Topic: Looking for emotional, narrative focused switch recommendations

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Nintendo doesn't really do dark, narrative-driven games. Last one that comes to mind is Eternal Darkness for the GC. On Switch, first party wise, the closest you'll get is Luigi's Mansion 3. But I wouldn't qualify it as either dark or narrative-driven.

That kind of content is strictly for Sony Ponies or Xbots.

j/k

Most of the mature-rated games available on Switch are third party ports of older games, most of which are better played anywhere else but on Switch. Unless you are infatuated with playing in handheld mode or tabletop mode?

Edit: A Switch Lite eh?

Well then, my top five narrative-driven games would probably be:

Outlast
Stay
Oxenfree
Yomawari
Undertale

@Reyren If you're up for something different, then there's an interesting adventure game available from the Nintendo eShop. It is a simply beautiful game that has a great, thought-provoking story. It's called Silence. Here's a trailer:

@Reyren Nope, only just bought it myself after having read about it.

@Reyren No problem. By the way: you could always try to find the answer here:
https://howlongtobeat.com/
Works for most games, but not all, so it depends on whether or not it's in their database.

@Reyren Undertale is great no its amazing you will be angry crying happy through it all.

@Reyren just buy it play the game it will tell you what endings to go for.

@Reyren have you played age of Calamity? Not sure about others, but its emotional enough knowing what comes after. I'm nearly finished with the game and it's a Rollercoaster at least for me.

@Reyren

Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice
Horace
Furi
Return of the Obra Dinn
Phoenix Wright Trilogy

If you've got a PS4, definitely check out Detroit.

@Reyren Night in the Woods. Depending on your current station in life it could be really relatable.

And, while it's a risky recommendation, Deadly Premonition. It borrows heavily from Twin Peaks and the game itself is pretty broken, but it's a very idiosyncratic crime/horror game.

It doesn't come more narrative driven and emotional than "Bury me, my love"

Quite a different genre and mode of story-telling (less cinematic than, e.g. The Last of Us) to the games you listed, but have you looked into Fire Emblem: Three Houses? It's a turn-based tactical RPG with an expansive cast of characters and a branching story.

First off I'd reiterate that Horace is well worth checking out as long as you don't mind a bit of challenge in your games. Horace has a lot of heart but it also knows when to get silly too. I'd also second Deadly Premonition, but prepare for some jank, if you can handle the jank then you'll find a surprisingly solid narrative

If JRPG's are your thing Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a good choice (especially if you pick Dimitri's route), the Xenoblade duology (the definitive edition of the first game has a more solid emotional core, I think) and Dragon Quest 11 is a good pick too, but these are quite lengthy.

Lastly, if you can get behind horror Yomawari is indeed a good choice but also Detention, which uses a particularly tumultuous period of Taiwan's history as a backdrop and features a narrative that has only grown more and more poignant since its release.

@Reyren no prob. And i dont know why i missed this earlier, but i recommend Catherine Full Body as well. The games been out for awhile on other platforms but the narrative holds up. I think it's quite daring in that it's about how people value commitment. For good measure there's also strange deaths occuring.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It's a major exclusive and has one of the most emotionally gripping stories I've seen in a video game.

Same applies for the DLC expansion to the game.

Three houses. You will form bonds with your studens so quickly that if they die you will cry yourself to sleep for weeks. Backstories will make you feel for characters. You want emotion? Get this game

OOOOH BOY, dark narrative is my jaaaam.

Return of the Obra Dinn
A creepy, piratical murder-mystery told as an insurance claim story. What happened to the boat that was discovered floating with no crew?

Oxenfree
You're just kids camping on an island, right? There's nothing creepy or sinister here, right? Right?

Night In The Woods
What happens when the angsty kid who pushed everyone away as a teen returns to their dead-end, dying town? And, wait, is that a human arm on the ground?

The Sexy Brutale
A highly underrated (but buggy) timeloop game that's all about figuring out what happened in this strange casino-mansion, why people keep dying in horrible ways, and just what the servants are up to.

Heaven's Vault
It doesn't come much more narrative than a game by Inkle, the creators of Sorcery! and 80 Days. As an archaeologist tasked with finding out what happened to a missing professor, you discover a historical mystery that goes way deeper than you ever realised.

To The Moon
If you aren't a fan of Game Boy Color-style graphics, try to push past it for this game, which is a heartwrenching story told through the eyes of a scientist, exploring the dreams of a dying man and attempting to travel further back into his past to put the pieces of his life back together.

Bastion
The world has already begun to end. With an ever-present narrator and a bunch of crumbling towns to explore, this game - by the team who made Hades, no less - is one of the best indies of the last few years, easily.

Hades
Yes, it's largely a roguelike, but the story here is as fantastic as any other. It's just told a lot... more... slowly. You are the son of Hades, trying to escape Hell. Any more information would be a spoiler

Honourable mention: Ace Attorney Trilogy
It only really gets INTENSE in the third game imo, with the introduction of a certain floral character, but you will appreciate the moment much more if you play from the beginning. A big undertaking, I know, but worth it for the narrative payoff.

I have been wondering if I should play the ace attorney games, ive been trying more story based games as of recently. I am wondering if the switch version has more content then the 3ds version, because i want to expand my 3ds library of games but dont want to miss out on any goodies in the switch version.

@KateGray i agree with hades. At first glance it doesn't look like an emotional game. But then you get to the [REDACTED] ending
Also HOO BOY HE HE (persona meme)

The Switch games I've played so far that I felt had amazing storytelling that really hooked me into their narrative are:

Steins Gate: Elite
Night in the Woods
Oxenfree
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

While most of the above can also be quite whimsical, they do all go pretty deep and/or dark as well.