Stellar Blade‘s operating hours are often overshadowed by poor game design, leading me to believe that players persist due to the prolonged view of protagonist Eve’s movements in her snug outfit, which showcases her figure more prominently.
Instead of blaming them outright, it’s a challenging journey to navigate through initially, but things improve as time goes by. Admittedly, even after 30 hours, I couldn’t help feeling that it was trying a bit too hard to resemble Nier: Automata with a touch of hyper-sexualized elements.
In essence, both narratives share a striking similarity: They both depict a world where Earth has been transformed, now inhabited by terrifying extraterrestrial beings. A woman, dressed minimally for survival, is on a mission to reclaim the planet and protect mankind, accompanied by a mechanical ally. The background music, filled with haunting female vocals, mirrors the ominous atmosphere of the world.
Listen, I’ve been through similar situations before, as I’ve been playing Shift Up’s game Nikke: Goddess of Victory since 2023. I’m well-acquainted with the developer’s unique style of humor. If you happen to be new to this, however, Stellar Blade features an abundance of suggestive content, such as exaggerated body movements and skimpy outfits.
Is it ever mentioned or recognized by the game’s characters that this specific detail holds true? Only a street vendor seems to take notice. It’s quite unusual in a game where Eve is so heavily associated with sexuality, yet she possesses no trace of sensuality and inhabits a world devoid of sex. In truth, Eve demonstrates minimal character development. The same can be said for the supporting characters Adam and Lily, who despite my curiosity about their backstories, fail to provide much insight.
The game, Stellar Blade, seldom fosters a connection among the three main characters, yet it frequently assumes that we should feel they have strong camaraderie. In essence, these characters enter Eve’s narrative with minimal backstory, and the game seems to presume I’ve been invested in their bond from the start. I found myself unmoved by intense character interactions between Eve and her allies due to a lack of frequent, emotional moments that would have allowed me to grow attached to their dynamic.
Adam and EVE
The storyline and world-building in Stellar Blade are its most notable flaws, which somewhat diminishes the power of its plot twists. Unfortunately, its narrative feels strikingly similar to both Nier games, making comparisons less than favourable. To be honest, it even pales in comparison to Nikke’s unique blend of a post-apocalyptic setting with strong female characters. For my taste, the world-building didn’t quite live up to expectations.
In contrast to its source of inspiration, Stellar Blade sets itself apart through its unique combat system. Contrary to my initial assumptions of a similar hack-and-slash approach like Automata, I found that it leans more towards a style that is part Soulslike and part Devil May Cry action gameplay.
Different adversaries exhibit diverse attack styles that Eve skillfully avoids or counters. A well-timed parry generates sparks and emits a satisfying ching sound as her sword clashes with her foe. An impeccable dodge causes time to seem to slow down, allowing Eve to somersault past the enemy and prepare for a subsequent assault.
Initially, it took me some time to get comfortable with the rhythm of Stellar Blade. The slight lag in the parry button requires practice, and during the initial stages, Eve doesn’t have many tools at her disposal to fend off attacks effectively. Fortunately, the game offers a slightly easier story mode difficulty, along with an option to slow down time when a parry or dodge opportunity arises, making it easier to execute these moves as the screen flashes the required inputs.
The game allows you to adjust the difficulty level whenever you want, and toggle slow-motion input on or off as needed. It’s a thoughtful feature, although it can be inconsistent when it decides to activate – if you’re rapidly attacking, for instance, the game may not provide enough time to advise you to pause your assault and try blocking instead. This option is useful for beginners who are still learning the timing of parry windows.
Once Eve acquires various skill tree abilities and equipment to boost or harmonize specific gameplay styles, the situation significantly improves. I managed to widen my dodge and parry opportunities slightly, and invested a lot of gear into amplifying my Beta skills – unique abilities that need accumulating an energy meter by attacking and blocking before releasing potent attacks.
Even though Stellar Blade’s combat doesn’t introduce anything revolutionary, it still offers a delightful experience as I became more accustomed to it. The thrill of charging towards an enemy, skillfully dodging multiple attacks in succession, and countering with a series of swift blows is one of the game’s standout features. Mastering its mechanics was a significant factor that encouraged me to persevere through some of its challenging levels.
Paint the way
Indeed, Stellar Blade’s level design can seem a bit disorganized at times. This is particularly noticeable in the tutorial level, Abaddon. Normally, I’m quite tolerant of design flaws, but the beginning of this game features such glaring issues that I was astonished to find myself not only aware of them, but genuinely bothered by them.
Every surface is marked with yellow paint: Is there a hidden trail nearby? There’s a long streak on the corner wall. Do you have to cross a bridge? You bet, there’s a smear on it too. And if you come across two paths forking off, don’t worry, they’ve both been given a touch of yellow paint as well.
The level Abaddon seems to struggle with smooth navigation. Quite often, I got lost or confused about my previous locations. Adding numerous paint cans didn’t help in making sense of it. However, things become clearer once I venture into expansive areas such as the Wasteland and the Great Desert, or when guided through more linear levels like Abyss Levoire.
To be honest, it was at smaller levels such as Abyss Levoire that I found Stellar Blade the most enjoyable. The well-crafted spaces, offering glimpses into the game’s world and unique strategies for combat, stood out to me the most. For instance, an early level restricted my abilities to just ranged weapons, rendering both my sword and drone scan useless – tools I had relied on heavily before this point. These elements have left a lasting impression on me, and I’m eagerly anticipating revisiting them in a New Game Plus playthrough.
Despite my casual demeanor about it, I truly enjoyed Stellar Blade and would gladly play it again to gather everything I missed initially. One of the game’s standout features is its vast array of costumes, which I must confess is a weakness I have when it comes to video games. Even without purchasing any deluxe editions or DLC, there are an overwhelming number of Nano Suits to discover and collect. Additionally, there are accessories and hairstyles, and I can’t deny my fondness for customizing fictional characters like dressing up a doll.
The game performs flawlessly, like a delightful piece of software. Admittedly, I’ve had some harrowing experiences with challenging games this year, such as Monster Hunter World, and I seldom anticipate good things when it comes to console games being ported to PC. Given the occasional rough edges in Nikke’s PC version, my expectations are not typically high.
In just a short while, Stellar Blade stands out as one of the most seamless and optimized PC versions I’ve encountered recently. The game ran smoothly with only minor drops in frame rate, ensuring a consistently high-quality visual experience. Remarkably, I managed to complete the final stages on my Steam Deck, which was even more impressive given how well it performed on a handheld device. To my surprise, I maintained a steady 60fps, and the graphics tradeoff for this portable play was less noticeable than anticipated. I expect to spend much of my New Game+ playthrough on the go due to this smooth performance.
Is Stellar Blade exceptionally revolutionary or trailblazing? Not exactly, but it doesn’t need to be the next invention that changes everything. If you can overlook a mediocre storyline and a somewhat challenging learning curve, you’ll discover a reasonably strong souls-like game hidden beneath. Plus, there’s plenty of latex and lingerie. A lot of both, in fact.
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2025-06-16 15:19