Itās that time again: eShop sale time! Nintendoās calling this one the Blockbuster Sale, so Iām sure we can expect a lot of VHS tapes and stale candy. Hm? Oh, it means big games. Alright, that does make some sense. At any rate, there are a ton of games on sale right now, too many to really deal with on your own. As ever, TouchArcade is here to help you out with a list of fifteen hot discounts you should consider. No first party games, but there are still a ton of great games to pick from. No particular order as usual, so letās get into the deals!
A unique blend of side-scrolling adventure and top-down real-time strategy gameplay, 13 Sentinels tells the story of thirteen individuals from various points in time who must battle against invading kaiju in an alternate 1985. They do that through use of their Sentinels, large mechs designed for taking down giant monsters. It has a very good story and the presentation is at the level weāve come to expect from Vanillaware. The RTS bits areā¦ somewhat less good, but theyāre not bad. A sleeper hit that is well worth checking out at this deeply discounted price.
If you need to fill a few monthsā worth of free time, this will be the best forty-five bucks you could spend. You get Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, all excellent RPGs and great Switch ports. That works out to fifteen bucks per game, and each of them will easily keep you busy for hours on end while also teaching you the important value of friendship as a means of defeating any evil. It totally works in real life, too!
Iāll start with a proviso: if you mean to seriously get into JoJoās Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, youāre probably better off heading over to one of the other platforms where it runs at 60 fps. This Switch port is solid enough to play, however, and JoJo fans will likely have a good time with it. This is a quirky fighter in a lot of ways, and itās well-suited to the license. Something a little different if youāre tired of the usual Capcom fighters and Mortal Kombat games.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 could have been better than it is, particularly with regards to performance and game options. It has received a number of updates to improve it, however, and for what it is, itās an easy title to recommend. You get a bunch of absolutely top-tier games to play and some really cool extra materials to dig through. Sure, there isnāt much new here for people who have played these games before. But for those craving Metal Gear on the go, or those who somehow havenāt dug into these titles in the past, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a fantastic value with this tidy discount.
Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies is an excellent port of a high-quality action game, and it fills a gaping hole in the Switchās library almost perfectly. Itās more approachable than you might expect, and itās very easy to get sucked into both its story and gameplay. Itās unfortunate that the multiplayer seems to have a handful of oversights and balance issues, but youāll get your time and moneyās worth out of the campaign and its many unlockables all on its own. Definitely one to add to the collection for those feeling the need for speed.
Hm, I guess this is an Atlus list now. The excellent Etrian Odyssey series came to Switch with these HD remakes of the first three games. These are awesome, challenging games that just kept upping the ante with each new installment, and trying to buy the Nintendo DS cartridges now can get very expensive indeed. The signature mapping feature doesnāt work as smoothly here as it did on the DS, especially if youāre playing docked, but itās as good as it can be. Plus, you can use auto-mapping if you donāt want to deal with it. At half the usual price, you get a lot of game for your buck here.
Embrace the fact that Darkest Dungeon II isnāt interested in building on the original gameās structure but rather in doing its own thing, and youāll be able to enjoy the charms of this moody, chunky roguelite. Its merits are many, from its distinctive style to its combination of traditional story-telling bits and the magic of emergent, personalized stories. Roguelite fans will want to check it out, even if Darkest Dungeon fans might feel like pushing away from the table and going back to the original.
One of the poster children of the indie boom that kicked off in the late 00s, Braid came back with a big splash in this fancy Anniversary Edition. You get a nicely remastered version of the original game, with one of the best developer commentary features seen in a game so far. Braid might not have the punch it once did, but only because so many games that followed were so heavily inspired by it. Even if youāve played it before, the discounted price should be enticing enough for a replay.
Might & Magic ā Clash of Heroes: Definitive Edition doesnāt add very much to the original, but it was already a strong game that stands for itself quite well in modern times. Dotemu did a capable job of bringing it to the Switch, and it fits the platform almost as well as it fit the Nintendo DS. If youāre looking for a cool puzzle game that offers both a substantial single-player mode and enjoyable multiplayer gameplay, youāll likely be quite satisfied with what this game has to offer.
While the Switch versions of the games in Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection suffer from a number of visual and technical flaws compared to other platforms, the games themselves still shine as brightly as ever. Itās hard to say what the future holds for this franchise, but if youāre new to it all and just want a quick and slightly dirty way to explore its origins, picking this up at its sale price is a fine enough way to do that.
Loop Hero is as hard to put down as the finest of idle games, but with enough meat on its bones to make it feel like your input actually matters. Itās the kind of game that has something to offer no matter how much or how little time you have to throw at it, and one that will likely keep you coming back now and then to play again. While it isnāt the most challenging of affairs, itās certainly engaging and full of enough surprises to keep your interest over the long haul.
Deathās Door is one of those nice combinations of a superb presentation and strong gameplay. The game could coast well enough on either of those points, but it hits them both and is excellent as a result. Thereās nothing overly deep about the gameplay mechanics, and its brand of action is going to be familiar to most. The most impressive bits are the bosses, which require strong pattern recognition and good reflexes. The gorgeous sights and sounds along the way add tremendously to its atmosphere, doing their part to keep the player pulled into this unusual, compelling world. Action-RPG fans will certainly want to give this a go.
This is the lowest price yet for the Switch version of this popular indie action game, and itās so low that I canāt imagine anyone not wanting to give it a punt. What seems like a straightforward ninja action game gets bigger and more ambitious as you go, and it juggles things relatively well as it does so. Itās not a perfect game, and I feel like its star has faded a bit over time, but itās one of those indie games that everyone with any love for 8-bit and 16-bit classics should at least try out once.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 ā Turbocharged is just as fun of an arcade racer as the first game, and the various tweaks and improvements to the formula makes it a far smoother experience. Some players might run into some issues with the challenging post-game content, but thatās why itās in the post-game. If you enjoyed the first game, youāll probably like this one even more. Series newcomers should feel comfortable jumping immediately to this sequel, too. For fifteen bucks, itās hard to go wrong if you like racing.
Pepper Grinder is an enjoyable, unique platformer with a zippy pace, interesting mechanics, and some cool level designs. The boss battles are a bit clunky and only subtract from what is otherwise a very tight experience. Itās also worth noting that the game is quite brisk in its run-time, so do take that into account before buying. I personally think it ends a little too soon, but thatās not a terrible problem for a game to have, especially with a little shaved off the sticker price.
And those are our picks from the Blockbuster Sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. There are plenty more great games on sale right now besides these, so make sure to check your wishlists and dig into the pages for your favorite publishers just to be sure you arenāt missing anything. If you have any sales youād like to share, please hit those comments below. Thanks for reading!
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim ($14.99 from $59.99)
A unique blend of side-scrolling adventure and top-down real-time strategy gameplay, 13 Sentinels tells the story of thirteen individuals from various points in time who must battle against invading kaiju in an alternate 1985. They do that through use of their Sentinels, large mechs designed for taking down giant monsters. It has a very good story and the presentation is at the level weāve come to expect from Vanillaware. The RTS bits areā¦ somewhat less good, but theyāre not bad. A sleeper hit that is well worth checking out at this deeply discounted price.
Persona Collection ($44.99 from $89.99 until 9/10)
If you need to fill a few monthsā worth of free time, this will be the best forty-five bucks you could spend. You get Persona 3 Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, all excellent RPGs and great Switch ports. That works out to fifteen bucks per game, and each of them will easily keep you busy for hours on end while also teaching you the important value of friendship as a means of defeating any evil. It totally works in real life, too!
JoJoās Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R ($12.49 from $49.99)
Iāll start with a proviso: if you mean to seriously get into JoJoās Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R, youāre probably better off heading over to one of the other platforms where it runs at 60 fps. This Switch port is solid enough to play, however, and JoJo fans will likely have a good time with it. This is a quirky fighter in a lot of ways, and itās well-suited to the license. Something a little different if youāre tired of the usual Capcom fighters and Mortal Kombat games.
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 ($41.99 from $59.99)
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 could have been better than it is, particularly with regards to performance and game options. It has received a number of updates to improve it, however, and for what it is, itās an easy title to recommend. You get a bunch of absolutely top-tier games to play and some really cool extra materials to dig through. Sure, there isnāt much new here for people who have played these games before. But for those craving Metal Gear on the go, or those who somehow havenāt dug into these titles in the past, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is a fantastic value with this tidy discount.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition ($41.99 from $59.99)
Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies is an excellent port of a high-quality action game, and it fills a gaping hole in the Switchās library almost perfectly. Itās more approachable than you might expect, and itās very easy to get sucked into both its story and gameplay. Itās unfortunate that the multiplayer seems to have a handful of oversights and balance issues, but youāll get your time and moneyās worth out of the campaign and its many unlockables all on its own. Definitely one to add to the collection for those feeling the need for speed.
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection ($39.99 from $79.99)
Hm, I guess this is an Atlus list now. The excellent Etrian Odyssey series came to Switch with these HD remakes of the first three games. These are awesome, challenging games that just kept upping the ante with each new installment, and trying to buy the Nintendo DS cartridges now can get very expensive indeed. The signature mapping feature doesnāt work as smoothly here as it did on the DS, especially if youāre playing docked, but itās as good as it can be. Plus, you can use auto-mapping if you donāt want to deal with it. At half the usual price, you get a lot of game for your buck here.
Darkest Dungeon II ($31.99 from $39.99 until 9/10)
Embrace the fact that Darkest Dungeon II isnāt interested in building on the original gameās structure but rather in doing its own thing, and youāll be able to enjoy the charms of this moody, chunky roguelite. Its merits are many, from its distinctive style to its combination of traditional story-telling bits and the magic of emergent, personalized stories. Roguelite fans will want to check it out, even if Darkest Dungeon fans might feel like pushing away from the table and going back to the original.
Braid: Anniversary Edition ($9.99 from $19.99)
One of the poster children of the indie boom that kicked off in the late 00s, Braid came back with a big splash in this fancy Anniversary Edition. You get a nicely remastered version of the original game, with one of the best developer commentary features seen in a game so far. Braid might not have the punch it once did, but only because so many games that followed were so heavily inspired by it. Even if youāve played it before, the discounted price should be enticing enough for a replay.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes ā Definitive Edition ($11.69 from $17.99)
Might & Magic ā Clash of Heroes: Definitive Edition doesnāt add very much to the original, but it was already a strong game that stands for itself quite well in modern times. Dotemu did a capable job of bringing it to the Switch, and it fits the platform almost as well as it fit the Nintendo DS. If youāre looking for a cool puzzle game that offers both a substantial single-player mode and enjoyable multiplayer gameplay, youāll likely be quite satisfied with what this game has to offer.
Life is Strange: Arcadia Bay Collection ($15.99 from $39.99)
While the Switch versions of the games in Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection suffer from a number of visual and technical flaws compared to other platforms, the games themselves still shine as brightly as ever. Itās hard to say what the future holds for this franchise, but if youāre new to it all and just want a quick and slightly dirty way to explore its origins, picking this up at its sale price is a fine enough way to do that.
Loop Hero ($4.94 from $14.99)
Loop Hero is as hard to put down as the finest of idle games, but with enough meat on its bones to make it feel like your input actually matters. Itās the kind of game that has something to offer no matter how much or how little time you have to throw at it, and one that will likely keep you coming back now and then to play again. While it isnāt the most challenging of affairs, itās certainly engaging and full of enough surprises to keep your interest over the long haul.
Deathās Door ($4.99 from $19.99)
Deathās Door is one of those nice combinations of a superb presentation and strong gameplay. The game could coast well enough on either of those points, but it hits them both and is excellent as a result. Thereās nothing overly deep about the gameplay mechanics, and its brand of action is going to be familiar to most. The most impressive bits are the bosses, which require strong pattern recognition and good reflexes. The gorgeous sights and sounds along the way add tremendously to its atmosphere, doing their part to keep the player pulled into this unusual, compelling world. Action-RPG fans will certainly want to give this a go.
The Messenger ($3.99 from $19.99)
This is the lowest price yet for the Switch version of this popular indie action game, and itās so low that I canāt imagine anyone not wanting to give it a punt. What seems like a straightforward ninja action game gets bigger and more ambitious as you go, and it juggles things relatively well as it does so. Itās not a perfect game, and I feel like its star has faded a bit over time, but itās one of those indie games that everyone with any love for 8-bit and 16-bit classics should at least try out once.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged ($14.99 from $49.99)
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 ā Turbocharged is just as fun of an arcade racer as the first game, and the various tweaks and improvements to the formula makes it a far smoother experience. Some players might run into some issues with the challenging post-game content, but thatās why itās in the post-game. If you enjoyed the first game, youāll probably like this one even more. Series newcomers should feel comfortable jumping immediately to this sequel, too. For fifteen bucks, itās hard to go wrong if you like racing.
Pepper Grinder ($9.74 from $14.99)
Pepper Grinder is an enjoyable, unique platformer with a zippy pace, interesting mechanics, and some cool level designs. The boss battles are a bit clunky and only subtract from what is otherwise a very tight experience. Itās also worth noting that the game is quite brisk in its run-time, so do take that into account before buying. I personally think it ends a little too soon, but thatās not a terrible problem for a game to have, especially with a little shaved off the sticker price.
And those are our picks from the Blockbuster Sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. There are plenty more great games on sale right now besides these, so make sure to check your wishlists and dig into the pages for your favorite publishers just to be sure you arenāt missing anything. If you have any sales youād like to share, please hit those comments below. Thanks for reading!
![[DK]](/data/avatars/s/57/57999.jpg?1720990206){kind=avatar}
