Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage: Fighting on Switch 2 too - Review

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, after updating that somewhat raw fighting game formula on PC (you can find our review here), is venturing into the world of "hybrid portables" trying to win over a new audience of gamers. To be fair, this isn't its first console debut: SEGA's fighting game had already reached PS5 and Xbox Series users just last October.

This time, however, the undertaking is a bit more complex than expected, given that the audience Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage targets is the more competitive one, those who love a challenge and compete for the title. And let's be honest: those looking for this challenge would hardly opt for the Nintendo Switch 2 version, which, in any case, offers a rock-solid 60 fps frame rate for noteworthy gameplay (despite a not-so-crisp graphics compartment).

Compared to the original edition, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. gains World Stage, a mode where we'll have to face powerful rivals with the goal of becoming the strongest fighter there is. Despite the implementation of crossplay between multiple platforms and a decent rollback netcode, this edition comes out a bit battered on Nintendo's flagship console.

What's in the "Cabinet"?

Anyone who knows even a little about the fighting game world, and was a happy owner of a SEGA Saturn or Dreamcast, will have heard of Virtua Fighter, one of the first precursors of 3D fighting games. A historic series, so much so that in Japan it continues to "live" in various arcade cabinets, to the delight of all those who can still enjoy them (lucky them!).

And we return to 2025, an era in which fighting games have evolved, are more realistic, and have also been designed to embrace a bit of all players' gaming abilities, from the most casual to authentic pros. And it is precisely for the latter that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. was conceived, yet another re-release of a video game that now feels the need for a new chapter (apparently already in development).

The main menu doesn't offer much: in addition to the evergreen Training and Local Versus modes, we are also offered the classic Arcade mode where we can defeat CPU-controlled opponents at various difficulty levels. And here we find ourselves in a true arcade cabinet: the difficulty is always increasing, with the final boss battle proving to be a real pain for those who haven't trained their fingertips in a while. And, metaphorically speaking, after inserting dozens of tokens, here we are triumphing over all our challengers. The prize? A classic Game Over… just like in the old days, after all.

A new mode, World Stage, completes the package, already introduced in the console versions and as a free update on PC. This is an area where we will be called upon to defeat a consistent number of opponents: once knocked down, our level will increase and a boss player will appear, allowing us to move to a new arena.

Essentially, World Stage simulates the ranks of online mode by having us play single-player matches. As we climb the ranks, the fights will become increasingly challenging and will help us improve for multiplayer matches. By completing the various challenges, we can also obtain cosmetic items to customize our character, somewhat in the vein of other fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter.

Hard-hitting as ever!

Despite good intentions, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. feels a bit dated and doesn't bring many novelties regarding the combat system: everything you learned in the various incarnations, you will find it entirely in this re-release. And unlike other genres, in fighting games, the passage of time is felt: with the controller in hand (or Arcade Stick, whatever it may be), the sensation is one of a certain "clunkiness" in movements.

Be careful though, this is not necessarily a flaw; we know very well that it is an old fighting game that wants to launch itself even more into the competitive scene. However, it is a factor that we must keep in mind before making the purchase.

The aspect that has always fascinated us about this production is the complexity of the exchanges of blows, at times very realistic, with no possibility of jumping (apart from some cases) and with a much more technical study of the opponent. In fact, it will be very important to know how to wait for the right moment to attack, but also to defend, chaining as many blows as possible without giving the opponent the opportunity to recover.

Dodges then play a fundamental role, that is, the ability to circle around the opponent at the right moment and launch a lateral attack. Evading an attack will guarantee a greater advantage than guarding, although not all attacks can be avoided, so attention must always be at maximum levels. Obviously, far be it from us to give advice on how to fight, also because those who choose this type of production will know how fundamental it is not to press all the buttons randomly to break through the opponent's defense. All things considered, the combat system, while a product of its time, works… and quite well.

And online?

Here comes the sore point: rollback has been implemented in Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O, but let's be honest, it hasn't always been super precise (with slow-motion matches and huge confusion on screen). The problem is due to the almost total absence of players, which made matchmaking phases decidedly slow, in addition to sometimes out-of-control ping. And even though Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. features crossplay, we couldn't find players from other consoles, only a few dabbling on Nintendo Switch 2.

This is never a good sign for a video game, a probable indication that more competitive players have moved to PC (the best platform for fighting games). So we ask ourselves: why didn't we encounter them online? Yet crossplay was enabled. We honestly can't answer this, but if that's the case, perhaps we have a solution to our question.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, despite improvements and the desire to include new modes, remains too anchored to the past, including a not-so-brilliant audio compartment. Forgive us, but in 2026 we find it hard to hear the sound effects of blows and the "noises" (is that what they're called?) that fighters make during offense and defense phases as "muffled." Not only that, if you're not very inclined to online multiplayer and prefer solo challenges (or elbow-to-elbow), then this chapter might leave a bitter taste.

The port to Nintendo Switch 2 is overall convincing, and the loading times also seemed quite immediate. The problem is the Joy-Con 2, which are not very responsive with fighting games due to the size of the buttons, but this is a "problem" that affects the genre on portable consoles. Our advice, should you decide to pick it up, is to at least get a Pro Controller, otherwise you can say goodbye to your beloved fingertips.