Review: Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition (Switch 2) – An Outstanding Achievement In Open-World Design
Nintendo Life has reviewed Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, a new Switch 2 release from FromSoftware that bundles the acclaimed 2022 open-world action RPG with its major expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. The port serves as a showcase for the Switch 2's hardware capabilities ahead of FromSoftware's next major project, the PvP-focused Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods, and the review concludes it is well worth playing, particularly for those who have not experienced the game on other platforms.
The review highlights Elden Ring's deliberately fragmented storytelling, delivered through NPC dialogue and item descriptions rather than direct narrative, which it argues suits the game's non-linear structure. It praises the open world for offering players near-total freedom to explore, fight and gather resources in any order, citing the early encounter with boss character Margit, the Fell Omen, as an example of how players can retreat, level up and return better equipped, making the game notably approachable within the demanding Soulslike genre.
- Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition bundles the base game and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Switch 2
- Reviewer praises its open-world freedom and approachable difficulty
- Port shows Switch 2 can handle this major FromSoftware title
New here? Start with this
Elden Ring is an open-world role-playing game made by FromSoftware, the Japanese studio behind the Dark Souls series. Players explore a vast fantasy land, fight enemies and powerful bosses, and gradually piece together the story from conversations and descriptions of objects.
The game lets players choose where to go and when to take on difficult challenges. If a fight proves too hard, they can explore elsewhere, improve their character and return later. Tarnished Edition brings the original game and its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion to Nintendo’s Switch 2.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Elden Ring's deliberate storytelling through environmental discovery and NPC dialogue creates mystery and player agency perfectly suited to a non-linear world, whilst the freedom to explore and tackle challenges in any order makes the traditionally punishing Soulslike genre genuinely accessible to newcomers who can level up elsewhere and return better prepared. This design philosophy represents an outstanding balance between creative ambition and inclusive gameplay.
The case against
Elden Ring's fragmented storytelling frustratingly obscures narrative content within item descriptions and optional NPC questlines, making the story inaccessible without external guides and alienating players who want meaningful narrative engagement. The open-world design, despite its freedom, creates poor difficulty balancing where players risk either trivialising content through overlevelling or facing brutal, seemingly unfair encounters, undermining the carefully-tuned challenge that should define the Soulslike experience.