The Infamous Horror Game NIGHT TRAP Is Coming to the Switch

Back in the early ‘90s, full-motion video was a unique trend in the gaming industry, and several developers embraced the slightly unusual way to develop games. Probably among the most popular titles in this format is the cult-classic horror game, Night Trap, which after 25 years, will head to the Nintendo Switch. 

Publisher Limited Run Games revealed via a tweet that the anniversary edition of Night Trap would be released on the Switch this year despite Nintendo’s promise decades ago that the title would never appear on a Nintendo console. Besides the original Sega CD System version of Night Trap, the horror title was also made available on the PC and most recently, the PlayStation 4. 

Initially released in 1992, Night Trap was marketed as an interactive movie. The player takes the role of a member of the Sega Control Attack Team (S.C.A.T.), and your mission is to monitor a house and protect its inhabitants from being terrorized by vampires. 

Almost three decades later, the game is considered pretty tame by today’s standards. However, back in the day, Night Trap, along with other games such as Mortal Kombat, prompted the US Senate to conduct hearings on how these games affect children, which eventually led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). As the debate on these games that feature violent and sexual content, Nintendo took a stance as Howard Lincoln, the chairman of Nintendo of America revealed in front of senators that Night Trap and other games like it would never appear on a Nintendo console.

Of course, that was a long time ago and Nintendo, including the gaming community in general, have shifted their perspective and relaxed their opinion on what elements will make any game inappropriate. 

Night Trap will be available sometime this summer in both digital and physical forms for the Nintendo Switch. What are your thoughts on this? Are you ready to play Night Trap again?