I’ve shared a few different perspectives on the game as part of a recent Square Enix London event, including Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion, Harvestella, and Valkyrie Elysium, but I’ve had some additional experience, though fleeting Gone, but worth spending some time in the sun. So I’ve put my opinions on the Switch versions of Nier: Automata and Dragon Quest Treasures into one place to quickly get a set of impressions after a fleeting preview opportunity.
Neil: Automata – The End of Yola Edition
Although originally launched in 2017, NieR: Automata has yet to launch on the Nintendo Switch, which is all the more curious since developer Platinum Games has established a good relationship with Nintendo, as can be seen in the Bayonetta series. But luckily, the wait will soon be over, as NieR will debut on mixed platforms on October 6, and before that, as part of a Square Enix event in London, I Get a chance to experience the Switch version for yourself and see how it performs in a performance sense.
Clearly, the game runs just fine on Nintendo’s system, although you’d think the fast-paced combat would be limited by the platform’s technology. But it doesn’t, or at least, it hardly ever. Some elements aren’t delivered completely fluidly, especially the aiming system, which requires you to fight a bit with the Joy-Cons’ joysticks to get a perfect shot, again, since NieR likes to use a variety of different camera angles, many of which are Very zoomed out, this often results in some challenging visuals and scenes on the Switch’s smaller handheld display.
Still, even if that’s the case, the actual gameplay is very smooth and works very well. Combat retains its fast-paced nature, and the graphics themselves (though not on the same level as the game’s console or PC versions) are good enough for a portable gaming system. Platinum Games has done a great job of bringing this already great video game to the new medium, and if you haven’t had a chance to experience the game yet, the Switch version won’t be a bad place to start when it debuts in a few weeks.
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Dragon Quest Treasure
I wasn’t a huge fan of the Dragon Quest series before playing Dragon Quest Builders 2, but that game caught my eye on the series and made me appreciate it. So, when I saw that the upcoming Dragon Quest Treasure was going to play at the London event, I was excited to jump in and see what the opening parts of the game were all about. For those wondering, the title revolves around siblings Eric and Mia, who, after a lifetime on a Viking longship, decide it’s time to be alone under the instructions of two unusual supernatural beings Off to find treasure. This bizarre animal duo – essentially a winged pink and a winged green pig – leads Eric and Mia to the portal to the land of Draconia, where the hunt for treasure begins.
The gameplay of the game is similar to other Dragon Quest games in that you develop a team of monsters that you explore and fight. Monsters will attack hostile enemies to protect you, and you can also use them to find treasure and even reach new areas that Eric and Mia can’t access on foot. You’ll want to do this because finding the best loot is critical to the game’s progression system, which revolves around digging for treasure, bringing it back to your base, and expanding your base with worthwhile money.
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I’m going to keep this game short for now, as the demo I’m going to play itself is only very short, but I’ll add that both the graphics and art style make for a very engaging experience, and the whole game plays nicely on the Nintendo Switch Very good, very suitable for the platform. Add to that the signature charm and charisma of the Dragon Quest franchise, which is found in every character, and it’s clear that Dragon Quest Treasure is on its way to becoming one of December’s top games.