On the whole I find that I’ve been pretty tough on horror-oriented games on the Switch. It isn’t that I don’t like horror titles, just with too many indie games that have gone that route I’ve felt the results have been lackluster. Whether the issue has been the format, the presentation, or simply a lack of general cohesion, too often what brings them down is that as games they simply haven’t tended to have great gameplay, and since that’s what I’m here for first and foremost that’s a problem.

In the case of The Beast Inside, success rests on the game’s ability to keep you interested and engaged, hoping that you won’t end up realizing that much of it just feels like a walking simulator. In terms of doing that well, it kind of varies. One element of the experience is that you’ll see it through two different sets of eyes for two different people who are set in different times. On the more modern end you’ll play the part of Adam, a cryptanalyst and husband just looking for peace in an old house. His part in the game tends to be more focused on exploration and puzzle-solving overall, and is the more dull of the two. On the other you’ll inhabit the body of Nicolas, who lived in the house in the 19th century and who is beset by threats that are more geared towards tension and the game’s chills.

As you move through the game you’ll see how these worlds will become more intertwined, continuing to move between puzzles and exploration and then being stuck in the dark and being under threat. Where it excels is in the effective use of its sound design and the use of your limited light. You’ll tend to hear your threats coming, then followed by brief glimpses, and those moments can be very effective at putting you on edge. I’d like to say the few puzzles you’ll encounter are at the same level, but they’re inconsistent at best, and the controller doesn’t always feel well utilized when you need to move between the environment and items in your inventory. All that said, while there are better, and certainly darker, horror games on the system, this at least makes a decent impression overall.