More than just a Soulslike with a protagonist to serve as eye-candy, Stellar Blade has far surpassed our expectations, offering varied gameplay, outstanding visuals, a sublime soundtrack and an engaging story. It's a must-play for action game fans.
Stellar Blade bursts out of the gate looking stunning, full of jaw-dropping set pieces, intense action and gory violence, and maintains that pace throughout. Underneath this flashy action game are a lot of systems that we’ve seen before, but despite what can feel like a lack of innovation at times, it never feels stale or unenticing due to its overwhelming sense of style and polished, gratifying combat. For every familiar puzzle or annoying platforming section, there’s a brutal boss battle or incredible over-the-top sequence that pulled me back in. Stellar Blade is a joy, a deliciously crafted adventure jam-packed with dramatic thrills.
Stellar Blade is collage filtered through kaleidoscope, its myriad influences bleeding together in a neon swirl that produces vibrant new colours and dull familiar ones at an uneven pace. When it chooses to use its building blocks to reach new heights it’s a dizzying achievement in combat presentation and approachability, with EVE’s toolset fun and varied enough to carry the weight of the game’s lesser components. It leaves you wanting to see what else this studio could accomplish, even if they’ve gotten this far on borrowed wings.
Though Stellar Blade draws some ideas from FromSoftware's games, it's immediately clear that Shift Up is following its own path. It's action-packed science-fiction served with a philosophical and... sexy sauce. A sauce that makes it taste like a dish you've never eaten before.
Since the action RPG borrows many mechanics from games belonging to very different genres, the risk that Stellar Blade would turn out to be a soulless "map" was very high. Paradoxically, however, the aspect of the product that more than any other has been able to convince us is to be found precisely in its solid combat system, which even without reinventing the wheel has given us great satisfaction. On the downside, the same cannot be said of the plot, which is insipid and affected by very predictable twists, and of the exploratory component, which reuses anachronistic and not at all stimulating environmental puzzles to the point of exhaustion. To the aforementioned problems must be added the frequent recycling of bosses carried out mostly by sidequests, a difficulty level that is not always electrifying and a questionable management of saves. In our opinion, these rough edges are attributable to the naivety and above all the inexperience of the SHIFT UP team, which until now had almost exclusively created titles for mobile devices. If nothing else, Stellar Blade gave us a substantial taste of the great potential of the Korean studio, which if it were to take advantage of the feedback could really surprise us starting from its next project.
Had Eve been a character with agency and personality, who actually responded to the drooling and leering that she’s meant to embody, well, she’d be Bayonetta.
Stellar Blade is a rare achievement in gaming - A surprise masterpiece. I expected it to be good, definitely great, and probably amazing, but to be blown away with true perfection from a studio’s first home console game was unexpected and incredible. This is a true testament to art, that if someone has an idea, a story they want to tell, and they pour their heart into showing us their vision in the way they want to, they’re capable of something so incredibly unique and unlike anything seen before.
The story is straightforward but also very charming with lots of interesting side characters the main character Eve meets along the way, helping them with their problems and working to rebuild a city on the edge of mankind’s extinction. With her delightful companions Lily and Adam, you feel a true sense of progression as you travel the world to solve the major problems facing it. This progression is not only seen in how well Eve is received by the citizens or the difference she’s making in the world, but also in the game itself. Stellar Blade’s combat is fair and fun, and as you continue to play and upgrade Eve you feel stronger and more capable. This game just makes you as the player feel so cool to play with all sorts of combos and flashy attacks, and you feel like you’re growing with the protagonist as she’s growing with the world. This makes the visuals as equally as enjoyable as the gameplay, which is matched by one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in video game history. I struggle to choose a favorite track because there are so many amazing ones, and I have no doubt I’ll be purchasing the soundtrack when it becomes available.
There is little more I can say about Stellar Blade other than it’s meant to be experienced. With elements of both linear and open exploration alike, hack & slash and perfect blocking, side quests and even shooter elements all packed into one, it’s not a stretch to call this game a perfect package. This really was an idea only the creators could tell, and that hidden gem of creativity created one of the best new IPs I’ve played in years as a result. Shift Up has definitely shown what Korean developers are capable of, and I can only hope this studio putting their homeland on the map can only lead to more success stories like this one.
back tracking and inconsistent fast travel making navigating the game difficult. Forced download of the update is annoying. Also, not having a map on some levels makes no sense.
A game with a lot of potential, but ruined by just 1 little detail: Censorship
I know people think this is not a big deal, but the thing is, they'll keep changing our games with these update patches, doing whatever they want, and disrespecting their customers with lies.
They promised an "uncensored" game in every country, and they lied, simple as that.
SummarySave humanity from extinction in this electrifying story-driven action adventure, made by Korean developer Shift Up, exclusively for PlayStation 5.
Experience blistering combat and a twisting storyline as you unravel the mysteries of Earth's downfall.