Is Darksiders II on Switch worth it?

Driftwood
Thursday, September 26, 2019 | 10:30 AM
2 comments

GSY Review PC PS4 Xbox One Switch

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch this week and we were curious to see if the port would be as good as what we got for Darksiders: Warmastered Edition not so long ago. That's the question indeed, is this new port worth the price for those who have never had a chance to play the game? You'll find the answer and our videos inside.

Verdict

It's always difficult to know what to expect when a game is ported on Switch, but when it concerns a title which was released on the last generation of consoles and it's the sequel to a pretty good Switch version, it makes sense to hope for the best. Unfortunately, performance is quite disappointing to say the least, with a choppy framerate, occasional mini freezes and loadings (when opening a door for example) and surprising visual glitches. Our arrival in the first open area is quite revealing in that respect. As shown in the "bug" video, we found ourselves riding our horse in a plain where half the ground had disappeared, making it look like there were huge puddles of water reflecting the rest of the environment, except it lacked the proper effects to make it look like water. Quitting the game completely and launching it again fixed the bug but it still is something that is rather ominous when it happens the day before the official release. Image quality is rather good in most cases but there is dynamic resolution involved in some areas and when resolution is lowered not to impact framerate, it really shows and the game can look particularly pixelated. Aside from the technical problems, Darksiders II remains Darksiders II with its strengths and shortcomings, which might differ depending on the player. It is a still a game you should play one day if you haven't already as it is in fact very close to a Zelda game in many respects, but the Swtitch version urgently needs a patch to deserve recommandation.

On the upside
Still a very pretty game...
The Zelda-like approach
The looting mechanic
Solid content
The soundtrack

On the downside
... except when dynamic resolution kicks in
Some technical issues
Contrary to the first game on Switch, no choice between quality and performance in the option menu
Camera is too close to the main character
The game may load when you move to a new area

High quality stream and download

Commented on 2019-09-26 12:28:50

Damn. A pity that it launched in such a state. Even more so when the first game's port was so great. A lot of companies are taking the piss with Switch ports and new releases as well. Just the state that the gaming industry is at right now.

In reply to

Seth

Commented on 2019-09-30 14:36:04

It's amusing to see this game keep getting re-released with tons of issues. I did bought it day 1 on x360 and this is still my biggest gaming purchase regret. darksiders II had game-breaking bugs and i got my saves corrupted 20+ hrs in.