[Review] Dead by Daylight - Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch

Developed By : Behaviour Interactive
Published By : Behaviour Interactive
Category : Horror, Multiplayer
Release Date : Septeber 24 2019

Dead by Daylight is a horror asymmetrical multiplayer game developed by Behaviour Interactive.
In Dead by Daylight, 4 survivors must escape a killer before a deadly killer puts their hook on them. Quite literally.
To do so, the survivors must repair 5 generators scattered around a map, but they must pay attention to the noise they make, or the killer will come running for you.

In the game, you can play either as a survivor or as a killer. The two modes are very different from each other.

If you are playing with a survivor, you play from a third-person perspective. Your objective is to repair 5 generators to power up to exit gates and escape. While this seems pretty straightforward, it really isn’t. Since the killer is chasing the four of you, you will need your brain to escape. Luckily, you can have up to 4 perks to help you out. There are over 100 of them, with each doing something different. For example, with Self Care, you are able to heal yourself without a medkit, and with Diversion, you can throw pebbles to distract the killer. The possibilities are endless.

In any case, you must avoid being hit by the killer as much as possible. If he hits you twice, you will be put in the dying state, and they will be able to pick you up and put you in a sacrificial hook. If you stay on a sacrificial hook for too long or put in one three times, you will die. Your biggest hope is to wait for somebody to rescue you.
To win a chase, there is more than just stealth. Around the map, there are windows that can be vaulted and pallets that can be pulled down at the right moment to stun the killer. Vaulting a window may be dangerous, but if done correctly you will have enough distance between you and the chaser to hide.

In order to unlock more perks, one must level up using the Bloodweb. The Bloodweb is an area where players level up, unlocking new perks, items, and offerings. To level up, one must use bloodpoints, which are given at the end of each match in proportion to how you did during it.

Survivors can bring those items and offerings before the match starts. They offer a variety of power-ups, for example, some offerings will increase the distance between sacrificial hooks and others will make you start the round with other survivors. Items will be removed if a survivor dies during a trial, while offerings are burnt at the start of the trial.

Survivors can help each other out in different ways. If a generator has an open spot, two or more survivors can repair it, making the repair process faster. The same can be said for healing, since when a survivor is hit once, they will start bleeding and making noises, making them an easy target. Sacrificial hooks can be sabotaged with a toolbox (or the adequate perk) to make it harder for the killer to hook survivors.

Playing as a killer means having a first-person perspective, making it harder to spot survivors. Each killer is different: they all have different abilities and weapons. The Huntress is able to throw hatchets at survivors, while the Wraith can become invisible at will. Killers also have access to perks and offerings. They can also use add-ons to increase the power of their weapons.

Another difference between killers is the movement speed: while all survivors move at the same speed (except for some perks that offer some momentary haste effect), killers have all different speeds. The Nurse, due to her special ability to teleport through small spaces, moves slower than a survivor, while the Legion is one of the fastest killers.
Some killers can also place traps around the map to make it harder for the survivors: the Trapper can put bear traps to trap a survivor unless they can free themselves fast enough, and the Hag can put Phantasm traps to teleport to when a survivor steps on it.

The Nintendo Switch port was handled by Behaviour themselves, and it has its issues. The game looks okay enough, it may not be beautiful but it’s not ugly. Although they could have done a better job with the survivors’ textures, the Switch’s small screen makes up for it. Nonetheless, there are other issues with this port.

The framerate isn’t the best. It runs at 30 FPS, but it usually stays between 22 and 30. There are micro-stutters too, which, if encountered, can mess up a chase. The undocked version is the best to play with, as it lags less than docked. Textures sometimes glitch, becoming hot pink for some reason.

The developers should have considered the Switch’s portability and include a new local co-op version to include as a selling point. Instead, we only got a cosmetic set for one killer. The Switch version is also missing two licensed killers (although they should make their way to this version someday).

One of the BIGGEST complaints that everyone has about this game are the hitboxes. The survivors’ hitboxes are REALLY big and disproportional to the survivor’s size. They are annoying and unfair.

Some people might not like the grinding aspect, as the bloodweeb gives random items, and the only ways to get cosmetics are to either buy Auric Cells or level up enough times to get enough Iridescent Shards (that can only be used for a limited number of cosmetics).

Even with those issues, I still personally enjoy this game. The variability is great, and there is always more to learn. It’s fun to mix the perks to see what suits best, or just do a weird build. For fans of some shows or films, there are some licensed characters as well! Do you want to play as the Demogorgon, or as Micheal Myers? Sure, go ahead! If you have friends (ha) you can play with them in the Play with Friends mode.

In conclusion, do I approve of or disapprove of this port?

It’s not the greatest, but it’s not the worst. All we can hope for is that the developers fix the framerate issues, and I’d be happy to say “It is fully worth the money!”. If you are able to, buy the PC version, but if the Nintendo Switch is the only way you have to play this, then go ahead. The Switch version also includes various DLCs, which add cosmetics, killers, and survivors, so you might end up saving some money compared to other consoles. But in any way, the game is big and “hooks” you into it. There are a lot of mechanics to find out, more than the ones I listed!