Nintendo Switch owners have been hoping for a Netflix app since the console's release in 2017. Since then, apps for both Hulu and YouTube have come to the console, but the original streaming giant has yet to follow suit. However, the Netflix brand has still found a way to bring two of their biggest franchises to the Switch, not as shows, but as games.
Stranger Things 3: The Game and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Tactics both came to the Switch to capitalize off of each show's 2019 seasons. The former, which came out just hours after the release of the show on July 4, follows the events of the season beat-for-beat. The latter was released February 4 of this year, nearly five full months after The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance premiered. The game takes characters from the show and the original The Dark Crystal film and puts them in turn-based tactical RPG scenarios. Both games were created by developer BonusXP.
Given the development time and resources that go into porting and play-testing a game on different consoles, it's surprising that Netflix even bothered releasing these games on the Switch. This is especially odd considering both games are also available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, three platforms that can actually access Netflix. If the Switch had a Netflix app then players could dock their consoles after a play session and watch the shows on their TV through the same system, but that is not the case.
If thought of as separate from their show counterparts, both Stranger Things 3: The Game and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Tactics do make a lot of sense on the Switch. Their shorter time commitments and low price-tags make for the kinds of pick-up-and-play games that work perfectly on a handheld console like the Switch.
The decision to release these games despite the lack of a Netflix app on Switch makes a bit more sense when you consider the nostalgia factor. Both Stranger Things and The Dark Crystal are franchises built on 80s nostalgia, something Nintendo is a huge part of for many people. Stranger Things revels in its retro aesthetic and carries it over into the game, which utilizes a pixel art style very reminiscent of SNES games like Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Nostalgia is the primary selling point of the series, so Netflix and BonusXP were very smart to pull from 80's and 90's video game trends the same way they did with television and film for the show.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - Tactics, much like the show it's based on, doesn't rely on nostalgia as overtly as Stranger Things. That said, the game and show still feel like they are taken from the past in the best way. Both pay loving homage to the 1982 film that started the franchise, and the show takes it a step further by utilizing the same creature technology that the Jim Henson original revolutionized. The game matches this in a way with its tactical RPG genre, something that originally gained popularity in the 90's but has recently seen a major revival thanks to series like X-COM and Fire Emblem.
Nostalgia is not only a selling point for each game, but also for the Nintendo Switch itself, which makes it the perfect home for both titles. The countless ports of classic games, as well as the ability to play NES and SNES titles on the system, have made it the go-to platform for adults and children alike looking to relive an older age of gaming or experience it for the first time.
With all of this in mind, the fact that the Switch doesn't have a Netflix app makes no sense. Given how well two of their most popular series were able to make the jump to video games on the system, it would make sense to try to lull players into streaming subscriptions all on the same device. Perhaps Netflix simply has the confidence that Switch owners have access to another device to watch the shows, but all the same it still seems like a missed opportunity.