Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (Nintendo Switch 2)

It seems I'm finally going to earn a reputation here as the Gamereactor reviewer who re-plays games, as lately I haven't stopped reviewing ports, remasters, and remakes of games I'd already completed before. It happened with Fallout 4, with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and now with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, which I'd already played, loved, reviewed (on Gamereactor Spain) and thought I'd closed the book on for the PlayStation 5, only to find myself revisiting it on the Nintendo Switch 2. With a game as massive as this one, which easily takes over 100 hours to play through, this review wasn't so much about revisiting its narrative and gameplay strengths or weaknesses (though I do have a couple of new thoughts on that) as it was about assessing whether this titanic game, with a file size of over 100 GB, lives up to its name on the Nintendo console as well.

Let's move on for now to the less attractive aspects of this FFVII Rebirth on Switch 2. Aliasing was something that, obviously, was bound to happen, given that the hardware's power is lower than that of other versions, but it hasn't been anything dramatic either. In other words, you have to bear in mind that you won't see the same sharpness in handheld mode as you would on your 4K monitor or TV with a PS5. If you've already played Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade on the Switch 2, you'll see that the DLSS solution here is identical, and although the game 'looks' a bit rougher on the small portable screen, in the Dock and on the TV it offers a noticeable improvement.

What you will notice straight away, and for the better, is that the performance is practically the same, whether in enclosed spaces or in the large open-world sections you'll encounter from Kalm to the Temple of the Elders. Even without benchmarking software, the game seems to run effortlessly at a steady 30 fps, occasionally utilising VRR technology to smooth transitions or enhance on-screen fluidity during battles. That said, don't expect the same depth of field or density of on-screen entities as you'd find on PC, PS5, or Xbox. There is object popping—and not just a little of it—affecting both NPCs and monsters.

But technical issues aside, if this is your first playthrough of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, you're sure to be hooked by everything else. Having left Midgar behind (almost entirely), now is when the world of Gaia feels free to explore. In this second playthrough, I've taken the opportunity to enjoy my favourite activities in Rebirth: exploring every corner of the map, hunting down all the materia, playing the Chocobo-catching minigames and, of course, defending my title as a master in Queen's Blood. Seriously, Square Enix, you really ought to consider a standalone spin-off for this card game.

I've also taken the opportunity to try and grind (again, unsuccessfully) enough materials to upgrade my gear to the max using the Synthesis skill. More due to a lack of time (if you've never played Rebirth, bear in mind that there's potentially over 100 hours of gameplay, no exaggeration) than a lack of desire. Because there's always something to do, if you don't want to rush straight to the ending and the credits. Helping the inhabitants of a world that feels much more alive here than it did in 1997, improving your scores in minigames on the Costa del Sol or at the Gold Saucer... and perhaps even trying out a different sort of 'first date' there.

I won't go into too much detail about the game's main story, which, as you've no doubt already noticed, isn't the same as in the original Final Fantasy VII. Even with its additions and changes, the key moments remain where they should be, though I'm not sure I'd have the heart to go through certain scenes again that still move me, whether in 32-bit or now in high definition. The spectacular soundtrack by the sound team, building on Nobuo Uematsu's work, is also to blame, once again. In my opinion, it's far better utilised throughout the entire game now than in the specific moments where it shone in Remake Intergrade.

Be that as it may, my view is that Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth remains an absolute beast both narratively and graphically, and I'm amazed that a game of this scale and ambition fits onto a slim handheld like the Switch 2 without making any critical compromises. If taking Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Red with you wherever you go outweighs any technical limitations, here you have one of the most important games of recent years finally on Nintendo, and also one of the best recent instalments in the Final Fantasy franchise (if not the best) finally in your hands.