The Switch’s Kingdom Hearts Cloud Ports Are Still Inexcusable

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The Switch 2 is set to deliver greater gaming power compared to its earlier version, as evidenced by the anticipated titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6 demonstrating its capabilities. Essentially, this dual-function console paves the way for high-powered games to be played on a Nintendo platform. Excitement among fans is mounting as they eagerly anticipate Square Enix transferring their Kingdom Hearts HD collections onto this robust gaming system.

In truth, one might wonder why the high-definition collections of these games weren’t available on the initial Nintendo Switch release. It’s possible to overlook the absence of the third game due to its development for the PS4, but the other titles seem suitable for porting.

Why is it so difficult to port PS2, PSP, and 3DS games to the Switch?

Just to present an alternative perspective, it’s not as simple as you might think that Square Enix remade the Kingdom Hearts games originally released on PlayStation 2 for their PS3 and later PS4 re-releases. Since they had misplaced the original code, they essentially had to create these versions from the ground up. Therefore, it’s not accurate or fair to assume that porting these games is a straightforward process, which helps us appreciate why they chose not to bring over these specific ports.

Cloud gaming is another practical method of playing demanding games on less potent devices. It’s not exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, as even Valve’s Steam Deck utilizes cloud gaming for high-performance games. Some enthusiasts even opt for streaming games, often multiplayer titles, given that they require an internet connection anyway.

Despite the fact that the revised Kingdom Hearts ports originate from PS3 games, numerous titles from that period have seamlessly transitioned to the Switch with minimal problems. Notably, Dragon Quest 11 and The Witcher 3, which were originally from more advanced systems, outshine these cloud collections. It’s noteworthy that this wouldn’t be an issue if these were high-performance games, but they all ran smoothly on PS3 and PS4 without significant problems.

It’s absurd to require an internet connection only for playing Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2, or Birth by Sleep on Switch. There are numerous games that outperform these titles graphically and run smoothly without the need for Wi-Fi. Even Square Enix has other games like Trials of Mana and Crisis Core: Reunion that don’t make the cloud versions seem as inadequate.

Translating games to other platforms isn’t a walk in the park, especially when the initial platform has less powerful hardware like the original Nintendo Switch. However, these game collections didn’t necessitate cloud versions. It seems Square Enix might have been hurried to port these games due to Sora’s announcement for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Perhaps it was a part of the agreement, but they could have postponed native ports as Nintendo Switch fans are known for their patience.

Atlus needed several years following the announcement of Joker for Super Smash Bros., before they released Persona 5 Royal on the Nintendo Switch. To put it simply, there was a delay between those two events.

With the enhanced capabilities of Switch 2 now in play, it’s assured that Kingdom Hearts will operate smoothly on this latest Nintendo platform. However, Square Enix didn’t necessarily need to anticipate such a powerful system, as the initial Kingdom Hearts games weren’t overly taxing for previous systems.

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2025-04-19 13:12