Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’.
I don’t think I will ever have the nerve to really dive in to Dark Souls. However much I like the idea of the game and a lore so deep you could lose yourself for days, it takes a special kind of dedication to truly explore Lordran. That being said I was keen to see how the port to Switch had treated Dark Souls Remastered, especially after its original release date was pushed back by a few months and for better or worse, this version of the game is as complete as the earlier releases of the PC, Xbox and PS4 versions.
Most curious to me was how were they going to be able to fit a game of such size on to such a small device. Dark Souls was always a massive and complex game and even though it ran on the 360 and PS3, most people would argue that it didn’t run well, with various issues that plagued the game. And let us not forget the PC version, which took a fan made patch to make it playable. Technology may have moved on in the passing years, but had it moved on enough? Well, yes and no.
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $39.99
Price I would pay: $39.99
To its credit Dark Souls Remastered on the Switch, for the most part, runs in an acceptable manner. There were parts of the game where visible slowdown occurred, but not enough times to hamper the enjoyment of the game. Of course, don’t expect this version to look as sharp as the others, with it appearing to be both 720p docked and undocked. However, the assets and effects used are far superior to the original 2011 release, and even playing it on a big screen the game looks great. The lighting specifically has been given a glorious coat of paint to freshen things up and add an extra layer of atmosphere to the game. What I did find curious is that it seemed to run better when undocked. Normally, because of the restraints of the battery, most Switch games limit themselves when unshackled from the power supply; resulting in lower fidelity or slower framerate.
This wasn’t the case with Dark Souls with it performing more smoothly in handheld mode then when playing connected to the dock, which for some reason caused more framerate drops and graphical stutters. Of course, playing Dark Souls is an absolute battery killer, so don’t expect much more than 2 hours of play on a full battery. Playing it in handheld mode however did cause my hands to ache after a while because of the controls, so there are concessions on either side. But no matter which way I played, Dark Soul performed much better than I expected to the point when some of it surprised me. There are pros and cons to both styles of play, but because the cramp I felt playing it handheld, I preferred to play it docked even if the dips in gameplay stability were noticeable.
Tweaks have also been made to the online portion of the game, which involves entering another player’s world to either help them or kill them. Now the game can support six players online together, instead of the original four and also has the ability to use passwords when matchmaking. All of this however is now locked behind Nintendo Online, the new service required to play games with other players. Yes, I know that you also need PS+ or XBLG to do the same in those versions of the game, but I am still a little loathed to pay for another online service.
Where things have stayed the same is in the gameplay, with pretty much all of the glitches and cheats in place. This includes the ability to roll and stab your way through most of the game, as well some of the more quirky elements. But there have been a few quality of life features added, such as an additional bonfire in a more challenging area of the game, the ability to use multiple amounts of the same item and motion activated poses, which works really well with the Pro Controller. All of these additions are welcome and add to an overall improved experience.
I feel that the biggest hurdle that Dark Souls Remastered has to face is how dated it feels. Even when the original was released it felt awkward and cumbersome in a way many games of that era didn’t. Of course, many players saw past that and discovered an incredibly well thought out and challenging experience, much like they did with Demon’s Souls. But since then we have had two sequels and Bloodbourne, which have moved the needle forward in the genre and going back to Dark Souls feels like a step back. This will not matter one bit to those who want to find any excuse to re-enter this horrific world of dark and light, and those people will not be disappointed with what they find. The novelty of a portable Dark Souls doesn’t wear off really shows how powerful the console can be. Out of all of the recent attempts to port bigger games to the Switch this one feels the most ambitious, but also feels the most natural and it is something I cannot explain as to why. It also helps that this hasn’t had the ‘Switch Tax’ placed upon it and comes in at a fair price.
With Dark Souls Remastered you should know exactly what you are getting; a full fat port of a revered and classic game with all of the extra bells and whistles the little console can afford. You may have already picked this remaster up on another platform, and if you have then you may want to side step this release. But if you missed it, or if taking Lordran with you in your bag is too appealing to turn down, then follow the flame and praise the sun.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
