SongPop Party (Switch eShop)

Conversely, Eli likes to get the party started with music trivia:

SongPop Party has been the biggest small game for me, my family and friends this year! It's a music quiz that works as an incredible party game, especially for people that aren't into video games because of the easy controls and simple rules! We got it while it was on sale in the eShop for £1.79 so it was an absolute steal considering how many hours we have put into it. Would even consider getting it at full price because we have had so much fun with it (although the RRP [£17.99] is a little steep).

Scar of the Doll: A Psycho-Horror Story about the Mystery of an Older Sister (Switch eShop)

Themagusx1 recommends the remake of '90s visual novel Scar of the Doll:

I recommend A great visual novel called Scar of the Doll. It’s short a good four hours or so, but it tells a compelling story of a woman trying to find her sister who has vanished. The plot has a lot of twists and turns.

Horgihugh And Friends (Switch eShop)

16_bit_game_beast has cute shmup Horgihugh And Friends on their To Recommend list:

It’s a feelgood, cartoony Shoot ‘Em Up that’s moderately challenging, and incredibly fun.
It’s got really fun and bright graphic and level designs, great music, tight control physics that are very responsive, and great bosses.
There are 7 levels, each having a unique boss at the end with several attack patterns. As you go along blowing stuff up you collect gems to buy 1ups, character upgrades, etc, as well to spend at an item which allows for a good sense of progress, and isn’t something a lot of recent shmups have had.

Mr. Sun's Hatbox (Switch eShop)

Mr. Sun's Hatbox has been selected for the spotlight by Ooyah:

Mr Sun's Hatbox is my GOTY so far. When a delivery is stolen, the driver goes to ludicrous lengths to get it back, turning the basement of Mr Sun's shop into a fearsome base of operations. Build your base, recruit employees, kit them out, and send them on a variety of bizarre side-view missions. You can kill everyone, or try to be stealthy... but chaos will ensue. This is a crazy, zany, bizarre game which is massive fun, and insanely addictive. This game is what would happen if Solid Snake was the role model of the Mr. Men.

9th Dawn III (Switch eShop)

Dan reckons that 9th Dawn III is well worth your time:

9th Dawn III is a hidden gem in the Switch that I keep coming back to and have purchased on every console I own. It's basically a 2D top-down Elder Scrolls. It's an action RPG with a huge open world and tons of quests, loot, crafting, etc. You level up by using your skills and there is a good bit of build/playstyle variety. You can sink 100 hours into this one.

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9th Dawn III
9th Dawn III

Vernal Edge (Switch eShop)

LikelySatan has enjoyed their time with Vernal Edge, which came out in March this year:

It's like if Treasure made Skies of Arcadia. The overworld is like a PS1 take on SoA. Combat reminds me of Odin Sphere. It's sooooooo good.
Also I love this place so thank you for that.

Vernal Edge
Vernal Edge

Killer Chambers (Switch eShop)

pigcop recommends Killer Chambers, an "action-platformer/memory-game hybrid" from 2020:

Killer Chambers is a true hidden gem. A very challenging and unique precision puzzle platformer. It has a ton of levels and really amusing and funny dialogues.

Flipon (Switch eShop)

And finally, edgeforth 64 is back with a shoutout for Flipon.

I'm recommending Flipon, it's a Tetris Attack homage. It's a rocking good time, you are to match tiles on a rising board before they reach the top of the screen. Classic gaming at its finest.

Which of these Switch games have you enjoyed most?

(You can select up to 5 answers)

Our thanks to everyone who responded. Let us know below if you've sampled any of the games above and if you agree with the recommendations. We're off to scour the Switch eShop and catch up with some of these.

If you've got a recommendation for us, you can send them to us by following the guidelines and instructions below:

Submission guidelines

  • 100-word limit - Keep it brief! A history of the genre and deep-dive into every mechanic is unnecessary. Concentrate on what the game is about, what sets it apart from other games, and why you enjoyed it.
  • One entry per game - Feel free to send your thoughts on multiple games, but there's no need to duplicate.
  • Choose only games that we haven't reviewed on the site - To check if a Nintendo Life review exists, simply type the name of the game into the search box at the very top of the page (look for the magnifying glass icon in the top left corner) and click on the game page that appears. If there's no review, and it doesn't appear in a previous Reader Recommendations feature (which will also appear on the game page if it exists), you're good to go!

How to send a recommendation

  • Head to Nintendo Life's Contact page and select the subject "Switch eShop Hidden Gems" from the drop-down menu (it's already done for you in the link above). Type your name, email, and beautifully crafted message into the appropriate box, hit send, and Bob's your uncle!