Since getting a Switch in March, my main thought has been “I wish every game were on this thing.” Even still, I never expected I’d be playing Doom, of all games, on Switch at a preview event last week. But I did, and I’m happy to say that it’s still very much Doom.
You can watch me play Doom on Switch undocked with a Pro Controller here:
The most important thing for a Doom port to get right is that sense of speed - sprinting through martian facilities with grace and fluidity as you tear demons limb from limb - and the Switch version nails that side of it. Simply put, it feels exactly like Doom should, just in a much smaller package.
It was hard for me to tell what, if anything, was scaled down when playing undocked.
Even so, it still looks great. Bethesda has been tight-lipped on the resolution, and I’m sure certain graphical settings have been tuned down to compensate for the Switch’s weaker hardware, but it was genuinely hard for me to tell what, if anything, was scaled down when playing undocked. It just looked like the lovely, gory Doom I remembered playing on my PC.
That being said, I didn’t get a chance to play on a larger screen with the Switch docked. Any quality drop wasn’t noticeable while handheld, and the framerate seemed fast and smooth, but we don’t know what it will look like full size. It could be that any sacrifices made to make Doom run so smooth on Switch will be more glaring on a TV.
The main complaint I have with its translation to handheld so far is that certain UI elements become much harder to see. Reading overt things like health and ammo counts isn’t so bad, but more subtle indicators are now easier to pass up. For example, the blue outlined corpses that often hold keycards blend into their surroundings when they’re so small, causing me to wander around the level looking for where to go next a couple of times.
It was a little tricky to get used to the controls as well, and I only realized after the fact that Doom is actually the first FPS I’ve had the chance to play on Switch - a few others are on the way, but none have released yet. Both the Pro Controller and the Joy-Cons (attached to the console or not) feel fine enough. The right joystick is in a little bit of an awkward position for how quickly you need to turn while firing and moving in Doom, and it’s obviously not as suited to this sort of game as a PS4 or Xbox One controller, but I didn’t find it getting in my way of some good old fashioned demon slaying.
A slightly odd thing to note about the port is that although multiplayer is included, you’ll have to download it separately. Bethesda tells me that Doom will not be using Nintendo’s Switch voice app either, at least not at launch. Additionally SnapMap, Doom’s custom map making and sharing features, won’t be available on Switch, which is a bit of a shame.
But at least in terms of Doom’s already excellent campaign, the Switch version is shaping up to be a great way to play. Even if its potentially rougher edges remain to be seen, I was surprised with just how good it felt. Rest assured, no matter the screen size, Doom is Doom.
Tom Marks is an Associate Editor focusing on PC gaming at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
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