The Nintendo Switch is home to some wonderful action RPG games, but, despite the series to which it belongs having once been a Nintendo exclusive of sorts, there's one notable absence; Final Fantasy VII Remake. While Switch owners can perhaps take some comfort in knowing that they're not the only ones unable to play the long-awaited title, its continued PlayStation exclusivity will no doubt remain a disappointment to fans of the original game. Thankfully though, there are several viable alternatives.
Very few games can come close to matching the visual fidelity that's on display in the remake; which is perhaps to be expected given its huge budget and long development cycle. That said, there are plenty that offer equally compelling stories, protagonists who are just as likable, and combat mechanics that are every bit as fun and enjoyable as the ones found in VII Remake.
Updated January 5, 2022, by Tom Bowen: Though Final Fantasy 7 Remake is now available on PC, the chances of the game ever releasing for the Nintendo Switch remain all but zero due to how graphically demanding the title is. That's okay though, as the ever-expanding library of Nintendo's hybrid console contains plenty of other great RPG titles that, between them, can more than make up for the remake's absence on the platform. Granted, they may not look quite as polished, but their gameplay is often every bit as enjoyable and their narratives arguably just as compelling; if not more so.
12 Bravely Default 2
Given some of the many similarities between the first Bravely Default game and the Final Fantasy franchise, it should come as little surprise to learn that the former actually started life as a Final Fantasy spin-off of sorts. Many of the team behind the game had worked on numerous FF titles before development first began, leading to both the general tone and art style of the game feeling incredibly familiar.
Since then, however, the game has received two sequels, with each one pulling the series further and further away from its humble beginnings. That's not to say that the series' most recent installment, Bravely Default 2, won't still appeal to Final Fantasy fans, however, thanks to its excellent job system and an art style that bears a striking resemblance to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years.
11 Octopath Traveler
Visually, at least, Octopath Traveler is perhaps more reminiscent of earlier Final Fantasy titles than it is FF7 Remake, but its gameplay and combat still share a lot of similarities with the franchise's more recent installments. The battle system, for example, will likely feel reassuring familiar to Final Fantasy fans, though the same cannot be said of the game's multiple narratives.
As the title might suggest, Octopath Traveler features eight main protagonists; each one with their own unique storyline. In this regard, it's a lot like the hugely under-rated SNES RPG, Live a Live, though the overall execution is superior in just about every conceivable way. Those looking for a fantastic turn-based RPG to sink their teeth into could, therefore, do a whole lot worse.
10 The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
Having long been a PlayStation exclusive and largely limited to the Japanese market, Nihon Falcom's excellent Legend of Heroes series can now be enjoyed on Nintendo consoles. The final game in the Trails of Cold Steel arc, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, was released fairly recently for the Switch and the rest should soon be available on the system as well.
Those who take an interest in the rich lore that's peppered throughout the Final Fantasy series will definitely enjoy what Legend of Heroes has to offer. It backs this up with some fantastic characters, an incredibly compelling narrative, and some of the best combat to ever feature in the JRPG genre.
9 The World Ends With You: Final Remix
Before signing up to direct Final Fantasy VII Remake, Tetsuya Nomura worked on several notable projects. Outside of Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts is undoubtedly the most notable of these, but the influential Japanese developer also played an integral role in the development of many other lesser-known titles as well.
The World Ends with You was originally released for the Nintendo DS, but thanks to an enhanced port, it's now possible to play the game on Switch. This version improves just about every aspect of the game and even adds in a new storyline that takes place after the main game. A sequel, Neo: The World Ends with You, was also released for the Switch in July of 2021, though wasn't received quite as well-received as the original.
8 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana
The Ys series is one of many that has struggled to find success outside of Japan; until fairly recently, that is. Over the past few years, the popularity of Nihon Falcom's action RPG franchise has exploded in the west, thanks largely to the excellence of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana.
The game may not come close to measuring up to Final Fantasy VII Remake in the graphical department and could perhaps have done with a little more polish here and there. That said, its combat system is excellent, its characters are enchanting, and, with a sequel also available on the console, players won't have to wait to continue the story once they've completed the game.
7 Secret Of Mana
The nineties brought with it a golden age for the JRPG genre, with some of the best and most beloved examples all released over a magical ten-year period. The vast majority were on the SNES and one of the strongest of these was Secret of Mana. Fast forward almost three decades and it's now possible to play this classic title on Switch.
It's not just a port though, nor is it just the single game. Collection of Mana includes the original Mana trilogy and sees each of them lovingly recreated with a bright and colorful art style. Sure, it's more Final Fantasy IX than it is VII Remake, but they're still good-looking games and have the story and characters to back up their newfound visual fidelity.
6 The Witcher 3
Although the Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3 is a little weaker than those found on PC and other consoles, it's still a fantastic game that's definitely worth checking out at some point. The characters are great, the story is wild and the combat system is every bit as intuitive as the one found in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
While it may not tick all of the same boxes as a JRPG, it offers a lot of the same thrills and takes place in a world that is every bit as magical as those found in the Final Fantasy games. Likewise, it's crammed full of things to do and the Switch version even comes bundled with both DLC packs. This means that players should get just as much out of the game as they would Final Fantasy VII Remake; if not more.
5 Xenoblade Chronicles
The first Xenoblade Chronicles game is arguably one of the finest JRPG games ever made and the definitive edition for the Switch is just that. It's infinitely better than the 3DS version of the game in pretty much every department and is a game that every serious RPG fan should play through once at the very least.
Shulk is a wonderful main protagonist who offers just as much depth as Cloud without being anywhere near as sullen. The sequel doesn't quite manage to recapture the brilliance of the original and also suffers from a very slow start, but it too is worth playing and has enough to keep players busy for quite some time.
4 Grandia HD Collection
Visually, the Grandia games haven't aged particularly well and no amount of HD upscaling is going to change that. One area where they have aged pretty gracefully though is in the gameplay department. As a result, they are both every bit as enjoyable today as they were when they were first released more than two decades ago.
The combat system is fairly typical of the ones found in turn of the century JRPGs, but what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in near-perfect execution. Everything just works and is incredibly intuitive for first-time players. The games' stories are both great too, although Grandia 2 is perhaps the better of the two and will likely be the one that the majority of players spend most of their time with.
3 The Last Remnant
The Last Remnant was fairly controversial when it was first released back in 2008; not because of its narrative content, but rather the radical approach that the game takes towards combat. In hindsight, however, this was simply the beginning of Square Enix's attempts to move away from traditional turn-based combat and now serves as an interesting piece of JRPG history.
Unique combat system aside, The Last Remnant offers up a solid story while also integrating plenty of unique and challenging side quests into the experience as well. The latter is also something that would become more prominent in Square Enix titles in the years that followed; thus cementing The Last Remnant's place as an early ancestor of sorts to Final Fantasy VII Remake.
2 Dragon Quest XI
Few series can even come close to rivaling Final Fantasy when it comes to the huge impact that it has had on the JRPG genre. One that can, however, is Dragon Quest. Both series have been going strong since the mid-eighties and while the latter may not have found quite as much success in the west, it still boasts some ridiculously impressive sales figures.
As one might expect, the most recent entry in the series, Dragon Quest XI, is the most visually impressive to date and bears more than a few similarities to Final Fantasy VII Remake. It might not be anywhere near as grim and gritty, nor is it quite as realistic, but the narrative experience that it has to offer is no less compelling.
1 Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy VII Remake may not be available on the Switch, but it's one of the few recent Final Fantasy games that aren't. Over the past few years, remastered versions of the series' eighth, ninth, tenth, and twelfth entries have all made their way to Switch, as too has the pocket version of Final Fantasy XV. The most obvious choice, however, has to be Final Fantasy VII.
Granted, the original release may lack the fancy graphics and fleshed-out characters that are so prominent in the 2020 remake, but there's still a lot to love about this classic JRPG game. Its story, characters, and combat are all just as fantastic as they were when the game was first released back in the mid-nineties and are perfectly preserved in this simple yet effective Switch port.