Released on PlayStation 5 in 2024 and last year on PC, Stellar Blade has found its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. Dubbed the Complete Edition, this version includes both previously released expansion packs from NieR: Automata and Goddess of Victory: NIKKE as well as an all-new collaboration with Bayonetta.
For newcomers, Stellar Blade tells the story of Eve, who is part of an android task force dispatched by the Colony to fight the monstrous Naytibas that have taken over Earth. The mission goes sideways, leaving Eve and a handful of companions to battle the threat alone.
There’s not much to the story, and what’s there feels highly derivative. For example, Eve’s life is saved by Adam in the opening moments. There’s also a heavy Matrix influence as the remaining humans on Earth live in Xion and are led by Orcal (the oracle). Voice performances and dialogue don’t bring much to the table, either.
Where Stellar Blade shines is in its gameplay where it shares similar DNA to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Parrying and dodging are critical to success, with the game using color-coded attacks to let you know which action you’ll need to take to counter it. Enemy design and variety are strong, and the boss fights feature some real standouts—I played Stellar Blade when it launched on PS5 two years ago and instantly remembered several of them when I fired it up on Switch 2.
With the game being both visually impressive and extremely fast-paced, it was always going to be a challenge to retain everything in the move from the PS5/PC to the less powerful Switch 2. Right up front, I will tell you that some sacrifices have been made. On the visual side, the backgrounds don’t look as crisp, and distant enemies will move in stilted ways as they deal with low frame rates. You’ll also run into some pop-in from the environment.
When the Switch 2 is docked, the resolution is 1080p, and in handheld mode, it dips to 720p. It still looks good, though, and I wouldn’t consider the toned-down visuals a reason for prospective gamers to bypass it. Eve, in particular, is still animated well, and her range of risqué outfits remains to be explored at your discretion.
Things get more complicated with the game’s performance. To target 60 fps, the game uses frame generation, which creates artificial frames in between actual ones. This makes it seem like the game is moving more quickly. The catch, however, is that during these non-rendered frames your inputs won’t be read. For a game as dependent on precision counters and dodges as Stellar Blade, that’s a real problem.
While you may be able to adjust your internal timing, that was a nonstarter for me. Thankfully, the game comes with the option to turn off frame generation. The result is that the fps will drop down closer to 40, but the latency issue is resolved. I’ve never been someone that gets caught up in frame rates—whenever games let me choose between better visuals and higher fps, I always go for the best-looking version—so I found it to be an easy choice.
Final Score (7.5/10)
Playing Stellar Blade with frame generation turned off is a solid experience, capturing the essence of the game at the cost of some visual fidelity and speed. It still retains the critical aspects of what made it an enjoyable action game. While it’s not the best Switch 2 port I’ve played—and to be clear, the PS5 version is the superior one if you have the option—it does enough to be worth adding to your collection if you’re strictly a Switch 2 gamer.
Related: ‘Minecraft Dungeons II’ Review: Introducing Hack-and-Slash to the Next Generation of Gamers
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