[Editorial] 9 Horror Nintendo Switch Games To Play

In the six years since its release the Nintendo Switch has amassed an extensive catalogue of games, with everything from puzzle platformer games to cute farming sims to, uh, whatever Waifu Uncovered is. Whilst Nintendo is typically seen as a more family friendly establishment, there are horror-based games to be found, and here is a collection of 9 great spooky titles on the Switch for you to try out this Halloween season. And just for a bit of fun I’m leaving off any Resident Evil games available on the console. It’d be too easy.

9. Killer Frequency

In this first-person puzzle horror game set in the 80s you play as Forrest Nash, a late-night radio DJ in a small town where one night a killer stalks the streets. It’s up to you to advise those calling into the studio how to stay alive using the resources in the radio station to help whilst living out your best Stevie Wayne fantasy. The vibe in this one is top notch, giving you a real sense of urgency to figure out how to save the callers and unravel the mystery of what’s happening in the town, and play some banging tunes of course. The puzzles are also just hard enough to be challenging but satisfying when you solve them, not to mention devastating when you get them wrong.

8. White Day: A Labyrinth Named School

The things we do for young love. High school student Lee Hui-min sneaks into his school late at night to leave a gift for his crush Han So-young on the eve of the titular day (In Asian countries Valentine's Day is for girls to give chocolates to boys, and White Day is for boys to give chocolates to girls, usually as thanks for Valentine's Day). He becomes trapped and has to deal with hauntings, psychotic bat-wielding janitors, and finding a way out. Easily one of the most jumpscare-filled games on this list it really likes to keep you on your toes, especially during the janitor chase sequences when you're trying to find a hiding spot. One of the best things however is discovering the various hauntings throughout the school, which can be learned about through documents or encountering them if certain conditions are met. Spooky.

7. Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

What would you be willing to do to bring someone back from the dead? Could you even kill for it? Visual novel games can be a hard sell for some, especially those who prefer their horror a little more visceral and active, but what Paranormasight lacks in in-your-face confrontation it more than makes up for in atmosphere and story. A tale of urban legends, curses, and branching paths sees many fun and interesting characters and their stories intersect as we solve the wider mystery at the behest of the strange Storyteller. The various curses are also based on genuine legends, which is a nice touch. The puzzle solutions can really have you thinking outside the box, and sometimes even outside the game.

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6. Little Nightmares

This gorgeous stealth platformer with a visual style that can be compared to the films of LAIKA is like being inside, well, a nightmare. And you definitely are little as you play a tiny child trying to escape a huge ship of monstrous giants that want to catch and cook you. This game makes you feel very vulnerable, both due to your smaller size compared to your pursuers and the fact that you are explicitly told very little in terms of what is going on. Yet there’s also a touch of whimsy, which frankly just makes the horror that much more heightened. The environments are gorgeously designed but extremely disquieting to explore, and sometimes rushing in can be the worst possible thing you could do. An experience that is as eerie as it is artistically stunning. 

5. Dead By Daylight

Multiplayer and horror don't typically go hand in hand. Whilst it's not unheard of in games like the Left 4 Dead series, survival horror tends to be a very singular experience. Yet this online game that pits 4 survivors against a killer is a ton of fun. Whether you prefer to play as survivor or killer, no two rounds are the same, so it has a lot of replay and casual value. There are also defensive weapons and abilities that can help the player if they know how to use them. The base game has original survivors and monsters, but it's those legendary ones from beloved franchises that really catch your eye and they cost additional money, as do cosmetic costumes for all characters. It's a little hard to resist, as once you have Michael you pretty much HAVE to get Freddy, then it's only logical to get Leatherface, but of course you can't just leave out Pinhead...

4. Lone Survivor

Have you ever wished a Silent Hill game had been released on the SNES? Of course not, that would be weird and oddly specific, but if you did then Lone Survivor is essentially that. An unnamed man in a seemingly insane and Hellish post-apocalyptic world has to not only survive, but also keep a grip on his sanity at the same time. The gameplay will be familiar to survival horror veterans; explore, gather items, and either sneak past or fight monsters, but with a simplicity that matches the retro vibe. Its low graphic style just adds to the bizarre and sinister atmosphere, although hilariously the first time I played this game I thought the protagonist’s facemask was some kind of manic Joker smile which actually made it scarier to me. This is a great take on classic survival horror. It also has Twin Peaks references, which is never a bad idea.

3. Corpse Party

We’re back in school. An RPG Maker horror game originally made in 1996 but has had a ton of remakes over the years. The story concerns a group of kids (and their teacher) trapped in a sinister schoolhouse in another reality. They are separated and trying to escape, but the school is fuelled by a horrible curse from something that happened years ago that is unwilling to let them leave. With a whopping 54 possible endings across the game's various chapters there are a LOT of ways things can, and will, go horribly wrong and you will really have to stay on top of things to keep as many characters as possible alive. Some deaths are inevitable though, not to mention horrifically gruesome, and the whole game has an air of nastiness to it that contrasts with the typical anime character designs and almost feels like it wants you to suffer terribly. But like in a fun way.

2. The Excavation at Hob’s Barrow

Not only is this one of the best horror games available on the Nintendo Switch, it might be one of the best horror games of the last decade and is definitely my favourite. A point and click adventure game, but Monkey Island this is not as you guide Thomasina Bateman through her journey as she is determined to excavate the titular barrow on the outskirts of a small Yorkshire town despite spooky goings on and the ominous warnings of locals. It also looks gorgeous and it feels like you could walk onto those moors. This game has a fantastic M. R. James ghost story like vibe, and there are even a few little references to his work throughout, but with just a touch of Lovecraft that gives it an edge. Also watch out for the goat. Something ain’t right about that goat.

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1. Fatal Frame 4+5

Listed together because I couldn’t simply choose one over the other. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was originally released on the Nintendo Wii, but only in Japan and has been something of a lost treasure for those of us who can’t speak Japanese or know how to romhack a translation patch. Maiden of Black Water was released on the WiiU, but not too many played it because it was on the WiiU. The gameplay in both is the Fatal Frame (Zero in Japan and Project Zero in Europe) standard of a beautiful but impractically dressed young Japanese woman exploring a haunted environment (an island and a mountain respectively) and their only means of defence is to take pictures of them. Both games are great but the story is stronger in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and the scares are more intense in Maiden of Black Water, so it’s really a case of what you’re more in the mood for. Neither should be missed though as it’s great that this series is getting a second (after)life on the Switch.

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