 and the regular version with no dlcs is $2 dollars usually being $14 i would recommend the deluxe version since its 3 dollars more. The 1 dlc Search and rescue is about fires and being trapped in snow the 2 is every life matters that has a summer festival in miami and riots in boston the 3 special resources and 4 First Response are just more vehicles and equipment. I think the 4 one is free but i forgot. Each dlc has new vehicles like the search and rescue has a rescue helicopter and every life matters has a water cannon to wash of the rioters this is a every fun game in my mind.
Hades and Ori 2.
Just buy those two games.
Now.
They are way better than any Nintendo exclusive that came out this year.
Dope article! I somehow missed part one. I’m just now seeing the community, article...thing. Sorry, I don’t know the proper term! 😂 I’ll definitely look into some of these!
@dartmonkey @HobbitGamer do you mean pretty princess party where you learn to be a princess in a enchanted castle to explore and wear different clothes and hats and shoes and do princess stuff
I have spent hours on mini metro—both before and after it came to Switch—and yer Switch version is the best. Love the touch screen controls and challenges. Huge recommend.
Don’t remember if Nintendo Life did a review on Hamster’s Burgertime original arcade archive release. Anyone who prefers the 1982 classic, it is up on the eShop.
Wuppo looks really cool, but I'm also getting vibes that it isn't a long game. Does anyone have a length window?
Edit: HowLongToBeat.com is saying 9-13 hours, which is alot better than I expected. Still would love confirmation in the comments if possible.
@holygeez03 Yes! That reminds me that the main reason I used to visit this site was for the DSiware features and reviews. Gotta make the most use of those Nintendo Points!
@kingbk
1 game exceeds both
Animal crossing new horizons
Mini Metro is a port of a popular mobile game, it's only $0.99 on mobile, them charging $10 for it on Switch is absurd
Oh dear, I seem to have accidentally cheated! I am both Lapses and Jasper, must not have used the same account last time. Anyway, don't take it out on Sublevel Zero, that's still great. I'll just disqualify myself from any further opinions until next year in penance!
Siralim and Banner of the Maid have caught my eye mostly, but these are almost all titles I have overlooked so thanks all for contributing. Once 😁
Yay! Marble It Up! finally gets a mention 😁
Hmmm, that is interesting.
I already have Mini Metro, Marble It Up and Sublevel Zero Redux which are decent games.
However, I can't say I knew a whole lot about the others. May have a look deeper. Especially into Banner of the Maid, Evan's Remains & Wuppo
Thank you all involved.
EDIT: Banner of the Maid and Wuppo are fab.
Evan's Remains caught my eye with that platforming puzzle and beautiful sprite art
Also, I completely forgot about Banner of the Maid
Very informative article, Thank you NL and NL community
Wuppo, Marble It Up, Sagebrush, those all tickle my fancy. Cheers 👍
@sketchturner I'm the mysterious 'Tom' who also recommended it, glad it made it to the list! I must admit I've given up hoping for a multiplayer update after 2 years haha
I looked into marble it up at one point since I was a huge marble blast ultra fan but the price and jump mechanics kind of turned me off.
Oh yea Marble it up is great, surprised you guys missed that one
Dude, stop might be fun.
Marble it Up! looks cool as heck, but to be honest I found Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (considered an easier entry) to be a stiff challenge & am not sure I'd be up for anything more hardcore.
Regarding SMB:BBHD, I cleared the main story & the first post game world, but the second post game world is beyond my ability.
I can really only speak to Wuppo from this list. Awesome, funny game with great world building. I originally bought it a few years back because it was one of the highest ever rated games on Steam, iirc.
Not gonna lie...went and grabbed Sagebrush like 20 seconds into the trailer
@The_Trooper49 Yeah that's been my only disappointment... multiplayer was supposed to be added ages ago but I'm still waiting. Recently I saw the developers are still working on it though.
I made a typo in that, by the way. Dumb phone changing words. Thanks though.
@Lapses
Siralim 3 is also available on IOS and Android for about £5 iirc, it runs very well on my old iPhone
I’ve had Wuppo downloaded and waiting to be played for a while now. Might have to bump it up the backlog
Wuppo is great! I adore that game.
marble game looks frustrating xD Jk it looks fun.
Haha, my mate got his game mentioned. Kudos.
lol, I thought they were going to actually go review games that they originally missed, not just slap together an article and include reader blurbs
Ew, Ratalaika Games. I see their name, I avoid.
Marble It Up and Death's Hangover are the only ones that looked interesting to me.
Heaven Dust should be in there. Great early Resi Evil vibe. Really enjoyed it.
@HobbitGamer craezie tiems. I was to looking onto the party. Now? I am find MY own way
Marble it up was right down my alley. Great one. And for some reason it looks amazing on my CRT
So, basically an article about games that most of us have never heard of, recommended by users that most of us have never heard of either.
Alrighty, then...
@holygeez03 Me too. Those Wiiware reviews are my tragic origin story.
Amazing
Wuppo looks ace!
Oddly, I’ve missed playing Descent too, I’ll have to check out Sublevel Zero.
Loads of these games look worth a bit of time, nice one!
Siralim 3, 9th Dawn 3 and Tangledeep are all in my "Games that look a bit rough but have fantastic gameplay, ridiculous depth and great devs" category (I need an acronym). I love articles like this one.
I'm looking forward to Siralim Ultimate, which seems to add even more content to a game already crammed with a ridiculous amount of content.
@kingbk
You're not serious are you?
This is a list of hidden gems that flew under the radar of a lot of people, not games that are well known, loved and adored already by many people.
Love that 'This strange realm of mine' is in, that really is quite an experience that I urge everyone to play. You likely won't replay it but it's a brilliant take on what can be done with gaming and the story it tells.
It is however more an experience rather than true game so to speak.
Some of these really appeal to me and I think I missed most of these . Really good idea doing this , it’s very hard keeping up with so many releases
Supposedly Sunless Skies is better than Sunless Sea. The game suffers from slow early game and not explaining the basic loop too well.
Blazing Beaks!
Great article! Please keep these coming!
Might i recommend this small, little-known gem: It's a little deal I like to call Ring Fit Adventure.
A really lovely list. I hope you make this type of article a regular feature.
Great article. Bought two of these.
Kinda nice to see so much great cheap games. I can buy almost 10 indies for the price of 1 WiiU port. Insane isn’t it?
It's disappointing that you guys didn't include some of the great free RPG Maker games people have made for the Nintendo Switch, such as 'Kingdom of Neandria' and 'When He Shall Die'.
Please please someone review pony world 3 XD
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