Borderlands 3 Switch impressions
I have a long history with the Borderlands franchise, with a few hundred hours in Borderlands 3 on PC. Now it’s available on the Nintendo Switch as well. So how does one of my favorite looter-shooters hold up on the little handheld console?
Fairly well, actually, especially given its size. The main game takes up 8.4 GB. The DLC is an additional 10.4 GB, or 15 GB if you include the additional voiceover language pack. Compared to the 138.9 GB of the Steam version, Borderlands 3 on the Switch is tiny!
The game itself runs quite well on the Switch. Framerates felt pretty stable in the 30-45 FPS range, rarely dropping to a noticeable degree. The controls feel fine, and there are plenty of button customization options if something isn’t working for you. The gameplay is still good ol’ Borderlands. The guns are punchy, the reloads are snappy, and the action skills are spicy.
Some corners were definitely cut, though. You can see it in the lighting, which looks flatter overall compared to the PC version at high settings. Some of the textures have a noticeably lower resolution, most apparent when looking at your hand holding your gun. Some particle and distortion effects have been reduced. The Borderlands art style holds up well, though, and the stylization goes a long way toward masking a lot of the toned-down visuals.
The biggest downgrade is in the co-op function. The Switch version of Borderlands 3 only supports 2-player co-op, not the 4-player party that’s normally a Borderlands staple. Crossplay is not available, so you’ll only be able to co-op with other Switch players. I tried to matchmake with another player for co-op but was unable to find a match.
Aside from the co-op limitations, my biggest complaint is the bugs. There
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