When THQ Nordic announced that Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition was galloping onto the Nintendo Switch, it felt like a perfect match. The hybrid console’s love for last-gen ports—especially ones featuring loot grind, massive dungeons, and a scythe-wielding protagonist—seemed almost too good to be true.
For the uninitiated, Darksiders II is not your average hack-and-slash. You play as Death, the most feared of the Four Horsemen, on a quest to clear his brother War’s name. The “Deathinitive Edition” is the definitive remaster, including all DLC. And for Switch users, the NSP format is the key to unlocking this apocalyptic adventure—whether digitally, via backup, or through custom firmware.
Let’s break down everything you need to know about Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition on the Switch, including performance, content, and the technical side of the NSP file.
For users running custom firmware, the NSP (Nintendo Submission Package) format allows:
While discussing NSPs, we must stress piracy is illegal. However, ethically, owning a physical copy and creating a personal backup NSP for use on a hacked Switch is generally considered fair use for preservation. Always support THQ Nordic if you enjoy the game—the Switch port was handled by Gunfire Games and deserves sales.
Commonly found NSP releases come from groups like SUXXORS, Venom, or NSPixel. Typical naming convention:
Darksiders.II.Deathinitive.Edition.SWITCH.NSP
Darksiders.II.Deathinitive.Edition.Update.v1.0.2.SWITCH.NSP
Installation notes:
Positives:
Negatives (well-documented in reviews and CFW communities):
Overclocking (for CFW users): Many CFW users report significant improvements by overclocking the Switch:
Technical caveats aside, the core question is whether Darksiders II itself is worth playing on the Switch. The answer is a resounding yes, largely because its design philosophy aligns beautifully with the Switch’s strengths. The original game was a reaction to the linear, corridor-based action games of the late 2000s. It embraced a “loot-driven action-RPG” structure, borrowing liberally from Diablo (randomized weapon stats, armor sets) and Shadow of the Colossus (its epic dungeon scale).
Playing as Death is a different experience from most heavy-handed protagonists. He is acrobatic, cynical, and fast. His signature move—wall-running, grappling, and teleport-slashing—feels surprisingly good on the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers. The game’s structure is also ideal for on-the-go play. The story is divided into distinct acts and dungeons, each lasting 30 to 90 minutes. The player can complete a dungeon, defeat its guardian, and then save on the spot. The side-quests are often bite-sized: collect three pages of a lost journal, defeat a named monster in a hidden cave, or complete a simple map-based riddle. These are perfect for short play sessions.
Furthermore, the Deathinitive Edition includes all the DLC from the original release. This adds hours of additional content, including the “Abyssal Forge” and “Belial” arcs, which rank among the game’s most creative dungeons. For a Switch owner, this is a massive value proposition. You are getting the complete, final version of a 25+ hour game (or 50+ for completionists) in a single NSP file. Darksiders II- Deathinitive Edition Switch NSP
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, delivered as an NSP, is a testament to the ambition of both the original developers (Vigil Games) and the porting team (Gunfire Games). It is far from the perfect technical showcase. Players seeking silky-smooth 60 FPS or 4K resolution should look elsewhere. However, for the vast audience of Switch owners who value flexibility over fidelity, this port succeeds where it matters most.
It delivers the complete, uncompromised vision of Death’s quest to cleanse his brother’s name—a sprawling, puzzle-filled, loot-hunting action RPG—into a form factor that fits in a backpack. The frame rate stutters in the open world, and the resolution drops in handheld mode, yet the core loop of exploring dungeons, solving environmental riddles, and executing devastating scythe combos remains utterly addictive. Holding the Nintendo Switch, turning down the brightness on a late-night flight, and guiding the pale rider through the shadowy realm of the dead is a strange, wonderful juxtaposition of epic scale and intimate portability.
In the end, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition for the Switch is not the definitive way to play the game in terms of performance. It is, however, the definitive way to make sure you actually finish the game. And for a story about a horseman who refuses to let his brother die, there is something poetic about a version that refuses to let the player be chained to a television. Death has never been so mobile—or so convenient.
The Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition for Nintendo Switch has a download size of approximately 14.2 GB to 14.3 GB. This version is a remastered package that includes the base game and all previously released downloadable content (DLC) integrated directly into the gameplay. Core Content & Features
Total Playtime: The complete package offers over 30 hours of gameplay.
Integrated DLCs: All major expansions and item packs are included: Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition on Switch – The
Story Expansions: The Abyssal Forge, The Demon Lord Belial, and Argul's Tomb.
Item & Mission Packs: Death Rides, Angel of Death Armor, Deadly Despair, Shadow of Death Armor, Mortis Pack, and several unique weapons like Rusanov’s Axe and Mace Maximus.
Visual Enhancements: Features a reworked graphic render engine for improved lighting, shadows, and textures. On the Switch, it runs at a native 1080p resolution in docked mode.
Gameplay Improvements: Balancing and loot distribution have been tuned to provide a smoother experience. Gameplay Mechanics Go to product viewer dialog for this item. Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition
For the contemporary gamer, the concept of the “NSP” is crucial. Unlike a physical cartridge, an NSP is a digitally signed package installed directly to the Switch’s internal memory or microSD card. Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition weighs in at approximately 13 GB, a hefty size that requires a substantial SD card. While a physical cartridge does exist (released by THQ Nordic), the NSP version highlights the shift toward digital ownership in the Switch era.
The advantages are clear: instant switching between titles without swapping cartridges, faster loading times than the already-improved physical version (though still longer than other platforms), and the sheer convenience of always having Death ready to ride. For a game that encourages exploration and backtracking to solve side-quests, the ability to put the Switch into Sleep Mode mid-dungeon is a game-changer. However, the NSP format also ties the game to a Nintendo Account, raising questions about long-term preservation. As digital storefronts eventually shut down, the ability to re-download this NSP—with its specific patches and performance tweaks—may become a challenge, making the physical copy ironically more valuable for future archivists. Overclocking profiles (using tools like Sys-clk) to push