The Best of the Nintendo 3DS eShop – Mid 2013 Edition

While the big digital download stores get all the credit in the mainstream press, the Nintendo 3DS eShop has been quietly doing its own thing since its launch just over two years ago.

In that time it has amassed a collection of great and original titles. These titles aren’t all just from Nintendo either, the indie developer support for the eShop has reached critical mass and there’s now a great range of titles on the store.

So maybe you’ve just bought a Nintendo 3DS, maybe you haven’t been on the eShop for a while – this article is here to help.

We’ve put together a list (in no particular) order of some of the best eShop games. Where applicable we’ve included a link to our review of the game as well. We’ll update the article regularly when a game rises to ‘best of’ status.

Did we get things right? Are we missing a game – what should go up in the next round? Let us know in the comments.

Mutant Mudds (Renegade Kid) $13.50

Developed by Renegade Kid, Mutant Mudds is game about a character named Max who is victim to a “Muddy” invasion. Featuring pinpoint platform action, stunning pixel art, catchy music and sounds, and some ingenious background and foreground layering – Mutant Mudds is the type of game that will suit side scrolling veterans down to the ground. In terms of quality, there’s not much better. It’s a convincing, solid and challenging title that has plenty to offer adept platform gamers.

Mario and Donkey Kong Minis on the Move (Nintendo) $13.00

This fifth entry in the Mario and Donkey Kong series is quite simply good value for money. With more than 170 levels on offer and a collection of mini-games on the side, Minis on the Move is guaranteed to delight players for a few minutes or hours depending on how much time they’ve got to spare. Based on a simple concept, Minis on the Move can be easy to pick up and hard to put down. At $13.00, Nintendo once again proves just how capable they are when it comes to smaller development projects. All up, a big game that is an essential addition to any 3DS digital library out there. Our Review.

Gunman Clive (Bertil Hörberg) $2.50

Cross Mega Man with an old-timey western and the result would probably be Gunman Clive. Developed by the primarily one man team Hörberg Productions, Gunman Clive manages to capture the raw essence of the Wild West in some of the slickest ways possible. The overall level design is up there with the best – as are the pencil sketch aesthetics. While it may be a little skim in length, at the price it is, there’s really no reason to let this one slide. It’s an affordable, enriching and beautiful platform game that deserves all the attention it can get. Our Review.

Mighty Switch Force (WayForward) $9.00

Despite being an early release on the eShop, WayForward’s Mighty Switch Force is still one of the best games out there. If development of this title wasn’t run like a military operation, it’d be a surprise considering there’s not a single element out of line. The confident artistic direction, high-quality pixel art and funky soundtrack all prove just how much effort has gone into this game starring a cool futuristic crime fighting trio. Fans of previous games in the Mighty series or solid switch flipping mechanics shouldn’t look elsewhere, because Mighty Switch Force offers it all including additional (and free) DLC featuring five new levels along with improved 3D.

Pullblox (Nintendo) $9.00

Arguably the most exciting puzzle game since the inception of Tetris, Pullblox is an experience like no other. From the makers of Fire Emblem and the much-loved Advance Wars series comes a game about a chubby little sumo-like character who enjoys solving puzzles and freeing children from blocks. Assume what you want about that last line, but this game was a defining moment for Nintendo on the digital front. It was one of the first steps taken by the company that got people to sit up and actually realise they were a serious digital competitor. Thank you Intelligent Systems. Our Review.

HarmoKnight (Game Freak) $9.00

This is another game that really pushes the boundaries of the eShop. Years ago you would have seen a title like HarmoKnight in a box and on a store shelf for around $60. Not anymore though. Game Freak has released this one exclusively on the eShop at a low-budget price. Starring a young adventurer named Tempo, and his rabbit companion Tappy, HarmoKnight is what you get when you cross a rhythm game with a sidescroller.

After years of Pokémon, Game Freak has once again broken free and produced this superb title. The overall quality is unprecedented and shows just how capable this developer can be when given the chance. Our Review.

Fallblox (Nintendo) $10.40

The sequel to the hit eShop title Pullblox takes puzzling to all new heights. If Pullblox was the best thing since Tetris, then clearly Fallblox is the best thing since Pullblox.

As though things weren’t already complex enough in Pullblox, Intelligent Systems has amped the level of difficulty up yet again. Fallblox shifts the puzzling action from a 2D to 3D plane, and allows blocks to be individually moved about. It’s equally if not more ground-breaking than the original game and a must buy for those who want to revisit the endearing little world of Mallo and friends.

Art of Balance TOUCH! (Shin’en) $10.50

While there seems to be endless puzzle games on the eShop, there are only a few of them that stand out from the crowd to become something more than average. Art of Balance TOUCH! seems simple, use the touch screen to build a stable stack of shapes.

The concept is simple but the execution can be difficult and challenging.  Shin’en are normally known for their shooters but instead have used their graphical prowess to make a beautiful puzzle game. Art of Balance also features some of the most complex physics we’ve seen in a handheld game for quite some time.

escapeVektor (Nnooo) $6.50 until August 22nd, then $13.00

The WiiWare version of escapeVektor was good, but it was just one part of a game that never got the chance to be fully explored.  EscapeVektor is a puzzler that looks simple by appearance but once you start to play, it you soon realise that this is a tough one to crack. To progress in escapeVektor you need to move around a grid, colouring it as you move along; the faster you to do it, the more points you get. But it’s not that simple, along the way you’ll have enemies hunting you down, fences not only blocking you from completing the level but towers defending the grid too. escapeVektor was a good start on WiiWare, but it’s a great and complete game on the 3DS. Our Review.

SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form) $11.99

Its the newest game on the list, but even just a week after release we think SteamWorld Dig deserves a place on the best of eShop list. Our review explains in more depth why, but we’ll try give you a quick idea. SteamWorld Dig combines the best of other genres to come together in a quasi exploring-platformer-dungeon crawler with a beautiful art style and charm. Help Rusty as he travels down into his uncle’s mine to find the treasure and technology that awaits below. Our Review.

Crimson Shroud (Level-5)

Crimson Shroud accomplishes everything it sets out to do, it tells a fun little story & presents it in a completely unique fashion for a JRPG. I found it to be a very backwards looking yet forward thinking game. It’s an amazing homage to Table Top RPGs yet feels fresh and new. It would have been all too easy to artificially lengthen the game with excessive grinding and dungeon crawling just for the sake of it but they didn’t. – Our Review

Honorable Mentions

The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave (Genius Sonority)

Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger (Nintendo)

Article written by Liam Doolan and Daniel Vuckovic