The Elder Scrolls is a legendary series , and many were excited when Skyrim was announced for, and released on the Nintendo Switch. Skyrim had never been available in such a portable fashion before, and the result was rather interesting. While this version of the game lacks mods, there were some things that have been changed. Most are not major details that many would notice and include some bugs have been fixes such as invisible wall issues, but then there were more interesting changes such as a fix to an error that is still in other versions of the game. This bug comes up during a quest in the city of Riften and involves the character of Brand shei. There are many subtle improvements that make this a very polished version of the game, but there are the occasional issues with glitches still. These glitches can include some quests not registering as complete, and the ever present Bethesda wall glitches. Overall though, this does feel like a cleaned and refined version of the game.
What makes this version stand out among others is how it takes advantage of the Switch hardware and what the system has to offer. While the standard controls were responsive, the game uses motion controls very well and they are not a tacked on gimmick here. Using the motion controls actually enhances the combat and makes things feel a lot more intuitive and less dated than the other versions of the game, This is true with both weapons and magic abilities, since blocking with the shield, aiming with the bow and wielding the sword all feel natural and easy to get into to, and motion controls and spells feel like a match made in heaven. Furthermore, motion controls and HD rumble are also used well for various stealth skills, especially lockpicking which now feels like a vastly enhanced experience over the vanlla game.
Lastly, a big deal made about the game was the amiibo support and Zelda content that was added. The Zelda items are a little overpowered at first, but they are a nice bonus if you want them early. For those without amiibo however, the items are available at a very focal area in the game, so do not worry. While there is no official mod support for the game, fans have created a large unofficial mod scene and have included large scale mods including Project AHO, showing that the Switch version of the game can easily support mods if official support ever were to come. Project AHO a rather extensive mod that itself is DLC sized, and the fact that the Switch can handle it is very impressive.
Aside from the aforementioned few issues, the game performs very well. Some visuals were sacrificed to make the game run better, but to be honest, that actually helped give the game is more colourful and vibrant look in a way. In terms of audio and music, the game is still amazing and hearing the Zelda chime is a cool bit, along with Skyrim’s own amazing music. The game is still as great on Switch today, as it was when I first played it, and I cannot recommend it enough,