Is Batman Arkham Knight FINALLY FIXED On Switch!? Patch 1.0.3 Review

Summary

The video script discusses the disappointing performance of Batman: Arkham Knight on the Nintendo Switch, despite a significant update. The game, particularly when using the Batmobile, suffers from abysmal frame rates and visual issues, making it unplayable for some sections. The update, while attempting to address these concerns, has not significantly improved the game's performance, leading to frustration among players who expected a smoother experience. The reviewer suggests waiting for further patches before considering a purchase.

Takeaways

• 😀 The release of Batman: Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch was highly anticipated.
• 😔 Arkham Knight on Switch was criticized for poor performance, especially with the Batmobile.
• 🔍 After a long wait, a significant update was released, aiming to address some of the game's issues.
• 📉 The update took over an hour to download, indicating its size and potential impact on the game's performance.
• 🕹️ Frame rates were still problematic post-update, with interiors running at 25-27 FPS and significant drops during gameplay.
• 🚗 The Batmobile sections remained unplayable due to abysmal frame rates and stuttering.
• 📱 Handheld mode showed even worse performance, with frame rates dropping to as low as 15 FPS.
• 😕 The reviewer found the game's visual quality to be low, with muddy textures and aliasing issues.
• 🚫 The reviewer advises against purchasing Arkham Knight for the Nintendo Switch in its current state.
• 🔄 The reviewer suggests that the developers may need to swallow their pride and seek help from other studios more experienced with the Switch hardware.

Q & A

What was the initial expectation for the release of Batman: Arkham Trilogy on Nintendo Switch?

The initial expectation was that fans would be very excited about the release, as it was anticipated to bring the popular Batman games to a new platform.

Why did the excitement for Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch fade after its launch?

The excitement faded because the game performed poorly, with bad frame rates and visual quality, making it almost unplayable, especially when using the Batmobile.

What was the community's concern regarding the lack of updates for Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch?

The community was concerned that the developers might have abandoned the game, as there was complete radio silence and updates were only released for the other two games in the trilogy.

How long did the significant update for Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch take to download?

The update took approximately an hour and 20 minutes to download.

What was the frame rate issue like in the interiors of Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch before the update?

Before the update, the frame rate in interiors was poor, often dropping and becoming unplayable, especially when there were many NPCs.

Did the update improve the frame pacing in Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch?

Yes, the update slightly improved the frame pacing, making the game feel less jittery than before.

What was the state of the visual quality, particularly textures and shadows, after the update in Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch?

The visual quality remained poor after the update, with low-resolution textures, aliasing, and outdated shadow effects.

How did the performance of Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch change when using the Batmobile after the update?

The performance when using the Batmobile remained abysmal, with frame rates dropping significantly and the game becoming unplayable during car-based sections.

What was the reviewer's overall assessment of the update's impact on Arkham Knight's performance on Nintendo Switch?

The reviewer found the update to be largely ineffective, with the game still in an appalling state and many elements potentially made worse, especially in handheld mode.

What advice does the reviewer give to potential buyers of Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch after the update?

The reviewer advises against purchasing the game on Nintendo Switch at the moment, as it remains a mess and requires further patches.

What was the reviewer's suggestion to the developers regarding the future of Arkham Knight on Nintendo Switch?

The reviewer suggested that the developers should swallow their pride and consult with other developers who have more experience optimizing games for the Switch platform.

Outlines

00:00

🕹️ Batman Arkham Knight's Performance on Nintendo Switch

The video discusses the release of Batman: Arkham Trilogy on the Nintendo Switch, with a focus on the performance issues of 'Arkham Knight'. The game was expected to have poor performance, which was confirmed upon launch. Despite a significant update, the game still suffers from low frame rates, especially when using the Batmobile. The update, which took over an hour to download, aimed to address these issues but failed to deliver a satisfactory experience. The video highlights the game's unplayable state at times, with frame rates dropping to as low as 12 frames per second. The reviewer expresses frustration with the lack of improvement and suggests that the game may not be suitable for the Switch's hardware, urging the developers to seek help from other studios that have successfully optimized games for the platform.

05:01

📱 Handheld Mode Performance and Developer Critique

The second paragraph delves into the handheld mode performance of 'Arkham Knight' on the Nintendo Switch, revealing that the game runs even worse in this mode, with significant frame rate drops. The reviewer expresses disappointment, noting that the update has not improved the game's state and may have even worsened some elements. There is a call for the developers to continue working on patches and to collaborate with other developers who have a better understanding of the Switch's capabilities. The video concludes with a recommendation against purchasing the game in its current state on the Switch, describing it as a 'hot mess'. The reviewer also acknowledges the efforts of the developers but emphasizes that the current state of the game is not acceptable.

Keywords

💡Arkham Trilogy

The 'Arkham Trilogy' refers to a series of three action-adventure video games based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. In the context of the video, it's the subject of the review, specifically discussing the release of these games on the Nintendo Switch platform. The script mentions the excitement and subsequent disappointment with the performance of these games, particularly 'Arkham Knight'.

💡Nintendo Switch

The 'Nintendo Switch' is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo. It is highlighted in the script as the platform on which the 'Arkham Trilogy' was released, and the video focuses on the performance issues encountered when playing these games on this device. The Switch's portability and hardware capabilities are relevant to the discussion of the game's performance.

💡Arkham Knight

'Arkham Knight' is the third and final game in the 'Arkham Trilogy'. The script emphasizes the game's poor performance on the Nintendo Switch, particularly when compared to the other two games in the series. It is used as a primary example to illustrate the technical issues and the impact on gameplay experience.

💡Performance Issues

Performance issues refer to the technical problems that affect the smooth operation of a video game, such as frame rate drops, texture quality, and loading times. The script discusses these issues extensively, noting how they mar the gaming experience on the Nintendo Switch version of 'Arkham Knight'.

💡Frame Rate

Frame rate is the frequency at which consecutive images called frames appear on a display, measured in frames per second (FPS). High frame rates are crucial for smooth gameplay. The script mentions frame rate drops as a significant problem in 'Arkham Knight' on the Switch, especially when using the Batmobile or in certain in-game scenarios.

💡Batmobile

The 'Batmobile' is Batman's iconic vehicle featured in the 'Arkham' games. In the context of the video, it is noted that the Batmobile segments of 'Arkham Knight' on the Switch suffer from severe performance issues, including abysmal frame rates and visual glitches, which significantly impact the gameplay experience.

💡Patch

A 'patch' in gaming refers to an update made by developers to fix bugs, improve performance, or add new content to a game. The script discusses the anticipation and eventual release of a patch for 'Arkham Knight' on the Switch, which was hoped to address the game's performance issues.

💡Visual Quality

Visual quality pertains to the graphical fidelity and overall aesthetic of a game. The script critiques the visual quality of 'Arkham Knight' on the Switch, pointing out muddy textures, aliasing, and low-resolution assets as examples of its poor visual performance.

💡Handheld Mode

The 'handheld mode' refers to the Nintendo Switch's ability to be used as a portable gaming device. The script compares the game's performance in handheld mode to its performance when docked, noting that the issues persist and may even be exacerbated in handheld mode.

💡Saber Interactive

Saber Interactive is the developer mentioned in the script as being responsible for the Switch version of the 'Arkham Trilogy'. The video suggests that they may need to consult with other developers who have had more success optimizing games for the Switch's hardware.

Highlights

The release of Batman Arkham Trilogy on the Nintendo Switch was highly anticipated, but Arkham Knight faced severe performance issues.

At launch, Arkham Knight was almost unplayable, particularly when driving the Batmobile, due to poor frame rates and visual quality.

The game suffered from muddy textures, excessive aliasing, and severe frame rate drops, especially during high-speed segments.

Despite hopes for improvement, the first major update still left Arkham Knight in a disappointing state.

The patch took over an hour to download but did not fully resolve the game's performance issues.

Frame pacing improved slightly, making the gameplay feel less jittery, but the overall frame rate remained subpar.

Character models and environmental assets still displayed low resolution and jagged edges after the update.

Shadows in the game have been downgraded significantly, reminiscent of outdated circular shadow techniques.

The Batmobile sections continued to experience severe frame rate drops, making the game nearly unplayable during these segments.

Frame rates during gameplay could drop as low as 12-16 FPS, especially during high-speed sequences.

Texture streaming issues persisted, with some textures failing to load in time or appearing suddenly.

The handheld mode of the game performed even worse, with significant frame rate drops down to 15 FPS.

Load times improved slightly, but overall performance remained disappointing across all modes.

The developers have not released detailed patch notes, leaving players uncertain about what has been fixed.

The reviewer advises against purchasing Arkham Knight on the Nintendo Switch until further patches improve its performance.

Transcripts

the release of Batman the Arkham Trilogy

on the Nintendo switch was something we

were all supposed to be really excited

about and certainly I was until I played

Arkham Knight which was the game that I

was expecting to run like absolute trash

and it lived up to that expectation it

really was a bismore at launch now since

that release we've been waiting eagerly

for an update and it's been complete

radio silence they've even updated the

other two games and the thinking was

that potentially they'd just abandoned

ship on this one and taken the but no we

finally have a huge and I mean

absolutely huge update this took about

an hour and 20 minutes to download and

it looks to rectify at least some of the

issues that we saw so is Batman Arkham

Knights all patched up on Nintendo

switch or is fixing this performance a

riddle they just can't solve well let's

find

out let's start off then by looking at

how the game launched as we can see

frame rates were pretty bad but it

became abysmal when you were riding

around in the Batmobile it really was

what I would class as

unplayable visual quality that

represented as close to the game version

of soup as you could possibly imagine

muddy textures masses of alias in on the

edges of objects and it wasn't much

better when you were playing in handheld

the whole thing was just a mess it's

going to take us a while we're going to

go through all the different elements

Interiors exteriors looking at textures

to see if there has been any change

we'll start off then on the interior

looking at the frame rate now as you can

see it's running at 25 to 27 frames per

second which isn't perfect let's be

honest this is an interior that has a

lot of MPCs so I would expect to slide

here so we'll have to have a look at a

few different examples what I will say

is frame pacing is slightly better it

feels less jittery than it did

before there clearly is much overhead

when it comes to things like character

models and resolution just take a look

at this

guy the alias in on the model is very

evident it's got jaggy edges it's low

resolution as are the assets around him

like the carpet under his feet and those

filing cabinets in the background

whether or not this is an improvement

over the original I'm not entirely sure

sure but it's clearly not quite where

we'd want it I'm wondering if resolution

is the main area that they've had to

reduce to get things running a little

more smoothly Shadows have also seen a

significant hit look at the character

shadow of Batman here on the ground it's

now like the old circular Shadows that

you used to see back in the day and so

we go to the Batmobile where all of

those issues were well most of them and

initially as we walk in down to it we're

looking at a locked out 30 FPS even

rotating the camera keeps that frame

rate I am positive ly excited as we set

off into the

[Music]

city it doesn't take long however before

that frame rate absolutely tanks it's

abysmal as you can see not only are

there Fram stutters there're a complete

drops momentarily the frame rate will

almost lock while it struggles to load

the assets from memory and I had heard a

lot of talk about how this game just

does not fit with the switch

architecture and I think this really

showcases that we're looking at a

massive patch of potential fixes but it

can't maintain 20 25 frames per second

while driving around the city and I'm

not one to say that a game is unplayable

If It suffers from a few drops here and

there but for me this is if you're

trying to actually do any of the carbase

sections this is still unplayable and

what you're getting is uh a fully priced

product in an unplayable state which is

annoying it goes down to 18 frames per

second very quickly and you can see that

18 is maintained and even dropped it

actually reduces down to 17 I think it

even went down to 16 frames per second

but when you're averaging 16 or 17

frames per second in what's supposed to

be a highspeed skill-based segment on a

product that you've potentially paid

full price for we can argue till the

cows come home about whether or not we

need new hardware but when a new release

is getting 12 frames per second which

this does actually get down to and the

game that that's actually been released

is several years old you have to ask the

question if it's time now that's a

completely different topic entirely and

as we know there are developers who can

work the switch into doing some things

that it probably shouldn't be able to do

but as it stands these guys are not one

of them not only is the frame rate so

low if you look carefully at the

background many of the effects don't

load in in time things like fog will

suddenly appear all the textures on

walls will gradually stream in and out

I'm sad to say that Arkham Knight is

still in an appalling State now I am

trying to find some redeeming qualities

of this update and it's not easy even

when we look back at the way the game

launched I think I've managed to hit

lower frame rates whilst in the

Batmobile after the update which makes

no sense to me at all movement around

the city is about as Bad Gliding around

I now see drops down to 15 frames per

second where again I hadn't hit those

lows before is yeah it really is

absolutely terrible and it's a shame

because there will be people that are

playing it on switch for the first time

ever and it just kind of annoys me a

little bit I have to be honest now fair

play they are trying to patch it please

let this not be the last of the patches

have a little chat to your mate saber

interactive or some of the other

developers who really know how to use

the switch you're going to have to

swallow your pride on this one because

if this is the best effort after what 2

months is terrible if anyone's

considering picking up this for night

now is not yet the time to do it I

apologize if I come across as a bit

harsh to the developers I know you're

working hard to get it where it should

be but this this is not it one slight

plus is potentially the lad times are

slightly better but everything right now

on the switch is a negative let's have a

little look at the handheld see how it

plays over there perhaps all of these

issues don't exist when playing in

handheld mode

[Music]

yeah it runs even worse in

handheld oh dear this really is not good

I'm seeing big drops at least down to 15

frames per second when leaving the

street level and going up to the tops of

buildings usually those were the areas

where it seemed to run okay I'm really

sad to say that I think they may have

actually made many of the elements worse

whatever they've done behind the scenes

they haven't released patch notes so

nobody has a clue and I think we're

going to have to wait for at least one

or two more patches before we get the

finished

[Music]

article but right now if you're

considering picking up the game on

Nintendo switch for Arkham Knights

absolutely avoid it it's a real mess so

that's it for the end of this episode

hopefully it's been of some use for you

sorry that it was potentially a little

bit negative but I like to think that

it's useful as well and let me know down

in the comments what you think of this

hot mess thanks to our patreons and

members and all of you that enjoy the

content for all things switch all the

time keep it switch up cheers guys see

[Music]

you