The month of August has just been and gone and wow did it have a cracking selection of games. Choosing our favourite this time around turned out to be pretty tricky - our list of honourable mentions has gone through the roof this month - but we've made it through the countless arguments and debate necessary to pick our top three for August's Nintendo Life eShop Selects awards.
If you missed the return of this feature last month, our eShop Selects awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, with the Nintendo Life team coming together to pick three indie hits which we think deserve lots of love and attention.
So, let's get started! Here are the best Switch eShop games of August 2018!
Honourable Mentions:
While these titles didn't quite make our top three this month, they're still certainly worth checking out.
- Dead Cells | Review: 9/10
- Flipping Death | Review: 9/10
- Bad North | Review: 9/10
- Iconoclasts | Review: 9/10
- The VideoKid | Review: 8/10
- Prison Architect: Nintendo Switch Edition | Review: 8/10
- Shio | Review: 8/10
- Kero Blaster | Review: 8/10
- 2064: Read Only Memories INTEGRAL | Review: 8/10
- The Walking Dead: The Final Season | Review: 8/10
- Polygod | Review: 8/10
- Manual Samuel | Review: 8/10
- CastleStorm | Review: 8/10
- Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 | Review: 8/10
- Minit | Review: 8/10
- Unexplored | Review: 8/10
- Not A Hero: Super Snazzy Edition | Review: 8/10
- Cycle 28 | Review: 8/10
- Morphies Law | Review: 7/10
3. The Messenger (Switch eShop)
It may well have only released at the very end of August, but that was more than enough time for The Messenger to storm its way to third place this month. Our reviewer Mitch said that "2D side-scrolling action games like The Messenger may be a dime a dozen these days, but you’d be missing out on something special by passing this one up", giving it a wonderful 9/10 in the process, and it seems that the rest of team wholeheartedly agree. We highly recommend giving this one a go.
2. Overcooked 2 (Switch)
Overcooked 2 takes our second place spot this month, taking everything present in the first game of the series and creating something even more enjoyable. While a large chunk of the game is clearly based on similar ideas to its predecessor, we said that "it’s such a blast to play that you’ll hardly be focused on the lack of any major innovations; overall, this feels like a stronger execution of the original vision". The game received a great 8/10, and even made it into second place in our Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games guide. Definitely worth your time, then!
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1. Okami HD (Switch eShop)
It was pretty tight at the top, but taking the first place position this month is Okami HD. This HD remaster of the 2006 PlayStation 2 title won over our hearts with its Zelda-like adventure and visually striking art style, with the option of playing it on the go being the cherry on the cake. We awarded Okami HD a 9/10, saying that while "it may be showing its age a bit visually and its combat is sometimes a little on the easy side, Okami is an important, fun, and notable landmark in gaming history — and one of the easiest recommendations we can make for your Switch library."
If you're looking for a new eShop game to buy, you can't get much better than this.
What was your favourite eShop game last month? (132 votes)
- Okami HD
- Overcooked 2
- The Messenger
- Dead Cells
- Flipping Death
- Bad North
- Iconoclasts
- The VideoKid
- Prison Architect: Nintendo Switch Edition0%
- Shio0%
- Kero Blaster0%
- 2064: Read Only Memories INTEGRAL
- The Walking Dead: The Final Season
- Polygod0%
- Manual Samuel0%
- CasteStorm0%
- Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2
- Minit
- Unexplored0%
- Not A Hero: Super Snazzy Edition0%
- Cycle 28
- Morphies Law
- Other (comment below)
Please login to vote in this poll.
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 primarily as a digital 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 35
You can tell it’s a fantastic month if games like Dead Cells didn’t make the cut.
That is a ridiculous amount of fabulous games in one month. Way too many actually- I’d forgotten about some of them. Surely we don’t need this many 🤔. If the releases were spread out wouldnt we buy more of them?
Mine is into the breach which isn't on the list.
@darthstuey Normally yes, I guess. Personally I just buy the whole lot and pop them in my backlog. Reason being first week sales are incredibly important for overall success, so buying it later would have less of an impact.
Helps knowing what you like as well, but ideally, they should've spaced releases out over several months, because this is insane xD
Some great indies are here but where're AAA titles? Not aged ports, not remakes but true new games? The start was great, with ARMS, Disgaea 5, DOOM, Fire Emblem Warriors, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade 2 & some others. But why the whole next year is just Portendo Indietch? You know Nintendo, not everyone bought this console for indies & old Wii U games, why not stretch decent releases through all seasons. At least this autumn finally should move a balance of indies & ports to new AAAs.
@oji disgaea 5 and doom were ports
@oji
You want more AAAs in the "eshop selects" ? Did you understand what it meant ?
Did you guys forget Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate?
De Blob 2
Where’s solitaires in the list
@oji yawn. Do you get bored of saying the same thing time after time? But thanks to the Ignore link, you have vanished in a puff of irrelevance...
can NL please do a complete upcoming retail list for switch??
I only have 4 on that list but they're all great.i'd rate them in this order
1. Okami HD
2. The Messenger
3. Dead Cells
4. Guns,Gore & Canolli 2
Iconoclasts and Into the Breach I'll get soon.
Haven't got any on that list yet. There's no rush though, they won't be going away any time soon.
@oji
I agree 100%. When I say it I get pooped on too
@Bondi_Surfer
Reading your comment I thought "I'm gonna ignore Oji too", and almost hit the button right below your message instead of his...
@jobvd
Technically you're right, but those two are released in a current generation so they're new games & it's called multiplatform. That's what Nintendo needs on Switch as Wii U flopped not due to a lame first-party library or lack of indies but because of almost absent support of third-party developers. Wii, their most successful stationary device to date, had much love of major devs even if in a downgraded manner so you have as close as possible experience on it. But with Switch you miss so much that you have to buy a second console or a gaming PC.
@Mgene15
I feel your pain, man, some users can't bear negative replies, they prefer to live in a 'pony world' where all are happy despite of anything. To each their own, I don't care if they ignore me.
@oji September on looks a lot better for newer titles from bigger studios including Nintendo, but yeah, for WiiU owners, this year doesn’t compare to last year. Though I’m glad great titles like DKTF and Bayonetta 2 have had another chance to shine.
Hang on, this isn't a complaint but an observation...
how come a game rated 9/10 comes below a game rated 8/10. That doesn't make sense.
@Primarina no, it’s not.
@Alpha008 if you bothered to read the last paragraph (just under the poll), they explain exactly how they made this list.
I've just gotten to the 16 bit portion of The Messenger, and WOW this game and sound track are amazing!
@oji enough games to play, also not everyone who has consoles play them consistently to have finished or even bought everything that is released today.
I have my Switch almost a year and i still havent bought Zelda BOTW nor Xenoblade 2 but i have bought many others.
My 3DS also still deserve my attention and many others like me.
a game being AAA doesnt mean anything its just the status of the developers or the budget that went into the game.
Overcooked 2 was very disappointing - felt very unrewarding due to the easier difficulty
Okami HD was great. I played (but never finished) it on PS2 years ago, so it was great to finally get back to it & beat it.
I also really enjoyed Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders, which you haven't seemed to review yet.
Dead Cells GOTY
Saving Okami for a rainy day.
We need more games like Okami. It’s so good. It’s one of only a handful of games I’ve now bought four times. A true proper sequel anytime, Capcom.
@troy258 Into the breach is a fantastic game and one I'd never heard of before seeing it on the Eshop.
I gave in and bought the messenger, so far so good. The music is brilliant
Switch was dead to me this month interested in the messenger would get Okami but not prepared to download it I want it physically. I’m also slightly pissed off with mine because my sd card has stopped working or my switch doesn’t recognise it. I don’t know but really annoying. Another reason why physical copies are best.
1. Into the Breach
2. Overcook 2
3. Night Trap
Got Okami HD but couldn't find time to get into it yet.
Iconoclasts! #1 for sure! I can't understand why more people aren't talking about it!
Okami HD is a close #2, but as a remaster, not as notable to me.
I enjoy Overcooked 2 than the prequel.
But, Portal Knights is still my Numero Uno.
You missed out Into the Breach....
For me Victor Vran is the last month favorite... just so addictive and a perfect time filler before Diablo III release!
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