Crysis Remastered Review
Release Date: July 23rd, 2020 (NSW), Other Platforms TBA
Developer: Crytek
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed), Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4
Price: $29.99
We've all heard the famous words "But can it run Crysis?" at one point or another, and over a decade later the saying still holds strong when talking about hardware that may be deemed inferior or lacking, but what the Switch does here, despite it's disadvantages to other larger hardware that can make up for the space with increased specs, should be commended and applauded with one of the games that was known not only as a technical showcase, but a fantastic game in its own right. Though it was released in 2007, to Crysis age is nothing but a number, and Crysis Remastered takes what was once a beautiful game at its time melting PCs and makes it even prettier with enhanced lighting, shading, and textures, though the Switch version does make sacrifices in a few other places to accommodate for its portability. Even so, Crysis Remastered in a portable state that makes it the best version to date in terms of its console counterparts is a feat in itself, and while far from perfect, still holds well today with a sci-fi epic that stands the test of time.
Crysis Remastered comes at an interesting (yet likely planned) time as it takes place in 2020, and while the story is a bit loose, players will have fun infiltrating North Korea in nanosuits designed to be high-tech exoskeletons giving them enhanced abilities such as faster running, armor on command, full body cloaking, and strength. Elite marines make their way through North Korea before realizing that they're the last ones they should be worrying about, as an ancient yet advanced alien species known as Ceph become awakened after being dormant for millennia. Utilizing all of your abilities is incredibly fun as you make your way through the large map that gives players a little more freedom in how they want to tackle certain areas, though the game remains linear for the most part with little way to get lost. A variety of environments gives Crysis even more depth as you delve deeper into the story and your adventure, taking you through open waters, jungles, snowy mountainous areas, and more, all with rich detail that, much like the rest of Crysis, has stood the test of time and makes it one of the more appealing ports on Switch. The Nintendo Switch has always been starved of this sort of content, and any time there is a port or a multiplatform game of any kind, more often than not we're left with less than desirable results, and while Crysis *is* a game from 2007 versus ports of games of more recent years - such as The Outer Worlds or The Witcher 3 - it holds its own to this very day for pushing the technical limits.
For a game like Crysis, performance is a big focus given its history - for better or for worse - so the way the Switch needs to utilize something on the scale of Crysis is important, but it also comes down to feeling. Crysis runs surprisingly mostly stable, but it also feels really good in both portable and docked modes. While Crysis was never originally intended with consoles in mind, it translates nicely to a controller, and on Switch (depending on your difficulty) you can expect an optimal response with how you play, whether that's more stealth-focused or guns blazing. Crysis, while having multiple intense moments, never ends up feeling overwhelming, and as someone who will almost always prefer a FPS on a PC accompanied with a keyboard/mouse, Crysis Remastered on Switch is a pleasant surprise that I think sets the new standard for what's possible with ports, alongside The Witcher 3. Something along the lines of The Outer Worlds, as mentioned earlier, ended up being more of a disaster with a bulk of the game losing its art direction and appeal due to how much had to be stripped, and while we've seen other games run impressively such as Wolfenstein and DOOM, Crysis Remastered has become the definitive example of how a port should be treated and that, yes, with proper optimization and clever tactics on how to [re]distribute resources within the Switch's hardware between its GPU, CPU, and RAM, you can work around limitations enough - and in this case enhance a game further - to provide what's become the best way to play Crysis on a console to date.
Features like added gyro control support assist makes aiming a lot more accurate and gives it that sort of PC feel, which further increases the playability and responsiveness of Crysis Remastered further on the Nintendo Switch. Some of the more intense firefights where you have to quickly cloak, run around, jump, and so on made quick aiming and target locking feel seamless and intuitive. The most interesting part about this is I typically turn off gyro sensitivity in games, if offered, due to calibration woes that can vary from game to game, but Crysis is very loose with its gyros, and even though it was on I noticed a lot of the time it never felt invasive and that it never got in the way, making me feel more in control. Though gameplay for the most part is fluid, it does still struggle in traditional Crysis fashion - almost comically so. Frames can dip into the low teens and, in my case, the game crashed on me multiple times. These crashes happened sporadically and interestingly enough during more serene moments where I would simply be standing around taking a look at the environment around me rather than intense combat scenarios where performance takes a huge hit and the Switch is in overdrive also fighting for its life. Random audio cues and music would suddenly cut or not appear at all in some situations, making for a sudden loss in immersion as it catches you off guard. In one section, a burning plane that was crash landing flew over my head and into the forest behind me yet didn’t make any noise when flying over or during the explosion after crashing. I stood there confused, bewildered, and then the game followed along and crashed as well.
While Crysis has always been known to spawn the phrase "But can it run Crysis" due to the infamous nature of being so ahead of its time and demanding that it would melt PCs, it feels like a technical feat that Crysis is running at all on what is essentially portable hardware with the Nintendo Switch. Despite its 2007 initial release, Crysis was ahead of its time and still holds up today thanks to its physics, destructible environments, and immense detail in dense foliage, myriad assets, robust mechanics and flexible approaches to an otherwise linear game that still make it a powerhouse first-person shooter to this very day. Even on home consoles - while they've never been on the scale of power of PCs - they've struggled to run Crysis and look poor in every aspect of its design, but the Nintendo Switch version should be commended for its stellar port work and the fact that this is a mobile machine that is, in fact, running Crysis. While you won't have the optimal experience you still would on a PC of today, being able to experience a remastered version of one of the most famous (and possibly controversial) games in PC history at home or on-the-go with more than acceptable visual fidelity and a mostly stable frame-rate, Crysis continues to shock, entertain, and push the limits of what's possible over a decade later.
PROS:
The remastered version offers great lighting substantially better than how it was in its original form
A stable 30fps that, while suffering from occasional dips, is perfectly playable and enjoyable on Nintendo Switch
A sci-fi tactical military setting in lush environments that still look great today
Currently the best $30 you’ll spend looking for an excellent shooter on Nintendo Switch
CONS:
In the more intense areas, even years later Crysis still struggles to hold it together, dipping into sub-15fps at points
I've had the game crash three times on me for no discernible reason
Audio tends to cut such as music and sound effects) and sometimes not appear at all
Our deepest gratitude to Crytek for providing us a copy of Crysis Remastered for the purposes of this review