Trials Rising On Switch Doesn't Rise Up To The Challenge Of Its Rivals

Disappointing. I know my kid is looking forward to this game quite a bit. I'm not a graphics snob in the slightest, and I always say I'd rather have a game with comparably worse graphics than no game at all, but that's a pretty substantial difference.

Good thing im not getting it lol

Keep in mind that Xbox hardware is 6 years old. Impressive stuff there.

Anyone that thinks 60fps is overrated is just kidding themselves. Imagine Mario Kart 8 at 30fps

This is looking like a WWE 18 issue. I can handle cut back graphics and backgrounds but jerky and stuttering gameplay - this shouldn’t be released without a fix

Far too many compromises. Trials needs low latency controller input and 60fps provides that.

Not to mention the major cutbacks to the presentation and sub-720p resolution. This strikes me as a poor effort by Ubisoft for this type of game.

Oh man I was looking forward to this still gonna try the demo myself after work but it looks really disappointing

The new gold standard of LAZY PORTS after WWE2018, I guess it was handled by a small side developer. Shame.
MK8D is ten times more demanding than this small game and it runs like a champ.

I downloaded the demo but haven't had a chance to play it yet, But my Lord if this is anything to go by, we’re talking about sub native resolution, below 30 FPS performance and input lag!? Man that’s awful considering post long-term support plans Ubi has for the game.

I was genuinely excited for this and I understand if cuts need to be made but looking at those stills this isn’t cut back it’s a major overhaul and removal of entire game assets, and that fog!? I mean Jesus it’s God awful.

Mmmm...Turok.

Port the remasters, and we will buy.

Also, I sense Ubisoft was too busy making their three editions (Standard, Gold, Ultimate) to optimize this game.

(Sad trumpet)

OOoooh, Ubisoft!

Gah, that's annoying. Still, it's only a beta, so I guess there's still hope for the release version...?

@hihelloitsme MK8 ran at 30fps on Wii U when you had 3-4 local players, but personally I could only just tell the difference, and in most games I can't tell the difference between 60 and 30 at all unless I see them side by side. I know some people are more sensitive to it but personally I don't have a problem with 30fps, and it's not because I'm 'just kidding myself'.

Anyway, I'm surprised they had to make Trials look this bad to get it on the Switch. I wouldn't have thought it would be a particularly hardware-intensive game.

I've kept trying to download Trials demo on to Switch but it keeps hitting only 82% loaded and complains there's no internet connection when there actually is. So I haven't even been able to try it. Sad face.

Any suggestions how to fix this?

This isn't exactly a demanding game, so this is pretty shocking.

On the subject of Turok, I've been playing through the remasters on PC and loving them. Switch ports seem like an obvious move.

Aw man I was so looking forward to this. Will see the review if there are any improvements but this sounds rather disappointing

Christ they just didn't even try

skipping the switch version. I'll likely buy it on PC instead.

@CptProtonX only 3 editions, that's not like Ubisoft

I don't mind reduced framerate, worse textures, downgraded models or pop-in if the game runs well. But not only does this apparently not run very well, but the visual presentation of the game is completely destroyed. So yeah this is annoying to say the least.

Games like this and the Assassin's Creed remake have no right to have unstable framerate, but yet they do and it's really a shame. I thought Ubisoft will try to establish themselves as the top Switch supporter, but judging by this, it seems that they see Switch as a less important platform that they can just dump on some shovelware and easy ports for extra cash. Many big studios are like this and I am starting to lose hope that this is going to change anytime soon.

Think maybe you should play a few more levels , going by other comments looks like the reviewer only played a fog level.

This looks very dissapointing, going to try it tonight, but if its bad, im going to cancel my preorder

@Lionyone Should be OK now. Would get this error when I tried earlier and it was because the beta hadn't yet started.

Oh dear. Definitely not getting this now. There are too many fantastic games on my wishlist to waste money on this sad pile of laziness. Panic button could no doubt tidy this up in a heart beat.

Sorry but trials isn’t even the most taxing game with regards to power needed. We are hardly talking about Doom here yet look how that turned out with the right people and effort. That’s just a poor poor port and they shouldn’t release it in that state.

lol video game fog. I didn't think I'd see the day when it makes it way back on a nintendo console.

@Lionyone I had this issue on the first day, deleted the file, 're downloaded and it worked perfectly fine after.

@mattmayatt I tried a few levels and won't be getting it on Switch, which is a real shame as I was looking forward to it being my lunch time game. One level set on a spooky rollercoaster felt awfully choppy when lighting effects came in.

I also have real concerns about the lack of a analogue trigger with trials.

How is the Switch version going to contend with user generated content - which is always a fun part of trials. If it's created on a PS4 or XBone , requires slow acceleration and has a bunch of effects it will be unplayable on the switch.

Speaking of FFIX, there isn't mist for the whole game, and things look fine without it. How does that work if it was meant to hide poor render distances?

Just cancelled my pre-order. Shame as it's the only platform I would have played it on. If they ever improve things I'll reconsider down the road at a reduced used price point. No way am I supporting this at launch at full price.

Was really looking forward to this on the Switch but I am so thankful for the open beta because this has confirmed I will be buying the Xbox One version instead. Playing with the joycons felt awful. I hear you can use a Gamecube controller to get access to analog triggers, but if I am going to have to dock it to play with proper controls anyway, I will just use an Xbox controller. Plus the 60fps and graphics.

Not buying a priced game with lootboxes so this doesn't affect me.

I’d laugh if it wasn’t so sad.

I didn’t even think about graphics on switch and had fun playing it. Until I saw that comparison... now I am really mad about the difference!

This is why demos/betas are important.

This stuff hurt the well gained reputation of the switch, i know are people looking forward for this game, even in that awful state, and maybe im being radical now, but i think Ubisoft need to push the release day untill they have something worthy to play on the fantastic Nintendo system.

I was unsure which console to pick this up on, thank you for helping with my decision.

Ps4 it is then

You can use the GC Controller for analog triggers. It works, I tried it. The game is perfectly playable, beat the entire Open Beta including the extreme track.

This is ubisoft trash, lazy and pathetic. Don't give them your hard earned cash!
Daylight robbery!

@Marios-love-child same for me. Hurts because i liked the thought of playing it on the go but I can’t support the switch version

@hihelloitsme

who says that?

the xb1 hardware is also more powerful than a tegra with a much larger power budget.

my pc is 7 years old and can still smash the twins. it's all about power budge and a phone will never come close to what a console can have.

no excuse for this though. bleh.

Same publisher as Starlink.... which was beautiful and could have lots of things going on at once without N64 fog. This just just seems icky to me.

Man, this is gutting that standards are so low.

Why are only showing the first level? The rest don't look that bad.

Pre order cancelled. No analogue controls with 30fps that has dips too much to compromise. PS4 copy on this one

The Switch version is horrible compared to the other version, FPS are mostly below 30 fps and the graphics is really bad. Urban Trial Playground is a better choice on Nintendo Switch, with much better game play which is the most important in the end. I enjoyed that game quite alot, but Trials is no no on Switch!

@kobashi100 There are analog controls. Either with the right stick or with the GC controller. Not Redlynx fault, that the Joycons don't feature analog triggers. They did all they could with the controls on offer.

I must say, all normal levels look perfectly fine to me. Just the tutorial one is a smog heaven for some reason. Perhaps it's the most realistic version, since these stinkin' motorbikes could be responsible for it

I always try the horsy or bicycle in a Trials game when I can help it, and do a pretty good job at that.

Yeah check out the other levels, no fog there.

Yikes. Probably would have picked this one up on Xbox anyway.

I'll play the demo later but there's no excuse for the poor performance. I'll most likely just stick with Trials HD on the Xbox 360 (which probably runs at 60fps).

@xpromisedx

I always expected the ps version to be slightly prettier and I could live with that but looking at those screen shots we're talking night and day.

Just hoping the ps version is enhanced for Ps4 Pro

The fog has to be a mistake in the settings or something in the Switch build (in which case it'd still be a MAJOR oversight to say the least), it looks more like some tracks in previous games that actually have fog for ambiance. The previous console game, Trials Fusion, did run at 60fps on the 360 without such measures, just at a noticeably lower resolution and level of detail. Even the in-between mobile game runs pretty well on my phone and Apple TV.

There's always the chance of just being a lazy port of course, but having played all Trials games since even the first Java ones, I'll give RedLynx the benefit of the doubt until the actual release. But definitely not day-1 material though.

PS4 version, here I come.

Not that I'm making any excuses for this game (which sounds like a very lazy port), but I used to rather like the fog workaround.

Török made it seem intentional and allowed for more scares. Generally it's rather an elegant solution if a game really needs it. I'd argue that out of the two screenshots above the foggy Switch look has more atmosphere (literally ), whereas it's almost like with the XB1 version they put too much in because they could and it looks cluttered.

Anyway I'm not trying to say the approach is a good thing to do – especially if it's used as a lazy alternative to good programming – but I never disliked, and even liked, the look it gave video games.

What the fog were the developers thinking? This is a real mist opportunity. 😁

@infernogott where did I blame the developers? If I have to use a GC pad why would I bother with switch version. If I am playing docked i would rather get PS4 version.

Using joycons as analogue controls doesn't interest me one bit.

Obviously they couldn't be bothered making it work properly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpaGxJyZYx0

Shows 4 levels. 1 is in the sandstorm.

Deception. Typical Ubisoft. Remember the Watch Dogs debacle?

Wow, that's really bad. I Iegit thought that first shot was supposed to be a desert scene. It's too bad, I was never super into this but thought it might make a nice diversion from my usual fare.

@ncb1397 Exactly. And I played docked a few hours ago, better resolution than the handheld footage that is shown.

I’ve been playing this most of the day on Switch and enjoying it, but read this, downloaded the PS4 beta, and switched my preorder. Would love this on the Switch but it’s just a different game.

@dartmonkey - I have nothing to add about the game, but want to say the thread title is one of the reasons I love this site, even if I'm the only one who gets the song reference!

Unbelievable.

Come on Ubisoft. Your developers are talentless grunts who cant program to save their lives. They just lean on that "mo power" crutch because it masks their incompetence. Things like "optimize" and "leverage hardware strengths" and past tricks of the trade are out the window.

Its Trials. How can you NOT get it running well? I know how. They dont optimize. They just port it like it's an Xbox One then crank the resolution and framerate knob as low as it goes, then blur out details until it runs.

For shame. I'll spend my money on actual quality Switch ports, like Dragon's Dogma and Final Fantasy X and XII.

edit

I’m going to eat crow here and admit... I spoke too soon. I jumped to conclusions when I saw the videos compared. I just played the beta and to be quite honest I’m actually impressed with how good it looked and ran. Every other level was normal and did not use that fog effect. The resolution was respectable, even in handheld mode. And amazingly enough the frame rate was fine and there wasn’t any lag. So... I’ll say it. I was a bit too hasty in my judgement. And... look. I get it. The switch isn’t as powerful and sometimes tricks have to be employed to get the game to run well. If they had to use fog for that one level... fine. Just so long as the entire game isn’t like that, we’re good. The way the article was written though, it made it seem like the entire game was that way. I wish the article had been more thorough because I feel somewhat mislead now.

Bottom line
Try the beta for yourself. And play more than just the first level. Judge for yourself.

I have read this and then I tried the Switch Version handheld mode. I actually thought it would be worse ( maybe it’s bad on docked).

Since there is an open beta if people are interested they should try it.

People actually buy these games?

What some devs seem to choose to do is set the switch version's performance standard from the performance of the switch being out of the dock. The clock speeds are reduced quite a bit and they're just not using the top end performance as the standard.

I can understand why they did it but its a little annoying that its becoming the norm.

@NintenDan_ Cheers! Verra helpful!

@hihelloitsme I don’t have to imagine Mario Kart 8 at 30fps. It runs at that framerate in local multiplayer.

Honestly it is really fun, and I really don't care about the fps or differences, because it is still fun, and that what matters to me! So yes, I still like it on the Switch after playing it!

If you downgrade textures, models and resolution, it's usually to be able to keep the framerate high. If you're doing all of this (and at an extreme level) and STILL have to drop the framerate by HALF, then maybe you aimed too high, or maybe, just maybe, your development team is incompetent.

I'm usually the one who will defend developpers in face of all the stupid "lazy devs" comments, but in this case, I just can't....

@xpromisedx Same, but I am not mad at all with the differences heheh.

I am Turok!

Class. Remake please

Played it today on Switch. Loved every second of it.

Been playing this a lot today,and it’s not as bad as people are making out. Only the one level has fog like that, all the others seem fine, and I have not noticed any input issues.

@hihelloitsme Your comment about an Xbox being 6 years old is not really relevant, in that this is Clearly a problem with the games porting / optimisation etc.

The stats of the Xbox have not changed over 6 years, it can handle graphics which are totally fine.... but when you go to the Switch, programmers need to actually optimise correctly or it shows... and that’s the problem.

I wish they would port Moto eXtreme to the Switch. That game is addictive, runs at a locked 60 fps, and just is a blast to play. I'd have to admit that the graphics aren't good, but the responsiveness, smoothness, and sheer fun of it make the quality of the models and texture maps a moot point! I wish developers would start with low end graphics and then add things until they can't hit 60 fps anymore, and quit there! Keep the quick controller response and high frame rate, and let other stuff fall by the wayside
Also, I'm really disappointed to hear this. I love Trials games and was anticipating a lower resolution (maybe 600p) high frame rate (60 fps of course!) game with all the fun Trials games usually provide...

@hihelloitsme

You don’t have to use imagination. The game Switches (ehm) to 30fps if you play with 3 or 4 people on the console, regardless if docked or not. It’s bad, really bad and the reason I never play it with more than one person on a console.

@dystome This close to release? Absolutely no chance. It's a demo, no matter how Ubisoft tries to market it.

Wow! That is impressively bad! 😮
Is the same system that plays Fast RMX, Mario Kart, Warframe, Doom and Smite?

Did anyone actually expect one of ubisofts D-teams to put out a proper port?

The later levels aren´t actually this bad. The game isn´t graphically impressive on the other platforms either. Just played the PC version, and a lot of things that I thought looked bad on switch also look bad on PC.

I just playing it forobee 1h. Its nothing bad with this game. I.enjoy game play. This days i m not bothered with reviews and opinions like this. Everything for my start with no expectation at all and enjoy everything much more. Even movies with bad critics been mych better thab them with high one's.

Downloaded it but kept getting a no internet connection message. Deleted it. Good to know I didn't waste my time on it.

Ok... I spoke too soon.

While the disparity does look pretty drastic based on the first level, after having played the beta for myself I may have slightly misjudged.

Every other level looks fine and does not use that fog effect. And the resolution is actually surprisingly good, even in handheld mode. I haven’t had any frame rate issues and I haven’t noticed any lag whatsoever.

I shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to conclusions without doing my due diligence before commenting. I had canceled my pre-order but... I just re-ordered. I’m happy with what I’ve played today.

Noooooooo!

I've been waiting forever for this!
Why does it look worse than Trials on the x360?

... Back to civilization 6 I go. I want sure how to find playtime for Trials anyway.
Moto Heroz on WiiWare was great btw. From the Trials Dev.

@cyrus_zuo Only this one level looks bad, give it a try.

After playing on both switch and ps4 I am holding off. I really want a handheld trials game and couldnt really care less about the visuals but it feels wrong on the switch. Dont know if thats the frame rate dipping . Even the 2D ui feels sluggish on Switch which I really dont understand.

@TheMadPolarBear Yeah, you're probably right. Having now played it though, it's actually not bad.

The frame rate sometimes drops for a fraction of a second but not very often, and as a few others have said, that odd brown dust effect is only in the first level.

Although trials on 360 did run @720p60fps you have to take into account this is is a new game. This game has lots more going on so I not gonna say the switch should be able to hit 60fps just like 360 did. I could actually deal with 30fps if there was analogue triggers on switch hardware. That's the deal breaker for me.

For people who buy the switch version. Hopefully we see some future patches to better the experience.

Look Switch is less powerful but it’s pretty clear it can run stuff better than this dreck.

No way they had to half the frame rate, make the draw distance practically nonexistent and remove like 90% the objects/people/detail to get it running.

Have to say, I find this article a little bit misleading.
I almost cancelled my preorder, but i decided to give it a try, after coming from fusion on ps4, I still had a great time with the beta, becouse i had no expectations, you really can't compare switch games with the other consoles and expect the same. The controles are not thad bad and i dont expierence input lag, I adapted to the digitale triggers, becouse many players play this with a keyboard on pc.
I dont have trouble even to do the extreme tracks, and the sticks work well also.

Tried the beta and made me laugh, funny game with the physics. Was quite interested until I saw loot boxes, an I game crashed urgency and also a premium currency.

Still abit tempted by this, but need to know if there’s a heavy grind

The thing is that this game isn't even graphically challenged, it's just pure natural lazy porting...... Ubisoft should be very ashamed of themselves for doing this.

The weather is much nicer in Urban Trial Playground, not an ounce of fog...

@Zimon must be the switch lite everyone is talking about hehe

The word shocking in the subtitle of the headline. A long article with speculation. Leading questions at the end, creating doubt based on the narrative just presented. Is this site run by a British tabloid? 😉

PS: IMO graphics are fine from what I experienced in the free demo. I didn't expect much more than Urban Trial Playground with regards to that. The controls will take some getting used to. I'm keeping my pre-order open 😊

I tried the Switch beta and PS4 beta (have both of 'em) and man am I really disappointed about the Switch lazy port they've done
I was so excited to finally play Trials on-to-go on my Switch that I don't want to buy it on PS4 and really wanted it on Switch.

I wasn't expecting much but it even shocked me with how poorly it performed and looked.

Trials HD on worse hardware managed to look better and run better. Not acceptable Ubisoft

I think I played a different beta, it ran just fine, and I played the closed beta on the PS4. There were graphically differences, duh, but nothing that made the game unplayable. Also the frame rate was just fine didn't notice any issues in that department

Now I played the PC and Switch versions for some hours and Switch version is actually quite ok in terms of visuals and handles well enough. Was to quick before to bash it!

The beta-version of a Switch-port plays it safe with the superfluous graphical details?

HOLD THE PRESSES!

Let's take a look again at the end of beta testing, thank you very much.

Just played the demo. Controls are responsive.. Graphics look good in hand held mode. Game play is superfun. Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Looks like another great ubi game.

Spent some hours on both the PS4 and the Switch demos.
PS4 obviously has much better graphics, but the Switch one ain't as bad as this article does imply. There are admittedly less details, but the frame-rate seems to be a stable 30fps. I had no 'hiccups' whatsoever on the Switch during my whole playtime.
However I also think that the game does look exactly the same in handheld mode as it does in docked one - so mayhaps the development team was indeed a bit lazy. Methinks that they could have boosted some graphics in docked mode, but ah well...

PC it is for me!

@Andy3004 I absolutely agree. This is slightly irresponsible reporting actually and could damage the profile of this version. I think there's been some influence here from some initial hysteria from various forums. The game runs at a pretty solid 30fps and the foggy graphics only apply to the first track. The others hold up very well. A lot of games play much worse at 30fps and some fare better for various reasons. This one doesn't suffer much & plays very well as far as I'm concerned. I've been playing on my PS4 pro and my Switch but will be buying it on the Switch for playing on the sofa while watching TV with the family. It has sublime and addictive gameplay - really enjoying this one.

Sorry, anyone who owns another platform such as ps4 and chooses to get it on switch is a damn fool and only contributes to these lazy ass devs and just sends the message to them that this sub par garbage is acceptable to all the nintendo noobs. just look at warframe and you'd see that this is absolutely unacceptable.

@Voodoo Looking at your past comments, I'd advise people not to take anything you say too seriously.

The 'foggy' level that is being complained about in this news feature is actually having the weather effect of a sand storm. You can see sand blowing in the wind!! that is why it looks the way it does. I am happy with what I have played of the beta and will definitely be getting this game, this is the perfect portable pick up and play game for me.

@andykara2003

I agree about irresponsible reporting. If I hadn't tried the demo I would have thought it was crap based on this "news piece". Populistic evening newspaper style reporting on my favourite Nintendo website will soon turn this into a clickbaity "avoid" site instead. Please, NL, stop it!

I played through the whole demo and with 30 years of gaming under my belt on every console, I could find zero fault with smoothness of framerate. In fact, silky smooth on handheld mode for me (didn't try on tv).

Yeah, the first level looks like crap, but the tutorial that comes directly after looks very nice with no "fog/sandstorm" and the rest of the levels much better as well. It's really night and day compared to how this news piece makes it seem.

With that said, this is not my type of game. My favorite part was the tutorial... I prefer my racing realistic when it comes to tracks while semi-realistic in physics - so not simulation but also definitely not over the top. And I felt the tracks in this is definitely over the top for me (while physics almost a bit too fiddly). For reference, Excitebike 64 is still my favorite in the genre, hah, especially the stadium tracks. (Yeah I feel old.) This game made me feel the ache for a new version.

I don't think irresponsible necessarily, but alarmist for sure. The graphics are fine handheld, but man it does not look good docked compared to PS4 (which is expected), and I don't just mean the sandstorm. I agree with everyone who says Trials is the perfect pick up and play portable for Switch, but I just don't think that's enough for me considering the graphics hit and inferior controls, and that I want to play docked as well. I canceled my preorder and went with PS4 after playing both demos. I would absolutely pick up the Switch version on the cheap but only for handheld.

I have played the beta and the graphics are unacceptable. It is quite simply lazy, lazy programming and development.

@dartmonkey I know you have a review code for the full game, but it would have been nice if you guys could have tested the beta and given your own opinion on it instead of just re-reporting these tweets. I'm about to try it myself after reading the comments from users in this thread, making me interested in the game again after having lost it by just reading your piece. There's some legitimate criticism pointed at your article and while I'm sure there are some big differences between the versions, it might be worth trying out the demo for yourself first instead of jumping to conclusions.

For example, read the comments from @InAnotherCastle @EasyDaRon @steventonysmith @Pod @Andy3004 @andykara2003 @molkom @NigelTufnel and @JaxonH in this thread.

Edit: So now I've played the beta for a while and the game is actually fun! Not the best looking game out there, though the following stages looks much better than the first one. It plays perfectly fine as well, I didn't have any problems with it. Granted I haven't played it on the other consoles, but I think the Switch version is promising and not the catastrophe it is being painted out to be, a picture that this article contributed to.

I actually quite enjoyed the Beta, am I allowed to say that in amongst all this negativity?