Resident Evil 3 Remake runs smoothly on Nintendo Switch 2, but it looks best in your hands. The port’s native HDR lighting works in handheld mode and switches off when the console is docked, changing the look of Raccoon City.
Polygon’s reviewer saw no frame-rate drops during their time with the port, even in areas filled with fire or scenes with several enemies on screen. That stability matters in a remake with a more action-oriented, cinematic approach to storytelling than the 1999 game. In Jill Valentine’s first encounter with Nemesis, she searches for a building’s exit before the player helps her start a car and hit the monster pursuing her.
The reviewer found the camera responsive, though aiming with the left and right sticks brought the usual frustrations. The Joy-Cons felt sensitive enough to make them slow the camera while aiming, which helped them miss fewer headshots.
The bigger catch is the visuals. Capcom’s native high dynamic range (HDR) setting uses the contrast between light and shadow to bring Raccoon City’s streets to life and make them feel oppressive. In handheld mode, the reviewer found the dark rooms and alleys atmospheric, with character models that looked smooth under the lighting. The Switch 2 screen did justice to the city’s streets, though the models looked a bit less crisp than in the PlayStation 5 and PC versions.
Dock the console and HDR becomes unavailable. The game remains playable, but Polygon’s reviewer found the difference striking: an opaque gray layer seemed to drain the image of its life and color, and the game’s charm faded. Despite the otherwise smooth experience, they found it better in handheld mode.
The story follows Jill, a S.T.A.R.S. officer coping with the trauma of surviving the bizarre events at Spencer Mansion. Set a couple of months after the first game and roughly around the same time as its sequel, the remake finds Jill haunted by the fear that she may have contracted the T-Virus and could become one of the monsters she has repeatedly headshotted. Days before she is due to leave Raccoon City, zombies overrun the city, and an unstoppable creature called Nemesis pursues her.
Before its 1999 release, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was designed as a spin-off rather than a mainline numbered game, suggesting Capcom had limited ambitions for the project. The 2020 remake gave a new development team the chance to rethink how Jill’s story is told. Resident Evil 3 Remake is out now on Nintendo Switch 2, where its cat-and-mouse chase has a stable, capable home, as long as you play in handheld mode.
