Crysis Remastered – Nintendo Switch Review

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Fast Facts

Crysis Remastered

Developer: Crytek
Publisher: Crytek
Website: https://www.crysis.com
Genre: Action, First Person Shooter
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: PEGI 16
Release Date: 23/07/2020
Price: £26.99

A code was provided for review purposes

Who Would Have Thought it

What a year 2020 has been. Who would have thought that we would be sitting here discussing Crysis Remastered being released on the Nintendo Switch? A game that pushed computers to their limits just a decade (or so) ago is now available to play in handheld mode.

How did they manage it? The only thing I can think of is witchcraft. It’s the only logical explanation. I mean, I could have understood had they messed up the port in full ARK fashion, but that simply is not the case here. Yes, I’m kind of jumping ahead of myself and giving away the ending, but Crysis Remastered on Nintendo Switch is a fantastic port of a giant game that has, in all honesty, no right to run on this little machine.  

Sights and Sounds of Combat

I was impressed with how well Crysis looked and ran on the Switch. Having never played it before on other systems, I cannot really comment on any image degradation in comparison, but it certainly stands tall as being a good-looking game. The island of Lingshan is a stunning place, and the switch does well to capture everything.

For the record, I played through this game in docked mode only. Not because the system couldn’t handle it in handheld – I know it can, but my joycons died on me not long after I started, and I only just got the replacements in this morning.

It is not perfect. There are some annoying hitches every now and then, and when you are speeding your way through the jungle you will encounter a fair bit of foliage popping in, but that does not detract from the game itself. Especially as during those moments you are normally too focused on surviving or eliminating your enemy than you are the finer points of graphic detail.

The dialogue in the game was good, and the whispered voices of distant enemies is a nice touch. It keeps you on your guard but also help you stay alive. The general sound effects of the game were solid and did what they needed to do. I will say that I was often more engrossed in the story – which still holds strong after all these years – to pay too much attention to any ambient sounds the game offered.

As Solid a Game as it Ever Was

Given that this game is already over a decade old, in fact, it is hurtling towards the 15-year mark, it is remarkable how much the gameplay and the overall story still hold strong.

The NANO suits are a fun and nifty tool and once you get down and into the story, they help offer so many ways to get through situations. I tried to play stealthy a few times, but really, what this game calls for is nerves of skill, and iron will, and a gung-ho attitude. I was particularly fond of the shotgun for taking care of the human threats the game threw at me. To be fair, a shotgun tends to be my preferred weapon in almost any game.

The story is decent but does run a little thin towards the end, and while it doesn’t detract from the quality of the game, I did find myself getting a little distracted and eager for the credits in the final stretch.

I was really impressed with the AI in the game. Especially from the human threat. The way they would use surroundings for cover or move position mid-fight. It made everything seem that much more fluid. So much so that it made the Alien encounters seem a little stale and less entertaining.

I did enjoy the mix of the human and alien threat the game hurled my way. This is a game that originally was marvelled at for the way it pushed consoles to the limit. At the end of the day, however, it is really about having good old-fashioned fun. It’s a blast – pun intended – and certainly a title I will pick up again in the future.

The Odd Freeze Put a Dampener on Things

While the game ran exceedingly well, I did encounter two hard crashes that forced me to restart my Switch. Luckily, the rather frequent autosave meant I had not lost any ground when I got back into the game again.

Along with the hard crashes, I did find a bug, whereby if you had your night vision activated and … I believe it was when I tried to open the menu, the game would freeze and soft lock. I forget the exact combination as it was early on in my playthrough I found it and after reproducing it four times in a row, I just made sure never to make that mistake again.

With that said, however, Crysis Remastered is a marvellous game and runs incredibly well on the Switch. I’m playing it on a first-gen Switch too.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my time playing Crysis Remastered on the Nintendo Switch. It was a fun and fast-paced way to spend some time. I went through the game in about 15 hours. Admittedly, I lost a fair bit of time to totally ransacking a few of the enemy bases I came across. There’s something fun about shooting walls until buildings fall down and throwing computer monitors around in a fit of mock anger.

When all is said and done, Crysis is just as strong a game today as it was when it was first released. Whether you missed it the first time around, or loved it and still own a copy, it’s well worth picking up on the Switch too.  

Rapid Reviews Rating

You can grab your copy of Crysis Remastered from the Nintendo eShop here.