Another month has been and gone, and that means it's time for another look back at the eShop last month. July was a pretty big month for physical RPG releases, but the eShop has had a fair few hidden nuggets that may have passed you by. Once again, we've tried to pick the best of the best for you!
It's the same as always for the eShop Selects — we're focusing on download-only games that we've reviewed because we want to showcase the special gems that you might have missed amidst all of that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 hype!
First, let's kick off with some titles that didn't quite make our top three, but are worth shouting about.
Honourable Mentions:
From indies inspired by classics to surprising classic rereleases, there's a nice little selection here, and all of them are worth your time:
- Coromon | Review: 7/10
- Growbot | Review: 7/10
- Severed Steel | Review: 8/10
- Spidersaurs | Review: 7/10
- Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 | Review: 7/10
- Turrican Anthology Vol. 2 | Review: 7/10
3. Strange Horticulture (Switch eShop)
We're not really sure what to call Strange Horticulture. Part narrative game, part puzzle game, part mystery, part... herbology sim? One thing we do know, however, is that it's a grower. It starts off slow and simple, but once it begins to bud, it's difficult to put down.
Part of the game's charm is this unusual mix of occult mystery and plant cultivation, which drip-feeds hints and gameplay to you through its wonderful writing. It's like an ivy try of intrigue, with every new leaf that sprouts, you get more entangled in the experience. Even if the Switch port takes a bit of getting used to.
We'll say no more and leave our 8/10 review to convince you that Strange Horticulture is the right kind of foliage for you.
2. Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (Switch eShop)
Is this one a little bit unfair? Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium is technically 32 games, after all. But it's a package of 32 varied titles that detail Capcom's history, and you know we can't say no to a bit of nostalgia.
Full to the brim with fighting games, shooters, sports games, and puzzle titles, this is a big old history lesson on Capcom's arcade history, just like the first Arcade Stadium. Some of the highlights here include LED Storm, The King of Dragons, Gun.Smoke, Pnickies, and Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors. It's a sweet shop of unusual arcade curious that has us itching to pop some pennies in and get playing.
The nostalgia and the excellent emulation of this package are what helped award this compilation an 8/10 from us.
1. Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 (Switch eShop)
Can you believe it's been 6 years since Azure Striker Gunvolt 2? We've had other games in the wider Azure Striker Gunvolt series since, but the third sequel is what we've been waiting for. And my, lightning does indeed strike three times.
The biggest difference for the third game is that you largely take control of Kirin, a katana-wielder who can throw talismans at enemies, but you can 'tag' Gunvolt in at any point. And, like the previous games, the gorgeous pixel art action is as smooth as butter. This series continues to impress with every new entry, and captures that lighting-fast Mega Man action that we're always craving.
We can't stop playing it, and that replayability is just one reason why it's our number one eShop game of July. Our very positive review should confirm why it's worthy of that spot even more so.
< Nintendo Life eShop Selects - June 2022
How we decide our eShop Selects top three: As we reach the end of every month, the Nintendo Life staff vote on their favourite titles from a list of games selected by the editorial team. To qualify for this list, these games must have been released as a digital-only Nintendo Switch eShop title in that particular month, and must have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we select the qualifying games based on their review scores.
Staff are then asked to vote for three games that they think deserve to sit right at the very top of that list; first choice gets 3 points, second choice gets 2 points, and third choice gets 1 point. These votes are then tallied to create a top three list, with the overall winner taking that month's top prize.
Comments 8
You've actually just reminded me that I need to get around to playing Capcom Arcade Stadium 2. I even managed to nab Three Wonders for free due to grabbing the early purchase bonus for Capcom Fighting Collection so I'm definitely intrigued to see what that entails!
Downloaded Strange Horticulture but haven't played it because Xenoblade.
The Gunvolt series is one I've really never had on my radar, but reading this and then spending the last 30 minutes watching gameplay/review videos has made it shoot right to the top of my need-to-play list (sorry backlog, again). Like, holy ***** this looks incredible and I didn't realize I'd been sleeping on something that looks this cool. And the fluid pixel art is just gorgeous to see in action.
My favorite game for the month was Klonoa but perhaps that doesn't count for this list (I bought it on the eshop but I assume it was also physical). Of possibly-eshop-only games, my favorite I played has been a super adorable plaformer called Harlow with a cute plot and odd but fun mechanics.
That said, Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 and spidersaurs are sitting on my wishlist waiting for sales; they both look like very fun games and I've played a lot of previous gunvolt games so I know I'll like that one. Turrican Anthology is also on my wishlist but I'm not getting near that unless it has an enormous sale since it is currently a combined $70.
Yeah, Gunvolt baby! Love the game and series and Inti Creates for being amazing! Glad to see it win. Still gotta play Strange Horticulture, but I’ve sort of booked my gaming schedule for the year at this point. Depends on how much time Xenoblade takes me, as well as how I feel about that Diofield demo, before I think about the game.
I have played Gunvolt 3 and, yeah, I enjoyed it. I haven't played it all the way through though. I'm yet to download the games off "Capcom 2". I may wait for a discount, and not just download the small selection I want. Quiet month for Indies for me, relatively speaking
I like the idea of Severed Steel, but the fact that it runs at 30fps or lower and doesn't support gyro along with not great auto aim means it's super difficult for me to play on switch. The color palette also makes it kind of difficult to tell what you're looking at sometimes too.
I definitely need to give Capcom Arcade Stadium 2 a shot, especially if I can pick up the titles I'm interested in
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 for me. One of those old classics that I never had the opportunity to play, due to either being prohibitively expensive or simply not having been ported. One of those games that'd been on my 'wishlist' for years.
A bit overpriced for a fairly barebones port, but it's a really fun game and I'm happy to finally have the chance to play it.
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