It was surprising to se DOOM make its way to the Nintendo Switch. The relatively game is fast-paced and demanding on hardware both silicon-based and physical: constant movement can be rough on tiny joysticks. And yet there it was, running mostly intact and standing as an impressive example of the games we might be seeing on Nintendo’s new system. The console manufacturer has been protective of its ecosystems in the past, but it’s opened the doors on the Switch, and as a result the machine has an impressive library of games big and small not yet into its second year. Through all the recent spate of ports, however, this is the announcement that I’ve been the most surprised by — Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire will be making its way to the Switch when it makes its console debut later this year.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is the sequel to Pillars of Eternity, a near-universally praised CRPG and one of the sterling examples of a recent resurgence of intense party-based RPGS that harken back to the old days of games like Baldur’s Gate. Games like these are long, intense and famously complicated: my recent playthrough of Divinity Original Sin 2 spent as much time in inventory management as it did in combat, and I don’t regret a second of it. Pillars of Eternity 2 is bound to be one of the biggest upcoming titles in the genre, buoyed now even more by adding new platforms.
Long, winding JRPGs are nothing new to Nintendo platforms, but the idea of a Western, PC-oriented release like this one is novel for a handheld system. It feels not only possible, but perhaps even ideal: the concept of being able to take an adventure like that with you on the train is a tantalizing one, and turn-based combat is well-tuned to the sort of gameplay that might have you hastily turning off your system to make the next stop. And by the same token, I’ve found that nothing quite fuels my addiction like the Switch’s instant-on, instant-off flash memory. You might just want to tweak a character’s equipment before making dinner, you might just get a battle set up before heading out the door. It never ends with that, but there’s always the idea it might.
More to the point, it’s hard to interpret the PS4 and Xbox One release of a game like this as anything but “Pillars of Eternity for someone without a PC.” That’s not a bad thing, it just means that those consoles don’t really bring anything new to the experience save a larger audience. The portability of Nintendo’s console, however, means that the Switch version might actually be more appealing to some than the PC version. What better way to make a long flight disappear into a tiny screen?
It’s a powerful concept. The execution is important as well: I’ve been excited about Switch ports in the past that just didn’t pass muster on a technical level. But even if this game can’t manage it, there’s a good chance someone else will try. Tons of developers have talked about being surprised by stronger-than-expected sales with a Switch release, and that’s unlikely to slow down as the install base grows. I’d expect Pillars of Eternity to do particularly well for the simple reason that there’s unlikely to be anything like it available on the platform when it comes out.
Nintendo recently talked about a grand vision for the Switch: the company wants to sell one not to every household, but to every individual person, perhaps an absurd concept but one that’s guiding some interesting decisions. And this Pillars of Eternity release is emblematic of how that might happen: the company is casting a wider net than any of its competition save Apple. By next year the Switch’s potential buyers will include people who want to play local co-op at a nearby bar, commuters who want to play Zelda on the subway, kids who want to build fishing poles out of cardboard and core gamers that want to play intense CRPGS. That’s some range.
