VGamingBargains: Nintendo Switch Sale – January 2021

Whether it’s because we’ve just made it through Christmas or because of COVID-19, money is tight for a lot of people right now – but with stress levels at an all-time high across the country, VGamingNews want to make sure that our readers are still able to enjoy videogames to relieve some tension even if they’re on a budget.

We’ve drawn a fine-tooth comb over the Nintendo Switch eShop and come up with a list of games that offer a fair amount of bang for their buck without costing you more than a tenner! 

The games are split into three levels, based around their price points:

Level 1 – games in Level 1 cost between £7.50 and £10.00 and tend to be the larger titles available in our price range – they’ll take most of your budget here but offer the most full-game experience for a small amount of money

Level 2 – costing between £3.50 and £7.49, games at level 2 give you a little more flexibility on how to spend your money but might be a little shorter or perhaps a little older than games in the top level

Level 3 – rounding out the list are our cheapest games, from those that are absolutely free up to a cost of £3.49. These games tend to be made by independent developers and are often a shorter experience, but make no mistake – while they might only be a few hours long, the games in Level 3 still offer a lot of enjoyment – even better, you can mix-and-match a few to get the most out of your money

We’re aiming to make VGamingBargains a monthly feature, published at the start of each month to highlight a few good deals available on the eShop soon after each pay day. Keep an eye out for future editions and we’ll do our best to put you onto a couple of great games that won’t break the bank!

 

Level	Title	Cost	On Sale Until
Level 1	Overcooked 2	£9.99	06/01/21
	Castle Crashers Remastered	£9.17	10/01/21
Level 2	Super Bomberman R	£7.49	10/01/21
	Unravel Two	£6.24	10/01/21
	My Time at Portia	£6.24	06/01/21
	Contra Anniversary Collection	£3.99	10/01/21
Level 3	Candle: The Power of the Flame	£2.99	12/01/21
	Goodbye Deponia	£1.79	10/01/21
	Star Story: The Horizon Escape	£0.89	27/01/21
	Binaries	£0.99	21/01/21
	League of Evil	£2.87	10/01/21
	Xeodrifter	£1.79	01/02/21

 

Level 1

Overcooked 2 is a cooperative cooking simulator where you take control of a host of adorable chefs and work together to get meals out of the kitchen as quickly as possible. To stand any chance of getting each meal out on time you’ll have to work together, overcome a myriad of obstacles in the crazy kitchens and communicate better than ever before! Best enjoyed as a couch co-op where laughter and swear words will flow in equal measure, you can also play online co-op*, or even on your own if you want, though it probably won’t be as much fun.  With hours and hours of entertainment on offer, and some free DLC available too, Overcooked 2 is an absolute steal at £9.99 – it quite honestly might be my favourite multiplayer game of all time. (NB, you don’t have to have played the first one to thoroughly enjoy this sequel!)

Castle Crashers Remastered is a fantastic scrolling beat-em-up in the style of Golden Axe or Streets of Rage, with a bright and wacky art-style and pick-up-and-play gameplay that makes it a perfect distraction on a wintery day. Up to four players can join in on this arcade brawler that sees your knights hack and slash their way across the kingdom to retrieve the king’s magical gem that’s been stolen by an evil wizard. You’ll level up your characters and get a choice of new attacks and spells to help you overcome the hordes of enemies in your way. Again, it’s best played in couch co-op if you’re bubbled up with someone, but online play* and single-player is nearly as good too. You’ll have plenty of laughs at this one and there’s a good amount of replay value by trying different character types as well. If you’re still not sure, the eShop has a demo available if you’d like to try before you buy!

Level 2

A launch title for the Nintendo Switch, Super Bomberman R has really come down in price and is well worth playing, particularly for fans of the series. There’s a solid single-player campaign on offer with some fun comic book panels and voice-acting to carry you through the plot, and multiple difficulty levels to give you some replay value too. Of course, no Bomberman game would be complete without the chaotic multiplayer modes and Super Bomberman R is no different – this time up to eight (!) players can go at it in the arena to be the last man standing, in either couch or online modes*.

If you’re a fan of traditional arcade run-and-gun’s then the Contra Anniversary Collection is an absolute must – it collates 10 of the genre’s best into one package that will keep you button-mashing until the cows come home! With a mix of side-scrolling and isometric formats, you’ll collect power ups and blast your way through a huge number of levels, fighting countless goons and monstrous bosses along the way. Not for the faint hearted, the games in this collection will take some beating – you’ll need keen eyes, good reactions, and an itchy trigger finger to get to the end!

Unravel Two is a beautifully animated puzzle-platformer where you control a pair of knitted creatures literally tied at the hip – it’s a thoughtful little game with some nice action sequences and head-scratching puzzles. You can play alone or with a partner in local co-op if you have someone in your bubble. My Time at Portia is a bright and relaxed resource manager/farm simulator with some RPG elements thrown in to spice things up. If you’re even a passing fan of the genre then it’s a really good pick up – there’s tonnes of hours play time on offer for a good price.

Level 3

Candle: The Power of the Flame is a stunning hand drawn watercolour adventure game that’s playfully narrated and offers a good challenge. You’ll play as Teku, a young tribesman who must go on a dangerous journey to save the shaman of his tribe, solving ancient puzzles and avoiding traps and the evil Wakcha tribesmen along the way. The setting is beautiful and there’s a host of fantastic characters to enjoy in this one, along with some really well-designed puzzles to offer a real challenge for only £2.99.

Xeodrifter is a really well-crafted Metroidvania game where you play as a spaceman who must investigate a small group of planets after your ship becomes damaged. It’s short and sweet but has a very clever weapon upgrade system that you’ll use to blast your way through some great environments. It’s fairly priced at £1.79; you’ll have great fun while it lasts, even if you do find yourself wanting more once you’re done!

Star Story: The Horizon Escape might not be for everyone, but it makes the list for its price alone. It’s effectively an animated ‘choose your own adventure’ book with a turn-based combat system set on a far away planet filled with strange creatures and enemies. Binaries is a twin-stick platformer where you have to simultaneously navigate two coloured balls to the goal area using a single set of controls! It’s vastly different to anything else on the list and has some difficult portions that offer a genuine challenge. League of Evil is a tiny precision-platformer in the vein of Super Meat Boy though not on the same level – it’s nicely animated and offers a nice platform experience for a couple of quid. Finally, there’s Goodbye Deponia, a hilarious point-and-click adventure set on the vibrant junk planet of Deponia. It’s the third instalment of the Deponia series that would ideally be played in order – the three other games (Deponia, Chaos on Deponia and Deponia Doomsday) are also on the eShop and will eventually be on sale I’m sure, so if you have some change, pick this one up as an investment until you can get the whole series.

*Game requires Nintendo Switch Online membership to play online

The recommendations made in this article do not come from any paid promotion and are solely influenced by our enjoyment of the games highlighted and their perceived value for money. Prices accurate at the time of publication