10 Messed Up Nintendo Switch Games You Won't Believe Exist

Truly the stuff parental controls were made for...

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Bulbware

Nintendo has been synonymous with family-friendly fun, brought to us by characters we all know and love, for decades.

The Switch is a great example of this ethos, being home to the latest iterations of all its famous franchises, as well as offering lovingly curated versions of their classic legacy titles and promoting couch co-op play.

We all know Mario and Luigi. We all know Link and Zelda, but much like Hyrule itself, Nintendo does have a hidden dark side. The Switch is - somewhat inexplicably - a great system for some truly dark, macabre, twisted, or just plain weird games you have probably never heard of.

On booting up the Switch eShop, the sheer number of available games can be a daunting sight to behold, especially to the casual Bowser, sorry, browser who may not have a particular title or genre in mind, and the "Genre" option offers only vague, all-encompassing headers like "Fighting", "Educational", and "Strategy".

Looking for something more edgy or more bizarre?

In the mood for some gore, or perhaps some psychological torment?

We've got your back.

Here are ten sinister, unnerving, and downright messed up Switch games you won't believe exist.

10. The Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth +

Bulb Boy
Nicalis

Kicking off this list is a game wholly anathema to the stereotypically family-oriented Nintendo image.

When Isaac's mother thought she heard the voice of god instructing her to kill her son, proving her loyalty to her fictitious deity, she picks up the kitchen knife and proceeds to Isaac's room.

Escaping the clutches of this murderous matriarch by disappearing into the basement via a hitherto undiscovered trapdoor, Isaac enters a nightmare underworld of grotesque monsters, dastardly demons, deformed babies, and all manner of hell-spawn.

Cue the player.

Tackling procedurally generated dungeons comprising blood-soaked kill rooms and horrific boss battles, this twin-stick shooter is as difficult to master as it is grotesque to behold.

No bullets are fired here, but young Isaac's tears.

Orcs and Goblins are not little Isaac's enemies, but macabre manifestations of the seven deadly sins, deformed, crying babies, and hare-lipped curiosities which will haunt your nightmares for days after being subjected to their maniacally smiling countenances.

As the game's inherent permadeath system ensures each playthrough will be completely different to the last, The Binding of Isaac is the very definition of the "one more go" genre, and is definitely a title the more casual gamer would not expect to find on Nintendo Switch.

Contributor
Contributor

Jedi Knight, last son of Krypton, backwards-compatible gaming nerd, Dark Knight of Teesside...