Another month has flown by with another bunch of quality games launching on Switch eShop in October, including an eccentric little game which managed to earn a coveted 10/10 score from this very website.
These awards aim to celebrate the best of Nintendo's digital store, giving some love and attention to the games that could so easily be missed in the Switch's ever-growing library.
So, let's get started. Here are the best Switch eShop games of October 2020!
Honourable Mentions:
While these titles didn't quite make our top three this month, they're still certainly worth checking out.
- Wallachia: Reign Of Dracula | Review: 8/10
- Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe | Review: 8/10
- Disc Room | Review: 8/10
- Green Hell | Review: 8/10
- Crown Trick | Review: 8/10
- Ikenfell | Review: 8/10
- GONNER2 | Review: 7/10
- HyperBrawl Tournament | Review: 7/10
- Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut | Review: 7/10
- Space Crew | Review: 7/10
- Vigil: The Longest Night | Review: 7/10
- I Am Dead | Review: 7/10
- Warsaw | Review: 7/10
3. Pumpkin Jack (Switch eShop)
In third place we have a seasonal surprise that warmed our cockles as the nights get colder. Pumpkin Jack's confident platforming and mischievous spirit won us over, and we highlighted its slick controls and combat mechanics in our review. As a debut title from developer Nicolas Meyssonnier, it's a particularly impressive treat and the perfect spooky game to enjoy at this time of year.
2. ScourgeBringer (Switch eShop)
A roguelite delight from Flying Oak Games, ScourgeBringer does very well to invoke the likes of Dead Cells and Hyper Light Drifter and come off brilliantly in comparison to those classics. We called it "a wonderfully slick and addictive roguelite adventure" in our review, with fantastic performance and a gorgeous graphical style. It's another addition to the roster of brilliant run-based games on Switch, and this particular one struck a chord with enough of Team NL to make it to number two on our monthly list.
1. Horace (Switch eShop)
Was there ever any doubt? The latest entrant into the hallowed 'NL10' club is Horace, a quirky narrative-based platformer which defies easy categorisation. The game is filled with heartfelt nods and winks to video game history and features loads of mini-game homages to games past in amongst its tight, world-twisting platforming and touching story. Following on from A Short Hike in August, and Hades in September, this is incredibly the third month in a row we've awarded a 10/10.
Nintendo Life going soft, you think? It's probably got more to do with all the great video games coming out. The world might be in a tough spot right now, but life's pretty good when it comes to video games!
< Nintendo Life eShop Selects - September 2020
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 23
Probably Ikenfell for me. Enjoyed it a lot. Battle system was great fun.
Dungreed, very addictive 😅
Crimzon Clover World Explosion
I like Oceanhorn 2 most
Avgn 1&2 is the only one I'm considering picking up in the future.
BloodRoots is very fun, balanced but unforgivable. No error allowed
Horace, hands down!
Postal Redux was my favorite
@EmirParkreiner I'll be downloading it this week. How do you rate it compared to Switch's other bullet hell games?
I just bought Hades, Ni No Kuni, Mark of the Ninja and A Short Hike. Only played Hades so far and I think it's superb.
@OorWullie
So far, i'd say i like it almost equally to Psyvariar Delta and more then any of the others (Rolling Gunner, Danmaku Unlimited 3, Ikaruga...). It's really spectacular.
The only ones I got this October were Horace and ScourgeBringer. I'm very happy with both. Horace is a real gem because of its unpredictability: you never know what the game will throw at you.
I've got Horace on my wishlist, wasn't expecting it to score so highly. Might consider Angry Nerd 1+2 but I played a bit of the first game on Wii U and felt the platforming wasn't that tight but will give it another go soon as I sometimes change my mind on games.
Has anyone tried 9 Monkeys of Shaolin yet? The demo was pretty good but I've been waiting to see if Nintendo Life will review it. It appears to be split by other reviewers. Some either love it, say it's alright, or straight up say it's not good. If it goes on sale (or at least a physical version in US) I may take the plunge.
Haven't had a chance to tuck into it yet, but the only entrant I picked up was Horace.
I bought Pumpkin Jack, but haven't played it. Online action seems to be the only thing I crave these days - Rocket League & Splatoon 2.
What's going on with Part Time UFO? Is that going to be included in November?
Is there a way I can see a list of every Nintendo Life game that received a perfect score?
Crimzon Clover: World EXplosion for me!
Horace is a masterpiece. A complete love letter to games and gamers. Absolute brilliance.
Juiced! was a very underrated platformer released last month. I'm surprised no one is talking about this.
"Hallowed NL10 club"? Come on, you guys give out tens like candy on Halloween.
@60frames-please It already came out.
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