Granted, my expectations for Nier Automata on the Nintendo Switch are pretty low. I like Nintendo’s handheld more than most and pick it up nearby every day, but I’m also used to its limited performance (as anyone who’s picked up Dark Souls on the platform will tell you) .
So, when I got a chance to play Nier Automata on Switch last week, I started downloading the ifs and buts. However, while I only have about 8 hours to see Yoko Taro’s disturbing masterpiece, I can’t wait to see it to the end (or 26 endings, in this case).
Just yesterday, we saw the Anniversary Edition of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim come to Switch, one of many big games ported to the handheld since its 2017 release. There’s also Dark Souls, Wolfenstein, and The Witcher 3, just to name a few AAA juggernauts on hybrid home consoles/handhelds. If you’ve picked up any of these games, you know they’re definitely going to suffer on Switch compared to other platforms.
Now, I haven’t played Nier: Automata before, but I’ve seen enough streams, videos, and random clips on Twitter to know that I’m on a fantasy journey. I’ve been waiting for the game to come to Switch and try it out so I can wander around and fight as a 2B and learn about robots from the comfort of my couch.
I wanted to go blind – to see how well NieR: Automata played and performed, squashed to fit easily between my palms. do you know? I was blown away by it. I’d hate to call the port a miracle, though. We’ve seen Virtuos’ wizards manage to get LA Noire to run seamlessly on the Switch (even though the standard Switch doesn’t actually have enough storage to play the game. Oops.)
Virtuous is the same team that brought games like Dark Souls Remastered and Bioshock: The Collection to the console, so I shouldn’t be surprised by the seamless playback of Nier Automata. And without any audio compression issues – just imagine! At 30fps, NieR:Automata manages 1080p when docked and 720p when handheld. Since Nier: Automata is so atmospheric, it’s only right to play it on a larger screen if possible; that is, playing on a handheld is still a problem-free experience (if Your eyesight is better than mine, anyway).
Don’t get me wrong, my Switch sounded like a steam train at the start of the game, but after dealing with the first 15 minutes, the rest of my ride away from the amusement park was definitely high quality. As expected, framerates can drop during busy battle sequences, but it’s messed up with some visual settings, which are barely noticeable.
For a port that isn’t sold at full price, as a longtime NieR fan, or someone who wants to try the game comfortably for the first time (like myself), picking it up feels easy. Virtuous is clearly masterful when it comes to bringing big games to Switch and taking back the world from 2B, 9S and A2 machines, and it never feels better. You could even argue that those occasional frame drops can make your game feel like an Android glitch, if you will. You know, to accommodate the whole meta-review that NieR excels at.
All in all, I’m excited to wait for Nier: Automata to come to the Nintendo Switch, and I’m very eager to see how the handheld fares as I progress toward the 26 endings everyone’s been telling me.
