Let's find out together, with this dedicated review, how the We Create Stuff guys fared with the porting of In Sound Mind on Nintendo Switch: an already problematic version technically speaking on an even less performing hardware, how did it go?
While it's true that creating ports for the Nintendo Switch isn't always easy, we have authoritative examples that show that with the right skills and a decent amount of money, you can do it all. Just think of Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of a Lost Era or The Witcher 3, Alien Isolation or Hellblade. We are not talking about light, indie and not very incisive games on Nintendo's small hybrid machine, which certainly has many pros on its side, but certainly not a performing hardware and like the new generation consoles (and not even, in reality, the past).
When we heard of the arrival (albeit late) of In Sound Mind on Nintendo Switch, we decided to take it back in hand after having talked about it on PlayStation 5 after having talked about it on PlayStation 5 to see if we could include it among the "discreet ports" on the little jewel of the Great N. This is because the title of We Create Stuff started already from a technical sector definitely below expectations, for a title originally released only on PC and next-generation consoles. How did it succeed? You will find out by continuing to read our review of In Sound Mind for Nintendo Switch.
How it begins
The intent of the developers of In Sound Mind, as we have already explained in our previous review, is not so much to scare, but to disturb the player. As you progress through the history of Desmond Wales and reveal the arcana, in fact, the game becomes gradually less and less "spooky" and more, actually, interesting. A bit like what happened with Alan Wake, in short, although we still have to understand how much it is wanted in this case.
Narratively and in terms of content, In Sound Mind is exactly the same game we tried last year, always from these times. So let's take the shoes of our Doctor Wales again, a therapist with a dark past and, apparently, of the dead on the conscience, which remains trapped in a hallucinating and, at least, disturbing reality. The game therefore presents itself as a mainly narrative adventure, although with present FPS elements that will gradually become more and more oppressive, in which we will have to connect the dots of what is Desmond's past and the great conspiracy that lies behind it. that is happening to him.
Is it me? | Recensione In Sound Mind per Switch
Starting from the apartment complex where the man lives, now completely corrupted by something supernatural and "hallucinogenic" (apart from the tender cat, Tonia), Desmond will have to work his way through four additional locations, reliving, through old-fashioned audio cassettes, some of his past therapeutic sessions. Audio cassettes that will literally teleport him to distant worlds, separated from reality, and which will require the player to solve various puzzles, as well as to use all the ammunition at his disposal to survive.
Enigmas, or puzzles, if you prefer, that do not require such a high IQ to be completed, but rather a good observation capacity and a little patience for the exploration of the environments. Every angle, every jump that might seem useless, every minutia must instead be taken into consideration. Exploring leads to the discovery of many objects, some perhaps a little useless (such as the hundreds of batteries for the flashlight), others very fundamental. The game does not hold your hand, quite the opposite, and if you leave behind some key object it will be your job to go back and look for it. Thanks to the very useful and very fast sprint, of course.
Bottom of the Pit | Recensione In Sound Mind per Switch
We stop here: we have taken the highlights of what actually is In Sound Mind, and repeating ourselves would not make sense. As we have already said, we have already expressed ourselves extensively in the old review, so in case you are interested in learning more about the We Create Stuff game in general, we refer you to that. If, on the other hand, you are interested in knowing how it runs on the Nintendo Switch, well the answer is simple: bad. Indeed, worse than before.
When last year In Sound Mind appeared as an exclusive for next-gen consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X | S) and PC, we were quite perplexed already from the first trailers. On a technical and graphic level, the game did not seem to need a particularly high-performance hardware, on the contrary, and for some time we also wondered why they didn't even make a PS4 and Xbox One version of it.
A Dull Ache | Recensione In Sound Mind per Switch
We assure you that playing In Sound Mind on the Nintendo Switch was quite stressful, even physically speaking. The frame rate drops that were already found in the most performing hardware, on Nintendo Switch are brought to exasperation, so much so that in some situations and in map changes it seemed at times to watch photo album browsed very quickly. The graphic detail has dropped further, making the title of We Create Stuff look like something not of one, but two generations ago.
All seasoned with a particularly low-alloy polygonal modeling, and some short freezes (which fortunately did not crash the software) in the case of moments with many particle effects on the screen. The soundtrack, on the other hand, remains sophisticated and interesting, that mixes well with everything that In Sound Mind wants to narrate and that favors, even more, a sense of pathological immersion that almost makes you feel bad, in some situations. And no, we're not talking about the frame rate in this case.
Maintenance Required
Net of this short review, we do not question the fact that much of this can be caused by the tight budget with which the title was created, but a year has passed since the first console release and we were hoping that, albeit with the technical limits imposed by Nintendo Switch, In Sound Mind could be in a much better state in this port. Also because, we admit it again, the atmospheres and the mood that reigns in the various settings of the We Create Stuff title underlines a talent that has yet to explode. And that we hope it will be very soon, because after all ... We liked In Sound Mind. Again. Also on Nintendo Switch.
In Sound Mind is currently available on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X | S and Nintendo Switch. Let us know what you think below in the comments, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on videogame and tech! And if you are interested in game keys at affordable prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!
6 Not quite sanePoints in favor
- Very fascinating history and setting
- A dark narrative adventure full of interesting insights
Points against
- Generally speaking, the same as last year's version
- Porting to Switch worsens the already present technical problems
