Zelda on Switch 2: A Hyrulean Glow-Up Worth the Rupees?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are getting Switch 2 upgrades with boosted resolution, 60fps performance, and faster load times, but come with a price tag and some lingering visual issues. It's a worthwhile upgrade, especially for Tears of the Kingdom players plagued by frame drops, but don't expect a flawless experience.
Alright, listen up, Hylians! Word on the street (thanks to the wizarding folk over at Eurogamer's Digital Foundry) is that *Zelda: Breath of the Wild* and *Tears of the Kingdom* are getting a sparkly new Switch 2 makeover. And fair dinkum, it sounds like Nintendo’s actually put some effort in this time – not just slapping on a new coat of paint and calling it a day.
So, what's the deal? We're talking resolution boosts, a silky-smooth 60fps target (especially crucial for *Tears of the Kingdom*, which chugged harder than a Bokoblin after a marathon), souped-up textures, and quicker loading times. Apparently, Hyrule is about to look a whole lot prettier. But (and there's always a 'but', isn't there?) it comes at a price. Unlike some games that get a free performance bump on the new hardware, these Zelda adventures require you to either buy a specific Switch 2 Edition or fork over $10 for an upgrade. Is it worth it? Let's dive in.
The big news is that resolution jump. On your old Switch, you were likely staring at a dynamic resolution maxing out at 900p docked. Switch 2 cranks that up to a potential 1440p! That means sharper landscapes, easier-to-spot loot (no more squinting at those pesky arrows!), and, generally, a less blurry Hyrule. Handheld mode gets a similar bump, pushing towards a potential 1080p. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Digital Foundry pointed out that *Tears of the Kingdom* suffers from weird resolution dips during cutscenes. Sounds like a bit of a magical hiccup, but hopefully, Nintendo can iron that out.
Beyond the pixels, we're talking about upgraded textures that make everything from brickwork to grass look noticeably sharper. The file sizes balloon a bit to accommodate the fancy new assets (*Breath of the Wild* jumps from 14GB to 24GB!), but reckon it's worth it for a more visually appealing adventure. Shadows are also getting some love, appearing cleaner and sharper. However, shadows are still the roughest part of the package.
Now, the really juicy bit: performance. *Tears of the Kingdom* on the original Switch could be a slideshow at times, especially when you were getting all creative with Ultrahand. Switch 2 aims to lock things down at 60fps, making building those ridiculous contraptions a much smoother experience. *Breath of the Wild*, which was already in a better state, also gets the 60fps treatment. And load times? Forget twiddling your thumbs while waiting for Hyrule to load. Switch 2 slashes those times in half, meaning you can get back to adventuring sooner.
However, it's not all perfect. Apparently, Nintendo's still using AMD's FSR1 upscaling tech (at least in *Tears of the Kingdom*), and there's no sign of Nvidia's DLSS. What does that mean for you, mate? Well, aliasing is still an issue, resulting in distracting 'pixel crawl'. It's a shame Nintendo didn't push for better upscaling, but the resolution boost does help.
So, should you splash the cash on the Switch 2 editions? If you've been holding off on playing these Zelda adventures, then yeah, absolutely. The performance and visual upgrades make a massive difference. But if you're already knee-deep in Hyrule, it's a tougher call. If those frame drops in *Tears of the Kingdom* drive you bonkers, then the upgrade is definitely worth considering. Either way, it's looking like the Switch 2 is shaping up to be a solid piece of kit for Zelda fans. Just don't expect perfection.
Tags: Zelda, Switch 2, Nintendo, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom
Original article: Eurogamer