Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Helps the Switch 2 Ace Its Major Examination So Far

It's surprising, yet we're approaching the Nintendo Switch 2's six-month anniversary. Once the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 debuts on December 4, we can provide the console a comprehensive assessment due to its solid selection of Nintendo-developed early titles. Heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will dominate that analysis, however it's Nintendo's two most recent games, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and recently Age of Imprisonment, that have enabled the Switch 2 overcome a key challenge in its initial half-year: the hardware evaluation.

Confronting Hardware Concerns

Before Nintendo publicly unveiled the new console, the main issue from gamers around the hypothetical device was concerning hardware. Regarding hardware, Nintendo has lagged behind PlayStation and Xbox in recent cycles. That reality began to show in the end of the Switch era. The expectation was that a Switch 2 would deliver smoother performance, improved visuals, and industry-standard features like 4K. Those are the features included when the device was launched in June. Or that's what its hardware specifications promised, at least. To really determine if the Switch 2 is an upgrade, we'd need to see important releases operating on the system. We've finally gotten that during the past fortnight, and the outlook is positive.

Legends: Z-A serving as Initial Test

The system's initial big challenge arrived with last month's the new Pokémon game. Pokémon games had notable performance issues on the initial console, with releases including Pokémon Scarlet and Violet launching in downright disastrous states. The system wasn't exactly to blame for those issues; the game engine powering Game Freak's RPGs was old and strained much further than it could go in the transition to larger environments. Legends: Z-A would be more challenging for its studio than any other factor, but we could still learn we'd be able to glean from the visual presentation and how it runs on the new system.

Despite the release's limited detail has initiated conversations about Game Freak's technical capabilities, it's undeniable that Legends: Z-A is nowhere near the tech disaster of its preceding game, Arceus. It runs at a stable 60 frames per second on Switch 2, but the original console reaches only 30 frames per second. Pop-in is still present, and you may notice plenty of blurry assets if you look closely, but you won't hit anything like the situation in Arceus where you first take to the skies and observe the entire ground below become a jagged, polygonal surface. It's enough to grant the new console some passing marks, though with reservations since Game Freak has its own problems that worsen basic technology.

The New Zelda Game as a Tougher Hardware Challenge

There is now a more demanding performance examination, though, due to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, out Nov. 6. The latest Musou title challenges the upgraded system due to its action-oriented style, which has users confronting a huge number of enemies continuously. The franchise's last installment, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, had issues on the initial console as the system couldn't handle with its fast-paced action and numerous on-screen elements. It often fell below its target 30fps and produced the feeling that you were breaking the game when fighting intensely.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the performance examination. Having tested the title extensively during the past month, playing every single mission included. Throughout this testing, I've found that it's been able to deliver a more stable framerate relative to its predecessor, maintaining its sixty frames goal with more consistency. It sometimes drops in the most intense combat, but I haven't experienced any situation where it becomes a slideshow as the framerate chugs. Part of that might be due to the situation where its bite-sized missions are structured to prevent overwhelming hordes on the display simultaneously.

Significant Limitations and Final Verdict

There are still compromises that you're probably expecting. Most notably, splitscreen co-op has a substantial reduction near thirty frames. It's also the premier exclusive release where it's apparent a major difference between my old OLED display and the updated LCD screen, with particularly during cinematics looking faded.

But for the most part, this release is a complete change versus its previous installment, just as Z-A is to the earlier Pokémon title. For those seeking evidence that the Switch 2 is meeting its hardware potential, despite some limitations remaining, the two releases provide a clear example of the way the new console is substantially boosting series that struggled on old hardware.