“Dead By Daylight” – Are You a Killer or a Survivor? – Nintendo Switch Review

Let me start off by saying that I am a “scaredy-cat” gamer. I will give any game a chance so long as it’s interesting, which is why when I got the offer to check out Dead By Daylight for the Nintendo Switch I was excited, yet hesitant because I am indeed a gaming coward!

I was provided a Nintendo Switch copy of Dead By Daylight for free. The opinions I’ve shared are my own.

Dead By Daylight has been developed by Behaviour Interactive. The studio has been busy releasing the game on as many platforms as possible with iOS and Android versions coming in 2020. It debuted on the PC back in 2016. This title is a 4v1 Survival Horror game with a focus on teamwork… well, mostly. You can easily be a selfish survivor if you so choose.

The gameplay features four different survivors (available from a nice sized and diverse roster) sneaking, hiding, and running for dear life while desperately trying to find and repair five generators scattered throughout a somewhat decently sized choice of maps to open a single large gate to escape. There’s also a hatch that can be used to escape depending on how many survivors are left. Of course, they are being stalked and ruthlessly hunted by a killer who can be chosen from a plethora of options.

Now that you have an idea about the gameplay, let me just get one thing out of the way, the graphics. I’m not one to be concerned with graphics, but I know that for many people it’s a determining factor in purchasing a game.

This title runs almost perfectly smooth on the Nintendo Switch, but it’s definitely not optimized in the looks department. The textures in the grass, debris, houses, trees, blood, basically everything just look like they are not rendered the way they should making everything look very flat and dull. Even the lighting is fragmented.

The characters? They look absolutely awful. The faces are distorted and the overall clothing texture is just bad. I know the Nintendo Switch does have its limitations, but I feel as though Dead By Daylight could have improved the graphics a bit. It’s not like the NS doesn’t have titles with some good graphics.

However, having said this, everything only gets better from here. If you can get past the graphics the real fun of the game opens up. All of the Survivors have their unique special skills and perks which help in dealing with different mechanics present in this game.

The Survivor Feng Min, for example, is a great easy survivor to use. She can alert other survivors as well as herself of the killer’s whereabouts provided they meet certain criteria. David King is an intermediate survivor who rewards a more aggressive playstyle. He can take hits and use his adrenaline to dash and avoid damage. Another perk allows him to not leave pools of blood when injured. It’s easier for him to escape from a killer’s grasp.

Along with the original survivors, you might also see some familiar faces, like William Overbeck. If that doesn’t ring a bell, he also goes by Bill, a battle-hardened soldier from Valve studio’s game series Left 4 Dead.

Perhaps, the name Laurie Strode might ring a bell? The iconic protagonist from the Halloween film series along with her stalker Michael Meyers are present in this game. Even the popular Netflix show Stranger Things is part of Death By Daylight in the form of two Survivors and a Killer. You can play as Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler or as the Demogorgon.

This game has some terrifying killers for you to choose from. There’s a mad doctor, an evil nurse, a plague Babylonian priestess, a hag, and a killer clown, to name a few. Of course, each killer has a set of skills. Some can teleport, track survivors better, cloak themselves, dash, etc.

The gameplay is definitely a lot of fun and offers immense replayability. Every time I dropped into a session I hoped I would spawn near a teammate so I could follow them because I was too terrified to be by myself.

If I got injured, my teammates gracefully would heal me, and I would immediately use that gracious gift to high tail it out of the area while my savior would get brutally murdered and dragged off to be sacrificed. (I’m trash. I know!)

As I grew more accustomed to the experience, I began to get gutsier. Even I risked my safety to save teammates a few times.

Playing as the killer offers a more solo experience compared to the way survivors can work together. But if you’re into killing others, go for it.

Depending on the characters you like playing as there’s customization available to help you increase a character’s stats and skills to make them powerful.

For me, the greatest moments in Dead By Daylight occur when you’re being chased by the killer, audibly pleading to the television or Nintendo Switch screen to not be captured like some Scream Queen from a slasher flick. It’s exhilarating, scary, but also… massively hilarious!

I think that’s the magic of Dead By Daylight and why it continues to grow. The gameplay, the team aspect, the progression and skill, and most importantly horror offer an enjoyable time.

If you love any of those things, Dead By Daylight will be right up your ally.

Thank you to Behaviour Interactive for the fun and all the frights.

I’ll continue playing!

Author: Micah Carrillo

Micah is studying English and Digital Design. His love of geek culture spans across diverse mediums and genres. Comics, anime, films, you name it! He enjoys video games on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox.

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