Introduction

There are often games that'll come around that are show stealers, a must play and innovate a formula in a new way, shape or form, borrowing influences from many different aspects of previous formulas, and melding them together to make an experience that is unique and stands out from its contemporaries.

Stellar Blade is one of these games, that excited and delighted me when I saw the influences that it pulls from as well as the setting and flare teased through its promotional material. Upon release it is a game, that I've had to sit here and think about for a good few weeks after finishing it. Because Stellar Blade is an incredibly interesting topic of discussion for many different reasons. Firstly is the combat that is uniquely characterized as this hybrid between a souls-like and a hack-and-slash title, the second is the loud conversation around Eve's assets....But lastly and one focal point, is how Stellar Blade's narrative pretty blatantly takes clear influences from the masterful Nier Automata.

But honestly though, it is my belief that Stellar Blade is the most Platinum Games video game, not made by Platinum that I've experienced in a long time. This is largely attributed to the amount of style, character and overall energetic energy that Stellar Blade has coursing in its DNA. But conversely this sense of personality feels almost lost or bipolar when it comes to the sense of storytelling that Stellar Blade tries to invoke, pulling from the more existential and emotional narrative ideas of Nier Automata. It is clear as day that many of the core elements of Stellar Blade's universe feel like they're derived from the skeletal blueprint that sets up Nier Automata's story, but never does it feel like Stellar Blade is ready to commit or explore these themes properly at least.

So you're probably thinking, well Tarrmu, do you like this game? Hell yeah, I do, I really did love Stellar Blade, because this game whilst it doesn't embody the emotional heights of Nier Automata narratively, is an experience that effortlessly nails the high-octane action that resembles all the other works of a studio like Platinum games, but feels distinctive in its own right and carves out its own path for which I hope is a returning series, which at this point in time is looking more likely.

With all this in mind, I'll lead into this review with this statement in mind, your enjoyment of Stellar Blade will ride on how much you can click with its combat first and foremost, followed by its exploration and progression. If you're here looking for the spiritual successor to its influences narratively, you're sure to be disappointed, but if you're looking for a downright fun, an action packed game that jumps between feeling weirdly like Sekiro meets Metal Gear Rising you'll be sure to have a good time. I've got a lot to say and explain, so let's get into my review for Stellar Blade.

Story

So I want to kick this review off with the big elephant in the room, and that is Stellar Blade's story. So the story for Stellar Blade see's you playing as EVE, who has been dispatched by the mother Sphere to depart on a mission to Earth, to take it back from epidemic force known as the Naytiba's. Through the assistance of her companions Adam and Lilly, Eve sets out on a journey to stop these strong entities called Alpha Naytiba's and collect a power source called a Hyper Cell to help repower the main city of Xion which acts as the games central hub.

The game throws many twists and turns as well as attempts at trying to get you to invest in this main cast, but this is where I feel the story falls apart. The game establishes these moments that are supposed to feel compelling or are supposed to be a revelation, but it never feels like you're given a reason to connect or get invested with a particular plot point or character. This for me left many of these impactful moments feeling a lot less significant and unearned than I would have liked them to be.

It is quite clear here when looking at the cliff-notes of Stellar Blades story that it took a large amount of influence from Nier Automata's narrative and chose to create a world that is bleak in its setting, but tonally ever goes skin deep in comparison to the work it was influenced by.

Where Nier Automata feels like an onion with many layers that you peel through, with each sequential playthrough of the three main playthroughs, having the player change perspectives, reveal different information, and slowly unravels into what is the revelations and climax of that story. Stellar Blade feels like a story that has all these ideas for its universe, but struggles to clearly communicate, set the stage, and build on these ideas early on. It feels like structurally that Stellar Blade has all the big moments listed down, but it lacks the character development, world building, and overall all tonal setting to provide payoff and impact when these moments ultimately happen.

I seriously do believe that Stellar Blade is narratively at its best when it is trying to deviate from its influences rather than trying to emulate them, and what I hope to see with this sequel is a story that further does find its own identity. Because I do think there are moments here that can make for an interesting story, but Stellar Blade's narrative is so evidently stuck in the shadow of its influences more than defining its own identity.

Gameplay

Combat

Now I'd like to get to what I would call one of the major standouts for Stellar Blade, and that is it's combat, but more importantly how it blends this fast paced snappy flow of combat found in the likes of games such as Sekiro, with the combo chaining aspects of a hack-and-slash game. It really does provide a level of maneuverability and a set of fundamental skills.

The combat is interesting it inherits all the staples of the Souls-like genre with the parry mechanics of Sekiro, however feels a lot less punishing with enemies resetting upon death like you'd expect but their health will sometimes remain the same it was when you last fought them, and there is no punishment or lost currency upon death.

The boss encounters are manageable for the most part, with one or two at the end really testing your understanding of you parry system and the ability to dash behind and counter enemies particular attacks. If there is one thing that I commend Stellar Blade on it is the amount of enemy variety and the new essential kit abilities that are incorporated on-top of the progression systems which feel like they're fit for a purpose to approach different enemies different ways. Whether it is using a particular ability to break the shield of a foe or alternatively being able to interrupt enemy combos with well timed abilities.

There are also these different abilities that you'll acquire later on in the game called burst attacks which are your big damage abilities, and there are a lot of little tricks that you can use in Stellar Blade to your advantage like one ability that when casted gives you invulnerability whilst performing the attack. But it feels like the game levels up with you too, introducing enemies and bosses that'll catch you out if you aren't progressing with it.

For those who are familiar with souls-likes particularly Sekiro as I've mentioned earlier, Stellar Blade will land somewhere on the easier side, but I do believe that its combat is a welcoming vibe check for anyone on the fence out the genre, because it feels like Stellar Blade's progression is less punishing and its combat leaning into more action, hack-and-slash makes it overall feel more closer to an experience like Final Fantasy 16, with elements of Sekiro.

Exploration

The exploration for Stellar Blade is comprised of many different facets that flesh out the games level design. There are some open areas to explore that have some side quests and the usual stuff that you'd expect. But there are more linear levels that have some open paths, you can explore that usually lead to some different loot which feeds into the progression for Stellar Blade, which we'll tackle shortly. These side paths and more linear levels are accompanied by platforming segments which do break up the exploration, although can feel a little finicky at times.

There are also the infamous open world towers that appear in the open-areas which power on the camps for the zone, which makes them an essential stop off point, and these towers are usually accompanied by a decent puzzle and even sometimes a nice boss encounter. The side quests in these open areas that take place in-between the story are hit and miss. There are some that feel decent, and that do provide a nice backdrop to the world of Stellar Blade, but there are some others that feel like they are a laundry list of things to do or collect. Speaking of things to collect, there is one neat addition that I found quite quirky and charming and that was the collectible soda cans and the different poses EVE would make when collecting them. These collectibles whilst nothing new in video games, were a nice little moment of levity whenever I did collect one, and the little upgrades that you would receive when you collected a certain amount were nice.

Last but not least the Campfires. So earlier I mentioned these campfires that will be scattered across each locale in the game. These campfires serve as the hub and spawn point for EVE much like how the Bonfires in a Souls game operate. They are where you'll be able to purchase consumables and interface with the progression systems. Again similar to resting at a bonfire, resting at a camp will respawn all the enemies, but death will not forfeit any currency or experience making Stellar Blade a much less punishing game that has levels structured like a souls like without the punishing systems of one.

Game Systems

Progression

Next up is the progression for Stellar Blade which can be sliced into a multiple of different segments which independently might seem familiar but collectively make up a satisfying whole.

General Progression

The primary form of progression in Stellar Blade derives itself from the core forms of progression that is found in any Souls-like, you'll be granted a currency for defeating enemies, and Stellar Blade takes a similar approach to Jedi Survivor having this currency accumulate to provide the player with a skill point which can be used to upgrade EVE's various abilities. There is a good variety of skills that make a difference here, but they don't offer new abilities, more provide generous windows for parrying or providing a follow-up attack.

Sockets

The other form of progression comes from sockets that you unlock throughout your playthrough which provide different forms of stat bonuses such as improving parry times, critical damage, or time it takes for beta skills to charge, and the overall feeds into the rewards economy of Stellar Blade's exploration incentivizing going off the beat and path.

The game does feel like it is rewarding you often, however I feel like the materials and items collected, don't have a sense of structure as to how important they are. It makes upgrading and the collection of these materials feel like an afterthought as you'll be opening stuff throughout your playthrough, but never actively feel like your on the lookout for something particular to enhance or benefit you directly. Instead what you're rewarded with feels arbitrary. The main items that feel rewarding are more collectibles, and these come in the form of these cores found on dead bodies which upgrade your health, beta skills or weapon level. However, outside of this, it feels like many of the other forms of rewards and items collected feel like something that you more or less glaze over, and only ever think about when upgrading these sockets. Which brings me to my next point.

Whilst I enjoyed the overall combat and in concept think Stellar Blade's sockets are a good addition, I felt it did leave much to be desired with flexibility, and overall build crafting. It feels like I wish that these sockets would've actually switched up the playstyle to some extent, maybe focusing on a more agile, defensive, or offensive form of play, that could coincide with the respective beta and burst abilities. But it feels like the most cohesion found here comes from these minor stat buffs, and whilst it isn't anything negative, it does leave me wanting a little more.

Exo-Spines

The final component of progression which I feel does deliver on my key complaint of sockets is Exo-Spines. You'll be able to equip two of these in your playthough and they do offer a level of flexibility to your playstyle and these are another thing that you'll be rewarded through exploration. Much like sockets you're able to upgrade these Exo-Spines, and with it have added abilities stack on top of the initial ability. None of the Progression in Stellar Blade is bad, it is overall pretty nice and overall I like and enjoyed it. But it can also feel

Visuals and Sound Presentation

Now onto the visuals and sound presentation for Stellar Blade, which is one area where Stellar Blade absolutely excels. The visuals are top notch and really do bring many of the various locales of Stellar Blade to life, from ruined cities, to desert plains, to futuristic techy environments Stellar Blade is always a gorgeous game to look at and the different animations, particle effects, and over-the-top action only serve to bolster the game's visual fidelity and beauty. Not to mention the amount of enemy variety and unique designs for the various Natibya that you face, alongside the various boss encounters too!

Last but certainly not least is the different cosmetics that you can unlock in your playthrough particularly the Nano suits. It is actually insane just how many there are and it's nice to see that you can stylize each party member and EVE and really bring your experience and style to life.

The music for Stellar Blade is downright a banger, and is the closest thing to feeling like Nier Automata that I feel Stellar Blade nails, but also it has its own unique ambient electronic tracks and like I've mentioned throughout this video, Stellar Blade is eclectic with where it pulls its influence from and it really can be felt in the musical variety that can feel drawn from man sources. It's also great to see how Stellar Blade uses a dynamic soundtrack for music between combat and exploration. There are even drowned out variations of tracks that'll play when EVE is under water.

The Most Platinum Game I've Played

So I've pondered on this thought for awhile, because this game was heavily compared to Nier Automata even before the game released, and whilst this is apparent and Shift Up's creatives aren't even afraid to admit this. In many ways I feel like Stellar Blade is an eclectic ensemble of what makes a Platinum Game slap, and honestly I mean that in the most complementary way possible.

To me, Stellar Blade captures all the highlights of Platinum Games in many ways its soundtrack can feel like Nier Automata, but also a little Astral Chain, whilst Eve's Design oozes Bayonetta energy. Whilst I say I can feel that energy, it definitely feels like Shift Up have blended their influence with ideas and created a game that is quite ultimately a distinct albeit forgiving souls-like.

Honestly I really hope that this unique collective of energy that Shift Up bought with Stellar Blade is something that they double down on in the sequel, and I hope that they embrace many of the more whacker elements of Stellar Blade and I do believe that there is a good narrative, and concept here to pull from, and a style of hack-n-slash with souls-like elements that is super satisfying to play with.

It says a lot about just how great the Stellar Blade must be to invoke such a feeling of comparison to many great games, and a fantastic studio, and for a first try at making a Triple A game on this scale, I'm hoping that Shift Up are greenlit to make Stellar Blade 2.

Conclusion

In conclusion Stellar Blade is a fantastic first outing into the realm of Triple A video games for studio Shift Up. The combat is a blend that feels refreshing and addictive, with progression systems that whilst can be built upon and further fleshed out, service the core foundations. Stellar Blade's story is one that has potential and when it isn't chasing the highs of Nier Automata you can see so clearly the potential highs it could encompass in a future series. There are restraints that hold Stellar Blade back from soaring with the greats, but the game as a whole is one that is worth playing and checking out, especially for those who are looking for a game with satisfying combat, visuals, and music. So to close this one of I really enjoyed Stellar Blade, I'm keen for Stellar Blade 2, and if you give it a chance I'm sure you will too.