As you may have heard, the Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster is now on the Nintendo Switch. What you may not have heard is that 10-2, available via download code after purchasing 10, is only playable with the cartridge in. At least, that’s the case with the American version of the game.
When buying the physical version of this release, the American edition only includes Final Fantasy 10 on the cartridge. Buyers then receive 10-2 via a download code. While this sounds fine, it’s not possible to play the second game without the cartridge for 10 in the system, despite the game being a download. It seems the console views 10-2 as DLC rather than its own game. Interestingly, Asian physical versions of the game include both titles on the cartridge. This version also includes an English dub with subtitles and isn’t region-locked.
What this does is hurt the resale value of the game. No longer can someone play both titles and sell the cartridge. The buyer would be missing the second title and would be better off purchasing the game new. This is especially odd, considering most other ports of the remaster allow users to choose which game to play from a title select screen. According to Reddit, the best solution here is to import the Japanese version of the game.
The remastered version of these titles includes higher map quality, higher-tier character models, and better shadows and lighting. Also, the new version plays at 16:9 resolution and some cut scenes even have new camera angles to account for this. However, despite better graphics, there are still some odd glitches like body parts going through clothes or hair going through a character’s head.
Final Fantasy 10 was a PlayStation 2 title that came out in July 2001. The game stars Tidus and Yuna, who are on a journey to save the world. Critics loved the game, with this classic edition holding a 92 on Metacritic. The sequel came out in 2003, and was the first Final Fantasy game to have an “all-female playable cast.”
