Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition brings one of the best FromSoftware games to Nintendo Switch 2, and it manages to accomplish this without a lot of compromises, which is impressive. The game was announced a while ago and also faced some issues when it was initially shown running on Switch 2 before it was delayed. With the final version now close to release, what can we expect from the game in terms of performance?
First of all, to talk about this specific version of Elden Ring, it comes with the base game as well as the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which adds a massive amount of content on top of the base game. There are new classes included as part of this edition, including Heavy Knight and Idis Knight. There are also new cosmetic items for the mount, Torrent, along with a couple of new armour sets. There are new emotes too. All in all, this extra content is not substantial, but it is just enough to make this edition feel like it has something new to offer.
We have already covered Elden Ring as well as its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion before, so let’s talk about the Switch 2 version here. Starting off, I was honestly quite impressed by how good it looks visually running on the Switch 2. Playing it in portable mode, it is one of the best-looking versions of the game when compared to basic budget PC handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. However, while visually it trumps these handhelds, especially if we also consider the docked mode, which upscales to 4K resolution nicely on a big TV, the performance is a little bit of a letdown with a target of 30 FPS.
Normally, if you have played a lot of Elden Ring on consoles or PC, you might be more accustomed to the 60 FPS target, which consoles mostly hit, and PC depending on your configuration. Here, the 30 FPS limitation does feel terrible, but the game is designed in such a way that this limitation just becomes a part of the experience. Thankfully, drops below this are less noticeable and less frequent, meaning most of the experience of playing the game for me was quite smooth.
Elden Ring was also released on PS4, so it is not exactly a current-generation game. Despite that, the Switch 2 port holds up quite favourably next to the PS5 version if we ignore the performance factor. FromSoftware games were not always 60 FPS. Dark Souls and Bloodborne both had 30 FPS DNA, so Elden Ring going back to 30 FPS feels less jarring compared to other games. While the increased controller response would be great, it is nonetheless a sacrifice that was needed to provide the best visuals on Nintendo’s hybrid console.
Elden Ring is set in The Lands Between, a massive open-world area comprised of several locations. Players are thrust into this world after completing the tutorial. The story of Elden Ring is the work of Hidetaka Miyazaki in collaboration with Game of Thrones scribe George R. R. Martin. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, with clear nods to The Lord of the Rings, but with its own unique dark fantasy twist. Narratively, the game does not really hold your hand, and the background lore, environmental storytelling, and NPCs are all key parts of building the story and narrative for the players.
The gameplay follows the traditional FromSoftware formula, with the main character called the “Tarnished”. Killing enemies gives the player a currency that can be used to level up their attributes, but dying means losing all accumulated experience and respawning at the nearest checkpoint. Players gain access to their steed immediately after stepping into the open world and have to make their own path on where to go next. The game is chock-full of boss battles as well as dungeons to explore, each offering rewards that help accomplish the next task. It not only encourages exploration but also allows players to upgrade their stats, with each death contributing to their experience.
All in all, I would say Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is an impressive Switch 2 port that, despite its 30 FPS limitations, delivers on the visuals front. It can stand next to the current-generation consoles visually speaking, and the performance is solid enough that any rare frame rate drops do not really have a big impact on gameplay. So, if you are in the market for a portable Elden Ring experience that runs nicely on a handheld, Switch 2 is the version to pick. PC handhelds are good and all, but to get the same visual experience out of them, they need to run at a higher power level, meaning the player has to sacrifice battery life to get the same or better experience.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Game Information
- Price: $79.99
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: FromSoftware
- Platform: Switch 2 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was provided by the publisher
