Quite a number of years back, before the launch of the Switch, I had my nVidia Shield gaming tablet, and for a time I had some real fun with it (unsurprisingly, even doing some reviews). At the time tablets were still somewhat in their heyday, grabbing casual gamers as well as folks like me who were just curious to see what they had to offer. One of the more popular and common titles I enjoyed playing were variations on hidden object games, including some that were a sort of touchscreen-enabled take on classic point-and-click adventure titles. 

Playing Midnight Swamp, that’s immediately the experience that popped into my mind, and while with a controller it’s a little more cumbersome, it’s still a formula that works well enough for casual gaming. The premise is a bit odd, with you playing as a pretty simple nerdy guy who decided to go camping, and while preparing his campsite he’s attacked and abducted by a dark creature. Upon waking, a wizened talking cat enlists his aid, and since he has no real alternatives that kicks off your odd adventure of sorts.

For the most part from there the game consists of moving between locations, looking around, and then solving a reasonably-pleasing variety of puzzles. Some are easier than others, but for the most part you’re at least not under time pressure, so you can take your time working out some of the tougher ones you encounter. Be mindful of the fact that there are at times decisions to make, and if you choose poorly that can go badly for you, but at least for the most part you won’t lose any meaningful progress, so everything stays pretty light and fun with a side of creepy. It’s by no means a revolution, and given the style of play the lack of touchscreen support is disappointing, but on a budget it isn’t a bad option to have if you enjoy some variety in your puzzles.