04/25/23
Nintendo Switch

Things are not quite what they seem in these games

The “plot twist” can take many forms in video games. Maybe you’re playing a game, thinking you know everything there is to know, and then BAM! The concept changes. Or your allies aren’t so allied. Or the hero proves that their reality is as false as my grandpa’s teeth*.

The following games have absorbing stories that either twist around with constant surprises, have a healthy dose of weirdness, or simply make you stand back and go, “Woah.”

We won’t reveal any of the twists in the game descriptions, but please read on to learn a bit more about them. Hope you enjoy the ride!

Inscryption is an inky black, card-based odyssey that blends a deck-building roguelike game, escape-room style puzzles, and psychological horror. Just what is going on in Leshy’s cabin? Um, that’s a loaded question, so we’ll leave it at that!

Experience the unforgettable worlds and monumental stories of the award-winning BioShock series with BioShock: The Collection (consisting of BioShock Remastered, BioShock 2 Remastered, and BioShock Infinite: The Complete Edition). The “utopias” of Rapture and Columbia maaay need to pick a better word to describe themselves—you’ll see why if you decide to visit them.

Beacon Pines is a cute and creepy adventure set within a mysterious book—you play as both the reader of the book and its main character, Luka. While helping Luka investigate the strange goings-on in Beacon Pines, you’ll collect special charms, each with a word engraved on it; charms that can be used to change the direction the story takes. Yep, this time the twists are caused by you!

In this first-person adventure game, you will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will make a choice, and you will have your choices taken from you. The game will end, the game will never end. Makes total sense, right?

Set in the late 90s rural Indonesia, this game tells a story about overcoming anxiety, depression, and the relationship between a boy and a girl with supernatural powers. They must explore and investigate their town to uncover hidden secrets, face the end of the world, and perhaps learn more about each other.

A sci-fi mystery epic spanning thirteen intertwining stories! Uncover the truth and delve into a 2D side-scrolling adventure featuring distinctive art and environments. Then, battle kaiju in fast-paced, top-down combat. It’s hard to talk about this game without getting more into the story, so that’s all we’ll say.

Including Portal and Portal 2, the Companion Collection comes to the Nintendo Switch™ system with all the groundbreaking gameplay, dark humor, and exploration that earned the series hundreds of awards. Use highly experimental Aperture Laboratories tech to solve physics-based puzzles, take on challenges, and hopefully eat some cake.

In this game, you’re in control of how the story goes. Storyteller is an award-winning reactive puzzle game that lets you build a story across comic panels. Use your wits to retell iconic tales… or experiment and find something new.

While it may not look like it, please trust us when we say that this game is a psychological horror story. As you meet the different members of the Literature Club, you’ll start to realize that this game isn’t quite what it first seems. Note: this game is not suitable for those who are easily disturbed.

Experience a classic murder mystery! Hope’s Peak Academy is home to Japan’s best and brightest high school students. But that hope suddenly dies when Makoto Naegi and his classmates find themselves imprisoned in the school and subject to the whims of a strange, murderous little bear named Monokuma. And yeah, it only gets stranger from there.

Alex Chen has long suppressed her “curse”: the supernatural ability to experience, absorb, and manipulate the strong emotions of others, which she sees as blazing, colored auras. When her brother dies in an accident, Alex must embrace her volatile power to find the truth—and uncover the dark secrets buried by a small town.

Work to reclaim Earth in this award winning post-apocalyptic Action RPG. As 2B, a member of the android military force YoRHa, players will immerse themselves in a ferocious battle to take back the planet from an overwhelming threat. You will experience quite the range of emotions before this tale is over.

*He has a lovely smile though.