After our fighting and shoot ’em up games lists, I was slowly working on a horror games or spooky game feature, but as has been the case for the last many years, developers and publishers have been holding back on those kinds of games for the Halloween season. That brings us to today. This feature will cover the best horror games, spooky games, and even games with Halloween-themed updates or events on Switch 2 and Switch for the Halloween season, going over new games and some classics. The list is in no particular order, and I’ve opted to include more than just 10 games here.
Signalis – Switch
It feels crazy to me that Signalis is only three years old. In fact, it is celebrating its 3rd anniversary just this week. I say that because it feels like Signalis has been with me for a decade now. I still remember being blown away by the aesthetic and narrative alongside the survival horror classics’ inspirations. Signalis’ narrative is beyond impressive, and I hope to see it keep getting tons of art through the years. While the puzzles and inventory management might not be for everyone, I have literally zero issues with Signalis, and I’m going to replay it on my Switch OLED after writing this article.
Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo – Switch
Square Enix’s Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo is one of the publisher’s best games in years. The occult mystery adventure set in Tokyo, Japan in the 80s is a game I recommend you play as soon as you can and without reading much about it. I adore the cast, music, narrative, and also how the game keeps changing things up every now and then to ensure you are never bored. There is also one early game fourth-wall-breaking moment that will stick with me for a very long time.
Cronos: The New Dawn – Switch 2
Cronos: The New Dawn is not only impressive for getting a great Nintendo Switch 2 port alongside other platforms, but also because it is Bloober Team’s own IP that happens to be a brilliant third-person survival horror experience that managed to impress me more than anything aside from Dead Space’s remake in many years.
Alien: Isolation – Switch
Alien: Isolation is often considered the pinnacle of the genre by many, and while I agree it was incredible for the time, I feel like it has only gotten better with age, thanks to how timeless the dynamic and reactive Alien is as it works its way towards you as a looming threat. Alien: Isolation is also notable because it has a fantastic Switch port that excels above the other console versions.
Faith: The Unholy Trinity – Switch
New Blood Interactive’s Faith: The Unholy Trinity is a superb and creative horror experience with pixel art visuals that managed to scare me more than most AAA games in the genre. I still think about the story, perspective-changing moments that I would rather never experience again, and the memorable music.
Yomawari: The Long Night Collection- Switch
Just like Faith above, Yomawari: The Long Night Collection was notable when I first played it because of how it managed to scare me with its simple visuals. NIS’ Yomawari series is carried by its atmosphere, designs, and music to the point where I’m disappointed we haven’t seen a new entry in so long. This collection is absolutely worth your time if you’ve never played them before.
Satunalia – Switch
Santa Ragione’s Saturnalia has you playing as a cast of characters exploring an ever-changing labyrinthine village haunted by an ancient ritual. Santa Ragione managed to deliver another unique experience with Saturnalia with its haunting aesthetic and multiple endings. This is one to play on the Switch OLED for its aesthetic to shine.
Spirit Hunter series – Switch
Experience Inc. and Aksys Games’ Spirit Hunter series (Death Mark, NG, and Death Mark II) are criminally underlooked games in the genre. Now that all three are available on modern platforms, including Switch, there’s no real excuse to miss out on the striking art and narratives. Each entry added something new, but I recommend playing them in the following order: Death Mark, NG, and Death Mark II.
Fatal Frame series – Switch
I had only heard of the Fatal Frame games when Maiden of Black Water (Fatal Frame 5) hit Wii U, but I never ended up getting that since it was a digital release in North America. Many years later, Koei Tecmo remastered it for Switch and other platforms and then did the same for Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (Fatal Frame 4)
The Thing Remastered – Switch
Nightdive Studios’ remaster of the 2002 survival horror shooter (that is essentially a follow-up to the 1982 movie) introduced me to this game with its mix of action and survival horror, accompanied by the signature remaster enhancements we all love in the studio’s releases. There’s one caveat, and that is the Switch’s performance at 30 frames per second isn’t as good as other platforms. Hopefully, this gets a Switch 2 enhancement, but it is still worth checking out if you haven’t played it before.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure – Switch
Wait, Hello Kitty? Why is that on a Halloween list? Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a great take on the Animal Crossing formula while doing its own thing and continuously building on it with its many updates and DLC available. The core gameplay loop is compelling enough, but the recent Spooky Celebration event was a good excuse to remind everyone to give this game a shot.
Little Nightmares 3 – Switch 2 and Switch
Little Nightmares 3, unlike the first two games, was actually developed by another studio: Supermassive Games, who everyone knows from Sony’s Until Dawn. Little Nightmares 3 changed things up with its new online co-op mode or optional AI companion to work together and platform, solve puzzles, and more. While Little Nightmares 3 is available on both Switch and Switch 2, I can only recommend it on the latter. The experience on Switch is quite rough, but you can try out the demo for yourself and see how you feel.
Plants vs Zombies: Replanted – Switch 2 and Switch
I enjoyed revisiting a game I spent too much time with on an iPod Touch years ago when I played Plants vs Zombies: Replanted on Switch 2. It includes the full original game with modern display support, touchscreen control options, mouse options, and also new content, making it a fantastic version of the tower defense classic. While a few audio issues hold it back, it is absolutely worth getting.
Luigi’s Mansion Trilogy – Switch for 2/3 and Switch 2 for 1 via GameCube
This is cheating since Luigi’s Mansion 1 isn’t out on the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube Classics App, but Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and 3 are both available on Switch. The latter remains one of the best-looking games on Switch, while Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a way to play the 3DS game on Switch and Switch 2. I haven’t played Luigi’s Mansion (GameCube) ever and only experienced it through the 3DS release. I’m looking forward to trying it out this week.
Dead by Daylight – Switch
Dead by Daylight is still going strong with collaborations and new content, making it one of the best asymmetric multiplayer horror games. Not only was it already going to be featured in my Halloween round-up, but it also added even more for the season this month. It also supports cross-platform play with Switch and other systems and regularly goes on sale.
Fear the Spotlight – Switch
I first played Fear the Spotlight on Steam and quite liked the lo-fi aesthetic and moving narrative. The third-person horror adventure has you sneaking into a school and surviving a seance gone wrong with puzzles and more as you avoid the spotlight. While it isn’t as scary as most of the games on this list, the writing and aesthetic warrant a playthrough.
Crow Country – Switch
I purposely included Fear the Spotlight and Crow Country at the end because I started this feature with Signalis and thought it would be fun to come back and end with throwback horror experiences. While a lot of the other games on this list have elements of classic survival horror games, I think Crow Country nails even the gameplay elements, but still feels modern enough not to throw you off. I also think this is a great entry point with its Exploration Mode that allows you to play without any worry of any enemies.
Hopefully, this long feature with many games you likely haven’t heard of helped you find something good to play during the Halloween season.
