Since 2011, millions of hours have been spent in the world of Skyrim. This year those numbers will go up exponentially due to the release of Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch. There is one major reason why those numbers will continue to climb and that is portability. Bethesda and Nintendo let you put your hands back on the Dragonborn, this time anywhere you want. No longer do you have to play Skyrim sitting at home. You can take this game to every corner of the world if you wanted to. In this review, I am not going to review Skyrim the game but I will review Skyrim on the Switch and what makes it different from the various consoles we have played it on in the past.
The biggest feature of this game is the means to pick it up and play anywhere. I personally have always wanted to play Skyrim anywhere and until now I wasn’t able to do that. Portability due to the Switch makes this game so much more enjoyable in my eyes. Whether you are waiting to pick your child up from school or on your lunch break at work, you can play this game. Although the game is fun to play in docked mode, the game’s true potential is in the portable mode.
Another new feature of this masterpiece of a game is that it has Amiibo support. Players can use any Link Amiibo, and using them gets you a 20% chance of a Link themed item. You don’t need Amiibos to get these items in the game, but you can get them beforehand if you have multiple Amiibos. You can only use each Amiibo once per day. I can verify that it is truly fun to run around dressed as Link from Breath of the Wild and killing Draugrs with the Master Sword. Another fun feature is playing the game with Joy Cons. These Joy Con controllers put the sword in the player’s hand, and every spell feels like you are in control. Aiming and firing a bow and arrow can be difficult to use at first but once you understand what you are doing it is very simple.
The game’s graphics and visuals are on par with the versions that were released for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Nintendo Switch just does not have the processing power to compete with the next-gen consoles. The graphics are still fun to play and shown side by side you can hardly tell a difference. Playing in docked mode and handheld mode will show you the same picture and the same quality. Meaning that there is no visual comparison between the two modes.
I ran into very few problems while playing on the Switch and those are characters being “stuck” on an object which renders them unavailable to move, and sound effects or sounds not being played. Saving and restarting the game can fix these issues, but this will become annoying. I have put over 30 hours into this game for the Switch and have only had to restart the game only a handful of times due to these issues. Other than these minor problems the game runs great including load times.
I personally have had the most fun playing Skyrim on the Nintendo Switch. Bethesda and Nintendo’s partnership truly comes to life in this new addition to the game. I can say honestly that this is my favorite way to play Skyrim and you are doing yourself a disservice if you have a Switch and not owning Skyrim for it. The new ways to play and added functions bring the already beloved game to another level. Although there are some problems with the processing power, they are only minor flaws in an otherwise great game. Whether you are playing the game in docked mode or portable, Skyrim pairs beautifully with the Nintendo Switch.
Summary
Bethesda Studios Skyrim was made to be on the Nintendo Switch. Being able to take the Dragonborn anywhere and everywhere is the best way to play. Although there are only a few amount of hiccups on the Switch, this game was truly a blast to play. If you own a Nintendo Switch console, do yourself a favor and buy Skyrim for it.
Overall
80%Pros
- It’s Skyrim
- Portable
- Amiibo Support
- Playing With Joy Cons
Cons
- Occasional Sound Issues
- Characters Being