eShop Selects August 2024
Image: Nintendo Life

Pinch, punch, welcome to another edition of eShop Selects, this time for the month of August!

We don't want to admit it, but we'll soon be tucking into warm cocoa and curling up by the fire with our Switches. That sounds nice and all, but shorter days, longer nights, and the cold? Brrrr. We're going to need some video games to fix that, right? Thank goodness there was a Nintendo Direct Indie World & Partner Showcase to load up the next few months.

Anyway, focusing on August, you might think it was a relatively sedate month — Emio - The Smiling Man was Nintendo's headliner, and that's only just dropped — but we had tons of excellent eShop-exclusive releases. So, with that in mind, our staff and contributors got together to vote for their top three eShop games from the list of games we've reviewed, and we give you the winners (and the best of the rest).

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For July's Readers' Choice poll, twin-stick shooter Satryn DX was the clear winner. And we can't blame you — neon retro pixel art, chaotic bullet hell action, addictive gameplay? Sounds like a winner. And for just $6.99, too?

Now, onto August's games...

Honourable mentions

The Nintendo Direct might've thrown us a curveball, but that didn't matter. A whopping 11 games fit the criteria this month, all scored a 7/10 and above. Here are the honourable mentions that didn't quite make our top three...

3. Castlevania Dominus Collection (Switch eShop)

Who else jumped out of their seat when the Castlevania Dominus Collection was revealed during the Partner Showcase, and then jumped onto the table when Nintendo announced that the game was out now? Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia on Switch would've been enough, but Haunted Castle and a re-imagined version of Haunted Castle too? And it's good now? Say no more.

No notes, Konami, an absolutely sublime collection — we scored this one a 9/10.

2. SteamWorld Heist II (Switch eShop)

As big SteamWorld fans here at Nintendo Life, we're delighted that SteamWorld Heist II is as good as it is. Ambitiously building upon its predecessor with a big open sea and brand-new mechanics, SteamWorld Heist II rewards patience and ramps up the difficulty. It's also just delightfully funny, full of personality and visual flair.

We gave this surprise sequel an 8/10 in our review.

1. Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch eShop)

Thank Goodness You're Here! is one of the funniest video games we think we've ever played. It's also the most-British video game we've ever played. It's vulgar, thick with accents, and doesn't outstay its welcome at only a few hours long. It's our eShop game of the month for August, and if you love causing chaos, Britishisms, and haven't checked it out, what are you waiting for?

Thank Goodness You're Here got a 9/10 from us, and rightly so. Time for a cuppa...

< Nintendo eShop Selects - July 2024

eShop Selects Reader's Choice Vote (August 2024)

You've seen how busy August has been — and September is hardly going to be any better. But there are plenty of hidden gems we have missed out on reviewing in the eighth month of the year. So here's your chance to tell us about them!

We know there's one glaring absence above — pssst, Pizza Tower — and we're working on a review for that as we speak. But there are plenty of other shadow drops to shine a light on.

As always, vote for your favourite game we missed out on,and also make sure you pick your personal favourite from our picks, too.

What was your favourite eShop game from our top August picks? (176 votes)

  1. Can of Wormholes (Switch eShop)1%
  2. Castlevania Dominus Collection (Switch eShop)44%
  3. Crypt Custodian (Switch eShop)9%
  4. The Lullaby of Life (Switch eShop)  0%
  5. Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid (Switch eShop)2%
  6. Shadow of the Ninja - Reborn (Switch)3%
  7. SteamWorld Heist II (Switch eShop)15%
  8. Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch eShop)22%
  9. World of Goo 2 (Switch eShop)3%
  10. Valfaris: Mecha Therion (Switch eShop)2%
  11. Volgarr the Viking II (Switch eShop)  0%

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 three points, second choice gets two points, and third choice gets one point. These votes are then tallied to create a top-three list, with the overall winner taking that month's top prize.