Paladins: Champions of the Realm

 Switch
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 113 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 113
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 113
  3. Negative: 27 out of 113

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  1. roshambeau
    Dec 19, 2018
    0
    If you like a developer that provides lots of cleavage and midriff exposing skins instead of a consistently performing software experience, this is the dumpster fire for you. It runs fine for a day, then devolves into constant crashes. Fortunately, the forums have step by step instructions on how to wipe this VD off your system for a fresh install so you can witness the fun of it's steadyIf you like a developer that provides lots of cleavage and midriff exposing skins instead of a consistently performing software experience, this is the dumpster fire for you. It runs fine for a day, then devolves into constant crashes. Fortunately, the forums have step by step instructions on how to wipe this VD off your system for a fresh install so you can witness the fun of it's steady decline once again. Be sure to contact tech support and witness the amazingly fast response time consisting of cut and paste emails taken right off the forums!!!

    In all seriousness, yes its free to play, but your time is worth money. HiRez is not concerned wit your time. They are concerned with cultivating a customer base willing to spend cash on vanity features and content cash locked behind their battle pass and seasonal events. the number of shinies in this game is quite impressive until you observe that it is the veneer over a buggy, poorly crafted mess. For instance, when a player leaves during character selection, they are slapped with a 30 min deserter penalty. That is awesome right? Stick it to the quitters. Until the 10th time your game crashes on character select and realize you have accumulated 300 min of penalty time because HiRez is laser focused on RMT's and ambivalent toward the functionality of their product. I encourage you to watch your kill cams. Some of the janky shenanigans had me convinced I was playing Call of Duty.

    By all means, download it, have fun. But understand what you are getting. Do not pay for a game of dress up.    … Expand
  2. bulger_paul
    Aug 8, 2018
    5
    It's free to play, so I don't regret checking it out, and I might even recommend you checking it out too, if you're into this sort of thing, but after a few hours, I don't think I'm ever going to open it back up again.

    It's not particularly bad. The servers can be frustrating since it's still in its first week on the Switch, so sometimes I found myself waiting for up to five full    It's free to play, so I don't regret checking it out, and I might even recommend you checking it out too, if you're into this sort of thing, but after a few hours, I don't think I'm ever going to open it back up again.

    It's not particularly bad. The servers can be frustrating since it's still in its first week on the Switch, so sometimes I found myself waiting for up to five full minutes before I was successfully placed in a match (I got kicked out of matches quite frequently, and it definitely wasn't due to the wifi on my end, I guarantee it was the servers), but I'm sure that will all be worked out in no time. I simply found this game repetitive and boring, no matter what mode or map I was playing in. I tried several of the different heroes that are available without having to pay any real world money (and you do get access to quite a few for free), but I still felt the same way.

    I like the visual design of the game, and the visual design of all the different heroes, I just really didn't like the gameplay itself, though I don't have much of a satisfying explanation for why I didn't like it. It's perfectly functional, and adequate, but I couldn't take more than a few matches at a time without getting painfully bored.    … Expand
  3. AllySky
    Aug 27, 2018
    1
    Paladins is filled, no, overflowing with bugs, glitches and crashes, which proves Hi-Rez Studios don't know what they are doing, and the fact anyone would give this game a high rating in its current state baffles me. Just because a game runs at 60fps on a portable console should not warrant such high regards, and that alone should not be deserving of a perfect rating.
  4. diamonddancing
    Jul 25, 2019
    3
    I want to love this game, I really do. It handles genuinely differently from games usually regarded as similar to it. (Overwatch, duh). Ive sunk 150+ hours into the game for the switch and honestly, it grew on me so quickly but now its HUGE issues are dawning on me. Firstly from a technical standpoint, it handles well on the switch regarding fps and stutter etc. However, from the amount ofI want to love this game, I really do. It handles genuinely differently from games usually regarded as similar to it. (Overwatch, duh). Ive sunk 150+ hours into the game for the switch and honestly, it grew on me so quickly but now its HUGE issues are dawning on me. Firstly from a technical standpoint, it handles well on the switch regarding fps and stutter etc. However, from the amount of times the game has crashed mid match, feels like it's incredibly neglected by the devs. Then the process to log back in would take 3 or so critical minutes off of ranked games, its horrible. The menus are buggy, the party system is so flawed that I find myself constantly restarting the game just to Invite my friends. Every so often while picking your character, the game would stop responding and you'd get "deserter" for a bug out of your control. The game is a nightmare to play on the switch yet we do so since we itch to play it everyday.

    Now for a critique of the battle pass. There's no direct way to only pay for a battle pass so you have to spend $15 in game for crystals to afford a battle pass? And there's no way of earning back enough crystals from the battle pass itself to pay for the next pass either. Why inconvenience your player base by requiring them to purchase more crystals than required, just to rack up the price for a battle pass? Horrible move from the dev as their competitors offer better battle passes for cheaper too (With enough in-game currency to purchase the following pass). This move alone has discouraged me from purchasing the battle pass all this time.

    It requires more attention from the devs to fix the version on the Nintendo Switch, and to rework the absolutely garbage battle pass system.    … Expand
  5. Nautendo
    Dec 18, 2019
    7
    A fun and free first person shooter on Nintendo Switch. It kinda looks and plays like Overwatch. I would recommend checking it out.
  6. Alex-Rainx
    Nov 21, 2018
    8
    Forgive my English :) A great port for Nintendo Switch. It is a very stable game at all times, it never drops below 60 FPS in the dock and the portable screen. The game looks very good and clear, but ,sometimes you see something blurry ( less resolution automatically ) in portable screen mode, only when there are many enemies or characters.
  7. hobieone
    Jul 8, 2018
    10
    The game plays great and very smooth easily one of th3 best team based shooters for the switch. Just as fun as it is on the other platforms and after playing over watch and paladins I found myself playing paladins more. It just plain more fun. Plus no being on the switch it’s a game I can take on the go with me
  8. Zentar
    Aug 16, 2018
    9
    Paladins for Switch is a rather fun game. I have not played the game on any other platform but the Switch version runs well. You do not need to invest any money to be competitive because a decent amount of Paladins are free and it is not very difficult to get gold to purchase new ones.

    Purchasing the Battle Pass will help you get extra gold and perks but it is not really necessary.    Paladins for Switch is a rather fun game. I have not played the game on any other platform but the Switch version runs well. You do not need to invest any money to be competitive because a decent amount of Paladins are free and it is not very difficult to get gold to purchase new ones.

    Purchasing the Battle Pass will help you get extra gold and perks but it is not really necessary. Overall a very fun game!    … Expand
  9. In_Ex_Fan
    Jun 19, 2018
    8
    Paladins on Switch is a pretty good port. It has a stable framerate (60 FPS), the visuals are impressive for the system and the gameplay works just as fine as it does on other consoles. It's interesting to note that it is currently in it's early access stage, so right now the Switch version is a 0.7 so I'd say there will be some bug fixes when the game gets patch 1.1 which is planned forPaladins on Switch is a pretty good port. It has a stable framerate (60 FPS), the visuals are impressive for the system and the gameplay works just as fine as it does on other consoles. It's interesting to note that it is currently in it's early access stage, so right now the Switch version is a 0.7 so I'd say there will be some bug fixes when the game gets patch 1.1 which is planned for later this month. I'd recommend this game to anyone who's interested in hero shooters and those looking for a good multiplayer.… Expand
  10. LarsWestrum
    Aug 21, 2018
    0
    THX Hirez you killed game for CIS. Realy nice X2 price. When your`s servers unstable, useless and garbage MM you doubled gems price.
    F6 Hirez!!!
  11. Maxwell3004
    Jul 26, 2018
    4
    If you're into having to pay real money to get anything or spend hours of playing frustrating matches of losing because your team doesn't know how to play the objectives then odds are you're only 12 years old. This game is nowhere near as good as overwatch and is a total cash grab. I understand it is free but Hi-rez Studios adding in a Battle Pass in all of their games to get more money isIf you're into having to pay real money to get anything or spend hours of playing frustrating matches of losing because your team doesn't know how to play the objectives then odds are you're only 12 years old. This game is nowhere near as good as overwatch and is a total cash grab. I understand it is free but Hi-rez Studios adding in a Battle Pass in all of their games to get more money is just plain greedy. Chances are only the kids younger than 13 will really love this game unless you just don't have good taste in games.… Expand
  12. Weesum
    Aug 21, 2018
    9
    Overall a great experience so far! There are a few minor annoyances (unable to link nintendo account to hirez to receive old rewards, such as the primal mount, and unable to perform the tutorial an easy way to get gold and xp early game to buy new characters) but other than these issues the game is paladins from the PC or PS4 that you can take around the house, and that's pretty cool
  13. Evilwolf1111
    Aug 29, 2018
    9
    this game is not perfect but is not as bad as they say, the game can be really fun if u start playing competitive but there are many bugs and crashes
  14. Outcasts
    Aug 11, 2018
    1
    THX Hirez you killed game for CIS. Realy nice X2 price. When your`s servers unstable, useless and garbage MM you doubled gems price.
    F6 Hirez!!!
  15. Rapture_Veri
    May 6, 2019
    0
    Paladins has became a horrible mess of a game. It constantly crashes on the Nintendo Switch, randomly freezes, has characters that are both to over powered, and under powered. Hi Rez is incapable of making video games.
  16. DangerCrusader
    Dec 13, 2018
    10
    This game is fun. Unlike Overwatch, this game doesn’t have a toxic community.
  17. FeelsGud
    May 20, 2019
    3
    You get into a match , immediately crashes and then you are a deserter for half an hour....
    ,niiiiice
  18. Dreamscanner
    Sep 29, 2019
    10
    Nice port and gameplay, 44 different characters amd soo many maps to play, i love this game
  19. Aluk
    Feb 9, 2022
    8
    Buen juego, con muchos personajes y misiones
    Good game, with many characters and missions.
  20. LordOMO
    Apr 4, 2020
    7
    There is a lot of good to say About Paladins: it's free, it has gyro aim, it runs at 60fps and it is a decent take on the Overwatch/TF2 type gameplay.
    Unfortunately there is some bad either: The game is highly instable and crashes regularly, which is even more annoying when taking into account the long load times so it takes forever to get back into the game.
    Playing this game on ranked    There is a lot of good to say About Paladins: it's free, it has gyro aim, it runs at 60fps and it is a decent take on the Overwatch/TF2 type gameplay.
    Unfortunately there is some bad either: The game is highly instable and crashes regularly, which is even more annoying when taking into account the long load times so it takes forever to get back into the game.
    Playing this game on ranked mode was not quite satisfactory either. I guess the player base isn't large enough: you get highly unbalanced matches despite having to wait in que for a long time.
    Then there are some quality of life issues like for example not being able to type in chat during matches.
    I would still recommend this game for everyone that is interested in this genre but that is mostly due to the lack of alternatives. Splatoon 2 is the only better alternative I know. Overwatch is also on Switch but the port isn't that good either and only runs at 30fps.    … Expand
  21. nusco
    Oct 14, 2020
    7
    Paladins is a derivative, but fun, free-to-play hero shooter. It's not nearly as slickly produced as its clear inspiration, Overwatch. However, it's a competent game in its own right, and many players would choose it over its model.

    PROS: * Good fun, with a nice mix of characters for every play style. * Runs silky smooth on the Switch. * Not nearly as predatory as the average FTP.    Paladins is a derivative, but fun, free-to-play hero shooter. It's not nearly as slickly produced as its clear inspiration, Overwatch. However, it's a competent game in its own right, and many players would choose it over its model.

    PROS:

    * Good fun, with a nice mix of characters for every play style.
    * Runs silky smooth on the Switch.
    * Not nearly as predatory as the average FTP. You can play it for free indefinitely. The one-buy Champions Pack gives you basically everything you might want, except for cosmetic items.

    CONS:

    * It's hard to look over the fact that it's an Overwatch knock-off without all the polish.
    * Low production values, especially in the cheap character design and laggy menus.
    * Still plays some dirty tricks to get your money, such as leaving you with spare "crystals" (the in-store currency), encouraging you to buy more.    … Expand
  22. KritexJom
    May 2, 2019
    10
    The game plays great and very smooth easily one of th3 best team based shooters for the switch. Just as fun as it is on the other platforms and after playing over watch and paladins I found myself playing paladins more. It just plain more fun. Plus no being on the switch it’s a game I can take on the go with me
  23. Joes
    Apr 22, 2020
    10
    Uno de los mejores free to play en switch y corre a 60fps, excelente, y gratis
  24. GamerDylan
    Mar 9, 2020
    2
    Get Overwatch instead of this junk. A lot of the characters are just copies of Overwatch characters and abilities.
  25. RZaga
    Jan 28, 2020
    7
    Fast and action filled gameplay are the game's main strengths. Matches can provide a fun time for a few minutes. However I find myself not being interested in playing this game after a while, as there's not much about it that's engaging. Everything feels painfully average. Occasional long waits during matchmaking and the lack of characters that can be played well by everyone bog down theFast and action filled gameplay are the game's main strengths. Matches can provide a fun time for a few minutes. However I find myself not being interested in playing this game after a while, as there's not much about it that's engaging. Everything feels painfully average. Occasional long waits during matchmaking and the lack of characters that can be played well by everyone bog down the experience as well.… Expand
  26. Rianj99
    Jul 1, 2020
    6
    Hi-Rez manages to ruin a game that could both beat Overwatch, as well as at least draw with it. The microtransactions, sexualized female characters and the lack of a good community within the game hinder Hi-Rez's real intention to win money over that game; Sexualized skin, abusive prices in different areas of the game (skins, battle passes) end up having more presence than bug fixes andHi-Rez manages to ruin a game that could both beat Overwatch, as well as at least draw with it. The microtransactions, sexualized female characters and the lack of a good community within the game hinder Hi-Rez's real intention to win money over that game; Sexualized skin, abusive prices in different areas of the game (skins, battle passes) end up having more presence than bug fixes and glitches, making the game like this, gradually spoiling instead of evolving.… Expand
  27. BigTroy
    Jul 17, 2020
    10
    This game does have its bugs like crashing every 5 or 6 matches on switch but overall this is my favorite game,
  28. Tribalord
    Mar 24, 2021
    8
    Liked this game. Like rogue company this is the only free online shooter game if you dont like the building mechanics of fortnite. I play mostly Viktor and love this game
  29. RichardTonders
    Oct 8, 2020
    0
    I gave this game a chance, i really did but i have to be honest here. This game is just a complete waste of time. There is nothing good about it.
    There are a TON of good games out there and this one is VERY far from it. It is not even bad, It is honestly pathetic that something like this was even released.
  30. ArianaMinaj12
    Dec 13, 2020
    0
    I really love this game and I’ve sunk 60+ hours into it without it becoming boring (that’s a lot for me). Hi-Rez has fixed a lot of the first month bugs that seemed to be bothering people (although there are a few annoying ones still, like the one that occasionally kicks me out of matches), but they’ve made good progress. The characters are fun and they feel different from one another.I really love this game and I’ve sunk 60+ hours into it without it becoming boring (that’s a lot for me). Hi-Rez has fixed a lot of the first month bugs that seemed to be bothering people (although there are a few annoying ones still, like the one that occasionally kicks me out of matches), but they’ve made good progress. The characters are fun and they feel different from one another. Whenever I unlocked a new one, I felt like my hard work had been rewarded. The matches are always very high energy and exiting. The only issue I can think of is the glitches, which do occasionally still crop up. Also, I haven’t played Overwatch, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.… Expand
  31. whocares189
    Mar 10, 2021
    0
    I really enjoy the part where I get penalized for being a switch player. I really learned my lesson when I got 20 minutes of deserter, just don’t crash.
  32. JerreMuesli
    Aug 12, 2021
    2
    Whatever you do, do not spend money on the game. The game crashes more that a teenager on whiskey and it has X types of currency and none can be gained by playing the game, other than gold which is in fact almost worthless.
    Also, the assets are hardly ever rendered in the menu's and the whole game is just far from optimized for the Nintendo Switch.
  33. Icepacman
    Nov 4, 2021
    6
    It's a good game but every time I play on my Nintendo switch it's keep giving me a software error I keep trying to fix it but it keeps saying software so does anyone know how to make that stop it's someone fear for me and I can only play like two matches that's not fair
  34. KAM1054
    Nov 16, 2021
    4
    It's almost unplayable son switch. Too much lag, framerate drops and freezes. It's a great game but on switch too many technical problems. I don't know if the other problems are having the same problems as well.

Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Switch Player
    Sep 6, 2018
    70
    Paladins is a fun shooter, and encourages long-term play with its unlockables and level-up progressions. It loses to Fortnite in the addictiveness stakes, though, and isn't helped by a less-than-seamless matchmaking system.
    Read full review
  2. IGN Italia
    Aug 6, 2018
    80
    Paladins fills a fairly significant gap in the Switch’s library. Some minor issues aside, it's generally a great experience.
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer Italy
    Aug 3, 2018
    80
    Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a fun and exciting shooter, and we forgive its small hiccups and the reduced variety for the simple fact that it is available for free. Being a hero shooter, it is possible that not everyone might enjoy it. But FPS fans who own a Nintendo Switch do not have many alternatives, and our advice is to download it and try it, even if your not convinced. Who knows, you might love it in the end.
    Read full review
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