Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 5, 2026, offering the 2021 adventure in a portable format. Developed and published by Eidos-Montreal, the release is largely the same game as before, with additional costumes, mouse and gyro controls, and the option to play on the go.
The story follows Peter Quill, Drax, Rocket, Gamora, and Groot as the newly formed Guardians become entangled with a mysterious gem, the Nova Corps, and a dangerous cult capable of brainwashing its victims. Along the way, the team encounters characters including Mantis, Adam Warlock, and Fin Fang Foom, while other Marvel references appear through dialogue and Easter eggs.
The game’s strongest element is its characterization. The Guardians constantly argue, joke, and talk during missions, cutscenes, and downtime, but their interactions also develop into genuine moments of friendship. The voice performances support this balance, giving the characters personalities that feel familiar without simply copying their cinematic counterparts. A particularly effective scene sees Star-Lord attempt to reconnect with Gamora by singing “The Warrior” by Scandal, leading to a heartfelt conversation between the two.
Gameplay is built around third-person exploration, platforming, puzzle-solving, and combat. The campaign follows a mostly linear structure, but each area includes optional routes, hidden objects, collectibles, and environmental interactions. Exploring can also trigger additional dialogue, helping the locations feel more populated and rewarding players who look beyond the main path.
Each Guardian contributes a distinct ability to traversal. Gamora can reach difficult areas and cut through obstacles, Drax can move heavy objects, Groot creates bridges with his vines, and Rocket can enter narrow passages and hack technology. In combat, Star-Lord uses twin blasters, jet boots, melee attacks, and special weapon abilities while directing the other Guardians through team commands.
Combat requires players to choose the right Guardian for each situation and manage their abilities while avoiding attacks. Groot is effective at controlling groups, while Gamora is better suited to focusing on individual targets. Star-Lord’s health is especially important because his defeat ends the encounter, although he can revive fallen teammates. Battles also build a meter that allows the team to enter a huddle. Choosing the correct response during these moments can heal and strengthen the group while triggering a licensed song, whereas the alternative mainly benefits Peter and uses an original track from the fictional band Star-Lord.
Enemy encounters vary across the campaign, including alien creatures, corrupted Nova Corps members, and followers of the Universal Church of Truth. Large boss battles provide a more cinematic change of pace. The game also includes brief Milano flight sections, which function as simple diversions between the main action, along with upgrades for Star-Lord’s blasters, additional abilities, costumes, and collectibles that unlock optional conversations.
Music is another major highlight. The soundtrack combines licensed songs from artists such as Wham!, Mötley Crüe, Blue Öyster Cult, Blondie, Def Leppard, and Rick Astley with original songs performed by the fictional band Star-Lord. Richard Jacques’ original score, used during stages, cutscenes, and battles, takes its own direction rather than trying to recreate the sound of the Marvel films.
The campaign can comfortably exceed 20 hours for players who explore, but the Encore Edition does not significantly change the structure or progression of the original game. One issue that remains is a degree of repetition in the later stages. The review also notes that the game does not introduce new late-game abilities to refresh the combat loop.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version has more serious technical shortcomings. During the campaign, the game displayed an error screen and closed four times, although autosave reduced the impact. Handheld play also suffered from severe frame-rate slowdowns in several sections, including Peter’s nightmare, the escape from the cult, and Lady Hellbender’s world. One progression interruption occurred when Peter became stuck on a cactus-like plant and had to be reset. Docked mode was substantially more stable, although crashes occurred in both play styles, and loading times were described as long.
Despite those problems, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Encore Edition remains an enjoyable adventure. Its combat, humor, character writing, music, and Marvel setting provide a strong foundation, while the Switch 2 features make the campaign easier to play portably. The review awards it three stars, noting that the technical faults prevent a higher score but do not erase the quality of the underlying game.
Sources: Nintendo Everything.