Today, I’m adding more games to the list of games that have seen improvements when played on Nintendo Switch 2. Let’s have a look!

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Cities: Skylines – Expanded Edition

Genre: Management Sim

Players: 1

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Review:

I previously featured Cities: Skylines in a Nintendo Switch 2 Difference article, thinking that surely if Nintendo Switch 2 were to receive a game in the series, it would be the sequel, Cities: Skylines II. While that may or may not still happen, we did actually get a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the first game, so I’m taking another look to compare this new version to the Nintendo Switch version of the game, which infamously had quite a lot of performance and graphics issues.

First, let’s talk about upgrade path, because this is an odd case. An upgrade path does exist… but only for a limited time. Until April 28, 2027, those who own the digital version of the Nintendo Switch game can get a 70% discount on the Nintendo Switch 2 version, meaning it’ll cost you $15 to upgrade. It’s not the absolute worst-case scenario, but it’s still kinda’ gross that this upgrade path will only be available for about a half-year.

Okay, so what do you get for that $15?

Well, for starters, this release comes packed-in with 10 DLC expansions and content packs. For the record, the included expansions are After Dark, Snowfall, Green Cities, and Sunset Harbor, and the other included content is Map Pack 3, Country Road Radio, Deep Focus Radio, Match Day, Pearls From the East, Carols Candles & Candy, and Match Day. To be clear, After Dark and Snowfall were already included in the Nintendo Switch version of the game, and Match Day, Pearls from the East, and Carols Candles & Candy were free updates on other platforms, but the other upgrades aren’t available in the Nintendo Switch version of the game at all, and buying them on other platforms at standard price would add up to $42, which makes this a pretty great deal just with content alone.

This version also increases the buildable tile limit from 9 tiles in the Nintendo Switch version to 25 on Nintendo Switch 2, giving players the opportunity to build much bigger cities (though players are warned that doing so may result in reduced performance). This release also adds a map editor, supposedly adds changes to the user interface (I didn’t see a difference), adds environmental controls, and support for USB keyboard and mouse controls. However, this game does not support Mouse Mode using Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 controllers (and still no touchscreen or gyroscopic motion-controlled cursor either), which seems like a pretty glaring omission… but honestly, the gamepad controls work fine for me so I’m not terribly upset over that.

But of course the big question is how well the graphics and performance hold up in this version, and for this we have two display modes: Performance mode and Quality mode. Performance bumps the framerates up to a smooth 60FPS, while quality maintains a steady 30FPS framerate while improving the resolution and the amount of detail in the game’s world.

I’ll say that even with a moderate-sized city taking up only one tile, the game doesn’t maintain its 60FPS framerates in performance mode – I definitely notice drops. Even so, it’s really jarring to see the game running so smoothly. However, I find myself preferring the improved detail in quality mode, and even the steady 30FPS framerates of that mode are a welcome improvement over the Nintendo Switch version. And both modes lack the nasty abundance of aliasing present in the Nintendo Switch version of the game.

I should also note a difference in the loading times, though not a dramatic one. The Nintendo Switch version loaded to the title screen in 22 seconds, with the game taking 35 seconds to load a game save (last time I tested this, it was 21 and 31), while the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game had those same times taking 23 seconds and 27 seconds – definitely not as nice as playing the Nintendo Switch version on Nintendo Switch 2, which roughly halved the loading times last time I tested it. However, I think the difference is very much worth it here.

To take this comparison away from tech specs for a moment, playing Cities: Skylines again without the graphical and technical issues of the Nintendo Switch version made me fall in love with this game all over again. I had to force myself to stop playing this game at 4AM after maybe 6 hours playing this game even though I was only checking how the different versions of this game played. I just couldn’t help myself, working to fill a need my city had, or perfecting an expansion that would make things just right, or checking out a new building I had just unlocked. This game is just that good, and playing it on Nintendo Switch 2 after playing the Nintendo Switch version just feels like clearing away the cobwebs to discover that again.

I’m not dismissing the flaws here. The frustratingly stingy form the upgrade path is taking, the lack of Mouse Mode support, and the minor performance issues I still see over a decade after this game’s original release on PC. Yet despite all of that, I think Cities: Skylines is brilliant, and the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game rights the wrongs of the previous generation to make it much easier to see that brilliance.

tl;dr – Cities: Skylines is the “Sim City killer” Management Sim that took the PC by storm in 2015, and it is every bit as fun and compelling on the Nintendo Switch 2, especially now that this version fixes the glaring graphics and performance issues that plagued the Nintendo Switch version, in addition to including 10 free DLC updates and expansions and a slew of other smaller improvements throughout. This is not a perfect version of Cities: Skylines, but it’s a very good version of an absolutely outstanding game. And if you enjoy Management Simulation games, you need to consider this a must-have.

Grade: A

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The Spectrum Retreat: Redux

Genre: First-Person Puzzle

Players: 1

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Review:

Spectrum Retreat has received a separate release on Nintendo Switch 2, with a 100% discount for owners of the Nintendo Switch release of the game. Well, I’m not one to turn down a free upgrade, so let’s see what that gets us!

This remake or remaster of the game brings with it higher-resolution textures and an overall higher resolution throughout the game. The game also has new lighting and reflection effects, as well as support for HDR lighting. These lighting effects are a bit of a mixed bag, though – they have a bit of a resolution pop-in issue that’s a bit ugly.

This release includes some additional quality-of-life features in the game’s menus, support for 5.1 surround sound, and support for both HD Rumble 2 and dynamic Mouse Mode support. The inclusion of Mouse Mode is nice, but honestly I didn’t notice too much of a difference here.

Finally, we have improved loading times – the original game on Nintendo Switch took 22 seconds to load to the main menu and then loading a game save file was pretty much instantaneous. Meanwhile, this version on Nintendo Switch 2 takes only 12 seconds to load to the main menu.

Overall, it’s definitely an improved version of the game on Nintendo Switch 2, but not dramatically so. It’s certainly nice to get the free upgrades if you’ve already bought the Nintendo Switch version, but I don’t think players who already had their fill of this game previously will see this as a reason to play through the game all over again.

tl;dr – The Spectrum Retreat is a First-Person Puzzle game that has you searching for the truth behind a mysterious hotel you’re trapped in, with the game split into two sections with different types of puzzles in each. The puzzles here are good, but the best part of this game is its intriguing story, which keeps players interested even through some of the game’s more tedious parts. Definitely worth a look for fans of the genre. This Nintendo Switch 2 version makes numerous smaller improvements that don’t alter the game drastically, but it’s a nice improvement all the same.

Grade: B+

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I hope you enjoyed this latest batch of Nintendo Switch 2 Difference Mini-Reviews, and found them to be helpful! Want to see all Nintendo Switch 2 Difference comparisons? Check out this page for links to every article where I’ve included these comparisons!

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