Every May, you’ll see a variety of organizations, groups and individuals taking advantage of the opportunity to raise awareness about mental health. It’s a topic that already has a lot of research, insights and knowledge attached to it, in the process people will realize and get help for related issues.
Thankfully, the stigma surrounding mental health issues has lessened each year, with the mass media also covering different aspects of the topic. Today’s mainstream movies and TV shows increasingly portray mental health, and gaming is no different. In the gaming space this is usually in the Indie or download space, but there have been some great success stories that show the importance of this theme and the eagerness of gamers to engage with titles. Games that express creativity and emotional intelligence with shooty-shooty-bang-bang mechanics and spectacle.
The Switch has a number of games that address different aspects of mental health, such as identity issues, confidence, social skills, dealing with and dealing with trauma, and more. This category selects a number of special Nintendo games in this category; Some of our team can certainly relate to these games as not only great games to play, but also an emotional and powerful experience.
Publishing company: Matt created the game / Developers: Matt created the game
Celeste is the epitome of style, mechanics, characters, and storytelling. A monstrously brilliant action platformer with enough skill set to excite genre purists and the speed enthusiast community, while analyzing game elements for customization and cater to all audiences. While the game is mechanically great, if familiar, the art style and storytelling are truly exceptional, exhibiting both visual depth and scope, emotions resonate and convey. inspiration. Celeste is the absolute pinnacle of personal exploration and discovery on Nintendo Switch.
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Publishing company: Digital Devolver / Developers: Studio Nomada
We are very careful when we use this word, but Gris To be a masterpiece. Its incredible visual style and mind-blowing score combine for one of the most emotional interactive works of art you’ll ever play. It may be too short for some, its puzzles may be on the simple side, and the lack of any real challenge may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s a fun game. play focuses more on fragility than ability, and as long as you’re willing to go with the ride, it’s one of those things that will stick with you for a very long time.
Publishing company: Annapurna Interactive / Developers: Simogo
Sayonara Wild Hearts It’s a pretty unique experience, as it literally takes the concept of a video game pop album. While it will take time to win a gold medal at all levels, the ‘Album’ mode can get you done in less than an hour with repeatable plays, music and gameplay. Play together for a unique journey. The journey is also special as our protagonist confronts and conquers their past through creative, emotional gameplay and storytelling. Music-oriented gaming required, be sure to plug in some headphones.
Publishing company: Finji / Developers: Endless Autumn
Less gameplay and more interactive stories with some light background and exploration to tie it all together, Night in the forest is one of the most rewarding experiences you can play on the Nintendo Switch. A curio that plays for you better than we describe it, it’s an indie title that’s sure to leave an impression with its mesmerizing soundtrack, entertaining story, and instantly identifiable character arcs. . Strange and wonderful in equivalent measures.
Publishing company: Game Modus / Developers: Game Sketchbook
In Lost words: Off the page You play as a young girl exploring her imagination, using words and creativity in very literal ways to shape the world around you. There’s some scope to defining the story, but the overall story is a huge force beyond the beautiful visuals and puzzlingly light background. It’s a fun gaming experience that’s also suitable for less skilled players, but it’s on our young protagonist’s journey – and the loss she faces – to find… see the real weight of this experience.
Publishing company: Ninja Theory / Developers: Ninja Theory
For Ninja Theory Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice turning on the Switch in such good shape is a blessing that you shouldn’t miss. The game itself is a psycho-sensory experience that we thoroughly recommend, but the fact that it has been ported to Switch in such a complete fashion is the real surprise here. It doesn’t look like a downgrade at all – it stands proudly alongside other ‘miracle’ ports on the system, supposed to surpass them in a number of ways. It’s a game with an exceptional use of sound, some dark and challenging storytelling that is sure to be as well as emotional moments that will stay with you for a long time.
Publishing company: Annapurna Interactive / Developers: Mountain
Florence is the evoking beauty, sadness, and hope that come from any human connection with us in life, whether with art, nature or with other people. It’s a concise and hugely successful exploration of the moments you’ll recognize from your own life and how it reflects thoughts and feelings through the mini-game mechanics that make it one of the best. the most impactful experiences we’ve enjoyed on Switch or any other platform.
Publishing company: Thunder Lotus Games / Developers: Thunder Lotus Games
A really fun game, Spiritfarer balances undemanding platforming, light exploration, and forgiving resource management with a beautifully realized world with a cast full of charming, likable, memorable characters. It’s fun to move in with its sexy, endearing atmosphere and legacy of playstyles that combine great and never feel like cushioning. It’s a long game, but its cast and touching premise will keep many people going until the very end.
Publishing company: XD network / Developers: Freebird Games
To the moon is a powerful interactive story. It’s a short game but it manages to make the player face-to-face with the uncomfortable situations and emotions we’ll all struggle with at some point in our lives. Mental illness, death, heartbreak, tragedy… it’s all here, and authentically handled in a wonderful narrative setting that allows us to view life as layered structure , layer by layer, reveals how human’s own mistakes and inevitable disruptions of fate shape our lives in the end. All within four or five hours.
Publishing company: The game of modesty / Developers: Witch Beam
Open the package managed to do several things very well, all at the same time. It’s a touching story told through interaction, it provides the creative play space of a great dollhouse game, and it cleverly applies game design ideas from the past. completely different genres. Its only real shortcoming – although not all will see it as such – is that repetition is a necessary by-product to get its message across. Effort has gone into making the controls satisfying on the Switch, and the visual and audio design is delightful throughout, making Unpacking, like any sane person’s cutlery, absolutely a treat. top drawer.
Publishing company: ZA / UM / Developers: ZA / UM
Disco Elysium’s story and dialogue, already wonderfully engaging, was greatly enhanced by the excellent voice acting introduced for Final Cut. The game has a series of branching paths for you to explore, and while the slow, methodical approach may turn some people off, it’s still one of the best told stories in the series. not at all average over the past few years. With astonishing writing that speaks to the core of human nature, Disco Elysium: The Final Ending is a win and one of the best RPGs available on Switch.
Those are some of our recommended games that address or reference aspects of mental health; Be sure to share your thoughts and suggestions for the list in the comments below – we can add to this selection too if we’ve missed something in particular.
