Welcome to our review of Stellar Blade, a game that does look very stellar but the gameplay is not up to that incredible standard just yet.
The future of humanity hangs in the balance in Stellar Blade, an all-new story-driven action adventure on PlayStation 5. Ravaged by strange, powerful creatures, Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of the decimated human race has fled to a Colony in outer space. After travelling from the Colony, 7th Airborne Squad member EVE arrives on the desolate remains of our planet with a clear-cut mission: to save humankind by reclaiming Earth from the Naytiba – the malevolent force that has devastated it.
But as EVE tackles the Naytiba one-by-one, piecing together the mysteries of the past in the ruins of human civilization, she realizes that her mission is far from straightforward. In fact, almost nothing is as it seems… Become immersed in a highly detailed post-apocalyptic world that blends beauty and horror to spectacular effect. A thrilling slice of razor-sharp action. Engage in blisteringly fast combat as you slash a path through the remnants of Earth, facing epic boss encounters that will challenge both brain and brawn in equal measure. Discover an enthralling narrative filled with mature themes, mystery and revelation. Embrace the relentless pace, with no time to pause between moments where critical, story-changing decisions are made.
From the crumbling buildings of Xion, to the vast Wasteland and Great Desert beyond, journey to breathtaking science fiction-inspired environments, brought to life by the graphical power of PS5®. A once bustling metropolis, Xion is now populated by a scattering of human survivors, many in dire need of EVE’s help. Its streets, alleys and piazzas are filled with rusting relics and malfunctioning machines. Naytiba lurk around every corner. And outside the city limits, the sinister wilderness that stretches far into the distance is every bit as dangerous…
Battle through this semi-open world on your way to EVE’s next objective, or leave the beaten track to tackle side quests, scavenge items, and uncover more of the intriguing secrets behind Earth’s downfall. Stellar Blade is a game that delivers those beloved next gen graphics but sadly, the gameplay itself does have some minor issues that take away from the fun.
Yes, from the start, this is a fun game to play with a bit of a challenge, the boss fights can be rather challenging but I am yet to encounter one of them that can truly outshine me every single time. What I would like to say, the demo boss is nothing compared to the first real boss fight in the game itself, with an added remark that you do not get any sort of reminder on the game mechanics. So if it has been a while since you finished the demo, be prepared for some hardcore frustration as you figure out the best attacks again. I say this with a big smile on my face as I get incredibly frustrated myself over this.
But once you figure it out, this game takes you to the next level. Even the smallest of enemies can at times give you a run for your money if you are not paying attention or in my case, perform the exact same attack pattern on every single enemy. Yes, Stellar Blade falls victim to the good old “there is a pattern for every enemy out there” (at least up to the point of the game where I currently am). I do feel that the variety in enemies sure helps and you will often get attacked by several different types at once, thus increasing your difficulty by a bit.
Some of my favorite enemies are those little ground-crawling Naytiba. They are possibly the easiest once you get your aerial attack where you jump up and perform a sort of suicide dive into them. While you don’t take any damage, they sure do and before they are able to respond, you can either choose to repeat your attack or just finish them off with quick attacks. This easy pattern does not work on every enemy as some do protect themselves from aerial attacks and now imagine the game throwing those two your way at the same time.
In itself, there are many ways to go for attacks, but do be warned, one of the things I did dislike, is the slow speed at which the energy thingies are taken, it is truly slow and it leaves you open to attacks from many enemies. I get that this is part of the game, but this delayed reaction is not only limited to this. Also when you beat the dust (one of many times) and you want to revive. It literally takes 3 seconds before it activates and if you are unlucky, you get to manually skip every cutscene time and time again.
The same weird reaction timing is also present at camps or when you want to pick up bigger items. It is like the game has a hard time focusing on the item you want and while it is a very minor inconvenience when you are in a camp and seem unable to just rest because the game keeps thinking you want to use the vending machine right next to it, you get the point, it is time for a break and get back after you go get a well-needed cup of coffee.
Now, I would like to emphasize too that this game is a lot more varied than the demo. In the demo, you get just a small feeling for the game and if you did struggle with the Naytiba in the demo, this game might be a little on the harder side. Though in all fairness, almost every enemy so far, bosses included all had very clear patterns on how to beat them. Almost like you were playing a rhythm game/fighter combo. My advice, if the game tells you to press up and circle, do it as fast as you can, it allows for some amazing evades and this is where the game shines the most.
When you play it as intended, you are left with a stellar game, pun intended, it is truly beautiful, and aside from the minor inconveniences, it will be quite the challenge for many players. For a studio that is basically new to this style of games, this is a very good first start. Is it perfect? No, far from, those inconveniences I mentioned are really things that should not be happening anymore in this day and age, especially with all the money involved for the obtained exclusivity behind this title.
In conclusion, I thought very hard about the score for this game, the variety/gameplay/graphics are really top-notch, but there are detractors that make it far from a perfect score and I decided to let them have a heavier weight than normal. If you can make a game this stellar-looking, at least get rid of those pesky little inconveniences too.
