Nintendo publishing its first in-house horror game could finally make me take the Switch seriously

What is Nintendo's Emio? Your guess is as good as mine right now. The upcoming horror game (or so it's presumed to be) was unveiled by way of a short teaser trailer, depicting a trench coat-clad individual wearing a paper bag over their head and staring ominously at the viewer. The creepy Sharpied-on smiley face and a PEGI-18 rating warning aren't much to go on, but they indicate a very different kind of Nintendo game might be in the pipeline. Could Emio be the publisher's inaugural first-party horror game?

The rumour mill is abuzz, with suspicions ranging from from Emio being a Switch-exclusive new horror game from Bloober Team to the return of a long-lost third Mario brother. But whatever Emio is, the most intriguing thing to me is that I am finally getting excited about a Switch game that is not a new Zelda entry. If Nintendo is about to embrace its slightly more grown-up side, I'd be happy to dust my Switch off more than twice a year to see it.

Bigger fish

As we inch closer to the eventual launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, it's fair to speculate on what the next console generation could mean for the publisher. We finally have more details on Metroid Prime 4, for example, but surely it's not going to be the only big game coming to the new hardware?

That's where Emio grabs my attention most dramatically. Everything about the teaser screams insidious horror aesthetics, from the celluloid crackle of damaged tape recordings to the discordant piano keys trembling behind them. Close-ups of the central figure's twitchy hands are interspersed with wide shots of their unsettling full form, head cocked to the side at times in blink-or-you'll-miss-it flashes of spliced film reel. It's a wholly unnerving, unnatural sensibility you might find in the likes of Japanese body horror, with Slitterhead being a more current example of its presence in games media. But body horror in a first-party Nintendo game? That would be a huge first. 

Despite horror being such a universally renowned feather in Japan's cinematic cap, it's no secret that Nintendo has always pitched itself as family friendly. Sure, it's published the likes of 2015's Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water and Eternal Darkness back on the GameCube, but Nintendo likes to keep its hands clean when it comes to actually making horror games themselves. 

I understand that there's a level of ethical responsibility at play. Nintendo is Super Mario's home turf after all, as well as that of myriad other cutesy in-house games aimed at children whose stubby little hands are a perfect fit for stubby little Joy-Cons in their infinite pastel colorways. But that cloying, child-centric focus has largely put me off Nintendo in recent years. 

That family-friendliness has a place, but while other publishers have been expected to grow up with their player bases and be mindful of all audiences, Nintendo has kept its feet in PG territory. Personally, I have no interest in games that just want to bank on my nostalgia over and over again, usually in varying permutations of the exact same puzzle platformer, racing game, or twee monster collector. A creepy new IP that's rated M, though? Sign me right up.

I'm not saying Emio would herald the death of Nintendo's family friendly image – it would simply widen the scope. The publisher has shown nuance in the past while navigating its expected age parameters, most notably in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor Breath of the Wild. To me, these are great examples of how Nintendo is able to bridge that gap creatively, stylishly, and successfully when it wants to make something meatier than yet another Mario Party. Of course, the operative word here is "want", and a horror game would break new ground entirely.

If Emio is a first-party Nintendo game, it will potentially be far from the bloodless grasslands of Hyrule. Japanese censors are not fond of blood and gore, and while I can't imagine Emio would provide buckets of both, it would be interesting to see Nintendo innovate around its perceived geographic constraints – and its wholesome kid-friendly industry foothold – to deliver a horror game that can still exist alongside Princess Peach Showtime. I know it's a tall order following a 15-second trailer, but I am ready to open my heart and mind to a more mature Nintendo whenever it sees fit to clue us in.

Here are all the upcoming Switch games to keep an eye on in 2024 and beyond.