NieR: Automata is one of the most influential games of the previous generation and one of my favorite games of all time. So, when a NieR-like game gets announced, I sit up and listen. When Stellar Blade was revealed in 2019, it quickly slotted itself into my most anticipated list. Every trailer painted the game as a stylish, high-octane action RPG that wore its influences on its sleeve. So, after nearly five long years, Stellar Blade has finally dropped. Has it been worth the wait, or is it little more than a soulless clone?
Stellar Blade is a sci-fi action RPG and the first full-fledged console title from Shift Up, a South Korean developer known chiefly for their mobile gacha games. On the roster is director and famed artist Hyung Tae-Kim—best known for his Magna Carta, War of Genesis, and Blade & Soul designs—setting the game up for success regarding stylish and eye-catching visuals and set pieces. Players control Eve, an android sent from the heavens to attempt to reclaim Earth from horrific and vicious monsters. Throughout the game, Eve teams up with a small band of humans, though it’s painfully clear that the Earth’s inhabitants have a completely different concept of just what a human is, as seen by the myriad mechanical parts littering every citizen who walks the streets. Thankfully, this does get addressed in the story later on.
Unlike its biggest inspiration, Stellar Blade’s story is one of its weakest points, taking place on Earth in the distant future, where a strange species known as the Naytiba emerged and brought the planet to ruin. The writers were on to something uniquely interesting with the biblical themes and concepts being twisted and formed into something new. However, they do little with the pieces they have beyond naming characters and locations such as Adam, Eve, Lily (Lilith), and the city of Xion. The heroine, Eve, is often simply referred to as Angel due to her descent from the skies, though any other term would’ve had the same effect. As someone who loves seeing mythology get twisted and given a new context, I felt Stellar Blade’s biblical elements were more interesting on paper because they’re only half-present in the game.
The characters, however, are ultimately quite likable, though the side characters steal the show. The shady back-alley dealer Roxanne keeps Eve on her toes with her enigmatic personality and bizarre attempts at flirting with Eve, the ghostly android Enya—who is little more than a singing torso at first—serenades the patrons of a rundown bar, and the reclusive fisherman Clyde teaches Eve the ins and outs of angling. However, one character stands out the most: D1G-g2r. This strange digging drone is an existentialist through and through, yet his whimsical and adorable musings make him stand out amongst a cast of colorful characters.
The world of Stellar Blade consists of mostly linear zones with dramatic set-pieces, though two wide-open areas house most of the side content. The large zones are littered with enemies ranging from fleshy body horror beasts to mechanical soldiers looking like they came straight from a scrapyard. Unfortunately, these zones require a bit of runaround to activate fast travel, so traversing the sands and wastelands for the first time can be both confusing and tiresome. Mercifully, most side quests are brief, save for a few that are part of a chain or require further progress in the story. The linear zones, however, are far more focused and snappy while focusing on more environmental storytelling, though the fast travel checkpoints are painfully far apart.
Combat is where Stellar Blade excels the most. The game takes a page from Sekiro’s book by focusing on parrying and expertly timed dodges while adding a touch of Bloodborne. Though the game has some elements of Soulsborne games, Stellar Blade is not a Soulslike. Movement remains fast and fluid until the blade is drawn, prompting Eve to slow down and take a more focused and tactical approach. The flow of battle is kinetic and exciting, leading to flashy clashes with monstrous foes ranging from unsightly trash mobs to terrifying mid-bosses that would fit into Monster Hunter World’s Rotten Vale.
Battles are fun and satisfying, with every encounter serving a proper challenge that tests players on their enemy knowledge and general skill. The parry mechanic feels incredibly rewarding with impactful sound effects and lights that add a notable emotional excitement every time that ever-so-satisfying ‘shink!’ rips through the speakers. Perfect dodges feel just as rewarding yet add a more fluid and acrobatic display. Special dodges, counters, and finishing moves make combat wildly flashy and diverse. With a skill tree that allows the player to easily respec, the wide array of combat options is almost dizzying and allows for each player to find their groove.
While Stellar Blade shares a lot of similarities with NieR: Automata, the most striking connection between the two games is the soundtrack. MONACA, best known for their work on Automata, created Stellar Blade’s soundtrack with the same touch of wondrous creativity and beautiful composition expected in a NieR game. However, Stellar Blade does manage to form its own identity by mixing hints of pop ballads with sweeping and dramatic music. From minute one, the game sinks its otherworldly claws into the player’s shoulder and haunts them with unforgettable melodies. Yet, when blades and bullets fly, the music takes a dynamically upbeat turn to match the energy and emotion of battle while keeping those serene vocals running in the background. When the battle is done, the music reverts to those gentle tunes, and the seamless flow shows MONACA’s mastery over the aural arts.
Stellar Blade is a visual spectacle for most of the game, though large portions are set in a dry wasteland or sandy dunes. Naturally, these open zones are home to the majority of the game’s sidequests, so players will spend a large amount of time traversing them. Initially, I was a touch disappointed stepping into the wasteland after roaming the rainy city streets of Eidos 7. Yet, the wasteland’s barren nature grew on me. It felt like a reminder that the world Eve and her allies are striving to save is little more than ruin. The largely brown and yellow open landscape does allow the set-piece dungeons, cities, and space station to stand out even more. The linear sections, most notably the Levoire areas, are the most appealing. These areas take a hard turn into sci-fi horror and look like they are right out of Dead Space, Prey, or Resident Evil’s lab sections.
Overall, Stellar Blade is a fantastic action RPG, yet it’s not without its faults. A sizeable number of character interactions read like an MMORPG sidequest with awkward movements during dialogue and strange canned animations. The voice acting, while serviceable, generally lacks emotion and feels largely forgettable. As a fish out of water, Eve is generally ignorant of the world and needs explanations about practically everything despite being a soldier. However, by the end of the game, she’s more confident and powerful, and she has a few banger lines as she approaches the final bosses. That said, the game ends just as her development starts to take off. While it sets the stage for a more snarky and badass Eve in the sequel, it feels like she needed just a couple more hours to establish a notable, more memorable personality.
Finally, Eve’s revealing costumes caused quite a stir at launch. While they’re entirely optional, some are borderline pornographic and may prompt side-eye from friends and family. Thankfully, there are just as many stylish and fashionable outfits that feel straight out of a K-pop video. On the flip side, there is a giant teddy bear outfit that is both adorable and hilariously ruins dramatic cutscenes, so there’s that. I stuck with the default outfit throughout the game, as we have so few RPG heroes whose primary color is green.
Ultimately, Stellar Blade met most of my expectations, though it did fall short with the story and pacing. The combat, music, and world design are something special, and the monster design feels straight out of a cosmic horror game. While Stellar Blade is heavily influenced by NieR: Automata, it fails to take its crown. To end on a painfully unoriginal pun, Stellar Blade is ‘NieR enough‘ to tide fans over until Yoko Taro manages to extort more money out of Square Enix. It may feel unfair to constantly compare Stellar Blade to NieR: Automata, yet with such blatant influence, it would be a disservice to ignore the developer’s clear and beloved inspiration. South Korea has been on such a wondrous tear lately with their takes on beloved games such as Bloodborne-inspired Lies of P and Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children’s XCOM influences, I would love to see the country become a major player in the RPG genre.
