The House in Fata Morgana: Dreams of the Revenants Edition (Switch eShop)

$19.99 (-50%)

The House in Fata Morgana is over 40 hours long, and in those 40 hours, you'll maybe get to make about three decisions. It is a visual novel in the strictest sense of the word, and you must be prepared for that going in. But with a fantastic, original, slow-burn story about love, loss, hurt, forgiveness, and recovery, it's one of the best visual novels out there — and your patience will be paid off in the end.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero (Switch)

$27.99 (-30%)

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In a series renowned for its stellar writing, twisting plots, and wonderful characters, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero is a stand-out RPG. Narrowing the focus of its story to one state, and honing in on a smaller cast of characters, makes for a fantastic and engrossing adventure that is about both intimate relationships and huge, secretive scandals. The fact that this is just one half of a duology means that, while the story wraps up nicely here, we have tons of questions that we’re itching to get answers to in Trails to Azure. If you haven't played Trails, it's time to overcome that barrier, because there’s no better place to zero in on this fantastic series than in Crossbell.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (Switch)

$27.99 (-30%)

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure takes everything that’s excellent about Zero and runs a marathon with it. It’s one of the best-paced games in the series, with some of the best characters, best music, and easily the best setting. The Crossbell Arc is a hugely compelling two-parter that captures everything that makes the Trails series what it is perfectly, and Azure in particular deftly balances high-stakes drama, political intrigue, and poignant character moments. This is one Switch RPG we won't be feeling blue about anytime soon.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (Switch eShop)

$14.99 (-40%)

A thoroughly enjoyable expansion of an already classic game treated with love, care, and most importantly a meta awareness that pays tribute to everything that made the original so beloved. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe may leave a small few questioning more than they’d like, but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (Switch)

$24.99 (-50%)

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is an utterly addictive, perfectly tuned celebration of all things Final Fantasy. It’s a deceptively simple-looking game that, once you get under the hood, you’ll discover it has teeth and demands practice and patience if you want to unlock everything. It gives back what you put into it, and we’re struggling to put it down even now. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the series’ 35th anniversary, and this makes it a must-buy for Final Fantasy fans and rhythm game enthusiasts. How other storied, sprawling game series’ haven’t followed suit with their own rhythm games is baffling when the results can be this magical.

Thumper (Switch eShop)

$3.99 (-80%)

Thumper is a fantastic video game, an extravagant rhythm experience that's also a brutal assault on the senses. It's extremely difficult - painfully so at times - yet we feel the need to persevere, retrying tough stages over and over again. Even when that's done, the drive for better ranks remains simply because the game compels us to play on. The only real flaw of Thumper, in actual fact, is that it offers so little respite and no 'easy' mode for players. Some may scoff at that, saying it's a game designed to be tough, but the downside is that without that optional concession the game will be inaccessible and impenetrable for some players. That's a pity, as for those up for the challenge it's a wonderful — albeit gruelling — gaming experience.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Switch)

$15.99 (-60%)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on Nintendo Switch is a rock-solid port of a pair of genuinely fantastic remakes.

These really are two of the very best arcade sports titles of all time, revamped, reworked and re-imagined for modern audiences with all the graphical bells and whistles, collectibles and game modes we've come to expect in this day and age.

With flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes and visuals that still look the part after a few necessary concessions here and there, this is one collection we highly recommend you kickflip right into.

Two Point Campus (Switch)

$9.99 (-75%)

Two Point Campus is a masterclass management sim game bursting with creative new ideas and a wholly original approach to success. Its wholesome ‘invest in students and they’ll invest in you’ strategy is a beautiful way to put a positive spin on an otherwise NPC-exploitative genre. Dampened only by some technical issues, it still manages to be a standout amongst its peers and shine brightly at the top of the class.

Unicorn Overlord (Switch)

$35.99 (-40%)

Even amidst a huge strategy-RPG boom, Unicorn Overlord stands out. It’s a smorgasbord of visual delights, intricate systems, and addictive gameplay loops that all come together to create a delightfully thrilling and deep tactical RPG. It’s so easy to get absorbed into everything the game offers, and we lapped it all up.

Vanillaware has long been known for creating beautiful-looking games with unique twists on genres, but with 13 Sentinels (also on sale for $14.99 (-75%)) and now Unicorn Overlord, this developer should be on absolutely everyone’s radar.

UNSIGHTED (Switch eShop)

$7.99 (-60%)

Unsighted combines some very familiar ideas: it’s a top-down, roguelite, sci-fi Metroidvania with a strong 16-bit aesthetic. Its time-is-ticking, post-apocalyptic scenario is brought to life by the enchanting palettes of its pixel art, making a world you want to explore, full of characters you want to know.

Far from punishing, it leans more on the 'lite' than the 'rogue', letting fun prevail – as it will, thanks to the addictive rhythm of the controls, backed by punchy sounds. The cooperative multiplayer is icing on top of an already well-iced cake.

Combining flavours of Super Nintendo classics with modern playability, Unsighted is the game 1995 desperately wanted to make but just didn’t know how.

Vampire Survivors (Switch eShop)

$3.99 (-20%)

Vampire Survivors skyrocketed in popularity in 2022 for good reason. It's one of the best roguelites in recent memory thanks to its gripping gameplay loop and metagame that hijacks your mind.

The Switch port only adds more to love with local co-op and updated content. It's so easy to slip into a blissful sense of flow in Vampire Survivors' Castlevania-inspired, comically named levels as its ripping soundtrack and satisfying sound design propel you into the horde that you'll surely lose track of time playing it.

It's a good thing that rounds don't usually last more than half an hour. With the addition of free Adventures and a host of DLC — including the excellent 'Ode to Castlevania' add-on, also on sale for $3.59 (-10%) — this undead master is teeming with life.

Wandersong (Switch eShop)

$4.99 (-75%)

If you’re after a unique experience, Wandersong completely has you covered. The singing mechanic employed works perfectly, and while it may feel a bit too easy at times, the combination of the visuals, writing, and various gameplay objectives across a generous seven-act structure make for an incredibly compelling platforming experience that you’d do well to check out.

We Love Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie (Switch)

$7.49 (-75%)

In rounding off Katamari Damacy’s rougher edges and upping the ante with more diverse mechanics and challenges, even goofier writing, and a terrific soundtrack, We Love Katamari cemented itself as a high watermark for video game sequels in 2005. Even without the remaster treatment, the game’s maintained its lustre remarkably well but Reroll + Royal Reverie is (an admittedly thin layer of) icing on an already decadent cake. With a number of solid quality-of-life updates and sharper, brighter visuals, this is undeniably the best way to experience the 2005 classic.

What The Golf? (Switch eShop)

$9.99 (-50%)

What the Golf? is a sterling effort for Switch that has clearly had enormous amounts of love poured into it. Its aesthetic is a little bit indie-by-numbers but there's so much to see and do here that'll have you (and a friend) laughing out loud. It may not be the most difficult game in the world, but it's damn good fun, even if you don't like golf.

Especially if you don't like golf, in fact.

World of Goo (Switch eShop)

$7.49 (-50%)

World of Goo is a true classic, and it's revered for good reason. 2D Boy's game is instantly accessible but with plenty of depth; it's paced out perfectly, with a steady stream of new tricks and techniques to learn; and its puzzles can be solved with forward-thinking, quick reflexes or a mixture of both. Wrapped up in a unique, pleasantly apocalyptic presentation, with co-op support and a harder 'OCD' mode for added replay value, this is a complete puzzle package.

If you've played it previously, the Switch incarnation might be worth a second go for its portable pointer controls and on-the-go co-op, but if it's your first time into the World of Goo, it's absolutely a must-play.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (Switch)

$19.99 (-50%)

With fun, fast-paced combat, likeable characters, and an enjoyable story that takes full advantage of its beautiful shipwrecked setting, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is a top-shelf action RPG.

Exploring the Isle of Seiren is as rewarding as mastering the character-swapping and hack-and-slash battle system, and both fit into an addictive feedback loop of adventuring that keeps everything moving at a quick clip.

The inconsistent image quality in handheld mode is a small blemish on an otherwise polished production, but this is a fantastic way to play Ys VIII, one of the very best action RPGs on the Switch and a true gem.

But wait, there's still more. There are so many fantastic games that we have hit our list limit of 100 entries. We squeezed mentions of 17 series instalments into the entries above, but here are your remaining 9/10s (or higher) to round us out:

Not a bad bunch, eh? Of course, the eShop is brimming with many other wonderful discounted delights that we scored an 8/10, but you'll have to hunt those out yourselves — we'd be here all day if we stretched the list that far! Let us know below if you picked up any of these.