Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster review for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

So here?s the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for Switch and it?s probably one of the most-wanted games of the series that Square Enix has brought to Nintendo?s console. But like the rest of the Final Fantasy ports the Switch is just the latest stop for versions that already exist on other platforms.

So this one seems like it is the same port which arrived to PS4 a couple years ago. I say this because the visuals look very crisp like they might be somewhere between the PS4 and PS3 versions but also because this features some of the new additions such as the ability to change between the original soundtrack and a new arranged one.

As for the games themselves they booth look gorgeous on the Switch both in handheld and docked play. And this being the Switch of course you can take your game off the TV and out into your kids soccer practice. But wait! You could also do so between the Vita and PS3/PS4, so while you might think this feature is for once not something the Switch can act like is a big deal the fact that there is no time spent uploading or downloading a save and just having everything in one place is a convenience that honestly cannot be overlooked.

It also helps that the Switch features a larger screen and more consistency in it visuals but we?ve come to expect this so this is all to say that if you?re aware of the hardware abilities between platforms then it?s something to take into consideration if you?re on the fence.

And if you somehow haven?t played these games then it helps to know how much of a big deal FFX was. For many it was a main reason to own a PS2 in its early years but overall this was a traditional RPG that delivered a movie-like presentation in the graphics and sound department. It stars a sports celebrity Tidus who is transported a thousand years into the future where he meets a ragtag group of characters who are hoping to defeat a great evil by helping the summoner Yuna complete a journey to do so. Well it just so happens that Tidus has a crush on Yuna and is totally lost in this new world so he joins them and the adventure unfolds. The direct sequel FFX-2 is more focused on Yuna and more lighthearted but still a major part of the FFX universe.

Okay so that?s oversimplifying things but the point is that this was a golden age for Square and the games have earned a special place in gamers hearts due to the quality stories and characters that the FFX games produced. So if you?re interested in a very polished but traditional turn-based RPG then you won?t be let down here.

As I said the games both look just awesome. I say this not having played them since back on PS2 but the visuals are really worth noting because they aren?t just sharper. Again if you?re already familiar with this remaster the you know that models and other graphics have gotten a nice facelift to be presentable in HD. The games are also now in widescreen so the screen is fully taken advantage of. The music is also very clean along with the voices and audio which is very important for these games. They were a huge step into the next generation and also began the era of long cutscenes which would require higher fidelity visuals to feel more like a movie.

But you probably already know about this collection and what?s on offer. What you really want to know is if this is a good port or all broken, and the good news is that both games and their additional content is all represented very well here. I said earlier it could just be the PS4 port because I found a minor audio bug in a very brief section of the game?s first hour. Well after some research I found that this existed on the PS4 and PC version but also the major bugs which affected some music playback and RNG are not present here. So my guess is that we have the patched version of what you?d get on PS4 making this a very worthy port. But that also means that no new features like being able to skip cutscenes are here so they didn’t go out of their way to improve what we already have.

I think my only other complaint would be the high asking price of $49.99. Now you do get two massive games with well over 100 hours of content between the two and bonus stuff. But I think a majority of people are interested in revisiting their beloved FFX since the FFX-2 sequel was treated like the red headed stepchild of the two. But now we can go back and appreciate FFX-2 for what it is and I’m happy that equal effort was given to both ports. It?s also worth noting these games are available elsewhere and at a lower cost so the choice will ultimately come down to you.

So by now you probably made up your mind about whether you need this collection and the main hang up really is the price. Because the quality of the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on the Switch makes this a definitive way to play with the all-in-one convenience of what the console offers. And regardless of if you jump in now or at a price you like then you?re gonna have an awesome time with these games.

Note: Square Enix provided us with a Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster Nintendo Switch code for review purposes.