The technical experts at Digital Foundry have released an in-depth analysis of Layers of Fear: The Final Masterpiece Edition for the Nintendo Switch 2, evaluating how the title performs on the next-generation hardware. The review scrutinizes resolution targets, frame rate consistency, and the architectural adjustments made to the engine to accommodate the console’s hardware limitations.
The team highlighted that this Switch 2 iteration is less a traditional port and more a showcase of Unreal Engine 5’s potential on the system. Even with the game’s restricted environmental scope, the inclusion of Lumen global illumination positions it as one of the most technologically sophisticated projects currently running on the platform.
In docked mode, the game targets a 1080p output, though the actual internal resolution frequently dips significantly lower due to dynamic scaling. Depending on the complexity of the environment, native resolution can drop to 540p or hover around 648p. To preserve image quality, the title employs advanced reconstruction techniques, bearing similarities to Temporal Super Resolution or a custom NVIDIA-based upscaling solution.
While docked, Layers of Fear manages to maintain a 60 FPS target—a commendable achievement for an Unreal Engine 5 title utilizing Lumen on Nintendo’s hardware. However, this performance isn’t flawless, as brief drops to 20 FPS occur during heavy loads. In handheld mode, the experience fluctuates between 40 and 50 FPS and is prone to noticeable stuttering.
Reaching these performance metrics necessitated several compromises within the Unreal Engine 5 feature set: Lumen-based reflections have been stripped out, and shadow maps have been simplified. Consequently, Layers of Fear on the Switch 2 feels more like a proof-of-concept for the hardware’s capabilities than a fully optimized final release.
Source: iXBT.games