•According to a review by Polygon, the Resident Evil 4 remake is struggling in handheld mode on Switch 2, making it Capcom’s most disappointing port this year. The writer notes that while performance improves when docked, the game stutters and looks blurry during portable play.
The reviewer describes being unsettled by the opening act of Resident Evil 4, citing its atmosphere, ambushes from unexpected places, and the threat posed by Chainsaw Guy. Playing the Switch 2 port recently, they found “the only thing more jittery than my nerves is the game itself,” adding that it “struggles in handheld mode, unlike all of Capcom’s other Switch 2 ports this year, though the performance is much better docked.”
The remake is described as being “as much a sequel to the Resident Evil 2 remake as it is a prequel” to Resident Evil Requiem. The story follows Leon S (referred to in the source as “S(exy)”) Kennedy, an ex-cop turned US secret agent who travels to rural Spain to rescue the president’s daughter from a cult. The rewrite includes narrative tweaks and new scenes that largely improve on the original’s pacing, though some are criticized as being too obvious.
The reviewer notes one such moment when Leon actor Nick Apostolides says “Here we go” before the village encounter, arguing that Capcom has him speaking for the player rather than for the character. Beyond these additions, however, the remake retains what made the original game distinctive.
Action and horror are balanced in equal measure, with Leon acquiring weapons faster and gaining a swift roundhouse kick. The reviewer emphasizes that running from enemies to conserve ammo is not an option: “Mow them all down, and stomp their remains into the ground!” Capcom’s encounters remain tense even as Leon gains firepower.
The Switch 2 version’s performance, however, is uneven. Stuttering occurs mainly when mobs of bug-zombies converge on Leon, though it sometimes happens without clear cause. The camera hitches regularly during rotation and stuttered while walking along the initial path to the village. Because this is a run-or-gun game rather than a run-and-gun one, the stuttering never blocks progress but remains “supremely irritating and rather disappointing” given how smoothly Resident Evil Requiem runs in handheld mode.
The other noticeable handheld complaint is visual clarity. Everything appears fuzzy and blurry, with texture issues coating most objects—especially foliage—and appearing throughout the game’s first half. The Switch 2 version also suffers from texture loading problems, where rocks become sharper as the player approaches. This drawback is not unique to Switch 2; the remake reportedly looks poor on handheld PCs such as Steam Deck and the ROG Ally.
None of these issues—aside from asset loading—appear in docked mode. The game “looks lovely docked,” with only a bit of lingering visual frizz, and no stuttering was noticed during play. HDR support also improves lighting on Switch 2 compared to handheld PCs lacking that feature.
The reviewer says they would prefer playing modern Resident Evil titles in handheld mode but believes this one is the exception. They admit it makes them “a little hesitant” about the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds port, and hope Capcom can patch out some of the RE4 remake’s issues while still having time to improve Wilds’ performance.
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