Update: It should be noted while a physical Switch 2 version of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster has not been announced for the US, it will be available in Japan next month with a 25th anniversary slipcover. Pre-orders are live now via VGP.
It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching 25 years since the launch of Final Fantasy X on the PlayStation 2. What’s almost as crazy, though, is that it’s been more than 12 years since Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster first debuted on the PlayStation 3. To put that into perspective, nearly the same amount of time has passed between the original release and the remaster versus the remaster and today — roughly 12 and a half years in both cases.
During that time, we’ve seen Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster released on the PS3, PlayStation Vita, PS4, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, and now as a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 app. Don’t get me wrong — I love that one of my favorite JRPGs of all time continues to get this kind of support from Square Enix. But for those of us who already own the game on the original Nintendo Switch, is the upgrade actually worth it? Are there even any discernible differences between the two versions?
The short answer is yes. The Switch 2 version offers some noticeable improvements along with a few new features. That said, if you already own the original Switch release, you may want to think twice before double dipping.
Listen to my story
Before diving in, I want to take just a moment to talk about the legacy of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2, and make the case for why you should play them if you’re new to the series. If you’re anything like me and can recite most of the dialogue by heart, feel free to skip ahead to the performance section.
When Final Fantasy X launched in 2001, it marked a major turning point for the franchise. It introduced fully voiced characters for the first time in series history, dramatically improved character models and environments, and showcased what the jump to the PlayStation 2 could really do. I still remember debating with my friends in high school whether voice acting would help or hurt the series. Thankfully, Square absolutely nailed it.
Nearly everything about Final Fantasy X feels incredibly polished. The traditional turn-based combat was reworked into the fantastic Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) system, the voice acting was excellent (and still holds up surprisingly well today), and the soundtrack remains one of my favorites in the entire franchise. But the heart and soul of the game is its story. There’s a lot to unpack, but nearly every relationship in the game leaves an impact, and more than two decades later, I still don’t think any Final Fantasy romance has surpassed Tidus and Yuna’s.
Final Fantasy X-2 continues that story with a much lighter and more energetic tone. While it isn’t quite as memorable to me as the original, it introduces some fantastic ideas of its own, most notably the Dressphere job system, which lets characters swap classes on the fly during battle. It’s a very different experience, but still a worthy sequel that’s well worth playing.
What I’m getting at here is that these games are absolute icons in the JRPG world, and unlike a lot of older RPGs, they still feel incredibly approachable today. If you’ve somehow skipped this collection over the years, you owe it to yourself to finally give it a shot.
A worthy upgrade?
Before we look at the visuals, let’s talk about the new features added to the Switch 2 version. It’s also worth noting that if you already own the Switch release, there is no upgrade path to access these features at a discounted price. Unfortunately, save data from the original Switch version is also not compatible with the Switch 2 app. This follows a trend we’ve seen with other Square Enix re-releases. I was honestly looking forward to loading up one of my old saves and finally maxing out my Sphere Grid on Switch 2, but alas, it looks like I’ll be starting from scratch.
Like the PC release, the Switch 2 version includes four new enhancements: 2x and 4x speed modes that let you blaze through the game (outside of cinematics and cutscenes), an Auto Battle option, the ability to increase, decrease, or completely disable random encounters, and a Booster mode that fully heals your party after every hit. All four options can be toggled at any time by holding the ZL button and pressing a direction on the D-pad.
Overall, these additions aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but they’re nice to have. I actually spent more time trying to control my character while running around in 4x mode than I probably would have spent just playing normally. Once your brain adjusts to the speed, though, it becomes much easier to manage. They’re welcome quality-of-life additions, even if I don’t see myself using them very often.
Next up are the visuals, and this is where things get a bit more interesting. For this comparison, I spent several hours playing both the original Switch version on my Switch 2 (with Handheld Boost enabled) and the new dedicated Switch 2 app.
With Handheld Boost essentially allowing the Switch 2 to run original Switch games at their docked performance profile in handheld mode, it was surprisingly difficult to spot any major differences between the two versions at first. That said, textures do appear to receive a noticeable resolution bump, and the overall image looks cleaner, even on the handheld display.
Once I switched over to my 4K TV, however, the improvements became much easier to see. Character models look sharper, environments have more detail, and the overall presentation feels noticeably cleaner than the original Switch release. This isn’t an “RTX ON” style transformation by any means, but it is a clear visual upgrade.
I’ve also seen reports that the game runs a bit smoother overall. Personally, though, I didn’t notice any meaningful performance improvements during my playthrough. Both the Switch and Switch 2 versions remain locked at 30 fps, and both held that frame rate consistently in my testing.
Final Thoughts
Overall, if you already own the Switch version of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, it’s difficult for me to recommend upgrading. While the visuals are slightly improved and the new gameplay boosts are welcome additions, the lack of save data transfer, the absence of a discounted upgrade path, and the introduction of Switch 2’s Handheld Boost mode make a pretty compelling case for sticking with your original copy.
For newcomers, however, this collection is an absolute no-brainer. Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 remain two of my favorite JRPGs of all-time, and nearly 13 years after the HD Remaster first launched on the PlayStation 3, they still hold up remarkably well. If you’ve never experienced Tidus and Yuna’s journey, there’s never been a better time to jump in.
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Written by Jason Ganos
Nintendo super fan since birth, Jason is the creator of Amiibo News and editor-in-chief at Nintendo Wire. One of his life goals is to provide the latest Nintendo news to fellow gamers with his natural know-how.
