Turn-based sci-fi wasteland RPG STARBITES from NIS America and IkinaGames has finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. Learn more about it in our STARBITES review!
Turn-based sci-fi wasteland RPG STARBITES from NIS America and IkinaGames has finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. The game takes place on the desert planet known as Bitter, a planet on which a ton of spaceships crashed for reasons unknown well over 45 years ago. This event was what ended the interstellar war, leaving behind huge chunks of refuse all over the place. This is why salvagers go on runs to try and find any stuff worth their time, so that they can make ends meet. There’s not much else to do and not many places to go to, which is why everyone – from low-life criminals to fugitives to troublemakers – has gathered at Delight City. Why? Because it’s the only city in the whole thing! This is where you step in. Your name is Lukida, and you’re a young woman set on finding a way to finally escape from Bitter once and for all.
You’re a mecha salvager and will be using this knowledge to work alongside your companions Gwendoll, Badger, Makobo, Jerome, and Marie to try and leave the wasteland that is Bitter before things take a turn for the worse. You’ll need to decide which ones will directly fight enemies in combat, and which ones will act as support, so you’ll have to find the right balance for your party. Oh, and plot twist: you won’t be able to leave Bitter, because something major happens!
As expected, since this one is the STARBITES – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game, that means that, when comparing it to the Nintendo Switch version that launched back in May, we’re now getting a boost to the overall framerate and max resolution, as well as improved textures, lighting, and shadows.
Once you’re ready to dive in, you’ll be able to pick from one of the three available difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. And yes, you’ll be able to change this from the settings menu at any time, so be sure to give them all a try! The Easy difficulty setting is the best one for those of you who just want to focus on the game’s story. The Normal difficulty setting offers a balanced experience with battles that will test your skills without making you feel overwhelmed. As for the Hard difficulty setting, it’s one best reserved for those who want to experience the true life of a salvager.
After the intro story cutscene, you’ll gain control of your character with the left analog stick as you move through each location. You can also run if you press and hold down the ZR button. Interact with other characters, objects, or points of interest by using the A button as needed. This is how you’ll learn more about the world of STARBITES, as well as collect some useful stuff here and there.
Since this one is a turn-based RPG, that means there are plenty of battles in your future. You’ll be able to spot enemies on the map as you explore each area, and you’ll initiate combat as you come into contact with them. Enemies out on the field will start to chase you as soon as you enter their line of sight, so be ready!
When you go into combat, be sure to pay attention to the turn order bar located at the upper-left corner of the screen, so that you know exactly when each of your party members – and your opponents – will take action. Once it is one of your party members’ turn, you’ll be able to perform one of the following commands: attack, skills, guard, items, or escape.
Attack allows you to directly target enemies with each of your weapons. Skills are special commands that will use some of your Skill Points (SP) to activate them. Skills are more powerful than regular attacks, which is why they have an SP cost associated with them. Attacking and using skills – or being hit by your opponents – will charge up the Driver’s High gauge. Once it’s full, you can activate the Driver’s High. When this happens, you will be able to instantly perform one more attack or skill regardless of the turn order. On top of that, skills will be upgraded, increasing their power, adding extra effects, or adding attributes.
If you attack with effective attributes, you’ll be able to reveal enemy weaknesses. All enemies will have a weakness for you to find and exploit. Doing so will lower their Barrier Points, which you can spot next to their health bar. After all of their Barrier Points are depleted, an enemy will become Broken. When Broken, an enemy won’t be able to move for a set number of turns, all while they receive additional damage.
As you defeat enemies and bosses, your characters will gain experience points. Once they’ve obtained enough experience points, they’ll get to level up, which will reward them with Talent Points (TP). Talent Points are needed to boost each character’s stat values in the Talents menu, while also enhancing their different skills and abilities.
Take, for example, Lukida. Once she levels up and you go into the Talents menu, you’ll be able to pick from the different nodes in the Technician, Operator, and DH segments of her skill tree. This is also separated into different tiers of increasing costs, which provide access to better improvements, boosts, and unlocks as you progress further and further.
Characters are not the only ones you can improve and customize to better suit your playing style as well as to keep up with the growing power of your opponents. You also have the option of upgrading and improving your mechs so that they can perform better in combat. You have the possibility of changing a mech’s weapon and armor, as well as its engine and core, which add some interesting bonus effects.
Turn-based sci-fi wasteland RPG STARBITES has finally made its way to the Nintendo Switch 2. The game takes place on the desert planet known as Bitter, a planet on which a ton of spaceships crashed for reasons unknown well over 45 years ago. This event was what ended the interstellar war, leaving behind huge chunks of refuse all over the place. This is why salvagers go on runs to try and find any stuff worth their time, so that they can make ends meet. There’s not much else to do and not many places to go to, which is why everyone – from low-life criminals to fugitives to troublemakers – has gathered at Delight City. Why? Because it’s the only city in the whole thing! This is where you step in. Your name is Lukida, and you’re a young woman set on finding a way to finally escape from Bitter once and for all.
The team members at IkinaGames have stated that they drew inspiration from the classic JRPG of the PlayStation 2 era, and it definitely shows in what STARBITES brings to the table. It offers a charming and familiar yet different experience with the quality-of-life improvements you’d expect from a game releasing in 2026. There’s voice acting in English and Japanese for the game’s characters that helps to bring each one to life, which is certainly appreciated.
The game’s move to Nintendo’s latest console helps to improve its overall performance and presentation, even if there are still some moments during which the framerate takes a hit, and some textures here and there could certainly use some extra work. STARBITES is intended as the first game in a potential series, so here’s hoping the team learns from their first console project and improves on its eventual sequel. The game runs at a lower framerate when playing in Portable or Tabletop Mode, so hopefully it can also be optimized with a patch.
STARBITES – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is out on Nintendo Switch 2 with a $54.99 price tag. If you already own STARBITES, then you’ll be able to get the STARBITES – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack straight from the Nintendo eShop for only $4.99.
Disclaimer
This STARBITES review is based on a Nintendo Switch 2 copy provided by NIS America.
