Final Fantasy VII Remake feels right at home on Nintendo Switch 2

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Early 2020 felt incredibly uncertain as the pandemic began. I had just finished college, after a stressful final year working retail, and was really looking forward to the Final Fantasy VII remake. It arrived at the perfect moment – I had plenty of time to fully immerse myself in it. While some people have strong opinions about the story changes, those are actually the parts I found most memorable. I thought the game was bold, thoughtful, and captivating, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite Square Enix titles. It left me feeling optimistic about the decade ahead.

That initial optimism didn’t really pan out, but there’s good news. Handheld gaming has changed a lot recently. It’s amazing that after just six years, I can now play Final Fantasy VII Remake on a much smaller tablet than the PS4 Pro I originally played it on. And the experience isn’t just similar – it looks almost identical, and even includes extra content! The Switch 2 version is the Intergrade edition, which features the Yuffie side story originally designed for the PS5. All the visual upgrades from the PS5 version – yes, even the famous door – are included in this special Switch 2 release.

I really enjoyed this game when it first came out, but I haven’t felt much desire to play it again. I did repurchase it for the PS5 and Steam just to appreciate how good it looked and how smoothly it ran, but that was the extent of it. Over time, I’ve forgotten many of the smaller details of the story, the enjoyable character moments, and the exciting motorcycle combat. I’ll admit, I even got excited when a character named Roche showed off some impressive bike stunts in Chapter 4! Ultimately, the game is designed to be fun, and it delivers if you let it.

While the game technically worked on the Steam Deck, it didn’t feel like a great way to experience it. Because the game is visually stunning, the blurry graphics and uneven performance were disappointing. Playing on the Switch 2 is a significant improvement. Although you have fewer options to adjust the graphics, this version was built specifically for the Switch 2 and offers a much better experience.

The upcoming Switch 2 version of the game is targeting a stable 30 frames per second, and uses DLSS technology to make the image look very sharp whether you’re playing on the console screen or on a TV. While I don’t know the exact resolution, the game looks fantastic. When played in handheld mode, the upscaling works perfectly with the Switch 2’s screen. And when connected to my 4K TV from a normal distance, it looked nearly as good as playing on PlayStation. Overall, the game looks great on the Switch 2 and is a strong competitor to the Steam Deck.

Whether playing while connected or disconnected, the game consistently stayed around the target of 30 frames per second. I’ve played portions on PS5 and PC at 60 FPS, but I mostly remember playing on the PS4 Pro at 30 FPS. Since that’s how the game was originally made, reducing the framerate didn’t cause any major problems. It would have been great to have an option for an unlocked framerate with good VRR support, but I’m happy with the stable 30 FPS.

My experience with the Yuffie Intermission campaign was just as smooth as the main game – I didn’t see any major issues with performance or quality. Yuffie’s fast-paced, agile fighting style didn’t cause any noticeable slowdowns either. While it might seem similar to the original PS4 version at first glance, that’s mostly just about the frame rate. In all other areas, the game clearly aims to match the PS5 version, and feels like the result of a lot of hard work optimizing the game for PC.

Square Enix consistently delivers impressive cutscenes, with beautifully detailed character models that look great whether they’re fighting or simply talking. The visual effects are as stunning as they were in the original Intergrade release. Playing this game again reminded me why I considered it one of the best-looking games ever made. The game’s textures remain remarkably sharp, especially during close-up shots of characters and their clothing. It’s still amazing that such an action-packed game can look this good on a handheld console. The DLSS technology used here is truly impressive, and I hope other developers will utilize it in similar ways to enhance their games.

While I enjoy this port, it does have a couple of drawbacks. The biggest issue is battery life – the game really drains the Switch 2’s battery. You’ll likely only get around two hours of playtime on a full charge. Another thing to consider is the large file size; it takes up about 90.4 GB of storage space. Given all the detailed graphics, voice acting, and videos, that’s understandable, especially if they didn’t compress the files too much. Just be sure you have enough free space before downloading.

I’ve been revisiting Remake lately, and I’m really appreciating how focused it is, especially after getting a little overwhelmed with Rebirth after about 20 hours. Rebirth is amazing, but it’s just so big, it’s hard to find the time to really dive back in before the final game comes out. Remake, though, feels perfectly crafted. Each part of Midgar is like its own little action game, packed with secrets, tough enemies, and puzzles that actually make you think. Honestly, by taking the most straightforward part of Final Fantasy VII and turning it into this modern action game, Remake might end up being my favorite part of the whole trilogy! It’s definitely reignited my excitement for what this team is doing, and I’m feeling motivated to give Rebirth another proper playthrough.

I was completely drawn in by the playful conversations and stories the characters shared about their adventures. I’m a big fan of the characters from Final Fantasy VII, and the Remake games really bring their personalities to life thanks to the fantastic translation and adaptation. The story itself is told beautifully, and the team did a great job of expanding on the original game to make Midgar feel like a fully realized city. I truly believe the people behind this Remake trilogy deserve the chance to create their own original Final Fantasy game. They’ve clearly poured so much love and dedication into this project, and it reminded me just how enjoyable this game is to play.

While the main story is strong, the side quests aren’t as impressive. They’re scattered around the main areas between the story chapters, and the quality noticeably dips when you start them. The dialogue and writing feel like a fairly average version of the side stories you find in games like Yakuza or Like A Dragon. They’re definitely better than the side quests in the previous game, Rebirth (which already had too many, in my opinion), but I didn’t find a single one I truly enjoyed. The rewards and optional battles are fun, but I won’t be trying to complete every side quest on my next playthrough.

After revisiting Final Fantasy VII Remake after many years, I’m still completely captivated by it. The characters, gameplay, story, and stunning visuals continue to impress me. The Switch 2 port is so well done, it might be one of the best-looking games on the system. While I’m not as confident the Rebirth port will be as polished – the original version already had resolution issues on PlayStation 5 – I’m still hoping for the best. Ideally, they’ll release it before I have to pull out my PS5 to continue playing. If I can experience the entire trilogy on the Switch 2, I’d be thrilled. This is a fantastic start, and I hope Square Enix fully commits to developing more games for the console.

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2026-01-21 13:57