Top 10 Nintendo 3DS eShop games

The Nintendo 3DS eShop is a rather desolate and confusing place. After it launched last year, it took a good few months before content started to trickle in, and even now, the selection of titles available to download isn't exactly wide and varied.

However, this doesn't mean that it isn't worth visiting the online store - quite the opposite, in fact, as some of the best 3DS experiences can be found hidden away in there.

Pocket Gamer is here to cut through the crap and help you find the downloadable games that matter, ranging from original 3DS experiences to classic Virtual Console titles.

Sure, the online store still hasn't properly got going yet, but if the titles available in this top ten list are anything to go by, we have to plenty to look forward to.

So, here are the ten 3DS eShop titles you really should be grabbing. Right now.

Freakyforms
By Asobism Co

Looking for a way to tickle that creative funny bone of yours? Freakyforms is part creature-creation tool, part platformer, and a whole dollop of hilarious, with players putting together strange-looking monsters and then roaming the lands in search of quests and treasures.

You're provided with a whole host of body parts to bang together, from eyes and ears to wings and wheels. Once your Frankenstein's monster is complete, you're given a time limit in which to bomb around the colourful land, and to potentially design the surroundings and make the world your own.

As the population of your world increases, so too does the size of the world, with more secrets becoming available for you to find. Quite unlike anything else in the eShop, and, indeed, anything else we've seen on the 3DS, Freakyforms will definitely appeal to your creative side.

Pullblox (a.k.a. Pushmo)
By Intelligent Systems

We don't often give full marks out here at Pocket Gamer, and so whenever we do, you know we're talking about an essential purchase. Pullblox (known as Pushmo in the US) earned the coveted Platinum award in our review, and for good reason - it's easily one of the best experiences you can have on your 3DS.

Pullblox is a seemingly simple puzzler, with the idea being to pull blocks out of a wall, then use these blocks as staircases to reach the top. Along the way, plenty of curveballs are thrown, as switches, potholes, and the like are added to the mix, making the going really tough.

The puzzles are a breath of fresh air, and with around a dozen hours of content to play through, the price is most definitely right. You can even create your own puzzles and share them with friends, then grab puzzles that your friends have made. Essential 3DS gaming on the cheap.

Catrap (Virtual Console)
By Asmik

Chances are you've never played Catrap, and may well have never even heard of it, yet believe us when we say that it is one of the best Virtual Console games you can currently grab from the 3DS store.

You play a cat / human hybrid, on a quest to rid the world of nasty monsters and ghosts. You do so by pushing rocks, smashing sand, and climbing ladders. That may sound simple enough, but the level of creativity here is astounding, and over the course of a few hours, you'll be treated to a whole host of clever scenarios.

Just in case you accidentally mess a solution up, it's possible to hold the rewind button and simply moonwalk your way back through. Catrap is well worth grabbing, even if you aren't a fan of old skool gaming experiences.

Zen Pinball 3D
By Zen Studios

What is a games console without a dedicated pinball title? Zen Studios has quite the background in firing pinball games onto various consoles, and firmly planted its Zen Pinball flag on the 3DS recently.

With four tables from past Zen Pinball titles to play through - albeit on a slightly smaller pair of screens - Zen Pinball 3D looks and plays brilliantly, with a nice variety of themes.

Online leaderboards are thrown in, too, increasing the longevity of the title no end. If you're a pinball fan, there'll be enough depth here to keep you hooked, while more casual players will simply have a flippin' good time.

3D Classics: Kid Icarus
By Nintendo

While a great idea on paper, the 3D Classics series has proven rather hit and miss due to the fact that Nintendo doesn't appear to know exactly which games are worth giving the 3D treatment to and which should die in a horrible fire.

Fortunately, it definitely got it right with Kid Icarus, a sort of Metroid / Super Mario Bros. / Zelda mash-up. Taking your bow and arrow in hand, you're tasked with ascending from the depths of the earth, before roaming the land in search of a fortress.

Along the way, protagonist Pit can grab hearts and use them to buy special items from vendors that will help in his final fight. An undeniable classic that you should grab yesterday.

Mighty Switch Force
By WayForward

Developer WayForward has been providing the various Nintendo digital stores with great quality gaming experiences for a while, and most recently left its mark on the 3DS eShop with Mighty Switch Force.

Mighty Switch Force is set in the future; a future in which you play a police officer who needs to round up a bunch of escaped criminals. Armed with a blaster and a firm knowledge of how to switch between two different planes, Officer Patricia Wagon (a.k.a. you) runs, jumps, and switches on the fly to reach her goal.

There are lots of lovely ideas thrown in here: blocks that fling both yourself and enemies around the level, and a radar that points out where you need to be headed next. We're already looking forward to what WayForward has to show us next.

VVVVVV
By Terry Cavanagh

Classic indie games don't come any bigger than this. VVVVVV is a platformer with a twist, as hero Viridian can flip himself upside down and walk on ceilings.

This leads to a whole host of great platforming action, as he explores the mysterious VVVVVV dimension in search of his friends. Each new area has its own set of rules, leaving you constantly surprised and excited throughout.

VVVVVV is not for the faint-hearted, though, and proves really tough at certain points, especially if you're looking to grab all the various trinkets hidden away around the game world.

Gargoyle's Quest (Virtual Console)
By Capcom

Another absolute classic that you may well have missed back in the day. When there is an abundance of nastiness in the world, sometimes it can be a good idea to choose the lesser of two evils - especially when that evil is working to defeat the larger of the two.

Firebrand the demon runs, jumps, and breathes fire all over his enemies, while also using those huge wings of his to hover around and cling to walls. Grabbing upgrades also allows him to boost his abilities and become even more powerful.

Mixed in with the platforming elements are various RPG-style bits, including a Ghoul Realm overmap and a number of random battles to overcome.

Let's Golf! 3D
By Gameloft

Whenever a new digital store opens for business, certain companies will inevitably look to port over their old titles to new audiences.

Gameloft's Let's Golf! 3D is a port of the classic Let's Golf! 2 for mobile devices, and not a very good one at that, with far too many framerate issues than is frankly acceptable.

Saying that, Let's Golf! 3 does pack in plenty of content and colourful visuals. We're looking forward to seeing whether Gameloft will be bringing any of its other content over to the 3DS, albeit with some spit and polish applied to the framerates.

Mario's Picross
By Jupiter

It wouldn't be a real top ten Nintendo list without an injection of Mario, even if he is only standing by and watching you do your thing.

Mario's Picross is a prime example of how a lovable character can turn a seemingly simple setup into a hugely enjoyable experience. Picross is an enjoyable enough experience in and of itself, but adding Mario pictures and ideas in is the icing on the cake.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a dull title - there's plenty to do here, and it's a great game for filling a 10-minute break here and there.