Best Fake OS Games On Nintendo Switch 1 & 2

It's a faaaake!

by Gavin Lane & Nintendo Life Staff 1 hour ago

Best FakeOS Switch Games — *Image: Nintendo Life*

We recently had some material drop in our inbox about InterfaceX, a developer-led drive on Steam to bring a whole bunch of games under one genre banner: 'Fake OS'.

Having struggled ourselves to succinctly categorise games which simulate navigating a computer, phone screen, or another device/workstation as a significant part of their design, 'Fake OS' struck us as a handy umbrella for a style of game that's really taken off in the last decade - and not just on PC.

So, showing solidarity with developer efforts to make this term an official Steam tag, we thought we'd corral all the games on Switch (and, therefore, Switch 2) which have you opening files or messages or clicking on computers within computers and all that game.

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Switch has hosted loads of Fake OS games since launch and this list showcases the best (not all of them, only the ones we've reviewed and have rated 'Good' or better). So let's double-click and get going, in alphabetical order...

Best Switch Fake OS Games

Bury me, my Love (Switch eShop)

Bury me, my Love is more an emotionally invested experience than a 'game', as it focuses on decision-based gameplay that encourages you to think empathetically. You play as Majd, who is texting his wife Nour as she attempts to escape Syria to Europe and start a new life in Germany. The texts, map, and pictures she sends to your phone are all you ever really see.

Employing an art style that is simultaneously gritty and endearing, the game holds very little back in terms of the atrocities of war and also how horrified, yet desensitised, the main characters are to it. Nour's journey can be an extremely tough one to undertake, but Bury Me, My Love should be experienced as a lesson in both empathy and wonderful text-based storytelling.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Switch eShop)

Voyeurism isn't a theme that's new to video games, but Do Not Feed The Monkeys puts an even more sinister twist on it. Invited to the mysterious Primate Observation Club, your task is to observe "the monkeys" through a series of cameras, while reporting back on your findings to the Club by responding to their email requests for information.

This isn't a perfect game, but thankfully, its small interface and design irritations don't massively undermine what Fictiorama Studios achieved here. Weaving together the "monkeys'" stories is rewarding and satisfying, and there's an impressive sense of foreboding to the whole thing.

Hypnospace Outlaw (Switch eShop)

Hypnospace Outlaw really is like nothing else out there; at once an excellent puzzle game, razor-sharp satire, and meticulously crafted slice of early-internet nostalgia that you can spend hours absolutely lost in. It's frequently hilarious stuff that's impeccably well-written across the board, managing to successfully bring the crazy, lawless, early rush of creativity that formed the pre-Y2K era of the internet convincingly back to life.

It delivers a truly extraordinary recreation of the GeoCities era of the internet that absolutely nails its '90s aesthetic to present a living, breathing world that's a joy to spend time browsing around, soaking up the atmosphere and reliving the anarchic early days of the internet as you slowly untangle the puzzles at the heart of its narrative.

Inscryption (Switch eShop)

It’s hard to talk about the specifics of Inscryption without diluting some of its magic. However, its ingenuity is mind-boggling, its mood is devilishly haunting, and its presentation is first-rate. As a deckbuilder, it’s stretched about as far as it can go, and by jumping around between concepts, it sometimes asks for a lot from you.

The pay-off, however, is one of the most impressive feats of video game storytelling there is. If you’re new to Daniel Mullins Games, then you’re in for even more of a treat, but existing fans, too, shouldn’t think they have the measure of what awaits on Inscryption’s dusty old floppy disk.

Mainframes (Switch eShop)

Mainframes is a solid recommendation if you’re after a new precision/puzzle platformer that tries something relatively fresh with its desktop-bending premise.

We would have liked to have seen a few clever nods to real-world software brands to really take advantage of its setup, but with its pleasant pixel-art visuals and gorgeously laid-back soundtrack, it’s a good way to spend a handful of hours. Just watch out for those difficulty spikes.

OneShot: World Machine Edition (Switch eShop)

A short, compelling point-and-click adventure originally developed in 2014, OneShot: World Machine Edition has an endearing, sombre story in which developer Future Cat makes you, the player, a character. The quest of Nico, a cat-like child, is framed as a game installed on a PC that functions as both a menu and narrative device and Niko will frequently break the fourth wall to address you by your Switch profile name as you guide her through a dying world.

Unlike the adventure games of two or three decades ago, none of the puzzles stumped us, yet the dopamine rush hit us all the same when things slid into place. Before we knew it, the credits rolled, and we sat back, pensive from its bittersweet ending. A Very Good Game™.

Stories Untold (Switch eShop)

Stories Untold is a chilling adventure that manages to draw us right into its world through the ingenious use of its UI and perfectly realised lo-fi aesthetic. Through the walls of old technology and complicated machinery, it creates a uniquely strong bond between player and narrative, giving you a real sense of place within its world as it slowly corrupts and twists from the comfortingly familiar to something else entirely.

It's one of the best interactive horror stories we've ever played and a perfect fit for enjoying alone in the dark on Switch.

Telling Lies (Switch eShop)

Coming from Sam Barlow (Her Story, Immortality), on paper, searching a large database of phone-filmed video clips doesn't sound too exciting, but Telling Lies offers an exhilarating few hours of detective work thanks to clever construction, strong performances and exceptional polish.

Given that the game takes place almost entirely in windows on a virtual desktop computer screen (and would therefore seem 'at home' on PC), it survives the transition to Switch entirely intact. While there's not much incentive to reopen the investigation once it reaches its climax, uncovering Telling Lies' web of relationships and intrigue is a case definitely worth taking on.

Videoverse (Switch eShop)

Videoverse is a perfect time capsule of early online communities, never shying away from difficult topics and always approaching them with a smile. Its nostalgic wrapping works wonders for Millennials who grew up with a mouse or console in hand and who have made friends online.

While we wish there were a few more chats with other characters, and the Switch may not be the best place to experience it due to input frustrations, Videoverse is a tonic for the soul that the online world needs now more than ever.

Switch 2 Mouse Mode — *Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life*

FAQs

Before we go, some housekeeping and general question-answering.

Is this genre known by any other name?

The InterfaceX site lists other names these types of games are commonly known as, including "Interface Sims, Interface Dramas, Desktop/Phone Sims, and Found Device games" - all of which do a decent job of describing what's involved.

And as the site says, those are all legitimate descriptors! We just enjoy how 'Fake OS' captures all of the above while still being fairly specific.

Hang on, where's GAME X?

Remember, this isn't a list of all fake OS games on Switch - just the ones we've reviewed and think are good. You can check out our database of other Switch games that may fit the bill - and let us know in the comments if something is missing that deserves the tag.

You'll notice some of the games in the list above incorporate other genres, but the OS elements in all of them are fundamental to the gameplay, not just a cute pause screen or side-feature (so, no, GoldenEye 007 isn't a fake OS game because the menu screen is a watch interface).

For instance, we almost added Superhot above, but its fake OS is a narrative wrapper in the menu rather than something woven into the gameplay itself. It's neat, but it's not fundamental.

Isn't GAME Y on Switch?

We may have missed some - if so, let us know in the comments.

There are many classic fake OS games which never made it to Switch, though. Here's a small shortlist of some we'd love to see on Nintendo's console one day, if you're looking for more games like this elsewhere: