Thank goodness January is over, huh? It always feels like it’s twice as long as it actually is, and it doesn’t help that it’s cold and a little quieter on the playing field. So it’s time to dig deep and look back at the past month for our monthly eShop Selects!
In a New Year’s tradition, we break our resolution already and let some of those interesting 7/10s sneak into the vote this time. Aside from Fire Emblem Engage, there haven’t been too many titles for the Switch, but there are plenty of little (and big) tidbits ready to be picked up.
Let’s not hang around then. We will begin with our January 2023 Honorable Mentions!
Honorable mentions
There was one clean this month’s winner, but every game that was eligible this month received at least one vote, so you can’t go wrong with these highlights — even with their flaws!
Publisher: Arcade Crew / Programmer: JoyMasher
We definitely have a soft spot for retro-style platformers, and so does JoyMasher, developer of the excellent Contra-inspired Blazing Chrome. The team followed this up with another stab at Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, which puts you in the shoes of a cybernetic ninja rebelling against his totalitarian creators.
It looks like something straight out of the SNES and Mega Drive era, and is clearly inspired by Shinobi III, Strider and Mega Man. Exuding a slick neo-retro style, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider embraces the fast-paced, precise platforming and swordplay of some of our favorite games with aplomb. It helps that it isn’t super hard, which means we’re back for a few more rounds just to soak up the nostalgia.
We’ve given JoyMasher’s excellent retro platformer a 9/10, so head over and check out our review to see why you should pick this one up.
Publisher: World Games Chorus / Programmer: Mojiken Studio
Stunning pixel art is common in lists like this, but Space for the Unbound is in a different league with its unique visuals and beautiful backgrounds. It’s also a coming-of-age story set in 90s Indonesia, with a magical twist.
You will start playing the wonderful Mojiken adventure game thinking that it is going in one direction and will repeatedly sweep the carpet from under your feet. It’s heartfelt, honest, and a wonderful look at depression, growing up, and all the pain that comes with being a teenager. It’s beyond. Oh, and you can pet and name every cat in the game — what’s not to love?
Space for the Unbound received an 8/10 in our review, which we wrote while fighting back tears. It will surely make you cry.
Publisher: Atlas / Programmer: Atlus Persona Team
It should come as no surprise to see Persona 4 Golden top the January list, and for good reason. Persona 5 May the game is really blowing up, but critics praised Persona 4 Golden on PS Vita when it first launched in 2012.
So what’s the fuss? Well, it’s a fantastically written RPG set in the sleepy Japanese town of Inaba where a killer is on the run and drops victims into TVs via the ‘Midnight Channel’, a strange otherworld where demons lurk. As the protagonist, you and your school friends will have to catch the killer while juggling school life, social life and Persona powers. Persona 4 Golden refines many of the features that Persona 3 introduced to the series, and with a stellar story and wonderful characters to relate to, it’s no surprise that this RPG is considered one of the best.
Every staff member voted Persona 4 Golden, making it the best eShop title in January in NL’s eyes. If you need more convincing, our 9/10 review should help.
< Nintendo eShop Selects - December 2022
How we decide that our eShop chooses the top three: As we come to the end of each month, the Nintendo Life staff votes on their favorite titles from a list of games selected by the editorial team. To qualify for this list, these games must have been released only as a digital Nintendo Switch eShop title in that particular month and must have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we select qualifying games based on their ratings.
Staff are then asked to vote for the three games they think deserve to be at the very top of that list; the first choice gets 3 points, the second choice gets 2 points, and the third choice gets 1 point. Those votes are then tallied to create a top three list, with the overall winner claiming that month’s top prize.
