Stellar Blade developer Shift Up has announced that the highly rated PS5 exclusive title stars Jake Song, a veteran game designer, in a cameo appearance. Song, whose digital model appears in Stellar Blade, is a leading name behind one of the biggest games in Shift Up's home country.
Stellar Blade Review (PS5) | Push Square
24.04.2024 - 19:28 / pushsquare.com
Debuts don’t get much stronger than Stellar Blade. Korean developer Shift Up – already financially flush from the success of its saucy smartphone gacha NIKKE: Goddess of Victory – has chosen the path of most resistance, turning its hand to AAA territory with this rambunctious action-adventure outing. Despite the inherent risks involved, it’s stuck the landing like an acrobatic anime heroine, backflipping her way between deadly laser beams. That is to say, this is a PS5 console exclusive well worth playing.
You are Eve, a buxom super soldier with an unshakeable resolve. Earth has been inhabited by an extraterrestrial race of Cthulhu-esque aberrations named Naytibas, and it’s up to you and a skeleton crew of allies to bring the fight to the otherworldly invaders. A largely trite story involving artificial intelligence ensues, as the studio navel gazes familiar themes, like what it means to be human. While the narrative never really hits the emotional beats it’s gunning for, largely due to a dreadful English dub, the script does at least commit, and there’s plenty of lore to pore over if you have the patience to read through the hundreds upon hundreds of text logs you’ll uncover over the course of the 20-ish hour campaign.
Combat straddles a middle-ground between Dark Souls and Devil May Cry, and perhaps can be best compared to the likes of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and God of War Ragnarok, where rhythmic parrying plays a pivotal role in the loop. Enemies can be staggered by successfully defending against their assaults, leading to a counter-attacking style that’s much more fulfilling than it may seem at first. While the action is undoubtedly at its best in one-on-one scenarios, an enormous skill tree which slowly fleshes out your combat capabilities keeps things fresh from start to finish, and gives you plenty of tools to see off your antagonists.
Said aggressors adopt sublime monster designs, both artistically and mechanically. Foes take various grotesque forms, and while the gameplay largely sticks to its combat blueprint throughout, you’re constantly being asked to refine your fighting style in order to progress. This is accentuated during the many boss encounters, where you’re forced to think on your feet through multiple phases of battle. While the action can be demanding on its default difficulty, a smartly implemented Story Mode includes assists which aid with timing up defensive counters, providing a helping hand without entirely automating the immensely gratifying act of executing a perfect dodge or parry.
There’s more to the game than cut-throat combat, of course, and the developer has a good grasp of pacing as it slows down the flow of the action when it senses you need a breather. Some light
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techradar.com
02.05.2024 / 16:35
Stellar Blade director says there are no plans for DLC just yet, but Shift Up is currently working on a Boss Challenge mode
Stellar Blade will get a Boss Challenge mode in a future update.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:51
Stellar Blade Is a Best-Seller in the UK After Launch PS5 Sales | Push Square
Stellar Blade was the best-selling physical game in the UK last week, with its launch sales on PS5 being enough to see it top sales charts in the region. Sony and Shift Up haven't shared any official sales data just yet, but this marks a good start for the title, which holds the potential to sell well long-term. TopSpin 2K25 was another new entry in the UK sales chart last week, debuting in third place.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:48
Another Stunning Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero PS5 Trailer Confirms Future Gohan, Trunks, Beerus, and More | Push Square
Another gameplay trailer for upcoming fighter Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has arrived, showcasing a further glut of characters. The theme of this video is 'Master and Apprentice', so we've got the likes of Piccolo and Kid Gohan putting in an appearance, as well as Master Roshi and his Turtle School pupils Krillin and Yamcha.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:47
Rise of the Ronin PS5 Sales Beating the Nioh Series | Push Square
Koei Tecmo has shared a brief sales update for recent PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin, revealing «sales are surpassing the Nioh series». Without posting any hard numbers, it goes on to say the game has a «high valuation» amongst players and the company is now looking at «mid to long-term growth» for the title.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:47
Stellar Blade PS5 Dev Thanks Fans for 'Passion' Following Censorship Controversy | Push Square
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.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:47
Stellar Blade Wanted Its Collectible Cans to Be Based on Real Brands Like Pepsi | Push Square
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.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:47
Stellar Blade's PS5 User Score Keeps Getting Higher and Higher | Push Square
Update: Since publishing this article earlier in the week, Stellar Blade's user score rating has increased another point, up to 9.3 from the Metacritic community. That makes it one of the highest rated PS5 games of all time.
pushsquare.com
02.05.2024 / 14:47
Stellar Blade Dev Is Plotting Boss Rush Mode for PS5 Smash Hit | Push Square
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.
gamerant.com
01.05.2024 / 17:27
Stellar Blade New Challenge Mode Is in the Works
Stellar Blade, the latest PS5 exclusive title, may soon get a major update that brings a new game mode into the fray. Apparently, developer Shift Up is already working on adding a challenge mode for Stellar Blade.
pushsquare.com
30.04.2024 / 01:35
High-Quality Crossover Between PS5's Stellar Blade and NIKKE: Goddess of Victory Incoming | Push Square
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.”
gamerant.com
27.04.2024 / 19:37
Stellar Blade Settings Change Could Make the Game Better
A Stellar Blade fan has discovered one settings change that could potentially improve the game for a lot of players. The recent release of Stellar Blade on PlayStation 5 has attracted a ton of hype, but there's one element that has left some fans underwhelmed, although this can be solved with a single change in the settings.