Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition – Switch 2 Port Report
It’s been a number of years since Elden Ring captivated gamers worldwide, ushering FromSoft’s ‘soulslike’ formula into an open-world design space. With Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods running network tests this past week, it’s fitting that Nintendo players be granted something FromSoft related for their console – in this case, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a port of the 2022 GOTY that includes not only the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC but further enhancement in the form of two additional Starting Classes in the Strength-focused Heavy Armor Warrior and the Quality-focused Knight/Knightess of Ides. For Fashionsouls fans, four new sets of armour, some added weapon types and Ashes of War and most importantly, three skins to change the look of Torrent, the faithful spectral steed. All of these additions will be available at extra cost for other platforms, but come bundled with the Tarnished Edition.
Having spent a number of years away from Elden Ring at this point, a Switch 2 port was a nice excuse to jump back in to the world of The Lands Between and test my muscle memory. As expected, my once adequate skills have all but vanished and the early stages were as, if not more, challenging than I remember. Nothing gameplay wise has been lost in translation to the Switch 2, and while Steam Deck and Ally owners have had access to portable Elden Ring for a while now, there’s still a degree of novelty in storming up to Stormveil Castle wielding a Joy-Con in each hand. When docked however, a Switch 2 Pro Controller is definitely the preferred option and might be the first time I made proper use of the extra buttons tucked at the back of my Turtle Beach Rematch Controller.
Visually, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is somewhat softer in handheld mode with obvious concessions to maintain a steady framerate, including oddly swaying foliage and noticeable resolution drops on distant objects and enemies. Nothing unexpected there really, and it’s a given for almost any handheld device that it can’t quite match the power of a PS5 Pro, Series X or a beefy PC. Docking the Switch 2 on a 75-inch Samsung TV made many of the graphical adjustments far more pronounced, a somewhat muddy, soft image that is less obvious on the smaller Switch 2 screen. It was here that I noticed a few frame rate dips that have me concerned for later areas of the game given just how hectic some areas and encounters can be.
The main reason for picking up Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition seems to be not owning anything else capable of running it, or very specifically wanting to jump between handheld and docked play. Arguably cheaper elsewhere, the visual and performance concessions are a heavy trade-off otherwise. The right choice has been made to sacrifice visual quality for frame rate where possible – the reverse would have made the game nigh unplayable – but the haunting, ethereal terror and beauty of The Lands Between is bit dulled as a result. Still, Elden Ring is a banger any way you can get it, and the prospect of puttering through Limgrave and beyond whilst rugged up in bed is an attractive one to this writer.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch 2 console in both handheld and docked modes using code kingly supplied by the publisher.
