Final Fantasy Resonance is shaping up to be a solid experience on Switch 2, PS5, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally
Square Enix announced and released a free demo for Final Fantasy Resonance on all platforms this week. I was curious to see how it ran across a few systems ahead of my full game comparison. Square Enix has been hit or miss with HD-2D game performance on Switch 2 since last year. Final Fantasy Resonance also looks like a bigger production. While I wanted to focus on the Switch 1/2 and PC handhelds, I also decided to do a quick PS5 and Switch 1/2 docked comparison for today's demo impressions and comparison article. Note that the full game might change and these impressions and comparisons are based on the demo build.
Final Fantasy Resonance Switch 1, Switch 2, and Switch 1 on Switch 2 handheld boost mode impressions
I first tested the Switch 1 demo on Switch 1. It holds up quite well both docked and handheld given recent HD-2D games on Switch 1. I've played every single HD-2D game on Switch 1 and this one has the usual cuts. These range from shimmering while moving, sub-native resolutions, and a few post-processing cutbacks. It isn't anything unexpected at this point, but there are drops below 30fps in some locations and during some animations or cut-scenes.
When playing the Switch 1 version on Switch 2, the frame rate is more steady, but it still targets 30fps. The Switch 1 version played handheld on Switch 2 via boost mode gets a nice upgrade, but the end result is not as good as the Switch 2 version handheld. The overall image is less stable compared to the crisp Switch 2 version and obviously it runs at half the frame rate. The Switch 1 version also takes longer across the board. This also affects the load times in between areas while the Switch 2 version is a lot faster, but not as fast as PS5 or Steam.
For some background, the Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes let you choose between crisp visuals at 30fps or soft and sometimes blurry visuals at 60fps. Octopath Traveler 0 had hitching issues on Switch 2 and didn't feel or look as good as it should given the hardware. The Adventures of Elliot was the worst of the lot on Switch 2. Final Fantasy Resonance is a step above all of those, and generally great on Switch 2.
If you wanted to play Final Fantasy Resonance purely on the go and wanted the physical copy with the game on cart, you are going to have to deal with a lot of cuts compared to the native Switch 2 release (Game-Key Card). I also want to remind you that there is no upgrade path.
Final Fantasy Resonance Switch 2 vs PS5 and Switch 1 visual comparison
Final Fantasy Resonance on Switch 2 holds up very well compared to the PS5 and PC versions. After being disappointed by the Octopath Traveler 0 and even the Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes given what the Switch 2 hardware is capable of as I covered above, I am confident in saying that Final Fantasy Resonance feels like the most-polished HD-2D game on Switch 2 yet. Not only does it deliver a bigger upgrade over Switch 1 than expected, but it also does it while running very well. The only real issue is the dithering that is very visible on Switch 2 in parts of the environment. If you played the Atelier Ryza games on Switch, it is similar to that.
Moving over to the PS5 version, it isn't listed as having any PS5 Pro enhancements, but I did my capture on PS5 Pro. The PS5 version on PS5 Pro is flawless when it comes to performance and has almost no load times compared to other versions. It isn't as big of an upgrade over Switch 2 docked though. The major improvements are to textures with filtering, shadows, and some ambient occlusion. Given the heavy post-processing on all platforms, you aren't losing much going for the Switch 2 version over PS5 in this case as far as I'm concerned and for many, including myself, having the portable option makes it even better. Given how good the Switch 2 version is, even if the PS5 port offered 120fps, I would stick to Switch 2 to have it on the go.
Final Fantasy Resonance Switch 2, Switch 1, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally portable comparison
Final Fantasy Resonance on Steam Deck on the high preset almost always runs above 60fps, but it drops below into the 50s during heavy particle effects when you cast spells. I didn't notice major drops in actual gameplay when you move your character though. Expect drops in some skill animations. When using the maximum settings, there were drops into the 40s in the same skill animations in combat. Some locations can drop below 60fps in the demo, but nothing too bad at this point given you are playing on the high preset.
If you want the best possible visuals for portable play, I recommend the maximum preset at 40 on LCD or 45 on OLED with some tweaks to shadows right now. For performance, use the high and medium combo to never drop below 60fps with great visuals. As for ROG Ally, it holds up better at 1080p delivering around 100fps and the VRR screen sorts minor drops on the 25W mode. On Switch 2, I didn't notice any major performance issues or slowdowns at all in the hour I played. It holds up very well and looks great. The Switch 2 version targets 60fps and it looks very good on the handheld screen. I have no complaints with it so far barring the load times being a bit long compared to other platforms.
Note: For the comparisons above, I used the Steam screenshot functionality on Steam Deck and the Switch 2's system capture while handheld. I cropped different parts of the screen to show any differences.
I had some trouble with the Xbox PC app on my ROG Ally so I was unable to test that version for today's article. I will make sure to cover the full game via the Xbox PC app as well as Steam when I test. I will also cover the Xbox Series X version and the Steam release on AYN Thor in addition to going over load times and more across all platforms. Stay tuned for that closer to launch when I get access to the full game.
My only real complaint with Final Fantasy Resonance in general is the font right now. It looks very stale and sticks out compared to the rest of the game. This isn't as bad as the Pixel Remaster launch font, but it still should've been better. Hopefully someone mods in a better font on PC or we get a patch from Square Enix adding another font option.
Final Fantasy Resonance is set to release on October 22 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam). Read James' preview here.