Image: Nintendo LifeThank goodness January is over, right?January 2025 felt like the longest month ever thankfully, we're here to brighten your day with our first eShop Selects for the year.We're starting things fresh for 2025 and going back to basics focusing on the games we've reviewed. The winners are voted for by Nintendo Life staff and contributors, who pick their top three from the eShop games listed below.Before we dive into what has been a surprisingly packed January for the eShop, let's look back at our final Readers' Choice winner: the adorable Quilts & Cats of Calico. Based on the board game of the same name, you have to make lovely quilts for the cosy cats. It can be played solo or with up to three friends, so it's the perfect cosy party game.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube795kWatch on YouTube While we wait for more details on the Switch 2, there are plenty of games to get lost in. So let us indulge you on the very best eShop releases in January... They keep on comingHonourable mentionsLike we said above, January was a packed month, particularly over the final few days. Five of the eight games featured here launched on or after 28th January so we're sure plenty of you were scrambling like us to get your ducks in line and make space for some excellent games.This month, everything eligible got at least a 7/10 from us you're spoilt for choice if you're a Metroidvania fan, as you can see.Blade Chimera | Review: 9/10ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist | Review: 9/10Freedom Wars Remastered | Review: 7/10Hello Kitty Island Adventure | Review: 8/10The Stone of Madness | Review: 7/10It was an incredibly close month for votes, with every game getting at least one vote from the Nintendo Life team. But here are the ones that we consider to be the cream of the crop...3rd Place - Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of WinterPublisher: United Label / Developer: Odd Bug StudioRelease Date: 28th Jan 2025 (USA) / 28th Jan 2025 (UK/EU)The first Tails of Iron came up in one of our Games We Missed features back in 2023. We're very glad we had a chance to go back and play that game in preparation for the sequel, because Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is everything a follow-up should be and more.Extremely challenging and beautiful to look at, Tails of Iron 2 challenges your combat mastery with tough boss battles and rewarding combat. We may have scored Tails of Iron 2 a respectable 7/10, but it's a worth choice for third place here only repetitive level design and excessive backtracking hold it back from being the big cheese. Violent vermin2nd Place - Laika: Aged Through BloodPublisher: Headup / Developer: Brainwash GangRelease Date: 30th Jan 2025 (USA) / 30th Jan 2025 (UK/EU)This one's been a long time coming Laika: Aged Through Blood launched on PC and other consoles in late 2023. The Switch version was meant to follow in 2024, but it got delayed very last minute (as in, it actually launched and was then pulled from the eShop, so some of you have probably already played this).Luckily, the wait was worth it. The second brutally difficult game on this list, Laika: Aged Through Blood is one of the most unique Metroidvanias we've ever played. Motocross exploration mixed with stylish gunplay combat and beautiful visuals, we awarded Laika a 9/10 in our review. What a lovely day!1st Place - Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward VectorPublisher: Fellow Traveller / Developer: Jump Over The AgeRelease Date: 31st Jan 2025 (USA) / 31st Jan 2025 (UK/EU)One of our most anticipated games of the year has delivered in Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. Bigger, bolder, but still just as thoughtful as the first game, Citizen Sleeper 2 expands the scope of the game by giving you your own ship and crew, allowing you to explore the Starward Belt.You'll take on contracts and forge friendships throughout your time, but you also need to manage your stress levels in order to survive. Its deeply anti-capitalist message and focus on bonds and relationships elevates this beyond the 2022 original in our eyes.Congrats to Citizen Sleeper 2, the first winner of our eShop Selects in 2025. Hugely deserved. If you can't tell, we absolutely love this game, so check out our 9/10 review to find out exactly why. Pay it starward< Nintendo eShop Selects - December 2024As always, you can vote in our January 2025 poll to let us know what your favourite eShop release of the month was. If there's one we haven't covered here, then select the 'Something else' option and let us know or save it for our Games We Missed feature, which will be making a comeback in the spring.Not only that, you can also vote for the best of all 2024's eShop Selects winners, too. 2024 was a fantastic year for indies, so you're spoilt for choice from the 12 options below. Pick your favourite and let us know what your picks were in the comments.What was your favourite eShop game from January 2025? (25 votes)Blade Chimera (Switch eShop)16%Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector (Switch eShop)24%ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist (Switch eShop)24%Freedom Wars Remastered (Switch eShop) 0%Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Switch eShop)8%Laika: Aged Through Blood (Switch eShop)12%The Stone of Madness (Switch eShop)4%Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter (Switch eShop)4%Something else (comment below!)8%What was the best eShop Selects winner from 2024? (33 votes)Animal Well (Switch eShop)27%Antonblast (Switch eShop)3%Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (Switch eShop) 0%Balatro (Switch eShop)33%Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch eShop)3%Botany Manor (Switch eShop) 0%Lil' Guardsman (Switch eShop)3%Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Switch)12%Neva (Switch eShop) 0%Pepper Grinder (Switch eShop)3%Tetris Forever (Switch eShop)6%Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch eShop)9%How we decide our eShop Selects top three: As we reach the end of every month, the Nintendo Life staff vote on their favourite titles from a list of games selected by the editorial team. To qualify for this list, these games must have been released as a digital-only Nintendo Switch eShop title in that particular month, and must have been reviewed on Nintendo Life; we select the qualifying games based on their review scores.Staff are then asked to vote for three games that they think deserve to sit right at the very top of that list; first choice gets three points, second choice gets two points, and third choice gets one point. These votes are then tallied to create a top-three list, with the overall winner taking that month's top prize.Up Next: December 2024See AlsoShare:00 Alana has been with Nintendo Life since 2022, and while RPGs are her first love, Nintendo is a close second. She enjoys nothing more than overthinking battle strategies, characters, and stories. She also wishes she was a Sega air pirate. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related Articles69 Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's 'Supercharge' eShop Sale (North America)Every game we scored 9/10 or higherReview: ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom In The Mist (Switch) - An Incredibly Polished, Downbeat MetroidvaniaOne that shouldn't be mistRumour: Switch 2 Game Cases Might Take Up More Space On Your ShelfHere's how they could compare to the current Switch casesJapan's Switch eShop Will Soon No Longer Accept Overseas Payment MethodsChange will come into effect in March