5 Best Mystery Games on the Nintendo Switch

Everyone loves a good mystery. From Sherlock Holmes novels to movies like Shutter Island, humans are just naturally curious creatures. Now, with the rise of video games, there’s a whole new art form to experience mysteries in. 

However, sometimes it might be hard to find a good story to bite your teeth into. Luckily, it’s been made easier with this list; here are the 5 best mystery games on the Nintendo Switch. This list has it all, from talking alligators to over-the-top attorneys. 

Best Mystery Games on the Nintendo Switch

1. Later Alligator
2. The Darkside Detective
3. Famicom Detective Club
4. L.A. Noire
5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

1. Later Alligator

Originally released in 2019, this mystery game found its way onto the Nintendo Switch in 2021. In this game, it’s the responsibility of the player to help an alligator named Pat.

He’s hired you to uncover this conspiracy theory that his family is (potentially) involved with. It won’t be easy, however, because there’s a deadline to solve this mystery. 

To figure out the truth, Pat’s family members will have to be interviewed, there are minigames to be played, and there’s a city to be explored. Be careful, because there are multiple endings depending on what the player did or didn’t do. 

Later Alligator having different endings is a great way to have people play the game again, but get a different experience than before. 

2. The Darkside Detective 

Trade an alligator-filled New York City in Later Alligator for the mysterious Twin Lakes City in The Darkside Detective. Instead of dealing with a family mystery, this game focuses on the paranormal.

Play as Francis McQueen and his partner, Officer Patrick Dooley, as they solve multiple supernatural cases around the city.

The Darkside Detective offers 9 different cases. However, a sequel to the game was released last year that offers 6 more cases. Both games are priced at $13, a cheaper price than other games on this list.

If you’re looking for a mystery game that is filled with comedy, and that is on the cheaper side, The Darkside Detective is a perfect choice. 

3. Famicom Detective Club

A remake of the Famicom Disk System era, the Famicom Detective Club games are more serious than The Darkside Detective games. However, they’re just as good. The games can be bought as a bundle or separately.

In the first game, The Missing Heir, you play a detective who has amnesia. That won’t stop him, though, as he has a murder to solve. 

In the second game, The Girl Who Stands Behind, you once again play a detective that has to solve a girl’s murder. Interview suspects, search for clues, and find the murderer responsible for the crime.

You won’t be alone in solving these mysteries, accompanying you will be Ayumi, someone just as devoted to solving these murders as you are. 

The Famicom Detective Club bundle is pricier than others on this list, but they’re some of the best mystery games on the Nintendo Switch. 

4. L.A. Noire 

Instead of taking place in Japan like the Famicom Detective Club, L.A. Noire takes place in Los Angeles during the 1940s. Solve crimes in sunny California as Detective Cole Phelps, with everything from arson to murder happening in the city.

Vastly different than the other games, L.A. Noire is the only game on this list rated M for Mature. Another aspect that sets the game apart is that it has an open world. Drive around the city in retro cars as you solve various cases and catch criminals.

The most well-known feature of the game, however, is the ability to look at a suspect’s face and decide if they are lying or not based on their expressions. This is a great mystery game that has plenty of action to go along with it.

5. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

The other games on this list give the player the role of a detective determined to solve a case. With this game, that’s not the “case” (please laugh at my pun).

You take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney, trying to prove that his clients are not responsible for the various murders they are accused of committing. 

This game is a bundle of the first three Phoenix Wright games, remastered in all their glory. Apart from the titular character, the game also has a fantastic cast of quirky characters that help and often go against Phoenix.

Some of these characters include Miles Edgeworth, a prosecutor and friend/rival to Phoenix, and Detective Gumshoe, an officer who often assists or gets in the way of Phoenix.

These characters help make this trilogy the perfect mix of comedy, mystery, suspense, and light-hearted fun. 

Final Thoughts

These are some of the best mystery games on the Nintendo Switch, but there are plenty of other titles that could’ve been a part of this list. Games such as AI: The Somnium Files and Tangle Tower are also great, proving how deep the mystery game catalog on the Nintendo Switch is. 

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