Played through the demo before release: What makes “Stellar Blade,” which is exclusive to PlayStation 5, so special? And can we expect a new action hit here? The detailed preview gives you all the answers!
Anyone who was quick enough on March 8, 2024 was already able to get a taste of the action game “Stellar Blade”. Because of a mistake, a demo version ended up in the PSN Store and revealed around 40 minutes of gameplay of the adventure, which is expected to be released on April 26, 2024 for PlayStation 5. But just as quickly as the test version came out, it disappeared again.
It will now be released regularly on March 29, 2024 and gives a first foretaste of “Stellar Blade” developed by the South Korean studio Shift Up. In the preview report we explain what characterizes the bloody, brutal science fiction spectacle and why the freedom of movement it depicts could become a problem.
Double-edged sword
The demo starts with the landing in Earth's District 3 and the planned extinction of the Alpha Naytibas there. These mutant monsters have spread across the planet and driven humanity away. But the invasion goes wrong: the planetary bombardment takes the massive battle cruisers out of orbit, and only a few units of Landing Party 7 survive the attack in the capsules that were previously dropped. In this case we take on the role of Eve, who is rescued from the landing ship by her comrade Tachy. However, it quickly becomes clear that the two are on a suicide mission and that the Naytiba are mercilessly superior to their armed forces.
In the opening sequence, “Stellar Blade” doesn’t skimp on blood or impressive effects. Towers collapse with a crash and strange tentacled beasts reach into the sky. “Stellar Blade” is visually impressive and always impresses in terms of gameplay with its great animations and choreographed kill combos.
One thing needs to be underlined critically at this point: “Stellar Blade” is noticeably out of date in its portrayal of its characters. The staging of the female body is highly sexualized here. When Eve emerges from the liquid of her capsule like a bikini model and stretches her bust in the sun, we don't feel like an action hero, but more like a sleazy voyeur. Because of course the science fiction warriors have to wear skin-tight latex suits that emphasize their breasts accordingly. And of course the bottom also has to be highlighted thanks to the string armor. Other outfits also show Eve bare midriff or with a lot of skin. Don't forget: we're still talking about an action game that's mostly about fighting.
We hope that Shift Up doesn't take the sexualized depiction to the extreme as the game progresses and that the monster design doesn't have too many anatomical-sexual connotations. Otherwise, this could not only cause another shitstorm, but also steer the impression of the game in a completely wrong direction.