ONYX: The Dark Grip turns Nintendo Switch 2 into part of a dark survival adventure


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Vinicius Melo
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Editor-chefe Watermelo, computer scientist, researcher on ADHD and VR, and writer about games.

sexta, 25 de setembro de 2026 09h 28min

Broken Mirror Games, ONYX: The Dark Grip turns Nintendo Switch 2 into part of a dark survival adventure
(credit image: Broken Mirror Games, ONYX: The Dark Grip turns Nintendo Switch 2 into part of a dark survival adventure )

Broken Mirror Games, a joint development company of Bloober Team, unveiled ONYX: The Dark Grip during Nintendo Direct, announcing a dark adventure developed exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 and scheduled for release in 2027. The production was designed from the ground up for handheld play and uses the console's features as a fundamental part of the experience, placing players in control of two perspectives connected by the same struggle for survival.


Set in an isolated town trapped in an endless winter, the game puts players in the role of The Vessel, an ordinary man who must endure extreme cold, manage scarce resources, explore the surrounding area and survive threats hidden among the buildings and beneath the snow. Human vulnerability, however, sets the limits of this journey, making the second perspective, represented by The God, essential for altering events and protecting the host.


The relationship between The Vessel and The God determines the progression of the adventure, as players must recognize when to act directly in the world and when to rely on the entity's powers. While The Vessel faces dangers physically, The God can interfere with reality around him, creating a dynamic in which survival and supernatural intervention are directly connected.


Integration with Nintendo Switch 2 hardware is also part of the experience's core systems, allowing players to touch the screen to manipulate objects in the environment, tilt the console to unleash The God's power and defeat enemies, and blow into the microphone to generate warmth and help The Vessel withstand the freezing temperatures. These interactions were designed as essential elements of survival rather than optional features or minigames disconnected from the narrative.


Piotr Babieno, CEO of Bloober Team, explained that the concept emerged from the intention to transform the console itself into an extension of the universe presented by the production. "Nintendo has always believed that the hardware itself can be part of the magic of a game. With ONYX: The Dark Grip, we wanted to take that philosophy somewhere darker. We asked ourselves: what if the player wasn't simply holding the console, but holding another person's world in their hands? That idea became the foundation of the entire game."


The approach adopted by Broken Mirror Games aims to reduce the distance between players and the virtual world by turning physical actions performed on the console into components of the narrative and survival systems. As a result, holding the Nintendo Switch 2 is no longer simply a way to control the adventure and instead becomes directly connected to The Vessel's fate.


The atmosphere combines dark storytelling, exploration, combat and survival elements, while the audiovisual direction seeks to reinforce the sense of isolation created by the frozen setting. The experience also features an original score composed by Polish multi-instrumentalist Jan Borysewicz and performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, further strengthening the production's musical identity.


Scheduled for release in 2027, the adventure aims to explore a more integrated use of Nintendo Switch 2's capabilities by placing features such as the touchscreen, motion sensors and microphone within the logic of survival and the relationship between the two entities. The proposal is to make physical interaction with the console have tangible consequences within that world, reinforcing the idea that players do not simply observe the story, but literally hold another person's fate in their hands.




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