Respawn Entertainment's massively popular online shooter Apex Legends has arrived on Nintendo Switch thanks to Panic Button. Unfortunately, players will start to see the cracks form once they get over the initial thrill of jumping into a competitive environment in handheld mode after the first few rounds of gameplay. This Nintendo Switch port isn't perfect, and it's likely not the best way to experience the title for anyone who doesn't explicitly need portability - but it's still solid enough when it matters.
For the uninitiated, Apex Legends is EA's answer to Fortnite, a massive free-to-play last-team-standing FPS set in the Titanfall universe and developed by Respawn Entertainment. Players dive into King's Canyon, World's Edge, or Olympus as one of an ever-growing number of mercenaries with their own character abilities. However, this isn't Overwatch, and picking from an array of futuristic armaments is just as important as mastering Pathfinder's grappling hook. Apex Legends has been attracting audiences on Xbox and PlayStation since its surprise debut in February 2019, and it has finally hit the Switch two years later.
At a base level, Apex Legends on Switch is the same great game it is everywhere else. Nintendo players can play with other platforms via cross-play and get the same in-game events. Switch players even get a handful of levels for the current battle pass since they're starting in the middle of a season. There is an unfortunate lack of cross-progression between versions, but that isn't a problem new to this version of Apex. Players will need to work at unlocking characters and weapon skins all over again, which might put some players off of trying out any new version.
There is one prominent addition to Apex Legends on Switch, and that's gyro aiming. While it's startling to load into training and have the in-game view twitching due to controller motions, it fades into the background during actual gameplay and provides an accurate way to get closer to the accuracy of a mouse than what a normal gamepad might provide. After just a couple of matches, it's easy to naturally adjust the reticle with subtle movements without even thinking about it, and it definitely provides something that other controller-based platforms can't. This works best with a Pro Controller, as trying to relearn Respawn's high-speed shooting action on Joy-Cons while also adapting to motion is a bit too much to take in all at once. It's also optional, but it seems like the one big reason to try the game out here if someone has already sunk in time elsewhere.
Unfortunately, the realities of the Switch hardware make it difficult to see anyone with Apex Legends experience sticking with Nintendo's console for long. In-game action looks blurry even in docked mode thanks to a reduced resolution and frame rate when compared to other versions. This drop in quality is especially noticeable when looking over long distances for enemy players, something that Apex players will want to do frequently if they're looking to survive. Because Apex is cross-platform, the Switch limitations are basically a self-induced visual handicap when going up against players on any other platform. This doesn't affect the moment-to-moment action too much when it's up close and personal, but it's noticeable enough to be distracting for anyone with experience with the game.
Two years after release, Apex Legends has proven to be in the game for the long haul. This Switch release puts in the work and squeezes the game onto Nintendo's hardware, but the limitations of the platform make it a tough sell for those without access to other consoles or a beefy PC. It's a wonderful novelty to load up a recent AAA title on such a compact device, but that fades after a couple of hours. Still, for the Nintendo faithful and anyone who hasn't yet given Apex Legends a try, EA's latest Switch release is a worthy free-to-play option that should provide hours of white-knuckle action.
Apex Legends is available now on Nintendo Switch alongside prior releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Screen Rant was provided a Champions Pack for Switch for the purposes of this review.