Comparing Palia on Switch and PC
Written: 5/6/2024
Published: 6/22/2024
Mood: Thoughtful
Listening to: Kero Kero Bonito - Flamingo
Playing: Palia
Current Temperature: 79F/26C
So let me just preface this by saying I'm very VERY late in writing this article, and there's probably a million other articles out now about this subject since Palia released on Switch back in December, but oh well, better late than never. Truthfully I only linked my switch account to get the froggy bucket, but I did recently find myself in a position where I would need to use my Nintendo Switch for an extended period of time to entertain myself, so I thought "Eh, why the hell not?" and decided to give Palia on Switch an extended gameplay look over the course of a week.
First of all, the good things. Palia on Nintendo Switch does play pretty dang well, although it took me a little bit to learn the console controls, having played on PC since October, I found that once I got use to them, interacting with the world was for the most part satisfactory and at some points, better than Mouse and Keyboard controls (Move stack option my beloved). I enjoyed a lot of the haptic feedback from the HD rumble, as it made the experience feel a lot more tactile, but I can see why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Fishing was easier than I thought it would be too, but I didn't really try bug catching or hunting since I wasn't sure if I could be as accurate with twin stick controls as I could on a mouse and keyboard (and I'm not even that good at hunting on PC, Bug catching on the other hand, I am very good at.) I didn't really experience any frame drops, and everything seemed to run pretty smoothly (Normal Palia bugs excluded).
That said, I do have a few issues with the port, primarily that it looks ugly as hell. Sure the colors are a lot brighter, but the shadows are so much darker as well, it made it difficult to see where the weeds were under my apple trees because they blended in a little too well with the shadows. Not to mention there's this weird haze if you look out into the distance that makes it look like it's a blazing summer day constantly and it's pretty rough to look at. The lack of options in regards to the visuals is a bit of a pain, and of course, the switch being the switch, chat and communication is a problem without an external keyboard (but honestly, who's bringing a keyboard with them if they're bringing their switch around?) I also think they missed an opportunity to implement (OPTIONAL!!!!) Gyro controls on the switch release. I'd probably actually try to do some hunting if it did!
Overall, the switch port is serviceable, but it isn't excellent. If you already have a switch, Picking it up isn't a bad idea, but since it's also on Steam, you should see how it works on a Steam deck if you have one. Get the best of both worlds and all.
Quote of the Day: Quote of the Day: There is none because this isn't particularly poignant.