Severed
Image: Drinkbox Studios

For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good soon and, for one reason or another, these eShop-exclusives are close to our hearts.

Today, Ollie nominates Severed, a delightful touch-based 3DS and Wii U eShop game (and Switch, in fact — we'll get to that) from the excellent developers at Drinkbox Studios...

So, what's it called again?

Severed - that's it!

It's available on both the 3DS and Wii U eShops, along with the Switch.

Who made it?

Drinkbox Studios, known for its work on Guacamelee!, Guacamelee 2!, and the brilliant Nobody Saves The World.

What's the premise?

Severed is essentially a dungeon-crawler in which you play as Sasha, a one-armed girl lost in another world after the tragic disappearance of her family. Bestowed with a sword, you'll need to navigate the various dungeons and use the 3DS or Wii U touch screen to attack your enemies.

Mindlessly slashing away at enemies won't do the trick, mind, as you'll need to keep an eye on their form and defensive manoeuvres, which will give you an indication of when you can attack and from which direction.

Why should I play it?

Amongst Drinkbox Studios' back catalogue, Severed stands as perhaps its most unique game. It shares a lot of visual similarities with the studio's other titles, but remains the only one that focuses squarely on touchscreen gameplay.

Given the relative simplicity at its core, Severed introduces light RPG mechanics to spice things up, such as a focus meter that lets you sever the limbs off enemies when it's filled, along with skill trees and buffs to allow for minor character customisation. There's nothing here that feels particularly overwhelming and that's really part of its appeal; anyone can dive into Severed and have an absolute blast with it.

Now, obviously, we mentioned earlier that the game is available on the Switch, so why are we highlighting this one, exactly? Well, the addition of the optional autostereoscopic 3D effect on the 3DS makes this version stand head and shoulders above the others in this writer's humble opinion. You've also got the stylus, too, which is undoubtedly a much more intuitive method of control over your own finger. No screen smudges here, thank you very much!

How much is it?

£13.49 / $14.99 / €14.99, although it's on sale at 75% off at the time of writing, bringing it down to just £2.99 / $3.74 / €2.72. Go go go!

We'll be back soon with another 3DS or Wii U eShop recommendation. Let us know below if you've already got this in your collection and share your thoughts. Also, feel free to nominate other games — we just might highlight those in the coming days, too.