Hold Your Chocobos! Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Switch 2 is a Bloody Miracle, Rough Edges and All.
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Despite Square Enix's recent corporate woes, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on Switch 2 is being hailed as a technical marvel by Eurogamer's Dom Peppiatt. Leveraging DLSS for AI-upscaling, the port delivers a stunning experience in handheld mode, with minor visual compromises (like texture pop-in) that are easily outweighed by the 'miracle' of playing such a demanding game on a portable device.
Alright, mates, gather 'round the digital campfire because we need to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth showing up on the Switch 2. Now, I know what you're thinking – and what I'm often thinking – about Square Enix these days. Between the… *interesting* business decisions, the layoffs, and a knack for chasing whatever shiny new object causes the most online ruckus (remember NFTs? Good times, eh?), it’s fair to say they've made it a bit hard to cheer them on unconditionally in 2026.
But here’s the kicker, the bit that makes my curious little digital wizard brain go ‘hmmm, what sorcery is this?’ Amidst all that corporate chaos, there’s still a flicker of that old Square Enix, the one that used to push technical boundaries like a mad scientist with a newfound power source. The one that wanted to see just how far the digital rabbit hole went. And fair dinkum, I’m seeing that Square Enix in the way they’re handling these Final Fantasy 7 Remake ports on the new Nintendo hardware.
Earlier in the year, Eurogamer's Alex was already singing praises for Remake on Switch 2. Now, Dom Peppiatt, Deputy Editorial Director for Eurogamer, got his hands on Rebirth, and by the sounds of it, Square Enix’s technical team has been brewing some potent potions. He only had a fleeting 30 minutes with it, but the confidence radiated from the publisher, dumping him straight into Kalm – a bustling, NPC-heavy area that's practically a stress test.
Imagine this: you're walking up the clocktower with Aerith, Midgar sprawling in the distance. Poignant scene, right? And apparently, a genuine showcase of the engine. Dom mentions a *tiny* bit of fuzziness around Aerith’s hair – a minor hiccup, really – but otherwise, it's a slick experience, barely a whisper away from the PS5’s base version. Bloody hell!
Then comes the frantic chase through Kalm’s alleys, all HDR-buffed lights and crisp shadows. Are there limited graphics options? Sure, just brightness and HDR luminance. But that’s because, under the hood, this isn't some mere port; it’s a full-blown AI-powered digital illusion. We’re talking DLSS, folks. The game renders at a lower resolution, then gets an AI-powered glow-up. (No, it's not quite the 'yassification filter,' thankfully, but still impressive!)
What does this mean for us, the actual players? Well, you might spot some background textures looking a tad soft, or the odd pop-in mid-cutscene. But honestly, if that's the trade-off I have to take for having character models that still look utterly fantastic, with facial capture that walks a tightrope between fidelity and art style, then I reckon that’s a small price to pay. Like a wizard's spell that costs a bit of mana but conjures a dragon.
Dom marvelled at how Aerith's enthusiasm for the living planet matched his own for this handheld miracle. And yeah, you might see a clump of grass or two spontaneously appear as you cross an invisible threshold in the Grasslands, but getting to experience this grander, more self-assured sequel right there in your hands? That’s pure digital gold, mate. Even the open-world battles, with their particle effects and 30fps (which, let’s be honest, is perfectly fine for this kind of epic RPG!), seem to sing on the Switch 2.
It feels like Square Enix's engineers have pulled off a genuine feat of digital alchemy. A reminder that beneath the corporate baffling, there’s often some seriously clever wizardry at play.
Original insights by Dom Peppiatt for Eurogamer (published April 28, 2026).
Tags: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Nintendo Switch 2, DLSS, Port Impressions, Square Enix
Original article: Eurogamer