Stellar Blade was possibly one of this year’s most eagerly awaited PS5 titles. Since its first announcement and reveal trailer, the visuals got tongues wagging, promising a feast of outstanding character design and audiovisual spectacle. It also promised some great hack-and-slash action to back up the presentation. Now that we’ve finally got the chance to check it out ourselves, we wanted to put together our initial impressions.
Stellar Blade throws you into the thick of the action from the get-go. As one of the warriors in an invasion force, you’re shot down during an orbital drop. What is the invasion about, who are your enemies? These are mysteries held in reserve as you weave between crashing ships, plenty of explosions, and nasty looking organic enemies.
It’s a chaotic opening to drive home the horror that awaits you as you watch your fellow combatants get cut down brutally by the monsters in your path. I was almost reminded of Quake IV’s opening attack on Stroggos, and how everything goes to pot, eventually leaving you as the last (wo)man standing. As you progress, new characters are introduced, while flashbacks flesh out events leading up to the invasion.
It’s a good time to get the elephant in the room out of the way. Yes, Stellar Blade is rather gorgeous looking with the pyrotechnic effects and environment designs top notch, but it really is the characters that stand out. EVE, especially, is gorgeously modelled with her outfits showcasing some stunning detail (and not just her physique). The monsters also sport some fantastic designs and, if nothing else, Stellar Blade is a visual treat for PS5 owners.
But how does it play? Well, Stellar Blade jumps firmly into the action-RPG mold. EVE is highly customisable, with outfits and various bits and bobs to create a character build with. Of course, it also throws you against multiple enemies at the same time and EVE has some great combos, juggling heavy and light attacks, to tear them apart with.
This though, is where Stellar Blade departs somewhat from what I was expecting. While the combo-driven gameplay suggests a more traditional, Devil May Cry-style game, Stellar Blade feels far more Souls-like in design.
You see, while EVE has some great moves at her disposal, combat is actually more methodical and designed around blocking, dodging and, yes, parrying. It’s far slower than I was expecting, both in attack and movement speed. The Souls-like design also carries over to the camps you unlock, which recovers your health and respawns basic enemies. Thankfully, death doesn’t drop anything for you to re-collect or slow character and gear progression – you just continue from the last camp you rested at.
Optional side paths can be opened up in levels and there are chests scattered around for you to loot, though the early game is not a clear indication of just how much “RPG” is packed into this action-adventure. A balance between progression systems and player skill looks to be key.
All that said, I have a few concerns based on early impressions. The first is the slow speed of combat and movement that feels like it needs to be faster or get faster with progress. My second concern is a slight lag between button presses and action onscreen. And, finally, the dodge needs some work for those who aren’t fond of parrying. At launch, the speed at which it triggers, how fast EVE moves, and the distance she covers feel inconsistent. The aforementioned input lag clearly plays a role, but even when triggering dodge, I often got hit when I felt and looked as though I should have avoided the blow.
