Video: Digital Foundry technical analysis of Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII reunion on Switch

Zack Fair’s story made its debut on Switch last week in Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion, a fantastic remake of the 2007 PSP favorite and prequel to Final Fantasy VII. The game launched on multiple platforms, and many were worried that the Switch version would suffer thanks to the incredibly detailed visuals.

Leave it to the team at Digital Foundry, though, to break everything down for the Switch version. In their in-depth analysis of all versions of the game. Despite being “remade”, Crisis Core has been completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4, which is why the action is smoother and the world looks great. So, is it Switch compatible, or are there some major caveats?

One thing that Digital Foundry points out along with the impressive visual overhaul is that the game’s animations have been carried over from the original PSP game. So some of the animations look a little outdated. The interior and exterior designs are also quite minimal, and while some textures have been updated, many have been reused over and over as a result of the smaller design up to the task. Although the open areas and sections of Midgar look like Much better.

Despite the game being rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4, the Switch version of Crisis Core is a solid one – there are obvious screen space inversions, and many of the remaster texture fixes don’t suffer much (the rocky and grassy areas are the notable cut here). The overall screen image is a bit darker, due to the different gamma configurations on the hybrid console (compared to the PS5).

Regarding the manual mode, Digital Foundry noted crowded surfaces and artifacts that are created by screen space effects and reflections. Although the most noticeable difference with the Switch version is the use of capsule shadows for character models in outdoor areas.

Finally, the Switch version of the game targets 720p while docked and aims for a maximum of 30fps, which is consistent in both areas. The resolution can go down to around 576p, but because of the technology used, this often isn’t noticeable in still scenes. Unproven, while Crisis Core aims for 720p (and again, mostly hits that target), it can even go down to 432p. Framerates are inconsistent compared to other console versions – and that’s the only thing keeping this version from being the ‘best conversion of the ride’.

Check out the full video at the top of the article or more on the Digital Foundry YouTube channel, then give our review a read to find out why we love this update on Switch: