Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition Switch 2 Review - Elden Ring, On the Go!

This is the sixth platform Bandai Namco and From Software have ported Elden Ring to, and they have become exceedingly efficient at it. A solid contender for one of the greatest games of all time, the Hidetaka Miyazaki-directed Elden Ring took the world by storm in 2022, with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion dropping the following February. I played the game originally on my PS4, then on a more souped-up gaming PC, where it ran flawlessly. The long-awaited Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 marks the third time I’ve taken the plunge, and while I was mostly expecting the game to be comparable to the PS4 version, I was very pleasantly surprised by the results… mostly.

Two New Classes, Lots of New Toys

Right off the bat, I was quite curious about the two new classes and weapons introduced in this expansion. I opted first for the Heavy Knight, which kits you out with the Steel Armor set and the new Hefty Scimitar, and also tried a bit of the Idus Knight, a more balanced dexterity-based build with Faith and Mind, which starts with the Silver Grooved set and Shield, and Idus Sword. Both swords are unique to the expansion, but I found the Idus Sword to have more utility in general if you’re comfortable with its thrust damage attack. The Hefty Scimitar has a great moveset, but IMO is outclassed by other heavy Strength-focused options available in early game, such as the Claymore and Greatsword. There are also three skins for Torrent and four new armor sets, plus new gestures as a pre-order bonus.

I mostly played my Heavy Knight character, quickly tackling side content from memory. I was surprised at how well I remembered the old shortcuts. After tackling most of the Weeping Peninsula and making the mad dash to Caelid for the Greatsword, I snuck up the path to bypass Stormveil Castle to make it to Liurnia of the Lakes early and level-up before tackling Godrick the Grafted (I don’t like using Spirit Ashes or Summons for bosses). My plan is to hit Rennala, and then Starscourge Radahn, in that order. I also dipped my toes into the DLC and got summarily bodied.

Plays Surprisingly Well For A Handheld

All throughout, I paid special attention to the performance, since that was always going to be the deciding factor for those on the fence. I was expecting the worst, but Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition has been extensively polished after its first GAMESCOM showing and it delivers when and where it counts. It runs at an unlocked framerate with a cap of 40, but realistically, you’ll almost never hit 40fps. The game generally targets 30-35fps, with occasional dips under 30 that make it more stable generally than the PS4 build. 

Camera movement felt smooth to me, with none of the frame pacing, screen tearing, or motion headaches that I typically associate with titles on the original Nintendo Switch. In very rare circumstances where you’re surrounded by foes, their frames may drop even below 20, with enemies appearing almost like stop-motion animation puppets from Ray Harryhausen’s Jason and the Argonauts or The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. However, I rarely ever felt like my own performance was affected by the framerate. In other words, it was never a guessing game as to whether the game would eat my inputs.

In terms of draw distance, objects such as trees and bushes render sooner than the PS4 version, thus limiting the amount of pop-in, but overall, the foliage detail is lower than on PS4 to maintain performance. The density of small objects such as grass on the plains are also noticeably reduced in comparison to the PS4 version. Shadows may be a little blurrier, too, if you look at them closely. However, the Switch 2 trades off graphics for performance, and it acquits itself well when it comes to performance under pressure, keeping things smooth during the game’s intense boss battles so you never feel like you’re dropping inputs due to frame pacing.

Lighting-Fast Loading and A Wealth of Content… For A Price

On the more positive side, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition has fast load times that are second only to the PS5 platforms, slightly edging out the Xbox Series S and X. Needless to say, loading is significantly faster than on PS4, with the longest I’ve had to wait being 12 seconds and the average being far less (6-10 seconds). This suits handheld gameplay especially well.

While Tarnished Edition translates the Elden Ring experience passably to Nintendo’s little handheld that could, it does so with several understandable graphical and performance caveats, especially given the fact that it does not use DLSS but instead uses From Software’s proprietary upscaler, which results in an uneven dynamic image resolution that fluctuates depending on what’s happening on-screen. This isn’t at all a dealbreaker and you may not even notice it a lot of the time if you play handheld (I typically play on a TV), but it is noticeable on a 4K TV and certainly does constitute a slight downgrade from what’s available on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, at least.

With all of this said, Elden Ring remains one of the greatest games of all time, and this version is no slouch. To quote King Theoden, Tarnished Edition can at last go to the halls of its forebears, in whose mighty company it will not now be ashamed. I recommend Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition to those interested in either reliving the Elden Ring experience on the go, embarking on the punishing DLC after a lapse, or even those trying From Software’s masterpiece for the first time, since the new classes are a big help in the early game. I just wish that the asking price wasn’t so steep. I think that the $79.99 MSRP is a bit of a pill to swallow, but considering that it’s for a platform where third-party games typically go on sale, this is one release you’re going to want to keep your eyes on.

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Verdict: 4.5 / 5 (Near Exceptional)

PROS

• The Elden Ring experience in the palm of your hands, running at a fairly stable framerate that provides a smooth experience

• Two new classes, new weapons and armor, and new skins for Torrent

• Excellent loading times that are second only to the PS5 platforms

CONS

• Some details such as the quantity of grass seen in the Lands Between are downgraded from even the PS4 release

• The resolution fluctuates and the upscaling tech used is not optimal

• In some circumstances, when the screen is filled with enemies, they will have lower framerates

What I’ve Played 

• 7 hours of the base game, 1 hour of the DLC

• Experienced both of the new classes

• Had a couple of online experiences

*This review is based on a game code provided by Bandai Namco.

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About the Author - Joseph Choi

Filipino-American gamer, professional shepherd and farmer, author, and filmmaker/videographer living in Central California. First consoles were the Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and I've been gaming since then, with a focus on Nintendo and Sony consoles.