5 Nintendo Switch games for the gamer with ADHD
OSM: Old School Musical
This underrated gem has been my occasional go-to since it came out in 2018. Now, disclaimer, this one only really works if you get into rhythm games. But I’m gonna tell you this, if you have ADHD, consider rhythm games. I cannot tell you how meditative games like the Hatsune Miku or Persona Dancing games have been for me.
Old School Musical is the one I’ll choose for people with ADHD for one very strong reason however, the variety.
The story mode for OSM goes something like this. A pair of brothers that are, essentially, white shapes, have lived in a tiny video game world for a long time, afraid to travel because their horrifyingly giant abusive mother has prevented them to leave. Weird things happen, they escape, find out their home isn’t what it seems and they need to go about fixing things.
As they go to different universes and fix things the art style changes as well as the style of music. There’s a stage where your characters dress like Mega Man and you deal with chiptunes that sound like old Capcom faire. Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Metal Slug and even more modern games like Half-Life get referenced and the music will always fit the theme.
One of the best parts about music games though it that a stage is literally the length of a song meaning you can beat a stage in anywhere from three to five minutes.
Even after you beat the main story, you unlock a village of unruly chickens to fight through and in doing so you unlock a wealth of new songs. I normally lose interest in endgame content because the reward never feels substantial but the chickens cast spells on you before each song that curse you making things happen. It could be anything from changing the size or colors of arrows to…making a man take off his shirt and dance, blocking the middle of the screen in what genuinely feels like someone at the game company lost a bet.
But one thing stays constant with all the songs; they’re great. Seriously, if you just need something where you can pick it up for a short amount of time and then put it away, look no further.