[Review] Crysis Remastered (Nintendo Switch)

Developer: Crytek
Publisher: EA, Crytek
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Version Reviewed: eShop Download
Category: First Person Shooter
No. of Players: 1 player
Release Date: July 23, 2020 (Worldwide)
Price: $29.99 USD

HISTORY:

Crysis is a series that has always been impressive. First developed back in 2007 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, the Crysis series has always been known for its beautiful graphics and sharp gameplay. The remastered edition was announced in April of 2020 and the first version of those will release on the Switch. The Xbox One and PS4 editions will release at a later date.

The original Crysis received numerous awards and nominations in its debut year. GameSpot gave it the “Best Shooter” of 2007, PC Gamer gave Crysis Game of the year and Gamereactor gave it the “Best Action Game” Award. This title was certainly ahead of its time in terms of graphic power and demand. It’s one of the most gorgeous shooters of the early 2000’s and the remastered edition holds true!

While I will stand by the phrase “The graphics do not make the game” Crysis Remastered is the exception. It’s such a gorgeous game, even in handheld mode. This game could honestly be an argument to bring the likes of Far Cry or even Halo: Master Chief Edition to the Switch (Microsoft and Nintendo have shown to have quite the close relationship….)

STORY:

The story of Crysis Remastered is your typical alien invasion story. You are U.S. Army Delta Force supersoldier Jake Dunn and you are investigating alien weaponry that could have devastating effects on the world. You’re investigating a distress call from an attack by North Korean leader Ri Chon Kyun on an island in the Phillippines when you discover some insane alien monsters!

The super-soldier story continues when you decide to try and figure out what killed or snatched up your fellow soldiers. You’re equipped with the latest Nanosuit technology and the hope is that the North Koreans do not have their hands on it. Of course, as you progress, you must battle Nanosuit-laden villains.

Nomad later discovers some deep alien secrets and eventually must fight in zero gravity. His Nanosuit is the primary thing keeping him alive and helping him complete his mission! Even after the U.S. military attempt to help and save him, he still must fend for himself throughout and hopefully survives this bombastic alien adventure! Personally, I would rather leave much of the plot to you to figure out, to avoid spoilers! It is definitely worth diving in!

The overall plot of this game is quite unique, while also a little cliché’ at times. It is not so generic that it is not compelling, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before as far as a sci-fi first-person shooter. For the time, compared to the likes of Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Bioshock, Crysis really held its own as far as plot, gameplay, and especially graphics.

GAMEPLAY:

Crysis Remastered is quite possibly the smoothest playing FPS on the Switch. The shooting is crisp, aiming down the sights is quick and the motion controls really help with fine-tuning your aiming. Equipped with the Nanosuit, you can approach your missions in a variety of ways. Your suit can cloak you for a brief time, making you completely unnoticeable, unless you get too close to the bad guys. Your suit also has an armor mode that keeps you alive a little longer.

The gameplay is classic sci-fi FPS. Run here, shoot that, run there, grab that thing. Run over there, protect those people, shoot the bad guys. Lather, rinse repeat. It does not get stale however as sprinting through the woods or the beaches is actually quite satisfying.

It also wouldn’t be a military FPS without the ability to drive a Humvee and mow down hundreds of bad guys with a machine gun on top! Once again, classic FPS! The variety of weapons is pretty generic as well. Futuristic variations of modern guns such as the Ak-47 and the SCAR among others.

Your suit can monitor whether enemies are nearby with the HUD and you have the freedom to choose how you approach different scenarios. It’s very satisfying to spring across the forest in the superhuman speed mode to escape to the next checkpoint. For a game from 2007, it is a little dated compared to the shooters of today, but when you put into perspective when it came out, it’s a great FPS. You should not expect this game to be as smooth and twitchy as Call of Duty or even Fortnite. The motion controls were hardly noticeable and really are a slight nuisance if you’re not intending to use them.

CONTENT & FEATURES:

Crysis Remastered doesn’t contain many extra features. The game runs well in handheld mode and tabletop mode. This is one of the few FPS games that contains good motion blur and many of the features of modern shooters that the Switch lacks due to the machine not operating as powerfully as other consoles.

The graphics hold up to the original Crytek title that it’s known for and is honestly one of the smoothest shooters available for the Switch! Of course, if Crytek adds more features later on after it’s been out a while, we will always keep you updated!

AUDIO:

The soundtrack and audio are very well done for Crysis Remastered. The orchestration is just as great as the original game The voice acting and shooting sounds are crisp and very well acted. The cutscenes are engaging and very well done. This entire game feels like a great Sci-Fi action movie.

The composer Inon Zur is known for a plethora of shows and has received awards for his work on Power Rangers Turbo, a Network Guild award for Men of Valor, and a Media Award for his work on Dragon Age: Origins. His work in Crysis adds so much to the firefights and action sequences. I find myself at times just listening to the music in this game. He has over 20 years of video game composing and this is one of his best works!

VISUALS & PERFORMANCE:

Back in 2007, this game was the pinnacle of graphic power. Crysis stood up to the powerhouses like Halo and Call of Duty and held it’s own. It was one of the best performing games on PC, as well as consoles. Keep that year in mind when comparing this edition to the Shooters of today. This game is a remaster, not a remake. There are still some graphic discrepancies that just aren’t as prevalent today.

Crysis Remastered released with a fresh coat of paint, but still performs like a game from 2007. The features of the original are still unique, however, if you are a stickler for modern FPS games, this may not be the best title for you. This game gives nostalgia to those who remember Halo LAN parties and the early days of multiplayer shooters.

The shadows and other details could have been smoothed out a little better. This title also performs better in handheld at 720p, 30 fps. To have a shooter of this caliber in a handheld system is something to behold. The fact that the Switch can play games like Crysis, The Witcher 3, Bioshock, or Borderlands is something to be proud of. Taking these kinds of games on the go is a great feature and the future of third party support is still bright for the Switch!

OBSERVATIONS:

Crysis Remastered is exactly what you’d expect. A really pretty remaster, not a remake. Don’t expect this game to have a bunch of new features or anything other than motion controls. It’s a great shooter, I just wish they took advantage and polished the graphics on the Switch a little more. Doom(2016) is still the nicest looking shooter on the Switch comparatively. There’s no reason this can’t be the best shooter currently available.

This is a remaster stuck in 2007 and performs like a game stuck in the past. They could have tweaked a few things and made some of the aiming a little snappier and made the AI a little more intelligent. There is a challenge still, even on easy mode.

Crysis Remastered is still a great FPS, just don’t expect any new features or anything other than a fresh coat of paint and the ability to play this game on the go.

CONCLUSION:

Crysis Remastered is a great game and proves that the Switch is capable of supporting a major FPS game from the renaissance of shooting games of the early 2000’s, however, with it being a remastered version, there aren’t many new features to keep it interesting compared to what else is available on the eShop.

THE VERDICT: 8/10

Recommended

*A Review key was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review