When it comes to ports of video games, you often get one that is really good, really bad, or just “serviceable.” For the Nintendo Switch, their ports tended to be in the latter two categories. That’s not a good thing, considering how many people have the Nintendo Switch right now. There have been plenty of games that Switch gamers wanted to be ported to the system. But, due to the quality of some past ports, they wondered if it was a good idea. Even the team at Platinum Games wondered if a Nier Automata Switch port was nothing more than a “joke.” But when they got the go-ahead, they made it happen, and the results speak for themselves.
In a special interview, the team talked about the Switch port and noted how there was a lot of “overseas demand” for a Switch version of the game. Now that it’s out, it’s “their duty” to buy it. Or else the team would “make them buy it.” We’re sure many devs wish they could unleash such powers on gamers.
One thing that sometimes gets forgotten here is that the Switch Port of Nier Automata wasn’t solely made by PlatinumGames and Square Enix. Instead, it was developed by Virtuous, who has a history of making Switch ports of high quality. In the interview, the team praised the team for keeping the “minor details” of things intact through the port and even said Nintendo was impressed by how smoothly the game played on the Switch.
Another bit that might surprise players is that the game embraces the Joy-Cons, and that’s something the team had a lot of fun trying to implement:
“We had many ideas involving the Joy-Con actually. We tried to come up with many ideas, especially for the players who connect their Switch to the TV. As a result, we added something that was unique to the Switch: doing attacks by shaking the controller.”
They also said that the game was “easier” because there were fewer buttons to use on the controller. Finally, the team said they’ve already heard of players enjoying this variation of the control scheme, which proves that it was a worthy endeavor.
However, on a “somber note,” and as noted in a previous interview, the team’s lead laments not getting the Switch port out in time to make 2B appear in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. That was something that both the fans and the team wanted. Perhaps in the next iteration of the game?
Source: Nintendo Everything
