ARK: Survival Evolved Gameplay on Switch Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

The popular dinosaur-hunting survival game, ARK: Survival Evolved, is making its way to Nintendo Switch this month on Nov. 30. It has been out on PS4, PC, and Xbox One for quite some time, so there has been substantial build-up surrounding the Switch release, as the community size is noteworthy.

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A recent Resetera post shows off gameplay for the Nintendo Switch version of ARK: Survival Evolved and it’s cool to see it running on the little machine. The gameplay footage from ContraNetwork covers the first 25 minutes of the game, exciting third-person action, and a comparison of docked versus handheld modes.

The only issue is that it doesn’t look as good as its PS4, PC, and Xbox One counterparts, sadly. This sort of thing is expected with Nintendo Switch ports, because after all, the system *is* inferior from a technical standpoint.

However, many people are underwhelmed with the Switch version, as the textures are blurry and frame rate seems to dip far too often. Depending on what’s going on, both handheld and docked modes dip below 20 frames per second, which will inevitably cause some outcry from the community.

There was even a moment when it went to 4 frames per second in handheld mode, so don’t expect an optimal experience on Switch.

Nonetheless, it’s great to see such a popular game on the system. If you aren’t someone who gets too hung up on how your games run or look, you might want to pick up ARK when it launches for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 30, 2018.


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Joseph Yaden
Joseph is a Northern Kentucky University graduate with a bachelors degree in Studio Art. After realizing his passions lie elsewhere, he decided to pursue a career in games journalism with the goal of climbing to the top. He loves action RPGs like Bloodborne and Dark Souls, but is also fond of quirky Nintendo games on the Switch. Joseph can be found listening to Prog Metal and patiently waiting on that new Tool album.