Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna DLC Switch 2 Graphics Comparison
Well, I’m absolutely blown away by the response to my Xenoblade Chronicles 2 graphics comparison video. There was plenty of constructive criticism, feedback, and, of course, the wonderful Xenoblade fandom sharing their love for the series. One recurring theme in the comments was people asking about Torna, with many of you wanting to see just how much the Switch 2 upgrade benefits this incredible expansion. So, after popular demand, let’s take a look at Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna The Golden Country, and compare the Switch 1 and Switch 2 versions to see just how much of a difference the upgrade makes.
Resolution
First, let’s take a look at the resolution, which is significantly better than its original counterpart. Torna is upscaled to 4K, and everything immediately looks noticeably crisper. In my humble opinion, Torna already seemed to push the Xenoblade 2 engine further than the base game, particularly with its heavily wooded environments. And on Switch 2, those areas really benefit from the increased resolution. The foliage is sharper, the textures are clearer, and the improved image quality makes the lighting and shadows really pop. Side by side, the video doesn’t completely do it justice, but there’s a huge improvement across the board when it comes to resolution and overall visual fidelity. Much like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there are no model or geometry upgrades; everything still has the same amount of surfaces, so the resolution does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Where the resolution increase does become really apparent, though, is when we zoom in and take a closer look at the character models.
First up, we have Lora, who has a lot of small details that become much more pronounced with the upgraded resolution. The purple ropes around her leg armour are now clearly defined, the pleats in her skirt are much more noticeable, and the intricate details on her pauldrons are far easier to make out. Even her facial features, like her nose and mouth, are better defined, while the details in her hair are much clearer.
Jin is another great example. His outfit is packed with intricate details that become significantly more defined on Switch 2. His chest piece in particular has an incredible amount of detail that gets blurred together on Switch 1. His belt buckle and abdominal armour also benefit from the increased clarity, alongside the finer details in his face and hair.
Addam is much the same. There are plenty of intricate patterns throughout his outfit that look considerably cleaner, while the details in his hair are easier to pick out. The inside of his cape is another great example, with the embroidery now much more clearly defined, alongside the finer accents on his armour.
And finally, we have Mythra. Her outfit has a lot of subtle lighting and detailing that really benefits from the higher resolution. The pleats in her skirt are more prominent, while her chest piece, tiara, and hair all have noticeably clearer definition.
Individually, these might seem like small improvements, but when you start looking at the characters up close, it becomes clear just how much additional detail the higher resolution allows you to see.
Framerate
Framerate is always one of the biggest questions I get asked about in these videos. Much like the base game, the Switch 2 upgrade of Torna targets 60 frames per second, compared to the original’s 30 FPS. And for the most part, it feels fantastic. If you’ve seen my Xenoblade Chronicles 2 graphics comparison, you’ll know I mentioned a slight hitch in the framerate that seems to occur when the game is loading something in. This time around, I actually managed to capture it while measuring the framerate. As you can see, it’s a very minor hitch and doesn’t really detract from the overall experience. The vast majority of the time, Torna feels significantly smoother than the original version thanks to that 60 FPS target. I should point out, though, that I’m still relatively early in the game, so I can’t make a definitive judgment on the overall performance just yet. There may be more demanding areas later on that could put the Switch 2 version through its paces.
Motion Blur / Colour Bleed
Now, one thing I mentioned in my previous video was the motion blur that appears during cutscenes. In Torna, though, what we’re seeing is slightly different. It’s more like a colour bleed effect that extends beyond the edges of character models when they’re moving. The video doesn’t quite capture it as clearly as it appears in person, but the Switch 2 version doesn’t seem to have this issue at all. The result is a much sharper image, particularly when things are moving on screen. Of course, how noticeable this is may depend on your particular TV or monitor. Some viewers noticed quite a bit of motion blur in the base game, while it’s something I personally just haven’t been able to see to the same extent. Either way, I’ll be keeping a close eye on it as I play more of Torna, and I’ll talk more about it in my full review when that goes live.
And that’s all from me! I do want to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to leave feedback on my previous video. I really appreciate the constructive criticism, and I hope this comparison works a little better for you, with less split-screen footage and more side-by-side comparisons. Please keep the constructive criticism coming, because it genuinely helps me improve these videos. Most importantly, I hope you’re all enjoying revisiting, or experiencing for the first time, this outstanding game now that it’s available on Switch 2.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one!
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