Walking Simulators and narrative games have become more prominent over the past decade. The 'walking simulator' term, originally a pejorative descriptor of a genre where 'you just walk about', was quickly reclaimed by fans and developers looking to branch out beyond the common verbs of so many video games, especially first-person ones.
When it comes to first-person examples the term can broadly be applied to anything that doesn't involve shooting stuff and puts a focus on environmental storytelling, although things get a bit muddier in third-person. Regardless of whether you're looking through the eyes of a character or not, these games have a narrative focus where shooting stuff isn't the answer to your problems. Below we've rounded up our picks of the best walking sims on Switch.
Of course, the Venn diagram of video game genres features many crossovers, some of which we've excluded from the selection below.
So, let's take a look — in no particular order — at the best narrative-focused games on Switch.
Best Switch Narrative Games & Walking Sims
Firewatch (Switch eShop)
Firewatch puts you in the hiking boots of Henry, a man assigned the job of watching for signs of fire in Shoshone National Forest. The narrative unfolds through his conversations with Delilah, a colleague from another watch tower he speaks with via walkie-talkie.
Henry is good company for the duration, but it's the forest itself which is the star of the show here. While the technical performance of the Switch port falls short of the excellent efforts of the two voice actors--with an erratic framerate that may be disappointing if you've enjoyed the game elsewhere--we still heartily recommend giving this a go on Nintendo's system, especially if you've never played it before.
Valley (Switch eShop)
Valley plonks you on an archaeological expedition to discover the secrets of a mythical MacGuffin, the Lifeseed. You soon stumble upon a special exoskeleton suit which grants you super-human movement abilities enabling all sorts of jumping and gallivanting around the game's natural, story-rich environments.
There's some (mostly) low-stakes platforming and even light combat later on, involving shooting life-force projectiles, but no gunplay. Overall, Valley is a short and restorative jaunt through the caves and countryside of the Canadian Rockies that's well worth experiencing if you enjoy connecting with nature.
What Remains of Edith Finch (Switch eShop)
What Remains of Edith Finch weaves an engrossing, tragic tale that will stick with you long after you've finished it. It's not the longest game in the world, but there's no fat or filler here at all - a genuine treat when so many games are needlessly padded out with repetitive content.
At times horrific and uncomfortable, at others near-whimsical, What Remains of Edith Finch is a classic you really need to experience.
Shape Of The World (Switch eShop)
Bringing to mind the pixel-heavy PC game Proteus (PC owners will no doubt have that one sitting in a Humble Bundle somewhere), Shape of the World presents artistic, interactive playgrounds to lose yourself in for a couple of hours.
The visual and aural landscape changes as you explore and move through triangular gates collecting seeds to plant in your surroundings. It's very short, but if you're after some mindless (or should that be mindful?) distraction--and these days, who isn't?--this is a diverting ambient curio that's worth experiencing.
Gone Home (Switch eShop)
One of the most famous 'walking sims' of the bunch, Gone Home is an impressive slice of environmental storytelling set in a single, empty residence. Returning to the family home after a backpacking trip, you play as Katie and gradually uncover small details of the apparent disappearance of your younger sister through letters and other items found throughout the house.
On paper, it doesn't sound scintillating, but in practice it's one of the finest games on Switch.
Florence (Switch eShop)
Florence is an evocation of the beauty, sadness, and hope that comes from any human connection we make in our lives, whether with art, nature, or another person.
It's a succinct and incredibly successful exploration of moments you'll recognise from your own life, and the way it mirrors thoughts and feelings through small gameplay mechanics makes it one of the most affecting experiences we've enjoyed on Switch, or any other platform.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (Switch eShop)
A short, slow-paced experience, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has you playing as detective Paul Prospero investigating the titular mystery in a game that's branded as 'horror', but we'd say is more melancholic and unsettling than horrific.
That's not to say there aren't a few jumps, and it's certainly dark, but the twisting tale works beautifully in conjunction with the freedom you're given to explore and feeds into the overall mysterious atmosphere conjured by the developers. Don't expect glowing breadcrumbs or onscreen arrows here; just a tense tale told very effectively.
Night In The Woods (Switch eShop)
Melancholic, tragic, knowing and thoroughly relatable, Night In The Woods is the only entry thus far on this list that isn't first-person. A 2D game with some very light platforming elements, it's all about interaction with other characters and the narrative that unfolds as college dropout Mae returns to her backwater hometown.
There's really not much else like Night in the Woods, and the Switch version comes highly recommended.
Before I Forget (Switch eShop)
Before I Forget is a short, beautiful experience that nevertheless approaches a challenging and rather sombre subject. It takes creative bravery to share a game that represents the impact of dementia, and to do so sensitively and as accurately as possible; it achieves this goal.
We not only suffer the disease with Sunita, but engage with the successes and joys of her life. Before I Forget finds a careful balance that is to be commended.
Return of the Obra Dinn (Switch eShop)
Return of the Obra Dinn, by Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope, is a piratical masterpiece. Tasked with the rather boring-sounding job of being the insurance adjuster for a marooned ship, and provided with a potentially offputting retro-monochrome aesthetic, you'd be forgiven for thinking Obra Dinn is a bit pants — but you'd be wrong.
With the help of a strange, haunted stopwatch, you'll get to go back in time to find out who died, and where, in order to fill out your forms; it doesn't take long before some very spooky goings-on start going on. With more twists than a bowl of fusilli, you'll be hooked from start to finish. Yarrr.
Miniatures (Switch eShop)
Experienced across four beautifully rendered vignettes, Miniatures is a short game that leans as much into the shadows as it does into the charming strangeness at the core of each narrative.
It manages to navigate both awe and dread during its approximately one-hour play time, with each tale imbuing a sense of mystery that left us ruminating on all that was left unsaid long after we finished playing.
Abzu (Switch eShop)
Soooo... is it a walking simulator if you don't actually walk anywhere? We're going to go with yes, because Abzu deserves to be highlighted. Made by the folks behind Journey, Abzu is a swimming simulator, in which you'll frogkick your way around beautiful, serene landscapes seascapes, with seaweed forests and crumbling ruins playing host to plenty of lovely little fishies.
All the narrative is told through its environments, but even if you miss out on the story, you'll have a fantastic time with the visuals, anyway.
Got your steps in? Great!
Switch Narrative Games And Walking Simulators FAQ
If you're struggling to reach the end of the path, then we've covered a few more things below.
What is a Walking Sim?
We mentioned this briefly at the top, but Walking Sims are games where you "most" just walk around and examine objects. It feels a bit like a 3D point-and-click, but less frustrating and much less about figuring out the mystery. Rather, you're experiencing it, often from someone's point-of-view.
These games often tackle heavier subjects, such as identity, depression, family, relationships, and more. And many often employ unique art styles. They don't all fit into a single box, but these are some of the more common aspects. Essentially, you;re actively moving through a world rather than reading and progressing via text boxes.
Where are the Visual Novels??
Yes, Visual Novels are technically "narrative games", but there are so many of them on Switch that we think they deserve their own list.
Some of the games on that list also have a lot more gameplay than any of the titles we've listed above, such as AI: The Somnium Files or the Famicom Detective Club games. They have a pretty distinctive style, too.