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Stellar Blade: Blood Rain was one of the big surprises at Summer Game Fest 2026. However, since the announcement, there has been a discussion about the appearance of the protagonist. Now the head of Shift Up has commented on the issue.
What is currently happening with Stellar Blade? Stellar Blade was considered one of the best games of 2024 by many, as behind the “18+” design was a really competent action game. Therefore, the joy was even greater for many fans when developer Shift Up announced the successor Blood Rain at this year’s Summer Game Fest.
However, the initial cheers were quickly overshadowed by a discussion about the appearance of the new protagonist: In the eyes of many, Evie appears childlike in some shots. Hyung-tae Kim, the CEO of Shift Up, spoke about the design decisions.
Outfits for Evie are said to be “even more appealing”.
What does the developer state? Initially, the CEO makes it clear that Evie’s youthful appearance is indeed intentional: “We deliberately made Evie a little smaller and younger,” he said in an interview with inven global. This decision serves to make close-quarters combat more intense. As shown in the trailer, Blood Rain takes place in a cyberpunk metropolis, and unlike the first part, Evie mainly uses her fists to fight.
However, Evie’s personality is also supposed to pack more punch. Addressing IGN, the CEO explained: “Yes. She is younger. She is more petite. She is smaller than Eve. But she has a stronger personality and participates in much tougher fights.”
In the original Stellar Blade, the developer was still uncertain whether the protagonist Eve should possess a strong personality of her own or serve more as a projection for the player. However, the reactions of fans to the end of the game showed him that players could also engage with a character that brings its own personality.
The comparison with the first part is also the crux: There were already controversies back then because the character Eve was highly sexualized. Therefore, IGN asked the CEO if opting for a younger-looking character doesn’t risk that some people might view Evie in a way that isn’t preferred by the developer.
“If you really play the game, you won’t think that,” Hyung-tae Kim said. While he liked Eve’s appearance in the first part, he pointed out that with Evie it is not only about her looks: “Her personality, the way she talks, how she fights, all that will come together, and you will see that she is a very lovable character.”
But this apparently does not mean that Shift Up is hesitant to dress Evie in similarly revealing outfits as her predecessor: “It will even be more appealing. That’s all we can say about it,” the CEO said. Who exactly that will appeal to in the end remains to be seen.
However, it is quite possible that Evie’s look could change by the time the finished game comes out. What do you think of Evie’s design? Would you rather have continued playing with Eve?
In the discussion about Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, comparisons are often drawn to the also recently announced God of War Laufey, which also features a female main character – even if she might steal the show in her own game: God of War Laufey: One thing players already love, but it generates conversation is a talking cube.
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