Stellar Blade is an ambitious game. South Korean studio Shift-Up’s first AAA console release is a unique outlier in a sea of sanitized releases. Even if we exclude the “culture”, there’s a lot going on. You’ve got large environments, RPG elements, Soulslike combat design, and even some shooter mechanics. But does it come together? Does the game’s sex appeal carry it? I won’t discuss the story in depth, to avoid spoilers. Let’s thrust into the depths of Stellar Blade together.
Stellar Combat
Stellar Blade’s combat is wonderful. It’s a great mix of Sekiro and Nier Automata and you’ll be dancing around enemies with wild combos and flashy finishers. Enemy variety is lacking, but the boss fights put the “stellar” in Stellar Blade. They are challenging and visually compelling.
As you progress, you’ll get a gun for some ranged attacks. Most enemy packs comprise two or three large enemies and a handful of smaller, quicker ones. Some dungeons limit your offensive options to the gun. Combos are basic but flashy. Even repeated bosses feel fresh, as you’ll have new tools for the rematch. I disliked the game’s habit of taking camera control away from you for dramatic attacks. Otherwise, these encounters are brilliant.
Alongside these systems, Stellar Blade uses light RPG elements, allowing you to build Eve around your play style. I focused on perfect parries and dodges, as all enemies can be staggered, allowing you to land a critical blow. The only system the game doesn’t seem to allow you to fully build around is ranged combat. Ammo simply is not plentiful enough. Though you can change Eve’s outfits, stat modifiers come from internal equipment. I didn’t use much outside what I was building for, but once you fully expand all options, you can stack bonuses and easily shred enemies. You’ll be flush with upgrade points if you explore and complete side quests.
The Not-So-Stellar
The rest of Stellar Blade is a half-baked mashup of side quests, platforming, exploration, and puzzle-solving. It’s not terrible. Side content is restricted to fetch quests and offers lore and world-building. If you want all the costumes, these aren’t optional. Fortunately, Stellar Blade will usually let you warp back to the quest giver once the quest is complete. Usually. The accessibility options presented another puzzling design choice.
Here are my configuration and play tips to make your Stellar Blade experience better:
- Go into the Settings and turn on Auto-Loot. No more mashing R2!
- Turn on “auto succeed QTEs”. They aren’t difficult, they just interrupt the flow of boss battles.
- Save crafting materials if you don’t like side quests.
- Focus on parry upgrades if you’re used to Sekiro.
- Fast travel is weirdly segmented. You can travel to a different area, but not a specific part of it.
Exploration is a mixed bag. Platforming is a bit imprecise, such as when I wanted to grab a ladder but Eve absolutely wouldn’t. In one side quest, I had to hop across flying platforms but Eve easily slid off the sides. Swimming is also slow and clunky. Many environmental puzzles involve slowly pushing blocks to reach a new path or finding a nearby code to unlock something. These rudimentary puzzles are regularly repeated.
Finally, the story isn’t bad, simply bland and predictable. By the second half of the game, the gaps between engaging battles widened and my attention waned. Stellar Blade could shave off half its environments, puzzles, and side quests to improve pacing.
Censored Blade
Stellar Blade got hit with a censorship patch on launch day, shortly before I wrapped this review. We need to mention it. Many costumes were changed to cover more skin. Blood and gore visuals were also toned down.
Shift Up loudly declared the game wouldn’t be censored in any country before launch, so the day-one patch was shady at best. This is the crux of why fans are — rightfully — upset by the changes. Sony and Shift Up’s unfolding PR disaster reeks of Sony’s distaste for Asian media. Remember, Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur’s Gate 3 made it through without censorship, despite scenes showing genitalia.
Fortunately, the disc version contains the uncensored 1.0 build. If you have a disc, you can play the game as intended. However, don’t connect your PS5 to the internet as, shockingly, Sony marked this update as mandatory. Stellar Blade is an offline, single-player game anyway. The only other additions in the patch are New Game+ and unlockable costumes, which players discovered are accessible on the unpatched disc. If New Game+ isn’t a big deal to you, keep the disc and stay offline.
In the wake of the controversy, Western journalists claimed the fan outcry was about “the boobs”. No, it’s about the hypocrisy. I’d be just as upset if it was any other game. Educate yourself on what you can do and what has changed, before buying the game.
A Brilliant Shine with a Dull Edge
Stellar Blade is good. Not amazing, but worth playing. It starts slow, and more polish would have gone a long way. The combat is brilliant but takes a backseat to platforming and exploration in the game’s latter half. Shift Up did a good job for their first major console release, but they can do better.
A highlight was the music. Shift Up has always had killer soundtracks, and Stellar Blade is no different. I recommend Stellar Blade for fans of action RPGs like Sekiro and Nier Automata. If you’re on the fence, try the demo or wait for a price drop. The censorship left a bad taste in my mouth but didn’t change how I felt about the incredible action. My first playthrough took 20 hours, but rushing through will take 12.
Stellar Blade is now available on PlayStation 5 for an MSRP of $70.
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If the censorship has got you down, remember that JAST USA offers amazing, uncensored and DRM-free games! If you’re still feeling sci-fi after Stellar Blade, I recommend the visual novel Tokyo Necro. It’s currently on sale for just $31.99!
