Square Enix's Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined demo is now live in select locations around the globe, and we've got some early details about how this game runs. This comes from the YouTube channel SwitchUp, which regularly investigates the performance of Switch and Switch 2 games.
Players on Nintendo's original hybrid system can seemingly expect 30fps (with some frame pacing stutters), and as you might have already guessed, there's a drop in resolution. On the Switch 2, the game will run at a "silky smooth" 60fps, with more consistent frame pacing. Both versions apparently deliver a respectable experience in handheld mode - with the Switch 2 build maintaining smoothness in portable play. The Switch OLED panel also makes the game look great, and Switch load times are "surprisingly solid".
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube841k
"The TLDR is that on Switch 1, if you're playing on an OLED, it looks better, although it does run at 30 frames per second with a few visual downgrades. There are also some stutters below 30 frames in certain scenes and you'll notice that in the frame pacing...on the Switch 2, everything is silky smooth, 60fps - perhaps the very occasional stutter...it looks great"
It's further mentioned how this reimagined version has gone "all in" with the shallow depth of field technique, as it gives everything a proper diorama look similar to Square Enix's previous HD-2D games. There's also some "noticeable aliasing" across both versions of the game, but overall, it's a better experience in the "higher resolution" Switch 2 version, even with some jaggy edges.
"...Generally, it looks absolutely stunning. The ocean waves, the way they've designed those to overlap each other to kind of almost be an illusion of three dimensions works great. There are a couple of issues in terms of texture overlap. If you look carefully you might see the straight lines in certain scenes, perhaps a little work needed there but nothing major."
There are also differences in the level of detail and draw distance across the Switch and Switch 2 versions, but the overall image quality and amount of effects (minus some particle effects and other effects) remain intact on the original platform. Keep in mind the full game isn't out until 5th February 2026, so the demo may not necessarily reflect the final release. When more information about the game's performance and resolution is revealed, we'll provide an update.