The Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the best games ever created and gathered a lot of fans on PlayStation consoles. Since the game was a timed exclusive, Square Enix decided it was time to release it on PC. That’s not all, the game is Steam Deck verified and that’s just the way I wanted to test this modern classic. Is the Steam Deck version worth playing? Can you carry around this epos everywhere you go while still enjoying its gorgeous visuals? Let’s find out!
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy VII Remake took the world by storm back in 2020. It was announced as a PlayStation console exclusive and a lot of gamers have enjoyed it on their PlayStation console ever since. It was released with a lot of hype and was worth the long-anticipated wait for sure. If you missed out on the original game, you can read all about it in our original review here:
Fast forward to today when Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade was just released on Steam, making it playable on gaming PCs and Steam Deck for the very first time. This version includes all content of the Final Fantasy VII Remake release together with the impressive Intergrade expansion. We also reviewed this impressive expansion here:
In this review, we won’t focus on the content of this Steam version since it offers the same experience like the one we reviewed before. Instead, I want to focus on the portable Steam Deck version of this instant classic. Is it playable on Steam Deck and worth buying? Time to find out!
The Steam Deck version
Saying that the Steam Deck is the most powerful handheld to date is an understatement. As said in my tech review, it’s a very impressive piece of hardware that can easily handle a lot of modern games, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is no exception and offers a tremendous amount of options. In the graphic settings, you can set the game to play windowed or borderless with a resolution ranging from 720p to a mindblowing 4K. Besides this, you can also toggle some important resolution settings for both shadows and textures, which are crucial for the battery life and frame rate.
When it comes to the frame rate, the game offers settings for 30fps, 60fps, 90fps, and even 120fps. In my opinion, this is a bit too much, it’s weird to have the option because the Steam Deck still struggles to run this on a steady 60fps with maxed-out settings. If you toggle the characters on screen to some lower numbers and use the dynamic resolution patch you can certainly get the game running at a rather solid 60fps-ish experience. Although the max settings are a bit too much for the powerful handheld, I must admit I was very impressed with the overall performance, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade certainly is playable on the Deck and offers the same unforgettable journey.
One of the best games on the go
I’m one of those gamers who never played Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade before so I was very eager to test it on my Steam Deck. I didn’t really believe my Deck would offer me a solid experience but I was very wrong. The graphics lack some details compared to the PlayStation and PC versions but that’s nothing to really worry about, on the smaller Steam Deck screen, this is without a doubt one of the best-looking games I ever played on the go. At first, I was playing it in solid 60fps with high texture settings but I noticed the game freezing up during some of the more intense fighting scenes. After toggling with some texture settings, which didn’t affect the graphics that much, I was in for a very fluent gameplay experience. In all honesty, I’m still rather blown away with what I just played.
The only major downside is the Steam Deck’s battery life which drained fast while playing this one. Since the game is dialogue and cut scene heavy, it was a true shame I had to stop playing due to the Deck’s battery life. An external fast-charging power bank did solve the issue a bit but it’s not the best way to play the game for sure. If you don’t care that much about the graphical details and can live with short battery life, this is without a doubt one of the best, if not the very best, portable game at this moment.
Conclusion:
I finally understand the hype, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is by far one of the best games I ever played. From intense combat to an emotional story, this game truly has it all. I love the fact that it came to PC and especially Steam Deck since it gave me the chance to experience this masterpiece for the first time. The Steam Deck version isn’t the best-looking version but offers the same emotional depth as the original release. If you own a Steam Deck, this one should be in your library and ready to go, it’s by far the best experience currently on Deck!
