Watch how the Nintendo Switch runs Crysis Remastered in Digital Foundry’s graphical review
Thirteen years after the game’s original release, the question “But can it run Crysis ” continues to be an in-joke among gamers, referring to whether any new piece of hardware is powerful enough to run Crytek’s graphically demanding game. Now, we have proof that Nintendo’s handheld Switch is capable of the task; Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry, an outlet renowned for their technical breakdowns, created a video that shows the differences between every version of Crysis released thus far and how the Nintendo Switch runs the game.
I myself was kind of shocked that Crytek managed to create a competent port of Crysis Remastered on Switch. It’s not all good, though. Here are a few takeaways from Digital Foundry’s video:
- It’s fairly crisp for a Switch game! While the game can sometimes drop to an ugly 540p resolution or lower, it manages to hit the Switch’s native screen resolution of 720p on average
- Global illumination, something not found in the original PC version, adds a more dramatic atmosphere to the game, particularly in certain areas like a building that has natural light pouring in from a window
- The detail on materials and surfaces such as your nanosuit, roads and other surfaces have been dialed back to the point they look extremely muddy and lack photorealism
- You can still destroy buildings with grenades, shoot off boards on a bridge, and topple trees — but the game will chug momentarily
- When diving underwater, there’s barely anything under the surface — most plants and rocks are gone on Switch
- The game’s entire tenth mission, “Ascension,” is still missing on Switch, likely due to how even the fastest PC parts available in 2018 struggled to maintain 30 fps
In terms of Switch ports, Crysis Remastered seems better than The Outer Worlds, Obsidian’s critically-acclaimed 2019 ARPG that is playable but has blurred and ugly textures. But, when compared to ports of Doom 2016 and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus — two games that were “impossible” to port to Switch — Crysis Remastered leaves some things to be desired. Slightly choppy visuals aside, both games managed to keep all the content from the original releases, while Crysis Remastered is still missing that entire level, something that to this date can only be played on the original PC version.
Despite all its shortcomings, Digital Foundry says the Nintendo Switch version is “without a doubt the best console release of a Crysis game to date,” at least until the PS4 and Xbox One remastered versions come out.
Crysis Remastered will launch on Nintendo Switch first on July 23; the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions do not have a new release date as of yet. Go read Digital Foundry’s in-depth full report to see why they think Crysis Remastered for Nintendo Switch is a port worth checking out.
Thirteen years after the game’s original release, the question “But can it run Crysis ” continues to be an in-joke among gamers, referring to whether any new piece of hardware is powerful enough to run Crytek’s graphically demanding game. Now, we have proof that Nintendo’s handheld Switch is capable of…
