Stories Untold gets an unlikely Switch port with Stranger Things and '80s horror vibes

Stories Untold is bringing Stranger Things/'80s horror vibes and mess-with-your-head storytelling to Nintendo Switch on January 16. It was formerly a PC exclusive, and for good reason; though Stories Untold is one-half 3D adventure, it's also one-half interactive fiction. Often that means typing out stuff like "look at door" and "pick up keys" to make things happen. Rather than porting the game straight over with an inevitably painful virtual keyboard, the Switch version uses a new interface.

The Switch version of Stories Untold will let you collect phrases and words in a list as you discover them, then contextually display them based on what you're trying to do. It could actually make it a bit easier to figure out what to do next at any given point, since you'll have all the options you need listed in front of you. Better that than having to virtually hunt and peck each letter in with an on-screen keyboard.

The retro computer horror part is actually just the first of four chapters in Stories Untold. Each one tells its own self-contained story that also links up with the others in some unexpected ways. I played through all of them in the space of a night or two on PC, and I won't give out any spoilers here, but I will say that it goes to some odd and memorable places (both literally and metaphorically).

Though Stories Untold has only been set for release on Nintendo Switch, the work that developer No Code did on the new interface would likely also apply to potential ports for other consoles. Observation, the latest game from the same studio, came to both PC and PS4. I'm always in favor of more people getting the chance to play experimental horror games, especially if they can do so on the bus or on the toilet.

Check out the best indie games for more picks that may have flown under your radar.