Final Fantasy VII Remake Switch 2 demo proves what the hardware is capable of in the right hands

Ever since I was a kid in the mid ’90s, I’ve been obsessed with video games that pushed the limits of the hardware they ran on. Playing them felt almost forbidden, like experiencing something that simply shouldn’t exist. Back then, it was titles like Doom on the SNES, the Game Boy fps Faceball 2000, or even the cancelled Resident Evil port for the Game Boy Color, which incredibly just leaked online in a near complete state a few days ago. These games were, for all intents and purposes, impossible feats, made real only through clever tech like the Super FX chip or incredibly talented developers who knew how to squeeze every last drop of power out of a console.

As time went on, those kinds of “how is this even running” moments became rarer as consoles grew more powerful and capable. But something about the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo that just dropped on the Nintendo Switch 2 instantly gave me those same “wow” feelings I remember from the ’90s. Simply put, this is by far the best looking Switch 2 handheld experience I’ve had to date, and a clear testament to what the hardware can do when placed in the right hands.

 

 

To say I’m familiar with this game would be an understatement. I’ve played Final Fantasy VII Remake to completion four times, starting with the PlayStation 4 Pro, followed by the PS5’s Intergrade release, then on PC, and most recently on the Steam Deck. I’ve even booted it up on the PlayStation 5 Pro a few times just to see if I could spot any differences. It’s safe to say I know exactly how this game can look across the quality spectrum. While the Switch 2 version isn’t pushing frame rates to 60 fps like PlayStation or 120 fps like the PC release, I was still blown away by just how close it gets to the PS5 version at first glance.

Now, before I go any further, I want to be clear that I’m not a member of Digital Foundry, nor do I have the specialized tools or technical expertise needed to put this demo through a full technical breakdown. Coincidentally, Digital Foundry did publish their own analysis while I was editing this piece. What I do have, however, is a set of eyes and a long history with this game. So if you’re looking for frame time graphs or deep dives into how DLSS functions under the hood, this probably isn’t that article.

 

 

What I did notice while playing through the demo were crisp textures that looked remarkably close in both handheld and docked mode. Visually, I’d place the overall image quality somewhere between what I experienced on PS4 Pro and PS5, but noticeably sharper than my time with the Steam Deck. You can see this for yourself in the excellent comparison video from ElAnalistaDeBits embedded above.

In my experience, the illusion of PS5 level quality was only broken on occasion by some minor fuzziness in Cloud’s hair. Even then, compared to how hair rendering looks on the Steam Deck, it’s clear Square Enix spent considerable time making it appear more natural on Switch 2.

 

 

 

The other major compromise here is the 30 fps cap, compared to the 60 fps targets on PS5 and Xbox. While I know that may be a dealbreaker for some, I personally had no issues playing at 30 fps. I didn’t notice any slowdown or dropped frames, even during busy moments like the Scorpion Sentinel fight. The action felt fastpaced throughout and never came across as if it were cutting corners in the visual department. This remains a stunning experience from start to finish, with some of the most impressive visuals in the industry, even five years after its initial release.

So what am I trying to get at here? After playing through the demo around five times now, I’m more excited than ever to see what developers are capable of doing with the Switch 2’s hardware. We’ve already seen our fair share of iffy ports on the system, which has led some to claim that the Switch 2 is already outdated or incapable. But based on what I’ve experienced here, and the exceptional work done by the team at Square Enix, the future is looking genuinely bright for high quality third party titles on Nintendo’s latest hardware.

 

Check out more Final Fantasy content

 

Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Switch 2 demo compares favorably to Series S with cleaner image quality

 

A Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Demo Is Now Available on Nintendo Switch 2

 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director states title of third game will be decided by the end of 2025

 

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