After hitting the PS4 and PC, God Eater 3 is coming to the Nintendo Switch. The God Eater 3 Nintendo Switch release date is July 12 internationally (July 11 in Japan). In the run up to this, Bandai Namco put up a demo for it on the Nintendo eShop with a 3.2GB download size. With the Nintendo Switch’s popularity comes a host of games ported to the system by publishers and developers looking to make a quick buck. Does God Eater 3 for the Nintendo Switch fall into this category or is there more to it? If our impressions from the demo are any indication, it’s definitely not a quick and dirty port.
First up, the God Eater 3 demo for the Nintendo Switch gives you a generous selection of missions to play through. Some of these are tutorials that explain the nuances of the game’s combat system. You’ll learn to guard against enemy attacks, pull off co-operative attacks with your allies, and eventually take down gigantic beasts. The core gameplay loop of God Eater 3 has you starting off with a decent weapon that you use to kill monsters or Aragami as the game calls them, in order to gain items to let you level up your gear that you can then use to slay even tougher beasts.
If it sounds familiar to Monster Hunter World, it’s no coincidence. After all, God Eater has always been competing with Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise. That said, God Eater 3 has a few distinct tricks up its sleeve. There’s a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting, hints of a darker storyline, and an anime-inspired aesthetic.
In addition to this, the gameplay feels a lot more immediate and responsive with blocking and dodging always being in reach compared to Monster Hunter World’s deliberate, almost strategic playstyle. It helps that you start off with an accessible dual-blade weapon that eases even newcomers into the action. Your weapon, as do others, can transform into a gun and use different types of ammo like fire and armour-piercing rounds allowing you to pull off quick attacks at will. You can even experiment with other weapons in the demo from the in-game terminal before playing a mission.
As for its visuals, God Eater 3 looked pretty good in docked mode on the Nintendo Switch. Granted it didn’t have the same level of effects or sharpness the PS4 and PC versions offer, but its cel-shaded visuals hold their own on a big screen. More importantly, the frame rate remained steady at all times. Regardless of having a party of four wailing down on a gigantic Aragami or exploring ruined landscapes, God Eater 3’s performance was stable.
The same applies to the game in handheld mode, though the graphics were scaled down with some visible pixelation though it did little to mar the experience. Crucially, the frame rate kept up even in its busiest moments. It seems that Bandai Namco treated this port with some thought and care, and hopefully the full game is representative of this too.
All in all, our time with God Eater 3 for the Nintendo Switch makes us optimistic of what to expect when the full game hits later this month.
Until Capcom deems it fit for Monster Hunter World to grace the Nintendo Switch, God Eater 3 has all the makings of a more than competent port with a solid frame rate, slick graphics, and gameplay that’s perhaps just as addictive. And depending on your preference, possibly surpasses it with its anime inspired visuals and storyline. Stay tuned for our full review closer to release day.
God Eater 3 for the Nintendo Switch is out on July 11 in Japan and July 12 internationally.
