[Review] Stellar Blade

Mostly stellar, but not completely

I have been following this game back when it was first labelled Project EVE. After a while I thought it wasn't ever going to release, I slightly lost hope. Though when it was shown in a state of play as the newly named Stellar Blade, my eyes lit up with joy. Not long after this it got it's release date of April 26th 2024, exclusively on PS5. Leading up to the release I played the demo several times as it already had me hooked. However, how did the full game fair? Well I have played it to completion once and started my new game plus run, so I feel I am now able to give my full opinion on the game.

~ Positives ~

Satisfying combat - The combat for this game is really shines bright. The combat is all about reaction, whether it's parrying an incoming attack or dodging away to avoid an unblockable hit. You are constantly engaged and on your toes during these fights.
When fighting you have access to a range of combos using the strong and light attacks. On top of this there are two sets of skills you can use by holding down R1 and L1. These are skills that can be used to take out huge chunks of enemy health, though most of them have secondary uses such as pushing enemies away or hitting enemies from afar.
The gun you get allows you to have a more reliable ranged option as well. You don't just have a single ammunition type though, there are different rounds you can load into the gun, including laser rounds which can be charged.
On top of this, you also get a special mode which gives you a new set of skills to use and different combos for a limited time.
There is so much to the combat here and it was always a joy to fight enemies throughout the game.

Great boss fights - The boss fights in this game are quite well made. Every encounter I had with a boss actually felt like a boss fight and was a real challenge. 
These fights typically have multiple phases too. This includes them getting additional attacks or them changing up their abilities. This means you can't just find something that works and stick to it, you need to be adapt to the new thing(s) the boss does.
All the fights have such a great spectacle to them, being very visually impressive. The finishing blows for these fights are always super hype.
Make sure to not put down your controller though, because some boss fights require a quick time event.

Rewarding exploration - Between the two open maps and the various more linear maps there is tons to discover and explore in this game. Every time I went off the beaten path I was surprised and happy to see that I had been rewarded quite well. It really made me want to explore more and more. I never once felt like I had wasted my time when exploring.
There are quite a lot of collectables actually so sometimes you can end up getting double the reward for exploring. They did quite well with filling out the world in this game.
Some areas in the game are not part of the main story and some of the non mandatory areas are wonderful to come across. I remember the first time walking into a cave in the wasteland region and seeing a small cave beautifully light up with clear waters, it was a sight to behold and it felt rewarding just finding it.

Outstanding presentation - From the trailers and the demo you could see this was going to be a stand out thing about the game. It's not surprise that it was going to be good, but I feel it even exceeded what I thought. The cinematic moments and sequences are so well made and feel straight out of an action movie. The animation of this game in general is really good. Enemies and characters move very smoothly.
The sound in this game is next level. The music for the game is full of absolutely jamming music. There is not a single track I didn't like throughout the whole game. I have listened to many of them on repeat while doing other things, including writing this review. There is such a good variety of music in the game as well so you won't get bored of hearing the same type of music lots. The sound effects are also great too, everything looks and sounds really punchy.

~ Negatives ~

Main story lacks depth - The story is fine enough but doesn't have much depth to it. It picks up a little towards the end but still it isn't enough for it to be a stand out part of the game. Most of the plot points were quite predictable too. It's a shame too, because there is some decent lore present in the game.

Characters are not very interesting - If you asked me to tell you about the personality of the main character EVE, I would say she is nice. That is literally all she is as a character and that's extremely boring. Adam and Lily are slightly more interesting but still they aren't anything I would call well written.

Environments not too diverse - While the areas all look absolutely amazing, there is a bit of repetition at play. Most of the environments can be summed up with industrial or desert area. In fact both the open world areas are very similar to each other. It made it hard to distinguish them for me and it felt like they could have just been one big open area instead of two separate ones.

~ Conclusion ~

To conclude, Stellar Blade is a game I am glad I played. It's a great game but definitely has a big weak point in it's narrative. I would easily recommend this game to action game fans. For people heavy on narrative, the challenge of the game will not be worth it. It should be said this is Shift Up's first big console game and it is a very good first attempt. I feel in a sequel they could take the game even further and full in the things it is missing.

Total Hours Played: 30

Score: 8/10

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