Metaphor: ReFantazio has some promise on Switch 2, but it's not quite there yet

Back when Metaphor: ReFantazio first released in 2024, Mikhail had some pretty positive things to say about the state of the game on Steam Deck. Needless the say, when the game recently got announced for Switch 2 - I was curious to see how it holds up on Nintendo's handheld. During this year's Anime Expo we got just that chance, albeit with a few key caveats.

The biggest one? We only had the chance to check the game out in Docked mode. Due to the nature of the setup, it wasn't possible to undock the Switch 2 and check out the demo on the handheld itself. So we still can't speak to how the game holds up in handheld mode. 

So, we had the chance to briefly check out the game in Docked mode - and so far I'm feeling pretty mixed. The game is targeting 60 FPS, and there are definitely dips within dungeons. It's still hovering far closer to a steady 60, but if you're sensitive to framerate fluctuations it's impossible to miss. In terms of visuals it mostly holds up in terms of asset quality, but that's also accounting for the fact that Metaphor didn't exactly look super impressive at launch to begin with.

The far, far more glaring issue comes down to the resolution. It's clearly using some form of temporal upscaling in an attempt to resolve at a higher resolution, and the end result in an image that both looks very pixelated, and has some rather nasty break-up and ghosting with even minor movement. It may have been better off without attempting to use TAA at all; and it's certainly not using any form of DLSS, at least not in its current form.

It doesn't look bad, and again we must stress that this was a very minor demo with several months to go until launch. It's by no means a disaster - at least not in docked mode. We don't know about how it holds up in handheld play, yet. It's possible that's in a better state, but we've got nothing to go on as of yet. It's a bit of a frustrating situation, with the port seeming so close to being there for something genuinely great.

Controls feel good, load times are quick - even if slower than other platforms. Visually the game holds up well enough compared to the other versions available. Yet, the framerate dips and image quality feels like it's just barely holding things back. At the same time, I can't help be worried about the state of the game in handheld mode. I was also curious if the game would feature a performance and quality mode toggle, but the settings menu was locked off on the demo build.

If they can tighten up the framerate and implement DLSS, I could see Metaphor being a compelling port for Switch 2. As it currently stands, the port doesn't quite feel up to par yet. It's frustratingly close to what feels like an easy recommendation - it'll be up to Atlus to polish it up in time for the ports' launch on November 12, 2026. Metaphor ReFantazio is currently available for PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam). Stay tuned for our final impressions of the Switch 2 version as we get closer to the port's launch.