by 
Stellar Blade, my beloved – it’s nice to have a reason to write about you again.
Push Square readers will know I may have come close to popping the question to protagonist Eve, and after writing our extensive Stellar Blade guide (where I documented all of our heroine’s outfits in extensive, obsessive detail), I was assigned the task of testing out the new Switch 2 port here in Tokyo.
For those who don’t know, this is Korean studio Shift Up’s debut console effort, originally published by Sony for the PS5 in 2024.
Its mix of earworm audio and acrobatic action made it my Game of the Year, and while some may take issue with its barren open world segments and so-so story, I expect Nintendo stalwarts to get a kick out of this.
I was able to play a full 20 minutes taken from the opening of the campaign, where Eve — a member of an attack unit named the 7th Airborne Squad — arrives on Earth to liberate it from a horde of monstrous ne’er-do-wells named Naytibas.
Needless to say, the mission goes badly, and we witness the main character’s crew getting viscerally wiped out in this action-packed opening mission.
It’s clear from my hands-on that Shift Up has had to make some compromises for this Switch 2 port, which I played docked using a Pro Controller.
I’d love for as many Nintendo fans as possible to support this title
The lush hair of our heroine and her close companion, Tachy, stood out to me: it’s stiff and jagged, rather than soft and luxurious like in the PS5 game. Look, it’s no secret I think Eve’s absolutely worth it — but she’s been using own-brand shampoo as opposed to L’Oreal on Switch 2.
While the opening mission plays out identically on Nintendo’s machine, complete with collapsing buildings and explosions all over the place, there’s a clear resolution drop required to get things running. I also think the lighting looks flatter overall.
This is all in service of a 60fps target frame rate, however, which I think is the right choice.
While Stellar Blade is not revelatory from a gameplay perspective, it relies very heavily on carefully timed parries, and you need a silky smooth frame rate to ensure the timing lines up. I noticed a few chugs during cutscenes, but nothing in the gameplay itself.
The opening mission is a mostly linear affair, but my 20 minutes also afforded me enough time to explore the rainy streets of Eidos 7 as well – it’s here where you’ll truly come to appreciate Shift Up’s untouchable audio motifs and art direction.
Again, I’d point to a lack of anti-aliasing in this demo, giving the rain effects in the foreground a surprisingly harsh look — but I’m hesitant to go all Digital Foundry on an unfinished build. It’s entirely possible many of these shortcomings could be improved.
Shift Up has had to make some compromises for this Switch 2 port
That applies to Eve’s outfits, too — a legitimate highlight in the main game.
Texture detail looks several levels below the PS5 to my eye, as Shift Up famously scanned these into the game using real-life models and fabrics. I spotted some glitching on the lace of the heroine’s default Planet Diving Suit, for instance, but I’m sure it’s largely a symptom of an unfinished build.
I hope Shift Up can clean up as many of these compromises as possible, though, because I’m a huge fan of the fledgling franchise and I’d love for as many Nintendo fans as possible to support this title.
In fact, I think the Korean dev deserves enormous credit for shipping the title in full on a 32GB cartridge, with the original’s NieR Automata and Nikke: Goddess of Victory expansions included day one (and some sweet Bayonetta bonuses thrown in for good measure).
With the game launching on 5th November alongside Nintendo’s Ocarina of Time remake, the release date does feel unfortunately timed.
But with some outlandish action sequences and memorable boss fights, I hope Switch 2 owners will save themselves for a side-dish of Stellar Blade — especially if Shift Up can tidy up the graphical drawbacks I mentioned within.