A review of the Korean slasher Stellar Blade, and not a word about sexualization

Contents:

• Mother Sphere, give me strength
• Push My Devil Trigger

In the modern gaming world, Stellar Blade deserves attention due to its stable performance, delivering 60 FPS on performance- or balance-oriented settings. Frame rate drops are virtually non-existent, even in the most intense scenes. This stability is especially important for fast-paced games like Stellar Blade, where fast-paced and fluid gameplay are key to the overall experience.

This is a hardcore hack and slash game with a parry-focused combat system. The gameplay is reminiscent of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but with a wider parry window and a more forgiving approach to defeat. The game's graphics also deserve praise, creating an immersive atmosphere.

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Mother Sphere, Give Me Strength

Stellar Blade is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi project. Despite obvious references to Evangelion near the end, the story as a whole turns out to be rather mundane. The authors failed to develop the plot lines in an engaging way, and most of the nuances are conveyed through frank and straightforward dialogue. As a result, the number of interesting details remains limited.

Near Earth, there is a mysterious Mother Sphere, which sends a group of paratroopers to the planet. The game's protagonist, Eva, is among them. She soon meets Adam, who decides to assist her in her mission. Her second partner is Lily, also a paratrooper, but primarily an engineer with no combat skills. Together, they face various challenges and discover secrets that could change their destinies and the fate of the entire planet.

The Earth is devastated, and biotives roam its vastness—mutants reminiscent of characters from Resident Evil, some of whom even possess biomechanical features. Eve's primary objective is to eliminate these creatures and destroy the Prime Biotic, and along the way, she will have to deal with several Beta and Alpha Biotic creatures. However, Adam convinces her to visit one of the cities that survived the apocalypse—Xion (similar to Zion). This city becomes Eve's central hub, to which she returns regularly. Xion is home to merchants and other characters offering side quests, adding depth and variety to the gameplay.

Eve's character is not particularly deep or layered. She takes on everything boldly, without asking unnecessary questions, and has a straightforward nature. She displays traits of a typical soldier, focused on the task at hand. However, in the finale she does show her emotions, but by that time the game is already nearing its end. It's too late to reveal her inner world and feelings.

There is intrigue in this story. Why do people often resemble cyborgs? What are the Sphere Mother's true intentions? Who are the biotives? These questions could be explored through side quests, adding depth and variety to the story. However, in practice, this isn't always the case. While some side quests are genuinely interesting, they don't contribute to the main story, as all the important aspects are necessarily addressed in the main plot's bombastic dialogue. The situation could be improved by notes found on corpses, but they often prove uninformative and boring. Finding a corpse in a hiding place, you expect a reward for your curiosity, but the note only contains a few lines about how the person died. This creates disappointment. While letters that expand on the lore are slightly better, they still don't provide enough interesting context to immerse you in the story. Ultimately, such notes hinder rather than help and don't add depth to the gameplay.

Stellar Blade doesn't focus on the story. While the game's world is interesting, particularly in design aspects like robotics and suits, its potential isn't fully realized. However, for a simple epic adventure, the existing elements are sufficient. The game has an impressively epic feel: cutscenes are sometimes breathtaking, and the story itself encompasses the scale of humanity's survival.

The main problem with Stellar Blade is its poor structure and uneven gameplay. The first part of the game forces you to spend about five hours in the partially flooded gray city of Eidos-7, where navigation becomes a real challenge. The environment looks so monotonous that without constant use of the scanner, it becomes difficult to understand where to go and what actions to take. This creates immersion issues and reduces the overall enjoyment of the gameplay.

Why did the developers decide this way? Instead of immediately immersing the player in Xion, with its story context, living characters, and side quests, they took a different approach. Xion is certainly more attractive and rich, offering players a deeper interaction with the world. The game's introduction could have been more engaging if players were immediately thrust into this dynamic environment.

The situation is exacerbated by the lack of a map of the area in Eidos-7, making navigation extremely difficult. After completing this location in Xion, players are offered several side quests that require returning to Eidos-7. However, where exactly to go remains unclear. The quest descriptions are not informative enough, and there is no map. For example, the quest mentions visiting the library, but where is it located? Where should I choose to teleport? Recalling such details is difficult, especially given the visual monotony of the location.

The game contains water levels, and Eva often expresses dissatisfaction, saying that she will have to dive into water again. The question arises: why did the developers add these water locations if even the main character is against them? This is puzzling and makes you wonder about the need for such levels in the gameplay.

After Xion, Eva finds herself in two vast, open locations, both of which are desert territories. While the second location isn't as interesting as the first, they both feature vibrant landscapes. Players can quickly run through these spaces, but also find plenty of opportunities to explore and discover hidden details. Desert locations offer unique elements that make the gameplay more engaging and rich.

At various points in the story, numerous side quests appear, attracting attention and becoming desirable to complete. These quests can include encountering mini-bosses, unlocking new hairstyles, and earning a significant amount of experience. Side quests not only add variety to the gameplay, but also enrich the story, giving players the opportunity to dive deeper into the game world.

Most of the game's locations are corridor-based, which doesn't pose any particular challenges for the player. However, acrobatic and platforming elements can be somewhat annoying. The main character, Eva, has awkward physics, which makes calculating jump distances difficult. This can lead to falls into chasms. However, it should be noted that the game as a whole doesn't focus on these aspects.

Push My Devil Trigger

Stellar Blade can't really be classified as a soulslice game, although the game does feature some elements of this style. First of all, the player can find supply camps in different locations. Resting in these camps allows Eve to restore all healing items, the quantity of which increases as the character levels up. Biotics are also restored in the camps, but not all of them.

Secondly, the core of the combat system is parrying. A character dies quickly, even with maxed health and defense. Blocking attacks isn't always effective either, as some damage still goes through, and enemies have attacks that are unblockable. Therefore, it is important to parry blows in a timely manner, dodge, and actively move around the playing field.

All character abilities Evas can be upgraded, unlocking new moves and super moves, such as the Beta and Alpha super attacks. To activate these powerful skills, the player must spend points earned by successfully parrying or dodging attacks. Upgrading Eva's skills adds variety to the gameplay and increases the chances of successfully completing battles.

Attack power and the amount of healing items are increased, and the drone is also upgraded, allowing for long-range attacks. Various supplies are available in shops: ammunition for weapons, various healing items, and special resurrection items. However, it's worth noting that you can only resurrect on the spot once per battle.

Gadgets and exospines play a key role in the build process. In Eva, you can create a character who specializes in long-range combat or a risky fighter who constantly teeters on the brink of life and death. There are numerous possibilities for creating unique fighting styles, allowing each player to tailor their character to their preferences and strategy. The variety of options opens up room for experimentation and the creation of effective builds that match your playstyle.

Stellar Blade's combat system has been carefully designed and optimized, making it one of the game's strongest points. The only way to die in this game is through inattention, which emphasizes the player's high level of responsibility. Combat in Stellar Blade is incredibly enjoyable, thanks to dynamic mechanics and interesting combos.

The game features two difficulty levels: normal and easy. After completing the first playthrough, an additional hard difficulty level is unlocked. In easy mode, the game simplifies the process by slowing down time and prompting you which button to press to dodge or parry. However, this mode does not utilize the full potential of the combat system and leveling mechanics, so it is recommended to play on normal difficulty for the full experience.

The game offers an engaging experience despite its difficulty. It features a leveling system and detailed build customization, allowing players to tailor their character to their style. While you'll still have to study enemy attacks and learn when to parry or dodge, the leveling system makes this process much easier. The game generously rewards for completing tasks, so if you complete additional quests, you will be able to develop your character almost to the maximum by the end of the game.

In the final stages of boss battles, where simple attacks are no longer effective, character development and weapon variety become key to success. Players begin to actively use various types of healing, rockets, and other types of weapons. This may require reworking builds and using alternative gadgets and modifications to adapt to the complex combat conditions. Effective strategy and the right choice of equipment will allow you to prevail in the most difficult battles.

Unfortunately, many players don't consider such aspects until this point. The game could be significantly more engaging if bosses had multiple stages of combat. This would add variety to the battles, requiring players not only to timely parries and dodges, but also to actively use all of Eve's combat skills and abilities. This approach could make the gameplay more dynamic and exciting.

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Stellar Blade has two main problems: insufficiently developed lore and the visual poverty of some locations. Dull locations are a common problem in the slasher genre, as can be seen in games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Devil May Cry 5. These aspects can detract from the overall experience, but Stellar Blade still offers interesting gameplay and dynamic combat, making it attractive to fans of the genre.

This is a great game that runs smoothly and is fun to play. While it does have some flaws, it leaves a positive impression.

One of the most anticipated games of 2024? Of course.