Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Supports Nintendo's Switch 2 Ace Its Biggest Examination So Far

It's astonishing, but we're nearly at the new Switch 2 console's half-year mark. By the time the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 launches on December 4, we'll be able to give the system a comprehensive progress report thanks to its strong lineup of Nintendo-developed early titles. Heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will dominate that review, however it's two newest Nintendo titles, Pokémon Legends: Z-A and currently Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, that have enabled the Switch 2 conquer a crucial test in its initial half-year: the performance test.

Addressing Hardware Concerns

Ahead of Nintendo officially announced the new console, the biggest concern from players about the rumored system was concerning hardware. In terms of hardware, Nintendo trailed competing consoles for several generations. That reality began to show in the original Switch's later life. The desire was that a successor would introduce consistent frame rates, better graphics, and industry-standard features like 4K resolution. That's exactly what we got when the device was released in June. At least that's what its specs indicated, at least. To accurately assess if the new console is an upgrade, we'd need to see important releases performing on the hardware. We've finally gotten that over the last two weeks, and the prognosis remains healthy.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A as the Initial Examination

The console's first major test came with the October release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The Pokémon series had notable performance issues on the initial console, with releases including Scarlet and Violet launching in very poor shape. The console itself didn't bear all the responsibility for those problems; the game engine powering Game Freak's RPGs was outdated and getting stretched beyond its capabilities in the franchise's move to open-world. This installment would be more of a test for its creator than anything else, but we could still learn we'd be able to glean from the title's graphics and its operation on the upgraded hardware.

Although the title's basic graphics has sparked discussions about the studio's prowess, it's clear that Legends: Z-A is not at all like the tech disaster of its preceding game, the previous Legends game. It runs at a stable 60 frames per second on Switch 2, while the Switch version maxes out at 30 frames per second. Objects still appear suddenly, and you may notice plenty of blurry assets if you zoom in, but you won't encounter anything resembling the moment in Arceus where you first take to the skies and see the entire ground below turn into a uneven, basic graphics. That qualifies to earn the Switch 2 a decent grade, however with limitations given that the developer has separate challenges that worsen limited hardware.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as a More Demanding Performance Examination

We now have a more demanding performance examination, yet, thanks to the new Hyrule Warriors, released November 6. The new Zelda spin-off pushes the Switch 2 due to its hack-and-slash gameplay, which has users confronting a massive horde of creatures continuously. The series' previous game, the previous Hyrule Warriors, performed poorly on the initial console as the console couldn't keep up with its fast-paced action and density of things happening. It often fell below its target 30fps and gave the impression that you were breaking the game when fighting intensely.

Thankfully is that it too succeeds the performance examination. After playing the game through its paces over the last few weeks, completing all missions available. During that period, it's clear that it manages to provide a consistent frame rate compared to its predecessor, actually hitting its sixty frames goal with greater stability. Performance can dip in the most heated of battles, but I've yet to hit any situation where the game turns into a stuttering mess as the frame rate suffers. A portion of this could be because of the reality that its compact stages are designed to avoid excessive numbers of foes on screen at once.

Notable Limitations and Final Assessment

There are still compromises that you're probably expecting. Most notably, cooperative multiplayer experiences a significant drop closer to the 30 fps range. Moreover the premier exclusive release where there's a clear a major difference between older OLED technology and the new LCD display, with particularly during cinematics appearing less vibrant.

But for the most part, the new game is a dramatic improvement over its earlier title, just as Z-A is to Arceus. For those seeking confirmation that the Switch 2 is meeting its tech promises, even with some caveats remaining, the two releases provide a clear example of the way the new console is markedly enhancing series that struggled on old hardware.