Resident Evil Requiem, in all of its gruesome, goopy, and gory glory, is available on the Nintendo Switch 2, and you’re probably wondering if this version is worth your time. After 15 hours of playing almost exclusively on the Switch 2, I can say that it is–but with a caveat.
Let’s start with the good. Resident Evil Requiem on the Switch 2 is an incredibly competent port that looks and runs great on the handheld. Despite the console’s technical limitations compared to the beefier PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X and S, Requiem retains its moody atmosphere and unsettling visuals.
This is partly due to Requiem’s limited use of ray tracing and dynamic lighting. Although it’s not nearly as involved as other versions, Capcom has made good use of the Switch 2’s power here. Framerates are uncapped and appear to fluctuate from time to time, usually when moving from one room to another, but in my experience, the framerate never dropped to an inexcusable level. If the Switch 2 is your only way to play Requiem, or you prefer the portability, you won’t be missing out on much by choosing this version.
But what exactly are you missing out on then? Image quality and textures take the biggest hit here as shown by a side-by-side glance at the PS5 version. The hair, backgrounds, and finer details look muddier on the Switch 2. In one way or another, pretty much every part of the image has been reined in compared to the PS5 version.
That said, Requiem still looks impressive on Switch 2. Grace’s sections are intended to be played from a first-person viewpoint, and despite the handheld’s drawbacks, the environments still look and feel cluttered and gross in an appropriately horrific way. A lot of this is thanks to Capcom’s art direction, but there were only a few moments during my play time when the visual quality took me out of the experience.
Perhaps the biggest examples of weakened visuals come in the notes and objects you can examine. In classic Resident Evil fashion, you can rotate objects you collected to observe them from different angles. In Resident Evil 7 and Village, you could really see all the small details on these objects. That extra coat of texture is missing in Requiem on Switch 2, and a lot of objects you pick up have a low resolution and lack finer details.
The framerate aims for 60 frames per second, and it generally feels pretty smooth, but fluctuations are noticeable, especially while the Switch 2 is docked. I can only go by eye here, so I can’t break down the framerate changes, but making quick turns and moving through larger explorable areas appear to be the cause of framerate drops. There’s a particular area in a later part of the game where the framerate appears to struggle a bit more notably when you move between indoor and outdoor environments. These moments don’t last long, though. Your tolerance may vary, but even in these situations, the fluctuations in framerate never hindered my experience.
In the Switch 2’s handheld mode, the framerate holds up a little better. I still noticed some dips, particularly in those indoor and outdoor areas, but they are less apparent. This is likely due to the Switch 2’s built-in variable refresh rate display.
Most of these limitations don’t affect gameplay in any major way–or at least, that’s what I thought until I got to a section where you use a sniper rifle as Leon. Looking through the scope, the visuals become rough and muddy, and it’s pretty difficult to aim when it’s hard to even make out the zombies you’re trying to hit. Maybe this is why Leon kept missing in that Nintendo Direct? Fortunately, this is the only section where you’re required to snipe enemies. In later sections, it’s up to you if you want to use the sniper rifle, and most combat arenas aren’t that big, so it’s not essential.
I’ve also found the Nintendo Switch 2’s Joy-Con analog sticks to be a bit imprecise overall. In a game like Resident Evil, every bullet counts, and lining up headshots doesn’t feel as smooth on Switch 2 as I’d like. There are no gyro controls, but there are a couple aim-assist options in the settings that might help. I’m too stubborn to change those, but you may find use with them. Fortunately, the Switch 2 Pro Controller feels much better, so I’d recommend using that or something similar during docked play.
Is Resident Evil Requiem worth your time? I’d say it absolutely is, and if the Switch 2 is your only avenue to play it, then you won’t be missing out on much here. However, modern Resident Evil games revel in all those disturbing and gory details, and the Switch 2 version is somewhat lacking in this department. When I inevitably replay this game, I’ll likely be doing it on my PC.
