Snake Pass is a game in a genre of its own. Employing realistic (but not too realistic) physics with the curiously complicated and alien movement of our legless reptile friends, it's an experience like no other. In some ways it reminds this writer especially of games like Surgeon Simulator that task you with battling the controls to reach your goal. Unlike the previously mentioned however Snake Pass feels fairer, in that whenever a mistake is made and you tumble softly into the abyss below you're painfully aware that it's your fault, not the fault of the physics engine.
That could be in part thanks to Unreal Engine 4, which is now a viable option for developers of the Nintendo Switch. But how does Snake Pass run on Nintendo's machine? For all you frame rate aficionados out there it runs at a pretty solid 30fps and what appears to be an upscaled 720p resolution when docked, but when you're having as much fun as we are in the video above we're not sure you'll care about the numbers in the slightest.
Comments 88
Waiting for the eShop to update so I can purchase.
Gonna be buying this, FAST RMX, and maybe Shovel Knight as soon as I get some eShop funds.
@Dakt We already were on the Xbox One and PS4. Especially when it comes to games with stable framerates
Has been heroes is there but not snake pass.
So, 3D platformer featuring Snake & Humming bird.
So Sssssmooooth.....
Upscaled 720p when docked?!?!? I assume you're not using the correct terminology? What you said means it's upscaled TO 720p. I really hope you're just using the wrong terms because if not, that whole "Unreal engine for Switch!" is entirely pointless......
Is it me or does this look kinda underwhelming on the Switch? I know it's less powerful but still thought would be better than this.
@Menchi187
not sure what you're saying, but I think he means 720p handheld because that's native, but upscaled (to 1080 i would guess) when docked. So upscaled 720 (to 1080) not upscaled to 720 from some lower thing.
hopefully they will confirm and make that bit more clear.
@Dakt A lot of people are playing Ni-Oh (on PS4) at 720p as it allows for 60fps gameplay.
Man, you guys in here sure like throwing numbers around. As long as the game's fun, I don't give a hoot how many p's it has
This game looks glorious!
@speedracer216 That's why I'm assuming he's using the wrong words. It's a mistake many people still make for some reason (especially in games "journalism") for nearly 20 years.
"Upscaled 720p" literally means "it is a lower resolution than 720p and is upscaled to 720p" and whoever tries to tell you otherwise is wrong. Literally the meaning of the words in that order. "Upscaled to 720p" is also the same term. "Upscaled FROM 720p" is what I'm hoping he meant. That means natively rendered at 720p and then upscaled from that to a higher resolution.
Pretty important distinction to make. But hey Alex is english so I don't expect him to have a good grasp of the english language.
@Dakt It seems like no matter how much horsepower you give developers, many of them are always gonna push the limits more than they should and end up with a game that doesn't run very well.
In this case, Snake Pass is also a PC game, and the Unreal 4 engine doesn't run very well on lower-powered PCs to begin with, so I'm not surprised it has to be scaled down significantly for the Switch. I'm hoping to learn the Unreal 4 engine and I'm dreaming of making a little eShop game in the future (prioritizing 60 FPS and 720p over fancy graphics effects).
Ok so there was some delay with getting the game onto steam and the switch eshop but they found the problem (5hrs ago) and are working to get the game out today. I found this info on their twitter.
@Dakt maybe on PS4 pro alot of titles are 1080 60 fps but thats definitely not the case on PS4 or Xbox1 .
Who cares, just enjoy it dam. Just no pleasing people. Shouldn't you all be playing on your lovely brand new switch's rather than giving a toss about screen resolution or frame rates
@Dakt hate to be the one but not true
@Romeo-75 that's true
@Romeo-75 @Dakt I have Nioh on PS4 Pro, and even when set to high frame rate mode, the dynamic resolution is by no means a consistent 1080p (or 60fps, for that matter).
This is nothing like the snake I use to play on my old Nokia
image ru
@Scapetti For sure. 720p is the standard safe zone.
@UK-Nintendo was waiting for a joke like that. Cheers!
How many points are we going to award this school...I mean game.
The emotion thing reminds me of Little Big Planet.
According to Heavy.com the game runs in 720p and 1080p when docked.
https://www.google.com/amp/heavy.com/games/2017/03/snake-pass-nintendo-switch-ps4-xbox-one-sumo-digital/amp/
One-up just posted a review, though, that notes that the images are a bit blurry and that the HD Rumble has issues. I think this is another case of a game rushed to market so they can capitalize on the low competition this early in the life cycle.
Being able to run the Unreal 4 engine makes porting easier, but it can also mean that some companies crank out lazy conversions without spending the extra effort to maximize for the platform. I expect that games that were developed for the Switch, natively, will always run better than ports like this.
@Dakt , Digital Foundry tested Battlefield on PS4 and Xbox1 you can look it up on the PS4 the game pushed 1000p not 1080p and they stated when alot was going on it dropped to 900p the frame rate they went for 60 fps but DF stated on PS4 it was mostly at 45 fps and dropped alot to 40 fps but by no means was Battlefield 1080 / 60 FPS on the PS4 ., So for the Nintendo Switch to be a tablet thats completely portable and to be pushing what it is in my opinion its pretty amazing and hopefully the Switch will get alot of awesome games so far it seems like it is a capable system.
@Dakt Very very few PS4 games run at 1080p (on the non-Pro.) Not among the AAA games anyway. I think what you're confusing it with is the dynamic resolution ones that run "up to" 1080p. For, like 5 minutes.
That's why 8th gen has been disappointing overall. They promised 1080p gameplay and NOBODY delivered. Then they give us that stupid mid-gen-bump of Pro/Scorpio where we can re-buy the same consoles at launch price AGAIN to get the performance we were promised the first time.....and even those fall short.
At least Switch is a portable device and buys it some leeway. The other two VCRs have no excuse to get it right.
So do we know how lengthy a game Snake Pass is? Deciding to dive into it along side Zelda or use Has-Been Heroes for that and save SP for after.
Looks like a lot of fun.
@Dakt Don't get me wrong, I'm a PS4 fan overall, burned about the whole Pro thing, but my disappointment with the average resolution on games on that platform leaves me irritated from the marketing hype at launch.
Heck, for a while WiiU was getting more 1080p games than PS4, and that is just WRONG
@Dakt IIRC (I might be getting some of this wrong I'm just going off the top of my head) Bayonetta 1 & 2, Mario 3D world, SSBWiiU, WWHD, were all 1080. that early golden period had a ton when PS4 had few. It got worse later on though.
@Dakt Glancing through that list it does look like PS4 improved in its 1080 count more recently. Though I have to laugh at games like Just Cause 3....1080...yeah at like 18FPS half the time
Still we already know Switch is closer to XBone in overall performance so that list gives us an idea what to expect on the resolution side of things there too. Not that PS4 is a powerhouse.
This is acceptable for a quick port, actually fairly promising for early UE4 support considering Sumo Digital's presumably cramped schedule (to maintain launch parity).
That said, the lack of time trials is unacceptable to me... I don't get it either — highscore-chasing modes gain real value on the the convenience a portable offers. Sincerely hope the mode is just a victim of a rushed timeline and will be patched in soon.
I'm really looking forward to buying this game, though I can't help but be slightly disappointed that it couldn't manage either 1080p or 60fps on a new piece of hardware. Does it really matter? No. Will it keep me from buying? No. Do I wish it was operating at a higher level? Of course.
@yuwarite sure but this is 720p 30fps
Not going to lie, I usually can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p or between 30 fps and 60 fps unless I'm seeing a direct comparison between the two. As long as it runs steadily at that, I'm happy.
Why is it not in the shop yet???
From the very little I played of Snake Pass so far, it definitely is interesting. There look to be some fun designs in levels up ahead
Ok so they updated their twitter. They said it should be available on all platforms by 4 pm PT
I prefer performance over portability (I rarely play video games anywhere but home anyway) so I'll probably pick up the PS4 version of this.
Not like I have a choice though with the Switch shortage...
Thanks super08mario
@UK-Nintendo But can you imagine it in 720p at 60 fps?!
@BenAV Agreed, steadiness is the main thing. One thing I find intriguing is that games designed for a steady 30 FPS sometimes seem to look better than games that can alternate between the two - Zelda looks great at 30, but I found Hitman or The Witcher looked rather stutter-y at 30 FPS on my PC. In any case, I also find the difference between 720 and 1080 to be reasonably small, especially compared to the jump from 480 to 720; playing the Splatoon testfire, I would have sworn it was 1080 but this is evidently untrue.
@ballistic90 will look fantastic.
@Dakt
Dude, @Romeo-75 responded to you with a DF breakdown of how BF1 does not run 1080p/60fps on PS4 as you claimed. Why did you not respond to that?
@BenAV true. Maybe I'm old but most can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p. But I can always tell the difference between 30fps and 60fps.
I'll wait for reviews landing before making the final decision whether to purchase or not. Blaster Master Zero appeals more on the Indie(ish) front, and with Dragons Trap incoming on my radar, reviews need to be extremely positive for this game.
@Dakt @Steel76 Ahh I stand corrected, I'd remembered those being 1080 for some reason.
We'll see what developers target overall. BotW is 900 and that is a very imperfect port from PPC. Splatoon does NOT surprise me at all, the framerate is ALL that matters there (anyone remember the frame rate lag during a bomb rush? ) and honestly at the speed that game goes I probably wouldn't notice if it was 16 bit sprites....it only matters for screen captures in that particular game.
But we'll see going forward what other games target. Kart will be 1080 won't it? I think I read that a week or two ago (makes sense it was 720 on WiiU.) Snake Pass, it's surprising but it seems like less attention was paid to the Switch version than I'd initially thought overall...that's not a game that should be pushing a PS4 and X1 as it is. I'm going to guess some devs will target 720 not because they have to but because they're putting equal time on all platforms so they just target handheld mode and let the dock stick it on a TV rather than tuning two modes (which is a valid option for a dev.) I'd guess Skyrim will be 720, hard to say for sure. Probably the most interesting will be Odyssey...that'll set the stage for a lot of what the system does going forward.
@Peterjr1 Regardless, people are happy to still play games in 720p.
720p, 1080p, 30fps, 60fps... all I want to know is who was at the door?
@Dakt Odyssey looks to be a lot more graphically demanding than SM3DW. Switch could do SM3DW 1080p easily. I can see Odyssey doing 900/60. Can't rule out 1080, but I'd be happy with 900. I 'd be disappointed but not surprised if they did 720, but I think Splaton is just erring on the side of FPS at all costs (which is a good choice for the game.) I know they were having trouble getting Odyssey running for the trailer in Sept and pushed it back to Oct, though. It's had some struggles. Xenoblade we can guess is 720. But that's not a surprise, Monoliths engines are rough. Overall though I think most games will error on the side of up-res on the dock. 720 is the default required res for handheld, so if it runs smooth there with any power to spare, up-resing shouldn't hurt much. BotW still runs smooth minus the tall grass areas.
Is it 30fps on on other platforms?
@NEStalgia That's what happens when they use an APU instead of dedicated CPU and GPU combo. It's easy to forget that the Jaguar is five years old now. That's last gen tech compared to what PC's have today, especially with the release of Ryzen, since we're on the topic of AMD components.
@NintySnesMan Frame rates have mattered since Daytona USA arcade in 1993. The Saturn version ran like crap by comparison. That's why the Dreamcast was so great, it actually ran arcade games at 60 FPS.
But yeah, the idea that it's some new, unfounded issue all the kiddies are getting bothered over is a cop out.
@Dakt Good point on Monolith and Zelda. I'm assuimg they're using the XCX engine. That was a little....ragged. But might be behind Zelda, so it's definitely possible. Heck they put XC on 3DS so they're good at squeezing blood from stones.
Totally agreed on Odyssey.
@PlywoodStick Jaguar was lame when they announced it and it's just sad now.
Of course with all this 'power" available in upcoming PCs and the like....who can afford to make art assets for it? The bottom will fall out of that "PC grade graphics" market sooner or later.
@Spiders No, higher frame rate on other platforms, especially PS4Pro (and eventually Scorpio).
@NEStalgia Ryzen is undercutting Intel's CPU's by a good deal, so prices will fall to match. Vega is releasing later this year, which will possibly have the same effect on NVIDIA. So we may see some tectonic shifts happen from this year onwards. Especially after April, when midrange Ryzen CPU's launch, and during mid Summer, when mid range Vega cards likely launch, PS4Pro's over clocked Jaguar is going to look very anemic. Console peasants fighting over what has 1080p or not, while even mid range sub $1000 (and soon sub $800) PC's can easily pull off 1440p 30/60 FPS or more. That's why Nintendo was smart, 720p 30/60 FPS on portables is still very respectable.
@UK-Nintendo The definitive Snake!
@Dakt The resolution has never ever crossed my mind, while playing a console game
@Dakt It's more than the Vita and seeing as the switch is a handheld first think 720p is just fine.
@BraveSonic I just got like $65 in funds but I don't want to pull the trigger on Shovel Knight or Blaster Master because I think it'd be smarted waiting for Lego City or MK8
Snake Pass looks great. I'll get it!
The game is available now
runs at sub-720p undocked :/
@UK-Nintendo oh how I miss that!!! That's when phones were good!
@Scapetti what? This is objectionally false. Many games on PS4 and XB1 run in native 1080p and 900p respectively. Mind you, those are 4 year old systems that already have successors out in the market now.
Switch is what it is, a 1st party and indie Wii U 2.0.
Another thing you tinfoil hat wearing NDFers on here need to stop doing is comparing the Switch to the PS4 and XB1. Those systems are legacy systems which actually competed directly with the Wii U.
See, the PS4 Pro and the XB1S are now things. These are current gen consoles and run all these games (and more) waaaaay better than Switch. Those are the consoles to compare Switch against.
For anyone curious about the Peep Show reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkqqUcsxhWE
(inappropriate language for kids)
I really wish that they had released this in physical format. A $27 price tag on top of a 3GB download seems excessive. I'd rather pay $40-$50 for the convenience and longevity of having it on cartridge.
@AlexOlney He's a coral snake. Red and yellow, kill a fellow. (Milk Snakes and King Snakes Red and Yellow are separated by black)
@Menchi187 man are you for real? Don't act like you're intelligent when you obviously lack basic English and logic knowledge.
If he said "Upscaled to 720p" you would be correct. He did not.
If you also understood at all how hardware works you'd know that the switch will upscale these signals to 1080p if that is what you have your TV set to. The Xbox 360 even did this.
The switch is not creating a 1080p image, thus "Upscaled 720p". It is no different on a technical level than if you had the switch output 720p and a separate box to display it in 1080p on your TV.
If you can't use some basic as hell logic when interpreting language, maybe don't call people out for what your tiny brain deems to be a mistake.
Edit: His words were "an upscaled 720p resolution" which clearly means the game is 720p. The fact that you can't understand this is aggravating. Don't call someone out and mock their profession when you're the freaking idiot. Jesus.
How well does it run? i would assume the same as all other platforms. its graphically basic and doesnt look pretty at all.
Mmm
I downloaded last night. Graphics in portable mode don't seem that hot.
Looks like it is not running in native res in handheld mode.
Haven't tried docked yet. Now kinda wish I purchased on PS4. It's a tough decision as on one hand I want that crisp 1080p image with trophies support but on the other I want he ability to play games in handheld mode.
Oh and the HD rumble is over done in this game. I will be turning it off
I can't support seemingly lazy ports anymore. I'd love to get this for my Switch, but then I'd be telling developers that it's ok to shaft consumers with non-optimised, rushed to release versions. If I get this it'll be for the PS4, unless Sumo decide to release a major update for the Switch version.
The game looks original and sweet. When I have a Switch and the price is right, I might download it!
720p30 sounds fine. Of course it's going to run better on PS4 Pro but this seems like a good portable game. More importantly, is it any good?
@Loui
Or, Sumo make the effort to support a new platform with very low sales when plenty aren't bothering and victimised Nintendo fans find another excuse not to buy third-party games.
Snake Pass looks fantastic on my HDTV; certainly better than Zelda or Splatoon. It takes a small hit on the graphics in portable mode, but it still looks great and plays smooth. I was hooked on the gameplay by the 2nd level. It's unique and fun.
Playing on my Switch instead of my PS4 or XBoxOne, for portability (as I will likely do for all multiplatform games).
It looks amazing in portable mode. I'm playing it right now in table top. Looks 720p to me. Nice and crisp. Even the super zoomed in blades of grass are razor sharp, bright, beautiful clean graphics. FPS are buttery smooth too. Nothing lazy about the Switch version of this game, it's top notch.
@SuperWeird looks blurry in portable mode.
I got the game this morning and have been playing it for a while so I'd like to weigh in on the 720p/1080I 30fps/60fps issue. I can tell you conclusively that... I don't give a rats backside (damn you profanity rules) The game looks fantastic and plays really well. It's no AAA blockbuster but still a damn fine platformer with unique mechanics. Really fun title. We need more of this. Only suggestion I can give to improve it is a mode where your tail gets progressively longer and you've got to avoid running into yourself. No one try to steal my idea, I thought of it first.
@Steel76 @aesc No profanity, thanks.
@aesc Please cut the slurs aswell.
@Dakt Why not? we judged the Xbox One Scorpio on XB1 and PS4 pro to the PS4. The Switch is a handheld and even more so look at what it replaced, the 3DS which looks like N64. The Switch is MUCH faster and nicer looking.
@Bustacap Dynamic resolution, you wont even notice
I'm gonna hold off on this one I think. I really want to play it but I just know the controls will frustrate me. Maybe when it's reduced someday. £9.99 seems an ideal price.
@Dakt They can say whatever they want but it's a tablet (handheld) with a glorified hdmi cable(dock). A console doesn't go with you anywhere. A handheld device does just that and the Switch IS just that.
Hopefully we see a physical release down the line
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