Assassin's Creed Shadows is hands-down one of the best Assassins Creed games of the last decade, but does it run well on the Nintendo Switch 2?

The short answer is "Yes, but...", because it's hard to call this particular port an all-round win. At launch, my answer would have been "No", as I was plagued by hard crashes and constant frame rate fluctuation that made the game near unplayable.

Thankfully, Ubisoft has bucked the trend in more ways than one with Assassin's Creed Shadows. Not only did the Switch 2 port land mere months after the game's console release, but a major patch arrived just two weeks later, fixing a vast majority of the game-breaking issues. I'm reviewing the (now broadly) fixed port, so I won't languish on those early problems too much.

We reviewed the game itself earlier this year, scoring it an impressive 4.5/5 for its rich combat system, ample content, and dual-protagonist system, and all of these highlights naturally carry across to the Switch port.

The story pacing is a little slow in places, and as Managing Editor Rob Dwiar noted, it peters out the further you get along in Naoe and Yasuke's journey, but broadly speaking, it's a brilliant game worth picking up. If you want our full thoughts on the game's story, combat system and beyond, check out our original review.

Performance, on the other hand, is naturally very different on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console, and concerns over whether the Switch 2 could handle such a meaty game – especially in handheld mode – were clearly justified. Still, I'm impressed.

No man left behind

Shadows is the first Assassin's Creed game to really capture my interest since Black Flag. However, being a Nintendo fan can spell disappointment when it comes to ports; not only do you have to wait longer for a well-optimized version, but the optimization process can also involve removing some content.

With this Switch 2 port, however, you get full access to the game in its entirety (barring, as of writing, the DLC) as well as cross-save, meaning you can pick up where you left off on your PS5, Xbox, or gaming PC.

You do benefit from a few further features fit for the Switch 2's form factor - and, contain your excitement, that means touchscreen menus. Of course, the real benefit is being able to crack your way through the game's many side quests and explorable regions without being glued to your TV or desktop.

More than this, though, some elements of the game have been revamped to suit the Switch 2, and the game makes great use of the console's hardware. Switching from docked to handheld mode is seamless, with automatic UI adjustments for easy transitions, for example.

Impressively, the Nintendo Switch 2 can convincingly render 16th-century Feudal Japan in great detail despite the obvious hardware limitations, achieving this feat with clever optimizations for both handheld and docked modes. In fact, having experienced how bad it could be pre-patch, I can appreciate all the more the ways Ubisoft has crammed this massive, sprawling game into such a small package.

A downgrade, but no downer

In part, that's thanks to Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which works to upscale lower resolution images in the background. Although capped at 30fps, the game remains highly immersive and visually stunning, especially now that this framerate is more stable post-patch.

Where pre-patch, dense areas and busy combat could lead to huge stutters and even forced ejection to the menu, the game now runs impressively smoothly, though I wouldn't quite go as far as to call it buttery. You'll still occasionally find loading into a new area a bit choppy, and loading screens themselves can be quite intensive on the system.

You're obviously not getting the fidelity of a more powerful console like the PS5 Pro's Ray Tracing tech, but all things considered, the world is rich and immersive. When you hone in on the finer details, you'll notice the cracks more; the lack of light and shade and textures like water look a little cartoonish, crowds of NPCs are thinner, the level of detail in distant objects is lower, and the movements of clothing and facial expressions all suffer a little, but it isn't enough to prevent you from enjoying the game overall.

Docked and handheld mode respectively.

There are more glaring issues that break immersion, like the occasional pop-in and anti-aliasing shimmer. In docked mode, these feel more offensive, but Assassin's Creed Shadows really shines in handheld mode, where the smaller screen can compensate for the game's overall quality, plus a dedicated algorithm keeps variable refresh rate (VRR) enabled even at 30 FPS, according to developers.

Despite this, and that I preferred playing in handheld mode overall, the game can be almost blurry at times, and you'll most certainly notice the difference in the level of detail.

Fundamentally, all the moments that really matter in an Assassin's Creed game stick the landing in the post-patch version of the game; combat is snappy and rewarding, unlocking vantage points oozes grandeur and marvel, and naturally, the world is a delight to explore on foot, too.

If you're coming across from a more powerful console, prepare for an adjustment period, but if it's your first time playing Assassin's Creed Shadows, you may come away thinking that's how the game was always meant to play, and that's a real testament to a well-made port.

Should you play Assassin's Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility

Ubisoft’s modern suite of strong accessibility options is available in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are multiple difficulty levels (all of which are described in full) that affect combat and stealth, and you can also change the game to have one-hit assassinations. If you want to make exploration easier, you can turn on guidance for that to make discovery more straightforward.

There are options to change or turn off graphic effects such as blood, as well as alter the camera, and change inputs for actions. There are also plenty of options for subtitles, text size, background color for text, and language options. The game also features modes to cater to Red-Green and Blue-Yellow colorblindness.

How I reviewed Assassin's Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2

I've spent 20 hours in Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2, comparing my experience against that of our original reviewer and Xbox Series X performance to assess how well optimized the game is for the console.

In that time, I explored vast swathes of feudal Japan, engaged in plenty of combat sequences, developed my hideout and progressed through the storyline to make my comparisons.

I reviewed Assassin’s Creed Shadows on my Nintendo Switch 2 in both handheld and docked mode using a Corsair Void Max Wireless v2 headset and through the Switch 2 speakers.

First reviewed January 2026

PNY microSD Express Card: review

The PNY microSD Express Card is one of the fastest Nintendo Switch 2 cards that I’ve tested.

In my benchmarks, the 256GB model achieved a staggering 712.42MB/s write speed - blowing past the competition and coming impressively close to the manufacturer’s claimed 750MB/s performance.

It also excels when it comes to read speed, actually achieving above the claimed 890MB/s with 893.74MB/s in my testing. This difference is likely all down to different conditions and equipment, but it’s safe to say that this card is quick. Its read speed is practically neck and neck with the licensed SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 - a model that’s officially endorsed by Nintendo.

What does this all mean in practical terms? Well, the PNY MicroSD Express Card is fantastic to use with a Nintendo Switch 2. Internet providing, games download quickly and everything runs smoothly while you play. I tested the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and Hitman World of Assassination - Signature Edition, two very demanding Nintendo Switch 2 games, and didn’t observe any noticeable performance decrease in either - be that missed frames, slow-to-load models, or increased load times.

Best of all, the 256GB PNY MicroSD Express Card is practically the same price as its major competition. At $59.99 / £59.99 / around AU$100, the leading write speed is a good reason to pick this card over the alternatives. This is the case for the warranty too, with PNY offering a five year or “limited lifetime warranty” in some regions.

This refers to the lifetime of the card (not you) and doesn’t cover you if PNY stops making them, but should otherwise see you through the life of the Nintendo Switch 2 at least - just make sure that you hang on to your proof of purchase and retail packaging in case you need to claim it.

PNY is also one of the few manufacturers offering a cheaper 128GB model, which goes for $44.99 / £39.99 (or even less in sales), allowing players with very modest storage needs to avoid paying more for storage that they don’t need.

There is a catch when you start looking at variants above 256GB, though. There’s a recently released 512GB model on the market that comes in at $119.99 / around £150, but seems to be very hard to find outside of the US right now. There’s no 1TB model yet either, leaving those with massive libraries better off with the competing Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card instead.

PNY microSD Express Card: Price and specs

Should I buy the PNY microSD Express Card?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Here’s how the PNY microSD Express Card stacks up against two major competitors.

How I tested the PNY microSD Express Card

• Tested over a period of multiple weeks
• Compared to other microSD Express cards
• Measured using standardized benchmark tests

I tested the PNY microSD Express Card alongside multiple other microSD Express units over a period of multiple weeks. During that time I used the card with my personal Nintendo Switch 2, evaluating its performance across a range of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games.

To obtain comparison data, I benchmarked the card against the competition in a series of standardized tests. I measured the sequential read and write speed of each card using a standardized benchmark via CrystalDiskMark in its default flash memory settings.

To do this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card Reader, which has an active cooling fan.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card: review

The Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card has been my Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express card of choice since it arrived at TechRadar Gaming HQ a few months ago.

As the very first 1TB microSD Express model to hit the market, it’s one of your few options if, like me, you need loads of storage for an absolutely mega Nintendo Switch 2 game library. Pair this fact with its solid results in benchmarks and brilliant performance in real-world use, and you have the ultimate upgrade for Nintendo’s latest console - provided you can afford it.

At $58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34, the 256GB version of the Lexar Play Pro Micro SD Express Card is almost bang on the price of its biggest competition, the officially licensed SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2. Lexar also smartly offers a slightly more affordable 128GB edition, so those with very modest storage needs can save a little cash.

The star of the show is that aforementioned 1TB variant, though, which comes in at a much more premium $199.99 / £199.99 price. In my eyess this is very fair for what you get, especially when you factor in the strong 831.97MB/s read speed it achieved in my benchmarks.

This is very close to the 900MB/s read speed claimed by the manufacturer, with the difference easily attributable to differing testing conditions. The card fared much worse when it comes to write speed, however, reaching 310.03MB/s, which is just over half of the claimed 600MB/s.

Sure, some other cards do reach higher speeds (much higher, when it comes to write speed), like the aforementioned SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 or competing PNY microSD Express Card, but you’d be hard-pressed to notice any tangible difference in the real world.

I experienced no issues at all with missed frames, slow-to-load assets, or noticeably elevated load times in any of the titles that I’ve played using this card, which ranged all the way from graphically demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition to less intense adventures such as Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.

Nothing quite compares to the freedom of knowing that you won’t have to fiddle around to find space in order to install each new game that you get, and, for that, the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card comes emphatically recommended.

Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card: Price and specs

Should I buy the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Want to compare the Lexar Micro SD Express Card to its biggest competition? Here are two strong alternatives to weigh up.

How I tested the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card

• Used for multiple months
• Tested against other microSD Express cards
• Subjected to standardized benchmark tests

As I previously mentioned, the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card has been my personal Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express card of choice since it arrived a few months ago. In my time with the card, I’ve used it almost daily with my own Nintendo Switch 2, constantly evaluating its performance in a wide range of games.

I also benchmarked the card against the competition in a series of standardized tests, recording and comparing the results directly. I measured the sequential read and write speed of each card using a standardized benchmark via CrystalDiskMark in its default flash memory settings.

To do this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card Reader, which features an active cooling fan. This was provided by Lexar alongside the Lexar Micro SD Express Card for the purpose of this review.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed November 2025

SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2: review

If you’re looking for one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 microSD Express cards, then you can’t go wrong with the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2.

This recent release from storage giant SanDisk is officially licensed by Nintendo, so you don’t need to worry about any potential compatibility issues. It also boasts an attractive Mario red design that helps it stand out compared to the numerous non-gaming options on the market.

It even comes in cheaper than some unlicensed alternatives like the PNY microSD Express Card - at least for the time being - so you’re not getting ripped off for wanting a Nintendo-approved model. The card performed well in benchmarks, achieving an average read speed of 894.4 MB/s and write speed of 674.1 MB/s and even beating the manufacturer’s own claimed figures (though this is likely just the result of different testing conditions).

It was actually the fastest read speed among the models that I tested for comparison, which included the aforementioned PNY alternative and the officially licensed Samsung microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2.

It also impresses in the real world. As you would expect, given those strong benchmark results, I never experienced any noticeable loading time slowdowns while playing fast-paced games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

File transfer speeds on the console itself were good, too. My 60.5GB installation of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was copied to the micro SD Express card in a total of 14 minutes and 25 seconds, then moved back to the internal storage in 12 minutes and 1 second. A smaller game, the brand new Pokémon Legends: Z-A, moved to the card from the internal storage in 1 minute 48 seconds, then back in 1 minute 16 seconds.

This is one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, and the only downside is your limited options when it comes to the card’s capacity. There’s just one 256GB model, which should be enough for most users, but not if you have a particularly large game collection. Hopefully, there will be some more variants on the way, but in the meantime, the great value Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card has you covered with its mega 1TB capacity.

SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2: Price and specs

Should I buy the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Not keen on the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2? Check out these worthy alternatives.

How I tested the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2

• Tested against other microSD Express Cards
• Using a range of benchmarks
• Real-world use also evaluated

I reviewed the SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 alongside three other Nintendo Switch 2-compatible microSD Express models, including the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card and PNY microSD Express Card, for the purposes of side-by-side comparison.

I tested the sequential read and write speed of each card using a standardised benchmark via CrystalDiskMark in its default flash memory settings. In order to facilitate this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card Reader, which features active cooling via a fan.

To see the real-world performance, I used each card with my personal Nintendo Switch 2 - playing a range of games and timing different file transfers on the system itself.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like a mega evolution for the franchise.

It draws on elements from the core series of games, the battle mechanics ripped from the anime, the exploration and freedom pioneered by Legends: Arceus, and a story focus that I feel we haven’t seen since the Gamecube’s XD: Gale of Darkness – which, alongside its predecessor Colosseum, are my two favorite Pokémon titles.

The final concoction produces a game that lands perfectly between familiar and fresh. It’s so delightfully moreish, I have struggled to rip myself away to write this review – or really do anything else other than play it since being sent my copy to try ahead of the game’s launch.

While there are a few areas where Legends: Z-A narrowly missed the mark – namely, difficulty scaling, there’s some battle bugginess, and Lumiose City isn’t quite varied enough to carry a whole game on its back – Legends: Z-A is easily the best Pokémon game I’ve played in years. I’d go as far as to say that this title might be the best since Mega Evolution was last seen in a mainline game.

My hope is that we see the series lean more deeply into what makes Z-A excellent, as with only a few minor tweaks, its formula could be perfect rather than near-perfect.

The best city there ever was

Visiting Lumiose City – the largest in the Kalos region – for a vacation, the player character is drafted in to help save it from a phenomenon known as Rogue Mega Evolution, which sees wild pokémon randomly mega evolve and cause havoc without a trainer (which shouldn’t be possible).

There’s also brewing tension between the people of Lumiose and Quasartico Inc., a technology firm renovating the city and introducing new Wild Zones – spaces in the streets which have been converted into safe havens for wild pokémon (allowing you to find and catch a pokédex worthy array of critters without ever leaving the city).

While I love the Wild Zones, and generally exploring rooftops, looking in trees, and delving into all sorts of hidden spaces to find new additions to my pokédex, the folks of Lumiose are not too pleased with their streets and parks being taken over by dangerous wild ‘mons.

When Legends: Z-A was announced, like many, I was skeptical that a single city could support a whole adventure, but it almost does.

There’s a lot more of Lumiose to explore since the last time we visited – I mean a lot, lot more – and its densely packed streets are filled with shops, side quests, parkour challenges, and the aforementioned wild pokémon, making it feel like a much more bustling space than any Pokémon game city has ever felt before.

Though the city can start to feel a little samey once you’re many hours into your journey.

The wild zones do mix things up, but they aren’t quite large enough to feel like truly distinct biomes – I’d love it if varied habitats much more drastically changed the landscape, or added a good range of exploration challenges to the space they overtake. This way, the map could feel like it evolves drastically as time goes on and would help sell the idea that Lumiose is being over taken by wild pokémon.

There are some changes, but in my playthrough so far, Lumiose has yet to feel unfamiliar.

Another minor gripe here: I wish the pokédex did a better job of highlighting specifically where non-Wild-Zone pokémon can be found – as there are a few ‘mons I know I’ve battled on a random rooftop somewhere, but now can’t locate again for the life of me.

Battle time

Another departure for the game is its approach to battling – a core component of the franchise which has remained practically unchanged since its introduction all the way back in Red and Blue.

Much like Legends: Arceus, you are as much a part of the fight as your partners – take too many hits and you’ll be knocked out. However, the big change is rather than the usual turn-based affair, fights are now real-time.

You can select moves as quickly as they cool down – each attack has its own timer – and this allows for more aggressive as well as more reactive defensive tactics. You can spam damaging moves in quick succession with a faster ‘mon, or you could hold up a Protect to defend against a finishing blow as your foe goes to launch it rather than wasting it on a weaker or set-up move where it wouldn’t be as useful.

There’s also some level of positioning. Based on where the player moves, your pokémon will follow – perhaps moving out of the way of attacks, which are now not only categorised as either physical or special, but also in how they materialise in different ways, such as ranged attacks, melee range attacks, charge attacks, and area of effect attacks.

With the debut of Pokémon Champions, the competitive scene will still focus on classic turn-based fights, but with Legends: Z-A’s online connectivity and a couple of battling competitions already planned, I am excited to see what new metas can be derived from this more anime-like approach to battle.

I do hope we see it return; however, I do think the battling needs two tweaks. For a start, I wish the type of attack (melee, ranged, etc) a move is was shown in the attack description to help remind me when I’m outfitting my Pokémon with its move pool – my current approach is somewhat trial and error.

I also found that because battles can happen anywhere, sometimes the environment causes some positioning bugs, including a Pokémon lining up for a ranged attack when a foe is much too far away, or Pokémon getting stuck on geometry, causing them to fight a wall rather than move to actually seek out their intended target.

Here I’ll throw in a mention of the Z-A Royale, this title’s alternative to the classic Gym Challenge. Instead of seeking out eight Gym Leaders for a badge, players must instead fight opponents in Battle Zones set up each night in Lumiose to earn a challenger ticket, to then take on a promotion match in order to progress to a new rank – starting at Z, and ending at A.

Progressing through the 26 ranks is far less tedious than I thought it might be, and the Battle Zones keep me coming back every night.

That’s because to build up points (and cash to afford the game’s wide array of mega stones), you must not only win fights but also complete optional challenges, which ask you to use specific moves or tactics in battle.

This shift away from Gym Leaders also helps to keep your opponents generally feeling more varied, as even if they openly have affinity towards a specific type, their teams generally aren’t one-note – meaning you can’t simply sweep with one super effective partner.

Call this a challenge?

Pokémon titles aren’t known for their difficulty, but it’s quite easy to outpace Legends Z-A if, like me, you’re the sort of trainer who’s desperate to complete their pokedex and complete every side mission as it appears.

Even just by pushing yourself that bit further in a Battle Zone (especially with a high-tier Red Canari plush that boosts your EXP) can mean you quickly become 5-10 levels higher than your competition – unless you decide to regularly swap some ‘mons out as you discover new companions for your team.

Being so over-levelled can make standard trainer battles feel somewhat trivial, and I wish there was some kind of difficulty scaling option so that my foes kept pace with me better. Perhaps with larger or higher-level teams.

At the same time, there are some challenges.

The Rogue Mega Evolution battles feel like proper boss fights, and the structure of wild zone brawls is a free-for-all – that is, if you disrupt five wild pokémon, then you’ll be faced with a five-on-one battle. In these boss and multi-mon brawls, it becomes apparent that as hardy as your team is, you, as a squishy human, aren’t as resilient.

I’ve not blacked out from my Pokémon being knocked out (so far), but I’ve definitely been bested by my player character being hit too many times while I still had a full team to protect me.

I get it’s a game aimed mostly at younger players so the difficulty can’t spike too high, but as the franchise persists as a game with a fanbase made up of kids and adults alike, and as the series pursues a more open-world design which can easily lead to over exploration and overlevelling, I’m firmly of the belief that difficulty options are more essential than ever.

Let’s get mega

I’ve yet to finish Pokémon Legends Z-A – at the time of writing, I’m about 25 hours into my adventure, and counting – but I’ve yet to discover any new entries to the pokédex.

Perhaps understandable given this title is set in modern-day Kalos only five years after we last visited the region – rather than being somewhere completely new to us, or set in a region we know but in the distant past, like with Hisui in the last Legends game.

Instead, we’re treated to a grand selection of brand-new mega evolutions. Some, like Hawlucha and Victreebel, have been spoiled by trailers, but just know there are plenty more on top of all the megas we already know and love.

I won’t be spoiling how many new megas we’ve got – or which pokémon are lucky enough to receive a new final form – but the picks cover a surprisingly broad range of fan favorites and more niche picks, and every new mega I saw felt like an excellent addition to the lineup.

There's also one other change to this mechanic. Rather than being able to mega evolve once per battle, and needing to recharge your bracelet at a Pokémon Center, you instead charge up your mega meter over time and can then mega evolve any of your pokémon, provided they have their corresponding mega stone in hand.

I love this change because it allows you to push on with your quests without constantly needing to heal, as well as allowing you to mix up your plans on the fly – even using two megas in one fight if needed.

That said, I did find this meant my teams generally gravitated towards almost exclusively mega stone-wielding ‘mons. A problem only exacerbated by Rogue Mega Evolution battles, which are near impossible to defeat without megas – and it’s not all that convenient to train up new mega pokémon as and when you need them, further cementing your team into one that generally ignores any item that isn’t a mega stone so that you're ready for any challenge.

No spoilers

Much like the new mega pokémon, I’m not about to spoil the game’s plot here, just know that I think it’s really fun.

Legends Z-A isn’t likely to win any awards for narrative design, but it succeeds in every metric for what I want from a Pokémon adventure.

That is it puts you at the center of the narrative in a way that makes sense; the missions offer a good range of low, medium and high stakes action that keep you on your toes and the adventure feeling varied; and the game doesn’t waste your time at the start – you can get right into the action with thankfully minimal exposition front loaded unlike some recent Pokémon entries (*cough* Pokémon Scarlett / Violet *cough*).

I thought Legends: Arceus was what I always wanted from a Pokémon game, but I was wrong. What I wanted was Pokémon: Legends Z-A.

It finds a way to simultaneously mix things up while gripping perfectly to a few core Pokémon pillars such that the end result can feel very different yet very recognisable all at once.

Yes, there are a few bits of fine-tuning to be done on this new formula, but it’s one that I desperately hope we see more of in the future.

If you’re a Pokémon fanatic like me, who are we kidding, I know you’ve already preordered the game before reading any reviews. Everyone else with a Nintendo Switch 2, however, should definitely consider picking this title up – even if you’re a lapsed fan or never touched a Pokémon game before.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like it could be the dawn of a new era for the series, one where the franchise understands what it wants to and should be – an understanding I sometimes wonder might have been lost since Pokémon games left 2D graphics behind with Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.

I desperately want to see more of what Pokémon Legends: Z-A delivered – and that one announced DLC won’t be enough, I’m certain of it. For now, I’m going to continue to savor this treat while I can, and I look forward to what the next Legends game and the Generation X games will bring when they’re ready.

Should you play Pokémon Legends: Z-A?

Don’t play it if…

Accessibility features

Beyond the Switch and Switch 2's built-in accessibility features like text-to-speech, the ability to remap buttons, and to change text size, among a few others, Pokémon Legends: Z-A has no additional accessibility features.

How I tested Pokémon Legends: Z-A

I played Pokémon Legends: Z-A on my Nintendo Switch 2 for 25 hours – which has allowed me to experience a lot of what the game has to offer, including many side quests and a lot of story, though I have yet to roll credits at the time of writing this piece.

I played it in handheld and docked mode using standard Switch 2 hardware – though I do use an 8Bitdo Ultimate 2 controller when I’m playing a Switch 2 game on my TV – spreading my time fairly evenly between each method. The game ran fine throughout all my tests in both modes.

As this is an early preview, none of the online functionality works, but this was the only key feature I wasn't able to try.

First reviewed October 2025