The Switch version of Mortal Kombat 11 has its ups and downs

The switching port of Mortal Kombat 11 plays like a champion but looks like a jagged donkey. It is pleasantly portable but incredibly delicate about its Internet connection. I want the Switch version to be my favorite, but it keeps pushing me back.

As stated in my Mortal Kombat 11 Review, I've spent most of my time with the latest version of Netherrealm Studios on PlayStation 4. That's the code that the studio has proposed for the revision copy, which is the only one I've ever seen. is the easiest version to capture for images and screenshots, and the PlayStation 4 is still alive. so that my young children can walk around while I play and be traumatized for life. The PlayStation 4 version, as well as the Xbox One version, were developed directly by Netherrealm. So it's a good base for the game.

While Netherrealm was working on the PS4 and Xbox One versions, Miami-based Shiver Entertainment was working on the Switch version. This is a real-time semi-real port that is almost but not quite at the speed of the normal console version of Mortal Kombat 11. This slightly off-track development process could explain why Switch's publication was delayed until May 10 in Europe and why the North American version, released April 23, was not complete at launch. One of my favorite features of Mortal Kombat 11, the specific lessons to each character, were absent from the Switch version on the day of its release and were added discreetly over the weekend as part of a massive patch.

(Gameplay trailer)

In terms of performance, the Switch version of Deadly fight it's pretty amazing. The transition of pre-rendered cinematics to the game may be disrupted, but once the match begins, the target is set at 60 frames per second. Sacrifices have been made to achieve this feat, of course. The visuals are fuzzy and irregular. The pulling distance is considerably reduced. The light effects are recalibrated, giving everything a slightly duller appearance. All this is noticeable when I watch my game sequences, but I rarely notice them in the middle of a fight.

It sounds bad, though. This looks like a tablet trying to emulate a console game, which, given the relatively modest specifications of the Nintendo Switch, is not so far removed from reality. Between the extreme violence of the game and its demand for hardware, it's amazing to see a Nintendo port. But there is and it plays pretty well. That's what counts.

The only time graphic degradation has had a huge impact was during game Krypt, which is the vast free roaming adventure mode that serves as Mortal Kombat 11Ways to reward players with new skins, concept art, equipment and more. The third-person action in this mode works ridiculously badly. Frame rate errors. The pull distances are laughable.

Here is a screenshot of the PC version of Krypt.

And here is a picture of the same place on the Switch version.

This is a bit of the fog of the Nintendo 64.

Once again, you have to expect some graphic compromises on Switch, and honestly, that does not bother me too much. Which really makes me angry about the Switch version of Mortal Kombat 11 This wonderfully portable version of a great fighting game is so closely linked to online servers. Like its PC, its counterparts Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Switch MK11 records player progress and rewards on online servers. Winning battles, finishing a player's rounds, completing story mode, and even progressing through the game tutorial each require an online connection to be validated.

If a player disconnects during playback Mortal Kombat 11they are warned that they will not earn rewards for progress until they are reconnected.

This is not a huge problem when you play with a console still online. But the need to stay connected becomes a problem when you play the switch in wearable mode, where I play most of my games. On the one hand, I can not put the system into sleep mode because it disconnects. If I'm going through a solo tour and pausing and putting the switch to sleep, I come back to a network error and go back to the main menu.

The worst thing is that once disconnected, there is no easy way to reconnect. I just get out of the game and restart it. This morning, I found a workaround: try to run a local wireless match and then cancel it, it seems like the game is reconnecting to the internet.

It's a little more than a slight frustration, but it also goes against the idea of ​​transferring a game to Switch. Of course, the third-party games on the switch may not be as beautiful as on the Xbox One or the PS4, but I can take them wherever I go to play without any hassle. That's the idea, at least. It's a little lost on Mortal Kombat 11.