Bethesda is going strong with this Nintendo Switch adaptation of the shooter that left us shocked more than a year ago. In this analysis we focus on its technical aspect to check the performance of the game on the hardware, both in its Desktop and Portable mode.
He was surprised at his announcement and by what he assumed: Would the Nintendo Switch be able to move a beast like Doom ? The truth is that yes, but with nuances. Like all first pitches, it is surprising to have any highly technical game in the palm of your hand, but delving into hell infested with demons always requires a sacrifice …
In the case of this port for Nintendo Switch, more than one. Resolution is the first, but the most understandable: 720p for both laptop and desktop modes, but this is at best, as the game uses an adaptive resolution that reduces it depending on the amount of load that is on screen. And given the constant movement and the abundant skirmishes that we will encounter in our path, it will be these situations that most need a better resolution, but suffer the most from it.
The result of this low resolution coupled with lower-quality effects and textures is that the gaming experience is often blurry, and this may be more noticeable by those who have gone through the Doom levels before and have been able to check the quality of the game in its older versions. Be that as it may, the truth is that, although the gameplay is the same, DOOM is also synonymous with a technical section that has always left very good feelings at its launch, and losing that graphic bulwark, even knowing the obvious limitations, will not be of the taste of the most demanding players.
NOTE: This is a technical analysis of the DOOM version for Switch. You can check out the full review of DOOM for PC, PS4 and XOne here.
DOOM: Launch Trailer
One step back and forthEven with that necessary technical slowdown, this version of DOOM continues to surprise when we play it directly on the Switch screen , since few or no games of this graphic caliber have been able to be transferred to a portable device. Once the demons begin to fall and the blood begins to splatter the screen, DOOM reaches that level of frenzy that we love so much, with its well recreated dance of coordinated movements and easy trigger forgetting things as cumbersome as reloading. Its arenas full of creatures from the underworld continue to fit perfectly with our desire to release adrenaline, and although the remote control is not our favorite for this shooter, the Joy-Con they do the job correctly.
Image quality is overall blurry. You get used to it, but it is always there.
If you play on a laptop, you will be able to adjust to this control without major problem, although you will have to go through a period of adaptation until you get the exact point to aim more effectively. A Pro controller is highly recommended for times when we are playing in Desktop or Tabletop mode, since the travel of these sticks is much greater than that of the Joy-Con and will help improve our precision, especially if we want to face tougher moments, where movement and aim must be adjusted and also for the higher difficulty modes, as well as getting the best scores in the fabulous Arcade mode that also includes the video game.
Light effects and detail in the textures have been reduced, but the overall set continues to surprise.
Of all the tradeoffs, framerate may be the hardest. Reducing the frame rate from 60 frames per second was essential for proper operation on the Nintendo console, but it may not transmit with enough fidelity what it means to play the id software shooter , especially considering the bet that the work constantly makes for the movement and fluidity of all the actions. Even more so when this frame rate is not entirely constant. There will be specific moments, but notorious, in which, with a lot of enemies on the screen or effects, the game may suffer from certain jerks or even forming the dreaded frame pacing that makes the experience somewhat less fluid than normal.
Being able to enjoy a game of these characteristics in the palm of your hand is fantasticEvery sacrifice has its reward; And it is not trivial to be able to enjoy a game of these characteristics in the palm of your hand and carry it around in a portable way. Playing in the desktop mode can be useful when you need a little more precision with the Pro controller or if it is your only way to access the title, but the excuse to get this version of the Bethesda game is none other than to enjoy its addictive campaign, its frenetic Arcade mode or even its Multiplayer modeWhere you want. Few machines, if not almost none, are capable of boasting of having managed to compress a game of these characteristics; So, although both the PC and console versions have a much more demanding technical section (and a more affordable price due to its release date), if your bet is on the portable game, this is the ideal version. Not even Chinese prodigies like GPD Win are able to run this software as smoothly as this version for Switch.
Heavy giantSize is important, especially in these early stages of the Nintendo Switch, with more and more games struggling to find a place in our internal memory. In the case of DOOM, the digital game has an approximate weight of 24 GB , too much for the internal memory of the console, so if we want to acquire it in this way, we will have to get a compatible microSD card to be able to store this size.
Except Snapmap, all content, including Arcade mode, is in this version for Switch.
In the event that we buy the physical game , we will considerably reduce the size of the download, but if we want to enjoy the multiplayer mode and have the dubbing in our language that is not included in the physical version, we will have to download a patch whose size is 7.7 GB , something more manageable for the console’s own memory. The game includes the Campaign and Multiplayer mode , which accompanied the original version, to which is added the later Arcade mode, perfect to give the campaign one more spin. However, the Snapmap remains out of the equation , that possibility of creating your own maps and playing those of other users.
In conclusion, DOOM is a worthy port for the Nintendo switch, considering the requirements of the game and the limitations of the console. Playing it in this version is more than an exercise in curiosity, it means seeing to what extent this machine can give of itself, opening the possibilities of the portable game to works that we did not think at first could work under this hardware, so it presents a vast sea of possibilities. In the case of the shooter from id software, the work that Panic Button has donewith the conversion it is dignified and faithful, but limited and not dedicated to the most demanding genre enthusiast who seeks both brutal action and graphic excellence. The rest, you will find a great game, the same one that we already loved last year and that for the right price can be a more than interesting portable alternative.
“Very good”
DOOM
8.5
Readers
(5)
DOOM on Nintendo Switch is a two-sided game. On the one hand, it impresses less than the original and, on the other, it impresses as much or more due to having it working in your hands. Its technical characteristics have been shortened to run on the console, so when recommending it it is very important to know how much interest you have in playing it on a laptop to get the most out of it.
- DOOM on laptop. Surprising
- Includes all game modes, except Snapmap
- 30 frames per second with a few jerks can detract from the experience
- Image quality somewhat blurry that blurs technical expertise
