Beyond the Dark: Nightwatch, developed and published by Atlantis Studio, is a Nintendo Switch 2 horror game that attempts something rather different from the usual survival horror experience. Rather than leaving players to face their fears alone, it builds its entire adventure around two people who must work together despite seeing entirely different sides of the same situation. One player explores a mysterious house in first person, while the other monitors its security systems and provides support from a separate screen. It is an inventive use of the Switch 2’s GameShare functionality, and one that recalls some of the more experimental multiplayer ideas we’ve seen over the years. Unfortunately, although the concept has plenty of potential, uneven difficulty and frustrating progression prevent the game from making the most of its unusual premise.
The story begins with the Explorer waking up inside an unfamiliar house, with little explanation of how they arrived there or what happened to its previous inhabitants. The immediate objective is straightforward enough: find a way out while avoiding Gloam, a dangerous entity that reacts to noise and relentlessly hunts down anyone who attracts its attention. Further details emerge through scattered documents, objects and environmental clues, encouraging players to piece together the house’s history themselves. The setting has enough variety to sustain that curiosity, with locations ranging from offices and kitchens to more unusual spaces such as an aquarium and a cinema. The narrative’s restrained approach suits the investigative gameplay, allowing the environment to carry much of the storytelling. However, the lack of clear direction can make exploration feel aimless, particularly when entering a new area without a strong indication of what to investigate next. The eventual conclusion also reportedly feels abrupt rather than providing a particularly satisfying payoff for the journey.
The defining feature is the division between the two players. The Explorer navigates the house, collects objects, searches for clues and solves puzzles, all while trying to keep noise to a minimum. The Overseer, meanwhile, uses surveillance cameras, documents and other tools to identify useful objects, monitor the entity’s movements and guide their partner through unfamiliar rooms. This information imbalance is the game’s greatest strength. The Explorer might find an object without knowing its significance, while the Overseer can identify a clue or recognise a detail that would otherwise go unnoticed. Neither role has everything needed to progress independently, making clear communication essential rather than merely helpful. The Overseer’s responsibilities also prove more engaging than simply watching camera feeds might suggest, although the quality of that experience depends on how effectively the player can interpret the available information.
Sound management adds another layer to the partnership. Running, knocking over objects or stepping on noisy items gradually raises a tension meter, eventually provoking Gloam into hunting the Explorer. Once the creature is active, the players must react quickly: the Explorer needs to find somewhere to hide, while the Overseer can attempt to divert the threat by triggering disturbances elsewhere in the house. These distractions come at a cost, however, as certain uses can permanently disable a camera for the remainder of the attempt. Resource management therefore becomes part of the cooperative challenge, forcing players to weigh immediate safety against the loss of useful surveillance. The creature’s presence makes even seemingly routine actions feel risky, and the uncertainty surrounding its location can generate some genuinely effective horror. Yet the balance is frequently too harsh. The entity can appear after relatively minor mistakes, leaving newcomers little time to learn the rules, and its aggressive behavior sometimes makes encounters feel unfair rather than tense. Waiting for it to disappear can also take several minutes, interrupting the pace just when players want to return to investigating the house.
The most significant problem is what happens when the Explorer is caught. Death sends the players back to the beginning, requiring them to repeat much of their previous progress, including puzzles and sections of exploration. Some collected information survives, which can make subsequent attempts quicker, and the game’s investigative framing offers a rationale for learning through failure. Nevertheless, retaining clues is not the same as retaining meaningful progress. Certain puzzle arrangements can change, while vague objectives may leave players wandering through an unfamiliar area without understanding what they should do next. Losing a run after finally reaching a new section is particularly discouraging when it means repeating familiar tasks rather than learning from a manageable setback. The absence of more generous checkpoints compounds the issue, and the long periods spent hiding from Gloam make repeated attempts feel even more laborious. A challenging horror game can benefit from punishing mistakes, but here the consequences often undermine the cooperative momentum that makes the central concept appealing in the first place.
Visually, Beyond the Dark: Nightwatch relies on darkness, narrow fields of illumination and an unsettling mixture of ordinary domestic spaces and more unusual rooms. The Explorer’s limited flashlight visibility creates a persistent sense of vulnerability, while environmental details and the possibility of danger around the next corner encourage cautious movement. The atmosphere is generally effective, and the contrast between the Explorer’s immediate surroundings and the Overseer’s remote perspective gives the presentation a distinctive identity. The lighting can, however, become an obstacle rather than an atmospheric aid, with some passages so poorly illuminated that navigating them turns into a process of feeling one’s way along the walls. The Overseer’s screen introduces a different set of problems. Its surveillance imagery uses strong color effects that can become uncomfortable during extended viewing, and we saw a few smal frame rate hiccups in this mode as well. These issues are unfortunate because the second player’s display is central to the entire experience, not an optional interface that can simply be ignored.
Audio fares better overall. Rather than relying on a constant musical score or frequent jump scares, the game uses environmental sounds and periods of near silence to create unease. Footsteps, distant noises and the entity’s unsettling vocalisations help players sense danger without necessarily knowing where it is, while the soundtrack by Oscar Araujo supports the more dramatic moments. Troy Baker’s involvement in the introductory narration also lends additional character to the presentation. This approach works especially well when the two players are communicating under pressure, as uncertainty about what can be heard or where the threat is moving becomes part of the experience. The main drawback is that the game’s darkness and sound-sensitive threat can sometimes make progress feel excessively cautious, particularly when players are still trying to understand its systems.
Beyond the Dark: Nightwatch can take around five to six hours to complete, but its replay value is limited once the house’s puzzles and solutions have been learned. Its trial-and-error structure can initially encourage experimentation, yet the lack of substantially different encounters or procedural variation gives players little reason to return after completing the adventure. On the more positive side, its multiplayer setup is unusually accommodating. Local and online play are supported, and the Friend’s Pass allows two people to play together with just one purchased copy. That makes it easier to experience the game with a friend, although the requirement for separate systems means the experience is less straightforward than traditional shared-screen co-op.
Ultimately, Beyond the Dark: Nightwatch is a creative but inconsistent horror adventure. Its asymmetric design gives both players meaningful responsibilities, and its reliance on communication, surveillance and sound creates a distinctive kind of tension that sets it apart from more conventional horror games. When both players understand their roles and successfully coordinate their actions, the result can be genuinely engaging. Unfortunately, unclear objectives, aggressive enemy behavior and the repeated loss of progress make the experience considerably more frustrating than it needs to be. Better checkpoints, clearer guidance and a more carefully balanced threat would go a long way towards realising the game’s potential. As it stands, Atlantis Studio has delivered an intriguing cooperative experiment that is worth considering for horror fans with a patient partner, but its original idea is stronger than the game built around it.
Score: 6.7/10