Shift Up
Korean developer Shift Up first made a name for itself with mobile game like 2016’sDestiny Child , a turn - based RPG , and 2022’sGoddess of triumph : Nikke , an on - runway third - individual hit man . Now , dislodge Up is throwing its hat into the ring of AAA biz growth withStellar Blade , an activity game starring a young woman identify Eve who is seek to reclaim Earth from an invading alien metal money . The developer ’s first attempt at craft a premium console experience is already much firm than I expected .
Ahead of its public departure , I spent two hour playingStellar Blade ’s demonstration , which consists of its first chapter . Its slow material - time combat has a surprising amount of influence from the Soulslike side of the action musical style , but I can already see how that will evolve to create flashier and more smooth battles later on on .
Shift Up
Taking back the planet
Stellar Blade‘s opening cinematic section immediately grab my attention . In it , a chemical group of spaceship hover over Earth and deploy pods containing Eve and her comrades to fight the Naybita alien threat on the major planet . Those ship get shoot down and scrap of metal introduce the standard atmosphere like meteors alongside the pod . Eve then awakens in a fiery abyss , with alien massacre her squad . This is where the demo transitions into the tutorial .
Stellar Blade , at the very least , pick up its dystopian - cyber-terrorist circumstance . Ruined buildings with botany are scattered throughout the environment , with streetlights dimly illuminating the surroundings , take a shit it feel evocative ofStray . The soundtrack bounces between angelic choruses while you ’re explore its linear levels and blood - pumping electric guitars when you ’re in battle . When defend the Naybita , the music made me palpate like I was playing aDevil May shout out game .
Stellar Bladeopts for realistic - looking visuals rather than the cartoonish style of Bayonetta or theanime - inspire Nier series . Eve herself looks gorgeous , and the grotesque Naybita aliens really highlight the contrast between the foes . The Naybita are covered with foul appendages , making them appear like they crawled straight out of Resident Evil .
Eve also has a fellow traveller named Adam ( of course ) , who remotely pilots a flying drone next to her . One stray thought strikes me : Eve ’s English dub voice actor speaks with a British dialect , which contrasts with Adam ’s American accent . Their personality dynamic reminds me of 2B and 9S fromNier : Automata , with Eve being more reserved while Adam is more down to ground and not afraid to show his emotions .
Surprisingly Soulslike
Stellar Bladedoesn’t hold players ’ hands , but it will honour patience . Eve can impede , dodging , and parry flak , but the windowpane to execute the latter two options is much smaller than in a game likeRise of the Ronin . In a sense , the armed combat palpate more like something you ’d experience in a Soulslike game rather than a unbent action game . In fact , Stellar Bladehas its own version of bonfires . These are checkpoints that will upraise all of the enemies you ’ve vote down when activated , just like in a Souls game .
Combat seems like it ’ll get much deeper in the full game . Stellar Bladefeatures a acquirement tree where Eve can unlock new science and abilities . These include traversal grease monkey such as bivalent jump and neutralise fall equipment casualty . There are also armed combat accomplishment , such as the abilities to increase the window for hedge and to be able-bodied to dodge twice . I ’m eager to see how that widens the combat beyond its straightforward possibility hour .
I ’m pleasantly surprised to see a great suite of accessibility option here that make it feel like afirst - party PlayStation title(it ’s not , but Sony is heavy promote it like it is one ) . The tilt includes color - blind filters , as well as the option to mechanically succeed at quick - time events .
But wait, there’s more!
After defeating the demonstration ’s big knob , I was immediately point a TV montage of more ripe gameplay that we ’ll see later in the game . As the demo booted me to the main menu again , I unlocked a Boss Challenge mode — and , boy , did it essay my limits . The boss I face off against is called Stalker , a four - legged puppet with a sarcoid chain image outgrowth attach to its head .
Thankfully , this version of Eve in the Boss Challenge manner had more skill unlocked . She could even transmute Adam into a grease-gun , concisely turning fighting into a stock third - somebody shooter . The parrying and dodging windows felt a piece more forgiving here since those several skills were unlocked too . While the gameplay still is n’t as tight and meretricious as your fair action game , it ’s supporting to see that a more queasy playstyle is potential down the line .
InStellar Blade , Adam leads Eve to thelast endure metropolis on Earth , Xion . There , Eve construct relationships and helps to reconstruct the city . However , the demonstration does n’t go there and there ’s not much indicant as to where the tarradiddle is going so far . Even so , I ’m emotional to see howStellar Bladeunfolds . I ’m hoping it smash the story and case , as excellent worldbuilding is what makes its coeval likeBayonettaandNier : Automataso special .
star Bladelaunches on April 26 for PlayStation 5 .
