You’ve seen the box art. You’ve probably seen it on sale for like five bucks on the eShop more times than you can count. But honestly, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Switch is a weird beast. It’s not just another "shrunken down" port. It’s a massive, sprawling, slightly messy love letter to the deepest corners of the Marvel multiverse that somehow fits inside a handheld console.
If you played the first one, you remember Manhattan. It was cool, right? But this sequel tosses the traditional city out the window. Instead, we get Chronopolis. It’s this wild, stitched-together fever dream where medieval England sits right next to Noir New York and 2099 Nueva York. It’s chaotic. It’s huge. It’s also one of the most ambitious things TT Games ever tried to squeeze onto Nintendo’s hybrid hardware.
Let's get real for a second. The Switch isn't a PS5. When you’re flying through the air as Iron Man and the entire map is trying to render at once, things can get a little crunchy. But does that actually ruin the fun? Not really, unless you’re the type of person who counts frames instead of enjoying the fact that you can play as a cowboy version of Captain America while sitting on the bus.
Why Chronopolis is the Best (and Worst) Part of the Game
Most open-world games try to feel cohesive. They want the world to make sense. Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Switch says "forget that" and leans into the comic book insanity of Kang the Conqueror. You’ve got 18 different locations all smashed into one map. One minute you’re in the Hydra Empire, and the next you’re underwater in Lemuria. It’s a brilliant way to keep the "hub world" from getting boring, which was a huge complaint in some of the older Lego titles.
The variety is staggering. You aren't just seeing different textures; you're seeing different eras of Marvel history. The Noir section is all sepia-toned and moody, while the 2099 area is neon-soaked and futuristic. It feels like a comic shop exploded.
However, there’s a trade-off. Because the map is so dense, the Switch version occasionally struggles with draw distance. You might see a skyscraper pop into existence if you’re boosting too fast. It’s the price we pay for portability. Is it a dealbreaker? Hardly. The art style is stylized enough that a bit of pop-in doesn't kill the vibe. Plus, the sheer amount of "stuff" to do in each zone—races, gold brick challenges, helping NPCs who have lost their various chickens or toupees—is overwhelming in a good way.
The Roster: Where are the X-Men?
If you’re coming into this expecting Wolverine or Magneto, I’ve got some bad news. This game was developed during that weird corporate era where Marvel was downplaying characters they didn't have the film rights to. So, no X-Men. No Fantastic Four (at least in the base game). It’s a bummer, I know.
But here’s the flip side: because they couldn't rely on the "A-Listers," the developers went deep. Like, really deep.
- Spider-Gwen and Spider-Man 2099 are front and center.
- You get Howard the Duck.
- Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) is basically the heart of the story mode.
- Cosmo the Spacedog shows up.
- There’s a playable Carnom (a mix of Carnage and Venom).
It forces you to learn about characters you might have ignored otherwise. Honestly, playing as Gwenpool is way more fun than playing as a generic mutant anyway. Her missions are fourth-wall-breaking nonsense that perfectly captures her comic run. The character creator is also surprisingly deep this time around. You can actually customize your powers and weapon types, which adds a layer of "RPGLite" that the first game lacked.
Performance on the Switch: The Elephant in the Room
Let’s talk specs, but keep it simple. When you’re docked, the game looks great. The plastic textures on the Lego bricks shine, and the lighting in places like Attilan is genuinely impressive. Handheld mode is where things get a bit softer. The resolution drops to keep the frame rate steady, so it can look a little blurry on the original Switch screen or the Lite. If you have an OLED model, the colors pop enough that you might not notice the resolution dip.
Loading times are... okay. They aren't instant. You're going to have time to grab a snack while the game boots up Chronopolis for the first time. But once you're in, the transitions between the different zones are seamless. No loading screens between the Hydra Empire and the Old West. That’s a technical win for the Switch.
Co-op is the real test. Lego games are meant to be played with a friend. On Switch, split-screen works, but it’s taxing. If both players are in different parts of the map doing high-intensity stuff, you will feel the frame rate chug. It’s playable, but it’s not "butter smooth." If you're planning on 100% completion entirely in co-op, just be prepared for a few hiccups during the more chaotic boss fights.
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The "New" Combat Mechanics
They actually tried to change things up here. It’s not just "mash Y to win" anymore—though you can still mostly do that. There’s a new "team-up" mechanic where certain characters can trigger special combo moves. It adds a bit of cinematic flair to the fights.
Boss battles are also significantly improved. They aren't just giant health bars you hit until they fall over. Most have phases. You might have to build a specific contraption to weaken them or use a specific character's power to bypass a shield. It feels less like a chore and more like a puzzle. Kang himself is a recurring presence, and his boss fights are genuinely creative, playing with time manipulation in ways that actually affect the gameplay loop.
Is the Season Pass Worth It?
Usually, I say skip the DLC. But for Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Switch, the Season Pass actually adds some of the best content. It brings in stuff from the MCU movies—Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Black Panther, Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. More importantly, it adds the Champions and Agents of Atlas character packs.
If you find the "Deluxe Edition" on sale, grab it. The extra levels are short (maybe 15-20 minutes each), but they provide a nice break from the main story and offer some of the coolest character unlocks in the game. Plus, you get the classic versions of some characters which helps fill that "missing X-Men" hole in your heart.
Real Talk: The Glitch Factor
It wouldn't be a TT Games title without some bugs. Even years after release, you might run into a script that doesn't trigger or a character that gets stuck in the floor geometry. On Switch, I’ve had the game crash maybe twice in a forty-hour playthrough. It sucks, but the auto-save is frequent enough that you rarely lose more than five minutes of progress. Just keep your software updated. The "Day One" version was a mess, but the current 2026-era patches have smoothed out most of the literal game-breaking stuff.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re looking for a massive time sink that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is it. It’s a "comfort food" game. Perfect for listening to a podcast or watching TV while you hunt down those last few hidden Stan Lee cameos.
First step: Check the eShop for the Deluxe Edition. It goes on sale for under $10 frequently. Don't pay full price ($59.99) in 2026; it's just not necessary.
Second step: Focus on the story missions first. Don't get distracted by the open world until you've unlocked a character who can fly and someone who can "fix" blue LEGO objects. It’ll save you the frustration of finding a secret you can't actually open yet.
Third step: Turn off the "dynamic" split-screen in the settings if you're playing co-op. The vertical split is way less disorienting than the rotating line that tries to follow your movement.
Ultimately, this game is a massive toy box. It’s flawed, it’s occasionally blurry, and it misses the X-Men, but it’s also the most content-dense Marvel game on the Switch by a long shot. If you want to fly around as a LEGO version of Doctor Strange while a tiny LEGO version of Baby Groot dances on your shoulder, there's no better way to do it.