Mortal Kombat 1’s Nintendo Switch port is glitchy and ugly, players say

Mortal Kombat 1Fighting game enthusiasts who bought the premium version of the title have had early access to it since September 14, 2014. Nintendo Switch players who chose the Nintendo Switch edition of Mortal Kombat 1.There have been many reports of technical problems with the game including slow loading, inconsistent frame rate, and faces without expression.

While Switch owners with a thirst for Mortal Kombat’s style of violence were likely expecting a graphically inferior port of the game, a la Mortal Kombat 11, they’re paying the same price ($69.99 for the base version, $109.99 for the premium version) for the Mortal Kombat 1.Switch users will have a better experience. Worse, Switch owners won’t have immediate access to the full version of Invasions mode for “a matter of weeks,” publisher Warner Bros. Games warned on its support website.

“To ensure the best possible experience for Switch players at launch, only the introduction for Invasions will be available,” the publishers said. “The full breadth of Invasions Season 1 content will be available on Switch in a matter of weeks. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause Switch players and are working to make this update as quickly as possible.”

Mortal Kombat 1. for Switch was co-developed by Shiver Entertainment and Saber Interactive, and the developers appear to have worked some magic to bring NetherRealm Studios’ work to Nintendo’s handheld console. MK1’s full roster of fighters, Kameo Fighters, and Fatalities are present in the Switch version. The graphics are seriously downgraded, most noticeably in the blank, bug-eyed faces of the cast.

And while the Switch port appears to target 60 fps performance, the game’s frame rate takes some serious hits when more than two fighters are onscreen. You can watch the video of a YouTuber’s review, Chris in Color. The game freezes and hiccups when there are multiple visual effects and characters. In a fighting video game, where the game mechanics are based on adding assist characters (known as Kameo Fightings), these frame rates dips can have an adverse effect on gameplay.

Chris in Color’s review of the Switch version also shows off the lengthy load times — more than 30 seconds before a match — and graphical glitches, like objects in stage backgrounds flickering in and out of existence. Some players in early access also have experienced more serious bugs. characters moving outside of the 2D planeAfter Fatalities, stretched-out heads appear as floating heads.

NetherRealm and Shiver Entertainment have released hundreds of patches and updates to Mortal Kombat 11The Switch version is expected to improve in the coming weeks and months, but for MK fans hoping to play on their consoles now. The Switch version could certainly improve in the coming weeks and months — but for MK fans hoping to playing Mortal Kombat 1. on the go, if they haven’t already pre-ordered, it may be worth waiting a big longer to see how things shake out.