The first reviews of *Stellar Blade Complete Edition* on Nintendo Switch 2 are out ahead of its 5 November launch, and the early consensus is a friendly one: this is a real, playable version of Shift Up's action game, with some visual give and take to make it fit.
When it launches and what's in the box
Nintendo's Australian store page lists the game as available on 5 November 2026, with Shift Up as publisher. According to that listing, the Complete Edition also includes content from the *Stellar Blade x NieR:Automata* and *Stellar Blade x Goddess of Victory: Nikke* DLCs, some of which unlocks after progressing through the main story. The download is 25.3GB, and the game supports TV, tabletop and handheld modes.
Nintendo's page also lists a pre-order bonus: buyers who purchase by 01:59 AEDT on 6 November unlock Classic Round Glasses, Ear Armour Earrings and a white Planet Diving Suit for EVE at launch.
What the critics are saying
Nintendo Life's round-up gathers five reviews plus one set of impressions. The scores and quotes below are as that round-up reports them.
- Nintendo Life: 7/10. Its own review calls the game impressive and enjoyable, with rewarding exploration and combat, while finding the story bland in places and the visuals inconsistent. Its line: "Despite some drawbacks, Stellar Blade stands tall as an impressive and enjoyable action game."
- Nintendo Everything: 4/5. Praises the combat and calls it "one of the best action adventure titles to release in the current console generation". The round-up notes one big caveat from that review: with frame generation on, the game is unplayable, though it works well once the settings are adjusted, especially in handheld mode.
- GoNintendo: no score. Its review calls the port "a shining testament to what developers with the right know-how can achieve on Switch 2".
- COGconnected: 80/100. The most reserved verdict. It finds a steady frame rate, but says animations dip at a distance and responsiveness suffers, concluding the Switch 2 version is "competent but struggles to hit the same heights as the original".
- The Outerhaven: 4.5/5. Praises the optimisation and the extra content.
The round-up also includes Polygon's impressions, without a score, which call the port a good way to play Shift Up's game before the series' next entry, with graphical blemishes that don't spoil the gameplay.
The early picture
Only one review in the round-up names a specific setting: Nintendo Everything's warning about frame generation. None of the passages quoted there says the Switch 2 version beats the original, and several flag visual or performance compromises. But every verdict collected lands on the positive side, and the combat comes in for praise from more than one outlet.
Jax's take: Six verdicts, zero disasters. For a port this demanding, that's the headline. The combat was always the reason to play *Stellar Blade*, and it sounds like it survived the trip. The bit I'd actually act on is Nintendo Everything's frame generation warning: spend two minutes in the settings menu before you judge the game. And getting both collaboration DLCs in the box makes this the version with the least left to buy.
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