Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Impressions – Visuals, Frame Rate, Load Times, & More

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launches for Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam) tomorrow worldwide. This is the series' first worldwide simultaneous launch across consoles and PC. While I have had access to the PS5 and Steam versions for just over a week for coverage purposes, I only received code for Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition today. Currently, the Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter demo available is only for the Switch version on the eShop so there was no clarity on how the Switch 2 native release would look and feel until the eShop page went live with a mention of offering 1080p 60fps or 4K 30fps.

Having now spent a few hours with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, that eShop listing isn't accurate as far as I can tell. I'm also working on a full comparison for all platforms, but I wanted to write up some early impressions with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and how it compares to the Switch version. This is based on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter version 1.0.4 for the Switch 2 Edition and Nintendo Switch version. For any PS5 comparisons or data, my tests are based on Version 1.04 on PS5. 

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition impressions

Like I said above, there currently are no graphics or display modes in Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition to let you prioritize frame rate or resolution despite the eShop listing. I verified this by testing the game on 4K, 1440p, and 1080p displays and also adjusting the system's display output from 1080p to 4K. Based on a few hours with it now, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a big visual upgrade over the Switch 1 version, but the performance is not close to perfect. 

For some background, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter's Switch version on Switch 2 (going by the demo) felt amazing docked with its frame rate hitting 60fps a majority of the time. Handheld did not feel as good in comparison with how the v-sync and frame rate cap are implemented. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition targets 60fps both docked and handheld and never hits it consistently. Even in closed spaces, it has hitching. In fact, I even noticed these in cut-scenes indoors. As of version 1.0.4, this has not been fixed. If anything changes with another patch for launch day or soon after, I will update this.

Right now, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition looks good both docked and handheld, and it also has great HD rumble. There are some LOD issues as you'd expect compared to PS5 and PC, but I have no visual complaints with it. Performance is where I hope things improve soon because it is sadly not consistent in either handheld or docked modes. 

Note: For the comparison images in this article, I've used a 4K capture device for docked and PS5 comparisons to ensure no quality loss or other issues. Handheld comparisons are done via the system capture since there is no way to get handheld captures on Switch 2 any other way right now.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Switch 2 vs Switch 1 visual and performance differences 

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition improves on the Switch 1 version with resolution, foliage, shadow quality, level of detail, and much less animation culling (rendering distant objects at a lower frame rate). The Switch version, while very impressive for the hardware, is noticeably downgraded compared to Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition when it comes to visuals. Even load times are a lot better on Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition compared to Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on Switch 1, but as you will see later on this article, the Switch 1 version on Switch 2 loads faster than Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Switch vs Switch 2 load times

For my load time comparison, I installed Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition to the Switch 2 internal storage and the Switch version on my Switch OLED. If you're curious about the load time differences for the demo, read this. I used the same test conditions here covering the initial launch, loading a save, and exiting a building. I also mashed A to skip any logos and get to the title screen as fast as possible.

Note: All load times above are in seconds. *The Switch on Switch 2 results are from the demo.

I also tested two other saves to see how the time varies per situation. While the initial load into the house is short at 5 seconds, loading into the city can take up to 15 seconds on Switch 1. On Switch 2 (the native release), it can take up to 9 seconds for similar loads. In comparison, PS5 loads things almost instantly.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Switch 2 vs PS5

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Nintendo Switch 2 Edition compared to PS5 shows the former featuring lower quality shadows, textures, and filtering in addition to the obvious visual differences in foliage. This is all just visual as well since the PS5 version runs at a higher resolution and delivers a locked 60fps by default. It even has a 120fps high frame rate target mode which the Switch 2 does not right now.

I will be including visual comparisons in my full article in the near future, but right now, unless the hitching both docked and handheld can be addressed on the Switch 2 Edition, it is hard to recommend it over the PS5 version. As someone who first played Trails in the Sky FC on PSP, I would have loved to be able to recommend this for a great portable version, but it sadly needs an optional 30fps cap or for the performance to be improved to be an easy recommendation. I'm disappointed that this is how it is launching in after how amazing Ys X: Proud Nordics looks and feels on Switch 2 both docked and handheld. Right now, playing the Switch 1 version (without the Upgrade Pack) docked is the only way to get a locked 60fps on Switch 2.

Stay tuned for my full Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter comparison covering PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and PC in the near future. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter launches worldwide on September 19 for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). Details for all the DLC available and editions are here.