Go play Stranger of Paradise instead of this shit.
Swords, waifus, excellent character/outfit designs, amazing music, and fun gameplay. I really don’t need to say anything more than that. Ignore the weird discourse that’s been surrounding this game. Does this game do anything revolutionary? No. But it knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else and I appreciate it for that reason. An original IP that‘s just pure fun. Story could have been better but honestly, I ended up loving the characters and the gameplay too much to even care about that by the end. I hope there’s a sequel to this in the future
Also, Eve > 2B
Also, Eve > 2B
This review contains spoilers
TL;DR: If you are:
- A hardcore fan of all slashers and can't play any of the classics because you've beaten them 50 times already
- A die-hard Sony fan who never misses an exclusive (not just from in-house studios, but also games like Final Fantasy, etc.)
- A big fan of butts, boobs, dressing up a sexy girl in various revealing outfits and ogling her butt because she won't pull the camera back like the unapproachable 2B
Then this game is for you!
Here's a detailed account of my impressions:
I'll put it this way: if we're talking about the story (not the gameplay), it's a really cool and interesting game. You, a person from the future, arrive on Earth to deal with the monsters that forced humanity into space, and finally return to your home planet. You arrive and then start uncovering the terrible truth step by step: you're not actually human but an android, and the monsters are humans who resorted to genetic experiments to enhance themselves and wipe out androids. Along your journey, you encounter many of these monsters, you have access to a bunch of super moves, and there are some pretty impressive cutscenes. In the end, there are three different endings and a plot twist. And all this is spiced up with modern graphics. It looks like a solid game, with a mystery and gradual revelation of truth, just like in Attack on Titan.
Right?
For me, the truth is that everything in this game is poorly done. The dialogues, the storytelling, the graphics, the combat, and the platforming. Everything I wanted to play for, and what could have made the game stand out as a game (and not just a boob physics demo for panty shot enthusiasts), disappointed me more than it pleased.
Platforming:
This is the main flaw of the game. If the game itself was 5/5, the platforming would be 1/5, it's that bad (and the game itself is not 5/5). If platforming feels out of place in Doom Eternal, at least it’s not buggy, but here:
Constant pixel-perfect jumps required
Miss-jumps where you either undershoot, overshoot, or jump but then there's an animation after landing, causing the heroine to fall, or she continues running from the momentum after the jump.
Random change of direction. There’s a double jump, and sometimes the second jump sends you in the wrong direction.
Or you jump onto a rope, swing, miss the jump. Go back to the rope, but it’s still swinging, making you miss it again.
Constantly getting stuck in textures (at least early on)
Hints on where to grab beams are not noticeable against the overall poor graphics.
Sometimes you need to press keys 2-3 times to jump or grab something.
This is extremely frustrating as it causes unnecessary deaths and redoing sections. And you'd think, well, the game isn't a platformer, so why expect it to be perfect? Then don’t shove a bunch of platforming sections and try to go deep into platforming if it’s not that important.
Story:
The dialogues here are a mess. In one side mission, someone sneaks up on the protagonist and stabs her in the back. Then a random character starts explaining what great components she's made of and how they'll profit from them. All that's missing is a cringe-worthy "ha-ha-ha" at the end. Oh wait… it’s there!
Or decisions like Tachy (the heroine’s partner) gets infected, and you fight, extract the core, and cut off the infection, and then she’s free, proudly dying in your arms with such cliché phrases. Ugh.
Cringe dialogues or a silly story can be fine. Sometimes they fit the game and atmosphere well, like in Neon White, and sometimes they’re just an addition to great gameplay like in Doom.
But here it’s just awful. There is intrigue, and if you think about the whole plot and world, it could have been presented much more interestingly than it is here. Hello: Horizon Zero Dawn or Nier: Automata. But here you approach an old man, and he’s like, “I see you have a question.” Wow, Sherlock, of course, I have a question, I didn’t just come up to you for nothing 🤣
Gameplay:
So, at least they didn't screw up the gameplay, right? Well, yes and no.
It's cool that they included a lot of extra moves and a rage mode with its own moves (like transforming into a demon in DMC). This is already better than Nier Automata, from what I remember. But Automata was more about the world and story, and more focused on bullet hell and dodging a bunch of red balls, not combos and super moves.
In this respect, since the story in Stellar is just incredibly dumb, I would have liked to see some solid combat mechanics (since the platforming only reeks of frustration). And the combat here is… okay:
⁃ It's not playing piano on a gamepad like in DMC
⁃ It's not the perfect balance of parrying/blocking/striking like in Sifu/Sekiro (because sometimes enemy attacks are very poorly telegraphed, you get used to it, but seriously, it could have been much better)
Besides platforming and combat, there's also the grind for various collectibles and outfits. It's okay, nothing unusual or particularly interesting (you can collect soda cans, which is cool but more of a neat detail).
Sound:
The music is sometimes good, sometimes okay. And sometimes there's some metal playing as if an action scene is about to happen, but then you get a very calm dialogue. So why the tense music? But the battle with Tahi is atmospheric! But even in sound design, there are dumb mistakes. Like in the great desert, there are places where two different tracks play in the background simultaneously 🤷♂️
Cinematics:
The cutscenes are generally good. I would have liked more of these rather than the dumb semi-open world (UPD from the second playthrough: you can skip all open world segments, which makes it more interesting, but then why did they bother making them if they're so boring).
At some point, you get used to the forgettable monsters (everyone has off days), adapt to the combat, and tune out the dialogues, focusing on the world… And then you have to do timed platforming. Timed platforming, which is just awful here. And you realize how shitty the game is in terms of exploration. Thankfully, it's not part of the main story and can be skipped (unless you're going for platinum).
At some point, you even get used to the monotony and focus on the main missions and cinematics… And then they send you back to the same complex for a second time, where it's supposed to be scary, but you get the same "jump scares" of enemies waiting around the corner 3-4 times in a row. Hello, 2013 with its flood of cheap horror let's plays.
And even though there's an attempt to create decent small side missions and some hidden areas, the game just lacks detailed design. For example, there's an enemy that sneaks up on you by "swimming" in the sand. If you stand on a metal platform nearby, it will sneak up on it too. Is there sand there? Is there even any ground? Why are there particle animations of sand visible, but the enemy isn't under the grating? Who cares 🤷♂️
Yes, there are just a bunch of generic dumb parts. Like a boss teleporting away from your attacks in a cutscene, but during the fight, you beat it easily.
Visuals:
Most of it looks like Resistance 3 (hello, textures covered in crap), and it feels cheap. And if you have a desert, maybe there's no other way? But I didn't have such problems in Horizon or RDR 2. Again, it's disappointing because there are cool, atmospheric locations, but they get lost in the overall mess.
And towards the end, the ashen tones in the monsters look more atmospheric and pleasing than the crappy graphics. But another thought comes to mind: sometimes the visuals seem inconsistent, but maybe I'm just overthinking it.
Conclusion:
It's a shame that the game only gets good towards the end. When you finally get some plot twists (maybe predictable, but still), some decent cinematics, and more pleasing visuals (not just brown haze). But you still have to get to that end. And that's the main challenge of this game.
- A hardcore fan of all slashers and can't play any of the classics because you've beaten them 50 times already
- A die-hard Sony fan who never misses an exclusive (not just from in-house studios, but also games like Final Fantasy, etc.)
- A big fan of butts, boobs, dressing up a sexy girl in various revealing outfits and ogling her butt because she won't pull the camera back like the unapproachable 2B
Then this game is for you!
Here's a detailed account of my impressions:
I'll put it this way: if we're talking about the story (not the gameplay), it's a really cool and interesting game. You, a person from the future, arrive on Earth to deal with the monsters that forced humanity into space, and finally return to your home planet. You arrive and then start uncovering the terrible truth step by step: you're not actually human but an android, and the monsters are humans who resorted to genetic experiments to enhance themselves and wipe out androids. Along your journey, you encounter many of these monsters, you have access to a bunch of super moves, and there are some pretty impressive cutscenes. In the end, there are three different endings and a plot twist. And all this is spiced up with modern graphics. It looks like a solid game, with a mystery and gradual revelation of truth, just like in Attack on Titan.
Right?
For me, the truth is that everything in this game is poorly done. The dialogues, the storytelling, the graphics, the combat, and the platforming. Everything I wanted to play for, and what could have made the game stand out as a game (and not just a boob physics demo for panty shot enthusiasts), disappointed me more than it pleased.
Platforming:
This is the main flaw of the game. If the game itself was 5/5, the platforming would be 1/5, it's that bad (and the game itself is not 5/5). If platforming feels out of place in Doom Eternal, at least it’s not buggy, but here:
Constant pixel-perfect jumps required
Miss-jumps where you either undershoot, overshoot, or jump but then there's an animation after landing, causing the heroine to fall, or she continues running from the momentum after the jump.
Random change of direction. There’s a double jump, and sometimes the second jump sends you in the wrong direction.
Or you jump onto a rope, swing, miss the jump. Go back to the rope, but it’s still swinging, making you miss it again.
Constantly getting stuck in textures (at least early on)
Hints on where to grab beams are not noticeable against the overall poor graphics.
Sometimes you need to press keys 2-3 times to jump or grab something.
This is extremely frustrating as it causes unnecessary deaths and redoing sections. And you'd think, well, the game isn't a platformer, so why expect it to be perfect? Then don’t shove a bunch of platforming sections and try to go deep into platforming if it’s not that important.
Story:
The dialogues here are a mess. In one side mission, someone sneaks up on the protagonist and stabs her in the back. Then a random character starts explaining what great components she's made of and how they'll profit from them. All that's missing is a cringe-worthy "ha-ha-ha" at the end. Oh wait… it’s there!
Or decisions like Tachy (the heroine’s partner) gets infected, and you fight, extract the core, and cut off the infection, and then she’s free, proudly dying in your arms with such cliché phrases. Ugh.
Cringe dialogues or a silly story can be fine. Sometimes they fit the game and atmosphere well, like in Neon White, and sometimes they’re just an addition to great gameplay like in Doom.
But here it’s just awful. There is intrigue, and if you think about the whole plot and world, it could have been presented much more interestingly than it is here. Hello: Horizon Zero Dawn or Nier: Automata. But here you approach an old man, and he’s like, “I see you have a question.” Wow, Sherlock, of course, I have a question, I didn’t just come up to you for nothing 🤣
Gameplay:
So, at least they didn't screw up the gameplay, right? Well, yes and no.
It's cool that they included a lot of extra moves and a rage mode with its own moves (like transforming into a demon in DMC). This is already better than Nier Automata, from what I remember. But Automata was more about the world and story, and more focused on bullet hell and dodging a bunch of red balls, not combos and super moves.
In this respect, since the story in Stellar is just incredibly dumb, I would have liked to see some solid combat mechanics (since the platforming only reeks of frustration). And the combat here is… okay:
⁃ It's not playing piano on a gamepad like in DMC
⁃ It's not the perfect balance of parrying/blocking/striking like in Sifu/Sekiro (because sometimes enemy attacks are very poorly telegraphed, you get used to it, but seriously, it could have been much better)
Besides platforming and combat, there's also the grind for various collectibles and outfits. It's okay, nothing unusual or particularly interesting (you can collect soda cans, which is cool but more of a neat detail).
Sound:
The music is sometimes good, sometimes okay. And sometimes there's some metal playing as if an action scene is about to happen, but then you get a very calm dialogue. So why the tense music? But the battle with Tahi is atmospheric! But even in sound design, there are dumb mistakes. Like in the great desert, there are places where two different tracks play in the background simultaneously 🤷♂️
Cinematics:
The cutscenes are generally good. I would have liked more of these rather than the dumb semi-open world (UPD from the second playthrough: you can skip all open world segments, which makes it more interesting, but then why did they bother making them if they're so boring).
At some point, you get used to the forgettable monsters (everyone has off days), adapt to the combat, and tune out the dialogues, focusing on the world… And then you have to do timed platforming. Timed platforming, which is just awful here. And you realize how shitty the game is in terms of exploration. Thankfully, it's not part of the main story and can be skipped (unless you're going for platinum).
At some point, you even get used to the monotony and focus on the main missions and cinematics… And then they send you back to the same complex for a second time, where it's supposed to be scary, but you get the same "jump scares" of enemies waiting around the corner 3-4 times in a row. Hello, 2013 with its flood of cheap horror let's plays.
And even though there's an attempt to create decent small side missions and some hidden areas, the game just lacks detailed design. For example, there's an enemy that sneaks up on you by "swimming" in the sand. If you stand on a metal platform nearby, it will sneak up on it too. Is there sand there? Is there even any ground? Why are there particle animations of sand visible, but the enemy isn't under the grating? Who cares 🤷♂️
Yes, there are just a bunch of generic dumb parts. Like a boss teleporting away from your attacks in a cutscene, but during the fight, you beat it easily.
Visuals:
Most of it looks like Resistance 3 (hello, textures covered in crap), and it feels cheap. And if you have a desert, maybe there's no other way? But I didn't have such problems in Horizon or RDR 2. Again, it's disappointing because there are cool, atmospheric locations, but they get lost in the overall mess.
And towards the end, the ashen tones in the monsters look more atmospheric and pleasing than the crappy graphics. But another thought comes to mind: sometimes the visuals seem inconsistent, but maybe I'm just overthinking it.
Conclusion:
It's a shame that the game only gets good towards the end. When you finally get some plot twists (maybe predictable, but still), some decent cinematics, and more pleasing visuals (not just brown haze). But you still have to get to that end. And that's the main challenge of this game.
Slop. It goes down nice and easy, but it's tasteless and lacking in nutrients. Nothing about this game will stay with me.
It is, however, a PS5 exclusive. So I guess it has that going for it.
It is, however, a PS5 exclusive. So I guess it has that going for it.
Another game I feel has been critiqued too harshly and is subsequently being slept on.
Games like these I usually struggle with, but after getting used to the combat mechanics and abilities I really had a blast playing it. The storyline was a bit too predictable so the twists and the reveals were a little lost on me.
The music was amazing and one of my favourite parts about the game, it gave NieR vibes and each track had a distinct vibe and beat that made each area feel unique.
The main character was cool, though at times over sexualised. The enemy design was really good too, having unique ways and attacks to keep combat fresh throughout.
My gripe with the game is the traversal mechanics. At times it felt like the character was stuck on the floor - leading me to over estimate jumps. At times trying to control her in mid air was impossible as it was janky knowing where she was going to land.
Games like these I usually struggle with, but after getting used to the combat mechanics and abilities I really had a blast playing it. The storyline was a bit too predictable so the twists and the reveals were a little lost on me.
The music was amazing and one of my favourite parts about the game, it gave NieR vibes and each track had a distinct vibe and beat that made each area feel unique.
The main character was cool, though at times over sexualised. The enemy design was really good too, having unique ways and attacks to keep combat fresh throughout.
My gripe with the game is the traversal mechanics. At times it felt like the character was stuck on the floor - leading me to over estimate jumps. At times trying to control her in mid air was impossible as it was janky knowing where she was going to land.
A decent action-adventure game with slightly above-average combat, excellent audio, an interesting setting, completely deflated by one of the worst asspull endings I've seen in a while. I may want to replay the earlier sections of this game someday, but it's going to feel really bitter knowing what's going on with some of these characters. It's competent enough that I would bet on Shift Up having a masterpiece up their sleeve, but this is not that game.
this game is praised way too much for having 0 personality.
besides that, it starts out actually quiet promising (not great but at least somewhat "fun") until it decided to torture you with the most lifeless and boring side quests.
if it would have been a fast-paced character action game, that focuses more on exciting set pieces, i think at least the combat would have been better. screw this fucking slow ass combat where you can't even cancel attacks and have to watch long ass animations that suggest something meaningful was going on.
soundtrack also sucked and was boring. like, i’ve heard this so many times in nier before.
but the enemy design is still fantastic, and you get to see some overall amazing visuals.
besides that, it starts out actually quiet promising (not great but at least somewhat "fun") until it decided to torture you with the most lifeless and boring side quests.
if it would have been a fast-paced character action game, that focuses more on exciting set pieces, i think at least the combat would have been better. screw this fucking slow ass combat where you can't even cancel attacks and have to watch long ass animations that suggest something meaningful was going on.
soundtrack also sucked and was boring. like, i’ve heard this so many times in nier before.
but the enemy design is still fantastic, and you get to see some overall amazing visuals.
Overall this is a great first AAA console outing. Amazing combat, Great ost. Was a blast to play. A few thing that held it back from goaty tier were puzzles, platforming and story. I felt like those elements were just fine nothing standout. The elements it's best at more than make up for it's shortcomings though. Look forward to the eventual sequel or next game from shiftup. This studio has tons of promise!
Pretty fun, didn’t like this one platforming section so dropped it. Made me want to play Sekiro
Stellar blade has a lot to love in it. Tons of outfit customization (over 30 outfits not including glasses and earrings) , enjoyable combat system, great music and quite a few interesting side quests (some directly resulting in unlocking entirely new areas). The game gets held back by having a mediocre main cast, average story, a lack of enemy variety and clunky platforming.
Combat in Stellar blade feels very satisfying to pull off. This game's strengths are very similar to a souls games in which one on one feels amazing, and getting swarmed feels god awful. Thankfully you unlock AOE special attacks later on that remove some of the annoyance, it still can feel bad. I found some of the enemy types to be a bit too spongey/annoying to deal with (fuck the shield armed natiyba), and that there weren’t nearly enough variants to fight. You’ll encounter the same few enemies (especially in the big open world maps) over and over to the point where I began to avoid combat (this games biggest strength).
The bosses, while being the highlight of the game, felt far too easy. This is especially confusing when paired with how sudden the difficulty spikes for the last three bosses of the game. If it had stayed as easy the whole time I wouldn’t have brought this up but seeing how hard the fights get (compared to the rest of the game) I wonder why there wasn't a more gradual increase in challenge. Regardless, the one on one fights really showcase how satisfying it is to parry several attacks in a row or responding correctly to dodge an attack. I’m aware they added a boss rush mode which I will definitely check out once I’ve had some time away from the game.
The other main thing I appreciated in this game was its side content. While some are exactly what you'd expect from an RPG, others lead you to unlock surprisingly large areas, or take you into some unexpectedly heavy subject matter. I'm being vague due to not wanting to spoil but there's a few side quests in there that really caught me off guard. This game also has a fishing minigame that uses the PS5 triggers resistance to impede you in reeling in the fish that proved enjoyable enough that I caught every last one of them.
The only aspect of this game I would label as downright bad was platforming. While functional, it never feels good to interface with. Many times upon double jumping EVE would just randomly turn a different direction and cause me to fall. Sometimes when doing the drone jumping challenges she would not grab onto them and fall to her death. I never felt completely in control of what I was doing once I had decided to jump and this caused most of my deaths in my playthrough. While not unplayable, it felt jarringly worse then every other part of the game and were the only parts of the game I disliked playing.
Overall I really enjoyed this game, I collected every can, did every side quest, unlocked all the skills and camps, but the cast and story did not engage me very much. In a few months I'll probably forget most of what happened in this game. Easily an above average game, and if you have lots of disposable income and it interests you, you'll probably have a good time.
Combat in Stellar blade feels very satisfying to pull off. This game's strengths are very similar to a souls games in which one on one feels amazing, and getting swarmed feels god awful. Thankfully you unlock AOE special attacks later on that remove some of the annoyance, it still can feel bad. I found some of the enemy types to be a bit too spongey/annoying to deal with (fuck the shield armed natiyba), and that there weren’t nearly enough variants to fight. You’ll encounter the same few enemies (especially in the big open world maps) over and over to the point where I began to avoid combat (this games biggest strength).
The bosses, while being the highlight of the game, felt far too easy. This is especially confusing when paired with how sudden the difficulty spikes for the last three bosses of the game. If it had stayed as easy the whole time I wouldn’t have brought this up but seeing how hard the fights get (compared to the rest of the game) I wonder why there wasn't a more gradual increase in challenge. Regardless, the one on one fights really showcase how satisfying it is to parry several attacks in a row or responding correctly to dodge an attack. I’m aware they added a boss rush mode which I will definitely check out once I’ve had some time away from the game.
The other main thing I appreciated in this game was its side content. While some are exactly what you'd expect from an RPG, others lead you to unlock surprisingly large areas, or take you into some unexpectedly heavy subject matter. I'm being vague due to not wanting to spoil but there's a few side quests in there that really caught me off guard. This game also has a fishing minigame that uses the PS5 triggers resistance to impede you in reeling in the fish that proved enjoyable enough that I caught every last one of them.
The only aspect of this game I would label as downright bad was platforming. While functional, it never feels good to interface with. Many times upon double jumping EVE would just randomly turn a different direction and cause me to fall. Sometimes when doing the drone jumping challenges she would not grab onto them and fall to her death. I never felt completely in control of what I was doing once I had decided to jump and this caused most of my deaths in my playthrough. While not unplayable, it felt jarringly worse then every other part of the game and were the only parts of the game I disliked playing.
Overall I really enjoyed this game, I collected every can, did every side quest, unlocked all the skills and camps, but the cast and story did not engage me very much. In a few months I'll probably forget most of what happened in this game. Easily an above average game, and if you have lots of disposable income and it interests you, you'll probably have a good time.
The Game Awards trailer made it look cool so i bought, wasn’t expecting too much with all the gooners getting upset about the skins but honestly it was a really fun game with great music
patiko
The gooner game is pretty fun.
Visuals and music are especially just incredible. Hearing a new vocal track each time I'd load up a biome was a highlight of the game. They set a pleasant vibe and make just existing in the world of Stellar Blade fun. And yeah, Visually, Eve is stunning. Love the outfits, and I appreciate how out there some of them are.
The combat is good but did start feeling repetitive quicker than I'd have liked. It's a standard action game with parries and dodging recharging different special ability meters. You also get a gun thingy. All this stuff is fun. There's depth to it but not enough to really feel like I have to switch up combos. I kept mashing the same ones and brute forcing fights and it was fine. I wish there was a bit more to it.
There are like 4 or 5 biomes and they all kind of look the same? The two biggest ones are deserts which is very uninteresting. Most of the game is just very samey. If you played the demo, you know what you're getting into.
Most of the game is the side content, which is where the game feels best I'd say, because you're just vibing to the the OST and kind of doing busy work. It was a lot better than the story lol. This game has just such a nothing burger of a plot. Just derivative sludge from beggining to end. Eve is also the biggest wet blanket protagonist since Aiden Pierce. And at least Aiden is kind of funny. Seriously she's so dull. Just a lifeless doll of a character.
I still think there's fun to be had in Stellar Blade, I just think that it's a missed opportunity for something better. Absolutely a "style before substance" kind of game.
Visuals and music are especially just incredible. Hearing a new vocal track each time I'd load up a biome was a highlight of the game. They set a pleasant vibe and make just existing in the world of Stellar Blade fun. And yeah, Visually, Eve is stunning. Love the outfits, and I appreciate how out there some of them are.
The combat is good but did start feeling repetitive quicker than I'd have liked. It's a standard action game with parries and dodging recharging different special ability meters. You also get a gun thingy. All this stuff is fun. There's depth to it but not enough to really feel like I have to switch up combos. I kept mashing the same ones and brute forcing fights and it was fine. I wish there was a bit more to it.
There are like 4 or 5 biomes and they all kind of look the same? The two biggest ones are deserts which is very uninteresting. Most of the game is just very samey. If you played the demo, you know what you're getting into.
Most of the game is the side content, which is where the game feels best I'd say, because you're just vibing to the the OST and kind of doing busy work. It was a lot better than the story lol. This game has just such a nothing burger of a plot. Just derivative sludge from beggining to end. Eve is also the biggest wet blanket protagonist since Aiden Pierce. And at least Aiden is kind of funny. Seriously she's so dull. Just a lifeless doll of a character.
I still think there's fun to be had in Stellar Blade, I just think that it's a missed opportunity for something better. Absolutely a "style before substance" kind of game.
Le gameplay et les musiques portent le jeu sur leurs épaules. L’histoire est mauvaise, la protagoniste aussi, la sexualisation j’en parle même pas, l’open-world qui se demande ce qu’il fout là, les quêtes annexes super nulles. 80€ pour un jeu qui dure 12h ? Il faut aller se faire enculer, c’est pas mérité, ne l’achetez que s’il est en réduction à 50% ou que vous êtes une énorme merde perverse à l’esprit déplacé.
Viihdyttävä peli koko 15h kestonsa ajan. Taistelusysteemi on yhdistelmä Sekiroa/God of Waria, joka nojaa vahvasti oikea-aikaisiin torjuntoihin ja väistöihin. Tämä on pelin parasta antia. Tasohyppelykohtauksissa puolestaan oli lähes aina tuloksena turhautumista ja kiroilua, koska kontrollit on melko summittaisia tähän hommaan. Tästä huolimatta kokonaisuus ehdottomasti plussan puolella.
This review contains spoilers
Stellar Blade was one of my most anticipated games, as I had been excited over several years to try this game that seemed perfect for me. The gameplay is undeniably the highlight, offering a fluid, stylish, and satisfying combat system. It reminds me of a mix between Sekiro and Bayonetta, with its parry-focused mechanics and combo potential. That being said, the game ultimately had some disappointments to me, and while it is not necessarily a bad game, it is leaning towards being a mixed bag for me.
Let's start with the positives. The variety and design of enemies are commendable, with over 48 unique types that keep the combat fresh, engaging, and visually impressive. Boss fights in particular are intense and rewarding, pushing you to master the game's abundance of mechanics. The introduction of new combat tools throughout the 20+ hour campaign keeps the action feeling fresh and exhilarating.
The world design is another strong point. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting is stunning, with highly detailed environments that showcase the power of the PS5. Exploring these areas is an experience in itself with breathtaking music and hidden collectibles with cosmetic items that add a layer of depth to the journey with Eve.
The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, featuring a mix of electronic and orchestral tracks that enhance both the action and the emotional beats. With around 100 tracks in total, the music is a collaborative effort between Shift Up's in-house team and the acclaimed studio Monaca, led by Nier series composer Keiichi Okabe. Specific tracks like Everglow, Shelter, and The Song of the Sirens are standouts, featuring beautiful vocals and instrumentation.
Boss battle themes like those for the Democrawler and Belial receive special praise from me for their intensity and epic scale, perfectly complementing the impressive visual designs of these encounters. The main themes for the city of Xion and the Wasteland are other memorable pieces once they evolve. The light, emotional tone of many tracks provides a fitting juxtaposition to the dark, post-apocalyptic setting, enhancing the sense of melancholy and beauty amidst the ruin. It's easily one of my favorite game soundtracks in years. I will definitely be keeping it on some playlists.
Despite these strengths, Stellar Blade stumbles significantly in its storytelling and character development. The narrative feels like a poor man's Nier: Automata. It attempts to explore themes of artificial intelligence and human coexistence with existential dread but it falls short. And it doesn't just fall, it trips over itself and faceplants.
The story is predictable, with major plot twists being telegraphed far too early and lacking the impact they should have. The game waits until the last minute to dump most of its lore through long, drawn-out cutscenes, which makes the revelations feel unearned and out of left field. Character development is another major issue. The protagonist, Eve, comes across as emotionless and lacks a compelling arc, making it difficult to connect with her. Supporting characters are equally underdeveloped, with minimal backstory or growth. Adam, who is supposed to be a helpful companion, fails to leave a mark due to his lack of personality and charm. The late-game reveal of his true identity as Raphael Marks, the creator of key elements in the story, feels abrupt and poorly foreshadowed, further diminishing the narrative impact.
The pacing and structure also leave much to be desired. Side quests are repetitive and often involve tedious backtracking with little meaningful reward. Platforming sections are frustrating due to floaty controls and unclear hazard boundaries, which detracts from the overall experience. The upgrade system and RPG elements are poorly explained and balanced, leading to uneven progression that can be frustrating. The game's multiple endings are another point of contention. The ending I received, where Lily died, felt abrupt and unsatisfying, as if it was leading to something more that never came. The requirement to start a New Game+ (due to a lack of multiple saves) to achieve the true ending is frustrating and ultimately led me to delete the game out of disappointment.
Stellar Blade excels in its stylish combat, impressive visuals, immersive atmosphere, and outstanding audio design. Because of the many positives, I decided to go with this score despite how it fails to delivering a proper narrative, well-developed characters, and consistent pacing. Even though it doesn't reach the heights of its inspirations, it's still an enjoyable action game carried by its strengths, making for an intense action gauntlet, especially for Shift Up's first big game. I certainly will try a sequel with proper expectations, but I believe they can take all feedback and make an outstanding sequel one day with a much better story. If you can overlook the narrative shortcomings, the gameplay, graphics and soundtrack alone makes it worth a try.
Let's start with the positives. The variety and design of enemies are commendable, with over 48 unique types that keep the combat fresh, engaging, and visually impressive. Boss fights in particular are intense and rewarding, pushing you to master the game's abundance of mechanics. The introduction of new combat tools throughout the 20+ hour campaign keeps the action feeling fresh and exhilarating.
The world design is another strong point. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting is stunning, with highly detailed environments that showcase the power of the PS5. Exploring these areas is an experience in itself with breathtaking music and hidden collectibles with cosmetic items that add a layer of depth to the journey with Eve.
The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, featuring a mix of electronic and orchestral tracks that enhance both the action and the emotional beats. With around 100 tracks in total, the music is a collaborative effort between Shift Up's in-house team and the acclaimed studio Monaca, led by Nier series composer Keiichi Okabe. Specific tracks like Everglow, Shelter, and The Song of the Sirens are standouts, featuring beautiful vocals and instrumentation.
Boss battle themes like those for the Democrawler and Belial receive special praise from me for their intensity and epic scale, perfectly complementing the impressive visual designs of these encounters. The main themes for the city of Xion and the Wasteland are other memorable pieces once they evolve. The light, emotional tone of many tracks provides a fitting juxtaposition to the dark, post-apocalyptic setting, enhancing the sense of melancholy and beauty amidst the ruin. It's easily one of my favorite game soundtracks in years. I will definitely be keeping it on some playlists.
Despite these strengths, Stellar Blade stumbles significantly in its storytelling and character development. The narrative feels like a poor man's Nier: Automata. It attempts to explore themes of artificial intelligence and human coexistence with existential dread but it falls short. And it doesn't just fall, it trips over itself and faceplants.
The story is predictable, with major plot twists being telegraphed far too early and lacking the impact they should have. The game waits until the last minute to dump most of its lore through long, drawn-out cutscenes, which makes the revelations feel unearned and out of left field. Character development is another major issue. The protagonist, Eve, comes across as emotionless and lacks a compelling arc, making it difficult to connect with her. Supporting characters are equally underdeveloped, with minimal backstory or growth. Adam, who is supposed to be a helpful companion, fails to leave a mark due to his lack of personality and charm. The late-game reveal of his true identity as Raphael Marks, the creator of key elements in the story, feels abrupt and poorly foreshadowed, further diminishing the narrative impact.
The pacing and structure also leave much to be desired. Side quests are repetitive and often involve tedious backtracking with little meaningful reward. Platforming sections are frustrating due to floaty controls and unclear hazard boundaries, which detracts from the overall experience. The upgrade system and RPG elements are poorly explained and balanced, leading to uneven progression that can be frustrating. The game's multiple endings are another point of contention. The ending I received, where Lily died, felt abrupt and unsatisfying, as if it was leading to something more that never came. The requirement to start a New Game+ (due to a lack of multiple saves) to achieve the true ending is frustrating and ultimately led me to delete the game out of disappointment.
Stellar Blade excels in its stylish combat, impressive visuals, immersive atmosphere, and outstanding audio design. Because of the many positives, I decided to go with this score despite how it fails to delivering a proper narrative, well-developed characters, and consistent pacing. Even though it doesn't reach the heights of its inspirations, it's still an enjoyable action game carried by its strengths, making for an intense action gauntlet, especially for Shift Up's first big game. I certainly will try a sequel with proper expectations, but I believe they can take all feedback and make an outstanding sequel one day with a much better story. If you can overlook the narrative shortcomings, the gameplay, graphics and soundtrack alone makes it worth a try.
the game that was supposed to end woke ends up being one of the most neutral and directionless games ive played in a long time
I am impressed for a couple of reasons..one is that there is basically no story or real art design so much so that it’s actually kind of awesome..this thing is smoother than a marvel movie
Second is that the combat rocks..it is actually really fun…if you’re not engaging with platforming the way it plays is great lol it has a better parry than lies of p even w that weird delay
Also the music is fucking incredible but we knew that would prob be the case
I really liked this game and want to see another one w better movement and no platforming…the second half of its run really shined and there’s something here to chew on
Shift up is wild tho and I will miss calling this bbl sekiro
I am impressed for a couple of reasons..one is that there is basically no story or real art design so much so that it’s actually kind of awesome..this thing is smoother than a marvel movie
Second is that the combat rocks..it is actually really fun…if you’re not engaging with platforming the way it plays is great lol it has a better parry than lies of p even w that weird delay
Also the music is fucking incredible but we knew that would prob be the case
I really liked this game and want to see another one w better movement and no platforming…the second half of its run really shined and there’s something here to chew on
Shift up is wild tho and I will miss calling this bbl sekiro
Stellar Blade had much more substance than many give it credit for. The art design is gorgeous, and despite clearly taking inspiration from several different series and genres, it all comes together to make something unique. The story was a highlight for me, even if it’s presentation felt off at times.
The difficulty spikes dramatically at the very end of the game, and despite the encounters feeling mostly fair, it was touch higher than I would have liked and brought the game’s pace to a pretty dramatic halt. This was a fun experience and is definitely a game that would hold up in repeat playthroughs.
The difficulty spikes dramatically at the very end of the game, and despite the encounters feeling mostly fair, it was touch higher than I would have liked and brought the game’s pace to a pretty dramatic halt. This was a fun experience and is definitely a game that would hold up in repeat playthroughs.
É estranho falar assim, mas Stellar Blade foi o motivo de eu ter comprado um PlayStation 5. Desde o primeiro anúncio, eu fiquei na expectativa e no anseio para o lançamento do jogo.
O jogo foi perfeito para mim, do início ao fim. É tudo lindo, num geral. Cenários são bem detalhados e bem feitos, as músicas são maravilhosas, movimentação do personagem e combate são incríveis, mesmo eu levando um certo tempo para masterizar a acostumar com ele. A história, pode ser até que genérica para muitos, mas me agradou completamente, o plot twist dela a partir de certos pontos me deixou encantado.
Único ponto que me incomodou mesmo, foi a falta de expressões faciais dos personagens principais do jogo. A dublagem PT-BR é muito boa por sinal, mas a sincronia falha em vários momentos e que deixo meio bizarro, mas é fácil desconsiderar erros como esse em meio a outros pontos muitos bons que o jogo entregou.
Foi minha segunda platina conquistada no PlayStation 5 e estou orgulhoso disso, satisfeito com o jogo, satisfeito com os momentos que tive com ele, satisfeito com a história que me agradou profundamente.
Seria um dos jogos que eu apagaria da minha memória e começaria novamente só pra ter mais uma vez a sensação fantástica que foi a primeira jogatina.
O jogo foi perfeito para mim, do início ao fim. É tudo lindo, num geral. Cenários são bem detalhados e bem feitos, as músicas são maravilhosas, movimentação do personagem e combate são incríveis, mesmo eu levando um certo tempo para masterizar a acostumar com ele. A história, pode ser até que genérica para muitos, mas me agradou completamente, o plot twist dela a partir de certos pontos me deixou encantado.
Único ponto que me incomodou mesmo, foi a falta de expressões faciais dos personagens principais do jogo. A dublagem PT-BR é muito boa por sinal, mas a sincronia falha em vários momentos e que deixo meio bizarro, mas é fácil desconsiderar erros como esse em meio a outros pontos muitos bons que o jogo entregou.
Foi minha segunda platina conquistada no PlayStation 5 e estou orgulhoso disso, satisfeito com o jogo, satisfeito com os momentos que tive com ele, satisfeito com a história que me agradou profundamente.
Seria um dos jogos que eu apagaria da minha memória e começaria novamente só pra ter mais uma vez a sensação fantástica que foi a primeira jogatina.
What a great game, imagine it like a mix of Metal Gear Rising and a sprinkle of Dark Souls. I'll very likely do the other endings aswell.
Peak cinema.
This review contains spoilers
Absolutely loved this especially the combat and the ending cutscenes given you get the secret ending
After doing the new game plus and achieving two endings I can easily say that Stellar blade is really good.
I really loved the story ( even with the various flaws and unoriginal bits) the gameplay with the very robust and solid combat system, that takes a lot from other of the genre like Sekiro and DMC but it makes it's own with a lot of style and options to approach and kill the enemy.
The graphics are really impressive with really good looking scenery from desert to abandoned cities and original art style from the monster to eve itself with a lot ( really a lot ) of suits to choose and discover.
The audio it's the one that I would say it's not perfect, the music is perfect, with a lot of tunes that I will put on my playlist for sure but the voice acting was lacking, at least the Italian one ( my native language) I tried to like it but it was really without emotion for me.
Other than that the game is amazing, I can't recommend it enough.
I really loved the story ( even with the various flaws and unoriginal bits) the gameplay with the very robust and solid combat system, that takes a lot from other of the genre like Sekiro and DMC but it makes it's own with a lot of style and options to approach and kill the enemy.
The graphics are really impressive with really good looking scenery from desert to abandoned cities and original art style from the monster to eve itself with a lot ( really a lot ) of suits to choose and discover.
The audio it's the one that I would say it's not perfect, the music is perfect, with a lot of tunes that I will put on my playlist for sure but the voice acting was lacking, at least the Italian one ( my native language) I tried to like it but it was really without emotion for me.
Other than that the game is amazing, I can't recommend it enough.
So far I’m enjoying it, combat is fun and the story is interesting. The music is beautiful and it reminds me a lot of Nier automata.
this game made me straight
This game surprised me. At first I was only interested in this game because Eve was super hot, however i had no intend to pre order it, but i played the demo and i enjoyed the combat and music so i pre ordered it. First, to get some negatives out the way before i start talking about the positives, the story isn't all that special, its an alright story that i'm not gonna get into or analyze, the two open areas were just barren and only there to have side quest happen, however i do like the linear areas in the game, and the balancing of this game is weird not just with bosses as some areas have the worst enemy placement (That secret area you get access to when the lily bar is full and that desert open area had horrible placement) and even some bosses looked like they weren't even play tested just put in. Now on to the good, first of all the obvious is that this game is breathtaking, its so beautiful the graphics look so good and the design of the naytibas are so cool and i love the design for the bosses and it gets better as the game goes on. The combat was so solid and i loved it, the parry and perfect dodge felt solid and the game wants you to be aggressive however the game doesn't have a deep combo system but i don't mind that. The OST was so good, each area had a banger and the boss fight themes went so crazy like it had a range of electronic themes to metal themes to orchestral themes. This game also has a boss challenge and im a huge boss rush mode lover and i love that they let me replay these amazing boss fights without having to do a new game. This game is solid and i recommend it if you love challenging games.
This review contains spoilers
(Platinum trophy, all sidequests, Boss Rush completed on Hard, 2x NG+ on Hard mode)
Currently my GOTY for 2024. These Korean developers are coming for my heart. Also, this soundtrack is extremely goated.
First off, let me just say I don't think the story is as weak as most people are saying. There is not a ton of emotional payoff, sure, but I think the way they played their hand with the reveals was extremely well paced. The crumbs fed to EVE and Lily through the Legacies was enough to keep the narrative interesting, and the reveals of the wars before the Final War, the fate of the original humans, and Mother Sphere's influence on everything were well told. Adam being the Elder Naytiba was pretty out of left field though. I mean, by the time you get to the end you as the player can probably intuit it, but it didn't feel narratively satisfying. I didn't feel as if there was a satisfying amount of foreshadowing for this, besides him being "unaltered", as in, he didn't have any android shit on his face or body which would have shown that he was Andro-Eidos. This is a pretty neat detail, but Kaya also doesn't have any enhancements, so this point kind of falls flat if you want to use it as ample foreshadowing.
I also played this with the original Korean voice acting (and I would recommend that everyone generally play games in the original language they were written), and I felt the performances were fine. Adam in particular was a standout performance to me, but overall the voice acting was "just" good.
Ok, gameplay. Absolute banger. SHIFTUP cooked with the combat. My biggest complaints are that the parry and dodge feel pretty damn bad without the exospine enhancement (honestly even with the exospine, the dodge kind of sucks and is inconsistent), which makes it feel kind of necessary, and late game bosses on hard mode to way too much damage. Everything else was perfect. The different kinds of attacks (blue, purple, yellow, red) are communicated clearly, and dealing with each of them is unique and fun, although dodging yellow attacks can be pretty hit or miss sometimes. The Beta and Burst abilities are all flashy and fun to use (especially the parry/dodge Burst followups). EVE's attack animations are all great as well. 10/10 on all fronts regarding the combat.
The bosses are mostly Stellar as well. Up until Demogorgon, they are pretty good with interesting designs, but from Demogorgon to the end (so Demo, Unidentified Naytiba, Raven, Providence, and Elder Naytiba) are all shockingly good, although Elder definitely was my least favorite out of all the endgame bosses even if he had the best design. Unidentified Naytiba and Raven were my favorites, and have entered into the Pantheon of my favorite bosses alongside guys like Gael, Hyperion, and Nightmare King Grimm. Absolute masterpieces and extremely satisfying to master and learn their movesets.
OK finally, exploration. I am the type of guy to meticulously explore every inch of the map in any game as to not miss out on any collectibles, so the linear sections (Eidos 7, Matrix 11, Eidos 9, and Spire 4) all felt great to explore without wasting too much of my time. However, the damn Wasteland and Great Desert sucked so much life out of me. Walking around and doing the drone scan every 10 meters gets old pretty quick, and since there is so much open space, it was really exhausting to clear those maps. And with how big they are, I still missed stuff on my first playthrough. The idea of the open areas is fine and good for the sidequests and breaking up the pacing, but it was just personally taxing for me. At least the rewards are worth it. Incentivizing players to seek out collectibles that aren't even related to gameplay in any way is hard, but the outfits are worth it. I enjoyed the vast majority of them (ahem Sporty Yellow, wtf is that design) and finding and equipping new ones was always exciting.
And I already mentioned the soundtrack, but this is my favorite OST in several years. Maybe it is my favorite, I will still have to ponder this thought.
I am very much looking forward to the sequel or any other game SHIFTUP decides to make. This game has shown they know how to make great gameplay, if they could follow up with a more emotional storyline, I would instantly be hooked. Keep cooking Korean bros.
Currently my GOTY for 2024. These Korean developers are coming for my heart. Also, this soundtrack is extremely goated.
First off, let me just say I don't think the story is as weak as most people are saying. There is not a ton of emotional payoff, sure, but I think the way they played their hand with the reveals was extremely well paced. The crumbs fed to EVE and Lily through the Legacies was enough to keep the narrative interesting, and the reveals of the wars before the Final War, the fate of the original humans, and Mother Sphere's influence on everything were well told. Adam being the Elder Naytiba was pretty out of left field though. I mean, by the time you get to the end you as the player can probably intuit it, but it didn't feel narratively satisfying. I didn't feel as if there was a satisfying amount of foreshadowing for this, besides him being "unaltered", as in, he didn't have any android shit on his face or body which would have shown that he was Andro-Eidos. This is a pretty neat detail, but Kaya also doesn't have any enhancements, so this point kind of falls flat if you want to use it as ample foreshadowing.
I also played this with the original Korean voice acting (and I would recommend that everyone generally play games in the original language they were written), and I felt the performances were fine. Adam in particular was a standout performance to me, but overall the voice acting was "just" good.
Ok, gameplay. Absolute banger. SHIFTUP cooked with the combat. My biggest complaints are that the parry and dodge feel pretty damn bad without the exospine enhancement (honestly even with the exospine, the dodge kind of sucks and is inconsistent), which makes it feel kind of necessary, and late game bosses on hard mode to way too much damage. Everything else was perfect. The different kinds of attacks (blue, purple, yellow, red) are communicated clearly, and dealing with each of them is unique and fun, although dodging yellow attacks can be pretty hit or miss sometimes. The Beta and Burst abilities are all flashy and fun to use (especially the parry/dodge Burst followups). EVE's attack animations are all great as well. 10/10 on all fronts regarding the combat.
The bosses are mostly Stellar as well. Up until Demogorgon, they are pretty good with interesting designs, but from Demogorgon to the end (so Demo, Unidentified Naytiba, Raven, Providence, and Elder Naytiba) are all shockingly good, although Elder definitely was my least favorite out of all the endgame bosses even if he had the best design. Unidentified Naytiba and Raven were my favorites, and have entered into the Pantheon of my favorite bosses alongside guys like Gael, Hyperion, and Nightmare King Grimm. Absolute masterpieces and extremely satisfying to master and learn their movesets.
OK finally, exploration. I am the type of guy to meticulously explore every inch of the map in any game as to not miss out on any collectibles, so the linear sections (Eidos 7, Matrix 11, Eidos 9, and Spire 4) all felt great to explore without wasting too much of my time. However, the damn Wasteland and Great Desert sucked so much life out of me. Walking around and doing the drone scan every 10 meters gets old pretty quick, and since there is so much open space, it was really exhausting to clear those maps. And with how big they are, I still missed stuff on my first playthrough. The idea of the open areas is fine and good for the sidequests and breaking up the pacing, but it was just personally taxing for me. At least the rewards are worth it. Incentivizing players to seek out collectibles that aren't even related to gameplay in any way is hard, but the outfits are worth it. I enjoyed the vast majority of them (ahem Sporty Yellow, wtf is that design) and finding and equipping new ones was always exciting.
And I already mentioned the soundtrack, but this is my favorite OST in several years. Maybe it is my favorite, I will still have to ponder this thought.
I am very much looking forward to the sequel or any other game SHIFTUP decides to make. This game has shown they know how to make great gameplay, if they could follow up with a more emotional storyline, I would instantly be hooked. Keep cooking Korean bros.
eve > 2B
This review contains spoilers
I hope you like state of the art looking barren open world, boring characters/story, and shite gunplay.
If you do then this is an easy 10. Otherwise for me its a high 7 brought down by those things. Also Unidentified Naytiba is such a shite boss.
It's unfortunate because it's highs are really high. Both Eidos levels were pretty good, and the space elevator. Then there's running at 3mph across sand because an enemy saw you.
If you do then this is an easy 10. Otherwise for me its a high 7 brought down by those things. Also Unidentified Naytiba is such a shite boss.
It's unfortunate because it's highs are really high. Both Eidos levels were pretty good, and the space elevator. Then there's running at 3mph across sand because an enemy saw you.
loved the story, and I absolutely loved the combat system. The combat looks a little like nier which is a great thing