2024 has had a pretty strong start for gaming. HellDivers 2, Tekken 8, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Yakuza Infinite Wealth, the list goes on. Joining this list in the much-anticipated Stellar Blade.
Developed by Shift Up and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, this PlayStation exclusive is borne from the marriage of DMC and Nier Automata. It is an action-adventure game focused on style and twitch reflexes. In the hour and a half I spent with the demo (released March 29th, 2024), I found a lot to praise.
Though I was not necessarily blown away, nor overly impressed, I was able to appreciate the effort the developers are putting into this game. Aside from what netizens will rave about, Stellar Blade does not seem like just another “waifu” game.
With Her Blade, She Shall Reclaim Earth
Though there is not much to go on, the begins with warrior women plunging onto Earth to battle alien creatures. These creatures are known as “Naytiba.” The Naytiba invaded Earth and became its dominant inhabitants.
As it typically goes with first party PlayStation games, Stellar Blade begins with a bombastic set-piece. The aim is to show the grandiose of this game’s world. Structures collapse from large explosions near and far, gigantic alien roar in the distance, Eve has to dodge fiery fragments falling from the sky.
It’s all run-of-the-mill action exposition ending with a 2v1 against a special enemy type. This is by no means a slight toward the game, as it does manage to hook the player. The prologue clearly sets the direness of this world. There will be death and loss as Eve fights to reclaim the Earth.
Thoughts and Impressions
One of the primary highlights of the demo was the soundtrack. I consider myself somewhat of a music connoisseur. Throughout the demo, the more relaxed tracks really caught my ear. They typically played during the exploration sections, adding to the airy presence and sci-fi theme of the game. I have high hopes for this game’s soundtrack. Hopefully it will be a classic, à la Persona 5’s soundtrack.
As mentioned above, the game features a decent amount of exploration. It was cool to find a chest locked by a strange code, only to proceed farther and get the code from the corpse of a dead soldier. Most of the time, for me at least, exploration in games is a welcome focus. The Stellar Blade demo did a great job of highlighting this.
Thankfully, contrasted to DMC, Stellar Blade has pretty decent platforming. Exploration is allowed to excel due to the verticality of the level design. Eve can swing from horizontal bars, scale buildings and swim. At the end of the final demo level a preview plays. In the preview we see Eve using her sword like a skateboard in a section reminiscent of Sonic the Hedgehog. If Shift Up manages to capitalize on this diversity in navigation, I can see Stellar Blade winning many points in this area.
Stellar Blade’s enemy design reminds me of Dead Space’s necromorphs. Now, I will not say the enemy design is lackluster. However, based on what the demo shows, the enemies blur together. This is primarily due to the palette, not necessarily model variation. The actual models are very cool. You have the bulky and tanky Brutes, the large-arm shield enemies, the basic scrub monsters and a flying starfish-type monster. So, the variation is there. Hopefully the color palette of the enemies diversifies.
Earth Is For Humanity
The Stellar Blade demo was a solid exhibition. Though not outstanding, it was only a small glimpse into this universe. I’m rooting for this game’s success and strong reception as we approach the eve (pun-intended) of release.
With that being said, however, have you all played the Stellar Blade demo? Will Stellar Blade be a day one purchase for you? Do you plan on picking it up at a later date? Or is it a “nay” for you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Watch my demo gameplay here
Stellar Blade releases April 26th, 2024 exclusively on the PlayStation 5
