Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins (Nintendo Switch) Review

Acting as a kind of continuation to the Tennant-era classic episode 'Blink', Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins places players in the role of an unnamed protagonist who comes into the possession of a mobile owned by Larry Nightingale, movie buff and bookshop co-owner, who has now disappeared. Larry was an integral part of the standalone series 3 episode (counting Eccleston as series 1, no arguments) and was instrumental in the exorcism of Wester Drumlins, a manor house holding the truly terrifying Weeping Angels.
Continuing the saga, Wester Drumlins is now being renovated by new owner Mr Flint, potentially unleashing the Angels and worldwide destruction again. Larry is missing and the only clues to find him and stop a potential world ending scenario are to be found in the recovered mobile phone. It's a fun concept and an innovative, realistic way to involve the player, something that would also have felt great on a mobile interface on its first release. It's certainly a perk on Nintendo Switch however, with a bigger screen and the potential to cast to the TV. With certain corrupted elements on the phone, players are always kept on the right track, only seeing what they need, when they need it.

Gameplay involves reading emails, dissecting the meaning of text messages and studying photographs. As well as the clues vital to progression in the game there are also various documents and visual confirmation of 'The Man with the blue box' to make note of. It's a credit to developers Maze Theory that they went out of their way to add in these little Easter eggs and the whole experience is a massive treat for fellow Whovians, with not only those references but various emails and texts mentioning other parts of the 'verse (Sarah Jane Adventures being a personal highlight). The jewel in the crown however comes in the form of Petronella Osgood, guiding and advising as necessary.
Osgood has been one of the highlights in terms of new characters introduced and the interactions between her, if only in text form, are a delight. Crediting players for their skill and potentially teasing a spot on the U.N.I.T. team based on their mental ability. Although the difficulty level is never going to tax, the requirement to make notes of certain dates or names does keep involvement to a high and really does provide an immersive experience, not yet matched in previous Doctor Who Titles.
As an experience, less is more with a few hours' playtime providing a slick, tight experience compared to endless hours of content. The story is well written and unfolds as a brisk pace throwing in some tense moments as well as some jump scares. Progression also warrants reward with some fully rendered live action cutscenes near the end of the story that are well worth experiencing. There may even be a cameo or two! (There is).