Rounding off 2021 in style, December was yet another cracking month for downloadable delights on the Switch eShop.
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 December 2021!
Honourable Mentions:
While these titles didn’t quite make our top three this month, they’re still certainly worth checking out:
- Archvale | Review: 9/10
- Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition | Review: 9/10
- Super Impossible Road | Review: 8/10
- Life is Strange: True Colors | Review: 8/10
- Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition | Review: 8/10
- Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition | Review: 8/10
- Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space | Review: 7/10
- Wytchwood | Review: 7/10
- Omno | Review: 7/10
- Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX | Review: 7/10
3. Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Yacht Club Games / Developer: Yacht Club GamesRelease Date: 13th Dec 2021 (USA) / 13th Dec 2021 (UK/EU)
Taking third place this month is Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, a super-addictive puzzler based on a universe we’re all more than familiar with at this stage.
You can’t really go wrong with a well-made falling block puzzle game, and Shovel Knight’s latest outing is a smartly designed and truly delightful revitalisation of the genre. We praised the title for boasting “high intensity, combat-driven gameplay, oodles of replayability, a cute art style, and a surprising amount of depth” in our review, and plenty of members of the team have been gripped ever since.
A very strong entry for a third-place position, this one.
2. Loop Hero (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Devolver Digital / Developer: Four QuartersRelease Date: 9th Dec 2021 (USA) / 9th Dec 2021 (UK/EU)
Sneaking ahead of Pocket Dungeon and grabbing second place, though, is Loop Hero.
A creative new take on the RPG genre, Loop Hero successfully combines light deckbuilding elements, an alternative take on tower defence gameplay, and a solidly paced loot system. The very nature of its gameplay means it’s a pretty repetitive title – hence the ‘Loop’ – but we called it “a consistently rewarding and engaging game that’ll easily get its hooks in you” in our review.
If you haven’t heard about this one yet, get that review read to learn all about it and see whether or not it’s for you. We certainly recommend it. And again. And again.
1. Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Finji / Developer: FinjiRelease Date: 15th Dec 2021 (USA) / 15th Dec 2021 (UK/EU)
As for this month’s winner? That prize goes to Chicory: A Colorful Tale.
One of the best adventure games available on Switch, Chicory won this month’s staff vote very comfortably indeed. With a cast of likeable characters and a great sense of humour, yet not afraid to tackle some surprisingly heavy themes, the game’s 25-30 hour journey is one we wholehearted recommend you take.
We described it as “a beautiful marriage of mechanics, themes and visuals” in our review, and we hope you have the opportunity to check it out for yourselves.
< Nintendo Life eShop Selects – November 2021
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.
