Nintendo has launched its latest eShop sale in the UK, discounting a bunch of titles for the Christmas season.
Ignoring the fact that the UK eShop site has it titled as the ‘Holiday Sale’ and not the ‘Christmas Sale’ – we’re on the other side of the pond, after all – there’s a lot to like here. To illustrate this, we thought we’d go through the games on offer and highlight the ones that we think you should check out. We’re looking at titles that happened to score 9/10 or above on Nintendo Life, so you know that these are among the best of the best.
Of course, if you need to load up on eShop credit before jumping in, you’ll find everything you need on our store.
£12.49 (-75%) – ENDS 31st DEC
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a wonderful achievement for dynamic storytelling, as it puts forth a compelling and multifaceted narrative that’ll keep you guessing right up until the very end.
This excellent story, combined with enjoyable combat portions, a striking art style, and some top-notch voice acting make for an experience that you shouldn’t miss. It’s the kind of game that’ll have you wishing that you could play it again for the first time, just so all its best elements could be new again.
£3.45 (-45%) – ENDS 31st DEC
A Short Hike is a fat-free experience from top to bottom – or should we say bottom to top? It’s the kind of game that makes us sigh with happiness when we recall our time with it, and even having played it through to its ostensible conclusion multiple times, we know for a fact there are still things to see and do on that mountain.
It’s something of an apotheosis – a milestone in indie games akin to Cave Story or Spelunky. The very best bits of multiple game genres, stripped of all padding and bloat, mixed perfectly into a delicious video game stew that only gets richer the more you play.
An exploration in every sense of the word, A Short Hike is cute without being twee, challenging without being obnoxious, and emotional without being cloying. A landmark game for all ages. Don’t miss this one.
£24.99 (-50%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the absolute pinnacle of the series and despite coming to Switch over five years after other platforms, this ‘impossible’ Switch conversion does very little to degrade the experience. Long-time franchise players and military aviation enthusiasts will be overwhelmed by the fan service at every turn, from craters on the ground to airplanes, liveries, callsigns, and emblems shouting out to previous entries.
We understand the genre is uniquely niche, but if this is your first foray into the franchise, this conversion is a perfect gateway into this rich, revered series. You get tons of content and an epic single-player campaign wrapped up in triple-A presentation that delivers the most comprehensive portable experience ever from Project Aces.
£9.99 (-23%)
Alien: Isolation is a survival horror masterpiece and straight-up one of the very best horror video games ever released.
It’s a nerve-wracking affair — a slow, methodical game of cat and mouse against a brilliantly clever recreation of one of cinema’s most infamous killers — but if you’re up to the task you’ll find one of the most satisfying gameplay experiences in the genre; a brilliant and beautiful homage to one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time.
Feral Interactive has done a stellar job with this Switch port and the excellent motion controls and inclusion of all previously-released DLC only go to sweeten the deal. This is essential stuff for survival horror fans.
£14.69 (-30%)
Developer Shared Memory’s stated goal was “to craft complete experiences that will be playable long after the world loses its internet connection,” and screen after screen, Animal Well excels in delighting your eyes and giving your brain something to stew on.
It’s a riposte against a culture of post-launch updates in favour of a meticulously crafted, singular vision with potentially years’ worth of discoveries baked in. By all indications, Animal Well delivers on that long-term promise and does so with a one-of-a-kind elegance.
£15.99 (-60%) – ENDS 31st DEC
We genuinely can’t believe how lucky we are that the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy games exist, let alone that they’ve been lovingly polished up for the Switch. Here is some of the best writing you’ll find on the console, and it’s a steal for all three games plus extras.
A couple of bumps here and there are to be expected with such a wealth of content (three games, DLC, and extras), but they barely leave a dent on the brilliance of this well-written and beautifully illustrated trilogy.
£10.79 (-20%) – ENDS 31st DEC
BALL x PIT is a tremendous brew of so many ideas it ought to collapse under the confusion. However, it operates in such perfect balance that it appeals both to the one-more-go instinct and to more cerebral planning and creativity. Kenny Sun Studios set itself a heck of a challenge but, fortunately, hasn’t dropped the ball.
It’s out on Switch 2, too – and the upgrade is free.
£4.49 (-50%)
Inti Creates knocked it out of the park with Blaster Master Zero 2, improving on the original ‘reboot’ in nearly every conceivable way while also setting a clear path forward for what could hopefully become a flagship series for the company.
Tight platforming action, memorable boss battles, plenty of extra side content, and some gorgeous pixel art make this one of the easiest recommendations on the eShop; we’d strongly encourage you to pick this one up.
Whether you’re a long-time fan of the series or are just getting into it for the first time, Blaster Master Zero 2 is a stellar experience from stem to stern, and further cements Inti Creates’ legacy as one of the best developers in the retro gaming business.
£8.74 (-75%) – ENDS 31st DEC
BlazBlue CentralFiction Special Edition may have arrived a few years late on Switch, but that delay didn’t dull the sharpness of its 2D fighting package.
Not only does it give the Ragna saga a proper send-off with a story mode that’s so rich in character development it could be a full anime season in its own right, but it offers a staggering number of modes to keep you playing long after the credits roll. It runs silky-smooth docked or in handheld modes and runs like a dream online.
The lack of an English dub still rankles, and new adopters are going to have to do a lot of research to understand what’s going on, but it’s well worth the effort.
£26.24 (-25%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 brings an incredibly strong roster of classic arcade fighters to Nintendo Switch in one of the best compendiums of its work to date.
This is top-notch fare, a slew of incredible games, some appearing for the first time since their original releases, replete with rollback netcode for online play, tons of unlockables, Japanese versions of all eight titles, and modern training modes to catch you up to speed.
With both Power Stones, an unbeatable Capcom vs SNK double bill and Project Justice leading the charge, there’s really very little to complain about here. Excellent stuff.
£10.79 (-40%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Cat Quest III is a familiar yet flawless action adventure with fluid and fantastic-feeling combat. Its charming story and witty writing bring life to the Purribean, one of the best-designed mini-open worlds in recent memory. That open world is packed with satisfying quests and engaging puzzles to solve that almost always throw some new idea or challenge at you.
The progression here is smooth, and the entire experience is precisely paced with no performance issues at all. Some stunning animation work, accompanied by a gorgeous shanty-like pirate soundtrack tops off an excellent adventure.
All of that together ensures that Cat Quest III is a pristine pirate adventure and action RPG.
£11.49 (-50%)
Chained Echoes is a wonderful mash-up of ’90s JRPG tropes, masterfully woven together to produce an experience that feels simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. A well-paced story, unconventional progression system, tactical combat system, and expansive world all come together to make for a game that is shockingly one of the very best RPGs that we played in 2022.
Really, there’s no place where it feels like Chained Echoes drops the ball, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the vast majority of it was put together by one person. It stands as a shining example of everything that makes RPGs great.
£8.54 (-50%)
As an adventure game, Chicory: A Colorful Tale is quite sincerely up there with the very best of the genre.
There’s plenty to see and do and a full completion run will probably take you 25-30 hours. The characters and their travails are rich and likeable, the game’s sense of humour is generally inspired, and it’s all very sweet without being sugary-twee and talking down to the player. It’s also an affecting little tearjerker that will definitely strike a chord if you make art, and almost certainly will even if you don’t – so long as you’re capable of pretty basic empathy.
Chicory is simple to play but impressively long and complex, with perfect controls, performance and visuals. Throw yourself into painting the world and you’ll be left with a game that’s very much your own and speaks to you directly – a beautiful marriage of mechanics, themes and visuals.
£13.99 (-60%) – ENDS 31st DEC
What you’ve got here are two of the finest examples of the genre, accompanied by a third likeable entry which is also well worth a look, although when you consider how many titles Konami is packing into its Anniversary Collection packages – and that their retail price is almost half what Square Enix is demanding for the three games included here – it’s impossible to not question the value of Collection of Mana.
However, there’s no denying the fact that Secret of Mana is one of the finest console RPGs of all time, and even though it’s readily available elsewhere, playing it on Switch is like wrapping yourself up in a warm and familiar blanket; it’s just right somehow.
We could argue that Secret of Mana is merely the appetiser for the real star of this collection: Trials of Mana. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece and finally getting the chance to play it officially in English is a landmark moment for SNES and RPG fans alike.
£11.89 (-30%)
Cuphead was an absolute masterpiece when it originally launched on Xbox One and nothing was sacrificed in its move to the Switch.
A run-and-gun boss battler dressed up like a 1930s Fleischer or Disney animated short, it’s the same visually jaw-dropping, aurally delightful, knuckle-whiteningly difficult game it was on Microsoft’s console and the Switch’s library is all the better for its presence. Its focus on intense boss battles won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into, we can’t recommend it enough. Just look at it!
£4.75 (-30%)
Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course is a great little expansion that adds new life to one of the Switch’s most entertaining games. It may be a tad on the short side but what’s here is absolutely fantastic and it’s reasonably priced to take its length into account. If you have the original, this is essential. If you don’t, they both are.
£34.49 (-43%)
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was a remarkable launch-day port for Switch 2. CD Projekt Red’s deep, diverse, and tangible world is fully realised with impressive performance for such a low-powered device.
If you’ve not taken your first steps into Night City already, or you’re a long-time player with a portable-play itch that needs scratching, you’re in for a serious treat, choom.
£11.24 (-50%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Dead Cells is a masterclass in excellent roguelike design, mixing together nonstop intense action sequences, gorgeous vistas, and an addictive loop of unlocks and rewards into a beautiful experience that no Switch owner will want to go without.
There’s dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of content available here, and though some sense of repetition can creep in every now and then, it’s remarkable how fresh Dead Cells can stay through all those hours.
This game is a blast to play, full of visual splendour, and packed with things to do; don’t miss out on this one – it’s a must-buy.
£6.29 (-30%) – ENDS 31st DEC
If you liked Dead Cells, it’s a no-brainer that you must get the Return to Castlevania DLC. It may be brief, but this is a brilliantly intense and nostalgic trip to a spookier world that fits in well with the broader offering of content in the base game.
This feels like it’s primarily made for Dead Cells fans who also happen to like Castlevania — it’s unlikely to convert Castlevania aficionados who don’t get on with Motion Twin’s roguelite. At any rate, we loved it.
£4.49 (-75%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Death’s Door is a modern classic, utilising old gameplay ideas in a new setting to make for a short and sweet experience you won’t want to miss. The snappy combat, rewarding exploration, and relaxing music will stick with you once you’ve finished, and while it may not have anything ‘new’ to offer, Death’s Door is so high quality that you’ll hardly have time to think about its lack of innovation.
Any fans of Zelda or Soulslike games will adore this – Acid Nerve has crafted an experience that’s absolutely worth your time and money.
£7.99 (-50%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Even so many years after its 2005 debut, Devil May Cry 3 remains one of the very best action games ever made. It may have aged in places, but that turbo-charged, combo-heavy action feels as fresh today as it did back in the mid-noughties.
The new Freestyle mode – which lets players swap combat styles on the fly at any point during the action – is a genuinely excellent addition to the package, and the ability to play Bloody Palace in local co-op is the cherry on top of a Switch port that should appeal to anyone interested in sampling the devilish delights of this all-time classic.
£7.99 (-84%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Dragon Ball FighterZ on the Switch is, simply put, one of the best fighting games we’ve seen on the system. Arc System Works went the extra mile in capturing the essence of the source material and distilled it into an incredible brawler that has lost nothing in the transition to Nintendo’s hybrid console.
The stunning visuals, intense action, and easy-to-master controls make FighterZ a game all fans of the genre should have in their library. If you only play this kind of game casually, it remains a must-own.
£39.99 (-20%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is a deeply satisfying follow-up to 2024’s DQ III remake project, closing out the Erdrick trilogy on a fittingly high note. A gorgeous art style, tons of new content and quality-of-life updates, and a wonderful soundtrack all combine to make this one an easy recommendation for any retro JRPG fans.
If you’re interested in RPGs, pick this up at your earliest opportunity. These games stand as excellent reminders of why Dragon Quest is so highly respected today.
£29.99 (-40%) – ENDS 31st DEC
It’s been a long time coming, but Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake largely lives up to expectations. Performance issues aside, this is a faithful adaptation of a treasured RPG classic that elevates its strongest aspects while doing its best to make up for any shortcomings. Some may be put off by its relative simplicity but, refreshingly, it neither overstays its welcome nor spreads itself thin with too many half-baked ideas.
It goes without saying that fans of the original will want to snap this up, but if you’re looking for a good ‘entry-level’ RPG or you just want to know what the long-running franchise is all about, Dragon Quest III is the game for you. This is the definitive version of Dragon Quest III in our eyes.
£17.49 (-50%) – ENDS 31st DEC
Originally released for 3DS (and PS4) in Japan, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition is one of the best games Square has ever put its name to, plain and simple — and this Switch release was a fine port, too.
Featuring a heartwarming, well-paced narrative supported by a cast of fantastic characters, a dense and interesting overworld packed with dozens of hours of content, and one of the finest soundtracks we’ve heard in a JRPG, it all combines to make this an unforgettable modern classic. Whether you’re a newcomer to the series (or genre) or a returning vet, do yourself a favour and get yourself a copy of Dragon Quest XI pronto.
