At this point, many are familiar with Eve and her crew, who, back in 2024, surprised many gamers with a gorgeous take on the action-adventure genre. Little by little, it kept adding more things, from new customization options to full-blown crossovers. Now, the Complete Edition of Stellar Blade has made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. While I initially thought it would run like many other ports we’ve seen, Stellar Blade has exceeded my expectations by creating a fantastic version for this platform that only has a few minor compromises, keeping the original experience mostly intact.
The Complete Naytiba-Slaying Adventure
For those entering the post-apocalyptic world of Stellar Blade for the first time, Shift Up has crafted a unique and extremely memorable action-adventure installment, where its combat, exploration, and outfit collection do most of the heavy lifting.
Without going into spoiler territory, Stellar Blade puts you in the nanosuit of Eve, an android tasked with saving humanity from the Naytiba threat. Despite having a few twists and turns and a couple of memorable characters, the truth is that this is the weakest part of the game. At certain points, it gets a bit convoluted to the point that the plot entangles itself. Thankfully, the combat and exploration make every hour in the game worth it.
As for the latter two, Stellar Blade takes a soulslite approach, in terms of enemies spawning after resting, timed parries, and erratic enemy attack patterns. Yet it also offers the accessibility of leaning more into action-adventure combat, with light and heavy attack combos, different skills, upgrades, and even difficulty settings.
To this day, I keep returning to Stellar Blade thanks to how flashy, responsive, and enthralling its combat is, to the point that I have finished the game on all the platforms where it has been released. The enemy variety is amazing, boss fights are jaw-dropping, and even side quests have some of the toughest challenges I’ve faced in a game of this type, which makes the whole journey worth experiencing more than once.
Exploration is another outstanding aspect of the game, too, as it features a couple of semi-open world areas, where most of what you’ll do is search for the coveted outfits that you can make Eve wear. Yet, there are also a few puzzles to solve, several side objectives to tackle, and a lot of soda cans to collect that reward you with different things.
Also, since those on the Nintendo Switch 2 are jumping straight into the aptly named Complete Edition of Stellar Blade, you’ll get to experience NieR: Automata and Goddess of Victory: Nikke crossovers, both of which add even more outfits, and even a brand-new gameplay mode in the latter’s case. Of course, you’ll now also get to check out the new Bayonetta outfits, which, as a fan of the legendary series, SHIFT UP did a fantastic job adapting every outfit to the aesthetic of Stellar Blade. And the best part is you can use them right from the start.
Overall, for those seeking an action-adventure experience, I’d say Stellar Blade is among the best that has landed on the Nintendo Switch 2’s catalog, and one that I consider a must-play due to its gameplay systems alone. Yet, since we know the Nintendo Switch 2 still struggles to make some games run as intended, some may be wondering just how well Stellar Blade plays here. Well, there’s no need to fret, as it really is a superb port.
A Compromise That Matters
One thing I want to emphasize for those playing Stellar Blade for the first time on the Nintendo Switch 2 is to temper your expectations, at least in terms of visuals. When it comes to the best platform to experience this title, PC and PS5 are the ideal options, yet the Switch 2 version is outstanding, as it makes the things that matter shine with just some minor graphical compromises.
For instance, one thing that surprised me was just how detailed every character looked. All the details in Eve’s skin, face, and even hair looked fantastic, even if the latter appeared a bit blurry in some instances. Also, character and outfit textures looked crisp in every single cutscene, making this a technical achievement, as the visuals of Stellar Blade can be quite demanding.
Of course, frame generation does a lot of heavy lifting to maintain strong visual quality while also providing a smooth combat flow without feeling choppy. And for me, in terms of action-adventure games, that’s what really matters.
Oddly enough, I preferred playing the game in handheld mode, as I felt everything looked more cohesive. For instance, in docked mode, while the framerate hit 60 FPS with frame-gen, the environments were affected to the point that many textures looked flat. I didn’t see this happen a lot in handheld mode, which maintained that 60 FPS mark without losing a lot of its scenery quality. Still, I did notice a lot of frame drops, especially when opening menus, and loading times can be quite long, at least by today’s standards.
You can also turn off frame generation for a visual boost, but I don’t recommend it. The combat in Stellar Blade is fast-paced, so I would rather take a dip in graphics than play an action-adventure game with a choppy framerate that affects encounters.
In that regard, I love the compromises that SHIFT UP made for Stellar Blade Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2, as it shines where it has to, takes a hit in areas that aren’t too important, and ends up delivering that thrilling experience that we many got to play back when it launched.
An Excellent Way to Experience Eve’s Debut
In the end, I am glad to see Eve and the crew land on yet another platform, and one of the most versatile in the market right now. It is always a joy to play an action-adventure game on the go, and Stellar Blade is still one of the best in the genre.
Even if I don’t think this console is the ultimate platform to play it, those who only have access to the Switch 2 will have a blast. The combat, exploration, and gorgeous visuals look fantastic here, and for a game of this type, SHIFT UP took a lot of care to make the important things work smoothly, and that’s something I really appreciate.
Stellar Blade Complete Edition (Nintendo Switch 2 Reviewed)
Stellar Blade Complete Edition on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a top-notch port that has only a few minor visual compromises, allowing SHIFT UP to again deliver its stellar action-adventure experience.
Pros
- One of the best ports on the Nintendo Switch 2 to date
- The new Bayonetta outfits are amazing
- The gameplay feels extremely smooth thanks to frame-gen
Cons
- Just a few texture issues with the scenery
