Now available on Switch and Xbox One after previously only being available on PS4, PS3, PS Vita and PC, Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster is a great way to relive one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made and its sequel.
Its price might be a bit steep on Xbox One and Switch – £44.99/$49.99 is a lot for two games that are nearly 20 years old and that have already been ported here, there and everywhere – but still, there are much worse ways to waste your money. And besides, Final Fantasy X seemingly remains as compelling as always. If I had to select which version of the remaster is the best, though, I’d have to go with the Switch version.
While the PS3 and PS Vita versions are perfectly playable, the PS4 version simply looks better. Thanks to 4K support, the Xbox One version looks even better than that when played on an Xbox One X. The PC version trumps all those though, as not only can it look the best, it also has some nifty cheats to make your time playing the games more enjoyable. Unfortunately the new Xbox One and Switch ports don’t have those cheats for some reason. That means those who buy the Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster on those formats can’t make use of auto-save, or turn on high-speed or no encounter modes. They have to play the game properly.
Despite this minor quibble, however, the Switch port of Final Fantasy X /X-2 is now undoubtedly the best for a number of reasons. The first is that it looks great – not as good as PS4, Xbox One or PC, but great nonetheless. Neither game in the collection is at the cutting edge of technology, so some jaggies and blurry textures don’t spoil the experience at all, especially when played in handheld mode. Handheld mode also makes Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster‘s computer generated cutscenes just as impressive now as they were back in the day. On other formats and in docked mode, they’re a little bit pixelated.
Alongside other minor tweaks such as being able to skip the Sphere Grid tutorial and choose between the original and new arranged soundtrack, what makes the Switch version of the Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster the best is touch-screen support. With a simple swipe of the screen you can quickly heal your characters when out of battle instead of having to navigate menus. It’s a small thing, but it makes quite a difference.
Of course, there’s also the fact that you can play the Switch version of Final Fantasy X /X-2 HD Remaster anywhere, and you can reliably leave the game suspended when you need to stop playing and aren’t close to a save point. All these benefits add up, I’m sure you’ll agree, to make the Nintendo Switch the best format to relive Final Fantasy X and its sequel, or indeed play them for the first time.
So, if you’re thinking of picking up Final Fantasy X /X-2 HD Remaster and have a Switch, you know what to do. It may cost pretty much twice what it does on PS4 and PC, but it is the best version.
