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Nintendo Switch players looking for deep stories, touching dialogue, and tear-jerking scenes are in luck, as there’s a large array of story-rich games they can choose from. Whether a game they’ve likely seen before on another platform or one that made its debut on the Switch, players are sure to find one that’ll be to their liking.
10 Spiritfarer
Self-described as a “cozy management sim about dying,” players follow the journey of a young girl named Stella and her cat Daffodil as new ferry master to the deceased. Players will harvest materials, cook meals, and fulfill requests for every new passenger they take in, getting to know each person and how they were connected to Stella in life. Whether playing alone or in a local co-op game, players will grow close to each unique passenger as they progress through the story, getting to know their dreams, loves, and losses, before eventually bringing them to the final gateway when it’s time to say goodbye.
9 Okami
First released in 2006, Okami has held its own for years for its iconic art style, gameplay, and story following the sun goddess Amaterasu taking the form of a white wolf to save the world from darkness. Starting from a small village in a quaint valley, players will get to know a cast of characters in need of their aid as they progress on their journey, gaining kindness and good-will from the people around them as Amaterasu’s power grows as the light spreads along with the love and gratitude toward a mysterious white wolf spirit.
8 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX
A remastered version of the beloved Pokémon spinoff series Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, players can experience classic Pokémon stories once again or for the first time on the Switch. Waking up one day in a strange place, the once-human protagonist finds that they’ve been turned into a Pokémon. Players will form a rescue team, recruit Pokémon, and explore dangerous dungeons to save unlucky friends that have been trapped inside. As their rescue team grows, players will progress through a heartfelt story of friendship, loss, and the mysterious reasons behind the protagonist’s transformation as they try to solve the mystery of why they’re here.
7 What Comes After
Offering a slower, heartfelt experience, What Comes After follows a young woman named Vivi who dozes off on her train home and wakes up on a mysterious train transporting spirits to the afterlife. With simple, side-scrolling scenery, players guide Vivi through the train, speaking to newly departed people, animals, and even plants to hear stories of joy, regret, nostalgia, love, and loss. What Comes After brings a tender and loving story to Vivi and its players as one night on a train to the afterlife drives home the importance of loving yourself and treating the time we have left like the precious resource it is.
6 What Remains of Edith Finch
Well recognized for its compelling story-telling, What Remains of Edith Finch follows a young woman by the name of Edith revisiting the colossal family home she grew up in. Players will sort through puzzles and navigate complicated corridors and staircases as Edith slowly unwinds the diverse yet tragic stories within her star-crossed family’s history.
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With each bedroom unlocked, players experience the stories of different members of Edith’s family up to the day of their death – be it in the distant past or recent memory. Each story brings the player close to the minds of the family, driving home a lonely yet awe-inspiring feeling of humility at the fleeting essence of life.
5 To The Moon
Players in To The Moon follow two people, Dr. Rosaline and Dr. Watts, on one of their many jobs in a peculiar industry: altering the memories of clients on their deathbeds, so that they have the chance to fulfill something they wish they had done in life that they didn’t get the chance to do before they pass on. To help their current client, Johnny, fulfill his wish to go to the moon, Dr. Watts and Dr. Rosaline must travel back through Johnny’s life one memory at a time to find out what drives Johnny’s wish to go to the moon, as well as why the biggest obstacle in his way seems to be himself.
4 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
With a unique gameplay style requiring players to control two characters at once, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons emphasizes the cooperation and closeness of two brothers as they embark on a fantastical quest to save their dying father with a cure from a distant land. Facing unique and diverse creatures, puzzles, and challenging lands, each brother must work together to progress through a land neither would’ve been able to go through alone, all while leaning on each other to cover the other’s weaknesses and emphasize their strengths in this heartfelt tale.
3 Child of Light
Child of Light starts strong in visuals, story, and score alike as players are introduced to a young girl named Aurora after her tragic and untimely death. Aurora awakes in the vast lands of Lemuria, in a dark forest full of frightening creatures far from anything she knew in life. After discovering she is meant to be a beacon of light and destined to save the land from darkness, players embark with Aurora on a quest to save her dying father and their kingdom, making friends along the way in a story that explores feelings of loneliness and growing up far too fast.
2 Night In The Woods
Players who enjoy exploration, rich stories, and character-driven narratives are bound to appreciate Night in the Woods. Following a college drop-out by the name of Mae returning home to her quiet hometown Possum Springs. What follows is a bittersweet journey filled with nostalgia and grief as the player navigates a town that has changed without the protagonist, a community that has moved on, and friends that were left behind that Mae reconnects with over the course of the story.
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Players work with Mae and her friends to solve a mystery in the woods, and reconcile with the painful feeling of the world growing up around you before you’re ready.
1 Celeste
Filled with as many dynamic and unique platformer challenges as it is with rich characters, Celeste follows the story of a girl named Madeline on her quest to climb to the top of Mount Celeste: a mountain known for its mysterious powers and nigh impossible trail to the summit. In addition to meeting a cast of fellow climbers and residents, what Madeline doesn’t account for is that the myths around the mountain are more real than she believed, and her journey will deal with far deeper challenges than mere cliffs in a story exploring the struggles of mental health, self-isolation, and the importance of treating even the meanest parts of your mind with gentleness and compassion.
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