Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Switch 2 Review
Table of Contents
Ask someone what game they would like to erase from memory to experience it again for the first time, and there’s a good chance that you’ll hear Elden Ring. Since its launch in 2022, the game has been responsible for countless cultural moments and memes, and now a whole new demographic (and some double dippers) will finally be able to experience what it means to put these foolish ambitions to rest.
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is coming in a few days, and it’s almost as good as you remember. Without minding the 7.9-inch screen and handheld portability, which is definitely a valid way to play, the game runs as well as you hoped it would, and maybe even exceeds some expectations. In fact, it runs surprisingly well, and despite some visual concessions, the Elden Lords have found a worthy home in the Switch 2.
Arise Now, Ye Tarnished!
Players step into the role of a Tarnished, summoned back to the Lands Between to reassemble the shattered Elden Ring and claim the mantle of Elden Lord. While the premise is straightforward, the narrative depth lies in its mythos, crafted with George R.R. Martin’s touch, where towering castles, grotesque monstrosities, and cryptic NPCs weave a tapestry of dark fantasy. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition‘s story rewards curiosity, encouraging players to piece together fragments of lore through exploration and discovery.
Veterans of FromSoftware titles will feel right at home with the game’s combat systems, which refine familiar mechanics to near perfection. Character creation offers extensive customization, while classes guide players toward preferred playstyles without locking them in. The addition of mechanics like counterattacks and flask refills from defeating groups of enemies keeps the pace brisk, ensuring that the action keeps going.
The Lands Between is a vast, interconnected world that seamlessly integrates Legacy Dungeons with sprawling fields, forests, and caves. Exploration is richly rewarding, with hidden passages, vertical level design, and countless secrets waiting to be uncovered. Optional detours often yield powerful items or lore revelations, striking a balance between freedom and progression that makes every step feel purposeful.
Enemy and boss design is a standout, offering grotesque and awe‑inspiring threats that test both patience and skill. From towering Golems to the horrifying Godrick the Grafted, battles are fast, punishing, and exhilarating. Even minor foes can overwhelm careless players, reinforcing the need for tactical awareness. Sites of Grace serve as both checkpoints and planning hubs, guiding players subtly without restricting exploration.
Despite its reputation for difficulty, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition introduces features that ease newcomers into the experience and can even be considered one of the easier Soulslike titles in recent memory. Spirit Ashes allow players to summon allies, while Torrent, the spectral steed, adds mobility and tactical options. Technically, the game shines with breathtaking vistas and atmospheric sound design, though minor frame drops and texture pop‑ins occur. These issues, however, do little to diminish the overall polish.
And if that’s not enough, included in the Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, which includes a sprawling new region called the Land of Shadow, accessible after defeating Radahn and Mohg. True to FromSoftware’s tradition, the DLC feels like a full game in itself, offering haunting vistas, three new Legacy Dungeons, and a progression system built around Scadutree Blessings and Revered Spirit Ashes. These mechanics enhance both Tarnished and Spirit Ashes exclusively within the DLC, encouraging exploration and rewarding players with meaningful upgrades as they uncover secrets across the realm.
The expansion also introduces eight new weapon types, each with unique playstyles, such as Throwing Axes and Beast Claws to Martial Arts combos and Perfume Bottles, all of which are fully fleshed‑out additions that broaden combat variety. Facing them are formidable new enemies and bosses, including the likes of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion, a multi‑elemental foe that tests both melee and ranged builds with sweeping ice, lightning, and wind attacks.
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition Switch 2 Performance
You read it earlier, and no, we didn’t mistype. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition runs surprisingly well on the Switch 2. In fact, if you placed the Switch 2 side by side with the PS5 version (frame rate and resolution counting aside) and took a quick glance at a few seconds of gameplay, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Of course, upon closer inspection, the differences become more apparent, but considering the portable benefits of the Switch 2 and its relatively weaker hardware, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition feels perfectly playable.
Playing the game docked is obviously the way to go, with steadier frame rates and better resolution, but handheld mode is no slouch. The screen is small enough that you don’t mind the lower resolution, but also sufficient to see the action. While full-screen sized bosses are a bit troublesome, especially when you get up close, the overall experience is good enough to play fully on-the-go despite some frame drops here and there, which don’t diminish the enjoyment factor. Some particular bosses, though, are a problem in handheld mode owing to the combined number of effects on screen, resulting in some unwanted frame dips.
Oh, and get a Pro Controller for this one as the Joy-Cons are certainly not ideal.
Verdict: 9/10 Buy it!
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is the culmination of learnings and experience from the titles that came before it, and an open‑world masterpiece that blends punishing combat with rewarding exploration. It’s approachable enough for newcomers yet uncompromising in its challenge for veterans, and ultimately one of the greatest games of all time.
And now that it is on the Switch 2, it feels like the developers have accomplished a minor miracle. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is extremely playable on the portable console, and even with some obvious graphical concessions, it hardly diminishes the overall experience, as it runs at an almost stable 30 FPS with some negligible drops here and there.
With its vast scale, unforgettable monster design, and finely tuned mechanics, it is easy to say that Elden Ring Tarnished Edition exceeds expectations, cementing itself as one of the must-play titles of the Switch 2.
*Elden Ring Tarnished Edition was reviewed on a Switch 2 with a review code provided by the publisher.
