Stellar Blade Review: “An Action-Packed Marvel"

Summary Stellar Blade excels in combat mechanics, offering exhilarating and challenging encounters with bosses.

The narrative might struggle with pacing at times, but it's still a worthy experience.

Stellar Blade's universe borrows all the right elements from NieR: Automata and Soulslike classics.

Stellar Blade is the latest exclusive to hit the PlayStation 5 that excels at delivering a highly riveting action RPG. Shift Up Corporation has crafted an impressive linear title that takes influences from some of the most renowned games in recent times. Even though the parallels are quite apparent, Stellar Blade doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but rather refines what players are already familiar with.

Stellar Blade is centered around EVE, a member of the 7th Airborne Division who has come back to a ravaged Earth from an off-world colony. She, along with other warriors, has been sent to investigate the origins of the Naytibas and reclaim the planet for humanity. During the course of her mission, EVE discovers that the history between the Naytibas and humans is far more complicated than anticipated.

Stellar Blade Stellar Blade is an immediate must-play for PS5. Pros Spectacular combat mechanics

Solid performance

Cool abilities

Evocative soundtrack Cons Inconsistent narrative pacing

Minor visual issues

Combat Gameplay Is The Star Of The Show

Fun & Exhilarating Encounters

Close

Set in a semi-open world, Stellar Blade is akin to the cult hit NieR: Automata while borrowing gameplay elements from Soulslite titles like Jedi: Fallen Order. While this may initially sound intimidating, it isn’t as steadfast in the genre’s common stereotypes. Gameplay can be quite rewarding if players use all the mechanics and RPG systems as intended, and it even has a “Story Mode” for those who aren’t experienced with Soulslike mechanics.

Stellar Blade demands its players to be precise and adaptable with their actions on normal difficulty, and playing a more defensive style will be a boon, especially during boss fights. Unlike hack-and-slash titles like NieR: Automata, simply attacking an enemy won’t get players far. It might work for weaker minions, but for boss battles, one needs to master timing for parrying and dodging.

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That's because when performing a "Perfect Parry" or a "Perfect Dodge," players can counter a Naytiba with devastating damage and recharge "Beta Energy" abilities that can quickly turn the tide of a battle. Due to the impeccable variety of enemy types, one always needs to consider these mechanics and learn how to read every opponent. From enemies that lurk around the corner or the fantastic bosses you might stumble upon, players always need to be prepared for a fight.

Stellar Blade's solid combat mechanics and visceral action refine established ideas within the Soulslike genre while imbuing it with a distinctive flair.

This dance of juggling abilities, dodging, and parrying in Stellar Blade makes every boss fight a riveting encounter, and there are other tools at your disposal that will also help overcome challenging opponents. EVE can use guns and powerful lasers, albeit with limited ammo, to take down Naytibas from afar or target weak points after staggering them. EVE can also deploy a Biotic Field Generator on the ground to heal herself within an area of effect or throw mines, enabling players to use various strategies on the fly.

Stellar Blade's solid combat mechanics and visceral action refine established ideas within the Soulslike genre while imbuing it with a distinctive flair. Even after 25 hours, these intricate innovations make Stellar Blade’s gameplay the real star of the show and surpass all expectations.

Stellar Blade's Narrative Could Be More Compelling

Not Living Up To Its Potential

While Stellar Blade’s main highlight is its combat, the narrative is probably its weakest point. This doesn’t mean the narrative isn’t worth experiencing; it just doesn’t do enough to stand out. The overarching plot is quite exciting but often held back, with key moments lacking emotional impact. The narrative does not break any new ground, sometimes begging the question of whether it’s living up to its full potential.

Stellar Blade is set in a derelict world with many opportunities to tell exciting stories. Most of these self-contained stories can be experienced via side-quests and activities, some unlocking major features, while others might involve a math puzzle. One of the more consequential side quests involves helping a hairdresser, where EVE needs to find items like a hair dryer and scissors for them. Completing the mission will allow players to customize EVE’s hair at the hairdresser’s salon.

While side quests are a good distraction, the main story beats can be a bit predictable. Much like NieR Automata’s lore, Stellar Blade’s universe could benefit from more world-building; it still has enough twists, entertaining action sequences, and hits all the right notes that will resonate with most action RPG players.

Stellar Blade’s World Feels and Sounds Familiar

Taking The Right Inspirations

Stellar Blade’s vibe and world invoke a profound familiarity reminiscent of NieR: Automata while infusing core mechanics from Soulslike titles. The semi-open world often reminds me of NieR’s desolate, post-apocalyptic landscape of deserts, junkyards, and dilapidated buildings. While familiar, these hubs intertwine storytelling and exploration with Soulslike elements with the utmost finesse.

Stellar Blade proves that not every game needs to be an exhausting open world with content that serves no purpose.

When exploring various environments, players will solve basic puzzles, find new nano suits/cosmetic items, and upgrades to bolster EVE’s health. It always pays off to go off the beaten path to hunt for rewards and collectibles that ultimately benefit EVE in the long run. The game also goes a bit further to incorporate mini-games into some mundane tasks, elevating the overall gameplay experience. Stellar Blade proves that not every game needs to be an exhausting open world with content that serves no purpose, and achieves this balance exceptionally well.

For example, some chests require players to play a mini-game that uses the D-pad or redirect energy using a unique mechanic that utilizes both thumbsticks. Each mini-game seems unsophisticated at first but progressively escalates in complexity further into the story.

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Taking a cue from the best Soulslike games, players will also run into “Supply Camps” and resting points where they can upgrade EVE’s abilities, stats, and items. Like bonfires, these camps also replenish EVE’s health and the limited number of health tumblers while also respawning enemies in the area. Players can also use a phone booth to fast travel in Stellar Blade in case they want to farm enemies for XP or look for more collectibles in other areas. It’s a familiar setting that works well for Stellar Blade and doesn't detract from all the fun.

What brings Stellar Blade’s world to most life is some of the distinctive soundtrack composed by Keiichi Okabe. The revered composer has delivered yet another evocative soundtrack that perfectly sets up major set pieces and key moments. From feeling like sitting in a late-night bar at Supply Camps to tension-filled background scores, the soundtrack reinforces the level of immersion with splendid flair.

Stellar Blade’s world is a charming throwback to linear titles that is genuinely a breath of fresh air. In a sea filled with bloated open-world titles, the game stands out by amalgamating many borrowed ideas with invigorating combat and RPG systems.

How Stellar Blade Looks & Performs

Meant For The PS5

While most of Stellar Blade looks stunning and stimulating, it needs some fine-tuning in the character model department. EVE and most main characters have been crafted with great detail, but noticeable artifacts around their character models often hamper the experience. Screenshots would usually turn out blurry, even after turning off the “Motion Blur” feature. For what it’s worth, the visual fidelity of the open world looks remarkable most of the time, but the aforementioned inconsistencies during cut scenes would often stick out like a sore thumb.

As for performance, Stellar Blade runs at a smooth 60FPS using both balanced and performance modes, which should be the ideal way to experience this game. Having said that, the draw distance could use some work as far-away enemies would often depopulate or populate jarringly in the semi-open world. These enemies would also patrol the area at a lower frame rate than usual, looking quite comical and reminiscent of a bygone era. It’s fair to say, however, that Stellar Blade’s performance was mostly solid since there were no game-breaking bugs, crashes, or glitches experienced during my 25-hour playthrough.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

4.5/5

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Shift Up’s Stellar Blade stands tall as a stellar debut for the PS5 and is undoubtedly going to be a staple for many action RPG fans. Its main strength lies in its combat mechanics and boss designs, which often steal the show. With a familiar setting inspired by its source material, Stellar Blade can still be quite an enamoring and challenging game that will test your skills and patience with pulse-pounding encounters.

Shift Up coalesces all the right tropes from some of its most revered contemporaries into Stellar Blade while refining quintessential elements from Soulslite classics. It’s a testament to how gameplay can be exciting, fun, and at its finest when done right. Though its narrative pacing and world-building may falter slightly, Stellar Blade as a whole is an action-packed marvel and a wonderful addition to PlayStation’s exclusive gaming family.

Screen Rant was provided with a PlayStation 5 code for the purpose of this review.