MeinMMO demon Cortyn has swung the blades in Stellar Blade. Is the game more than just a pretty body? Yes, but …
“Stellar Blade? Isn’t that the game where the main character’s butt and breasts are the focus all the time?”
Yes. Somehow, it has become exactly that. At least, when you look at the coverage and the “scandals” being discussed in the community. This does not do the game justice.
I bought Stellar Blade a few days ago and so far, I am quite satisfied. I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into – but so far, it’s a spontaneous purchase that definitely belongs to my better decisions.
What is Stellar Blade anyway?
If I had to describe Stellar Blade to someone, I would probably say that it’s a mix of Nier: Automata and Dark Souls. It has the sexiness, the musical score, and the combo system of Nier, while on the other hand, it features really tough boss battles like in Dark Souls where you have to walk back from the respawn point more than once to ultimately win the fight.
That being said, I have to say that games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring have never kept me until the end (Yes, shame on me), but Stellar Blade seems to be different so far.
This is mainly because Stellar Blade skips the “You lose everything upon death and have to find it again” mechanic that the Souls games often have. There is no panicked “Oh, now I have to collect my corpse first, and until then I can’t die again”.
You die, respawn, and the enemies are back. But all collected possessions remain intact.
This significantly reduces frustration.
But that doesn’t mean Stellar Blade is easy. Much more, it sets the stage for getting thoroughly beaten in boss fights without wanting to throw the controller in the corner out of frustration after each death.
A complex combat system with plenty of freedoms
At first glance, the combat system seems quite simple. By pressing the square and triangle buttons, you connect different attacks into combos and chop most enemies to bits before they can do anything. Single, small enemies often don’t even get a chance to truly defend themselves.
However, this can quickly change if you attract too many enemies at once. Because then you can quickly find yourself in a “stunlock” and see Eve’s health bar shrink unhealthily fast.
What works wonderfully with regular “trash mobs” quickly fails against bosses or stronger enemies. By the time you face the first boss “Abaddon,” you will learn that “button mashing” shouldn’t be the approach.
Those who try to continuously hit will be interrupted in their combo and find themselves in the grip of a devastating finisher that often takes 50% or more of their health bar.
With bosses, it comes down to precise timing and good reactions. Because only when you perfectly parry enough enemy attacks in quick succession can you throw the bosses off balance and land a finisher yourself.
You often have to make the right decision almost instantaneously. Do you dodge or parry? Do you use a backward dodge jump, or do you try to initiate a counterattack by jumping behind the enemy?
The right answer to that is not so easy. Because even if you prepare a counterattack after a perfect parry, that counter could be your own death sentence if you fail to block the boss’s second attack.
In short: The combat system is demanding and incredibly fun. It is rightly celebrated.
There were multiple occasions where I happily hacked through the game world for one or two hours, immediately killing enemies with ambushes and felt like a death goddess with Eve, only to get totally “smashed” by a mid-boss, forcing me to go through the database of available skills again just to have any chance.
New abilities are unlocked through various talent trees, with points that you unlock through experience. Thus, in the first few hours, we learn double jumps, stealth attacks that kill instantly, or storm attacks with stuns. Depending on your playstyle, you can find a lot of variation here and also reset all talent points at any time for a small cost.
There’s also a quite simple crafting and equipment system. It’s functional and allows a bit of customization of the playstyle. For instance, you can enhance combos, gain more beta energy (basically the “magic” resource), or reduce damage taken. That’s nice, but nothing beyond standard.
A large game world with much to discover
If you liked the world of Nier: Automata, you will also be happy in Stellar Blade. A large part of Earth is destroyed or overgrown, and the big cities have become ruins through which enemies roam.
In the often urban areas, an ambush can lurk around every corner, and there’s much to discover. Sometimes you just barely spot an inconspicuous ledge that leads to a whole new area where hidden battles or a new outfit await.
It’s nice that the levels are fairly generous. Almost always, there are many optional paths where additional enemies and plenty of resources are hidden.
Often, a scan of the environment helps you spot distant platforms or find a hidden ascent to a new floor of a building where some upgrades can be found.
I’m not the biggest fan of “Come back later to open the chest you found 3 hours ago,” but those who want all the rewards, like skins for Eve or weapon upgrades, will have to deal with it. This is mainly because sometimes you only get abilities later – like the double jump – but you try ahead of time to reach that tempting chest that is exactly 20 cm too high.
Eve is sexy, but it fits with the look of the world
But okay, let’s get to the (for some) most important point: Yes, Eve is quite hot. The fact that almost all of her outfits are skin-tight and shiny-reflective stages that well.
When it comes to provocatively portrayed heroines, I always like to refer to Bayonetta. For me, she is the prime example of a sexualized heroine who has completely embraced it – she moves and presents herself that way because she is provocative and seductive. That was woven into the story and her entire character. Here, it fit perfectly.
Stellar Blade does not have that. The skills and abilities are not sexualized or presented particularly erotically. Sure, some abilities can’t help but be a little so, but it’s not at the core. It feels much cooler and appropriate.
And – unlike Bayonetta – Eve’s moves and skills are not forced into a sexual appeal.
I remember when Bayonetta was advertised on her own game packaging as “a playable action porno of the highest order.” This absolutely does not apply to Stellar Blade.
The much-discussed characteristics of Eve are, while always present, and for some outfits, I did think “Oh my, Eve, a bit daring,” in the end, it’s not that important. Because in the game world, pretty much all human-like figures are quite attractive. Be it Eve, Adam, or any other characters enhanced by Mother Sphere.
What I don’t understand, however, are Eve’s hair. In the standard setting, Eve has a long ponytail, and unfortunately, it impressively shows that the technology for depicting long hair is not yet as refined as we would like. It often moves inappropriately and stiffly, distorting the rest of her pretty body a little. Especially with sudden movements, the hair tends to clip through the body, making it seem like Eve has an extremely long full beard.
A little bonus info, because I know you: I found it a bit quirky that in her Collector’s Edition outfit, Eve not only wears a tight mini skirt but also suddenly has significantly more bust size. But hey – I’m definitely not going to complain.
All jokes aside. The different outfits are more than just skins, as they can partially change Eve’s body shape slightly. This inevitably leads to the fact that some outfits shake significantly more than others.
And yes, some of the outfits are indeed a bit questionable. For me, it does not contribute to the game’s atmosphere to have Eve hopping through the devastated world in a Playboy bunny costume or a mini skirt. But the nice thing is: I don’t have to. There are plenty of outfits whose appearance fits much better. There’s something for everyone. From a black full-body suit to “strapless swimwear” – I don’t have to like every skin.
However, since the outfits have absolutely no effect on performance in combat (unless you choose the “skin suit”), you can just choose what you want. If someone wants to complain, they’re on their own.
Minor errors spoil the overall impression – especially the sound
Nevertheless, Stellar Blade is not a masterpiece in my eyes and quite far from it.
Especially the sound in the game drives me insane. I have a surround system for the PS5, and it works flawlessly for games like Final Fantasy XVI or many others. But Stellar Blade drives me mad. Sometimes there’s a waterfall right in front of me, but the sound comes from behind and to the left. Sometimes Eve’s sword strikes resonate “behind” me. Something went horribly wrong with the sound design and urgently needs a patch or more refinement.
Many attacks also lack a bit of acoustic impact, so they simply don’t sound satisfying. But that may also be amplified by the problem described above.
But it’s not just the surround sound that is a problem, but also the quality of the spoken lines. While the main characters like Eve and Adam are quite solid in the English voice-over, other characters stand out negatively. Sometimes lines feel so emotionless or overly dramatic that they simply don’t fit the scene. It feels a bit as if the voice actors didn’t know what kind of scene their lines were being used in during the recording, which sometimes pulls you out of the game.
The story of the game is also a bit predictable. The setting is cool but not entirely fresh. The characters are all a bit one-dimensional. It feels somewhat like Stellar Blade has a story simply because it needs one. That is enough to have a fun action-adventure, but if you expect brilliant “mindfuck moments” here, you might find yourself rolling your eyes in annoyance more often.
However, the story entertained me enough to keep me engaged – even if the combat system was the decisive factor here.
Lastly, the graphics are also quite variable. Sometimes there are suddenly muddy textures in a cutscene, and Stellar Blade simply does not reach the graphical opulence of Final Fantasy XVI. The game always looks good, but never outstanding.
Ultimately, though, these are minor issues. I enjoy the game and am surprisingly well adjusted to it. The learning curve in some scenarios is unexpectedly steep, but due to solid save points and the possibility to just farm one or two new skills if necessary, it always felt fair in the end. As a last resort, you could just switch to the lowest difficulty, but so far my gamer ego has been too big for that.
Anyone currently looking for a solid, beautiful action game is well advised to try Stellar Blade. However, those expecting constant sexiness beyond Eve’s pretty backside could be bitterly disappointed.
It is a shame that the more than solid game mainly revolves around discussions about the protagonist’s appearance.
