Northgard (Switch)

Bartek recalls Shiro Games's 2019 RTS endeavour Northgard, and seems to suggest a chance we might catch up with a review a good six years after launch. Hey, never say never!

There aren't many RTS games for Switch, and this one is very good. It's strange you haven't reviewed it yet.

Osyaberi! Horijyo! Gekihori: Anna Holinski saves the universe, alright?! (Switch eShop)

shibata likes saying the name of this one three times as fast as possible:

This is a shoot-'em-up game with a young girl heroine. She has collected many treasures but they got stolen by UFOs, so she goes out to the universe to get them back.
During her journey, she fights against many bosses, so for a beginner to this kind of game, two -player mode is available.
I enjoyed the game because she always speaks with cute j-anime voices using various slangs, while it follows footsteps of older danmaku games.
This mixture of moe culture and classic game trend opens up a new possibility to the world of games!

Super Alloy Ranger (Switch eShop)

recastanho circles back round with more piercing insight, but again, when it comes to meets-meets, they've got our attention:

Mega Man meets Metal Slug.

recastanho also elicited a chuckle with their Spark the Electric Jester 3 recommendation ("3D Sonic but good"), but we already featured that last time.

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The Legend of Santa (Switch eShop)

This one comes in from BringleWorkshop, the developer of *checks notes*...ah yes, The Legend of Santa. "I would like to submit The Legend of Santa (Switch) as a hidden gem." Really, Joshua? Funny, that.

Oh, let's be generous and festive early, shall we? It does look fun. Grab it before Nintendo does.

It's an action platformer released on Switch and PS5 in 2024, and ScreenRant ranked it as the No. 1 best Nintendo Switch game to play over the holidays the same year. A free update added 6 new tropical levels this summer. And, it's less than $5.

The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature (Switch eShop)

We remember writing up a post around this one, as recommended by xxharmless_yigaxx, back in the beforetimes of 2019. In fact, this writer seems to remember playing it at some point, although the memory gets fuzzy around 2020

Let's chalk the uncertainty up to the perennial excuses of COVID and/or kids. *goes to check eShop download history*

Hi. I notice that you don't have a review for The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature, which is a shame because it has a beautiful story and art style that i want more people to experience.

Toree Saturn (Switch eShop)

Due to an NL staffer featuring in the credits after offering some advice and opinions to developer Siactro, we weren't able to review this one. However, a comprehensively glowing final recommendation from recastanho means it can feature here without compromising our editorial standards.

Sequel of Toree 2.

One for the objective review advocates, there. If, inexplicably, you want more, here's Alex shilling for the game he absolutely 100% had enormous input and influence on:

Wall World (Switch eShop)

The pleasingly named aardvaarkchi is at one with Wall World:

It somehow balances various kinds of game in a refined and satisfying way: rogue-lite, tower defence and digger.
There are two upgrade mechanics at play. One allows you to upgrade during a run using found resources, for you (digging) or your vehicle (defence vs waves of critters). The other gives you permanent buffs.
Digging deeper gets greater rewards but increases tension as you get further from your vulnerable vehicle.
Each run brings you closer to finding the keys you need to pass the last boss and escape the wall.
I found it very addictive.

Witch On The Holy Night (Switch eShop)

r_p_trzy is back once more with a visual novel:

Basically if you like Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon or if you check out the reviews of Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon and you like what you see, the same goes for Witch On The Holy Night. I'd rank it a smidge below Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon but for the most part it's right up there with it.

Wizordum (Switch eShop)

LikelySatan butters us up with some flattery before recommending a recent release from Emberheart:

Hey guys. Thank you for this wonderful place.
I'm going to go with Wizordum for my suggestion. It is to Project Warlock what Heretic is to DOOM. It's just a dumb fun thing that more people should play.

Wolfstride (Switch eShop)

And finally, Bert wants to spotlight an RPG from 2022:

I have been reading & watching for years and I hope you can give Wolfstride a little ray of sunshine. This is from a small Brazilian development studio and flew under the radar on all platforms so it seems. I hope this will give the title some extra attention.

Which of these Switch games have you enjoyed most?

You may select up to 3 answers:

Thanks again to everyone who responded. Let us know below if you've sampled any of the games above and if you agree with the recommendations.

Got more recommendations for us? Send us your recommendations for next time 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.
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  • 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, and it doesn't appear in a previous Reader Recommendations feature (which will also appear on the game page if it exists), 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!