PlayStation 5 celebrates the arrival of a new exclusive, Stellar Blade. The South Korean title has managed to capture the attention of the public and position itself as one of the most anticipated releases of April. With humanity on the brink of destruction, we will have to step into Eve’s shoes on her mission to reclaim Earth.
Here we leave you everything you need to know before diving into playing Stellar Blade.
What is Stellar Blade about?
Stellar Blade takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth, completely devastated by the arrival of the Naytibos, creatures as monstrous as they are mysterious. After losing the war against these beings, humanity ends up being expelled from their own planet.
Here comes our protagonist, Eve. Her mission (and ours too) is to recover the Earth and completely eliminate the Naytibos. Luckily, EVE is not alone in this endeavor. Throughout her adventure, she will encounter other characters like Adam, a scavenger residing in Xion, the last standing human city on Earth.
However, Tachy will be the first person we will encounter when starting Stellar Blade. She is a “decorated soldier recognized for her tactical brilliance and combat skills,” according to the official PlayStation blog.
As we progress in the story, we will discover everything that surrounds this war and the arrival of the Naytibos. Then, Eve will have to make a decision that, in reality, will fall on us, the players.
Combat, one of the strong points of Stellar Blade
Although many may have noticed the beauty of the characters in Stellar Blade, the truth is that the game has much more to offer, such as its gameplay.
The combat is very satisfying and is based on the use of skills, which you can improve as you progress in the game. Stellar Blade allows us to choose between two levels of difficulty, one normal and another more focused on the story. This way, anyone who dares to try the game can do so without fear of getting stuck or finding it impossible to pass.
Who has created Stellar Blade?
The developer of Stellar Blade is SHIFT UP, a South Korean company whose parent company is Tencent. Founded in 2013, their first project was the mobile title Destiny’s Child, published in 2016 by Line Games.
As we will see later on, this is not the first problem the company has had related to its “peculiar” way of representing female characters.
In 2019, SHIFT UP announced that they were immersed in two projects. One of them was Project NIKKE: Goddess of Victory and the other was Project Eve, which would end up being Stellar Blade. This last game is quite special for SHIFT UP because, in addition, it is the studio’s first triple A title developed.
Controversy about Stellar Blade
You may have noticed something that is repeated in SHIFT UP games. Specifically, we are referring to their peculiar way of representing female characters. So much so that with Goddess of Victory they had to publicly apologize for their excessively explicit advertisements in Thailand. Stellar Blade has been no exception.
One of the aspects of Stellar Blade that has caused the most controversy is the appearance of its protagonist, Eve. Since her design was revealed, many users have strongly criticized her hypersexualized aesthetic, sparking a debate about the representation of women in video games.
Media outlets like IGN France talked about the aesthetics of Eve and claimed that it looked like a “sexual doll made by someone who has never seen a woman“. After receiving harsh criticism on social media, IGN France had to come forward and apologize for those statements.
For Hyung-Tae Kim, CEO of SHIFT UP, the controversy is quite foreign to him. In an interview with the Korean media Ruliweb, he stated that he understands that in the West, “game characters have to be realistic.” However, for him, “Stellar Blade is entertainment and a cultural product.” It is also worth noting that Hyung-Tae Kim himself has stated that the appearance of the protagonist is based on “his personal taste.”
Prices and availability of Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade was released on April 26th and can be enjoyed on PlayStation 5. When purchasing it, you can choose between its physical edition or its digital version. The standard edition of Stellar Blade has a starting price of 79.99 euros, both in physical and digital format. However, you can find it at a lower price from other retailers like Amazon.
On the other hand, you can also purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition of Stellar Blade, which includes the full game and accessories for Eve such as the astronomer suit, half-frame glasses, and experience and gold points. Its current price is 89.99 euros.
For the most indecisive there is a free demo that allows you to play the first few hours and dive into its combat mechanics.
