Winter Sale Suggestions From My Wishlist

The eShop’s Winter Sale is here, so BG’s Nintendo Editor has compiled a handful of favorites to consider!

I don’t take games off my eShop wishlist when I buy them. I let them sit. Partly it lets me keep track of what kind of games I actually gravitate towards (as opposed to those that sit and wait until the Switch 2), and partly it’s so that I can keep track of the sales so that I can tell my friends to hurry up and buy Little Noah: Scion of Paradise.

Well, my friends, it’s time to tell you to hurry up and buy Little Noah: Scion of Paradise. As well as a slew of other titles on my wishlist that are on the Winter Sale. So whether you’ve just gotten an eShop card for Christmas or just want to take advantage of a good deal, here are a handful of Switch games to consider.

Quake II

$9.99 $3.99 (60% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $9.99

Quake II is a multiplayer FPS fan’s dream, especially if you enjoy the older-style of arena showdowns. It has four player co-op. I has four player versus. With or without bots. A bevvy of options let you change up every battle. And it has Crossplay. I can’t think of a better way to pass a couple of hours with pals than squaring off in a good ol’ shooter. And I paid full price.

Little Noah: Scion of Paradise

$14.99 $5.24 (65% off) Sale Ends Jan 5, 2024

I Paid: $3.49

Little Noah: Scion of Paradise provided so much value, I feel I can easily recommend it for full price, let alone $5.24. The game is a relatively easy roguelite by Cygames. You control Noah, an explorer looking for answers. There are minor story details, but you’re really playing for the side-scrolling action. With lots of permanent upgrades available at a rapid pace, I was able to wrap up the game and still eke out over ten hours with it. Somedays I hanker for more, too. Not bad at $5.24.

(The price I paid must surely have been reduced by gold coins, because I got the Special Edition, which included a handful of extra items. The Special Edition is currently available for $6.99—also 65% off for the Winter Sale.)

Screencheat: Unplugged

$12.99 $1.99 (84% off) Sale Ends Jan 5, 2024

I Paid: $2.20

Screencheat: Unplugged is a hilarious local versus shooter where every player is effectively invisible, meaning you’ll have to screencheat to figure out where to aim your gun. As someone who grew up with games like Golden Eye and took much umbrage with screencheaters (none more guilty than me), the game is the perfect throwback. Unfortunately, some of the screen-cheating magic goes away when you realize you can just look for the smoking guns, but it’s still good for a multiplayer session or two—especially at a buck each.

Grindstone

$19.99 $7.99 (60% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $9.99

Grindstone is a super fun, replayable puzzle game that is still getting new updates. Despite being nothing like falling-block puzzle games, I found it scratched a very similar itch for me when I picked it up last year. Also to no one’s surprise, CAPY has made a puzzle game that’s beautiful to look at. Thanks, CAPY. Tackle daily challenges or climb the mountain through 250+ stages as you connect/kill like-colored monsters. Definitely an easy recommendation during the Winter Sale.

BRIGANDINE The Legend of Runersia

$49.99 $19.99 (60% off) Sale Ends Jan 5, 2024

I Paid: $49.99

BRIGANDINE The Legend of Runersia is one of my favorite strategy games on the Nintendo Switch. In fact, I called it one of my Top10 favorite games of 2020. Build an army of monsters and conquer the continent! With multiple perspectives to pick from, you can replay this 20-to-30-hour adventure as many times as you like. I have one file that I still haven’t let end just because I enjoy the grind so much. And a bounty of difficulty options means anyone who enjoys strategy can have a good time. It’s a real winner at $19.99.

Gorogoa

$14.99 $4.49 (70% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $4.49

A puzzle game that can be played in an evening is the perfect pick-up for a Winter Sale! Striking, thought-provoking, and frequently clever, I expect you’ll be as satisfied as I was at $4.49. Especially since that’s what I paid. You should easily polish this one off in two to three hours. The less you know about it, the better.

Final Fantasy VII

$15.99 $6.39 (60% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $11.19

Final Fantasy VII is a classic for a reason. Even if I ultimately checked out halfway through (ish), I can easily recommend it for the Midgar section alone. Special shout-out to the speed features. They really make grinding and getting lost less of a chore, as does the ability to turn off encounters. I wouldn’t want to wander muddy backgrounds any other way. And let’s be honest: it’s likely you’ll enjoy Final Fantasy VII more than I did.

Unfortunately, FFs I-VI are not part of the Winter Sale, but all of the others are.

SpiritSphere DX

$10.00 $3.00 (60% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $4.00

SpiritSphere DX is the right kind of game for $4. It’s quick, simple multiplayer with a handful of unlocks to help spice things up. Think pixel-art tennis-like; it’s sort of a top-down pong with skills. Every character has unique attributes and abilities, and every map brings its own mayhem. Don’t bother playing it alone: this is strictly for fun times with friends.

Donut County

$12.99 $3.79 (70% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $3.89

Another short title you can beat on a casual Saturday! Donut County is a goofy game where you fill up a hole to make your hole get bigger. Bigger holes can take in bigger objects, and eventually you leave the entire stage empty. It’s not exactly the book but starring a raccoon (on account of a lack of shovels), but there are a lot of Holes.

LUMINES REMASTERED

$14.99 $4.49 (70% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $7.49

Of all the puzzle games I’ve gotten on Switch to pass small chunks of time, LUMINES REMASTERED gets first place for time played. And for the amount of fun I had playing it. So at $4.49, it is incredibly easy to recommend. If you enjoy falling-block puzzle games, and chill tunes, then you’ll love LUMINES REMASTERED.

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees

$14.99 $7.49 (50% off) Sale Ends Jan 4, 2024

I Paid: $10.04

Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is short, but those couple of hours of swinging through the jungle and witnessing deforestation are hard not to appreciate. The game ends with the sobering statistics of real life, a reminder that gibbons are fucked, and so is most of the planet. Not exactly a good time, but change doesn’t always come on the back of a good time.

Strikey Sisters

$9.99 $2.99 (70% off) Sale Ends Jan 3, 2024

I Paid: $2.99

Strikey Sisters is a 2-player co-op Breakout with spells. It’s decent fun, and $2.99 is the right price. A couple of stages here or there before dinner has been our preferred way of progressing across the world map, but the 5-10 hour journey doesn’t have to last you all year.

Graceful Explosion Machine

$12.99 $3.20 (75% off) Sale Ends Jan 4, 2024

What I Paid: $12.99

Graceful Explosion Machine came out in the early days of the Switch’s lifespan. At the time, an arcadey score-chaser was just what the doctor ordered. Graceful Explosion Machine definitely earns its name. It’s one of those games you can just get into a groove playing, and is rewarding all the while. If you’re even a little interested, I recommend checking it out!

Bombslinger

$11.99 $2.39 (80% off) Sale Ends Jan 5, 2024

What I paid: Review Copy

I paid nothing for Bombslinger thanks to the review copy provided by Plug In Digital, and now you can pay next to nothing thanks to the title being 80% off. It’s easily worth it for $2.39. After playing it, I would say the same at $11.99, too. I said most of my piece in my review, but for the TL;DR: single-player Bombslinger is a roguelite Bomberman set in the pixelated Wild West. The multiplayer is Bomberman with guns. Whichever way you play, you can expect to have a blast.

Let us know if you decide to pick anything up during the Winter Sale!