The Nintendo Switch has been home to many ports of gaming’s recent past, even games that you may have never believed would have been playable in handheld form like The Witcher 3, Doom (2016), Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Now, we have both of the Redux versions of Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, two tremendous single-player FPSs out now Switch. And having put some time into both, I’m coming away wildly impressed–these are Switch ports done right.
You kind of know what you’re getting into when it comes to Switch versions of bigger games; lower resolutions, lower framerates, muddier textures, and toned-down effects. Those factors don’t necessarily diminish the quality of the game itself though, so long as it’s done within reason and the game remains playable. However, these Metro ports exceed what we’ve come to expect for Switch–they look sharp and run extremely well, all things considered. You can see for yourself in our gameplay footage below.
Naturally, the compromises are noticeable when playing in docked mode on a full size display, but Metro Redux is truly stunning in handheld mode. It’s not just that the condensed screen mitigates the perceivable blemishes of lower graphical fidelity, it’s that the graphical compromises are somewhat minimal as not to muddle or obscure overall visual clarity. Even lighting effects and character models, which are imperative to the Metro experience, still shine through.
