This weekend at PAX West, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with several titles coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, including Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition, Borderlands 4, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Kirby Air Riders. Some are new releases, and some are ports of previously released titles, but they are all games you’ll want to keep an eye on to get the most out of your Nintendo Switch 2.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition
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Developer: FromSoftware
Publisher: Bandai Namco
The first game I tried was Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition. I wanted to see how the massive open-world action RPG performed on the Nintendo Switch 2, so I tried it out in handheld mode. The first difference I noticed was the addition of two new classes in the character creation process.
The one I focused on was the Heavy Knight, complete with a set of armor made to take the most powerful attacks and keep you standing after. Regardless, I had to stick with the Samurai, since its starting Uchigatana was my favorite weapon in any of FromSoftware’s games.
Skipping past the obligatory first boss death and the subsequent tutorial, I found myself at the familiar entry point for the Lands Between: Limgrave. I immediately challenged the Tree Sentinel nearby, only to get destroyed fairly quickly. I tried again and lasted a little longer before I refocused my efforts on the nearby dragon.
While I was familiar with the starting area, my stats were not prepared to back up my cockiness, and I died repeatedly. Finally, I found a small catacomb in the face of a cliff to the north.
The gargoyle-infested mini-dungeon featured flamethrowers, multiple floors, and sneak attacks around every other corner, but eventually I made my way to the end just as my time with the demo ran out. This is when it dawned on me that my experience on the Switch 2’s handheld mode was virtually indistinguishable from my experience on other consoles. The game ran smoothly, and it didn’t have to sacrifice its gorgeous visuals to accomplish it.
The Erdtree towering over the Lands Between, the Tree Sentinel’s and Dragon’s fierce attacks, even my own dodging and counterattacking, all looked and felt as natural as they did the first time I played the game. Playing Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition on Switch 2 may not be your first time through the game, but the ability to play this anywhere you can bring a handheld is just tempting enough to lure me back to the Lands Between, especially since this version of the game includes the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition releases in 2025 on Nintendo Switch 2.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
The other port I played during my time with the Switch 2 was Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, the enhanced version of the beloved RPG. This time around, I was given the option to either play through the very start of the game, including the iconic introduction, or jump ahead to take on the game’s first boss, the Scorpion Sentinel. Wanting to see the game in action, I opted to jump straight into the action.
Starting with a party made up of Cloud and Barret, I quickly got to work setting up the bomb to destroy the Shinra Company’s Reactor and save the planet from exploitation. As soon as the explosive device was set up, the pair found themselves face-to-face with a massive tank designed to resemble a scorpion: the aforementioned Scorpion Sentinel. Using Cloud’s heavy-hitting melee attacks, Barret’s long-range stream of bullets, and the conveniently placed debris to use as cover, we eventually took down the boss in a spectacular display of explosions.
Unfortunately, this is just the start of the party’s troubles, since now they must evacuate the reactor on the verge of exploding. The situation is even more dire, since I chose the shorter time limit. Soon after starting the evacuation process, my time with the demo came to an end.
As with Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade ran incredibly smoothly on the Switch 2. This time, though, there appeared to be a few compromises to the game’s visuals. It was nothing truly egregious, Cloud’s hair occasionally looked a little odd, and some textures did not seem to load at quite the speed we’ve become accustomed to. In exchange for these quirks, the game ran very well. With a title like this, I value a smooth performance and steady framerate over state-of-the-art visual fidelity, especially if you’re planning to take this classic on the go.
The release date for Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on Nintendo Switch 2 has yet to be announced.
Borderlands 4
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K
While there were a few other demos to choose from, my history with the Borderlands series called me to try the newest entry on the Switch 2. After choosing my character, Harlowe, the Gravitar, I was thrown into a gauntlet, fighting several waves of enemies across a few arenas.
My character was fully loaded from the start, wielding four different weapons, each with its own alternate fire modes. One simply changed the element of the weapon, while another switched from an automatic rifle to firing mini-rockets. Additionally, my character had an action skill at their ready.
This powerful skill is a staple of the series, giving each character an identity and a suggested play style centered around the skill. Harlowe’s initial skill fired off a large orb, which could be reactivated to create a large explosion, damaging any enemies unlucky enough to be nearby. However, this wasn’t her only action skill to choose from.
Venturing into Harlowe’s skill tree revealed two more action skills to choose from, along with a plethora of passive skills to pick as you level the character. One third of the skill tree very nearly resembled an entire skill tree in the first Borderlands.
The three trees function similarly to the earliest title’s skill trees – each tree supports a specific playstyle, allowing players to mix and match to create their ideal vault hunter. With a new action skill selected, I jumped back into the fray.
The first skill allowed for some impressive explosions and havoc among the enemy combatants, but the second action skill felt much more satisfying to use. This time, activating the skill would seal one enemy in a large floating orb, making them an easy target.
This skill also turned them into a weapon, since reactivating the skill caused their orb prison to come crashing down in whatever direction I was facing. This was handy for crushing other enemies or even just knocking them away if I needed room to breathe.
Borderlands 4 ran unbelievably well on the Switch 2. This time around, I played it in docked mode, so I can’t speak for the handheld performance, but it’s still worth noting that at no point did I feel like the hectic, explosion-laden fight was chugging along.
Borderlands 4 launches September 12 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
My time with the Pokémon Legends: Z-A demo was brief, but I came away excited to see what other surprises the full release would bring. Taking place at night, the main character and his group of friends entered one of many battle zones scattered throughout the city. My goal was to earn enough battle points to buy a ticket to participate in the city’s greater competition. With a small team of four early-game Pokémon, I jumped into the fray.
The first trainer I came across immediately started a fight with me. Unlike in other Pokémon games, this was a smooth transition. The battle started as soon as both of us had a Pokémon in play. The battle also played out entirely in real time, with my Chikorita’s two attacks each having their own cooldown timer.
This allowed me to attack with one move and follow up with the other, lowering their defense with Tail Whip. By the time the attack animation finished, my primary attack was ready to use again, allowing me to finish off my first opponent.
One of the protagonist’s friends was waiting nearby, offering to heal his Pokémon if they got too hurt. With a quick heal, I ran into another friend, who reminded me that stealth was a good way to start a fight. I took that advice to heart, crouching as I approached the next unsuspecting trainer.
Since their Pokémon was already out — a Bug type — I used my bird to Peck at it, starting the fight with a super effective move. Since I had ambushed the poor creature, my Peck attack was immediately available again, allowing me to finish the fight before it had a chance to start.
I felt a little bad, but in a city-wide competition, there’s no room for hesitation. I approached the final trainer I had to fight, forgetting to crouch to sneak up on them. Naturally, they turned in my direction, but I managed to back up out of sight. To my surprise, he continued in my direction, determined to investigate the noise he’d heard, as I continued to backtrack to avoid getting caught.
As soon as he was satisfied, he turned around and headed back to his initial position, allowing me to sneak up and repeat my ambush against the second trainer. Once again, I defeated the trainer, earning me enough points to enter the competition proper. Functionally, this appeared to be a ‘level up,’ but there may be more depth to it in the full release.
With my three enemies defeated, I had the chance to call it a day. However, I was made aware of a very powerful trainer in the area, so I took on this extra challenge. Sure enough, near the back of the battle area, in an area I had yet to explore, was a trainer with a powerful Pidgeotto. Thankfully, I had an electric-type Pokémon, allowing me to shock the poor flying type until I emerged victorious.
Once again, the real-time combat felt more satisfying and dynamic than the turn-based battle system of the mainline games, allowing me and my Pokémon to dodge some enemy attacks before countering, like something out of the Pokémon anime.
The second segment of the demo had me chasing Zygarde’s 10% Forme, which resembles a strange alien dog, across the city. It eventually culminated in a Mega Battle. Unfortunately, my time with the game had run out before I could see this conflict through to the end, but I really enjoyed the time I had with it. As someone who loved Pokémon X and Y’s Kalos region, and especially Mega Evolutions, I am excited to see what else is in store when Pokémon Legends: Z-A releases.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A launches October 16 on Nintendo Switch 2.
Kirby Air Riders
Developer: Hal Laboratories
Publisher: Nintendo
Kirby Air Riders was the most guided and lengthy of all the games I tried. Having never played Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, I was grateful for the lessons that taught me all the basics of racing and a few advanced techniques. After a few pointers, I felt much more confident, at which point we were allowed to pick a character, a vehicle, and jump into a pair of races in Air Ride mode.
Putting the lessons into application during a race was a rude awakening. Having grown accustomed to the leisurely-by-comparison pace of Mario Kart, I was shocked at how quickly all the characters took off down the track. I was equally surprised by my own ability to keep up and eventually overtake the other racers.
Using only my own racing skills and my character’s special abilities, I had to thoughtfully engage with other racers on the track, though it was occasionally hard to tell who was damaging whom at such high speeds.
Miraculously, Kirby Air Raiders manages to keep you moving along at high speeds even as you skirmish with other people, creating a sense of speed unlike any other. Even at high speeds, though, it’s easy to see just how beautiful the race tracks are. One of them sends you soaring through waves and along the ocean floor, flanked by towering walls of water waiting to crash down. If every stage is this beautifully crafted, then every race will be a spectacle to behold.
Once our races were done, we jumped back into lessons, this time to learn about City Trial mode. This free-for-all dropped us into a large arena with only a basic vehicle and low stats. Over the next few minutes, we were instructed to collect as many power-ups as we could find, increasing our overall stats, as well as to find a better vehicle.
The second task was fairly simple, since there were vehicles scattered throughout the arena. There were also numerous power-ups to be found just about anywhere you looked. Unfortunately, this means other players were also finding these power-ups, forcing you to take them out if you wanted all the power-ups for yourself.
Every few minutes in this initial stage, a special event would be announced. One such event launched a series of portals, allowing you to drive through them in sequence and rapidly collect several power-ups along the way. Another event caused a large UFO to appear in the sky, rewarding players who could fly up to it with power-ups. Ultimately, the goal was to get as strong as possible for the second half of City Trial mode.
Once the time ran out, it was time to compete against other players. Each player had the chance to pick a different challenge, at least one of which would be recommended based on the player’s collected power-ups. If they collected a lot of battle-oriented power-ups, they might want to jump into a straightforward fight.
This is where the player with the most knockouts at the end of the time limit would be declared the winner. However, if your power-ups were more geared to giving you more air time when gliding or better control, you might want to play the game where you’re essentially a dart, aiming for a high-scoring spot on the board.
Surprisingly enough, picking your competition doesn’t incur some sort of vote. The game mode that gets the most picks doesn’t force everyone to participate. Instead, each player will take part in the game they chose, sometimes facing off against exclusively computer-controlled opponents.
It’s a curious decision, but it makes sense when posited against forcing a non-combat-oriented player to fight in an arena. In this way, City Trial can be enjoyed by everyone, not just those hungry to destroy their friends in combat.
As a newcomer to Kirby Air Riders, I’m curious to see how long I can handle flying along at extreme speeds. For now though, the game can’t come soon enough.
Kirby Air Riders launches November 20 on Nintendo Switch 2.
