Let’s face it, most of the discourse on Elden Ring has been and gone. The consensus Game of the Year all the way back in 2022, it is FromSoftware’s magnum opus, a work of incredible artistic achievement, and one which stands at the pinnacle of the Souls genre the studio created. Its arrival on Switch 2 is not what you would term ‘timely’ — originally due within the console’s launch window, it’s taken a while to get the open world up and running on Nintendo’s less powerful hardware – but it is finally here, giving a whole new audience the opportunity to experience this iconic title.
You can feel the tweaking, squeezing, nudging and coercing the development team have had to do to get Elden Ring running efficiently on Switch 2, especially given the rough edges that were felt on last-gen consoles. However, while there have been a host of cuts made to the game’s appearance and performance to squeeze it into a handheld shell, this is an absolutely playable version of the game. If you don’t have access to any of the other platforms, and especially if you haven’t played elsewhere, you can be happy in the knowledge that you’re getting the full Elden Ring experience on a Nintendo console, including the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and some new armour and horse skins.
But that comes with immediate caveats. The first is that Elden Ring on Switch 2 targets 30fps, whether in docked mode or handheld. As we’ve been finding in other recent ports, it actually feels more consistent in handheld, and holds to the 30fps target a lot closer, possibly thanks to the Switch 2’s inbuilt VRR.
There are noticeable drops in heavier moments, though these aren’t completely consistent. I’ve farmed the same section for an hour, and had it judder along once, while the rest of the time it stayed at a stable 30fps. Boss battles have been steady, despite the larger monster on screen and bombastic attacks they unleash, but then there’s been the odd stutter facing a giant enemy in the open world. The overall feel of the game remains good and it’s solid enough that I’ve been enjoying my return to this incredible dark fantasy world.
This frame rate will be very tough for players coming from PS5 and Xbox Series X, though. It’s noticeably less fluid and responsive, and the slower refresh rate feels clunkier. I’m not as sensitive to 30fps (particularly when playing on Switch 2), and if you spend any serious amount of time with the game, I believe you’ll soon forget about it. Bloodborne remains one of FromSoftware’s other most iconic titles and that too has been locked at 30fps since day one. Would things feel better at 60fps? Yes, absolutely, but I think the further concessions that would have had to be made to the visuals would have then lost too much of the game’s scale and atmosphere.
If you’re a hardcore Souls fan, chances are the Switch 2 is not your primary console, and much like the Switch outing of Dark Souls Remastered, it’s just opening the game, and the genre, up to a totally different community. It’s definitely not worth getting upset about, but then again, this is the internet. That said, at 30fps the game is inarguably tougher and less responsive than at 60fps, making this, in theory, a more difficult version of the game.
Wait! Is the Switch 2 the Dark Souls of consoles? Perhaps Souls fans need to reassess the whole frame rate conversation.
In aiming for a stable frame rate, the resolution of the game has been reduced. It outputs at an upscaled 4K when docked and 1080p in handheld, with a noticeable softness to the docked image that’s obvious at some points and not at others. DLSS is working overtime here to maintain as much of the original image quality, and it largely does a good job. In fairness, you won’t have time to think about it if you’re in the middle of a mob of creatures with multiple arms, but it is clear when talking to NPCs or in some in-engine cutscenes.
It does look sharper on the Switch 2’s smaller screen, with better-defined edges and less obvious anti-aliasing, making handheld an excellent way to play the game, especially if you’re just wanting to grind for runes or explore undiscovered areas.
It’s not without a few further rough edges, though. I did encounter some pop-in, unusual aliasing shimmer through the upscaling, and odd lighting glitches during our playtime, with large portions of shadowing disappearing when riding about in the world. Once again, these moments are few and far between, and you can hope that FromSoftware are able to iron out the more obvious visual issues in the coming weeks.
Through many hours with this version of the game, there’s still the magic of exploration, the daunting task of combat against seemingly insurmountable foes, and the haunting oddity of the entire cast of characters and creatures. For all of its technical downgrades, Elden Ring’s central gameplay, world-building, and atmosphere remain intact, enough to say that I’ve been completely enthralled by the game all over again.
