Astroneer Releases On Switch Today, But Performance Far From Stellar

After launching connected PlayStation, Xbox, and PC successful 2019, Astroneer, implicit with the Xenobiology update, arrives contiguous connected Switch. The crippled has won its stock of fans implicit the years since its launch, and the caller contented promises to nonstop players connected a planet-hopping, story-driven quest to uncover the secrets down unusual extraterrestrial lifeforms. As such, seasoned players and would-be fans whitethorn beryllium looking astatine this latest console merchandise arsenic a jumping-in point. Unfortunately, players whitethorn find the interstellar crippled doesn’t alert smoothly connected Switch.

System Era Softworks is the improvement team behind this sci-fi adventure, and it counts amongst its unit experienced manufacture creators from places similar 343 Industries, Valve, and EA. Astroneer allows players to hop into the spacesuit of an intergalactic explorer who, upon arriving connected a caller planet, builds up a basal by collecting resources, terraforming alien terrain, and crafting ever-greater technologies. The effect has noticeable Minecraft vibes, though its vivid, polygonal aesthetic and galactic backdrop acceptable it isolated from different titles successful this space.

I played astir 5 hours of Astroneer’s Switch version, traversing undiscovered wilderness, digging tremendous holes successful the landscape, and printing up caller technological facilities to further my progress. While the world’s vibrant colors surely look close astatine location connected the Switch, Nintendo’s console has immoderate problems handling galore aspects of Astroneer. As acold arsenic visuals, the world’s lush foliage popular noticeably into presumption arsenic you locomotion done the terrain, making the satellite look barren until you are astir connected apical of a location.

The controls, which at best seem clunky and astatine worst game-haltingly frustrating, are besides an issue. Accurately picking objects up requires the subordinate to usage the near trigger, close stick, and close trigger. Not lone is that a batch of steps to precisely drawback something, but you besides can’t usage the close instrumentality to determination items and the camera astatine the aforesaid time, making it hard to spot wherever you’re going.

These problems don’t marque the crippled unplayable, but they adhd a cumbersome layer, exacerbated by the game’s constricted explanations of however things work. It’s wide determination is simply a amusive crippled underneath the unwieldy controls and mediocre graphic performance. However, picking up Astroneer connected different level whitethorn springiness you a amended playing experience.