Hands-On with Resident Evil: Requiem and Pragmata on the Switch 2
There is no doubt that Capcom is all in when it comes to the Switch 2. All you have to do is watch last week’s Nintendo Direct to see just how many titles the Japanese hitmaker has coming to Nintendo’s console. The challenge, though, when it comes to the Switch, is how they take their big AAA titles and scale them in a way that allows them to work on weaker (in technical terms) hardware without compromising the game in any way. Well, thanks to Capcom and Nintendo Australia, I had the chance to check out two of their upcoming titles, and I have to say, they are working some magic when it comes to these versions.
Pragmata
The first game I got to experience is Capcom’s upcoming Sci/Fi buddy action game, Pragmata. Going in, I was unsure as to how this whole game would play. I felt all the trailers I had seen hadn’t really given me the best indication of what the gameplay was like. So I was super surprised to find that this is pretty much a standard action title, with one really interesting twist: hacking. You see, your main character has a little Android friend that sits on your shoulder and being an android, she can hack pretty much any bit of machinery lying around, including robot enemies. This becomes super important because weapons don’t do an awful lot of damage to enemies unless they have been hacked. It creates an interesting combat loop where players quickly complete a little hacking mini-game to leave the enemy open to gun damage. This could be a lot in a normal-paced action title, but here, Capcom have wisely slowed the pace down a little, giving players the time they need. It felt a little odd at first, but once I got into the flow, I found myself really enjoying this point of difference.
What was most impressive was just how well it ran on the Switch 2. The gameplay was smooth, with no hiccups regarding framerates at all, even in a massive boss fight with tonnes going on. Graphically, it is clear there have been some sacrifices, but I was still impressed by what the dev team have managed. Obviously, things like lighting are simpler, and there are some slightly muddier textures, especially around things that require fine detail like hair, but overall, this is a really good-looking version of a game that I assume is going to be stunning on a high-end PC. It is clear that Capcom have their development team tuned into the Switch 2 hardware because I am not sure that any other publisher outside of Nintendo is getting as much out of it as they are.
I have to say, my time with Pragmata was much more exciting than I thought it would be, and, despite concerns people may have, buying the Switch 2 version won’t be a massive letdown. The demo I played is now available on the Switch store to download, and I strongly recommend people jump in and give it a crack. It is shaping up to be quite a fun game, and while I worry the hacking gimmick will wear out its welcome, I still think that, at the very least, this is going to be a Sci/Fi adventure worth taking.
Resident Evil: Requiem
There isn’t much that needs to be said about Resident Evil as a franchise at this point. That Requiem is one of the most anticipated titles for 2026 is undeniable, so the chance to play it on the Switch 2 was too good to pass up. In my little demo, I got to take control of Grace, a new protagonist who represents the “scare the shit out of you” sections in the game, as opposed to Leon Kennedy’s parts, which will be about curbstomping zombies into oblivion (I assume). Grace finds herself strapped upside down in a hospital with her blood being drained, and frankly, things only get worse from there. It is classic RE stuff really, limited resources, puzzles and creeping about while a giant, scary and unstoppable monster stalks you. Why mess with the classics, right?
This small demo did what it was supposed to do, though, and that is get me excited for what’s coming. What was even more impressive was the Switch 2 performance. Once again, no issues at all regarding framerates or stuttering. Graphically, I think the team have had to make more of a sacrifice than they did with Pragmata, though. There was certainly a general muddiness to the visuals that did put a little dampener on things. That isn’t to say it is bad, but this is clearly a graphically compromised version to keep things running. How important that is to you, well, that’s not for me to say.
Regardless of the graphics, I don’t think players will be missing out on what makes Resident Evil shine if they pick up the Switch 2 version. The horror is there in spades, and the gameplay is perfectly tuned to the experience that Capcom wants to offer. If I had my choice between getting it on the Switch 2 or another more powerful system, I would probably go with the power, but there will be no loss if Nintendo’s console is your only option when the game is released later this month.
In all, my time with these two games highlighted one thing. Capcom really knows the Switch 2 hardware. It has managed to get its custom RE Engine humming, even in this early part of the Switch 2’s life, so it is heartening to see these games performing so well. I hope other publishers can get to this point as well, because if that is the case, Nintendo’s console has a bright future in the third-party space.
