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Whoosh! What that was? April, mate. Which means it’s time to look back on the gems that glittered on Switch eShop during the most foolish of months.
As if your wishlists weren’t already groaning with the sheer number of great games you’re waiting to pick up, we’re here with our monthly reminder of ones you may have missed in the last month or so. Below you’ll find Switch eShop games that we reviewed in April which scored 8/10 or better, plus Team NL’s cumulative top three picks.
The release of all the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters individually on the eShop has clouded things a little this month, especially given the extremely limited availability of the physical version. We awarded the entire bundle package a very respectable 8/10 in our review, and although individual games might fall short of that mark, we decided to include them all in our round of voting. The more, the merrier, right!?
First, though, the great games that didn’t quite manage a podium place…
Honourable Mentions
There were a good handful of winners that hit the eShop in April, all of which are worth investigating:
Publisher: ININ Games / Developer: United Independent GmbH
Sneaking into the Bronze medal slot is Cannon Dancer – Osman. This spiritual sequel to Strider arrived on Switch (and elsewhere) this month a whopping 27 years after its arcade debut, and it managed to impress a bunch of us here.
Tom called it “an undeniably polished product [with director Kouichi] Yotsui’s action-cinema aspirations stamped all over it,” in our review, awarding it a very respectable 8/10. “Speed, dynamism, and full-bodied combat snap will keep bringing you back for more.” Sounds good, dunnit?
Publisher: XSEED Games / Developer: Froach Club
We checked out this one at PAX East and were pleased to see that the finished product lived up to those great first impressions. Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is an old-school adventure RPG with Game Boy-style presentation, and a short and sweet experience that is sure to resonate with Mother fans.
Austin described it as “cute on the outside, but dark on the inside” in our 8/10 review, “a great little story-driven, exploration-based mystery RPG, plain and simple.” If you’re after a slice of GB nostalgia filled with wit, charm, and a little darkness, look no further.
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
You see, this is what happens when you give them an inch! When it comes to Final Fantasies, there’s always huge debate as to which is best, but of all the Pixel Remasters that finally (finally!) dropped on the eShop in March, Final Fantasy VI was the clear favourite on Team NL. Lowell called it “the crown jewel of the collection” in his review of the six-game bundle, praising its “sprawling narrative”, “awesome steampunk aesthetic”, and “one of the best villains in gaming history.”
You’ve probably played it before. Probably time to play it again.
< Nintendo eShop Selects – March 2023
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.