Just 72 hours ago, we got the Nintendo Switch version of the Batman: Arkham Trilogy, which includes the three main Batman games developed by Rocksteady and now arriving on the Nintendo console. The title was initially scheduled for release about two months ago, but Warner Bros decided to delay it to provide “the best possible experience” to players. Unfortunately, it seems they haven’t achieved that.
The folks at Digital Foundry conducted an extensive comparison of the Dark Knight trilogy, a fifteen-minute video where they heavily criticize the port. They point out that both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City versions also have issues, which is unexpected considering they were originally released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Surprisingly, on superior hardware, not only is this hardware not utilized to its full potential, but it also exhibits problems with the frame rate, among other issues.
While both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City face criticism, Batman: Arkham Knight receives the harshest feedback. There was much anticipation to see how this game, originally released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox, would adapt to the Nintendo Switch hardware. According to Digital Foundry, this port is an “absolute disaster,” speaking volumes about the quality of the work done.
Although the game is expected to run at a locked 30 frames per second, the reality is quite different. It often hovers between 20 and 25 frames per second. Digital Foundry suggests that even capping the game at 25 FPS might have been a better solution.
“Batman: Arkham Trilogy is a complete failure. None of the games here meet expectations, and Arkham Knight is simply atrocious,” concludes the review. That’s harsh criticism indeed.
