Hauntingly Beautiful Games On Nintendo Switch

As an eclectic gamer, nothing intrigues me more than a game that lingers after I complete it. That is what a hauntingly beautiful game is. It remains on your mind after you play it.

During the dawn of the pandemic, I began playing Switch more often. I am a lucky gal to have a fun partner with the same taste in video games. It is no surprise that the Switch by Nintendo has a huge following. And boy, we sure do follow! There is a game for everyone and almost every age. Although I have my spiel about how great this console is, I have to give him alot of credit for the games I have been playing because he is the one who finds them. He has a knack for finding cheap and thrilling fun video games!

Like most gaming communities, I am attracted to loud, bright, and aggressive games no matter the franchise. They are also my kryptonite in terms of making me sick! Call me dramatic but its pretty devastating sometimes.

Have you ever loved an activity for you not to be able to enjoy it later because of an odd ailment?

Since I was a child, I have suffered from Motion sickness and sensitivity to bright lights. That did not keep me from loving video games. Usually, I can play a video game for no more than an hour until I need a break from the dizzying sensations of control sensitivity. Because camera control and angles make my head spin most of the time, I play on sensitivity 8-9. I also lean towards the darker genres. It will take me much longer to get through a playthrough unless it is a platform game or a visual novel of some sort. I have issues with camera angles most of the time, so platform games are my go-to. Open world games take me twice or thrice the amount to finish playthroughs. But from my plight, I have also come to love dark, grungy, and honest tales from Indie developers and artists. Some video games have left me in tears, some in straight bliss.

In no particular rank or order, here is a small list of video games I play on the Nintendo Switch that has left me feeling some type of way.

Disclaimer* Many of these games are for mature audiences.

Stilstand- $2.99

• Single-player
• Mature
• Adventure, interactive comic
• Nakano.io
• T.V, Tabletop, Handheld
• English, Japanese, French, and German.

Ida quickly addresses how it feels to have the elephant in the room talk back. I can only understand what I interpret with the dark humor of life. Ever found yourself stuck in your head? Ever avoided your friends? How about meeting new people? Everything about Stilstand is relatable as Ida takes us through the dating scene, partying, and beautiful bits of silver lining between the chaos of being in the fishbowl. We see her habits from scrolling on social media, Tinder, TV, and even helping light up some nicotine sticks. If you know, you know. I would be lying if I said I do not crave one on my bad days. Ida has a way of showing us that sometimes reflecting through our anxieties and depression is the key to our survival when the heart and mind are at war. Stilstand can easily be a fave for its storyline, but it became a must-have for that price! Wear a different pair of shoes and cope through life during a hot summer in Stilstand, now available for Switch right here on Eshop.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are interested in Stilstand but want more info, check out the Eshop.

Katana ZERO- $14.99

• Single player
• Action, Arcade, Platformer, Strategy
• Mature rating
• Devolver Digital
• Tabletop, Handheld, TV
• Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, American English

Officially, I had my cake, and I did eat it too. Katana Zero is a bright, fast platform game with lots of quick slicing and dashing through the levels. Spawn resets were short, and I was engaged. Platform games are easy on my eyes, but I wasn't sure this would be my "thing" as it is very bright in terms of color. Instead, I could not put it down. Anytime I was adulting, I was thinking about Katana Zero. I was so excited to keep playing! Katana Zero follows our Katana-wielding protagonist as he unravels his past from his future ( or future from his past). The perception of our protagonist seems warped in this game, and I love it. Katana Zero has the player manipulate time and slash through enemies at a breakneck speed, learning how to deflect gunfire. Timing the deflection of a bullet to send it back to sender was gratifying. Each time my guy died, each run was more fun than the last because there are many ways to get through the levels. Boredom is not a thing from creative deathblows and tricks that turned out to be plentiful throughout the gameplay. I found myself invested in the story as I did not skip many scenes either. Each level has a countdown timer, and the platform style may have the player sliding upstairs, downstairs, and sometimes in a moving cart platform. And the soundtrack? Chefs kiss! Check out Katana zero here on Eshop. This can easily be in my list of top 20 favorite games on Switch.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are interested in Katana ZERO but want more info, check out the Eshop.

What remains of Edith Finch- $ 19.99

• Single player
• Adventure, novel
• Teen/Mature rating
• Annapurna Interactive
• Tabletop, Handheld, TV
• Japanese, British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Latin American Spanish, Canadian French, American English.

To put it simply, What remains of Edith Finch is an interactive novel. If the player enjoys a good story, this one is it. Starting as a bizarre adventure, the player will explore a massive property in Washington State. Most of the story takes the player through a colossal maze of a house filled with doors and secret hatches. Sometimes gameplay leads the player away from home for re-entry another way throughout the property. The main character Edith narrates as the player will learn about the lives of each family member from Edith's point of view. Edith returns to an empty home not to reminisce but to grasp what happened to her family. As I am no stranger to family dysfunction and secrets, I couldn't help but become invested in the Finches and Ediths story. Left ambiguous and up to interpretation, the ghosts of this family were plentiful and easy to follow with creative storytelling and stunning visuals. This game took me a hell of alot longer to beat than it should have due to the dizzying angles. At some point, the storytelling takes you into beautiful sceneries, and I had to quit out, leaving some progress to redo. But if I had to play again, I would do so gladly—check out What Remains of Edith Finch here on Eshop.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are interested in What Remains of Edith Finch but want more info, check out the Eshop.

Bury me, my Love $4.99

• Single player
• adventure, other, simulation, educational
• Plug in digital
• 10+ rating
• Tabletop, Handheld, TV
• British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Canadian French, American English

The only Switch game on my list rated for possibly a wise child. Bury Me, my Love stopped being a game and became an immersive experience quickly. You will be texting your wife Nour as she tries migrating safely to Europe to escape their war ravaged home. While assisting her travels, the player will naturally be her sidekick. Keeping her hopes up and sometimes helping her keep her temper, the player naturally slides into being her lifeline. Nour found her way into a shootout during my gameplay and was a battle nurse champ. After that incident, Nour didn't text me for a" few days," and I went "uh-oh," but she turned out alright. Nour also was locked in a cell with a western reporter who made a ruckus and got them out. Nour also died trying to get across the river. I had become so attached that her death was a blow, and I now must try again. I want her to live. I want to save Nour. Touching my heart in a way I did not expect, and I am humbled to be privileged in a country with no war on its soil. People migrate and get to safety. People also get left behind, which are the stories of what we mostly do not hear. More than 500,000 people are dead or missing in Syria to date, depending on the source. Check out Bury me, my Love, here on Eshop.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are interested in Bury me, my Love and want more info, check out the Eshop.

Detention- $12.99

• Single player
• adventure, puzzle, thriller
• Coconut Island Games
• Mature
• Tabletop, Handheld, TV
• Japanese, British English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, American English

Because I have light sensitivity, I play more horror-based video games than the people I know. I have them on all devices! Detention has everything I love in a game. It has spooky lore, ghouls, puzzles, riddles, and historical information. The game is a platform game and wasn't bright nor too dark, buying into my must-haves. I felt like goldilocks. Everything was just right until the end. Set in the 1960s of Marshal Law Taiwan, you play as a young student trapped at school during a monsoon. The school becomes a domain for Asian ghouls and lore you must escape. Detention is riddled with puzzles and spookiness and takes the cake in terms of storyline. I am warning you now; the ending was a bit traumatizing. Although Detention as a game experience is great, The historical context is not. I cringed at the conclusion and went down the Google rabbit hole because I was ignorant of Taiwan's events. If you are interested in some history, Google "Tawain 228 incident" or "The white terror of Taiwan." The more I learned about this historical event; I appreciated my American privilege.

If you have a Nintendo Switch and are interested in Detention but want more info, check out the Eshop.

These digital Switch products I have shared here are all $20 or less. In terms of value, each of these games exceeded expectations. Bury me, my Love is $4.99 but really can be $20-$25. Stilstand at $2.99 is insulting, to say the least because it can easily be a twenty-dollar game. I hope to bring more niche Nintendo Switch content to you as I begin new projects for vocal. If you havent played grindstone, you should. And if you haven't tried Movin' out or Kuukiyomi 3 , then this is your sign!

Thank you for reading to the bottom!

Time is precious, and I appreciate you spending time here. Be safe! Remember to cover your cough and appreciate the rollercoaster that seems to be our lives.

Please note* I have been interested in survival games for a while, but survival platformers are typically not easy to come by. At this time, we are all witnessing another Historical event as Russia invades Ukraine. It seems because of our current events, "Bury me, my Love" and "This War of Mine" have been in mentions. I want to note that these games have distinctly different handling from one another. Although I have access to both games, there is a bit of a learning curve in "This War of Mine," so I chose "Bury me, My love" for this specific piece. What I do know is that they both are equally informative. They both are similarly intense because they get the job done teaching an obvious point. War is brutal. War is devastating. Both games are educational simulations, and they both invoke similiar emotional reactions of different levels. Did I mention my privilege? Because I am grateful.