Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Switch 2 review calls performance a mess despite improvements

Since the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Switch 2 port announcement, gamers have wondered how it would run on the handheld. A demo alleviated some fears, but also raised performance concerns. With reviews now out before the June 3rd release date, they give mixed impressions of visual quality and frame rates.

Digital Foundry provided a detailed technical analysis of the Switch 2 game, noting gains over the demo. The demanding open-world RPG comes closer to maintaining its 30fps target. Stutters are less frequent, even in towns teeming with activity. That said, drops into the 20s still occur, particularly during intense battles.

In docked mode, the title employs DLSS upscaling to boost resolution from 540p to a maximum 1080p. In handheld mode, Square Enix developers aim for a more modest 576p. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Switch 2 reviews highlight how cutbacks are especially apparent in the latter scenario. In either case, hair is pixelated, while NPCs and foliage have been stripped from some environments.

Is this Switch 2 port too flawed?

Indy100 posted one of the most negative breakdowns of the game’s performance. Calling it “too ambitious” for the Nintendo console in its current state, the tester labels it as a “bit of a mess.” Textures often look blurry, with reduced draw distances showing the limitations of the hardware. More troubling, the journalist suffered multiple crashes during gameplay.

One common complaint in many Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Switch 2 reviews is regular pop-in. Despite the optimization efforts detailed by director Naoki Hamaguchi, the glitches can be distracting when exploring. Breaking immersion, Nintendo Life also described how enemies on the horizon remain still until approaching at close range.

Ultimately, even with performance drawbacks, most sites hail the port as a technical achievement. The Square Enix project stressed more powerful systems like the PS5 on its original 2024 release date. Yet, with an 86 Metacritic average, the port currently trails the PlayStation console version’s 92. Also, it’s slightly behind Remake Intergrade, which notched an 89 after its January debut on the handheld.