The first time I played Elden Ring, I spent a lot of time focusing on its flaws. They were just too easy to see at the end of a quick binge of every FromSoftware Soulsborne games. The boss fights aren’t as consistent and fun as Dark Souls III. The world isn’t as well-connected, dense, and surprising as Dark Souls. It certainly doesn’t have the atmosphere of Bloodborne or the razor-sharp combat of Sekiro.
The problems don’t stop there. Copy-pasted bosses and copy-pasted catacombs. Frankly horrendous platforming. Later maps lacking the grandeur and beauty of earlier places like Limgrave. The increasingly punishing boss design that works against certain builds, a problem the DLC expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, only doubles down upon. And oh boy, that camera.
Don’t get me wrong. I still absolutely loved most of my time with Elden Ring (as did our initial reviewer, Jerry Williams), and I still played Shadow of the Erdtree the moment it dropped and loved that even more, but I was just worn out by the end.
It’s strange, then, that I decided to review this Tarnished Edition, a new version that packages the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree along with some other goodies for the Switch 2. After all, while I have played a ton of Souls-likes since completing my Elden Ring run, there are still plenty more out there that I could spend my time on. Honestly, I think it was because I was mad I had to change my build for the (unpatched) final boss of Shadows of the Erdtree and I wanted to take him down my way this time.
This playthrough of Elden Ring Tarnished Edition turned out to be much more than a revenge tour, though. No, it instead helped bring into full focus what a masterpiece this game really is.
It took me a little while to get there, though, and it’s partially because of how Elden Ring performs on the Switch 2. To be clear, the game runs much better than early impressions suggested it might, but comparing it to the way it runs on a PS5, which I realize is unfair, is almost like looking at two different games. Here’s the thing, though: you pretty much get used to it, and for the most part, the deficiencies don’t interfere when it matters most.
In docked mode, things run at a capped 30 FPS, and that stays relatively consistent outside of chaotic boss fights, but even when meteors are flying at you and the screen stutters a little, it isn’t game-breaking. For me, the most distracting blips are related to everything else—the lighting, the draw distance, and the sharpness all leave a lot to be desired. There’s also a ton of pop-in. When the grandeur and beauty of the world are a huge part of what sets Elden Ring apart, it does have an impact. All of this gets just a little bit worse in the Shadow of the Erdtree areas, too.
I’m actually most impressed by handheld mode, which certainly is softer and performs worse than docked mode, but it’s surprisingly close. I didn’t notice additional frame drops, and I was perfectly capable of taking on some bosses without major problems.
Ultimately, I suspect most people will be pleased with Elden Ring‘s performance on the Switch 2, and if you either don’t have access to it elsewhere or you value taking it on the go, this is a perfectly acceptable way to play it. But make no bones about it: this is vastly inferior to many other versions. The additional add-ons, like two new classes, some armor, and the ability to throw some skins on your trusty steed Torrent (which are purchasable for other versions anyway) don’t do anything to move the needle.
None of that really matters, though, because Elden Ring still shines. I can finally see it. Part of my problem the first time around was that I wanted to play on my terms, in my way. You know, the way an obnoxious Souls player rolls: no summons, no shield, no spells. No, just me and my big ol’ sword. Items don’t fit into that philosophy, but I’m still going to explore every single part of the map, fight every boss, go through every catacomb. I’ll do every side quest, and I’ll look up what I miss. I need to do all the content and I need to do it in one way.
Of course, most of you reading this know that’s all wrong. My limited playstyle ignores the thing that truly distinguishes Elden Ring: freedom. Sure, a big part of that is the obvious—you have huge open spaces to explore and a variety of ways to access them. This is especially true in Shadow of the Erdtree, with a beautiful, somber, moody space that is vertical and connected in wonderfully surprising ways. But it’s about a lot more than that.
It’s freedom to adjust builds to meet the task, asking you to do more than simply memorize attack patterns. It’s the freedom to experience the story, the side quests and the wonderfully strange people who populate this space in whatever way you choose. And yes, it’s also the freedom not to do everything, not try to uncover every little nook and cranny. Will you be rewarded if you do? Sure. You’ll still have the tools you need if you don’t, though.
That’s what I did this time. I took the world as it came to me. I moved and adapted. I didn’t feel the need to follow up on every single thing. I just explored The Lands Between and used what was available to me. I didn’t get burned out by fighting the same bosses six separate times because I didn’t have to explore every catacomb. I didn’t feel the need to bash my head against a boss with my strength build because that’s my style. I used what I had.
Put simply, I played it as an RPG first and as an action game second. And that’s Elden Ring. It lets you do that, encourages you to do that, better than any other game I’ve played, and so yes, now I see what it’s all about.
It helps that I’ve played a lot of other Souls-likes since that first playthrough. And like the proper Soulsborne titles, some of them do things better than Elden Ring. Maybe they have more varied encounters. Maybe the camera doesn’t fight you at every turn. Maybe jumping isn’t so painful. But, even with all of this game’s flaws (and I stick by them), Elden Ring gives you the widest canvas to play with, it understands mood and scope, and it’s singular and important because of it.
If Switch 2 is your only means of playing Elden Ring, then by all means, it’s time to dive into The Lands Between. It may be best experienced elsewhere, but Tarnished Edition is still the complete experience with few caveats.
