The next one is out April 26, Stellar Blade is the latest work from the development studio SHIFT UPknown in particular for Goddess of Victory: Nikkea best-selling mobile title released in 2022. The game, distributed by Sony Interactive Entertainment as exclusive only PlayStation 5 (at least for the moment), has finally been shown to players through a free demo published last March 29, and which allows us to already be able to express some initial considerations on the production of the South Korean studio.
Through the demo we can already have a small incipit regarding the story. Devastated by strange and powerful creatures, Earth has now been abandoned, with the few survivors of the human race having fled to colonies in deep space. From here begins the story of our protagonist, EVEon a mission for the seventh air unit, with the aim of save humanity by freeing the Earth from Naytiba, evil creatures that have now devastated it. However, as she confronts the Naytiba one by one and tries to shed light on the mysterious past of human civilization, EVE realizes that her mission is not as simple as it seems.
Despite a frenetic and at times cryptic introduction, the game doesn't tend to show its action nature through its short tutorial. Having landed with an emergency capsule on a beach on Earth, we will have to make our way, with blade blows, to the meeting point with our allies, in the meantime reviewing the basics of combat. The game immediately presents purely hack and slash featureswith the light attack executable with squarethe heavy attack that can be performed with triangledodge executable with circlejump executable with X and the parry with the key L1. The latter is the main fulcrum of the combat system, allowing us to use special β moves (beta) taking advantage of the combination L1 plus one of the four action keys as soon as the appropriate bar is sufficiently charged. Furthermore, by parrying at the last second, we will be able to completely deflect attacks, inflicting stun and exposing the enemy to a critical attack. Each enemy will be equipped with a bar relating to life points and one dedicated to the shield, with small yellow gems that will highlight how many deviations will be necessary so that the enemy can be stunned.
Stellar Blade is also characterized by the presence of dynamics similar to what is seen in titles soulslikecreating a hybrid that is as fun as it is interesting. In fact, the focus is always on single combat, e.g rarely against entire ranks of enemies, as well as a difficulty set to a high level of challenge, which can however be lowered via the game menu. The enemies will have multiple attack patterns, not all of which can be deflected, with different phases it will be the last second dodge that will make the difference to create a small attack window. This hybrid nature can be even more appreciated once we leave the initial area, where the title transports us inside a city in ruins, very similar to those we were able to appreciate in titles like NieR:Automata (with which it shares more than one parallel).
Inside the new location, game design reigns supreme, giving the player the opportunity to climb along ruined skyscrapers, swing with the help of metal beams to cross ruined bridges and look for clues along the map to unlock shortcuts to the various areas. Here we also get to know Adamwho follows us with his drone it will allow us to analyze the surrounding area, thus finding enemy forces, chests and secondary shortcuts in advance. Adam will also help EVE in her understanding of the human world, which is partly unknown to her. An example of this is the first approach to the fields left by the various survivors in the past, or by the unit preceding that of EVE. Here we can rest, refilling our “flasks” for health and our HP, while allowing some enemies to come back to life. Inside the camp we will also be able to purchase new supplies, as well as unlock new features for the protagonist with skill points. The latter will be earned by obtaining experience from defeated enemies and from exploration, but unlike the soulslike more famous, at death we will lose nothing. In some more advanced fields it will also be possible upgrade our equipment, which for the moment has not yet been possible to take an in-depth look at. At the end of the demo you will also unlock the boss challenge modewhere we will be able to face a boss present at an advanced stage of the story and already get a first look at the protagonist's future abilities.
Within our experience there were few things that did not fully convince us. One of them is excessive camera shakewhose sensitivity we have lowered almost to minimum, while the other is the loot released by enemies is almost invisible, so small that it often requires the use of a scanner to make sure it hasn't been lost. Minor flaws, but which are nevertheless part of the overall experience, which overall was more than satisfactory, especially on the artistic front. The title often seems to be “in favor of the camera”, making it a pleasure for the player to take the various snapshots. The second play area lacks a bit of determination on the technical front, but it remains a pleasure to look at, as well as appreciate with the help of haptic feedback. The game makes available three different graphics settings: one that favors the graphics sector, one the performance and a last one balanced to offer the player the right middle ground. Furthermore, just to please all those players impressed by the B-side of the protagonistthe development team has implemented a menu entry for change the length of the protagonist's tail, which can be long (and therefore more opaque) or short (i.e. less opaque). The strong point is the sound sector, with suggestive music capable of immersing the player during exploration, as well as exalting him during battles. We couldn't help but expect this from Nunthe study of Keiichi Okabecomposer of the series NieR.
For our final opinion on Stellar Blade we will have to wait a few more weeks, and as already reiterated the release date of the title is set for next year April 26. And you, what do you think of the title after trying the demo? Let us know in the comments below this article!
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