Stellar Blade Reviews
Stellar Blade is an unremarkable thrill ride, one with a forgettable story marred by predictable twists and a lack of compelling character development. While it's a visually stunning experience, it's let down by its lackluster cutscene direction and inconsistencies in the character animation. Fortunately, its combat is stellar, offering a rich and varied set of systems that feel endlessly fun. Similarly, exploration is rewarding, albeit a little clunky. If you're looking for a combat-focused experience, then Stellar Blade's 20-25-hour runtime will surely suffice. However, don't expect to come away having had a memorable time.
Had Eve been a character with agency and personality, who actually responded to the drooling and leering that she’s meant to embody, well, she’d be Bayonetta. If her emptiness was hiding deep existential secrets that the game revealed with patience and empathy, she’d be 2B. Instead, Eve is a busty, long-legged cipher of a doll who has no idea just how far up her hind quarters the game’s camera is designed to go, and seems somehow quite comfortable wearing sci-fi heels that make her feet look like horse hooves. Perhaps it’s unfair for this to be the sole focus for some players, but, unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot else going on to draw their gaze away from it.
Stellar Blade is a fun and satisfying hack and slash, boasting a fast paced combat that makes the player feel like a badass, although its female representation leaves a lot to be desired.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Those who simply wish to marvel at a Korean goddess and not concern themselves with a game’s finer details, then Stellar Blade might be the game. It’s a game that wants to be a masterpiece but simply isn’t. It isn’t a bad place for SHIFT UP to start, but don’t censor anything next time.
For a developer’s first rodeo, I truly appreciate the unique angle they found in occupying the middle ground between the character action games it apes, and the ever popular modern action game From Software has popularized.
Offering superb combat and rewarding exploration, Stellar Blade is let down only slightly by somewhat flat voice acting, odd quality of life oversights, and a narrative that has a full skeleton, but wants for more meat on the bone. Hopefully a sequel can smooth out these rough edges.
Stellar Blade is a phenomenal game that will have you slaughtering Naytibas all day long as you work on perfecting your craft with Eve. For Shift Up's first console game, Stellar Blade is, well, Stellar.
Even with all its flaws, Stellar Blade is still an entertaining game. As Shift Up's first major release, it delivers enough to be considered a success and paves the way for potentially bigger and better games in the future.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Stellar Blade is at war with itself in a conflict between style and substance. Sadly, style wins with merciless regularity, but there’s a strong core of genuinely good gameplay fighting through an ocean of bells and whistles. Finally, let us never forget: titanic titties, one caked up ass, and thighs that could feed the five thousand.
In the end, it’s Stellar Blade’s shortcomings that make it a game that would be otherwise passable for me if it weren’t for producing content for the site. Its combat is surely enjoyable and I did have a great time with it for the hours that were played in order to come up with this article. It’s the rest of the package that makes it lacking though, and if I had at least a bit of interest in its story, world and characters, those would make for reason enough to keep at it for a while longer. Sadly, that’s not really the case here.
Most of all, Stellar Blade surprises with the fact that it is the debut console project for the Shift Up studio. It looks and plays as if it was done by professionals with many years of experience. If they pay more attention to the plot and characters in the next projects, there will be nothing to complain about at all.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Stellar Blade was an absolutely stellar, gorgeous experience that was filled to the brim with action while still balancing a somber vibe.
Stellar Blade is a journey through the depths of human resilience and the cost of redemption, and stands as a testament to the power of storytelling in gaming. As players embark on Eve’s quest for truth and justice, they’ll find themselves immersed in a world where every choice carries weight, and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Stellar Blade is a masterclass in style, but it's lacking substance.
Narrative flaws aside, Stellar Blade shines as a top-tier action title with unforgettable final boss fights, showcasing the best of the genre.
Stellar Blade is a great action title that offers plenty of content as well as incredibly motivating battles and evolving skills. It looks great, sounds like a cousin of the Nier soundtrack and is also a lot of fun thanks to the constant variety. The only thing you shouldn't expect is a well-developed story with good characters, and the many unlockable outfits are probably intended to distract from that.
Review in German | Read full review
Even though there were some issues; those things weren't enough to detract from my liking of the game. I still believe that anyone who enjoys action RPGs will adore Stellar Blade. The story could use a bit of work in the end, but I nevertheless relished my experience with it since games like this usually never have a solid ending. SHIFT UP might have preserved some content for future DLCs, as the game felt a bit smaller than I had hoped for. Still, its action-packed gameplay makes up most of those areas, and the game's character designs are definitely outstanding.
Stellar Blade is a huge surprise that impressed me quite a bit. The game is a great hybrid of a slasher with light souls-like game elements, which offers brilliant world and level design, a phenomenal combat system and boss skirmishes. When you add to this a perfectly created soundtrack, then you have a recipe for success for now and for the future, as I hope this is not the last time we see the Stellar Blade.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Stellar Blade's remarkable core combat and overwhelming commitment to style carries the weight of its uneven exploration and muddled narrative.
Stellar Blade is another sublime PlayStation 5 exclusive that showcases the power of the console with its thrilling action and mesmerising visuals. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully sold on the game before playing, but after spending twenty-plus hours partaking in Eve’s action-packed antics, I’ve been blown away. Sure, I wasn’t too keen on the storytelling, but when the gameplay packs such a punch, it’s hard to complain too much. With its, uh-hum, ‘stellar’ combat mechanics that feel like a blend of Dark Souls and Bayonetta, captivating set pieces and level design that really pull you into the world, and some of the best visuals seen on the console, Stellar Blade is one PlayStation 5 release that you’d be a fool to miss.