This game is proof that the developers at Ubisoft are incredibly talented and capable of truly great things when they're allowed to make something they actually want to make...
you dont need proof tgat one of the biggest game dev companies have phenomenal Devs, the issue is almost always the buissness aspect and not the artists
Yeah he must not have played through the whole game. I dare say, kingdom battle turns into expert-level strategy after a certain point… the difficulty spike was nuts! In a few levels you had to execute every move perfectly, lest you would get crushed. I actually didn’t know they patched in an easier mode lol, I might go back and finally finish it 😂
going based off my time with other tactical games maybe he just had a different set up going? granted idk to much how well kingdom battle can differ with play styles as i never personally played just watched some videos on it
Like he says, it's more of a "side"grade. Lots of clips from sparks of hope look gorgeous and full of detail. It's just that if you compare specific things or look just at the ground, yeah you can say one has more detail, but it's not inherently better or worse. It's a different art style. If the gameplay and camera were the same, it'd be a weird change, but it's obvious it was a tradeoff for how much more freedom you have with the camera and in gameplay.
Honestly I think it’s because the first game pushed the graphics so much that there really isn’t any more headroom for improvements. Sparks of Hope has a more complex gameplay and much larger areas with free camera movement that I don’t blame them for the graphic decisions
Kingdom battle is easy in the beginning but gets harder. A masterpiece on a level with Nintendo games. Of course i will buy soh. Idc how outdated it looks. Presentation and style are top notch in Kb.
@@alejandropradalozano6525 I was going to say this. The game does get legitimately challenging later on. The Donkey Kong DLC also cranks up the difficulty.
It was easy at the beginning but it didn’t stay that way to the end. I had a really hard time with the DK boss in Kingdom Battle. I think I had to look up a guide for that one
He could be a pro at x-com style games. I personally found some of the end levels to be fairly difficult especially with some of the literal bigger enemies. That being said: I only had maybe 1 or 2 battles that were very frustrating but that was more due to the enemy placements that were kind of bs but the rest were still fun. I loved KB way more then xcom 1 (I have yet to play the others).
Kingdom Battle was easy? Maybe if you grinded through every bit of content. I found its difficulty spikes pretty hard as someone who has never touched X-com.
I've heard a lot of good about the first game, so I'll be interested in checking this one out. Looks very fun. Looking at both games, I still like the cartoony look of Sparks of Hope, but do appreciate the better detail in the first game.
Kingdom battle starts very easy but there is an insane difficulty spike around 1/2-2/3 thru, which was where I fell off. I love difficulty in strategy games but I was getting sick of replaying levels from the very beginning… …My understanding is that Sparks of Hope has a difficulty slider available at all times? That’s cool
I definitely did not feel an insane difficulty spike in KB - personally felt extremely overpowered until the end. Which wasn't a bad thing, it's the kind of game that makes you feel smart!
I didn't find the game super challenging but I definitely agree that the curve was pretty inconsistent. Waiting for a sale on this one but I'm glad to hear it's making good changes imo
2 ปีที่แล้ว +4
Yes, I was surprised when the video said that the first game was very easy. I consider it one of the hardest Mario games. You really need to have a good sense of strategy to be able to beat it.
I think improving gameplay over graphics is the way to go. So very happy with the decisions made for the sequel by the de team. Gameplay first, always !!!
It isn't a definitive "improving" of gameplay tho. It is a different gameplay. I suspect some people will prefer it and others will prefer kingdom battles. They are 2 different gameplay experiences.
While I do agree gameplay is more important than graphics, I do wish Nintendo would put out a new, more powerful console soon so that there is less of a compromise on the visuals due to hardware limitations.
Got mine installed and waiting. Can’t wait. Kingdom Battle was most definitely not an easy game at all. It starts easy but very quickly becomes annoyingly difficult.
I think people seeing this will jump on the ‘downgrade’ bandwagon instead of taking it for what it is. It is still a beautiful game, it’s a slight change in art style, but offers so much more in scope. It is still stunning, it’s like a water colour painting with cgi assets running round.
I know that graphics don't mean everything, and that the Switch is capable of pulling off some nice visuals. However... you can't help but imagine how frustrating it must be for developers to have an artistic vision in mind, but be so restrained by hardware and have to make cuts and compromises to that vision.
I liked both games, but the first is much more beautifull and the world being integrated with the arenas was a much better choice. I hope they do a third game using the combat from the second game but the world structure from the first
Ollie's been knocking it out of the park lately. I'm surprised at the visual changes; but honestly, if it was necessary to accommodate the gameplay improvements, then Ubisoft made the right choice. I can't excuse the framerate however - they REALLY need to patch that. Would it be possible for DF to cover the Skyrim Anniversary update on Switch?
Am I missing something? I think the game looks great. I get that at a “technical level” some things were reigned in, but it also seems to add a lot. It’s the switch- of course it won’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s still a great game.
Those comparison shots remind me of the Mario Kart 8 base game vs. Booster Pass courses, but I’m inclined to say the freer camera and less linear environment make up for the loss in texture + model quality.
I just got a Switch Lite and my first game is Kingdom Battle. It is so beautiful. It's a shame how much worse does the sequel look. Yes, it's a different art direction, but overall it's just a simplification targeting cheaper assets and optimization.
i think it hilarious how when this game was first revealed switch fans said it looked too good for switch and how it was an upgrade from the first game, now digital foundry is talking about how much worse it looks lmfao
When I saw the trailers I understood immediately that something off with visual style. Switch can handle better graphic, but ubisoft as usual did not cear about whole quality of the game. This still fun, but it could be better. Also I wanted to see rayman origin and legends levels, but they decided use some generic assets.
We are missing a big issue of these titles being developed during the pandemic and only recently have offices really opened back up (in terms of lead terms)
2 ปีที่แล้ว +3
This is the second tech review in a few days that screams ”We need a more powerful Switch!”
I don't mind the visual "downgrade" if I have more freedom to control the camera. The downward angle of the camera in the "overworld" in the original game tended to make me nauseous over the course of long play sessions.
Personally, the more polygonal, painterly art style in Sparks of Hope seems a lot more like what a potential modern 3D Rayman game would look like, whereas Kingdom Battle mostly stuck to looking like a Mario game. As a Rayman fan who has spent nearly two decades hoping for another 3D platformer out of that franchise, that excites me
Always looked like an interesting game so I gave it a shot along with the expansion a few months ago, definitely worth the purchase! Nothing better than playing a game so late that the sequel is right around the corner lol
I feel like this game is evidence that it's time to move on to more powerful hardware. I applaud the team for choosing gameplay over visuals but I can't help but feel like they got held back by the hardware
@@jermainewright2556 it’s still a shame that games like Xenoblade 3, Bayonetta 3, Breath of the Kingdom, this, Prime 4 etc. are limited to looking worse than early Xbox 360/PS3 game. Also yeah - you need better hardware. For bigger areas, more seamless gameplay, more details, better AI, more interactive gameplay etc. All of these need more processing power.
I am quite disappointed in the art style change/graphics downgrade. If they bumped it up to 60fps then yeah, but it's still 30, this is going backwards. Also I liked the battle grid, it worked fine. Ain't broke so why fix?
The battle grid would be completely antiquated if I were to go back to it. The free movement, and 2 action points fits the strategy gameplay so well, and makes for so much more of a flow in the gameplay.
Feels like I'm the only one who disagrees with the changes to gameplay? At first it was freeing and felt good to play, but it comes with its own set of issues. Being able to move freely while also swapping between characters means there's so much more busy work in order to move them all to one spot to cast buffs, then move them back, then quickly toggle between two to maximise the team jump distance etc. Don't even get me started on dashing, vaulting and getting stuck behind models because you guessed the circles wrong. The discrete nature of the first game serves in providing clear information to the player with much less fiddling. On another note, imo the change of art direction to accomodate open worlds was not worth the trade off. The worlds in the first never felt small because they had amazing backgrounds that blended the spaces. The worlds in Sparks are instantly forgettable and after the first zone I never touched another side quest again.
@@ramonandrajo6348 Depends on how you subjectively view it.. Certain games are honestly just that good on Switch that the more sales it has, can only be a net benefit uwu
Love the side by side comparisons with Kingdom Battle. The look of SoH didn't impress me like the first game but I couldn't put my finger on why until I saw this review.
Fingers crossed Digital Foundry covers the Switch & PC ports of *Persona 5 Royal!* Really interested to see what concessions (if any) were made for the Switch, & what additional options (if any) PC offers for improved visual features.
I can't shake the feeling that this was created with better target hardware in mind and had to be scaled back, I'd expect frame rate dips from a game as lovingly crafted as this on Switch. I'm still looking forward to getting my hands on it and seeing how it improves on the original.
I'd much rather developers play into technical limitations with stylistic choices like this, than to simply try and have it all and then pare it back at the end.
I've been playing this the last couple of days and it's pretty good. I liked the first well enough, but it got mundane far too quickly; a good idea, but felt underdeveloped. Sparks of Hope, at least so far (I'm taking my time), has fixed most of my issues. Each character having their own unique weapon is pretty great on it's own. So yeah, I'll have to play more to really know how I feel, but so far it's a lot better than the first, which is great to see. I might get the deluxe whatever when it let's me later today. Also, the addition of actual voices for the rabbids is cute. They don't talk during the cutscenes, almost no one does, but them having voice lines at all gives them more personality I feel. I like it.
It's really interesting how you can tell the first game had more money put into it, while the second had more skill and experience behind its development
Thanks for the informative review. I'm hoping I can hold out until an upgraded Switch is available maybe next year, and then catch the game on sale, potentially with better performance. One note on the narration, your cadence was a bit off. Lots of unnecessary and jarring pauses that really made it feel like you were reading a script for the first time. Not horrible, just noticable. Anyway well done DF as always.
I really fell in love with the original. The sequel still looks cool in terms of gameplay, but the visually speaking it’s lost it’s charm in the pursuit for larger worlds. Honestly I would’ve been fine for more cutback resolution with some reconstruction and TAA to make up for it, and then have visuals more on par with the first game. This feels like going from Xenoblade 3 to Xenoblade X
@@wogardrodriguez9699 idk, i personally had my mind blown several times by the storyline. The music in the main city was my only complaint. And when *spoiler* a certain character betrays your group right before the final boss battle (I had him over leveled and it added like 5 hours to my gameplay just to get someone else up to par lol)
Can’t agree. The side-quests are far better than Xenoblade 1 or 2 with only 3 coming close. Same with how far you can customize your character. And I still enjoyed the main story more than Xenoblade 2 which was a slog until Chapter 7.
This is such an incredible game, one of the best games of recent years, the 1st one was ok, this one is a masterpiece. Switch is a gift which keeps on giving.
I love digital foundry Videos but who claims that kingdom Battle is super easy hasn‘t finished the complete Game. There are Dome very difficulty Missions even mentioning the dlc. I also think that the art direction is far superior in sparks of hope, actually I‘m kinda shocked that someone thinks the opposite
Even if a level never took me more than 3 tries, it took a fair amount of planning. LOoking at you, extra level where you have to fight 2 of every miniboss and several explosive boxes make up your only cover =
I’m a strategy game fan and I had to quit halfway through cuz some of those really long levels towards the end required a nearly perfect execution…and with no check points, it was excruciating.
This game has lot in common with Immortal Fenix Rising with the artstyle, but here it's much better. Immortal on Switch is a mess, this Mario seems very polished.
It's also related to the fact that from the beginning the title was designed for the switch, and is not a "port". So the engine, the art and the budget is really matched to the console. Whereas for Immortal, they were targetting more capable consoles without restraining on LODs and budgets. So without remaking the game, a port has to necessarily strip down some of the aspects of the game.
Waiting for your tech analysis on Plague Tale Requim, want to see the real ups and downs of the game as it was capped at 30fps and having performance issues on PS5.
They went with less visual fidelity to a more open world rpg design with dungeons and puzzles. which I think was good decision as going on a linear path from battle to battle would get boring. The biggest issue is that the switch is just way too underpowered. instead of making a great game it’s how do we get the game to run just to be somewhat playable.
Please do A Plague Tale: Requiem. Everyone is talking about how bad it is optimized and it can only be fully enjoyable in 4K ultra settings on a 4090. We need the debate settled.
Yet more proof that Nintendo needs to release a more powerful system and that art style can't alwyas mask the current system's massive limitations in practically every area these days.
I've gotten to the point where I'm not buying any new Switch software until we get a hardware upgrade. Sub-30 frame timing problems make me physically ill.
@@mikeuk666 Thank god digital foundry does not focus on Gameplay or Story telling, but the technical achievements and visual boundaries of a game, where Scorn truly shines.
It's shit though. Myst and The Witness are far better games. The only thing Scorn has going for it is the art style that they completely robbed. The motion blur is also really horrible on it, had to turn it off as it was making me dizzy, and that's the only game to ever make me feel like that.
@@fandangobrandango7864 Yeah no one in this channel cares about gameplay or story, again this channel focuses on visual capabilities and technical development, this is not the channel to discuss gameplay or narrative.
@@counterstriker3971 Or some people might genuinely want to see how the game performs. Sounds like you are getting triggered . Post better bait next time.
Huh, the first one looks way better, kinda baffling they downgraded the visuals so much for the second game since you said the first is five years old.
Great review! It’s a shame that such an amazing playing game is plagued by some tech issues. That said, the team behind this game is amazing and I have no doubt that as they release the DLC they will tighten up some of these issues.
I just got the gold edition and i love gameplay but the loading times are killing me, some movements kills are meh like extra dashes when in the old games one of the best was the "cleaner" that allow you to restore your ally back to normal once you jump on it
I think the bigger worlds are nice, but I didn't find myself wanting them. I appreciated the great graphics of the original despite it being on the switch. It's a shame to have lost that.
@@brosplit I agree to a point, but I think this ignores the advancements we’ve made. You don’t still play Pac-Man, because the gameplay got stale after so long, but if they release that exact same game with new levels, there would be a very small amount of people who would be willing to play it with that visual makeup. I love older titles, but it’s hard to ignore that pretty visuals make for a fun experience for the eyes and then solid mechanics make for a good experience for the brain. They work in concert and not at the exclusion of the other I believe. Basically there’s a balance, and I’m not implying this new title didn’t strike it. It’s a nice balance, but the older game had a great visual makeup and it was a lot of fun. This looks to be fun but isn’t what it could be visually as it’s limited to the switch. I wholeheartedly think the game would be more interesting if it looked better than the previous titles and retained the exact same mechanics.
@@hellsacolyte tldr. Huh? What same game? This Mario rabids have different gameplay & world type which have better appeal for me. Give me a better gameplay mechanic than fancy post processing.
This review spent way too much time explaining why the reviewer prefers the art style of the first game and that's cool but that was so long-winded. Get to the performance stats already!
@@GodSkul I'm sure it's coming, but I mean, a switch game has priority over a PC/PS5/SX release? For me it's not even that interesting, and a plague tale it's a game i want to get.
@@martinramirez9647 How is this giving a switch game priority. The review came out before so that means nothing. We have no idea when DF got ahold of the game so they can do a tech review
@@martinramirez9647 How self centered are you? Sparks of Hope will sell multiple orders of magnitude better than Plague Tale and reviewed (marginally) better. Of course, they'll prioritize it. I hear Plague Tale has tons of tech issues. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes much longer to dive into those than something like Sparks of Hope.
@@crestofhonor2349 because they get review copies weeks ahead.. you don’t make 2 switch videos over Scorn,Plague or uncharted.. I mean they can make videos with less views which equals less subscribers it’s their channel.
Way too harsh considering it looks great for a game with this open level design on the Switch, ofc is gonna look a bit worse in places than the original, a much more constrained game.
Agreed! I think people seeing this will jump on the ‘downgrade’ bandwagon instead of taking it for what it is. It is still a beautiful game, it’s a slight change in art style, but offers so much more.
@@Patr1ck2332 I agree too. I wonder if people would really notice anything if it wasn’t pointed out to them. While some things might be “constrained”, it adds more in an open level design.
This game is proof that the developers at Ubisoft are incredibly talented and capable of truly great things when they're allowed to make something they actually want to make...
you dont need proof tgat one of the biggest game dev companies have phenomenal Devs, the issue is almost always the buissness aspect and not the artists
It's not like their games get bad reviews. I think it's definitely the business end that's the issue.
I yearn for a new ambitious 3d rayman game. Maybe that team could do that in the future (hopefully not exclusive to switch though)
@@lolcat Their open world/live service games still sell like pancakes. Until that changes, I don't think they'll change their business model.
@@Masilya111 hopefully for everything except the switch. That hardware is seriously outdated. Don't want them to be held back by the switch
Kingdom Battle painfully easy? Did we play the same game? They even had to patch it with an easier mode!
Yeah he must not have played through the whole game. I dare say, kingdom battle turns into expert-level strategy after a certain point… the difficulty spike was nuts! In a few levels you had to execute every move perfectly, lest you would get crushed. I actually didn’t know they patched in an easier mode lol, I might go back and finally finish it 😂
going based off my time with other tactical games maybe he just had a different set up going? granted idk to much how well kingdom battle can differ with play styles as i never personally played just watched some videos on it
I mean yeah...if you have any experience playing modern tactical strategy games then Rabbids is easy, it's like a kids version of Xcom.
This was a fascinating look at how a subjective "downgrade" in graphics can happen in a sequel, which I think is quite rare.
Like he says, it's more of a "side"grade. Lots of clips from sparks of hope look gorgeous and full of detail. It's just that if you compare specific things or look just at the ground, yeah you can say one has more detail, but it's not inherently better or worse. It's a different art style.
If the gameplay and camera were the same, it'd be a weird change, but it's obvious it was a tradeoff for how much more freedom you have with the camera and in gameplay.
More objective than subjective - triangle count has lessened for environment models!
I am fine with the prioritising the world building and gameplay over the push for higher and higher fidelity graphics. Performance dips suck though.
Bayonetta 3 is another example. Seems to happen when the sequel aspires to be bigger than the original
Ff12 was a downgrade from ffx on the ps2
Honestly I think it’s because the first game pushed the graphics so much that there really isn’t any more headroom for improvements.
Sparks of Hope has a more complex gameplay and much larger areas with free camera movement that I don’t blame them for the graphic decisions
exactly! gameplay > graphics
Kingdom battle is easy in the beginning but gets harder. A masterpiece on a level with Nintendo games. Of course i will buy soh. Idc how outdated it looks. Presentation and style are top notch in Kb.
yeah have no idea what he means with "painfully easy" probably never played for too long
@@alejandropradalozano6525 I was going to say this. The game does get legitimately challenging later on.
The Donkey Kong DLC also cranks up the difficulty.
It was easy at the beginning but it didn’t stay that way to the end. I had a really hard time with the DK boss in Kingdom Battle. I think I had to look up a guide for that one
He could be a pro at x-com style games. I personally found some of the end levels to be fairly difficult especially with some of the literal bigger enemies. That being said: I only had maybe 1 or 2 battles that were very frustrating but that was more due to the enemy placements that were kind of bs but the rest were still fun. I loved KB way more then xcom 1 (I have yet to play the others).
this comment stuck out to me as well, oh well guess i must just suck and he's a gaming god. Thought it started easy and got difficult later.
Kingdom Battle was easy? Maybe if you grinded through every bit of content. I found its difficulty spikes pretty hard as someone who has never touched X-com.
I've heard a lot of good about the first game, so I'll be interested in checking this one out. Looks very fun.
Looking at both games, I still like the cartoony look of Sparks of Hope, but do appreciate the better detail in the first game.
You can get the original on sale for 10 bucks quite often. It’s a no brainer
First game is superb. I can't wait to play it really soon.
I was very unsure of the first game because I’m not fond of these types of turn-based games, but it’s one of the best Switch games ever made.
@@ramonandrajo6348 Cool. You do you.
Kingdom battle starts very easy but there is an insane difficulty spike around 1/2-2/3 thru, which was where I fell off. I love difficulty in strategy games but I was getting sick of replaying levels from the very beginning…
…My understanding is that Sparks of Hope has a difficulty slider available at all times? That’s cool
I definitely did not feel an insane difficulty spike in KB - personally felt extremely overpowered until the end. Which wasn't a bad thing, it's the kind of game that makes you feel smart!
facts
I didn't find the game super challenging but I definitely agree that the curve was pretty inconsistent. Waiting for a sale on this one but I'm glad to hear it's making good changes imo
Yes, I was surprised when the video said that the first game was very easy. I consider it one of the hardest Mario games. You really need to have a good sense of strategy to be able to beat it.
You should play Ironman in XCOM. It is more forgiving.
I think improving gameplay over graphics is the way to go. So very happy with the decisions made for the sequel by the de team. Gameplay first, always !!!
It isn't a definitive "improving" of gameplay tho. It is a different gameplay. I suspect some people will prefer it and others will prefer kingdom battles. They are 2 different gameplay experiences.
While I do agree gameplay is more important than graphics, I do wish Nintendo would put out a new, more powerful console soon so that there is less of a compromise on the visuals due to hardware limitations.
Got mine installed and waiting. Can’t wait. Kingdom Battle was most definitely not an easy game at all. It starts easy but very quickly becomes annoyingly difficult.
I've been waiting here for plague tale requiem & uncharted pc optimised settings video, why are they taking too long?
I think people seeing this will jump on the ‘downgrade’ bandwagon instead of taking it for what it is. It is still a beautiful game, it’s a slight change in art style, but offers so much more in scope. It is still stunning, it’s like a water colour painting with cgi assets running round.
It looks worse.
As an outside observer who's not played either title - it looks objectively worse!
@@Alfenium I mean yea but it still looks alright honestly. We're running on switch man
definitely a downgrade visually. is what it is tho
@@ramonandrajo6348 What do you even mean. Obviously a Nintendo first party game isn't going to run by emulation standards?
I know that graphics don't mean everything, and that the Switch is capable of pulling off some nice visuals. However... you can't help but imagine how frustrating it must be for developers to have an artistic vision in mind, but be so restrained by hardware and have to make cuts and compromises to that vision.
I liked both games, but the first is much more beautifull and the world being integrated with the arenas was a much better choice. I hope they do a third game using the combat from the second game but the world structure from the first
I CAN'T WAIT TO PICK UP THIS GAME! Either later today or tomorrow
@@ramonandrajo6348 what you play on ps3?
@youtubeaccount7544 its a portable/home system that plays Nintendo games of course everyone still plays it
Ollie's been knocking it out of the park lately. I'm surprised at the visual changes; but honestly, if it was necessary to accommodate the gameplay improvements, then Ubisoft made the right choice. I can't excuse the framerate however - they REALLY need to patch that.
Would it be possible for DF to cover the Skyrim Anniversary update on Switch?
Am I missing something? I think the game looks great. I get that at a “technical level” some things were reigned in, but it also seems to add a lot. It’s the switch- of course it won’t have all the bells and whistles, but it’s still a great game.
Those comparison shots remind me of the Mario Kart 8 base game vs. Booster Pass courses, but I’m inclined to say the freer camera and less linear environment make up for the loss in texture + model quality.
in a nutshell:
the FIRST game: better graphics
the SECOND game: better gameplay
I just got a Switch Lite and my first game is Kingdom Battle. It is so beautiful. It's a shame how much worse does the sequel look. Yes, it's a different art direction, but overall it's just a simplification targeting cheaper assets and optimization.
i think it hilarious how when this game was first revealed switch fans said it looked too good for switch and how it was an upgrade from the first game, now digital foundry is talking about how much worse it looks lmfao
When I saw the trailers I understood immediately that something off with visual style. Switch can handle better graphic, but ubisoft as usual did not cear about whole quality of the game. This still fun, but it could be better. Also I wanted to see rayman origin and legends levels, but they decided use some generic assets.
04:35 “Shards of Hope”😂 I like the name 😊 to be serious, great video as always Oliver
So disappointed to see the visual design failed back, was a joy in the first one
We are missing a big issue of these titles being developed during the pandemic and only recently have offices really opened back up (in terms of lead terms)
This is the second tech review in a few days that screams ”We need a more powerful Switch!”
tell me you didn't complete the game without telling me you didn't complete the game:
"Kingdom Battle was almost painfully easy"
I don't mind the visual "downgrade" if I have more freedom to control the camera. The downward angle of the camera in the "overworld" in the original game tended to make me nauseous over the course of long play sessions.
Personally, the more polygonal, painterly art style in Sparks of Hope seems a lot more like what a potential modern 3D Rayman game would look like, whereas Kingdom Battle mostly stuck to looking like a Mario game. As a Rayman fan who has spent nearly two decades hoping for another 3D platformer out of that franchise, that excites me
Always looked like an interesting game so I gave it a shot along with the expansion a few months ago, definitely worth the purchase! Nothing better than playing a game so late that the sequel is right around the corner lol
I feel like this game is evidence that it's time to move on to more powerful hardware. I applaud the team for choosing gameplay over visuals but I can't help but feel like they got held back by the hardware
@@jermainewright2556 it’s still a shame that games like Xenoblade 3, Bayonetta 3, Breath of the Kingdom, this, Prime 4 etc. are limited to looking worse than early Xbox 360/PS3 game.
Also yeah - you need better hardware. For bigger areas, more seamless gameplay, more details, better AI, more interactive gameplay etc. All of these need more processing power.
@@jermainewright2556 A great game is even better with good performance and resolution.
@@EonHSD you obviously never played early 360/ps3 games if you say that, damn some fanboys xD
I have it phsyically for a day now and its awesome. highly recommend. much much better than the first game. which was also great.
How noticeable is the frame drops? Does it happen often or for too long?
@@davidsalsberry5748 I havent noticed any frame drops. Its not an action game so you dont really care about it anyway.
I am quite disappointed in the art style change/graphics downgrade. If they bumped it up to 60fps then yeah, but it's still 30, this is going backwards. Also I liked the battle grid, it worked fine. Ain't broke so why fix?
The battle grid would be completely antiquated if I were to go back to it. The free movement, and 2 action points fits the strategy gameplay so well, and makes for so much more of a flow in the gameplay.
4:35 Shards of Hope, whoops 😅
Feels like I'm the only one who disagrees with the changes to gameplay? At first it was freeing and felt good to play, but it comes with its own set of issues.
Being able to move freely while also swapping between characters means there's so much more busy work in order to move them all to one spot to cast buffs, then move them back, then quickly toggle between two to maximise the team jump distance etc. Don't even get me started on dashing, vaulting and getting stuck behind models because you guessed the circles wrong.
The discrete nature of the first game serves in providing clear information to the player with much less fiddling.
On another note, imo the change of art direction to accomodate open worlds was not worth the trade off. The worlds in the first never felt small because they had amazing backgrounds that blended the spaces. The worlds in Sparks are instantly forgettable and after the first zone I never touched another side quest again.
While I definitely prefer the look of the first game when you flip between the two, I still very much look forward to playing the new one.
@@ramonandrajo6348 Great games deserve good sales, though!
@@ramonandrajo6348
Depends on how you subjectively view it..
Certain games are honestly just that good on Switch that the more sales it has, can only be a net benefit uwu
I do think Kingdom Battle does still look better graphicly as a whole! But I am still looking forward to this release.
Love the side by side comparisons with Kingdom Battle. The look of SoH didn't impress me like the first game but I couldn't put my finger on why until I saw this review.
I much prefer the art direction of the first. Was such a big selling point for me
Fingers crossed Digital Foundry covers the Switch & PC ports of *Persona 5 Royal!*
Really interested to see what concessions (if any) were made for the Switch, & what additional options (if any) PC offers for improved visual features.
Everyone: Uncharted and a plague tale requiem pc performance test and Port Analysis.
DF: So here's a Mario Game with rabbits.
Nah that's just you. I was more interested in Mario than any of the games you mentioned.
Really cant wait for your plague tale Requiem Tech Analysis!!
I'll definitely pick this up next year when it's $17 for the full game and all DLC. :D
I can't shake the feeling that this was created with better target hardware in mind and had to be scaled back, I'd expect frame rate dips from a game as lovingly crafted as this on Switch. I'm still looking forward to getting my hands on it and seeing how it improves on the original.
4:35 Shards of hope 😀
I'd much rather developers play into technical limitations with stylistic choices like this, than to simply try and have it all and then pare it back at the end.
Ubisoft Milans team are seriosuly underrated
I've been playing this the last couple of days and it's pretty good. I liked the first well enough, but it got mundane far too quickly; a good idea, but felt underdeveloped. Sparks of Hope, at least so far (I'm taking my time), has fixed most of my issues. Each character having their own unique weapon is pretty great on it's own. So yeah, I'll have to play more to really know how I feel, but so far it's a lot better than the first, which is great to see. I might get the deluxe whatever when it let's me later today. Also, the addition of actual voices for the rabbids is cute. They don't talk during the cutscenes, almost no one does, but them having voice lines at all gives them more personality I feel. I like it.
Daaamn crazy how a 5 year old game looks way better than its sequel
It's really interesting how you can tell the first game had more money put into it, while the second had more skill and experience behind its development
It looks a lot like Immortals Fenyx Rising's style. But more optimized for the Switch.
Thanks for the informative review. I'm hoping I can hold out until an upgraded Switch is available maybe next year, and then catch the game on sale, potentially with better performance. One note on the narration, your cadence was a bit off. Lots of unnecessary and jarring pauses that really made it feel like you were reading a script for the first time. Not horrible, just noticable. Anyway well done DF as always.
I'm already playing it. Yes, the looks of the first game where more polished, but on the gameplay side the secuel is more depth and fun.
I really fell in love with the original. The sequel still looks cool in terms of gameplay, but the visually speaking it’s lost it’s charm in the pursuit for larger worlds. Honestly I would’ve been fine for more cutback resolution with some reconstruction and TAA to make up for it, and then have visuals more on par with the first game.
This feels like going from Xenoblade 3 to Xenoblade X
Xenoblade X, aka XENOBLADE BEST
@@ambrosiajam8008 Just in the open world aspect, the rest its "crap" compare to the mainline trilogy.
@@wogardrodriguez9699 idk, i personally had my mind blown several times by the storyline. The music in the main city was my only complaint. And when *spoiler* a certain character betrays your group right before the final boss battle (I had him over leveled and it added like 5 hours to my gameplay just to get someone else up to par lol)
Can’t agree. The side-quests are far better than Xenoblade 1 or 2 with only 3 coming close. Same with how far you can customize your character. And I still enjoyed the main story more than Xenoblade 2 which was a slog until Chapter 7.
@@Ramona122003 I really love Xenoblade X. I’m just saying the visuals in this game feel like going from Xenoblade 3 to Xenoblade X.
This is such an incredible game, one of the best games of recent years, the 1st one was ok, this one is a masterpiece. Switch is a gift which keeps on giving.
Yeah, so I'm still going to say that we need a new backwards compatible Switch
I love digital foundry Videos but who claims that kingdom Battle is super easy hasn‘t finished the complete Game. There are Dome very difficulty Missions even mentioning the dlc. I also think that the art direction is far superior in sparks of hope, actually I‘m kinda shocked that someone thinks the opposite
Yeah I recall people being very surprised at how challenging it was especially for a "Mario" game.
Even if a level never took me more than 3 tries, it took a fair amount of planning. LOoking at you, extra level where you have to fight 2 of every miniboss and several explosive boxes make up your only cover =
I’m a strategy game fan and I had to quit halfway through cuz some of those really long levels towards the end required a nearly perfect execution…and with no check points, it was excruciating.
Honestly, this makes me curious about what the developers can do with the Switch 2.
Switch U 😭
Switch Cube
@@BBWahoo Switching it up.
0:14 that burn!
This game has lot in common with Immortal Fenix Rising with the artstyle, but here it's much better. Immortal on Switch is a mess, this Mario seems very polished.
I mean, Immortal Fenyx Rising is not made by the same Ubisoft team. Also the game don't even use the same engine (Anvil Next).
It's also related to the fact that from the beginning the title was designed for the switch, and is not a "port". So the engine, the art and the budget is really matched to the console. Whereas for Immortal, they were targetting more capable consoles without restraining on LODs and budgets. So without remaking the game, a port has to necessarily strip down some of the aspects of the game.
Waiting for your tech analysis on Plague Tale Requim, want to see the real ups and downs of the game as it was capped at 30fps and having performance issues on PS5.
I like Oliver, but where have Tom/John been for these? Also, where are Scorn and Plague tale?
I heard John's only doing retro gaming vids for the most part now.
In all the comparisons, I feel like sparks of hope was still more visually pleasing every time. Maybe it's the choice of colors or something
They went with less visual fidelity to a more open world rpg design with dungeons and puzzles. which I think was good decision as going on a linear path from battle to battle would get boring. The biggest issue is that the switch is just way too underpowered. instead of making a great game it’s how do we get the game to run just to be somewhat playable.
4:35
"Shards of Hope"
Lol
4:35 "Shards of hope"
For me it's proof that we really need new Switch
@Pepeo the silent hill gamecat yes! That's exactly what Nintendo should do
I thought John was going to take this one. Now we know who has the Ragnarok review code.
Please do A Plague Tale: Requiem. Everyone is talking about how bad it is optimized and it can only be fully enjoyable in 4K ultra settings on a 4090. We need the debate settled.
4:35 - 'Shards' of hope??
0:47 the left joy con isn't down all the way and it's pissing me off
Gotta wait until december 2nd, Japan release is 6 weeks later for whatever reason.🙄
Import it
Yet more proof that Nintendo needs to release a more powerful system and that art style can't alwyas mask the current system's massive limitations in practically every area these days.
This month is a good month for Switch owners.
When are we getting the graphical analysis of Plague Tale Requiem and Uncharted PC?
I've gotten to the point where I'm not buying any new Switch software until we get a hardware upgrade. Sub-30 frame timing problems make me physically ill.
It's a good stance.
Y'all better be cooking the Scorn review. we have an unmatched visual masterpiece in front of us.
@@mikeuk666 Thank god digital foundry does not focus on Gameplay or Story telling, but the technical achievements and visual boundaries of a game, where Scorn truly shines.
Go watch a movie lad
@@jdanielortega Have you just been ignoring most DF videos for the past 3 years?
It's shit though. Myst and The Witness are far better games. The only thing Scorn has going for it is the art style that they completely robbed. The motion blur is also really horrible on it, had to turn it off as it was making me dizzy, and that's the only game to ever make me feel like that.
@@fandangobrandango7864 Yeah no one in this channel cares about gameplay or story, again this channel focuses on visual capabilities and technical development, this is not the channel to discuss gameplay or narrative.
I'll get this game on my Nintendo Switch 🤠
Where is Tom Morgan been? Does he still work for DF?
Just did the OW2 video.
@@Ayoul I don't care about OW, so I didn't watch it... Rom used to be the go to for Nintendo Switch videos, so that's why I asked.
Plague Tale Requiem tech Analysis when?
Looking forward to console warring over a few pixels and a few frames are we? How boring
@@counterstriker3971 Or some people might genuinely want to see how the game performs. Sounds like you are getting triggered . Post better bait next time.
Huh, the first one looks way better, kinda baffling they downgraded the visuals so much for the second game since you said the first is five years old.
VO audio quality seems better now? thx
Very detailed and well made video!
Great review! It’s a shame that such an amazing playing game is plagued by some tech issues. That said, the team behind this game is amazing and I have no doubt that as they release the DLC they will tighten up some of these issues.
The first game really beautiful and typical mario/nintendo games
The second game looks like immortal fenix which is same ubisoft games
SoH looks good, but Kingdom Battle looks awesome
I’m wondering if there’s going to be an update for the frame rate stuff, especially since we already know we’re getting DLC
You spoke a lot about gameplay features, but I did not hear anything about the story. How is the narrative?
I just got the gold edition and i love gameplay but the loading times are killing me, some movements kills are meh like extra dashes when in the old games one of the best was the "cleaner" that allow you to restore your ally back to normal once you jump on it
Yay thank you!!
Are you guys going to cover scorn? Such a beautifully grotesque game.
What a great review.
There’s a spark of hope you’ll like this more than the Switch port of No Man’s Sky
Joguinhos bonitos demais! Mandaram bem nessa parceria
Oliver has been carrying this channel lately
I think the bigger worlds are nice, but I didn't find myself wanting them. I appreciated the great graphics of the original despite it being on the switch. It's a shame to have lost that.
What are you talking about.
The graphics are still great.
@@Lock2002ful they’re good, but not near as good as it was imo.
@@hellsacolyteI favour the gameplay over graphic. Nifty post-processing or particle effects are nice but gameplay is what makes or breaks video games.
@@brosplit I agree to a point, but I think this ignores the advancements we’ve made. You don’t still play Pac-Man, because the gameplay got stale after so long, but if they release that exact same game with new levels, there would be a very small amount of people who would be willing to play it with that visual makeup.
I love older titles, but it’s hard to ignore that pretty visuals make for a fun experience for the eyes and then solid mechanics make for a good experience for the brain. They work in concert and not at the exclusion of the other I believe.
Basically there’s a balance, and I’m not implying this new title didn’t strike it. It’s a nice balance, but the older game had a great visual makeup and it was a lot of fun. This looks to be fun but isn’t what it could be visually as it’s limited to the switch. I wholeheartedly think the game would be more interesting if it looked better than the previous titles and retained the exact same mechanics.
@@hellsacolyte tldr. Huh? What same game? This Mario rabids have different gameplay & world type which have better appeal for me. Give me a better gameplay mechanic than fancy post processing.
Anyone else noticed blurred text when turning the camera too fast?
This looks amazing it MUST run on the Switch Pro!!
U know it lol
Modders to the rescue!
This review spent way too much time explaining why the reviewer prefers the art style of the first game and that's cool but that was so long-winded. Get to the performance stats already!
Cry less
@@The_Ostrich cry more! who cares about graphics when the gameplay is massively improved
And here I am waiting for a plague tale requiem to be reviewed
It's coming I'm sure.
@@GodSkul I'm sure it's coming, but I mean, a switch game has priority over a PC/PS5/SX release? For me it's not even that interesting, and a plague tale it's a game i want to get.
@@martinramirez9647 How is this giving a switch game priority. The review came out before so that means nothing. We have no idea when DF got ahold of the game so they can do a tech review
@@martinramirez9647 How self centered are you? Sparks of Hope will sell multiple orders of magnitude better than Plague Tale and reviewed (marginally) better. Of course, they'll prioritize it.
I hear Plague Tale has tons of tech issues. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes much longer to dive into those than something like Sparks of Hope.
@@crestofhonor2349 because they get review copies weeks ahead.. you don’t make 2 switch videos over Scorn,Plague or uncharted.. I mean they can make videos with less views which equals less subscribers it’s their channel.
Way too harsh considering it looks great for a game with this open level design on the Switch, ofc is gonna look a bit worse in places than the original, a much more constrained game.
Agreed! I think people seeing this will jump on the ‘downgrade’ bandwagon instead of taking it for what it is. It is still a beautiful game, it’s a slight change in art style, but offers so much more.
@@Patr1ck2332 I agree too. I wonder if people would really notice anything if it wasn’t pointed out to them. While some things might be “constrained”, it adds more in an open level design.