Discover captivating mystery games for Switch, perfect for unraveling thrilling narratives and solving intricate puzzles.
Immerse yourself in suspenseful adventures for endless entertainment.
The Nintendo Switch is excellent for various gaming experiences, including action games, lengthy RPGs, and even first-person shooters. Because of its portability, it is a multipurpose console designed for various experiences. Given the Switch’s popularity, it’s hardly surprising that it includes several mystery and puzzle games. These games cover many topics, ideas, and tones, but they all share one goal: to solve a twisted mystery. Here are some of the best mystery games for Switch, perfect for cuddling up and immersing yourself in. Everyone enjoys a good mystery, especially if they can solve one.
The detective genre has grown significantly since its origins as a point-and-click adventure game, as evidenced by this list. The games on this list range from classic noir detective fare to games that you’ll most likely tell us “don’t count as detective games” in the comments!
Here is our reasoning: A detective game is about more than simply a hard-boiled cop in a trench coat and cap who likes to complain about horrific deaths in the rain. Anyone can assume the role of a detective who must uncover, find, and answer inquiries. We’ve chosen many games in which ordinary folks pluck threads until everything unravels.
If you’re the type of gamer who can’t stop until they’ve solved a critical problem or answered a burning question, you’ve found the ideal selection of Nintendo Switch mystery games. The Nintendo Switch has an astounding selection of whodunit and mystery games, ranging from intricate graphic novels to light-hearted pixelated romps.
It’s an intriguing genre since indie creators can often outperform more established firms with unique stories and game mechanics. To assist you in finding the ideal mystery game to solve, Digital Conqurer has produced a list of the 18 finest modern detective games for Nintendo Switch to meet all your on-the-go investigative needs.
So, explore these must-play puzzles with your magnifying lens and trench coat. Whether you enjoy detective work or mysteries of any kind or are a complete investigative novice, our extensive selection contains plenty of games to fit your preferences. Let’s get these cases moving!
1. AI: The Somnium Files
AI: The Somnium Files is a mystery visual novel and point-and-click adventure game for Switch featuring branching storylines and memorable characters. In the game, you play as Kaname Date, a detective with a rare ability entrusted with uncovering gruesome murders.
I couldn’t leave out this one while gathering the games I wanted to include in this essay. AI: The Somnium Files is a weird, hazy dream of a game filled with murder, intrigue, and a constant sense of dread. The basic premise of this game is a murder case in which a body is discovered atop a carousel horse in an abandoned theme park. A suspect is discovered nearby with a bloodied ice pick, and the tale unravels from there. It’s a dark game with nasty elements, and the creepy settings are ideal.
This title, which combines aspects of science fiction and traditional detective games, features hard puzzles with stringent time constraints and different endings. It makes excellent use of the branching tale concept, ensuring this piece will be replayed many times.
This piece has a lot of variation, with portions that read like a visual novel following Quicktime events and action scenes. This provides for fascinating gameplay, and the user experience is overall excellent. The entire visual and game concept is also quite nicely executed.
It’s undoubtedly an approachable product with lots of gameplay time and no too intricate riddles or difficult game mechanics. If you enjoy sci-fi games, graphic novels, and interconnected tales, this could be the greatest choice on this list.
2. Famicom Detective Club
The Famicom Detective Club series is a captivating collection of two mystery games that are now available on the Nintendo Switch. These games were initially released on Nintendo’s previous systems such as the Famicom Disc System, SNES, and Game Boy Advance. However, they have been reimagined and modernized for the Switch, making them available to a global audience for the first time.
In these games, you take on the role of a young detective who is tasked with solving complex cases by scouring for clues and interrogating various characters. The games offer an immersive experience with an intriguing storyline, excellent music, and Japanese voice acting that adds a unique touch to the gameplay.
Each game in the series provides a unique mystery with unexpected twists and turns at every stage. You will need to use your analytical and problem-solving skills to uncover the truth behind each case. The games offer a challenging and rewarding experience that will keep you engaged for hours on end.
Overall, the Famicom Detective Club series is a must-play for anyone who loves a good mystery game. It offers a unique blend of storytelling, gameplay, and music that will keep you hooked until the very end.
3. Steins: Gate Series
The Steins Gate franchise has inspired visual novels, anime adaptations, films, comic books, and more. It’s a popular franchise, and the games are now accessible on the Switch for anyone interested in solving a mystery.
Steins; Gate adds to the complication by offering two separate series to explore, two OVAs and a movie. In theory, fans could watch them all as they came out and still understand the tale. If you’re seeking a more chronological plot, be prepared to jump between series while we learn how to watch Stein’s Gate. Steins; Gate is a visual novel with branching routes set against a science fiction setting, following eccentric college student Okabe and his companions as they obtain the ability to travel through time and change the past. In-game, you can use Okabe’s cell phone to change the tale’s direction and make other options.
4. Gnosia
Gnosia is one of the most engaging visual novel-style mystery games for switch in recent years. This sci-fi title received fantastic reviews upon its initial release and continues to gain popularity in the genre.
Gnosia takes place in a drifting spaceship with a whole crew and a quiet, fatal threat among them.
One is an enemy, and the crew must identify the Gnosia menace before it is too late. Following rounds of deduction, dramatic character interactions, and voting, characters are placed into ‘cold slumber’ one at a time. The looping gameplay structure makes this game a genuine delight. Instead of playing using a linear method, you’ll go through loops and discover the mystery uniquely and excitingly. Your character’s role changes during the game.
Overall, this game is enjoyable. The art style is vibrant, the characters are unforgettable, and the plot will take you by surprise. This is the perfect Nintendo Switch mystery game if you appreciate sci-fi games and visual novels that force you to think quickly.
5. L.A. Noire
Given that this game was initially developed for other platforms in 2011, L.A. Noire on the Switch is an impressive addition to your library. This game brilliantly captures the 1940s detective approach, placing you in the shoes of a Los Angeles cop who must investigate various gloomy and intriguing crime scenes. In this game, you’ll seek information, piece together ideas, and interrogate suspects while engaging in gunfights and automobile chases.
This game is darker and has some gory themes, making it ideal for those who enjoy true crime content. The narrative of the cases is based on actual 1947 Los Angeles crimes; therefore, this is also an educational piece. What distinguishes this game is its attention to detail. While the open-world mechanics aren’t perfect, the micro-expressions on suspects’ faces during interrogation and the outstanding voice acting make this game an absolute delight. It is worth checking out.
6. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series is a well-known mystery games for switch series. The first three games in the series are available as a collection on various platforms, including Nintendo Switch. These games blend mystery-solving features with logic puzzles, visual novel components, and point-and-click adventure games.
Each game in the Ace Attorney Trilogy contains approximately five cases to solve. These games are beloved for their outrageous antics, eccentric characters, and amusing scripting. Despite the hilarity, they provide sombre moments when the plot requires it.
7. Thimbleweed Park
Looking for a slightly unusual Nintendo Switch mystery game? Thimbleweed Park is fantastically diversified, including a beautiful pixel graphic style and distinct characters. It’s a murder mystery game with a twist set in the 1980s. The tagline for Thimbleweed Park is ‘In a town like Thimbleweed Park, a corpse is the least of your troubles’, which wonderfully captures the film’s tone. Thimbleweed Park has an excellent gameplay style, with five different playable characters to choose from and a plethora of perplexing puzzles.
The narrative revolves around strange manufacturing fires, secret agents, ghosts, and childhood nightmares. It’s a fictitious universe that’s simple to get lost in. Overall, this game had a positive online reception. However, a few critics have voiced dissatisfaction with the story’s numerous red herrings and web-like structure. Thimbleweed Park will appeal to fans of tangled, looping tales set in vivid, pixelated settings.
8. Layton’s Mystery Journey
LEVEL-5’s Professor Layton series is well-known in the mystery game genre, and its latest instalment is an excellent choice for players looking for a relaxing game full of brain teasers and riddles to solve. While Professor Layton is not the main character in this game, it does involve his daughter Katrielle and her efforts to find him after he goes missing. The game has numerous lively characters (including a talking dog) and plenty of clever, well-structured puzzles to solve. It’s worth noting the game’s stunning sights and aesthetics. It’s a cartoony game that nonetheless seems sleek and well-designed.
Furthermore, this game includes several free DLC items that would have otherwise cost extra. It is always a benefit. This game appeals to a younger audience because it is marketed as ‘family friendly’ and lacks stressful aspects such as time limitations for puzzles. Don’t let that deter you if you’re searching for a relaxing gaming experience. This title is delightful and engaging, with much to keep you entertained.
9. Return Of the Obra Dinn
This is one of the most visually appealing mystery game releases in recent years. This game, which uses a distinctive 1-bit graphic style, takes place in 1800s London. It’s a gripping nautical mystery with many twists and turns. The Obra Dinn is a merchant ship that disappeared at sea for six months before returning to port. It was substantially damaged and had no crew members in sight.
You play as an insurance investigator for the East India Company’s London Office, tasked with determining what happened to this famed ship. As you may expect from the title of this essay, things are not as they appear on the Obra Dinn.
This game is more sophisticated, providing a user experience dependent on logical inference, powers of observation, and discovery. If you have some free time and want to immerse yourself in a world of mystery, tricky riddles, and dramatic stories, try this Nintendo Switch mystery game today.
10. The Dark Side Detective
Another wonderful point-and-click adventure game, The Darkside Detective, is set in a metropolis with a supernatural edge. The city has a reflection of itself, known as the Darkside, where ghosts reside. In the game, you take control of a detective tasked with researching the Darkside and solving the intriguing cases that surround it.
Aside from being an excellent mystery game, The Darkside Detective is packed with pop culture references and crisp, humorous writing. It provides intriguing secrets while keeping you entertained with its fantastic humour.
11. Danganronpa Series
Danganronpa is an iconic serial about murder and trials. It consists of three games that follow three different groups of students as they compete in a murder game. The games are divided into trials, in which you must determine who the killer is and how they did it.
This isn’t your typical detective mystery, but each trial will make you think hard about what is happening. In addition to the mystery of each trial, you must solve the mystery behind the murder game you are playing.
12. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
I think any game that begins with the warning that ‘it won’t hold your hand’ is worth playing.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is an excellent example of a mystery game featuring a creative plot, stunning visuals, and difficult puzzles.
You play Paul Prospero, a detective interested in the paranormal and the spiritual. He investigates a letter from a boy named Ethan Carter and immediately discovers that Ethan has vanished amid a brutal murder. The plot progresses from there, revealing several other murders and puzzles that require careful thought to solve. The dark, Lovecraftian undertones in this game are great.
The visuals aren’t new, but the world is engrossing, and the game plays well. This game has an excellent open-world layout that avoids awkward loading screens and allows players to explore their hearts’ content.
This game differs from traditional murder mystery games because it does not feature much violence, gore, or terror. It’s more of an atmospheric and scary endeavour, with obvious parallels to the macabre twentieth-century fiction that inspired the authors.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter has a dark, mesmerising ambience and a well-developed tale. Add this game to your library if you appreciate getting lost in creepy, well-written worlds with compelling characters.
13. Fatal Frame: The Lunar Eclipse Mask
If you are a fan of mystery games, “Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse” is a game that you should definitely try out. While the game may be a bit scary, it is an excellent game that will put your photographic skills to the test.
As you tour Rougetsu Island, you’ll come across many ghosts, and your task is to snap pictures of them. Interestingly, taking pictures of ghosts will cause damage to them and seal them away, making this game a unique experience.
“Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse” is a remake of a 2008 version, and you can expect significant improvements in graphics and new outfits. The game’s storyline is intriguing, and the atmosphere is eerie, making it an excellent choice for those who enjoy a good mystery game. Overall, this game is worth a try if you want to test your photographic skills and solve a thrilling mystery.
14. Life is Strange Series
Life is Strange is a hugely popular mystery adventure game series with a lot of content. Each game is played in the third person, and you explore the world around you, accomplish missions, and solve puzzles.
The original Life is Strange game was divided into five episodes; however, the Life is Strange Arcadia Bay Collection includes all of them. Don’t forget to check out Life is Strange 2 and Life is Strange: True Colours.
15. Detective Pikachu
Detective Pikachu and Detective Pikachu Returns are two cute mystery games for switch in which you play as Tim Goodman alongside your buddy Pikachu. Of course, you two must work together to solve crimes!
These games are a little more lighthearted than the rest on our list.
While there is no gruesome murder, the plot is nonetheless exciting. Although these games began as spin-offs of mainline Pokemon games, they stand on their own, making them an excellent addition to your Switch collection.
16. Master Detective Archives: Rain Code
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code is a game that may look familiar to you, and there’s a good reason for it. The game was developed by a large team that also worked on Danganronpa, a popular game series. As a result, Rain Code features a comparable art style and gameplay to the class trials in Danganronpa.
Like Danganronpa, Rain Code is divided into six chapters, each with its own unique challenges and mysteries to solve. The game’s protagonist is Yuma, an investigator who suffers from amnesia and is tasked with uncovering secrets within the Kanai Ward.
Throughout the game, you will be required to explore various locations and interact with different characters to gather clues and information. You will also need to engage in intense class trials where you must use your deductive skills to uncover the truth behind each mystery.
Ultimately, your goal is to conquer the Mystery Labyrinth, a complex maze of puzzles and challenges that will test your investigative abilities. With its immersive storyline, complex characters, and challenging gameplay, Rain Code is a game that will keep you engaged and entertained for hours.
Wrap Up
There you Have it. Here’s a selection of the top murder mystery party games available online. As previously said, we choose to focus on free-flowing, unscripted games for this list because it is our preference. We’ll eventually compile a list of the best-boxed murder mystery parties, so stay tuned. We hope our summary has helped you get started or possibly helped you pick which firm to choose. We would like to hear your input on the companies you have tried and your experience with them.
Hope you enjoyed exploring the captivating world of mystery games for Switch. Get ready to embark on thrilling adventures and solve intricate puzzles!
