A few months have passed after developer Ninja Theory's announcement that their critically-acclaimed title, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is coming to the Nintendo Switch, and now, launch day is upon us.
There was certainly a much bigger buzz regarding this port, seeing as how graphically stunning the game plays on other platforms, especially PC. It called into question how Nintendo's hardware can possibly handle such an intensive title, and how it will hold up against its heavier console counterparts.
So now that it's finally here, does it hold up? Is it worth getting?
Here is a direct comparison of the Switch and PS4 release from the YouTube channel ContraNetwork. Overall, the port is amazing, especially comparing the hardware of both consoles. There are more defined textures in the PS4 version, and slightly better lighting and shadows, but the Switch surprisingly holds its own.
Here is another direct comparison, this time between a Switch and PC, from the YouTube channel Nintendo World Report TV. This is a harder battle for the Switch, seeing as in terms of raw hardware power, the PC can outdo the Nintendo underdog in terms of graphical fidelity. And yes, ultimately, the PC version wins in every way. The lighting, shadows, depth and impressive textures all stand out on the PC, not to mention its superior framerate.
However, despite being graphically inferior to other consoles, the Switch version of Hellblade is an amazing achievement and definitely worth getting, if you don't own it on other platforms. Comparisons aside, the port runs amazingly well, if only locked at 30 frames per second. There is an obvious graphical downgrade as well, but in spite of all these, Hellblade on Switch runs great and this sets an amazing initiative for other games out there looking to be ported to the Switch.
If something as graphically intensive as Hellblade can run on a somewhat less powerful console like the Switch, it opens up new possibilities for other games to be ported the same way. As the release of the upcoming Mortal Kombat 11 comes to mind - which will also be released on the Switch - we can only hope for a brighter future for more AAA games to come to the Nintendo Switch.
