Kotaku's Comprehensive Analysis of Stellar Blade

• Stellar Blade's dichotomy: thrilling but monotonous.
• Available for purchase at Amazon and Best Buy.
• Storyline: Soldier Eve battles alien Naytibas and unravels a conspiracy.
• Exploration: expansive zones filled with enemies, items, and side objectives.
• Platforming: challenging due to problematic character movement.

Stellar Blade: A Game of Dichotomies

In many ways, Stellar Blade is a marvel. Its action is thrilling, its soundtrack is captivating, and its world is mesmerizing. But as you peel back the layers of its flashy exterior, you may find that this character action game by Shift Up can also be quite monotonous. It’s a game that’s both beautiful but bland, enjoyable but exasperating, expansive but shallow. Despite its flaws, there’s a lot to admire about Stellar Blade, but also a lot that could be improved.

Order Stellar Blade

Available at Amazon and Best Buy.

Stellar Blade's Storyline

Stellar Blade follows the story of Eve, a soldier from the Airborne Squad 7 regiment, who is sent to Earth to combat an invasion of bizarre aliens known as Naytibas. As she battles these grotesque creatures in a desperate bid to save humanity, she uncovers a conspiracy about the true origins of the Naytibas. As the plot thickens, Eve travels from zone to zone, using her blade as a skateboard, and even takes a brief trip to space to uncover the truth behind the Naytibas, humanity's remnants, her fellow Airborne Squad members, and her own identity. Despite the predictable plot, there are some introspective moments amidst the high-octane action. However, the story is marred by uninspiring characters and frustrating platforming.

Stellar World, Unstellar Platforming

The game's world is captivating. The main hub area, Xion, exudes the typical "last human outpost" vibes with its empty streets, crumbling homes, and buildings made from shipping containers. This is where most missions start and end, and where a lot of character development takes place. Unfortunately, the characters themselves lack depth. The English voice acting leaves much to be desired, especially during emotional scenes and tense situations. The world of Stellar Blade is beautiful, especially the character models and environmental details, but the flat, lifeless interactions with the characters overshadow the emotional depth of the writing.

Eve's Adventures

Outside of Xion, there are several open zones for you to explore, each representing a different natural element: grass, dirt, stone, water. These zones are expansive, teeming with enemies to fight, sights to see, items to collect, and side objectives to complete. Despite the confusing layout of the zones, the vastness of Stellar Blade's world encourages exploration. You might stumble upon an optional boss, a stunning outfit, a beautiful vista, or a hidden item. Stellar Blade is packed with content, making every exploration rewarding.

Platforming in Stellar Blade

However, the platforming in this game is less than stellar. Eve's movements feel both too heavy and too light, leading to frustrating platforming experiences. Judging jump distances is challenging due to her momentum, making even the simplest platforming tasks a headache. Eve is quick to move but slow to stop, often leading to unwanted vaulting over obstacles. There have been more deaths due to momentum issues while platforming than to any enemy or boss in the game.

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