{"id":133559,"date":"2023-05-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-148813"},"modified":"2023-05-07T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T13:00:00","slug":"feature-nintendo-eshop-selects-april-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/05\/07\/feature-nintendo-eshop-selects-april-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: Nintendo eShop Selects &#8211; April 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9a2f7b958e89c\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9a2f7b958e89c\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<figure class=\"picture\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"April 2023 Nintendo Switch eShop Selects\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9a2f7b958e89c\/april-2023-nintendo-switch-eshop-selects.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNTA2Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/9a2f7b958e89c\/april-2023-nintendo-switch-eshop-selects.900x.jpg\" alt=\"April 2023 Nintendo Switch eShop Selects\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\">Image: Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Whoosh!<\/em> What that was? April, mate. Which means it&#8217;s time to look back on the gems that glittered on Switch eShop during the most foolish of months.<\/p>\n<p>As if your wishlists weren&#8217;t already groaning with the sheer number of great games you&#8217;re waiting to pick up, we&#8217;re here with our monthly reminder of ones you may have missed in the last month or so. Below you&#8217;ll find Switch eShop games that we reviewed in April which scored 8\/10 or better, plus Team NL&#8217;s cumulative top three picks.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/final_fantasy_i-vi_pixel_remaster\">our review<\/a>, 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!?<\/p>\n<p>First, though, the great games that didn&#8217;t quite manage a podium place&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3>Honourable Mentions<\/h3>\n<p>There were a good handful of winners that hit the eShop in April, all of which are worth investigating:<\/p>\n<div class=\"list\">\n<div class=\"list-item\">\n<div class=\"list-hero\" data-subject=\"games\/switch-eshop\/cannon_dancer_-_osman\">\n<div class=\"scanlines-before\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgMjUwIj48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"250\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/2b112e973b66d\/cannon-dancer---osman-artwork.900x250.jpg\" alt=\"Cannon Dancer - Osman (Switch eShop)\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"cover scanlines\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/cannon_dancer_-_osman\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/515b2c934f20a\/cannon-dancer---osman-cover.cover_small.jpg\" alt=\"Cannon Dancer - Osman (Switch eShop)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"list-hero-info\">\n<p><span>Publisher: <\/span><strong>ININ Games<\/strong> \/ <span>Developer: <\/span><strong>United Independent GmbH<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"release\"><span>Release Date: <\/span><strong>13th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"United States \/ North America\">USA<\/abbr>)<\/strong> \/ <strong>13th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"UK \/ European\">UK\/EU<\/abbr>)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"picture embed pictures\" id=\"screenshots\"><\/aside>\n<p>Sneaking into the Bronze medal slot is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/cannon_dancer_-_osman\">Cannon Dancer &#8211; Osman<\/a>. This spiritual sequel to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/megadrive\/strider\">Strider<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>Tom called it &#8220;an undeniably polished product [with director Kouichi] Yotsui\u2019s action-cinema aspirations stamped all over it,&#8221; in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/cannon-dancer-osman\">our review<\/a>, awarding it a very respectable 8\/10. &#8220;Speed, dynamism, and full-bodied combat snap will keep bringing you back for more.&#8221; Sounds good, dunnit?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"list-item\">\n<div class=\"list-hero\" data-subject=\"games\/switch-eshop\/melon_journey_bittersweet_memories\">\n<div class=\"scanlines-before\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgMjUwIj48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"250\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/1be9faf013c08\/melon-journey-bittersweet-memories-artwork.900x250.jpg\" alt=\"Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (Switch eShop)\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"cover scanlines\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/melon_journey_bittersweet_memories\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/14f4e90d70799\/melon-journey-bittersweet-memories-cover.cover_small.jpg\" alt=\"Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (Switch eShop)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"list-hero-info\">\n<p><span>Publisher: <\/span><strong>XSEED Games<\/strong> \/ <span>Developer: <\/span><strong>Froach Club<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"release\"><span>Release Date: <\/span><strong>6th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"United States \/ North America\">USA<\/abbr>)<\/strong> \/ <strong>6th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"UK \/ European\">UK\/EU<\/abbr>)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"picture embed pictures\" id=\"screenshots\"><\/aside>\n<p>We checked out this one at PAX East and were pleased to see that the finished product lived up to those great first impressions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/melon_journey_bittersweet_memories\">Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories<\/a> is an old-school adventure RPG with Game Boy-style presentation, and a short and sweet experience that is sure to resonate with <strong>Mother<\/strong> fans.<\/p>\n<p>Austin described it as &#8220;cute on the outside, but dark on the inside&#8221; in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/melon-journey-bittersweet-memories\">our 8\/10 review<\/a>, &#8220;a great little story-driven, exploration-based mystery RPG, plain and simple.&#8221; If you&#8217;re after a slice of GB nostalgia filled with wit, charm, and a little darkness, look no further.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"list-item\">\n<div class=\"list-hero\" data-subject=\"games\/switch-eshop\/final_fantasy_vi\">\n<div class=\"scanlines-before\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgMjUwIj48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"250\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/1583f3c8704db\/final-fantasy-vi-artwork.900x250.jpg\" alt=\"Final Fantasy VI (Switch eShop)\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"cover scanlines\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/final_fantasy_vi\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.nintendolife.com\/blank.gif\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/c7be9bd986889\/final-fantasy-vi-cover.cover_small.jpg\" alt=\"Final Fantasy VI (Switch eShop)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"list-hero-info\">\n<p><span>Publisher: <\/span><strong>Square Enix<\/strong> \/ <span>Developer: <\/span><strong>Square Enix<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"release\"><span>Release Date: <\/span><strong>19th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"United States \/ North America\">USA<\/abbr>)<\/strong> \/ <strong>19th Apr 2023 (<abbr title=\"UK \/ European\">UK\/EU<\/abbr>)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>You see, this is what happens when you give them an inch! When it comes to Final Fantasies, there&#8217;s always huge debate as to which is best, but of all the Pixel Remasters that finally (<em>finally!<\/em>) dropped on the eShop in March, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/final_fantasy_vi\">Final Fantasy VI<\/a> was the clear favourite on Team NL. Lowell called it &#8220;the crown jewel of the collection&#8221; in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/final-fantasy-i-vi-pixel-remaster\">his review<\/a> of the six-game bundle, praising its &#8220;sprawling narrative&#8221;, &#8220;awesome steampunk aesthetic&#8221;, and &#8220;one of the best villains in gaming history.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ve probably played it before. Probably time to play it again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/features\/nintendo-eshop-selects-march-2023\"><strong>&lt; Nintendo eShop Selects &#8211; March 2023<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"poll-what-was-your-favourite-eshop-game-of-april-20231\" class=\"poll\" data-uri=\"polls\/what_was_your_favourite_eshop_game_of_april_20231\" data-id=\"7762\" data-question=\"What was your favourite eShop game of April 2023?\">\n<div class=\"results hidden\">\n<h3 data-toc=\"What was your favourite eShop game of April 2023?\">What was your favourite eShop game of April 2023? (224 votes)<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"poll-results\">\n<li class=\"result first\"><strong class=\"answer\">Castle of Shikigami 2 (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"3 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"1\"><span class=\"val\">1<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Tin Hearts (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"4 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"2\"><span class=\"val\">2<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"5 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"2\"><span class=\"val\">2<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Final Fantasy IV (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"24 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"11\"><span class=\"val\">11<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">TRON: Identity (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"12 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"5\"><span class=\"val\">5<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Teslagrad 2 (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"7 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"3\"><span class=\"val\">3<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Nuclear Blaze (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"6 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"3\"><span class=\"val\">3<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Cannon Dancer &#8211; Osman (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"14 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"6\"><span class=\"val\">6<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"13 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"6\"><span class=\"val\">6<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result\"><strong class=\"answer\">Final Fantasy VI (Switch eShop)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"106 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"47\"><span class=\"val\">47<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"result last\"><strong class=\"answer\">Something else (comment below)<\/strong><span class=\"votes\"><span title=\"30 votes\"><span class=\"bar accent-bg has-votes\" data-value=\"13\"><span class=\"val\">13<\/span>%<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>How we decide our eShop Selects top three:<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;s top prize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image: Nintendo Life Whoosh! What that was? April, mate. Which means it&#8217;s time to look back on the gems that glittered on Switch eShop during the most foolish of months. As if your wishlists weren&#8217;t already groaning with the sheer number of great games you&#8217;re waiting to pick up, we&#8217;re here with our monthly reminder [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-133559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}