Out of the blue, Gearbox Software has announced that Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour will be heading on over to Switch next week. Scheduled for a June 23, 2020, release date, the game is currently up for pre-order on the Nintendo eShop with a 50% launch discount. You can grab it for $4.99, which is a damn steal for Duke 3D.
If you thought this was a quick and easy port, you’d be mistaken. Gearbox has added gyro controls to help players aim, HD rumble to really make the weapons feel alive, and some local multiplayer modes. There is support for up to eight players in DukeMatch, which is definitely a blast from the past.
One final addition to this Switch port is a “remaster toggle” mode. Similar to what you’ll find in Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, you’ll be able to switch between the original 1996 release and Gearbox’s new engine on the fly. That’s a nifty trick, though you’d be crazy to want to play this in pseudo-3D.
This re-release originally came to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One back in 2016 and it included a fifth new episode of levels for the original campaign. Created by some of the staff that worked on the original, it isn’t a bad set of levels. There’s even new music by original composer Lee Jackson, which just adds to the authenticity of this version.
It might not be the definitive compilation of Duke Nukem 3D content (the previously available Megaton Edition on PC and PS3/Vita included both of the original’s expansions), but you can’t complain about the price here. At $10, it’s practically an impulse buy. At $5, I’m likely to end up with a fourth copy of Duke 3D.
I wish this was pointing to Gearbox wanting to do more with Duke, but that seems unlikely. A recent lawsuit between Gearbox and 3D Realms -the original publisher/rights holder for Duke Nukem- was made public and it seems like Gearbox doesn’t really want anything to do with the brand. That’s a shame because Duke Nukem could make a hell of a comeback in the right hands.
Source: Twitter
READ NEXT: Unearthed Footage Shows What Duke Nukem Forever Could Have Been
