SnowCastle Games has revealed that Earthlock 2 is coming to next-gen consoles as well as the PS4 and Xbox One, but it would seem that bringing the game to Switch might be a bridge too far.
When Nintendo Life reader Adam Bardugo contacted SnowCastle regarding a Switch release, he was told:
Unfortunately, as of now, we can't promise it. We certainly will try, but especially the RAM on Nintendo Switch makes it very hard to squeeze in the game.
The first Earthlock title was announced back in the Wii U days, and was intended to be a tribute to the classic turn-based JRPGs of the late '90s. It was later released on Switch.
Earthlock 2 is being pitched as "an open-world action RPG with complex interlocking systems that work together to offer players extensive freedom to customise their own experience" and clearly aims to build on the good work seen in the original.
While a Switch launch may be hanging in the balance, you can at least check out the first title at a reduced cost; to celebrate the news of the sequel's next-gen version, SnowCastle has discounted Earthlock by 80% on eShop, so it now costs €4.99 EUR / £4.49 GBP / $5.98 USD.
We awarded the Switch version of the original game 8/10 in our Earthlock review, saying:
An indie adventure with a lush world, fun characters, and enjoyable battles, Earthlock brings the soul of PS1-era JRPGs to the Switch with excellent results. Inconsistent dialogue and notable load times are among its few missteps, but as a package, it captures the appeal of the epoch wonderfully. If you’re looking for a fresh-feeling JRPG that still calls back to the classics, this is a lovely choice.
Will you be picking it up on sale? Were you hoping to see the sequel on Switch? Let us know with a comment.
Comments 27
Bought the first a while back probably on the last sale. Still haven't started it yet but the second one looks promising.
Looks pretty good
Probably time for a Switch Pro, don't you think?
I made it to the final boss, iirc, & kept getting defeated, so I ended up moving on to other games. I should probably get back to it some day.
I think this goes to show that one of the biggest design flaws of the Nintendo Switch is it’s pathetic amount of RAM. Hopefully they can do some magic and overcome the RAM problem.
This is barely the beginning of this. As more and more games start to get announced for next gen systems by publishers expect them to make statements as such. Really lame too since the Switch's consumer base is massive and STILL growing. Ah well goes with the territory for Nintendo. Nothing new.
By the time this comes out, Switch 2 might be a thing.
Sounds a lot like optimization problems to me.
Earthlock is a great little game. But the keyword, little, should be noted. There was no reason the game should of had the troubles it did.
If Nintendo is doing a revision they really need to get it out asap. Other than that had a good time with the first one. Looking forward to it
@IronMan30 It's coming out in 2 years so you're definitely right
@Entrr_username assuming it makes that date, Switch 2 won't be a thing. I figure it will get a delay, though.
Played the first one on Switch. Liked it, it was fine. I'll play this one on PC just like when Deliver Us the Moon got canceled on Switch this year.
I really liked the first one I don't know how I feel about 2 yet. Seems very different from what they were pushing for the last few years. I bought the first game 3 times.
With some of the games that are out on Switch that seemingly shouldn't be, I think a lot of developers just don't want to optimize, and just give up on trying to bring things to the Switch
@Bolt90 it does seem that devs are just being lazy with some games.
A lot of these shouldn't have the problems they have if they just take the time to optimize it right. But hey if they don't want to then don't and miss out on sales
Just as unfortunate for the developers, the Switch has a strong rpg fanbase
Wow, Earthlock 2 ?! 😮
I have Earthlock Switch version by Super Rare Games. 😀
I will keep my eyes peeled on Earthlock 2.
We'll get it on 2 Switch 2 Furious no doubt.
@DockEllisD that's one's person own opinion and doesn't reflect the quality of the game itself.
@Nourldean they missed a opportunity and instead went for the coffee table gaming rather then getting into more gamers hands.
@liljmoore @Bolt90 @Paraka not all engines are easily scallable, and “optimization” is not a magic wand that someone does to magically make the game work for the Switch.
@diwdiws Right. But when they already have background in making games with similar hardware requirements, you'd think that developers would make choices during development that reflect that knowledge.
@diwdiws - Though technically true, that's a broad brush response. If we as people know about engines and their functionality, so do they. And I don't think the engines they were using were that inherently stubborn.
Earthlock is solid. Hope the team has some success so they can continue to make these games.
Better they don't promise it then. ^^
Best to finish the game and get it out the door.
Afterwards, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Switch-experienced teams that can offer them advice on making do with "only" four gigabytes of memory.
So we're entering that level of desperation from lack of news on Nintendo Life are we? The WiiU era where the news posted daily is about what games are not coming to Switch.....
Nintendo owns the blame on this one with their silence.
Maybe next week we can hear about Project Cars.
Well, it's coming to current-gen consoles too right? There you got it, unless they make it next-gen only, it will eventually arrive on Switch too.
The first game was really polished on Switch, I'm sure they can do the same this time too.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...