Summary
- Cloud versions of games like Kingdom Hearts on Switch have issues with server performance, which is unacceptable for purchased games.
- Many popular games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey are also only available on Switch as cloud versions.
- The Switch 2’s release should see an end to cloud versions of games, as the new console can handle demanding games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct revealed several graphically-demanding games coming to the console, with the likes of Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake the headliners. But when I saw these games being revealed, I couldn’t help but think of Kingdom Hearts. I can rarely help but think of Kingdom Hearts.
The series is much less demanding – the most intense is KH3, a PS4 game – but the games are still stuck in cloud-based prison on Switch. The only one that’s not is Melody of Memory, for some reason. Why, Square Enix, why?
Cloud-Based Games Just Aren’t Worth It
I love my Switch. If I can buy a game on it instead of my PS5, I will, because I prefer to play handheld. I don’t really care if the graphics are lower quality, as long as it runs fine. And anyone who’s known me for five minutes knows I love Kingdom Hearts, so it says something that I downright refuse to buy the games on Switch.
If you want to buy the Switch versions right now, it costs $89.99 for the Intergrum Masterpiece collection. $90 for games you can’t play offline and, honestly, can’t even say you own.
When the games first launched on Switch as cloud versions, there were countless reports of players struggling with the server performance, to the point where an update to the games told you when not to play them. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s unacceptable for a game you’ve bought to play at your own leisure.
I can give KH3 a bit of a break as a PS4 game, so that particular port may have had to cut corners to make it workable on the Switch, but the majority of the other games ran on the likes of the PS2/PS3 and DS/3DS. You can’t convince me the Switch can’t handle that natively.
Kingdom Hearts Isn’t The Only Victim Of Cloud Gaming
Unfortunately, the Kingdom Hearts games aren’t the only ones relegated to cloud versions on Switch. Plenty more titles can only be played through cloud gaming: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Resident Evil 7, A Plague Tale, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are just some casualties.
I understand that the original Switch’s hardware might not be able to handle these games natively, and cloud versions may have been the only option for some of these titles, but to charge the same price for games you could buy natively and not have to worry about any of the aforementioned issues with cloud gaming? Really?
Switch 2 Is The Time To Make Amends
With the Switch 2 bringing some heavy-hitters from other consoles, it’s an opportunity for these cloud-based ports to get a second chance. If the Switch 2 can handle Final Fantasy 7 Remake, it can sure as hell handle Kingdom Hearts 3, never mind the rest of the series, so there’s no excuse for continuing with cloud versions.
I don’t have a Steam Deck or any other PC handheld, and I don’t plan on buying one anytime soon, so the Switch is the only way I could play my favourite series in my favourite way to play – under a duvet in bed. I’m hoping the Switch 2 can right some of cloud gaming’s wrongs, so I can finally do just that.
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Nintendo Switch 2 Has More Games Than PS5 And It’s Not Even Out Yet
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