Summary
TheNintendo Switchhas something for everyone, from epic adventures to cozy titles you can play before falling asleep. If you’re tired of playing games starring bipedal protagonists with opposable thumbs and flaws, plenty of unique games allow you to see the world through the eyes of an animal instead.
Playing as an animal rather than a human is always interesting as you figure out how to hone your new abilities to accomplish your goals. Whether you’re playing as a furry friend or a fierce foe, these Nintendo Switch games allow you to unleash your inner beast as you scratch, waddle, or chew your way to victory.
Many games that feature animals as protagonists allow you to play as a cute creature in a cuter world, but Ape Out takes things in a significantly different direction. Here, you control a massive, orange gorilla as it attempts to escape its maze-like holding facility.
The ape can use its strength to brutally attack guards and even use them as human shields as it looks for an exit. Ape Out is a cathartic and bloody joyride that uses a procedurally generated soundtrack to curate a short but unforgettable experience.
The Cat Quest series takes familiar mechanics from dungeon-crawling RPGs like Nobody Saves the World and adds an adorable layer of cat-related content to make them distinct. The first game launched in 2017, while thelatest entry came out in 2024 and is the best-reviewed title in the series so far.
Each game allows you to travel across vast and dangerous lands, exploring dungeons to defeat enemies and unlock new equipment. The sense of progression is fantastic, and if you’re feeling lonely, both Cat Quest 2 and Cat Quest 3 include a local co-op option, allowing you to embark on an epic adventure with a pal.
The murder-mystery genre has been repopularized by movies like Knives Out and Bodies Bodies Bodies, and video games like Duck Detective: The Secret Salami provide that same energy in an interactive format. It’s only a couple of hours long, butyou’ll be left on the edge of your seatas you deduce who committed a crime in an anthropomorphic world.
Similar to The Case of the Golden Idol, you must interview suspects and investigate crime scenes to pick up clues and then put them together in the correct order to make progress. The sharp and funny writing is delightful, and the case itself will keep you guessing until the final moments when you finally realize what’s been beneath your beak the entire time.
A Short Hike is a chill and meditative adventure that is almost as calming as watching your cat fall asleep in a sunbeam. You play as a young bird named Claire who spends her time exploring Hawk Peak Provincial Park, with the ultimate goal of reaching the top of the mountain.
Only a couple of hours long, A Short Hike is a short and satisfying adventure that is worth revisiting every couple of years. There are plenty of characters to interact with and side quests to keep you busy, but the sensation of soaring around the island searching for your next adventure is unmatched.
There has been a tsunami of games starring animals over the last few years, but Okami stands out from the crowd with its timeless aesthetic and unique gameplay experience. Originally launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2006, an HD version has since been released, bringing this gorgeous game to modern platforms with improved graphics and motion-control support for the Nintendo Switch.
You play as a sun goddess who has taken on the form of a white wolf and must save the world from perpetual darkness. To do so, you’ll make use of the Celestial Brush, which allows you to draw symbols on the screen to solve puzzles, attack enemies, and more. The game also truly commits to the bit that while you may be a higher being, you are also a dog - right down to your flea-sized traveling companion.
A decent amount of games allow you to play as a dog, but none are quite like Chicory. This adorable adventure game requires you to use a magical paintbrush to add color to the world map, and you have the freedom to choose any aesthetic you like.
Evenif you’re not incredibly artistic, Chicory simplifies its mechanics to be accessible to all skill levels. Starring an adorable cast of side characters, realistic and uplifting themes, and a whimsical soundtrack, Chicory is a unique game that will add a bit of color to your life just by playing it.
4Tunic
Tunic’s premise is simple: A fox wakes up on a mysterious island and must figure out what to do from there.Inspired by older titles like the original Legend of Zelda, Tunic goes out of its way to tell you as little as possible at the beginning, allowing you to naturally discover the narrative and new mechanics while playing it.
The tiny fox has a massive adventure ahead of it, with tough boss fights, difficult puzzles, and a map that has more secrets than you can count on two paws. To help you through, the fox will occasionally stumble upon pages from an in-game manual that expand on the story and teach you new tricks you have been capable of performing since the beginning of the journey.
If One Tree Hill or The O.C. featured anthropomorphic animals and dealt with more realistic scenarios that didn’t involve the perils of being pretty, they would have resembled something similar to Night in the Woods. Despite the cast of talking cats and alligators, Night in the Woods feels incredibly grounded and features plenty of relatable themes.
You play as Mae, a cat who moves back to her hometown after dropping out of college. Between reconnecting with old friends to literally getting the band back together, there is a melancholic feel to Night in the Woods that’s often heightened by humor or a shocking twist. While she may be a cat, it won’t be hard to find parallels between Mae and yourself.
Little Kitty, Big City follows a house cat that falls from its comfortable napping spot onto the streets of a concrete jungle. On your quest to get home, you’ll need to use all the tools at your disposal to make new friends, solve puzzles, and generally just be adorable.
While prowling the streets, you’ll meet other animals who could use a helping paw, humans to trip, and inconvenient spots to catnap. Little Kitty, Big City is an easygoing experience full of humor, a colorful and vivid art style, and the opportunity to find out what it’s like to live a life as a cat.
Playing as a goose might not sound immediately appealing, but after you take your first few steps and honk a couple of times in Untitled Goose Game, you’ll quickly waddle to the conclusion that being a big bird is more fun than you could’ve imagined. Life as a goose only gets more interesting as you start interacting and harassing the locals to complete your checklists.
From stealing a child’s glasses to destroying a gardener’s flowerbed, the world is your pond, and it’s up to you to solve fascinating puzzles to unlock new locations and reach the ending. If being a goose alone doesn’t sound like fun, a local co-op mode makes it possible for two players to wreak havoc together.
