Since this review was originally published, the Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition update launched (in November 2022) and has reportedly addressed or improved one or more of the issues cited. While we unfortunately cannot revisit games on an individual basis, it should still be noted that the updated game may offer an improved experience over the one detailed below.
Nintendo Switch has played host to some truly remarkable ports during its second year. From the remarkably smooth performance of Paladins and Fortnite down to the sheer technical alchemy that went into Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Warframe, it's clear that when the right game is in the right hands, wondrous things can happen on the semi-handheld console that could. But sometimes a game is just too big in both scale and technical demands to really work on a console that has some real hardware limitations.
Snail Games has done its best to get something as vast in scope as Ark: Survival Evolved running on Switch, and run it does run – well, it’s more of a limping walk – resulting in an experience that’s marred by consistent technical flaws. The frame rate attempts to hit 30fps but it rarely maintains that pace for long. And with foliage to load, roaming dinosaurs, other survivors and more, you can hardly blame it. There some PCs out there to that struggle to keep up with the level of detail on display and even other console versions have been known to chug when things are particularly busy on-screen.
Despite this, Ark has never been a pretty game, either – even on a high-end PC it’s always been a bit of an eyesore – but for some, that’s become part of its charm. However, when you’re consistently locked in a perpetual state of texture loading and pop-in, the same can't be said for this version on Switch. It’s an issue which is worst when playing in handheld mode, with dinosaur skins taking an age to fully render, while trees and foliage sometimes never load at all. Some assets simply stay as blobs of unloaded content as the game struggles to prioritise the objects closest to you. It effectively makes Ark close to unplayable in handheld mode, at least in its current state.
Things are a little more stable when playing docked. The lighting model is more dynamic overall and even the water looks noticeably less plastic and artificial. The frame rate never maintains a solid 30fps in docked mode either, but it runs a lot closer to that marker than in its portable configuration. There’s still pop-in, but dinosaurs and other survivors are rendered much faster. It’s much closer to the Ark experience that was originally intended, but if you’re resigned to only playing in docked mode, there's very little reason to invest in this version over ones available on other platforms.
Beyond its technical problems, you’re still getting the ‘full’ Ark experience on Nintendo hardware. It’s a survival game, first and foremost, where you start out with nothing but a loincloth to your name and the desire to survive for more than five minutes. But you will die – a lot. Especially during your first few hours as you get to grips with the deep crafting mechanics and the way your body reacts to the changing environment around you. If the local wildlife doesn’t kill you and eat you – and believe us, it will – you’ll die of exposure to the cold, keel over from exhaustion or expire from the heat.
Ark is a game that wants you to survive, but it expects you to earn that survival. There’s a ‘Survival Guide’ of sorts in the main menu, but apart from that there’s no in-game tutorial or assistance. But push through, and you can see why Ark has built such a dedicated following. XP is doled out pretty generously, with even exploring the tropical island on which you wake levelling you up. Doing so unlocks new skill traits and engrams (blueprints for building new tools, weapons and structures). Even when your character perishes, these upgrades remain – you’ll just need to regather resources and recraft items.
There’s a powerful sense of accomplishment to be found when you’ve collected your first stones from the beach, punched your first tree into oblivion and built your first stone pickaxe. Then, after harvesting plants to get fibre, you can craft a cloth shirt and trousers. You’ll attack less predatory animals such as dodos for meat, before building a base away from the beach that you gradually upgrade and refine. Servers on Switch can host up to 64 players, and when you do link up with other players and form a tribe, the game takes on a far less tense and more enjoyable tempo.
Ark could be described as a mix between Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition and Dark Souls: Remastered. You can play on both PvP and PvE servers, so the resource gathering, base-building and looting aspects help Ark suit the current trend for Battle Royale games. The fact you can respawn and eventually track down your old base (or encounter those belonging to long-dead fellow players or tribes who are currently away on a hunt) creates some brilliant systemic moments where a T-Rex comes crashing into a group of aggressive players and causes all manner of chaos.
Conclusion
Ark: Survival Evolved, in its current state, is not the best port to grace Nintendo Switch. It is, however, a proper MMORPG survival game with a deep and rewarding crafting system and the potential for some brilliant online cooperation with your fellow survivors. There’s a palpable thrill to moving from simple stone tools to more advanced weaponry as you begin to master the crafting cycle, an experience no other game on Switch can offer right now. But its myriad technical problems – ranging from texture pop-in to substantial performance slowdown – mean you really are better off playing Ark on a different platform for the time being. Patches could solve some of these problems over time, but we can't help but feel this ambitious title will never run at an acceptable level on Nintendo's hybrid platform.
Comments (73)
Awe I was really hoping to get this one, but its a pass on the switch version unless some miraculous update comes to fix these issues
This article has been up for 2 minutes already and we still haven't had a panic button reference in the comments. Slacking.
Edit: Finally found one below. Only took 1 hour and 43 minutes.
A few people on my friend's list have been playing it pretty consistently. So I assumed it couldn't be that bad. But this review makes it sound rather horrible.
I haven't touched it myself or even watched video of it, so I couldn't say otherwise. But I am surprised to hear this.
im not at all shock that ARK got a 4 on here.
When you can download this for free on iOS and it works pretty well on that platform (iphone or ipod), what is the point in this poor port??
Especially for £45!!!
Ah money caused this didn't it. Root of all evil.
So basically. A decent game that is just too big for the Switch. Fair enough, at least they gave porting it a go.
Always thought this was a strange choice for a port given how other systems struggle with it
I'll stick to mining fossils in Pokémon Gen IV, thanks.
Uhh. Survival games. I’m hungry, I’m tired, I’m thirsty, can’t craft without 5 different kinds of animal skins. I’ll pass.
I was hoping to be a good port. No buy from me even if they patch it to run better.
Some products just do not deserve money if they decide to release like that and fix it later.
Could of just left it at "borderline unplayable", not an exclusive issue to Switch.
Snicker snicker
Just shows that Ninty need to make a more powerful console lol
Not a surprise to be honest,the game does not run all that well on the dedicated consoles.
Borderline unplayable you say.
Could be worse cough WWE 2K18 *cough"
It doesn't change the fact the performance is bad but when someone says borderline unplayable I expect performance always below 20fps (non stop).
The game runs fine in dock, the real issue here is that the game can run fine for a minute or 2 for example, then drop under 5fps for a second or 2 and then like nothing happened go back to normal framerate, that is of course more annoying but considering this game when launched stuttered on a GTX 1070 (and after many many patches it runs fine on a GTX 950 nowdays) I'm more surprised this game isn't really borderline unplayable non stop 2fps slideshow considering the hardware.
But WWE 2K 18 is not the only bad performing game, there are plenty of them it's that 2K their game is still the worst on that regard.
As for Ark, it runs okayish in dock and bad in handheld mode (lower framerate but still better than wwe) and that is a big shame because the game is awesome but performance wise only on PC.
@NintyNate,
I think Nintendo are doing pretty well with the switch at it's existing power level,the sales of the console show this.
Once again Nintendo Life, having the reviewer state how long they actually played the game in their review would be a tremendous benefit to the readers. I don’t understand why that’s not standard for all reviews, all websites. Maybe I’m wrong, but reading this review gives me the impression it wasn’t played long. There’s nothing wrong with that but it it was only played 10 hours versus 50, I’d like to know that.
I’m part of a group in which two guys are playing this game, one an Ark veteran. While the veteran readily admits there are performance issues, they hardly make the game “unplayable”. They’ve been playing it since release and seem to be having a blast with it, trading tips back and forth. As the veteran says, if you’re expecting the game to run at the same level as the other consoles, you’ll be disappointed. But, according to him, there is fun to be had with the Switch version. And yes, he plays handheld at times too.
Game that runs poorly on PS4/XBO runs even worse on Switch.
I'm shocked! Shocked!
Ok, not shocked.
@NintyNate Over 20 million people disagree or don't care.
I heard this game runs pretty crap on other consoles too. Maybe the engine is a little bit doo-doo?🤔
MMORPG is being throw around like there is no tomorrow. This is NOT a mmorpg. Warframe is NOT a mmorpg. STOP IT!
Mmorpg are games that have a consistent world WITHOUT CLUSTERS. If you can't have 500 people on the same screen, it is NOT a MASS Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.
Aw, man. I wanted this to be a good port. As I do think, if you're capable of making the game run decently, it can actually be a lot of fun. Here's hoping some sort of patch could address some of the issues.
@WiltonRoots @WiltonRoots chill ya!!! Only jokings ... The game sucks anyway
I've put hundreds of hours into this game on PC. At first it ran like horse manure, but over time the performance improved drastically. I got minor bugs here and there towards the end of my run, but overall it's an incredibly enjoyable experience.
More recently, I picked up the Xbone version to play with some friends. We had a lot of fun on that, but there is a noticable drop in performance. They didn't seem to notice much, but having had the afforementioned play time, I can't say it wasn't disappointing.
I shan't be picking up the switch version (unless I see it pop up crazy cheap at some point) but I will say that if they improve performance on this like they did the PC, perhaps in six months or a year or so it might be something worth picking up, perhaps during a summer dry spell or something. But yeah, if it runs even worse than the Xbone version, at least for now, I'd give it a dodge.
@NintyNate Yeah I don't think I've heard anything good about this title at all. Another stinker by all accounts. They'll learn eventually I suppose.
Is it as bad as superman 64? Cos if it is I will get it for a laugh. I feel our standards for “unplayable” are not what they used to be.
This game is entirely possible on the switch. It is entire capable of running correctly. However, the developers for this game are absolutely terrible at porting. The PS4 and Xbox versions have identical issues and framedrops as the switch version, and the PC version is still very buggy. However, I must admit, despite all of the bugs, if you get a group of friends together on a server, this game can be really fun.
@WiltonRoots be better if they port Turok over
Such a shame. Perfect for the other half and myself, even if only as a single player affair.
I wish people would start making more of these 'epic' games but either with Switch in mind (obviously wasnt an option for this port, just saying) or with more barebones graphics/lighting etc.
I wouldn't mind something graphically akin to N64 but with more world to explore and no invisible walls etc.
Anyway, to those that already bought it, here's hoping a future patch can iron out the framerate and pop in a bit.
@WiltonRoots,
Correct,
I think the mass market cares very little about a consoles power,and outside of the core gamer even a huge number of Ps4/Xbox One owners don't care either,sales of the Ps4 Pro and Xbox One X show that it's not all about raw graphics.
@JasonLee99 I also spent quite a few months on X1 in an alpha tribe, and I’m still enjoying this on Switch. I knew what I was getting into, though. The game is just rough on all platforms really. The trailers and screens provided by Wildcard are definitely a lie. I’ve had a tame disappear right in front of me.
That said, I still enjoy the game. And patches will come. But anyone that isn’t already a fan of Ark may find this more frustrating than fun.
@beazlen1 nothing is as bad as Superman 64.
But you are right, nowdays people complain about every framedrop but people forget how some games run in the past.
I still remember how many people praised Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker on PSP for it's graphics and stable performance, a game that runs at locked 20fps and nobody cared until someone revealed that and people said it runs bad (I don't care, it runs fine)
Or let's go even more back in the past, a while ago I had a blast with few people playing multiplayer of 007 on N64, that runs at most at 10fps in multi.
But again Ark could use some patches to at least fix those unexpected drops, but it's not a bad game.
I picked this up on launch day...and it is a hot mess. Nobody should suffer this game.
@NintyNate what a stupid comment lmao. Switch is like an eighth the size of a PS4 and is a handheld. It's an absolute powerhouse for what it is.
@benj2687 it’s not really a case of ‘at least they tried’ when they’re charging so much for it
Should have commissioned Panic Button.
Is anyone actually surprised by this?
@benj2687
Warframe, Wolfenstein and Doom says hi. Those can run rather fine so don't bring that up... And as far as I know it doesn't run well on anything so it's not a bad port because "it's to big to be on Switch".
@Rayquaza2510 It might be a close call between the 2 games. Beatemups did a review on this game... He says it's almost as bad as WWE 2K 18. I'm not taking my chance with either one!
@NintyNate I know people are givin you s**t already, but c'mon, look at Warframe...
Shoukd have brought on panic button.
To scratch that survival/crafting itch (and if you're sick of "Minecraft") you could pick up "Crashlands", "Don't Starve" or "The Flame in the Flood", each of which are better suited to and therefore run very well on Switch.
Oh well that's one crossed of the list.
@MysticGengar Panic Button would've quit. WildCard Studios makes a poorly optimized game. Ascension did the port, and they're the same folks that did the PS4 port. It's literally a port of a port of a rough game. I'm under no illusion about the game quality, and had a neighbor not payed me $50 for tractor work I probably would have waited a good while.
But knowing what I was getting into, I'm having loads of fun. I built a house in a small lake, and my next task is taming a Phioma with a bola and tranq arrows.
@NintyNate Well it runs horribly on other consoles so it's not entirely the switch's fault.
What a shame. My youngest nephew is getting a Switch for Christmas, a huge surprise for him, he's going to go nuts. He loves dinosaurs, this would've been a game I'd pick up for him. But not now.
Though I think the review should've had a lower score based on the footage I've seen of it on YouTube, the reviewer is right in that no matter how many patches come out, this game won't ever be completely fixed. Terrible port that should never have happened.
I've struggled with Ark for a couple of years now, both on a very high-powered gaming PC and more recently on Xbox One X. That anyone thought this was going to run on Switch is absurd right out of the gate. Ark is a game of endless 40GB patches and near-awful performance on my PC at 1080p, or 1440p on XB1X, so why would 720p (or less) on the Switch be any better?
For as much as I really want to love this game, it's been 100% disappointment through and through. This is simply one more place where Ark has let me down and failed to live up to its initial promise and/or hype, as far as I'm concerned.
Not shocked at all. I expected a 2/10 to be honest.
That's really unfortunate as I know understand better how this game works and it really seems fun. So unless a major, major patch comes the way of this game, I'll seek it elsewhere first.
Why someone would think that a switch port of a game that already had massive performance issues on PC would run remotely acceptable is a bit baffling to be fair.
Sure, Panic Button has worked some porting wonders no one would have thought would be possible, granted.
But the base products were optimized to begin with. Ark has been a technical mess from the start.
This did not even run well on my PC. Switch never had a chance.
@beazlen1 Agreed, lmao. The younger generation really has a skewed interpretation of what a truly bad game is, having never experienced a Superman 64 rental on the Nintendo 64 or an E.T. session on the Atari 2600. What is an "unplayable" game in 2018, a game that runs slightly below 30fps sometimes and has some object pop-in? Funnily enough, you could describe both Ocarina Of Time and Breath Of The Wild in this way, and these are both the games of their respective decades. I'd say ARK is probably a fair 6 when factoring in graphical and performance issues, and is worthy of a follow-up review once a patch is released.
Not surprised. Game was bad on other systems
The game runs terribly on other consoles, too. I wouldn't pin this on the Switch's hardware when the XBX version struggles, and even high-end PCs. In fact I've heard from a few people that the Switch version actually runs better than the PS4 one.
It's horrible on ps4 and it's a shame since it's a neat idea.
It runs like a turd everywhere, i wasn't expecting to be any different on the Switch.
Such a shame because i really like the idea of the game, but the poor optimization really kills it.
Nintendo Life only gives 9/.........wait, what?
So with the NL bias....this is like a 1, right?
Yeah I didn't have high hopes for this game. Most of the problems sound like the same ones every other platform has with it too, which is actually technically impressive that Switch can run this just as badly as 4k consoles...
What I don't understand is: in games like these, why is it that the first thing people do is put pants back on?
@JasonLee99 I've played for 500 hours on pc, and this is the exact same experience here. There are issues for Ark everywhere, but fundamentally this is the same, which for me is more than enough. I'd love the game to run better on every platform, but it doesn't, and I can play comfortably portable, and do the exact same things I did on an advanced gaming pc, on the go.
@BradC40 I'd say this would have been a bad pickup for him, depending on his age, more due to difficult game design, more so than the quality of the port. It's a very complex and challenging game, and is often really offputting for new users. I pushed it aside for months on pc, then delved back in and persevered.
It doesn't run that good on the other platforms, so I didn't have much hope the Switch version would either. Just get the game on your platform of choice and live with it, I guess.
Aw I was looking forward to this - sucks that it’s not worth playing. Hey, is anyone else confused that the eShop cover doesn’t have a title? I couldn’t find it at first lol
@JasonLee99 this reviewer is correct the game is nearly unplayable, and by nearly handheld as far as im concerned is dead for this game, its the worst experience ive had albeit i didnt own wwe, in docked mode its ok but it barely ever runs at 30fps and hangs it seems around 20ish with alot of dips into single digits when your running from something thats trying to eat you and the graphics dont load properly and look like ASS no textures just blobs everywhere
I'm playing this and it run better on switch than it did on ps4 I've played all week and I have not had any problems, the only lag spikes I get is when there is a lot on the screen and that's only for a nanosecond.
I'm really enjoying playing this again.
This game was unplayable on PC, what did you expect? Ark is one of the biggest scams on the market. An unfinished game that got DLC while it was still in early access. This game is STILL a mess because the devs have not shown an ounce of interest in fixing it. Instead they pile on more problems with each new patch.
Shoulda employed Panic Button. Haha.
Bummer though. I was interested in this one as the concept is really cool.
If they can patch it up, I’m all over it.
But right now it’s definitely not in the best state. I watched some post-patch gameplay and it didn’t seem unplayable, in fact it seemed somewhat ok, but it was certainly on the lower end of what one would expect for a playable game. The pre-patch version was a train wreck. The hangup for me was handheld mode. It was in an OK-ish state when docked, but handheld was like... RIME levels of aweful. MXGP3 levels of aweful.
I have my doubts they’ll ever get this game into a proper state but... I guess time will tell.
If they patch it, I will buy it.
This game makes me think of Monster Hunter. Seems like Monster Hunter might be a better choice if this game runs bad.
Don't hold your hopes up. I was an original backer on PC and after all these years it still runs crap on my beefy PC with a GTX1070 card.
This has always been the motto with this game. So much potential, just clueless devs that don't have the experience necessary to optimize the game and make it run properly.
At this moment, they are just a scam company, launching crappy rushed ports of the game on other platforms as a dirty cash grab. As that is all it is with the Nintendo Switch version.
I am actually more disappointed in Nintendo for allowing them to release the game in such a state!
But who are we kidding, since it seems Nintendo is only interested at the moment in boosting the number of games available on the Switch and not caring one bit if games are actually of decent quality and playable! So much for Nintendo's promise to be more aggressive with the Switch platform. /shrug
Bah to their bad review, I've been holding out to get this on Switch ever since I heard about it. Having not experienced it on any other platform before, hopefully I won't know why they think it's so bad anyway. I will give a go none the less.
Well, the rating is very fair, as I experienced a lot of bugs indeed, with 1 major one that wont let me progress: Random game crashes that let you back track at least a hour before it happened. I really hope they fix that at least, until then I'll just play Super Smash.
I read the reviews, watched it on YouTube, should I shouldn't I buy it going on in my head.
Well........... after being in pub all afternoon called in Argos for a pro controller and on impulse bought this. If you can get past the problems and remember that you are playing sat in the car while wife shops or wherever you are then this is just as enjoyable as it was on ps4. Wouldn't want to try multiplayer on it but so far having a nice relaxed explore on the sofa instead of watching elf again for the 100th time lol.
Give it a go. It really isn't that bad. X
Merry Xmas xxxxxxx
LOL, knew it from the start.
Yes the graphics are a bit iffy but come on people.
How many of you play minecraft for gods sake ?
Not exactly cutting edge graphics there are they lol
No way does ARK:Survival on Switch warrant a 4/10 (shame on NL)... check out player reviews 7/10!!!
Once you get used to the low-res graphics you find that it runs smoothly, it plays well, you can solo and take it on the go #InstantArcFun and "you’re still getting the ‘full’ Ark experience".
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