Stellar Blade will get a Boss Challenge mode in a future update.
16.04.2024 - 15:39 / gamesradar.com / Yoko Taro / Iain Harris / Hyung-Tae Kim
Nier director Yoko Taro says that the upcoming action RPG Stellar Blade makes him "quite jealous" as he reckons it's "much better" than Automata itself – strong words of praise, if not a tad self-deprecating from Taro.
Speaking to IGN Japan alongside Stellar Blade director Hyung-Tae Kim, Taro isn't shy of throwing a few compliments the way of the soon-to-release game. It's the sort of courtesy many give their peers, though Taro approaches it with his signature humor, as you might expect.
After Kim answers a question about which elements of Nier: Automata inspired him the most, Taro takes the opportunity to reveal that he's been a fan of Kim's work for ages - to the point that he suggests that Kim is his senior rather than the other way around.
"Stellar Blade is a really amazing game," Taro says. "I'd say that it's much better than Nier: Automata. I have been acquainted with Mr. Kim's works since Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. Your illustrations are of a very high quality. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood came out before Drakengard, the first game I directed. So while I'm the older one, to me, in this industry you're my senior."
It's a compliment Kim takes jokingly, pondering if he should act more superior if that's the case. To that, Taro tells him that he's known among gamers in Japan as a "legendary developer."
"When Blade & Soul came out, I remember being amazed by its 3D graphics," he says. "I think you directed the game's art. Not just the illustrations, but also the 3D models were very well done. I was surprised by the quality of Korean games when I saw it."
That's not the first time Taro compliments Kim, either. The Nier veteran also says that Stellar Blade's graphics are "completely next-gen quality" and that the character design's direction is "amazing" – the "cool male characters and cute female characters" that Taro finds "appealing," to be more precise.
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Given all the praise, you might not be surprised to read that Stellar Blade makes Taro "quite jealous." At one point during the interview, Taro is asked whether PlatinumGames's work on Bayonetta made him want to team up for Automata, as both feature female protagonists and stylish action.
Taro responds by saying that wasn't a reason and that Bayonetta's style is "quite different" from 2B, prompting Kim to say, "With Mr. Yoko's vision and Akihiko Yoshida's design, Nier: Automata has such a strong and unique flavor to it. The more we talk about it, I keep feeling that Stellar Blade cannot compete."
As we've established by now, Taro isn't one for compliments.
"I wouldn't say that," he says. "Stellar Blade actually makes me quite jealous. It's a game with a great concept and amazing
Stellar Blade will get a Boss Challenge mode in a future update.
It sounds like Korean developer Shift Up may revert its controversial Stellar Blade outfit changes, as it’s told fans to “stay tuned for updates” and thanked players for their “passion and feedback”. For those out of the loop, a petition went viral this weekend after gamers noticed some alterations to a couple of the release’s costumes, incorporated by the release’s day one patch.
There are a lot of things to discover in Stellar Blade, but the primary type of collectible is cans. As you explore the PS5 console exclusive’s Naytiba-inhabited world, you’ll discover all sorts of tins, ranging from iced coffee to soda. All of these brands, however, are fictional – because Korean developer Shift Up wasn’t able to secure a partnership with a real-life manufacturer like Pepsi or Coca-Cola.
Stellar Blade’s boss battles are among its most memorable moments, so it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that developer Shift Up is plotting a kind of boss rush mode for its PS5 debut. Teased by director Hyung-Tae Kim in an interview with Korean publication Nate, he revealed that some kind of arcade-style back-to-back boss challenge option is currently in the early stages of production.
The worlds of PS5’s hot new console exclusive Stellar Blade and gacha mobile sensation NIKKE: Goddess of Victory will collide in the near future. Director Hyung-Tae Kim already teased the possibility of a collaboration in an interview with Push Square earlier in the year, but now he’s confirmed to Gamer Braves that “a very high-quality crossover” will launch later down the line. He added: “It’s something you can definitely look forward to.”
Stellar Blade has launched to huge acclaim this weekend, but not every fan is delighted with Shift Up’s PS5 debut. Eagle-eyed players spotted some changes to a couple of costumes in the final product, prompting accusations of censorship from publisher Sony. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time the Japanese giant has requested changes in PlayStation games, as more titillating cutscenes in titles like Devil May Cry 5 were inexplicably edited on PS4 in the past. This decision was later reversed.
Tucked away in the corner of this year's Day Of The Devs at GDC I discovered a lavish, strangely unattended action-RPG, in which austerely beautiful young women in elaborate skirts kick the bejazus out of each other on fields of whirling flowers. That game was Aikode, the work of Spanish solo developer Ace.
There was a moment in Nier Automata when I knew that I was in for something special.
As I sat down to write this review, I saw that Stellar Blade developer Shift Up had officially announced that the game would be “uncensored” in all regions. Predictably, there was much rejoicing from folks who had been drawn to Stellar Blade protagonist EVE’s shiny buttocks like moths to a flame. To be honest, I can’t blame them; she’s a shockingly attractive virtual person, a trait she shares with pretty much the entire cast of the game, who are all either incredibly hot, badass cyborgs, weird fleshy monsters, or a particularly delectable combination of two or even all three elements. However, as someone who had finished the game earlier that afternoon, I couldn’t help but laugh my sadly unshiny butt off.
Stellar Blade will be uncensored in all regions, it’s been announced.
If you were concerned that the PS5-exclusive Stellar Blade, out 26th April on PS5, might run afoul of Sony's censors, fear not. Developer ShiftUp is advertising that the game will remain entirely uncensored in all regions, including Japan.
While the Boost Packs in are no doubt a fun way to expand upon players' traversal skills, one fan took it upon themselves to create an even better version of the feature. Players are able to hone their skills with 's Boost Packs as they level up and add points to the skill but even at its highest level, the oxygen-guzzling equipment only allows users to fly up, making horizontal movement especially difficult and imprecise. Fortunately, those wanting to soar through the air like a bounty hunter are in luck thanks to a new mod.