Three games worth a look all launched on November 5. Stellar Blade: Complete Edition brings Shift Up's action game to Switch 2. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition does the same for Eidos-Montréal's 2021 shooter. Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is a new open-world puzzle sequel for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
The short version: both ports sit at 81 on Metacritic, and in both cases critics like the game more than the port. Stellar Blade's argument is about frame generation and input lag. Guardians' is about handheld performance and crashes. Escape Academy 2 has well-liked puzzles and reported performance trouble on PS5, but it has too few reviews for its aggregate numbers to mean much.
All scores below were taken at the time of writing and may still move.
Stellar Blade, Escape Academy 2 and Guardians at a glance
| Stellar Blade: Complete Edition | Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School | Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Shift Up | Coin Crew Games | Eidos-Montréal |
| Release date | November 5, 2026 | November 5, 2026 | November 5, 2026 |
| Platforms | Switch 2 (also on PS5, PC) | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC | Switch 2 (also on other platforms) |
| Price (US) | $59.99; SteelBook $69.99 | $19.99 on Steam, $16.99 on sale at the time of writing | $39.99 |
| Metacritic | 81 from 20 reviews | 73 on PS5 from 5 reviews; PC has no score yet | 81 from 12 reviews |
| OpenCritic | 80, 82% recommend, 17 reviews | 84, 80% recommend, 5 reviews | 9 reviews, no average shown yet |
| Length (per reviews) | Not stated in reviews we read | About 20 hours | 20 hours or more |
Stellar Blade Switch 2 review scores: 81 on Metacritic
This is the full game plus its DLC, including the NieR: Automata and NIKKE content and four new Bayonetta outfits, according to Final Weapon. It says the whole game is on the cartridge with no extra download.
Metacritic lists it at 81 from 20 critics, with 18 positive, 2 mixed and none negative. OpenCritic has it at 80 with 82% recommending it. Our guide to how the two scores work explains the difference.
- NintendoBoy10/10
- Siliconera9/10
- The Outerhaven4.5/5
- Nintendo Everything4/5
- Hobby Consolas82/100
- Final Weapon4/5
- COGconnected80/100
- CBR8/10
- Worth Playing8/10
- ZTGD8/10
- Digital Chumps8/10
- The Games Machine8/10
- Nintendo Life7/10
What critics love about Stellar Blade on Switch 2
The combat and the boss fights, nearly everywhere. Nintendo Life's Mitch Vogel says it "stands tall as an impressive and enjoyable action game." Siliconera's Jenni Lada praises the parry system and Joy-Con 2 haptics. CBR's Mark O'Callaghan likes how the combat mixes precise parrying with combo flair.
The weak spot isn't new. Nintendo Life, Worth Playing and CBR all find the story and characters forgettable. Worth Playing's Cody Medellin sums it up as "a good port of a solid game," while TechRadar's headline calls it "more solid than stellar."
Where Stellar Blade reviews split: frame generation
Reviews agree on the basics: upscaled 1080p docked, 720p handheld, and a 60fps target that relies on frame generation. Final Weapon says it's on by default. Shift Up added a toggle for launch after complaints about the demo. Critics don't agree on which setting to use.
- Turn it off: Nintendo Life says the lag "can be a death knell" for a game built on reaction times, and prefers the roughly 40fps you get with it disabled. Nintendo Everything's review goes further, calling the game "absolutely unplayable with frame generation enabled."
- Leave it on: Final Weapon's Raul Ochoa finds "no severe input lag" when docked, and says hitches make turning it back on the better choice.
Most critics note some cost either way. COGconnected's Jaz Sagoo notices "a slight delay" when starting strikes, and calls this version "competent but struggles to hit the same heights as the original." Final Weapon points out that a free demo is on the eShop, but judge it carefully, since the toggle was promised after people complained about it.
Escape Academy 2 review scores: too few to trust the average
Escape Academy 2 swaps the first game's linear structure for an explorable campus, with escape rooms, side quests and puzzles spread around it. It plays solo or in two-player co-op, online or split-screen, according to AltChar. There's an optional No-Timer Mode.
The numbers need a warning. Metacritic has 73 on PS5 from 5 reviews. OpenCritic has 84 from 5 reviews. An 11-point gap sounds meaningful, but only two outlets, TheGamer and Video Chums, appear on both. Each number mostly reflects which five critics got counted, so read the reviews instead. Metacritic's PC page shows no score yet, and we found no Xbox data there.
- TechRaptor9/10
- SmashPad4.5/5
- Video Chums8.3/10
- AltChar8/10
- GameSpew8/10
- TheGamer4/5
- Pizza Fria7.9/10
- Insider Gaming6/10
- covergeek60/100
covergeek's score is Metacritic's figure. Its review text doesn't state a number.
What critics love about Escape Academy 2
The puzzles, even in the lowest-scoring reviews. TechRaptor's Andrew Stretch says it "lands the sequel spectacularly." GameSpew's Kim Snaith says "the puzzles are still king here," and Insider Gaming's Andrew Highton, who gave it 6/10, says they "are simply better and feel more varied" than the first game's. TheGamer's Steven Garrard found co-op more enjoyable than playing solo.
Where Escape Academy 2 reviews split: the campus and performance
The open world is the disagreement. covergeek's Kieron Verbrugge likes the better sense of place it brings. GameSpew thinks it dilutes the escape-room focus. AltChar's Asmir Kovacevic calls it "a very good puzzle game that simply doesn't know when to let you go home," and warns of puzzle fatigue in long sessions.
Performance is the bigger issue, and PS5 reviews line up on it. Highton says "it literally freezes the game for several seconds at a time." GameSpew saw stutter and slowdown between open-world areas on a PS5 Pro, though escape rooms usually ran smoothly. AltChar reports crashes and frame rate drops. covergeek calls performance "woeful" and the game "a hard sell in its current state." The reviews we could read that named a platform were all on PS5, so we can't say how Xbox and PC compare.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition review scores: 81 on Metacritic
Encore Edition is the full 2021 game with its existing digital content, five glam rock outfits, and gyro and mouse controls. RPG Site lists 1440p at 30fps or 1080p at 40fps docked, and 30fps in handheld. The boxed version is a Game-Key Card.
Metacritic lists it at 81 from 12 critics, with 9 positive, 3 mixed and none negative. OpenCritic lists 9 reviews but shows no average yet.
- Nintendo World Report9/10
- Pizza Fria8.5/10
- ProjectN87/100
- Hobby Consolas86/100
- Nintendo Life8/10
- Pocket Tactics8/10
- Nintendo Insider70/100
- NintendoBoy6.5/10
- Multiplayer (Italy)6/10
- Nintendo Everything3/5
What critics love about Guardians on Switch 2
The writing and the crew. Nintendo World Report's Zachary Miller calls it "one of the best comic book/superhero games ever made, full stop." Nintendo Life's George Yang praises its writing and snappy gunplay, and Pocket Tactics' Kayleigh Partleton singles out the soundtrack. Yang also says it runs "miles better than the Cloud version."
Where Guardians reviews split: handheld play and crashes
Whether this is a good port depends on how you play. Miller found docked play essentially identical to Xbox, and handheld play a big plus despite visible cuts. Nintendo Insider says "handheld performance is quite rough at times," and Multiplayer (Italy), at 60, says detail "drops precipitously."
Nintendo Everything's Richard Ford is the harshest. He saw handheld frame rates slow "to a crawl" in several spots and crashed to the home screen four times, though he still recommends the game. Miller hit a crash when switching skins from the pause menu.
The Switch 2 extras don't impress many people. Miller finds them unimpressive, and Yang says the new skins don't change gameplay.
Who should play Stellar Blade, Escape Academy 2 and Guardians
- Play Stellar Blade on Switch 2 if portable play is the point and you don't have a PS5 or PC version. Expect to spend time in the settings. If you own the other versions, reviews give little reason to switch. Our guide to which version of a game to buy can help.
- Play Escape Academy 2 if you like escape rooms, especially with a partner. If you're on PS5, it may be worth waiting for a patch. Our co-op picks for partners have other options.
- Play Guardians: Encore Edition if you skipped it in 2021 and want a story-led game for $39.99. It's the safest pick here if you mostly play docked. If you already finished it elsewhere, the extras won't bring you back.
November is crowded, with the Ocarina of Time remake out the same day and more on the way. If these are going on a list for later, Perthro keeps your backlog and notes in one place.
Sources
- Metacritic: Stellar Blade: Complete Edition (Switch 2)
- OpenCritic: Stellar Blade Complete Edition
- RPG Site: Stellar Blade frame generation toggle at release
- Stellar Blade: Complete Edition reviews: NintendoBoy, Nintendo Life, TechRadar, Siliconera, The Outerhaven, Nintendo Everything, Hobby Consolas, Final Weapon, COGconnected, CBR, Worth Playing, ZTGD, Digital Chumps, The Games Machine
- Metacritic: Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
- OpenCritic: Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
- Steam: Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School
- Shacknews: Escape Academy 2 Summer Game Fest preview
- Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School reviews: TechRaptor, SmashPad, Video Chums, AltChar, GameSpew, TheGamer, Pizza Fria, Insider Gaming, covergeek
- Metacritic: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition
- OpenCritic: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition
- RPG Site: Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition launch details
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition reviews: Nintendo World Report, Pizza Fria, ProjectN, Hobby Consolas, Nintendo Life, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Insider, NintendoBoy, Multiplayer (Italy), Nintendo Everything
