Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on Nintendo Switch 2 looks absolutely sublime, despite its 30fps playback. Already stunning on PS4, this upgraded version of the last-gen real-time RPG is one of the best-looking games on Nintendo’s new handheld alongside Star Wars Outlaws.
While games like Donkey Kong Bananza and the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 look great as well, the upcoming release of Square Enix’s RPG is a graphical highlight for the system. But why does Final Fantasy 7 Remake look so good on the handheld?
In an interview with Automaton, director Naoki Hamaguchi explained that the key to keeping the game’s near-CGI look on the handheld was to make sure they retained their lighting and reflections tech while compromising in other areas. While some textures or draw distance may be sacrificed, the high-quality lighting makes the game look sublime.
“The Nintendo Switch 2 has great hardware specs. “However, due to power consumption constraints, it’s designed to dial back performance a bit in handheld mode,” they explained. “So, since a straightforward port wouldn’t be enough to make the game run stably in handheld mode, we had our talented rendering programmers put in extra work on optimisation.”
“I believe lighting is the crucial factor in terms of graphics quality and expression in this day and age,” he continued. While FF7 Remake doesn’t make use of fancy ray-tracing like Star Wars Outlaws or the upcoming Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, the team spent years on its pre-baked lighting solution to make every corner of Midgar shine.
“I’m extremely happy that we kind of managed to become a model case of a high-end game being ported for the Nintendo Switch 2,” Hamaguchi said. While players will notice lower-quality fog and effects, they should still feel like they’re getting the full, premium, Final Fantasy 7 Remake experience.
Despite its recent launch, there have already been a number of ports to the Nintendo Switch 2 that have sadly disappointed such as IO Interactive’s port of Hitman: World of Assassination. While some ports have disappointed, Hamaguchi claims that devs just need to use the hardware properly to create great games.
“In our experience, if you just use the hardware properly, you’ll be able to deliver games at the quality players expect. All in all, my honest opinion is that Nintendo Switch 2 is a truly amazing piece of hardware,” he concluded.
